Online Tools Allow Distant Students to Collaborate on Research Projects

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

T.H.E. Journal, 2005

2005-01-01

The Wesleyan Academy and Moravian School in St. Thomas, Virgin Islands, recently joined forces with Evergreen Elementary in Fort Lewis, Wash., to collaborate on a research project using My eCoach Online (http://myecoach.com) as the primary medium to share information, post ideas and findings, and develop inquiry projects on 10 topics about water.…

University/School District Reflection in Teacher Education: A Collaborative Inquiry Approach. (The Portland State University/East Multnomah County Project: "Classroom As Families" Teacher Education Program).

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Driscoll, Amy; Nagel, Nancy

This study describes two phases of the planning of a professional development center for teaching and teacher education, utilizing a reflective and collaborative inquiry approach. Two themes guided the study: (1) the dissonance between teacher education and teaching; and (2) preparation of teachers to respond to the changing population of children…

Collaborative Inquiry and the Professional Development of Science Teachers.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Erickson, Gaalen L.

1991-01-01

Argues that the nature and meaning of collaborative relationships depend upon their particular, practical context. Describes an ongoing collaborative research project, the Students' Intuitions and Science Instruction Group (University of British Columbia), detailing its research agenda, postulates pertaining to teacher development, collaborative…

An exemplar of naturalistic inquiry in general practice research.

PubMed

McInnes, Susan; Peters, Kath; Bonney, Andrew; Halcomb, Elizabeth

2017-01-23

Background Before beginning any research project, novice researchers must consider which methodological approach will best address their research questions. The paucity of literature describing a practical application of naturalistic inquiry adds to the difficulty they may experience. Aim To provide a practical example of how naturalistic inquiry was applied to a qualitative study exploring collaboration between registered nurses and general practitioners working in Australian general practice. Discussion Naturalistic inquiry is not without its critics and limitations. However, by applying the axioms and operational characteristics of naturalistic inquiry, the authors captured a detailed 'snapshot' of collaboration in general practice in the time and context that it occurred. Conclusion Using qualitative methods, naturalistic inquiry provides the scope to construct a comprehensive and contextual understanding of a phenomenon. No individual positivist paradigm could provide the level of detail achieved in a naturalistic inquiry. Implications for practice This paper presents a practical example of naturalistic inquiry for the novice researcher. It shows that naturalistic inquiry is appropriate when the researcher seeks a rich and contextual understanding of a phenomenon as it exists in its natural setting.

The Undergraduate Classroom as a Community of Inquiry

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Miller, Cara Taylor

2012-01-01

This project contributes to the literature on action research and undergraduate pedagogy for leadership development through application and expansion of existing theory on collaborative ways of teaching and learning. I applied a participatory, inquiry-based approach to teaching an undergraduate course in leadership studies over four semesters…

Examining What We Mean by "Collaboration" in Collaborative Action Research: A Cross-Case Analysis

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bruce, Catherine D.; Flynn, Tara; Stagg-Peterson, Shelley

2011-01-01

The purpose of this paper is to report on the nature of collaboration in a multi-year, large-scale collaborative action research project in which a teachers' federation (in Ontario, Canada), university researchers and teachers partnered to investigate teacher-selected topics for inquiry. Over two years, 14 case studies were generated involving six…

Long-Term Teacher Orchestration of Technology-Mediated Collaborative Inquiry

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Viilo, Marjut; Seitamaa-Hakkarainen, Pirita; Hakkarainen, Kai

2018-01-01

This explorative case study longitudinally examines teacher orchestration of an inquiry learning process in a technology-enhanced elementary classroom. A 13-month investigative study on cultural artifacts was conducted on 32 fourth grade students who progressed to the fifth grade during the project. The activities were mediated and documented…

Making Thinking Visible: Collaborative Planning--Concepts, Processes, and Assignments: A Casebook.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Aston, Jean A., Ed.; And Others

This casebook is part of a set of materials written by the members of the Making Thinking Visible Project. It offers high school, college, and community college teachers' multiple perspectives on the teaching and learning of collaborative planning, and on classroom inquiry and practice. The casebook explains collaborative planning (a writing…

Teaching with Technology: Applications of Collaborative Online Learning Units to Improve 21st Century Skills for All

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Terrazas-Arellanes, Fatima E.; Strycker, Lisa A.; Walden, Emily D.; Gallard, Alejandro

2017-01-01

Inquiry-based learning methods, coupled with advanced technology, hold promise for closing the science literacy gap for English learners (ELs) and students with learning difficulties (SWLDs). Project ESCOLAR (Etext Supports for Collaborative Online Learning and Academic Reading) created collaborative online learning units for middle school science…

Creating Teacher Communities of Inquiry through Lesson Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Widjaja, Wanty

2013-01-01

Opportunities for teachers to engage in collaborative learning to examine and reflect on their practice are vital for sustained professional learning. Lesson Study centres on teachers coming together with colleagues to plan, observe, and reflect on classroom teaching and learning as a Community of Inquiry. In this project, six teachers from three…

Urban schools' teachers enacting project-based science

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tal, Tali; Krajcik, Joseph S.; Blumenfeld, Phyllis C.

2006-09-01

What teaching practices foster inquiry and promote students to learn challenging subject matter in urban schools? Inquiry-based instruction and successful inquiry learning and teaching in project-based science (PBS) were described in previous studies (Brown & Campione, [1990]; Crawford, [1999]; Krajcik, Blumenfeld, Marx, Bass, & Fredricks, [1998]; Krajcik, Blumenfeld, Marx, & Solloway, [1994]; Minstrell & van Zee, [2000]). In this article, we describe the characteristics of inquiry teaching practices that promote student learning in urban schools. Teaching is a major factor that affects both achievement of and attitude of students toward science (Tamir, [1998]). Our involvement in reform in a large urban district includes the development of suitable learning materials and providing continuous and practiced-based professional development (Fishman & Davis, in press; van Es, Reiser, Matese, & Gomez, [2002]). Urban schools face particular challenges when enacting inquiry-based teaching practices like those espoused in PBS. In this article, we describe two case studies of urban teachers whose students achieved high gains on pre- and posttests and who demonstrated a great deal of preparedness and commitment to their students. Teachers' attempts to help their students to perform well are described and analyzed. The teachers we discuss work in a school district that strives to bring about reform in mathematics and science through systemic reform. The Center for Learning Technologies in Urban Schools (LeTUS) collaborates with the Detroit Public Schools to bring about reform in middle-school science. Through this collaboration, diverse populations of urban-school students learn science through inquiry-oriented projects and the use of various educational learning technologies. For inquiry-based science to succeed in urban schools, teachers must play an important role in enacting the curriculum while addressing the unique needs of students. The aim of this article is to describe patterns of good science teaching in urban school.

"Without Comic Books, There Would Be No Me": Teachers as Connoisseurs of Adolescents' Literate Lives

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Simon, Rob

2012-01-01

This article explores the notion of connoisseurship as a framework for learning about adolescents' lives and literacies and developing relationships in literacy classrooms. Drawing upon data from a two-year qualitative study of the collaborative inquiries of a community of student English teachers, the author examines inquiry projects written for…

Multiage Grouping and Student Collaboration

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cowan, Matthew

2014-01-01

The aim of this action research project was to investigate students' social preferences and pro-social interactions in a multiage, high school classroom in order to better understand how to group students to maximize learning and collaboration. According to many educational experts and previous inquiries, mixed-age learning groups introduce…

Collaboration in teacher workshops and citizen science

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gibbs, M. G.; Buxner, S.; Gay, P.; Crown, D. A.; Bracey, G.; Gugliucci, N.; Costello, K.; Reilly, E.

2013-12-01

The Moon and Earth system is an important topic for elementary and middle school science classrooms. Elementary and middle school teachers are challenged to keep current in science. The Planetary Science Institute created a program titled Workshops in Science Education and Resources (WISER): Planetary Perspectives to assist in-service K-12 teachers with their knowledge in earth and space science, using up-to-date science and inquiry activities to assist them in engaging their students. To augment the science and add a new aspect for teacher professional development, PSI is working in a new partnership collaborating with the Cosmoquest project in engaging teachers in authentic inquiry of the Moon. Teachers now learn about the Moon from PSI scientists and education staff and then engage in inquiry of the Moon using CosmoQuest's online citizen science project MoonMappers and its accompanying classroom curriculum TerraLuna. Through MoonMappers, teachers and students explore the lunar surface by viewing high-resolution pictures from the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter and marking craters and other interesting features. In addition, TerraLuna provides a unit of inquiry-based activities that bring MoonMappers and its science content into the classroom. This program addresses standards teachers need to teach and helps them not only teach about the Moon but also engage their students in authentic inquiry of the lunar surface.

