Inquiry-Oriented Science Instruction

"Science teaching has suffered because science has been so frequently presented just as so much ready-made knowledge, so much subject-matter of fact and law, rather than as the effective method of inquiry into any subject-matter."

John Dewey
Science, 1910

Student Performance Objectives:

• The teacher candidate will distinguish between different types of inquiry-oriented teaching and give examples:
  • discovery learning (characterized by concept development)
  • interactive demonstration (characterized by prediction and analysis)
  • inquiry lesson (characterized by directed inquiry using think aloud protocol; activity driven by a single student performance objective in question form)
  • inquiry lab (characterized by three different types of inquiry; not to be confused with cookbook labs)
  • real-world applications (characterized by mathematical and conceptual problem solving)
  • hypothetical inquiry (characterized by a search for an explanation)
• The teacher candidate will properly define the elements of an inquiry-oriented lesson
• The teacher candidate will characterize resistance to inquiry-oriented instruction.
• The teacher candidate will explain the importance of climate setting and classroom, school, and community atmosphere in overcoming it.
• The teacher candidate will explain the importance of setting clear goals, stating objectives, and achieving closure at the end of an inquiry lesson.
• The teacher candidate will provide a rationale for inquiry teaching, citing a number of benefits.
• The teacher candidate will summarize basic nature of resistance associated with inquiry teaching practice.
• The teacher candidate will contrast teaching by inquiry with teaching by exposition.
• The teacher candidate will correctly characterize the stages of experimental inquiry.

What is Inquiry?

Levels of Inquiry Practice (PowerPoint)

Articles about Wenning's Levels of Inquiry Model of Science Teaching (in order of publication):

• Levels of inquiry: Hierarchies of pedagogical practices and inquiry processes. JPTEO, 2(3), February 2005, pp. 3-11. (revised 2/2012)
• Levels of inquiry: Using inquiry spectrum learning sequences to teach science. JPTEO, 5(4), Summer 2010, pp 11-20. (revised edition 1/23/2012)
• The Levels of Inquiry Model of Science Teaching. JPTEO, 6(2), Summer 2011, 9-16 (revised edition 1/23/2012)
• Sample learning sequences based on the Levels of Inquiry Model of Science Teaching including Appendix. (with Manzoor Ali Khan). JPTEO, 6(2), Summer 2011, 17-30.

Stages of Experimental Inquiry (PowerPoint, 2012 edition)

Experimental inquiry in introductory physics courses. JPTEO, 6(2), Summer 2011, 2-8.

Why Inquiry?

Why Inquiry? (PowerPoint)

Resistance to Inquiry

Resistance to Inquiry (PowerPoint)

Implementing Inquiry

Minimizing resistance to inquiry-oriented instruction: The importance of climate setting. JPTEO, 3(2), December 2005, pp. 10-15.

Inquiry Lesson/Laboratory Characteristics and Framework

Inquiry Lesson Scoring Rubric

A generic model for inquiry-oriented labs in post secondary introductory physics (PDF)

Supplemental Readings:

Socratic Dialogues and Inquiry

Whiteboarding and Socratic dialogues: Questions and answers (PDF)

Engaging students in conducting Socratic dialogues: Suggestions for science teachers (PDF)

Promoting Inquiry through Effective Questioning (addressed later in course)

 

Return to PHY 311 Course Outline

(page last updated 11/07/12, cjw)