Teaching Science through Inquiry

1
Teaching Science through Inquiry

• Instructional Models

2
Instructional Model
An Instructional Model is an organized approach
to teaching. It involves some arrangement of
phases, steps, actions, or decisions.
There is not one model that is best for all
teachers, all students, all the time.
3
4 Instructional Models that could be used for
Inquiry Instruction

• Guided Discovery Model
• Learning Cycle
• Conceptual Change Model
• 5-E Model

These instructional modes differ in procedures,
but they all focus on helping learners build
understanding of the natural world. When teaching
certain kinds of lessons one model may work
better than another.
4
Guided Discovery

• Set up introductory questions to initiate
  exploration
• Provide discovery materials
• Assist them in keeping the discovery question in
  mind
• Occasionally focus or redirect students
  activities
• Give them selected information
• Discussion time for students to share their
  procedures and discoveries

5
Learning Cycle

• Exploration, in which students discover new
  knowledge
• Concept Invention, in which students acquire
  knowledge from teacher
• Concept Application, in which students construct
  new understandings from their discovered and
  acquired knowledge

6
Conceptual Change Model

• In early childhood, a state of equilibrium
  exists--the reality of the outside world
  matches the childs cognitive beliefs.
• As children get older they begin to see a
  discrepancy between their present beliefs and the
  contradictory beliefs of others which causes
  disequilibrium.
• At this point, the child must make accommodations
  within their cognitive structure to allow new
  knowledge to replace the previous.

7
Conceptual Change Model, Cont.

• The child has made changes in the way he/she
  perceives and understands a particular concept or
  phenomenon. This is called the conceptual change
  model.
• Challenging children and causing them to modify
  misconceptions takes much patience and
  persistence.
• First, you must uncover the students
  misconception.
• Peers can be a strong motivator for giving up
  misconceptions and undergoing cognitive
  conceptual change.

8
Conceptual Change Model, Cont.

• A word of caution, peers also have their own
  naïve conceptions.
• Students will change their conceptions when a)
  they become dissatisfied with their existing
  conditions b) the new concept is intelligible,
  appears plausible and is useful.

9
5-E Model

• Engage
• Explore
• Explain
• Elaborate
• Evaluate

You may also encounter a sixth Ee-search.
E-search encompasses any use of electronic media
that ties the 5 stages together.
10
Research has shown that when compared to
traditional, book-oriented science programs,
students that engage in discovery and inquiry
science class

• Find science more exciting and interesting
• Wish they had more science
• Feel science is more useful in their every-day
  lives
• Have greater feelings of success
• Have a more positive view of science and scientist