The Windwalker Project: An Open-Ended Approach

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Leszczynski, Eliza; Monahan, Ceire; Munakata, Mika; Vaidya, Ashwin

2017-01-01

Students in a beginning level undergraduate classical mechanics course engaged in collaborative inquiry through the "Windwalker Project". The aim of this project was for students to create a free-standing movable structure as a way of testing and applying their understanding of the conceptual and theoretical elements of the course. This…

An Inquiry Safari

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Thomson, Norman; Chapman, Seri

2004-01-01

The Virtual Gorilla Modeling Project--a professional development project--is a collaboration of middle and high school inservice teachers, Zoo Atlanta primatologists, science and computer educators, and students. During a 10-day professional development summer workshop, middle and high school teachers explore the world of the gorilla through…

Mediation of a Teacher's Development of Spreadsheets as an Instrument to Support Pupils' Inquiry in Mathematics

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Fuglestad, Anne Berit

2013-01-01

This paper presents a case of collaboration with three teachers and a didactician on task development within a developmental research project based on ideas of inquiry and learning community. The teachers' goal was to utilise a spreadsheet to orchestrate the pupils' investigations and build a library of tasks for the classroom. The focus is on one…

The Quiet Skies Project

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rapp, Steve

2008-01-01

To help promote student awareness of the connection between radio astronomy and radio frequency interference (RFI), an inquiry-based science curriculum was developed to allow high school students to determine RFI levels in their communities. The Quiet Skies Project--the result of a collaboration between the National Aeronautics and Space…

Arguments for a Common Set of Principles for Collaborative Inquiry in Evaluation

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cousins, J. Bradley; Whitmore, Elizabeth; Shulha, Lyn

2013-01-01

In this article, we critique two recent theoretical developments about collaborative inquiry in evaluation--using logic models as a means to understand theory, and efforts to compartmentalize versions of collaborative inquiry into discrete genres--as a basis for considering future direction for the field. We argue that collaborative inquiry in…

Collaborative Projects Increase Student Learning Outcome Performance in Nonmajors Environmental Science Course

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Chace, Jameson F.

2014-01-01

Between 2007 and 2010, three types of semester research projects were assigned in BIO 140 Humans and Their Environment, a nonmajors introductory course at Salve Regina University. Specific environmental impact-type assessments were used to foster scientific inquiry and achieve higher scientific literacy. Quantitative and qualitative measurements…

Using a Critical Reflection Framework and Collaborative Inquiry to Improve Teaching Practice: An Action Research Project

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Briscoe, Patricia

2017-01-01

This action research reports on a three-year collaborative learning process among three teachers. We used current literature and a critical reflection framework to understand why our teaching approaches were not resulting in increased student learning. This allowed us to examine our previously unrecognized and uninterrupted--and often,…

An examination of how middle school science teachers conduct collaborative inquiry and reflection about students' conceptual understanding

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Todd-Gibson, Christine

This qualitative case study examined how middle school science teachers conducted collaborative inquiry and reflection about students' conceptual understanding, and how individual teachers in the middle school science group acted and made reflections in response to their collaborative inquiry. It also examined external influences that affected the teachers' ability to engage in collaborative inquiry. Observational, written, and interview data were collected from observations of teachers' face-to-face meetings and reflections, individual interviews, a focus group interview, and online reflections. The results of this study revealed that collaborative inquiry is a form of professional development that includes answering curricular questions through observation, communication, action, and reflection. This approach was developed and implemented by middle school science teachers. The premise of an inquiry is based on a need with students. Middle school science teachers came to consensus about actions to affect students' conceptual understanding, took action as stated, and shared their reflections of the actions taken with consideration to current and upcoming school activities. Activities involved teachers brainstorming and sharing with one another, talking about how the variables were merged into their curriculum, and how they impacted students' conceptual understanding. Teachers valued talking with one another about science content and pedagogy, but did find the inquiry portion of the approach to require more development. The greatest challenge to conducting collaborative inquiry and reflection was embedding teacher inquiry within a prescribed inquiry that was already being conducted by the Sundown School District. Collaborative inquiry should be structured so that it meets the needs of teachers in order to attend to the needs of students. A conducive atmosphere for collaborative inquiry and reflection is one in which administrators make the process mandatory and facilitate the process by removing an existing inquiry.

Influence of Personality and Motivation on Oral Presentation Performance.

PubMed

Liang, Hsin-Yi; Kelsen, Brent

2018-01-19

Personality and motivation have been identified as influential variables associated with foreign language learning; however, few studies have investigated their effect on oral presentations. This study addresses the importance of both personality and motivation in students' collaborative oral presentation performance. A Big Five personality trait questionnaire measuring Extraversion, Agreeableness, Conscientiousness, Neuroticism and Openness to Experience, together with the Collaborative Inquiry-based Project Questionnaire measuring Task, Project Work, Reinforcement, Social Learning and Social Pressure motivational constructs were employed to evaluate 257 university students. In general, the results showed that Extraversion, Project Work and Social Pressure were significant correlates of oral presentation scores. The first result suggests that extraverts possess superiority in situations where oral language production is central to communication. This was particularly true for lower-level students, inferring that extraverted personalities can compensate for a lower English language ability. The second indicates that the inquiry-based nature of the assignments was an intrinsic motivator especially valued by extraverts. The third implies that extrinsic motivation was a factor influencing student performance. These findings extend previous research by highlighting the contextual relationships between these affective variables and performance in collaborative oral presentation contexts.

"Applying anatomy to something I care about": Authentic inquiry learning and student experiences of an inquiry project.

PubMed

Anstey, Lauren M

2017-11-01

Despite advances to move anatomy education away from its didactic history, there is a continued need for students to contextualize their studies to make learning more meaningful. This article investigates authentic learning in the context of an inquiry-based approach to learning human gross anatomy. Utilizing a case-study design with three groups of students (n = 18) and their facilitators (n = 3), methods of classroom observations, interviews, and artifact collection were utilized to investigate students' experiences of learning through an inquiry project. Qualitative data analysis through open and selective coding produced common meaningful themes of group and student experiences. Overall results demonstrate how the project served as a unique learning experience where learners engaged in the opportunity to make sense of anatomy in context of their interests and wider interdisciplinary considerations through collaborative, group-based investigation. Results were further considered in context of theoretical frameworks of inquiry-based and authentic learning. Results from this study demonstrate how students can engage anatomical understandings to inquire and apply disciplinary considerations to their personal lives and the world around them. Anat Sci Educ 10: 538-548. © 2017 American Association of Anatomists. © 2017 American Association of Anatomists.

Watching the Pot to Improve Inquiry Skills

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Brockway, Debra; Papaleo, Marie

2009-01-01

The International Boiling Point Project is an online, collaborative project for students in grades 6-12 in which they investigate the impact of four factors (room temperature, elevation, volume of water and heating device) on the boiling point of water. A detailed procedure is provided for students in order to limit the number of variables…

A Scientist's Guide to Achieving Broader Impacts through K-12 STEM Collaboration.

PubMed

Komoroske, Lisa M; Hameed, Sarah O; Szoboszlai, Amber I; Newsom, Amanda J; Williams, Susan L

2015-03-01

The National Science Foundation and other funding agencies are increasingly requiring broader impacts in grant applications to encourage US scientists to contribute to science education and society. Concurrently, national science education standards are using more inquiry-based learning (IBL) to increase students' capacity for abstract, conceptual thinking applicable to real-world problems. Scientists are particularly well suited to engage in broader impacts via science inquiry outreach, because scientific research is inherently an inquiry-based process. We provide a practical guide to help scientists overcome obstacles that inhibit their engagement in K-12 IBL outreach and to attain the accrued benefits. Strategies to overcome these challenges include scaling outreach projects to the time available, building collaborations in which scientists' research overlaps with curriculum, employing backward planning to target specific learning objectives, encouraging scientists to share their passion, as well as their expertise with students, and transforming institutional incentives to support scientists engaging in educational outreach.

