Jack Holbrook

Inquiry-based Teaching/Learning (IBSE)

What is IBSE?

Question

Predict

Plan inquiry

Conclude

Conduct inquiry

Observe/ record

Interpret

THE GOAL

To solve a scientific problem by carrying out an investigation seeking evidence

The start (question must be scientific i.e. answerable from seeking evidence)

Solution

Seeking the evidence in a valid and reliable manner

Carry out observations/ procedures

Obtain reliable evidence

Give meaning to the findings. Present outcome in a useful way

What is the solution? Was the prediction correct?

Examples of Science Questions1. Is water needed for a plant to grow?

2. Can we construct an instrument to determine wind direction?

3. Under what conditions can water be turned into (a) ice and (b) steam ?

4. Why does iron conduct electricity?

Examples of Planning1. Involve a control. Add water to experimental

plant; do not water the control plant. Observe over time.

2 Use a stick which is allowed to rotate (eg on top of a plastic bottle). The stick has a piece of flat cardboard added as a tail to catch the wind

3 Put water in a tray in the refrigerator; heat water in a kettle

Examples of Interpretation1. As the experimental plant stayed healthy and the control did not, this indicates water is needed for plants to stay healthy and grow.2. The stick turned to indicate the wind direction because the wind blew on the cardboard and the stick turned3 The water in the ice box in the refrigerator turned to ice because the temperature was less than 0. The water in the kettle turned to steam as the temperature was raises to 100.

Why IBSE? The booklet ‘Science Education Now’ (EC,

2007) proposes that inquiry-based science education should be an important component of science teaching.

What reasons does it give?

(one reason must surely be – for the students to learn science knowledge and skills!!)

What is the role of the teacher? What is meant by saying IBSE needs to be

student-centred? Can IBSE be anything other than student-

centred? If the teachers’ role is assessor, what is

assessed?

Three levels of inquiry1. Structured Inquiry - easier

Less thinking by Students – Qu. given, instructions given and students only interpret.

2. Guided Inquiry – averageThe teacher helps the students to cover all types of thinking, but usually the teacher provides the initial question.

3. Open inquiry – difficultStudent do all. This, in essence, is a PROJECT. What does the teacher do?

The 3-stage Science Education Model

Stage 3 (Putting the gained science into context)

Socio-scientific learning (putting science in context)

Decision making (science in society)

Stage 2 (THE MAJOR LEARNING STAGE) Science Conceptual

LearningIBSE (Inquiry

Teaching/Learning)

Stage 1 (setting the relevant scene)Scenario giving the context Student Motivation

Teaching bridging 1 to 2

Teaching bridging 2 to 3

Stage 2 inquiry teaching/learning

Four key components are:

1. Student involvement (especially thinking).

2. Teacher has a clear purpose in mind (teacher has suitable learning outcomes).

3. The inquiry stems from a scientific question.

4. Teacher receives feedback on student involvement (about the strength of learning).

Essential Component 1 Student Involvement

If student involvement is completely absent, so also is inquiry teaching/learning.

Student involvement means - STUDENT THINKING

(being involved in, for example, making suggestions, giving ideas, explaining, planning, ensuring safety - the list is not exhaustive)

and - STUDENT DOING

(undertaking activities such as - planning, experimenting, reporting, discussing, seeking information - this list is not exhaustive).

Desired student level of involvement in Inquiry teaching/learning

The degree (quantity) and level (quality) of inquiry/learning is important.

PROFILES strives for a high degree and a high level of inquiry teaching/learning

High degree - much student involvement High level - very intellectual ‘thinking’ by

students and very capable in ‘doing’

Student Motivation Unfortunately, a high degree and a high level of learning

can only happen if student motivation is sufficiently positive (Without positive motivation, involvement is very unlikely to be high).

Good teaching ALWAYS encompasses a strong student motivation component and ALWAYS seeks high student involvement.

Clearly good teaching includes all essential (must have) components of inquiry teaching/learning.

Motivational student involvement

If the learning is ‘too easy’ or students see it as ‘trivial’, little thinking occurs. Learning and motivation are likely to be low. And it is unlikely to be inquiry learning.

Too little learning occurs if the teacher undertakes too much of the thinking process and thus the student level of involvement in the ‘thinking’ process is low.

Making Inquiry learning too difficult

If the level of the inquiry ‘thinking’ and ‘doing’ task is too difficult (the ‘thinking’ challenge is too great) – there will be little student involvement.

This means there will be little, or no, inquiry teaching/learning.

Key factor Prior learning and prior experiences play a key

role in effective inquiry teaching/learning.

Essential Component 2 The teachers knows what student involvement is to

achieve (the teaching has learning outcomes).

All too often the purpose of student involvement is to: undertake inquiry procedures (do experiments), and give explanations of, or interpretations to, the findings.

This is not sufficient for students in higher classes. More thinking is needed – e.g. planning experiments.

Solving a scientific problemThe way to do this may come from the students, or the teacher.

(The less experienced the students, the greater the teacher role, but the lower the degree (quantity) and level (quality) of student involvement).

To involve students more, it is suggested: teachers avoid experimental situations which set out to –

‘show that’, or ‘verify that’, (low level of student thinking) and strongly encourage problem-solving i.e. ‘to find out

if ....’ or ‘to investigate whether....’ (higher level of thinking)

Essential Component 3The inquiry learning starts from

a scientific question.

Basically - no scientific question, no inquiry learning

The scientific question needs to be expressed in such a way that it is at an appropriate level for student learning.

(and of course, the scientific learning needs to be within the curriculum)

In PROFILES

In PROFILES, the scientific question is intended to be an outcome from a reflection on the initial socio-scientific scenario.

In PROFILES, the desired (or eventual) target is: the students put forward the scientific question (ably

guided by the teacher). The inquiry procedure is based on problem solving to

learn the science which is needed to discuss the scenario.

The scenario as a challenge

The scenario is intended to provide to students a relevant, motivational, ‘thinking’ challenge.

The 1st challenge is for the students to recognise that their discussion of the scenario is limited because they lack sufficient scientific ideas.

The 2nd challenge is to learn these science ideas.

The 3 major stages in scientific inquiry teaching/learning

Maximum scientific inquiry/learning comes when students are meaningfully (thoughtfully) engaged in:

providing the scientific question, and then successfully determining (by ‘thinking out’

procedures and ‘doing’) the solution, and then evaluating/explaining (by ‘thinking’) the

solution in a scientific way.

4th essential component for successful inquiry teaching/learning

Student feedback to the teacher.

How does the teacher know the required ‘thinking’ and ‘doing’ takes place and that the students have been successful in their learning?

The more the teachers knows about the actual student learning, the more the teacher can make inquiry learning meaningful.

Why Inquiry teaching/learning?The expectation: The more students are involved, the greater the

student motivation. The greater the motivation, the more students

are willing to learn by inquiry. The more students learn by themselves (through

inquiry), the greater student learning and hence coverage of the intended curriculum.