Ann Vespestad

ELED 432
Chapter 2 Prep Notes

The scientific method

is not the only way to
investigate.
Inquiry process skills:
o Making
observations
o Posing questions
o Examining
information
sources
o Planning
investigations
o Using tools to
gather, analyze,
and interpret
data
o Making
predictions and
proposing
explanations
o Communicate
results
Teacher should act as
the facilitator and
ask effective,
meaningful questions
to foster inquiry
thinking.
Integrate inquiry in
all areas of the
curriculum
Plan trips to explore
whats outside of the
walls of the
classroom to foster
real-world learning
opportunities
Be aware of the

The scientific method is not the only method of scientific

investigation but there are many other pathways
Break the stereotypes of scientists by having students draw

what they think a scientist looks like, review them, and

show students scientists in a variety of settings as well as
show female scientists
Inquiry = minds on learning; allows students to ask
science-related questions, determine ways to answer the
questions, interpret findings, make decisions, communicate
results, and become scientists during the process.
Help scaffold students to make observations by asking
relevant and open-ended questions to help them determine
why something is happening.
Encourage students to ask many questions and keep a
running list in the classroom if you cannot answer the
question right away.
Using a variety of sources is helpful in inquiry-based
learning to foster learning, critical thinking, and more
culturally relevant practices.
Take students everyday questions and interests into
account and use them to create standard-based
experiments to support inquiry-based learning in the

classroom.
Encourage students to make predictions and propose
explanations for why something may have happened.
You do not have to use all inquiry steps in order or in every
lesson; but try to make sure all of them in some way in the
classroom during multiple science lessons.

Although you want students to be the leaders of their own

learning, it is important that the teacher acts as the
facilitator

Asks students open-ended questions to encourage inquiry

The inquiry model does not just have to work for science,
but it can be integrated in all subjects. Often times, it is
simple to integrate Language Arts, Math, Social Studies,
and Fine Arts into a science lesson.
Providing opportunities for informal learning and field trips

can be beneficial for all students in you class, but

This chapter emphasizes that students should lead the way in their own education, but
with help from the teachers. Students cannot reach their full potential without guidance
from teachers as they can ask the appropriate questions to guide students thinking. Using
inquiry-based lessons is important in giving students a hands-on, minds-on way of
learning where they can pilot their own learning. As the teacher, it is also important to
give students the opportunities to connect what they have been learning in class to realworld experiences by taking them outside in nature, to museums, to science centers, and
zoos/aquariums. Students can really connect what they have learned with real life
examples. It is also important to be aware of the various cultures in the classroom and
take the necessary precautions to include them in these experiences outside of the