Teacher Collaborative Inquiry in the Context of Literacy Education: Examining the Effects on Teacher Self-Efficacy, Instructional and Assessment Practices

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ciampa, Katia; Gallagher, Tiffany L.

2016-01-01

This case study research reports on elementary (grade 8) and secondary school (grade 9) teachers' participation in job-embedded, professional learning and engagement in collaborative inquiry. Teachers constructed an inquiry-oriented media literacy unit following the collaborative inquiry model. The current study sought to investigate how…

Tides, Krill, Penguins, Oh My!: Scientists and Teachers Partner in Project CONVERGE to Bring Collaborative Antarctic Research, Authentic Data, and Scientific Inquiry into the Hands of NJ and NY Students

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hunter-thomson, K. I.; Kohut, J. T.; Florio, K.; McDonnell, J. D.; Ferraro, C.; Clark, H.; Gardner, K.; Oliver, M. J.

2016-02-01

How do you get middle and high school students excited about scientific inquiry? Have them join a collaborative research team in Antarctica! A comprehensive education program brought ocean science, marine ecology, and climate change impact research to more than 950 students in 2014-15 to increase their exposure to and excitement of current research. The program was integrated into a collaborative research project, involving five universities, that worked to characterize the connection between ocean circulation, plankton distribution, penguin foraging behavior, and climate change around Palmer Station, Antarctica. The scientists and education team co-led a weeklong workshop to expose 22 teachers to the research science, build relationships among the teachers and scientists, and refine the program to most effectively communicate the research to their students. In the fall, teachers taught NGSS-aligned, hands-on, data-focused classroom lessons to provide their students the necessary content to understand the project hypotheses using multiple science practices. Through a professional science blog and live video calls from Antarctica, students followed and discussed the science teams work while they were in the field. To apply the science practices the students had learned about, they designed, conducted, and analyzed their own ocean-related, inquiry-based research investigation as the culminating component of the program (results were presented at a Student Research Symposium attended by the science team). Of their own choosing, roughly half of the students used raw data from the CONVERGE research (including krill, CODAR, penguin, and glider data) for their investigations. This presentation will focus on the evaluation results of the education program to identify the aspects that successfully engaged teachers and students with scientific inquiry, science practices, and authentic data as well as the replicability of this integrated scientist-teacher partnership and education program.

Teacher-Researchers in the "Zone of Proximal Development": Insights for Teacher Education.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Torres, Myriam N.

This study is part of a larger project on teacher research and professional development in the Teacher Enhancement Program (TEP), a master's degree mid-career collaborative program for inservice teachers. Research was initially planned and implemented as a new course which required teachers to do a Systematic Inquiry Project (SIP) in their…

What's Getting in the Way of Play? An Analysis of the Contextual Factors that Hinder Recess in Elementary Schools

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

McNamara, Lauren

2013-01-01

This article describes the first two years of an ongoing, collaborative action research project focused on the troubled recess environment in 4 elementary schools in southern Ontario. The project involves an iterative, dynamic process of inquiry, planning, action, and reflection among students, teachers, university researchers, university student…

The Collaboratory Notebook: A Networked Knowledge-Building Environment for Project Learning.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

O'Neill, D. Kevin; Gomez, Louis M.

The Collaboratory Notebook, developed as part of the Learning Through Collaborative Visualization Project (CoVis), is a networked, multimedia knowledge-building environment which has been designed to help students, teachers and scientists share inquiry over the boundaries of time and space. CoVis is an attempt to change the way that science is…

Beyond Trivia and Nostalgia: Collaborating in the Construction of a Local History.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Shopes, Linda

1984-01-01

To overcome problems of trivia and nostalgia, a problem-centered approach to community oral history projects is proposed. Instead of cataloging details about aspects of past social life, the projects might shape their inquiry as an effort to understand a problem facing the community, a problem with contemporary significance but historical roots.…

A Practice-Centered Approach to Professional Development: Teacher-Librarian Collaboration in Capstone Projects

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Harada, Violet H.

2016-01-01

This paper reports on a professional development initiative that targeted teams of teachers and librarians working with high school students on strengthening an inquiry approach to capstone projects. While much has been written about student-focused models for information search and use, little has been reported on how training for the…

Science.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Roach, Linda E., Ed.

This document contains the following papers on science instruction and technology: "A 3-D Journey in Space: A New Visual Cognitive Adventure" (Yoav Yair, Rachel Mintz, and Shai Litvak); "Using Collaborative Inquiry and Interactive Technologies in an Environmental Science Project for Middle School Teachers: A Description and…

Sculpting the Barnyard Gene Pool

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Childers, Gina; Wolfe, Kim; Dupree, Alan; Young, Sheila; Caver, Jessica; Quintanilla, Ruby; Thornton, Laura

2016-01-01

Project-based learning (PBL) takes student engagement to a higher level through reflective collaboration, inquiry, critical thinking, problem solving, and personal relevance. This article explains how six high school teachers developed an interconnected, interdisciplinary STEM-focused PBL called "Sculpting the Barnyard Gene Pool." The…

Poster Development and Presentation to Improve Scientific Inquiry and Broaden Effective Scientific Communication Skills.

PubMed

Rauschenbach, Ines; Keddis, Ramaydalis; Davis, Diane

2018-01-01

We have redesigned a tried-and-true laboratory exercise into an inquiry-based team activity exploring microbial growth control, and implemented this activity as the basis for preparing a scientific poster in a large, multi-section laboratory course. Spanning most of the semester, this project culminates in a poster presentation of data generated from a student-designed experiment. Students use and apply the scientific method and improve written and verbal communication skills. The guided inquiry format of this exercise provides the opportunity for student collaboration through cooperative learning. For each learning objective, a percentage score was tabulated (learning objective score = points awarded/total possible points). A score of 80% was our benchmark for achieving each objective. At least 76% of the student groups participating in this project over two semesters achieved each learning goal. Student perceptions of the project were evaluated using a survey. Nearly 90% of participating students felt they had learned a great deal in the areas of formulating a hypothesis, experimental design, and collecting and analyzing data; 72% of students felt this project had improved their scientific writing skills. In a separate survey, 84% of students who responded felt that peer review was valuable in improving their final poster submission. We designed this inquiry-based poster project to improve student scientific communication skills. This exercise is appropriate for any microbiology laboratory course whose learning outcomes include the development of scientific inquiry and literacy.

Poster Development and Presentation to Improve Scientific Inquiry and Broaden Effective Scientific Communication Skills †

PubMed Central

Rauschenbach, Ines; Keddis, Ramaydalis; Davis, Diane

2018-01-01

We have redesigned a tried-and-true laboratory exercise into an inquiry-based team activity exploring microbial growth control, and implemented this activity as the basis for preparing a scientific poster in a large, multi-section laboratory course. Spanning most of the semester, this project culminates in a poster presentation of data generated from a student-designed experiment. Students use and apply the scientific method and improve written and verbal communication skills. The guided inquiry format of this exercise provides the opportunity for student collaboration through cooperative learning. For each learning objective, a percentage score was tabulated (learning objective score = points awarded/total possible points). A score of 80% was our benchmark for achieving each objective. At least 76% of the student groups participating in this project over two semesters achieved each learning goal. Student perceptions of the project were evaluated using a survey. Nearly 90% of participating students felt they had learned a great deal in the areas of formulating a hypothesis, experimental design, and collecting and analyzing data; 72% of students felt this project had improved their scientific writing skills. In a separate survey, 84% of students who responded felt that peer review was valuable in improving their final poster submission. We designed this inquiry-based poster project to improve student scientific communication skills. This exercise is appropriate for any microbiology laboratory course whose learning outcomes include the development of scientific inquiry and literacy. PMID:29904518

A multilingual and multimodal approach to literacy teaching and learning in urban education: a collaborative inquiry project in an inner city elementary school.

