Inquiry+Article+Summaries

This is where you can post your summaries for the inquiry articles. You may post a link to a Google Doc, attach a file, or simply type your summary on here.

 In the article “Is the Inquiry Real?,” William H. Leonard and John E. Penick discuss the authenticity of inquiry within the science classroom, as well as the roles the students and the teacher perform in real inquiry. In this article, inquiry is defined as seeking the truth or a deeper understanding of a certain topic, in this case science. Leonard and Penick distinguish between real/authentic inquiry and unreal inquiry. They define the students’ and the teacher’s specific roles in the process of creating authentic inquiry in the classroom. Real inquiry observes students empirically and quantitatively searching for answers to questions by custom designing procedures, collecting, organizing and analyzing data, seeking confirming evidence of proposed answers, and communicating their findings/results. Concurrently, the teacher’s role involves providing the appropriate resources and environment necessary to facilitate student investigation, communication, and inquiry, guide students by asking questions that require deep thinking, as well as react and respond to students in ways that encourage examination and investigation. Leonard and Penick use the example of a biology lesson specifically focused on reaction time and the human nervous system to showcase effective teaching, real inquiry, and learning through inquiry. Subsequently, the authors give two examples of fake/unreal inquiry that are actually passive mental exercises and active learning disguised as real inquiry. Leonard and Penick conclude by advising teachers to routinely check if they, and their students, are fulfilling the required roles associated with real inquiry.

The article "The many levels of inquiry," by Heather Banchi and Randy Bell, defines four levels of inquiry. In confirmation inquiry, students are given a question and the correct answer, and then are asked to use a specific method to confirm the desired outcome. It is the most guided level of inquiry, and is useful for introducing students to science as inquiry, especially students in elementary years. The second level is structured inquiry. In this level, students are given a question and method to find the answer. They are not told what the outcome will be. In the third level, guided inquiry, students are asked a question and must design their own method for finding the answer. The last level, open inquiry, allows students to ask their own question and find a way to test the answer.  The greatest challenge with teaching by inquiry is in assessing students' abilities to carry out any given level of inquiry. Even within one particular grade there will be a variety in the students confidence and competence in carrying out higher levels of inquiry. However, all of these levels can be used with the same class of students, or even within a single unit. Building from the bottom up allows students to gain gradual understanding of scientific processes, as well as confidence in their abilities to discover scientific knowledge. Banchi and Bell use an example that suggests scientific journals be used by the students to track their learning. This also allows for an ongoing conversation between the student and teacher, and is useful as a learning assessment tool.

=
The article "Teaching Science as Inquiry" discusses the fact that prior to the 1960’s science was taught based on concepts, theories, and laws with the textbook being the major reference for learning material. However, a new approach was introduced after the 1960’s with a focus on students discovering the material of the curriculum, which lead to laboratory exercises being the central way of learning material. This was the start of teaching science as a process of inquiry. Science is always changing, and so by teaching students to have the skills necessary to cope with changing information, or the skills to discover new science, we are preparing them for a life long learning journey. In order for students to learn these skills, they need to learn certain attitudes, which are: curiosity, a willingness to suspend judgment, an open-mindedness, and skepticism. It is up to the teacher to teach these attitudes by expressing them. The article also states that teachers must exhibit other characteristics such as: creativity, flexibility, possesses effective questioning strategies, and need to be concerned with critical thinking and problem solving skills revolving around science. The author believes that the best way to question effectively is to ask open ended questions, give sufficient wait time in order to give the students enough time to think and elaborate on their thoughts, and give neutral praise to stimulate further discussion and thinking. The author also touches on the topic of “The Learning Cycle” which states that instruction should progress from concrete experiences to abstract experiences. The stages of this would be exploration: allowing students to investigate an unknown, concrete material, where the teacher gives them just enough direction so the students are not lost, but little enough that they take their own path. After students explore, concepts are introduced, which is often completed via lecture, discussion etc., followed by concept application; how can we use this in other situations? The author states that Learning Cycle is a great way to implement inquiry-learning models into the classroom.=====