What is Science Workshop?

The Science Workshop is an inquiry-based approach to teaching Science in grade K-5.

What is inquiry-based Science?

Inquiry-based Science is rooted in the fact that student-based investigation leads to deeper understanding and greater transfer to knowledge than does simply reading content information or observing teacher demonstrations.  It is driven by questions.  These questions come out of initial exploration/ observations and are teacher facilitated or originate from the students.  The essential element of inquiry-based Science is that it is infused with and inspired by a “discovery approach” to learning.

Does inquiry-based Science mean never giving the student answers and never discussing concepts?

Actually the main goal of instruction is to help students develop an understanding of the subject area.  Decisions about how to respond to student’s questions or whether or not to pursue an inquiry-based lesson depends on the teacher’s goals and the context of the discussion at hand.  Teachers should use different strategies to develop the knowledge, understandings and abilities described in the content and performance standards.  A balance must be struck, not only in the name of good overall instruction, but also in regards to the realities of time.

What is the relationship between inquiry-based Science and the Scientific method?

The scientific method remains the backbone of all scientific investigation, but inquiry-based instruction takes student discovery a step further.  Inquiry-based instruction focuses on cognitive abilities that go beyond the process skills normally associated with the scientific method.  The basis for moving away from the traditional process approach is to encourage students to participate in the evaluation of scientific knowledge.

What is the student’s role in scientific inquiry?

While the depth and complexity of roles increase with each grade level, the basic goals are the same:

Ø  Ask a question about objects, organisms and events in the environment

Ø  Plan and conduct a simple investigation

Ø  Employ simple equipment and tools to gather data and extend the senses

Ø  Use data to construct a reasonable explanation

Ø  Communicate investigations and explanations

What are the essential features of classroom inquiry?

Ø  Learners are engaged by scientifically oriented questions

Ø  Learners give priority to evidence, which allows them to develop and evaluate explanations that address scientifically oriented questions

Ø  Learners formulate explanations from evidence to address scientifically oriented questions

Ø  Learners evaluate their explanations in light of alternative explanations, particularly those reflecting scientific understanding

Ø  Learners communicate and justify their proposed explanations

What is the learning cycle?

The learning cycle is an inquiry-based teaching model.  The purpose of the learning cycle is to develop learning situations that provide students with concrete experiences prior to the introduction of vocabulary or concepts.  After students have been guided to construct the intended concepts, they apply their new knowledge to new situations.  This allows them to generalize their learning and reinforces the newly developed mental structures.

Why use a learning cycle?

Through the learning cycle students learn through concrete experiences.  Students are given a common experience from which concepts are developed.  They develop thinking skills.  They generalize their learning to new situations, and they share the responsibility for learning.

What are the phases of the learning cycles?

The learning cycle includes the Exploration Phase, Concept Development Phase and the Concept Application Phase.  Exploration presents students with a problem that requires them to use process skills to gather and organize data.  Concept Development focuses on patterns that the students find in the data they have collected and in the observations they have made.  Concept Application requires students to explore in more depth through additional experimentation and/or discussion.  It is a cyclical model allowing students to move from one phase to another at any point.

What is the inquiry-based problem solving model?

There are five E’s of instructional problem solving in inquiry-base Science: Engage, Explore, Explain, Elaborate, and Evaluate.  Engage and Explore fall under the Exploration Phase of the learning cycle.  Explain falls under the Concept Development Phase.  Elaborate and Evaluate fall under the Concept Application Phase.  This is also a cyclical model.