PubMed

Ntelioglou, Burcu Yaman; Fannin, Jennifer; Montanera, Mike; Cummins, Jim

2014-01-01

This paper presents findings from a collaborative inquiry project that explored teaching approaches that highlight the significance of multilingualism, multimodality, and multiliteracies in classrooms with high numbers of English language learners (ELLs). The research took place in an inner city elementary school with a large population of recently arrived and Canadian-born linguistically and culturally diverse students from Gambian, Indian, Mexican, Sri Lankan, Tibetan and Vietnamese backgrounds, as well as a recent wave of Roma students from Hungary. A high number of these students were from families with low-SES. The collaboration between two Grade 3 teachers and university-based researchers sought to create instructional approaches that would support students' academic engagement and literacy learning. In this paper, we described one of the projects that took place in this class, exploring how a descriptive writing unit could be implemented in a way that connected with students' lives and enabled them to use their home languages, through the creation of multiple texts, using creative writing, digital technologies, and drama pedagogy. This kind of multilingual and multimodal classroom practice changed the classroom dynamics and allowed the students access to identity positions of expertise, increasing their literacy investment, literacy engagement and learning.

A multilingual and multimodal approach to literacy teaching and learning in urban education: a collaborative inquiry project in an inner city elementary school

PubMed Central

Ntelioglou, Burcu Yaman; Fannin, Jennifer; Montanera, Mike; Cummins, Jim

2014-01-01

This paper presents findings from a collaborative inquiry project that explored teaching approaches that highlight the significance of multilingualism, multimodality, and multiliteracies in classrooms with high numbers of English language learners (ELLs). The research took place in an inner city elementary school with a large population of recently arrived and Canadian-born linguistically and culturally diverse students from Gambian, Indian, Mexican, Sri Lankan, Tibetan and Vietnamese backgrounds, as well as a recent wave of Roma students from Hungary. A high number of these students were from families with low-SES. The collaboration between two Grade 3 teachers and university-based researchers sought to create instructional approaches that would support students’ academic engagement and literacy learning. In this paper, we described one of the projects that took place in this class, exploring how a descriptive writing unit could be implemented in a way that connected with students’ lives and enabled them to use their home languages, through the creation of multiple texts, using creative writing, digital technologies, and drama pedagogy. This kind of multilingual and multimodal classroom practice changed the classroom dynamics and allowed the students access to identity positions of expertise, increasing their literacy investment, literacy engagement and learning. PMID:24994986

Designing EvoRoom: An Immersive Simulation Environment for Collective Inquiry in Secondary Science

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lui, Michelle Mei Yee

This dissertation investigates the design of complex inquiry for co-located students to work as a knowledge community within a mixed-reality learning environment. It presents the design of an immersive simulation called EvoRoom and corresponding collective inquiry activities that allow students to explore concepts around topics of evolution and biodiversity in a Grade 11 Biology course. EvoRoom is a room-sized simulation of a rainforest, modeled after Borneo in Southeast Asia, where several projected displays are stitched together to form a large, animated simulation on each opposing wall of the room. This serves to create an immersive environment in which students work collaboratively as individuals, in small groups and a collective community to investigate science topics using the simulations as an evidentiary base. Researchers and a secondary science teacher co-designed a multi-week curriculum that prepared students with preliminary ideas and expertise, then provided them with guided activities within EvoRoom, supported by tablet-based software as well as larger visualizations of their collective progress. Designs encompassed the broader curriculum, as well as all EvoRoom materials (e.g., projected displays, student tablet interfaces, collective visualizations) and activity sequences. This thesis describes a series of three designs that were developed and enacted iteratively over two and a half years, presenting key features that enhanced students' experiences within the immersive environment, their interactions with peers, and their inquiry outcomes. Primary research questions are concerned with the nature of effective design for such activities and environments, and the kinds of interactions that are seen at the individual, collaborative and whole-class levels. The findings fall under one of three themes: 1) the physicality of the room, 2) the pedagogical script for student observation and reflection and collaboration, and 3) ways of including collective visualizations in the activity. Discrete findings demonstrate how the above variables, through their design as inquiry components (i.e., activity, room, scripts and scaffolds on devices, collective visualizations), can mediate the students' interactions with one another, with their teacher, and impact the outcomes of their inquiry. A set of design recommendations is drawn from the results of this research to guide future design or research efforts.

ERESE Professional Development in Science Education: A collaboration of scientists, teachers, and information technologists

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Staudigel, H.; Helly, M.; Massel Symons, C.; Koppers, A.; Helly, J.; Miller, S.

2005-12-01

The Enduring Resources in Earth Science Education (ERESE) project promotes inquiry based teaching of plate tectonics through professional development and distribution of digital library objects in the National Science Digital Library network. The overall ERESE goal is to bridge the gap between the scientists and educators, and our experience has shown that much can be gained by establishing a close collaboration between all parties involved in earth science education, from high school student to teacher -educator, and scientist. These collaborations yield substantial gains in terms of effective educational approaches, contents selection, and to produce an authentic class room research experience. ERESE professional development workshops promote a model of inquiry-based teaching that keeps the educator as far in the background as possible, while empowering the student to carry out a maximally independent inquiry. Key components in this process are: (1) use of a well selected provocative phenomenon to promote student's curiosity and to start the inquiry process, (2) care in the student guidance towards selection and formulation of a researchable question, (3) the involvement of teachers and scientists, in a close collaboration (4) teaching resource development with a strong feed-back from professional development workshops and classroom practice, (5) integration of science inquiry resources on all expert levels providing an environment that allows continuous access to science information from the most basic to the full scale science level. We expanded ERESE resource development into a volcanology field class on Hawaii to produce a website and digital library contents including field reports, exercises and images and field data. We further expanded our resource development through the participation of three high school students in a three-week seagoing expedition to the Samoan Archipelago. The high school seniors maintained a live expedition website and they participated in all science activities. Their work impacted ERESE by the development of digital resources, and introducing peer - mentoring into the inquiry process.

Shifting more than the goal posts: developing classroom norms of inquiry-based learning in mathematics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Makar, Katie; Fielding-Wells, Jill

2018-03-01

The 3-year study described in this paper aims to create new knowledge about inquiry norms in primary mathematics classrooms. Mathematical inquiry addresses complex problems that contain ambiguities, yet classroom environments often do not adopt norms that promote curiosity, risk-taking and negotiation needed to productively engage with complex problems. Little is known about how teachers and students initiate, develop and maintain norms of mathematical inquiry in primary classrooms. The research question guiding this study is, "How do classroom norms develop that facilitate student learning in primary classrooms which practice mathematical inquiry?" The project will (1) analyse a video archive of inquiry lessons to identify signature practices that enhance productive classroom norms of mathematical inquiry and facilitate learning, (2) engage expert inquiry teachers to collaborate to identify and design strategies for assisting teachers to develop and sustain norms over time that are conducive to mathematical inquiry and (3) support and study teachers new to mathematical inquiry adopting these practices in their classrooms. Anticipated outcomes include identification and illustration of classroom norms of mathematical inquiry, signature practices linked to these norms and case studies of primary teachers' progressive development of classroom norms of mathematical inquiry and how they facilitate learning.

Protegiendo Nuestra Comunidad: empowerment participatory education for HIV prevention.

PubMed

McQuiston, C; Choi-Hevel, S; Clawson, M

2001-10-01

To be effective, HIV/AIDS interventions must be culturally and linguistically appropriate and must occur within the context of the specific community in which they are delivered. In this article, the development of a culture-specific lay health advisor (LHA) program, Protegiendo Nuestra Comunidad, for recently immigrated Mexicans is described. This program is one component of a collaborative inquiry research project involving community participants and researchers working as partners in carrying out and assessing a program for the prevention of HIV/AIDS. The collaborative inquiry process was applied as an empowerment philosophy and methodology of Paulo Freire and an ecological framework was used for the development of Protegiendo Nuestra Comunidad. The use of principles of empowerment for curriculum development, teaching methodology, and program delivery are described.

Social competence and collaborative guided inquiry science activities: Experiences of students with learning disabilities

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Taylor, Jennifer Anne

This thesis presents a qualitative investigation of the effects of social competence on the participation of students with learning disabilities (LD) in the science learning processes associated with collaborative, guided inquiry learning. An inclusive Grade 2 classroom provided the setting for the study. Detailed classroom observations were the primary source of data. In addition, the researcher conducted two interviews with the teacher, and collected samples of students' written work. The purpose of the research was to investigate: (a) How do teachers and peers mediate the participation of students with LD in collaborative, guided inquiry science activities, (b) What learning processes do students with LD participate in during collaborative, guided inquiry science activities, and (c) What components of social competence support and constrain the participation of students with LD during collaborative, guided inquiry science activities? The findings of the study suggest five key ideas for research and teaching in collaborative, guided inquiry science in inclusive classrooms. First, using a variety of collaborative learning formats (whole-class, small-group, and pairs) creates more opportunities for the successful participation of diverse students with LD. Second, creating an inclusive community where students feel accepted and valued may enhance the academic and social success of students with LD. Third, careful selection of partners for students with LD is important for a positive learning experience. Students with LD should be partnered with academically successful, socially competent peers; also, this study suggested that students with LD experience more success working collaboratively in pairs rather than in small groups. Fourth, a variety of strategies are needed to promote active participation and positive social interactions for students with and without LD during collaborative, guided inquiry learning. Fifth, adopting a general approach to teaching collaborative inquiry that crosses curriculum borders may enhance success of inclusive teaching practices.

