Suchman Inquiry

The other kind of inquiry model is Suchman Inquiry. Short

summary is that it operates very similar to the game of
twenty questions. The teacher is the source of information,
and the students ask only yes or no questions to a specific
answer. This model is really good for helping students
develop questioning skills.

Steps of the Model

1. Select a Problem and Conduct Research. If you (the

teacher) are supposed to be the source of information,
you have to be prepared to answer any kind of flurry of
questions that students will ask you. This is important,
so be sure to pick a topic that is genuinely interesting
and stimulating to the learner. Also be sure to come up
with some specific rules that are clear. Write them
down as this is your student's target.
2. Introduce the Process and Present the Problem. Give
the students some background to contextualize the
problem so they ask the right questions necessarily,
and determine how much information you should give
them beforehand. This is also where you lay down the
rules of the game and give students the objective (to
 identify the theory and characteristics). For a general
reference, the rules of the game is that
A student may ask a question only when called upon.
Students may talk with one another only during caucus
periods.
Students can only ask yes or no questions, if they ask a
different type of question, the teacher should ask them
to rephrase it.
3. A student may continue to ask questions as long as the
questions receiving a positive response from the
teacher.
3. Gather Data. Rotate between questioning periods and
caucus (discussion) periods. The teacher may limit the
number of questions asked in each questioning period.
Remember to keep a record of information gleaned
through questioning (do it on either the
board/screen/etc. Or on students graphic organizers).
4. Develop a Theory and Verify. Students will begin to
articulate their theory and questions will now focus on
verifying the theory, you may
repeat steps 3 and 4 here.

5. Explain the Theory and State the Characteristics or

Rules Associated with it. This is where students
solidify and test their theory. Of course students wont
 be able to nail every detail on the head, so this is where
the teacher can fill in the holes/gaps to make sure all
the students have the same understanding.
6. Analyze the Process. Students will analyze the process
of learning: which questions were good? Which
questions were not helpful? How could they have
expedited the process? Hint, this is MeTaCoGnItIoN!
Evaluate. Assess, do students understand the theory?
Can they Apply it?
Mentioned throughout this entire process is that students
are guessing a theorem. Theoretically (get it? XD) students
could ask questions about a actual math theorem. However,
keep in mind that we are dealing with high schoolers and
not college students so it would definitely have to be
something that they are familiar with. For example, if you
were teaching Standard F.TF.8, you know that your
students know the pythagorean identity, as well as the
basics of the functions of sine, cosine, and tangent, then
asking about eh pythagorean identity could be a viable idea
if planned correctly.