Kristina Ashe
Gwinnett County Public Schools
GA

Thu, Aug 24, 2023 6:58 AM
Review for How Do Scientists Work?

Students explored that nature of science by questioning how scientists accomplished work and what elements made a scientist in the article titled “How do scientists work?” This article started by engaging students with different ways other students would answer a question and asking the students to explain who they most agreed with. Students had to pull from background knowledge and previous experiences to justify their choice. According to Gilbert and Johns (2014), students were then grouped in such a way that there was at least one informed student that was on track to understanding the topic. Then students were provided with an additional task to note the difference between observation and inference. Once a compiled list of attributes that make up observations and inferences was established, students had to apply their thinking to a series of pictures titled Tricky Tracks. Students leveraged their strengths by having different group members complete different tasks within the assignment but all with the same goal in mind. That goal was to deliver an evidence based explanation as to what the pictures were showing. Students ended up with different explanations but all could be considered valid as long as their evidence was sound and based mostly on observation and only some inferences. By the end of the activity students were able to identify that science had been accomplished even with different possible answers because scientists do not always have a key. This method of exploration learning can be applied to my classroom by using some of the same tasks while elevating others. The students in the article are fourth-grade and I currently teach ninth-twelfth graders. Their background knowledge and experiences could be vastly different than that of a fourth grader. The probing questions are a prime example of what would stay the same but the level of language used to ask the questions may need to be elevated. Additionally, this method of questioning and promoting student discovery can be added to most labs and activities that I am already conducting within the classroom by adding more collaborative groups and tasks that have students explaining the why behind their thoughts. The extra piece of learning and growth comes from having my students use evidence to support their explanations. For example, a lab that is conducted yields observational results that a student can use as evidence to support their explanation as to why a different substance may act similarly or different if exposed to similar conditions. Students can also predict hypotheses for a secondary lab based on the results from a previous lab or lecture. Overall, students can learn and accomplish more when provided with experiences that enhance their understanding of science and develop their ability to provide evidence-based explanations. Gilbert, A.V., & Johns, K.E. (2014). How do scientists work? Fourth-grade students examine animal tracks to explore the nature of science. Science and Children, 52(1), 32-39.

Thu, Aug 24, 2023 6:55 AM
Review for Inquiry Guided Instruction

The main concepts addressed in the Inquiry-Guided Instruction article are defining inquiry, the challenges of inquiry based learning and methods of teaching inquiry to overcome the challenges. Oliver-Hoyo et al. (2004) suggests that inquiry is a collection of qualities a person possesses to include curiosity, an inquisitive nature, and self-discipline in one's teachings. These qualities work alongside content to enhance the nature of learning and develop independent thinkers that can assess the world outside the classroom. Throughout the article, the learning process is viewed as a partnership between the student and teacher where the teacher is more a facilitator of learning by probing students with questions. One challenge that is created by inquiry-guided instruction (IGI) and is addressed in the article is the idea of students asking for the correct answers upon completion of an assignment. By implementing the IGI method students are encouraged to use the best approach to a problem and are provided with credit for a solid understanding of the concept regardless of the end result. Implementing the IGI method into a science classroom appears to provide students with a deeper level of understanding while also encouraging students to embrace hard work by applying their understanding to real world scenarios. I realized some of the teaching strategies that are the most effective at implementing IGI are already being used in my classroom and encouraged by my course team which makes adopting inquiry instruction less challenging and more of an attainable goal. One way I plan to implement inquiry instruction is by providing students with real world situations that promote application of content knowledge. It is only half the puzzle to know the right terminology; a student can complete the whole puzzle when they can apply the terminology and back up their answer with sound reasoning. This is often probed by the question of why before a student is provided any feedback on if an answer is headed in the direction of mastery. IGI also lends itself to student-led learning by promoting collaboration to answer questions followed by justification and experimentation. The labs that are conducted within my classroom will evolve into more inquiry based labs by either offering the intended result to students through a challenge question and leaving the methods open for discovery or by providing the intended procedure and encouraging students to hypothesize the results and evaluate the data collected. Both methods allow students to justify their decisions and consider where experiments may have variables that were missed. Additionally, it allows for student struggle which is vital to learning. Since the current student will be running the world one day, I look forward to seeing the additional growth that inquiry based learning will spark both inside and outside of the classroom.