Collaborative Inquiry for Equity: Discipline and Discomfort

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Winkelman, Peg

2012-01-01

In this study the discipline of collaborative inquiry is employed to prepare aspiring administrators to lead for equity. Educational leadership students are required to conduct a site-based collaborative inquiry resulting in an Equity Plan signature assignment. As they develop their Equity Plans, emerging leaders also participate in a…

Designing Summer Research Experiences for Teachers and Students That Promote Classroom Science Inquiry Projects and Produce Research Results

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

George, L. A.; Parra, J.; Rao, M.; Offerman, L.

2007-12-01

Research experiences for science teachers are an important mechanism for increasing classroom teachers' science content knowledge and facility with "real world" research processes. We have developed and implemented a summer scientific research and education workshop model for high school teachers and students which promotes classroom science inquiry projects and produces important research results supporting our overarching scientific agenda. The summer training includes development of a scientific research framework, design and implementation of preliminary studies, extensive field research and training in and access to instruments, measurement techniques and statistical tools. The development and writing of scientific papers is used to reinforce the scientific research process. Using these skills, participants collaborate with scientists to produce research quality data and analysis. Following the summer experience, teachers report increased incorporation of research inquiry in their classrooms and student participation in science fair projects. This workshop format was developed for an NSF Biocomplexity Research program focused on the interaction of urban climates, air quality and human response and can be easily adapted for other scientific research projects.

School Library Media Specialists: Essentially Administrators.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Alewine, Martha

2003-01-01

Considers how school library media specialist administrative responsibilities can carry over to a job as state consultant for school library media services. Discusses characteristics of effective administrators; collaboration; the appreciative inquiry process for systemic change; and duties and projects of the state program that strengthen media…

Under the Mistletoe

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Leege, Lissa M.; Schriver, Martha; Chassereau, Karen D.

2008-01-01

The "Under the Mistletoe" project was developed to capitalize on student curiosity about the American Christmas Mistletoe plant and draw learners into an engaging, inquiry-based exercise that incorporates numerous life science standards and collaborative research. By collecting data on host and nonhost tree size, location, and number of mistletoe…

A Scientist's Guide to Achieving Broader Impacts through K–12 STEM Collaboration

PubMed Central

Komoroske, Lisa M.; Hameed, Sarah O.; Szoboszlai, Amber I.; Newsom, Amanda J.; Williams, Susan L.

2015-01-01

The National Science Foundation and other funding agencies are increasingly requiring broader impacts in grant applications to encourage US scientists to contribute to science education and society. Concurrently, national science education standards are using more inquiry-based learning (IBL) to increase students’ capacity for abstract, conceptual thinking applicable to real-world problems. Scientists are particularly well suited to engage in broader impacts via science inquiry outreach, because scientific research is inherently an inquiry-based process. We provide a practical guide to help scientists overcome obstacles that inhibit their engagement in K–12 IBL outreach and to attain the accrued benefits. Strategies to overcome these challenges include scaling outreach projects to the time available, building collaborations in which scientists’ research overlaps with curriculum, employing backward planning to target specific learning objectives, encouraging scientists to share their passion, as well as their expertise with students, and transforming institutional incentives to support scientists engaging in educational outreach. PMID:26955078

Argumentation-Based Collaborative Inquiry in Science through Representational Work: Impact on Primary Students' Representational Fluency

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Nichols, Kim; Gillies, Robyn; Hedberg, John

2016-01-01

This study explored the impact of argumentation-promoting collaborative inquiry and representational work in science on primary students' representational fluency. Two hundred sixty-six year 6 students received instruction on natural disasters with a focus on collaborative inquiry. Students in the Comparison condition received only this…

Collaborating to Improve Inquiry-Based Teaching in Elementary Science and Mathematics Methods Courses

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Magee, Paula A.; Flessner, Ryan

2012-01-01

This study examines the effect of promoting inquiry-based teaching (IBT) through collaboration between a science methods course and mathematics methods course in an elementary teacher education program. During the collaboration, preservice elementary teacher (PST) candidates experienced 3 different types of inquiry as a way to foster increased…

Focusing on the Processes of Science Using Inquiry-oriented Astronomy Labs for Learning Astronomy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Speck, Angela; Ruzhitskaya, L.; Whittington, A.; Witzig, S.

2010-01-01

The U.S. National Science Education Standards provide guidelines for teaching science through inquiry, where students actively develop their understanding of science by combining scientific knowledge with reasoning and thinking skills. Inquiry activities include reading scientific literature, generating hypotheses, designing and carrying out investigations, interpreting data, and formulating conclusions. Inquiry-based instruction emphasizes questions, evidence, and explanation, the essential features of inquiry. We present two projects designed to develop learning materials for laboratory experiences in an undergraduate astronomy course. First, we engage students in inquiry-based learning by using "mini-journal” articles that follow the format of a scientific journal article, including a title, authors, abstract, introduction, methods, results, discussion and citations to peer-reviewed literature. The mini-journal provides a scaffold and serves as a springboard for students to develop and carry out their own follow-up investigation. They then present their findings in the form of their own mini-journal. This mini-journal format more directly reflects and encourages scientific practice. We use this technique in both introductory and upper level courses. The second project develops 3D virtual reality environments to help students interact with scientific constructs, and the use of collaborative learning tools to motivate student activity, deepen understanding and support knowledge building.

Our Practice, Their Readiness: Teacher Educators Collaborate to Explore and Improve Preservice Teacher Readiness for Science and Math Instruction

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Steele, Astrid; Brew, Christine; Rees, Carol; Ibrahim-Khan, Sheliza

2013-02-01

Since many preservice teachers (PTs) display anxiety over teaching math and science, four PT educators collaborated to better understand the PTs' background experiences and attitudes toward those subjects. The research project provided two avenues for professional learning: the data collected from the PTs and the opportunity for collaborative action research. The mixed method study focused on: the relationship between gender and undergraduate major (science versus non-science) with respect to previous and current engagement in science and math, understanding the processes of inquiry, and learning outside the classroom. A field trip to a science center provided the setting for the data collection. From a sample of 132 PTs, a multivariate analysis showed that the science major of PTs explained most of the gender differences with respect to the PTs' attitudes toward science and mathematics. The process of inquiry is generally poorly interpreted by PTs, and non-science majors prefer a more social approach in their learning to teach science and math. The four educators/collaborators reflect on the impacts of the research on their individual practices, for example, the need to: include place-based learning, attend to the different learning strategies taken by non-science majors, emphasize social and environmental contexts for learning science and math, be more explicit regarding the processes of science inquiry, and provide out-of-classroom experiences for PTs. They conclude that the collaboration, though difficult at times, provided powerful opportunities for examining individual praxis.

An Examination of How Middle School Science Teachers Conduct Collaborative Inquiry and Reflection about Students' Conceptual Understanding

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Todd-Gibson, Christine

2013-01-01

This qualitative case study examined how middle school science teachers conducted collaborative inquiry and reflection about students' conceptual understanding, and how individual teachers in the middle school science group acted and made reflections in response to their collaborative inquiry. It also examined external influences that affected the…

Exploring the Benefits of a Collaborative Inquiry Team in Education (CITE) Initiative to Develop a Research Community and Enhance Student Engagement

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cantalini-Williams, Maria; Curtis, Debra; Eden-DeGasperis, Kimberley; Esposto, Lauren; Guibert, Jenny; Papp, Heather; Roque, Carlos

2015-01-01

This study examined a collaborative inquiry process, facilitated by university faculty in an elementary school, intended to develop a research community, foster knowledge mobilization, and enhance student engagement. The Collaborative Inquiry Team in Education (CITE) initiative consisted of five school-based sessions that included videos,…

An Examination of How Middle School Science Teachers Conduct Collaborative Inquiry and Reflection about Students' Conceptual Understanding

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Todd-Gibson, Christine

2017-01-01

This qualitative case study examined how middle school science teachers conducted collaborative inquiry and reflection about students' conceptual understanding, and how individual teachers in the middle school science group acted and made reflections in response to their collaborative inquiry. It also examined external influences that affected the…

Collaboration Modality, Cognitive Load, and Science Inquiry Learning in Virtual Inquiry Environments

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Erlandson, Benjamin E.; Nelson, Brian C.; Savenye, Wilhelmina C.

