Teaching InquiryWhat is Inquiry?School InquiryTypes of Scientific StudiesMyths About InquiryInquiry ContinuumEssential Features of InquiryEngagementEvidenceExplanationsEvaluateCommunicateThe 5E ModelBSCS 5E ModelEngageExploreExplainElaborateSlide 19Teaching InquiryThe BSCS 5E ModelWhat is Inquiry?•Inquiry is a general term for the processes by which scientific knowledge is developed.•Scientific inquiry encompasses the processes in which scientists ask questions, make predictions, carry out investigations, gather evidence, and propose explanations.School Inquiry•Inquiry in science education is a thinking skill that can extend beyond science class.•Students learn to ask questions, gather appropriate evidence, and use evidence to support their conclusions.•School inquiry is usually much less sophisticated than authentic scientific inquiry.Types of Scientific Studies•Experiments: testing hypotheses by manipulating variables.•Correlational studies: finding connections between different phenomena.•Descriptive studies: discovering, describing, classifying, and categorizing.Myths About Inquiry•“Inquiry is doing hands-on science.”•“If students do inquiry, they will understand inquiry.”•“Inquiry is using the scientific method.”•“Inquiry is unstructured and chaotic.”•“Inquiry is asking students questions.”Inquiry Continuum•(Handout)•“Cookbook” labs tend to fall at the “Teacher Guided” end of the continuum.•Independent projects arising from a student question fall at the “Learner Self-Directed” end of the continuum.•Between the two ends falls guided inquiry.Essential Features of InquiryEngagement•Students must first be engaged by a driving question about a natural event.Evidence•Students give priority to evidence rather than opinion or belief when addressing scientifically-oriented questions.Explanations•Students use evidence to develop explanations about natural events in order to answer their questions.Evaluate•Students evaluate their explanations by considering alternative explanations, and consider which is best supported by evidence.Communicate•Students clearly communicate their findings to others and justify their explanations using evidence.The 5E ModelBSCS 5E Model•(Handout)•The 5E Instructional Model of Inquiry was developed by the Biological Sciences Curriculum Study (BSCS)•The model is grounded in constructivism.•The 5E model is one model, but not the only model, for teaching inquiry.Engage•An introductory stage where the teacher captures the students’ interest. This may involve:•demonstration•reading aloud•assessing prior knowledge•asking questionsExplore•Students carry out cooperative activities to explore the topic and to develop a common set of concrete knowledge.Explain•Students develop their own explanations and listen to each other’s. The teacher clarifies concepts, introduces vocabulary, and may correct misconceptions.Elaborate•Students carry out further activities to deepen their knowledge, answer new questions, or confront misconceptions.Evaluate•The teacher evaluates student learning of concepts and skills. •Evaluation may lead into a new 5E cycle of learning to expand on or correct