Philosophy

It is constructive to begin with the basic assumption about our students that they are innately curious- that they want to learn, discover, and create. This doesn't mean that they are curious about chapter one of a science book, but that learning normally originates from a desire to know as much as a need to know. Recognizing that people learn through a variety of modes (aural, oral, visual and kinesthetic), we attempt to engage their problem solving in as rich an experiential matrix as possible. Learning can be described as the interaction between the self and an experience that brings about a change. There must be an experience, and, while this could include a lecture or a reading, the greatest interaction occurs when an individual is engaging more of the learning modes. It also helps if the person desires and needs to know. The richer the experience is, the richer the interaction will be, and the more substantial the change will be. With this approach our language of teaching changes from controlling, molding, giving, ... to enhancing, opening, challenging, nourishing, guiding, ... (See Science Teaching Standards-Changing Emphasis, p52 NSES)

Learning Environment

It is essential to create an environment in which our students are active participants in the learning process. In this environment the students are the essential workers in the educational process. They construct, discover, and develop central concepts. They create and solve problems. They read, write, talk, think, pose questions, and solve problems. They observe and manipulate aspects of their environment, and in the manipulation, confront problems about which they think, talk, write, and read. They take risks. Students exhibit the ability to learn how to learn. Students exhibit understanding of the central concepts and competence with the essential skills in a problem-solving environment. Students exhibit competence in individual and group problem solving. Students exhibit a willingness to accept different kinds of solutions to the same problem. They exhibit a willingness to work with other students outside of class.

Within this changing emphasis the teacher is committed to presenting learning experiences, not necessarily information, and to using open-ended questions whenever appropriate. Teachers guide the experience. Teachers define the problem field, and sometimes define the central question. This does not mean that teachers do not ever give information. The criterion, it seems, must be, “Is this information closing down investigation or enabling and enhancing investigation; is it giving the answer or providing the framework in which questions can be asked, problems posed and investigation begun?” Teachers respect the student's ability to solve problems. Whenever we give an answer, we run the risk of communicating that we believe the student is incapable of solving the problem. Teachers praise careful thought and process publicly and often, recognizing the risks taken. Teachers encourage different problem-solving techniques and the involvement of as many different learning modes as a student needs. Teachers also encourage students to develop problem-solving techniques that are weaker than their preferred style. For example we encourage intuitive problem-solvers to marry analysis to their intuition, and we encourage analytical problem-solvers to use intuition.

Inquiry

“Students … should be provided opportunities to engage in full and in partial inquiries. In a full inquiry students begin with a question, design an investigation, gather evidence, formulate an answer to the original question, and communicate the investigative process and results. In partial inquiries, they develop abilities and understanding of selected aspects of the inquiry process. Students might, for instance, describe how they would design an investigation, develop explanations based on scientific information and evidence provided through a classroom activity, or recognize and analyze several alternative explanations for a natural phenomenon presented in a teacher-led demonstration.” (NSES, p143) This unit is designed to help students become more proficient within the inquiry process as well as to learn specific content. Make the structure of the unit explicit for your students; discuss the structure and the modeling of inquiry process as you progress through the unit. The first lesson involves the student in partial inquiry with a great deal of structure. The teacher manipulates the experimental tools, questions are provided for students, and the analysis of data is guided by questions that require short answers. In Lesson 2 students follow directions that require them to manipulate equipment themselves. Guide questions are provided in the Observation part of the investigation, but the student is required to provide more of the problem-solving structure in the Conclusion than they did in Lesson 1. Modeling of experimental technique and of problem-solving process is provided throughout the unit allowing the student to become more responsible for the inquiry process. In the final lesson the student provides the question, the design for the inquiry, the planning, the execution of the inquiry and the communication of results.

Unique Assignments to Promote Inquiry and Learning Strategies

Several types of assignments are used in this unit that may be unfamiliar to your students. Journals, Predictions, Prediction Reflections and Peer Review are powerful tools that can enhance the learning experience for your students in any inquiry.

Journals

Although there are journal assignments in this unit you are encouraged to make more assignments. The journal assignments in this unit are designed to engage your students in the problem presented by the lesson and to reveal your students’ preconceptions about the concepts before instruction. In addition, in Lesson 2 the journal assignments can be used as pre-test/post-test evaluations of student understanding. You can assign intermediate journal entries to monitor student progress and to help your students organize their thoughts. Many teachers use journal reflections as a regular part of the daily schedule. Students enter the room, get their journal from a central location, and respond to a question the teacher has provided. The question is connected to the day’s activity. Students begin work immediately, and the teacher completes administrative chores while the students are working.

Journals are evaluated on the basis of careful thought. The emphasis should not be on the correctness of an answer. You want to know what your students are thinking, not what they think you want them to think. Because of the role of the journal assignments included in this unit, you need to read each student’s entry. For other entries you can decide to read each, or read one from each team. In some cases teachers have asked each student to identify one for each week she/he wants the teacher to read. Teachers can then scan the others.

Predictions

Students may not have much experience making predictions formally. Ask them to think about what they know - what experiences they have had to guide them. Physics Education Research (PER) has shown that student performance and investment are enhanced when they make predictions. Stress to your students that their predictions will not be graded except for completion and the thoroughness of their answers. Do stress, however, that the predictions are important.

Prediction Reflections

Research also indicates that students can learn to learn more effectively if you ask them to reflect upon their predictions after they complete the activity. A Prediction Reflection assignment is provided in the Appendix that can be used after any exploration in which the students make predictions. Introduce the Prediction Reflection to students before they start the prediction, and tell them a Prediction Reflection will be an assignment later on. Ask them to be aware of their reasons for making each prediction in preparation for this assignment.

Peer Review

Many scientists, engineers, and businesspeople use peer review to improve the quality of their efforts. Some review is evaluative. One person or team presents and defends a business plan or the results of an investigation to peers who critique the work. Many groups use a more informal review to assist in the planning stages. It is this formative review that is used in this unit. The benefits to the presenter and to the reviewers are explained in the guidelines in the Appendix.