2010-01-01

Educational multi-user virtual environments (MUVEs) have been shown to be effective platforms for situated science inquiry curricula. While researchers find MUVEs to be supportive of collaborative scientific inquiry processes, the complex mix of multi-modal messages present in MUVEs can lead to cognitive overload, with learners unable to…

"Whose Inquiry Is This Anyway?" Money, Power, Reports, and Collaborative Inquiry

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kasl, Elizabeth; Yorks, Lyle

2010-01-01

Collaborative/cooperative inquiry (CI) is both a method for engaging in new paradigm human inquiry and a strategy for facilitating adult learning. Adult educators who use CI in institutional settings must be aware of potential corrupting influences. The authors alert educators to three factors interjected by institutional affiliation that…

Collaborative Inquiry: Building Pre-Service Teachers' Capacity for ICT Pedagogical Integration

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Henderson, Michael; Cerovac, Milorad; Bellis, Natalie; Lancaster, Greg

2013-01-01

As part of the Teaching Teachers for the Future (TTF) project, Monash University initiated several strategies to assist pre-service teachers' integration of ICTs in their classroom practice. These included modelling of ICT pedagogical integration, assessment of ICT pedagogical integration, relocating pre-service teacher classes to a working…

Peer Pedagogy: Student Collaboration and Reflection in a Learning-through-Design Project

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ching, Cynthia Carter; Kafai, Yasmin B.

2008-01-01

Background: Existing research suggests that one of the challenges for teachers in persisting with innovative inquiry curricula is their difficulty scaffolding students' transitions into technology-supported and open-ended activities. The question of whether students can effectively scaffold one another's transitions has not been previously…

Reconceptualising Higher Education Pedagogy in Online Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Green, Nicole C.; Edwards, Helen; Wolodko, Brenda; Stewart, Cherry; Brooks, Margaret; Littledyke, Ros

2010-01-01

The purpose of this collaborative inquiry project was to examine teacher education practices in two early childhood degree programmes in a school of education at a regional university in Australia. All students are enrolled in these online courses as distance learners. The reconceptualised online pedagogy immersed students, peers and their…

Wikis and Collaborative Inquiry

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lamb, Annette; Johnson, Larry

2009-01-01

Wikis are simply Web sites that provide easy-to-use tools for creating, editing, and sharing digital documents, images, and media files. Multiple participants can enter, submit, manage, and update a single Web workspace creating a community of authors and editors. Wiki projects help young people shift from being "consumers" of the Internet to…

A Collaborative Approach to Incorporating Statistics in the Physiology Classroom

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Potterfield, April; Majerus, Mary

2008-01-01

Both the National Science Education Standards (NSES) and the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM) recommend appropriately incorporating mathematics into other disciplines (NRC 1996; NRC 2003; NCTM 2000). With this in mind, an interdisciplinary, inquiry-based project was undertaken to incorporate mathematical analysis of data into a…

Partnerships Between K-12 Schools and Universities: Who Benefits?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Regens, N.; Hall-Wallace, M. K.

2001-05-01

Collaborations between K-12 schools and universities for the purpose of improving science education are growing in number, but many question their effectiveness. After many years of outreach to local teachers, schools and districts, we have developed a collaboration that more effectively addresses school district goals and needs while providing university faculty and graduate students with real opportunities to contribute to science education in the schools. Funded by the NSF GK-12 program, we are working directly with school district curriculum specialists and classroom teachers to implement inquiry-based science investigations. Projects range from developing long-term research projects in middle and high school classrooms to assisting K-6 teachers in using kit-based science curriculum. As part of our program, we have gathered several types of data to document the impact of our efforts. Using surveys of knowledge and attitudes, we measured significant improvements in college student's knowledge and attitudes about inquiry teaching methods and the K-12 education system. Through analysis of the college student's journals, we have also documented critical elements of an effective collaboration. These journals, combined with evaluations by classroom teachers, provide evidence of how the program impacts the graduate students professionally. We have also surveyed classroom teachers to measure the impact of the college students on their attitudes about teaching science and the long-term impact of the collaboration on their classroom teaching.

Collaborative Action Research on Technology Integration for Science Learning

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Chien-Hsing; Ke, Yi-Ting; Wu, Jin-Tong; Hsu, Wen-Hua

2012-02-01

This paper briefly reports the outcomes of an action research inquiry on the use of blogs, MS PowerPoint [PPT], and the Internet as learning tools with a science class of sixth graders for project-based learning. Multiple sources of data were essential to triangulate the key findings articulated in this paper. Corresponding to previous studies, the incorporation of technology and project-based learning could motivate students in self-directed exploration. The students were excited about the autonomy over what to learn and the use of PPT to express what they learned. Differing from previous studies, the findings pointed to the lack information literacy among students. The students lacked information evaluation skills, note-taking and information synthesis. All these findings imply the importance of teaching students about information literacy and visual literacy when introducing information technology into the classroom. The authors suggest that further research should focus on how to break the culture of "copy-and-paste" by teaching the skills of note-taking and synthesis through inquiry projects for science learning. Also, further research on teacher professional development should focus on using collaboration action research as a framework for re-designing graduate courses for science teachers in order to enhance classroom technology integration.

The Impact of Collaborative Reflections on Teachers' Inquiry Teaching

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lin, Huann-shyang; Hong, Zuway-R.; Yang, Kuay-keng; Lee, Sung-Tao

2013-01-01

This study investigates the impact of collaborative reflections on teachers' inquiry teaching practices and identifies supportive actions relating to their professional development. Three science teachers in the same elementary school worked as a cooperative and collaborative group. They attended workshops and worked collaboratively through…

Analyzing the Cognitive Skills and Inquiry

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Stafford, Tish

2011-01-01

The Common Core Standards (CCS) movement represents a double-edged sword for school librarians. On the one hand, it gives prominence to inquiry skills and interdisciplinary collaboration, reinforcing the profession's efforts to infuse inquiry into the curriculum through collaborative planning and co-instruction between classroom teachers and…

Collaborative Rhetorical Structure: A Discourse Analysis Method for Analyzing Student Collaborative Inquiry via Computer Conferencing

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kou, Xiaojing

2011-01-01

Various formats of online discussion have proven valuable for enhancing learning and collaboration in distance and blended learning contexts. However, despite their capacity to reveal essential processes in collaborative inquiry, current mainstream analytical frameworks, such as the cognitive presence framework (Garrison, Anderson, & Archer,…

Giving Literacy, Learning Literacy: Service-Learning and School Book Drives

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Walker, Anne B.

