THE ART AND SCIENCE OF INQUIRY

Chapter 2

First Experience with ScienceThe first experience children usually

experience with science may have started in the sandbox or even in the bathtub.

They were experimenting with objects for trial and error and learning life long skills like cooperating and sharing with others while in the sandbox.

Second StepThe second step of the formal introduction to

science probably occurred during elementary and middle school where teachers introduce students to the scientific method and doing “experiments.”

These activities are step-by-step procedures of a prescribed activity or lab. This is the way students learn to do hands-on science in school.

In many ways, painting by numbers is just like completing structured, cookbook activities and labs. They both have an expected and predetermined outcome.

Third StepInvolves the presentation of problem

solving and teacher –initiated inquiry tasks.

In teacher-initiated inquiries, the problem is posed by the teacher, but the student is given the leeway to solve the question or problem in multiple forms.

This allows a great deal of choice, ownership, and flexibility in completing the problem or task.

Last StepThis is the student-initiated inquiries—where

the relevant question or problem arises from the students’ interests and curiosity.

In the Chapter the author states that “painting what interests a real artist is equivalent to the self-generated question that interests real scientists.”

Analogy between Art and Learning

Finger Painting

Sandbox Science

Paint by Numbers

Structured Labs

Paint a Bowl of Fruit

Problem Solving

Paint What You Like

Scientific Inquiry

High Structure – Low StructureThis model leads us to the acceptance,

appreciation, and understanding of a student’s need for structure in the initial phases of learning how to inquire.

Effective modeling is a form of providing structure and guidance to students.

Students need structure in developing science process skills and procedural knowledge, as well as formulating positive attitudes about the nature of science. But they need to get part that structured stage and being the inquiry stage or experimentation.

Directive and Supportive BehaviorINSTRUCTIONAL APPROACH

DEMONSTRATED INQUIRIES

AND DISCREPANT

EVENTS

STRUCTURED INQUIRES

AND PRESECRIBED

ACTIVITIES

GUIDED AND TEACHER-INITIATED INQUIRIES

SELF-DIRECTED

AND STUDENT INITIATED INQUIRIES

 Role of

theTeacher

 

 Motivator  Coach Facilitator Mentor 

 Directive Behavior

 

High Directive 

 Medium-High

Directive

 Medium-Low

Directive

 Low Directive

 Supportive Behavior

  

 Low Supportiv

e

Medium-Low

Supportive 

Medium-High

Supportive 

High Supportiv

e