Hierarchic: 4 Main Ideas

s
TM

Makes Sense Sense Strategies Strategies Makes

Box frame
2008 Edwin Ellis, All Rights Reserved Published by Makes Sense Strategies, LLC, !rth"!rt, AL www#MakesSenseStrategies#$!%

Name:

RHIANNA JARRELL
Is about

Date:

INQUIRY MODEL

A learning model designed to give students experience with the scientific method.
Main idea Main idea Main idea Main idea

Planning

Implementing

Assessment

Motivation

Identify inquiry question and learning objectives. First define the inquiry problem. The question must involve a variable that can be manipulated. As with any lesson you must specify the learning objectives. The learning objectivesshould be to solve the inquiry problem and to use the ciritical thinking skills necessary for problem solving. Planning for data gathering.: Plan to provide a considerable amount of guidance for the students in your class to devise their own experiments. You may want to come up with your own sample experiment for the students to use if their idea is completely off the wall. This is also a phase in which you gather all the materials needed for your students to conduct their experiments.

Identify the question: the implementation can begin once you identify a question that can attract the attention or provide a challenge for the students. The question can grow naturally out of a learning activity or you can think up problems in advance. Genrate hypotheses: have the class generate tentative answers or educated guesses about how to solve the problems. Scaffold them in the right direction when needed. Gather and display data: hypotheses guide the data-gathering process so that the students solve the problem effectively. Make sure they understand that they must have a controlled or unchanging variable in addition to the changing variables. You can choose to directly explain the concept of changing and unchanging variable to the students or let it come naturally to them given the level of experience of the students.Have the students find ways or organize and display their data once it is gathered. Asess the hypotheses and generalize:Guide the students in assessing their hypotheses based on their data. Help them to look for patterns to come to a conclusion or generalization about the lesson..

When using inquiry you must assess content knowledge based on the learning objectives.The assessment of content knowledge in problembased models is very similar to the forms of assessment used in other models. (paper tests, quizzes)There are several alternative assessmentsthat can be used with this model. Performance assessment: when using this model, you can assess the learning of your students by having them carry out an activity or create a product(experiments, posters) Systematic observation: you can assess the competency of your students by walking around during the lesson and taking detailed notes. You may choose to use a checklist or rating scale developed from the standards of your curriculum.

Inquiry learning strategies capitalize on the motivating effects of curiosity,challenge,authentic tasks, involvement and autonomy. Modifications: the inquiry model can be used in many different content areas. Any problem can be solved using the scientific method. Another modification is using spontaneous inquiry as a strategy. This happens when a student asks a question and the teacher capitalizes on the opportunity to use inquiry. You can also modify this lesson by changing the way in which the data is gathered.

So what? What is important to understand about this?

The inquiry model is important to use because it provides the students with experience with the scientific method as well as critical thinking and problem solving skills that can be used across different content areas and out in the real world.