2015-01-01

Service-learning can provide a range of literacy learning experiences for children as they work to solve real world problems and engage in inquiry, collaboration and reflection. Rather than being an extracurricular activity, service-learning projects are designed to meet standards and align with existing curriculum. This article explores how…

Negotiating Languages and Cultures: Enacting Translingualism through a Translation Assignment

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kiernan, Julia; Meier, Joyce; Wang, Xiqiao

2016-01-01

This collaborative project explores the affordances of a translation assignment in the context of a learner-centered pedagogy that places composition students' movement among languages and cultures as both a site for inquiry and subject of analysis. The translation assignment asks students to translate scholarly articles or culture stories from…

STEM High School Teaching Enhancement through Collaborative Engineering Research on Extreme Winds

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Reynolds, Danielle; Yazdani, Nur; Manzur, Tanvir

2013-01-01

The Research Experiences for Teachers (RET) program on Hazard Mitigation at the University of Texas at Arlington (UT Arlington) involved area high school STEM teachers in engineering research with faculty and graduate students. The primary objective of the project was to train participating teachers in inquiry based research learning, research…

Technology Assisted Collaborative and Project-Based Learning; of Blogs, Wikis, and Networking

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tinnerman, Larry; Johnson, James; Grimes, Roddran

2010-01-01

Throughout America today, public schools are struggling with issues surrounding standards and educational relevance and effectiveness. At the same time, a technological and social evolution is taking place outside of the school building. Students are developing new methods of inquiry and information gathering. If the educational system is to…

Inside City Schools: Investigating Literacy in Multicultural Classrooms. The Practitioner Inquiry Series.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Freedman, Sarah Warshauer; Simons, Elizabeth Radin; Kalnin, Julie Shalhope; Casareno, Alex

Chapters in this book were written by members of the Multicultural Collaborative for Literacy and Secondary Schools (the M-CLASS Project), a national teacher-researcher network of English and social studies teachers and university faculty from four cities. Their essays deal with classroom research on learning, diversity, bias, inequality, and real…

After Incarceration and Adult Learning: A Collaborative Inquiry and Writing Project

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Schwartz, Joni

2015-01-01

Mass incarceration in America is a moral, economic, and societal crisis with serious implications for many men of color and high school non-completers who are incarcerated at proportionally higher rates than Whites or college graduates. For the formerly incarcerated, engagement in adult learning, whether high school equivalency (HSE) or college,…

Context Matters: Real-World and Utilization-Focused Evaluation Strategies to Support Change and Improvement in Child Welfare

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ward, Kristin J.; Maher, Erin J.; Marcynyszyn, Lyscha A.; Ellis, Mei Ling K.; Pecora, Peter J.

2011-01-01

This article examines the importance of context in evaluative inquiry. Following guidelines from real-world and utilization-focused evaluation frameworks, four projects are described to illustrate one foundation's pragmatic approach to evaluation that values collaboration, methodological appropriateness, and utilization. The authors contend that…

Students' Socio-Scientific Reasoning in an Astrobiological Context during Work with a Digital Learning Environment

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hansson, Lena; Redfors, Andreas; Rosberg, Maria

2011-01-01

In a European project--CoReflect--researchers in seven countries are developing, implementing and evaluating teaching sequences using a web-based platform (STOCHASMOS). The interactive web-based inquiry materials support collaborative and reflective work. The learning environments will be iteratively tested and refined, during different phases of…

Technology Outlook for International Schools in Asia, 2014. An NMC Horizon Project Regional Report

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Johnson, L.; Adams Becker, S.; Cummins, M.; Estrada, V.

2014-01-01

This report is a collaborative research effort between the New Media Consortium (NMC), Concordia International School Shanghai, and NIST International School in Bangkok, Thailand, to help inform international school leaders in Asia about significant developments in technologies supporting teaching, learning, and creative inquiry in primary and…

Teachers' Inclusive Strategies to Accommodate 5th Grade Pupils' Crossing of Cultural Borders in Two Greek Multicultural Science Classrooms

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Piliouras, Panagiotis; Evangelou, Odysseas

2012-04-01

The demographic changes in Greek schools underline the need for reconsidering the way in which migrant pupils move from their everyday culture into the culture of school science (a process known as "cultural border crossing"). Migrant pupils might face difficulties when they attempt to transcend cultural borders and this may influence their progress in science as well as the construction of suitable academic identities as a means of promoting scientific literacy. In the research we present in this paper, adopting the socioculturally driven thesis that learning can be viewed and studied as a meaning-making, collaborative inquiry process, we implemented an action research program (school year 2008-2009) in cooperation with two teachers, in a primary school of Athens with 85% migrant pupils. We examined whether the two teachers, who became gradually acquainted with cross-cultural pedagogy during the project, act towards accommodating the crossing of cultural borders by implementing a variety of inclusive strategies in science teaching. Our findings reveal that both teachers utilized suitable cross-border strategies (strategies concerning the establishment of a collaborative inquiry learning environment, and strategies that were in accordance with a cross-border pedagogy) to help students cross smoothly from their "world" to the "world of science". A crucial key to the teachers' expertise was their previous participation in collaborative action research (school years 2004-2006), in which they analyzed their own discourse practices during science lessons in order to establish more collaborative inquiry environments.

Effects of Collaborative Group Composition and Inquiry Instruction on Reasoning Gains and Achievement in Undergraduate Biology

PubMed Central

Jensen, Jamie Lee; Lawson, Anton

2011-01-01

This study compared the effectiveness of collaborative group composition and instructional method on reasoning gains and achievement in college biology. Based on initial student reasoning ability (i.e., low, medium, or high), students were assigned to either homogeneous or heterogeneous collaborative groups within either inquiry or didactic instruction. Achievement and reasoning gains were assessed at the end of the semester. Inquiry instruction, as a whole, led to significantly greater gains in reasoning ability and achievement. Inquiry instruction also led to greater confidence and more positive attitudes toward collaboration. Low-reasoning students made significantly greater reasoning gains within inquiry instruction when grouped with other low reasoners than when grouped with either medium or high reasoners. Results are consistent with equilibration theory, supporting the idea that students benefit from the opportunity for self-regulation without the guidance or direction of a more capable peer. PMID:21364101

Exploring teachers' beliefs and knowledge about scientific inquiry and the nature of science: A collaborative action research project

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fazio, Xavier Eric

Science curriculum reform goals espouse the need to foster and support the development of scientific literacy in students. Two critical goals of scientific literacy are students' engagement in, and developing more realistic conceptions about scientific inquiry (SI) and the nature of science (NOS). In order to promote the learning of these curriculum emphases, teachers themselves must possess beliefs and knowledge supportive of them. Collaborative action research is a viable form of curriculum and teacher development that can be used to support teachers in developing the requisite beliefs and knowledge that can promote these scientific literacy goals. This research study used a collective case study methodology to describe and interpret the views and actions of four teachers participating in a collaborative action research project. I explored the teachers' SI and NOS views throughout the project as they investigated ideas and theories, critically examined their current curricular practice, and implemented and reflected on these modified curricular practices. By the end of the research study, all participants had uniquely augmented their understanding of SI and NOS. The participants were better able to provide explanatory depth to some SI and NOS ideas; however, specific belief revision with respect to SI and NOS ideas was nominal. Furthermore, their idealized action research plans were not implemented to the extent that they were planned. Explanations for these findings include: impact of significant past educational experiences, prior understanding of SI and NOS, depth of content and pedagogical content knowledge of the discipline, and institutional and instructional constraints. Nonetheless, through participation in the collaborative action research process, the teachers developed professionally, personally, and socially. They identified many positive outcomes from participating in a collaborative action research project; however, they espoused constraints to implementing innovative actions. Indeed, local school cultures were barriers to the participants' development. A model of teacher development embracing all the developmental areas is presented---an integration of social, personal, and professional development. Implications and recommendations for future research on teachers' beliefs and knowledge, as well as the viability of collaborative action research to facilitate teacher and curriculum development are presented.

Leading Deep Conversations in Collaborative Inquiry Groups

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Nelson, Tamara Holmlund; Deuel, Angie; Slavit, David; Kennedy, Anne

2010-01-01

Collaborative inquiry groups, such as professional learning communities and lesson study groups, are proliferating in schools across the United States. In whatever form, the potential for impacting student learning through this collaborative work is expanded or limited by the nature of teachers' conversations. Polite, congenial conversations…

Inquiry-based science in the middle grades: Assessment of learning in urban systemic reform

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Marx, Ronald W.; Blumenfeld, Phyllis C.; Krajcik, Joseph S.; Fishman, Barry; Soloway, Elliot; Geier, Robert; Tali Tal, Revital

2004-12-01

Science education standards established by American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) and the National Research Council (NRC) urge less emphasis on memorizing scientific facts and more emphasis on students investigating the everyday world and developing deep understanding from their inquiries. These approaches to instruction challenge teachers and students, particularly urban students who often have additional challenges related to poverty. We report data on student learning spanning 3 years from a science education reform collaboration with the Detroit Public Schools. Data were collected from nearly 8,000 students who participated in inquiry-based and technology-infused curriculum units that were collaboratively developed by district personnel and staff from the University of Michigan as part of a larger, district-wide systemic reform effort in science education. The results show statistically significant increases on curriculum-based test scores for each year of participation. Moreover, the strength of the effects grew over the years, as evidenced by increasing effect size estimates across the years. The findings indicate that students who historically are low achievers in science can succeed in standards-based, inquiry science when curriculum is carefully developed and aligned with professional development and district policies. Additional longitudinal research on the development of student understanding over multiple inquiry projects, the progress of teacher enactment over time, and the effect of changes in the policy and administrative environment would further contribute to the intellectual and practical tools necessary to implement meaningful standards-based systemic reform in science.

