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High School Inquiry for STEM Educators
Tina GaserStephanie Rakowski
Deborah Spencer
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What is Inquiry?
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C.S.I.(Card Sort Inquiry)
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Looking a Little Closer
(1) This is inquiry(2) This is not inquiry
1. Students receive factual information from their teacher through lecture and textbook
readings.
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2. Students formulate evidence-based explanations of scientific phenomenon and communicate these explanations to their
peers.
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3. The teacher helps the students connect consistent patterns in their data to established scientific laws or principles (e.g., Boyle’s Law,
Ohm’s Law).
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4. Students design and conduct investigations that are based upon their own
questions about scientific phenomenon.
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5. Students read a case study that describes a debate among scientists where the two
competing sides question the evidence and logic of the other (e.g., cold fusion).
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6. Students design and conduct investigations that are based on teacher-
generated questions about scientific phenomenon.
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Yes N
o
7. Students analyze and critique each others’ explanations of
scientific phenomenon.
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Yes N
o
8. The teacher leads a class discussion about procedures that scientists commonly use and the
similarities between those procedures and the students’ laboratory work.
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Yes N
o
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Essential Features of Inquiry
Learner engages in content oriented questions.Learner gives priority to evidence in responding to questions.
Learner formulates explanations from evidence.Learner connects explanations to content knowledge.
Learner communicates and justifies explanations.
More Open structure, more
responsibility from Student
More Guided structure from
Teacher
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Alberta Learning Model
PLANNING
RETRIEVING
PROCESSING
CREATING
SHARING
EVALUATING
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High School Institute for Inquiry Goals
• To understand and recognize inquiry as a means for developing knowledge and understanding ideas.
• To practice strategies to purposefully implement inquiry in the classroom.
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Teacher Testimonials
Dr. Susan CarrierEd Merk
Cynthia Ajemian
S.T.E.M. Academy Chemistry Classroom
• Our instruction is guided by:– IB Curriculum– State Standards– Common Core Standards• Academic Standards for Writing in Science and
Technical Subjects
Common Core: Writing in Science and Technical Subjects
CC.3.6.9-10.A.• Write arguments focused on discipline-specific
content.– Introduce precise claim(s), distinguish the claim(s)
from alternate or opposing claims, and create an organization that establishes clear relationships among the claim(s), counterclaims, reasons, and evidence.
Example Lesson #1Electrolysis of Copper (II) Chloride
Day 1CuCl2 (aq) Cu (s) + Cl2 (g)
• Students make observations of the electrolysis of copper (II) chloride. The reaction (shown above) is not provided to the students.
• Students are then asked to deduce the products of the reaction, and are asked to support their claims using evidence and reasoning.
Example Lesson #1 (continued)Electrolysis of Copper (II) Chloride
Day 2• Students are asked to evaluate samples of
student writing for the presence of valid claims along with sufficient and relevant evidence and reasoning.
• Students then edit their submissions from the previous day, and they are graded by the teacher.
Example Lesson #2: Cu + AgNO3 Lab
The problem: • Experimentally determine the value for X:
Cu (s) + XAgNO3 (aq) Cu(NO3)X + XAg
http://www.wholeclassinquiry.com/
Downingtown S.T.E.M. Academy
Inquiry Learning in a Mathematics Classroom
S.T.E.M. Academy Mathematics Classroom
We follow the Common Core’s Standards for Mathematical Practice:• Make sense of problems and persevere in solving them.• Reason abstractly and quantitatively.• Construct viable arguments and critique the reasoning of
others.• Model with mathematics.• Use appropriate tools strategically.• Attend to precision.• Look for and make sense of structure.• Look for and make sense of regularity in repeated reasoning.
Before…Solve the following inequality and graph the solution on a number line:
-2x < 6 x > -3
Typical Question from Students: “Why did the inequality symbol flip?”Typical Answer from Teachers: “Because” or “When you divided both sides of the inequality by a negative number, you changed the sign of the numbers in the solution set of the variable. When the sign of numbers change from positive to negative or vice versa, the order of the numbers change.”Typical Reaction from Students: “Ok?”
-3
After…
Let y1 = -2x and y2 = 6
Graph y1 and y2 on the same coordinate plane.
y2
y1
Inquiry based questions:1. What is the value of x where the two
lines intersect?2. For what values of x is the blue line
(y1 = -2x ) physically below the red line (y2 = 6)?
3. Indicate the values of x for when the blue line is at the same height or below the red line.
X must be greater than or equal to -3.
Goals of Attacking a Problem in this Format…
Reflecting back on the common core:1. Make sense of problems and persevere in
solving them.2. Model with mathematics.3. Look for and make sense of structure.
Reflection…
Inquiry in mathematics not only helps reinforce the recommendations made by the common core, but it also helps set the stage for more higher order thinking problems such as:
The cost function to produce a particular item is C(x) = 1600 + 40x, and the revenue generated by selling the item can be expressed as R(x) = 100x – 0.5x2. How many items do you have to produce and sell in order to make a profit?
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Essential Features of Inquiry
Learner engages in content oriented questions.Learner gives priority to evidence in responding to questions.
Learner formulates explanations from evidence.Learner connects explanations to content knowledge.
Learner communicates and justifies explanations.
More Open structure, more
responsibility from Student
More Guided structure from
Teacher
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Benefits for the teacher and students
• Increased teacher effectiveness and self-efficacy• Inquiry becomes a philosophy of teaching and
learning• Development of the skills and practices
necessary for critical thinking, problem solving and literacy
• Inquiry based learning is a foundational component of a successful STEM program.
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Questions and Answers
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Please take a few minutes to complete the session evaluation.