Jack Holbrook Inquiry-based Teaching/Learning (IBSE)
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Transcript of Jack Holbrook Inquiry-based Teaching/Learning (IBSE)
Jack Holbrook
Inquiry-based Teaching/Learning (IBSE)
What is IBSE?
Question
Predict
Plan inquiry
Conclude
Conduct inquiry
Observe/ record
Interpret
THE GOAL
To solve a scientific problem by carrying out an investigation seeking evidence
The start (question must be scientific i.e. answerable from seeking evidence)
Solution
Seeking the evidence in a valid and reliable manner
Carry out observations/ procedures
Obtain reliable evidence
Give meaning to the findings. Present outcome in a useful way
What is the solution? Was the prediction correct?
Examples of Science Questions1. Is water needed for a plant to grow?
2. Can we construct an instrument to determine wind direction?
3. Under what conditions can water be turned into (a) ice and (b) steam ?
4. Why does iron conduct electricity?
Examples of Planning1. Involve a control. Add water to experimental
plant; do not water the control plant. Observe over time.
2 Use a stick which is allowed to rotate (eg on top of a plastic bottle). The stick has a piece of flat cardboard added as a tail to catch the wind
3 Put water in a tray in the refrigerator; heat water in a kettle
Examples of Interpretation1. As the experimental plant stayed healthy and the control did not, this indicates water is needed for plants to stay healthy and grow.2. The stick turned to indicate the wind direction because the wind blew on the cardboard and the stick turned3 The water in the ice box in the refrigerator turned to ice because the temperature was less than 0. The water in the kettle turned to steam as the temperature was raises to 100.
Why IBSE? The booklet ‘Science Education Now’ (EC,
2007) proposes that inquiry-based science education should be an important component of science teaching.
What reasons does it give?
(one reason must surely be – for the students to learn science knowledge and skills!!)
What is the role of the teacher? What is meant by saying IBSE needs to be
student-centred? Can IBSE be anything other than student-
centred? If the teachers’ role is assessor, what is
assessed?
Three levels of inquiry1. Structured Inquiry - easier
Less thinking by Students – Qu. given, instructions given and students only interpret.
2. Guided Inquiry – averageThe teacher helps the students to cover all types of thinking, but usually the teacher provides the initial question.
3. Open inquiry – difficultStudent do all. This, in essence, is a PROJECT. What does the teacher do?
The 3-stage Science Education Model
Stage 3 (Putting the gained science into context)
Socio-scientific learning (putting science in context)
Decision making (science in society)
Stage 2 (THE MAJOR LEARNING STAGE) Science Conceptual
LearningIBSE (Inquiry
Teaching/Learning)
Stage 1 (setting the relevant scene)Scenario giving the context Student Motivation
Teaching bridging 1 to 2
Teaching bridging 2 to 3
Stage 2 inquiry teaching/learning
Four key components are:
1. Student involvement (especially thinking).
2. Teacher has a clear purpose in mind (teacher has suitable learning outcomes).
3. The inquiry stems from a scientific question.
4. Teacher receives feedback on student involvement (about the strength of learning).
Essential Component 1 Student Involvement
If student involvement is completely absent, so also is inquiry teaching/learning.
Student involvement means - STUDENT THINKING
(being involved in, for example, making suggestions, giving ideas, explaining, planning, ensuring safety - the list is not exhaustive)
and - STUDENT DOING
(undertaking activities such as - planning, experimenting, reporting, discussing, seeking information - this list is not exhaustive).
Desired student level of involvement in Inquiry teaching/learning
The degree (quantity) and level (quality) of inquiry/learning is important.
PROFILES strives for a high degree and a high level of inquiry teaching/learning
High degree - much student involvement High level - very intellectual ‘thinking’ by
students and very capable in ‘doing’
Student Motivation Unfortunately, a high degree and a high level of learning
can only happen if student motivation is sufficiently positive (Without positive motivation, involvement is very unlikely to be high).
Good teaching ALWAYS encompasses a strong student motivation component and ALWAYS seeks high student involvement.
Clearly good teaching includes all essential (must have) components of inquiry teaching/learning.
Motivational student involvement
If the learning is ‘too easy’ or students see it as ‘trivial’, little thinking occurs. Learning and motivation are likely to be low. And it is unlikely to be inquiry learning.
Too little learning occurs if the teacher undertakes too much of the thinking process and thus the student level of involvement in the ‘thinking’ process is low.
Making Inquiry learning too difficult
If the level of the inquiry ‘thinking’ and ‘doing’ task is too difficult (the ‘thinking’ challenge is too great) – there will be little student involvement.
This means there will be little, or no, inquiry teaching/learning.
Key factor Prior learning and prior experiences play a key
role in effective inquiry teaching/learning.
Essential Component 2 The teachers knows what student involvement is to
achieve (the teaching has learning outcomes).
All too often the purpose of student involvement is to: undertake inquiry procedures (do experiments), and give explanations of, or interpretations to, the findings.
This is not sufficient for students in higher classes. More thinking is needed – e.g. planning experiments.
Solving a scientific problemThe way to do this may come from the students, or the teacher.
(The less experienced the students, the greater the teacher role, but the lower the degree (quantity) and level (quality) of student involvement).
To involve students more, it is suggested: teachers avoid experimental situations which set out to –
‘show that’, or ‘verify that’, (low level of student thinking) and strongly encourage problem-solving i.e. ‘to find out
if ....’ or ‘to investigate whether....’ (higher level of thinking)
Essential Component 3The inquiry learning starts from
a scientific question.
Basically - no scientific question, no inquiry learning
The scientific question needs to be expressed in such a way that it is at an appropriate level for student learning.
(and of course, the scientific learning needs to be within the curriculum)
In PROFILES
In PROFILES, the scientific question is intended to be an outcome from a reflection on the initial socio-scientific scenario.
In PROFILES, the desired (or eventual) target is: the students put forward the scientific question (ably
guided by the teacher). The inquiry procedure is based on problem solving to
learn the science which is needed to discuss the scenario.
The scenario as a challenge
The scenario is intended to provide to students a relevant, motivational, ‘thinking’ challenge.
The 1st challenge is for the students to recognise that their discussion of the scenario is limited because they lack sufficient scientific ideas.
The 2nd challenge is to learn these science ideas.
The 3 major stages in scientific inquiry teaching/learning
Maximum scientific inquiry/learning comes when students are meaningfully (thoughtfully) engaged in:
providing the scientific question, and then successfully determining (by ‘thinking out’
procedures and ‘doing’) the solution, and then evaluating/explaining (by ‘thinking’) the
solution in a scientific way.
4th essential component for successful inquiry teaching/learning
Student feedback to the teacher.
How does the teacher know the required ‘thinking’ and ‘doing’ takes place and that the students have been successful in their learning?
The more the teachers knows about the actual student learning, the more the teacher can make inquiry learning meaningful.
Why Inquiry teaching/learning?The expectation: The more students are involved, the greater the
student motivation. The greater the motivation, the more students
are willing to learn by inquiry. The more students learn by themselves (through
inquiry), the greater student learning and hence coverage of the intended curriculum.