Science Inquiry in Pennsylvania Elementary Classrooms

1
Science Inquiry in Pennsylvania Elementary
Classrooms

• Connections to the Standards and Opportunities
  for Professional Development.

Kathleen M. Jones Assistant Professor of
Education Juniata College, Huntingdon, PA
2
What is inquiry as defined by the NSES?

• Active construction of ideas and explanations
• Asking questions
• Planning and conducting experiments
• Gathering data
• Using evidence to explain
• Communicating results

3
Natural Process of Science

• Question
• Observe
• Gather data
• Explain significance
• Sharing of results highlights significance
• NOT a prescribed 5, 6, 7 step scientific method,
  but rather fluid

4
Hands-on vs. Inquiry

• Conducting hands-on science activities does not
  guarantee inquiry, nor is reading about science
  incompatible with inquiry (NRC, 1996).

5
Hands-on, Minds-on

• Connects scientific knowledge and understanding.
• Communicating and defending their understandings.

6
Science for All Americans

• Assumption that students understand
• Multiple choice testing
• Right words
• Over-inflated understanding
• Rutherford and Ahlgren (1989)

7
Current Research

• Focuses primarily on pre-service teachers
• 2000 National Survey of Science and Mathematics
  Education, Horizon Research, Inc.

8
Research Question 1

• Do Pennsylvania elementary teachers define
  science inquiry in a similar way as it is defined
  by the NSES?

9
Sub-questions for Q 1

• A. Familiarity with National and state standards
• B. Recognition of definitions when literally
  stated
• C. Recognition of definitions in context
  (scenarios)

10
Results Inquiry stated literally

• Mean SD
• Question 4.38 .68
• Evidence 4.42 .71
• Prior knowledge 4.60 .66
• Share (teacher only) 2.43 1.12
• Share with others 3.89 .91
• Alternate explanations 4.02 .86

11
Inquiry in Context

• Open-ended questions
• If you were observing a science lesson in the
  elementary classroom, what specifically would you
  look for to determine if it was an inquiry-based
  lesson or not an inquiry-based lesson?
• Mean 1.98 (very little understanding)
• SD of 1.12

12
Inquiry in Context 2

• Mr. Smiths class is up , moving around to
  various lab stations, doing hands-on
  activities, exploring simple machines. At the
  end of the class, Mr. Smith collects all the
  worksheets and the students move to the next
  subject.
• Is this an inquiry lesson? Explain
• What do you think happened prior to this lesson?
• What do you think will happen tomorrow in science
  class?
• Mean 3.03 (Basic understanding)
• SD 3.00

13
Inquiry in Context 3

• As you walk into Mrs. Browns class, you observe
  a question on the board, What do owls eat?
  Some students are working on the computer
  accessing the Internet about owls, others are
  using the class library to find books on owls and
  another group are pulling apart owl pellets,
  categorizing the various bones.
• Is this an inquiry lesson? Explain
• What do you think happened prior to this lesson?
• What do you think will happen tomorrow in science
  class?
• Mean 3.16 (Basic Understanding) SD 3.00

14
Research Question 2

• What is the relationship between self-reported
  familiarity with NSES and Pennsylvania Standards,
  recognizing NSES definitions of science inquiry
  literally and in context.

15
Results Self reported familiarity

• National Science Education Standards
• 38 familiar and refer to them
• 3 very familiar and refer to them often
• PA Science and Technology
• 60 familiar and refer to them
• 13 very familiar and refer to them often
• PA Environment and Ecology
• 36 familiar and refer to them
• 9 very familiar and refer to them often

16
Research Question 3

• To what degree do Pennsylvania teachers agree
  with accepted principles of effective
  professional development?

17
Results Accepted principles of Professional
Development

• Long term commitment
• Collaborative work
• Reflection
• but 79 also agreed or strongly agreed to having
  time to work individually in the classroom.

18
Collaboration with others

• According to the 2000 National Survey second
  most popular form of PD
• 33 of teachers are observing each other
• Pennsylvania sample 27 (some to all the time)
• 27 meeting to discuss science teaching
• Pennsylvania sample 22 (some or all the time)

19
Research Question 4

• To what degree are Pennsylvania teachers willing
  to participate in professional development
  activities that match accepted principles of
  professional development when the professional
  development is focused on science inquiry?

20
Results

• 71 willing to attend summer workshops (daylong)
• 21 willing to attend evening workshops
• 16 willing to attend weeklong residential
• 62 willing to meet during the school year
• 35 after school
• 24 before school
• 58 during school
• 70 during inservice

21
Reading and Math Emphasis

• K-3 classrooms
• 115 minutes reading
• 52 minutes math
• 23 minutes on science
• 21 minutes on social studies

• 4-6 classrooms
• 96 minutes reading
• 60 minutes math
• 31 minutes on science
• 33 minutes on social studies

Pennsylvania results K-6 (not yet split out)
averaging 22 minutes/day for science .
22
Teachers Comfort with Science

• Majority of elementary teachers do not feel
  equally qualified to teach all academic subjects
  with preparedness to teach science paling in
  comparison to math, language arts and social
  studies (Fulp, 2002).

23
High Quality PD Opportunities

• Opportunities to actively engage in inquiry based
  lessons
• Long-term commitment
• Collaborative approach allowing sharing and
  exchange of ideas
• Teacher-leaders
• Support for meeting during the school day

24
Scientifically Literate

• Not everyone is going to be a scientist
• People need to be prepared to make decisions
• Need to understand how scientists work to solve
  problems
• Teachers are a major part of this goal and need
  the support to be able to deliver.