Using Cloud-Computing Applications to Support Collaborative Scientific Inquiry: Examining Pre-Service Teachers' Perceived Barriers to Integration

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Donna, Joel D.; Miller, Brant G.

2013-01-01

Technology plays a crucial role in facilitating collaboration within the scientific community. Cloud-computing applications, such as Google Drive, can be used to model such collaboration and support inquiry within the secondary science classroom. Little is known about pre-service teachers' beliefs related to the envisioned use of collaborative,…

School Perspectives on Collaborative Inquiry: Lessons Learned from New York City, 2009-2010

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Robinson, Marian A.

2010-01-01

Background: Through its Children First initiative, New York City policymakers promoted collaborative inquiry as a process for helping administrators and teachers use student data to improve instruction and raise student achievement. Since 2007, city schools were expected to engage higher proportions of faculty in the inquiry work each year.…

An Intercontinental Inquiry on Multicultural Education: Canadian and Hong Kong University Students Connected through a Web 2.0 Learning Environment

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Li, Jia; Zhang, Zheng

2015-01-01

Adopting Cummins' model of intervention for collaborative empowerment, this study reports on a transnational project that examines (1) the effectiveness of enhancing critical cultural awareness by engaging culturally diverse university students in online discussions and (2) students' perspectives on understanding different cultures through mass…

Singing in Science: Writing and Recording Student Lyrics to Express Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Nelson, Sara D.; Norton-Meier, Lori

2009-01-01

This article explores the use of lyric writing in elementary science. It details an exploratory project in which elementary students and a professional musician collaborated to write and record lyrics at the conclusion of an inquiry-based science unit. What we found was that lyric writing when used as a summary reflection activity in science…

Collaborative Action Research on Technology Integration for Science Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wang, Chien-hsing; Ke, Yi-Ting; Wu, Jin-Tong; Hsu, Wen-Hua

2012-01-01

This paper briefly reports the outcomes of an action research inquiry on the use of blogs, MS PowerPoint [PPT], and the Internet as learning tools with a science class of sixth graders for project-based learning. Multiple sources of data were essential to triangulate the key findings articulated in this paper. Corresponding to previous studies,…

Latinx Popular Culture Imaginaries: Examining Puerto Rican Children's Social Discourses in Interpreting Telenovelas

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Medina, Carmen Liliana; Costa, María del Rocío; Soto, Nayda

2017-01-01

In this paper, we present a collaboration project within one urban Puerto Rican classroom, focused on constructing a critical literacy inquiry curriculum grounded in the students' out-of-school literacy practices in their communities, including their experiences with media and popular culture. We focused on a critical literacy and media inquiry…

Unlicensed EFL Teachers Co-Constructing Knowledge and Transforming Curriculum through Collaborative-Reflective Inquiry

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Garzón, Edgar Augusto Aguirre

2018-01-01

This paper describes a case study research project carried out in a public school in Bogotá, Colombia, with four unlicensed teachers of English as a foreign language. Although the institutional guidelines in the school suggest that teachers should collectively propose changes to shape pedagogical realities, there is evidence of little…

Relational Agency and Teacher Development: A CHAT Analysis of a Collaborative Professional Inquiry Project with Biology Teachers

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

McNicholl, Jane

2013-01-01

Teacher quality largely determines student outcomes and many argue for high quality teacher training and professional development (PD). Much PD has been heavily critiqued and what constitutes effective provision for teachers remains contested. Disenfranchisement of teachers, through neglect of prior expertise and failure to acknowledge teachers'…

You Are Who I Say You Are: The Rhetorical Construction of Identity in the Operating Theatre

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bleakley, Alan

2006-01-01

Purpose: The paper seeks to show that narrative close call reporting is one strand of an ongoing collaborative inquiry project with 300 staff aiming to improve teamwork in operating theatres in a large UK hospital. How teams deal with close calls ("accidents waiting to happen") reveals resourcefulness but exposes flaws, including…

Internal and External Scripts in Computer-Supported Collaborative Inquiry Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kollar, Ingo; Fischer, Frank; Slotta, James D.

2007-01-01

We investigated how differently structured external scripts interact with learners' internal scripts with respect to individual knowledge acquisition in a Web-based collaborative inquiry learning environment. Ninety students from two secondary schools participated. Two versions of an external collaboration script (high vs. low structured)…

Collaborative Visualization Project: shared-technology learning environments for science learning

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pea, Roy D.; Gomez, Louis M.

1993-01-01

Project-enhanced science learning (PESL) provides students with opportunities for `cognitive apprenticeships' in authentic scientific inquiry using computers for data-collection and analysis. Student teams work on projects with teacher guidance to develop and apply their understanding of science concepts and skills. We are applying advanced computing and communications technologies to augment and transform PESL at-a-distance (beyond the boundaries of the individual school), which is limited today to asynchronous, text-only networking and unsuitable for collaborative science learning involving shared access to multimedia resources such as data, graphs, tables, pictures, and audio-video communication. Our work creates user technology (a Collaborative Science Workbench providing PESL design support and shared synchronous document views, program, and data access; a Science Learning Resource Directory for easy access to resources including two-way video links to collaborators, mentors, museum exhibits, media-rich resources such as scientific visualization graphics), and refine enabling technologies (audiovisual and shared-data telephony, networking) for this PESL niche. We characterize participation scenarios for using these resources and we discuss national networked access to science education expertise.

High school students as science researchers: Opportunities and challenges

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Smith, W. R.; Grannas, A. M.

2007-12-01

Today's K-12 students will be the scientists and engineers who bring currently emerging technologies to fruition. Existing research endeavors will be continued and expanded upon in the future only if these students are adequately prepared. High school-university collaborations provide an effective means of recruiting and training the next generation of scientists and engineers. Here, we describe our successful high school-university collaboration in the context of other models. We have developed an authentic inquiry-oriented environmental chemistry research program involving high school students as researchers. The impetus behind the development of this project was twofold. First, participation in authentic research may give some of our students the experience and drive to enter technical studies after high school. One specific goal was to develop a program to recruit underrepresented minorities into university STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) programs. Second, inquiry-oriented lessons have been shown to be highly effective in developing scientific literacy among the general population of students. This collaboration involves the use of local resources and equipment available to most high schools and could serve as a model for developing high school- university partnerships.

Collaborative Practitioner Inquiry: Providing Leadership and Action Research for Teacher Professional Development

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

von Gnechten, Mitchell P.

2011-01-01

Professional development is best when embedded in one's practice and linked directly to the classroom. Opportunities for teachers to identify specific areas of concern in their classroom and problem solve solutions via action research promotes a culture of inquiry. This culture of inquiry is enhanced when teams of teachers collaborate and share…

ERESE: An online forum for research-based earth science inquiry

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Symons, C. M.; Koppers, A.; Helly, M.; Staudigel, H.; Miller, S. P.

2007-12-01

The Enduring Resources for Earth Science Education (ERESE) Project bridges the gap between earth science research and science education by providing a forum for electronic collaboration between practicing scientists and classroom teachers. By combining the resources of Scripps Institution of Oceanography (SIO) and the expertise of educators, ERESE leverages a wide variety of assets to provide state-of-the-art, online digital resources through two National Science Digital Library collections: Earthref.org (http://www.Earthref.org/ERESE) and SIOExplorer (http://SIOExplorer.ucsd.edu). Earthref.org provides a wealth of plate tectonic-related content appropriate for designing and enacting inquiry lessons. The SIOExplorer Digital Library houses marine geophysical data from over 800 research cruises each containing a variety of data types from meteorological, to oceanographic, geophysical and navigational data. Built on successful collaboration between scientists and middle and high school teachers from across the country beginning in 2004, ERESE has expanded into a multifaceted repository for thought-provoking earth science data and images, virtual field trips and inquiry lessons designed by our partner teachers. More than static interfaces, both Earthref.org and SIOExplorer introduce users to current topics in science, seeking to answer outstanding questions about the earth, its processes, formation, and future. To provide a starting point for new users to design and contribute lessons to Earthref.org we have created a basic inquiry lesson plan template that models the process of investigating a real scientific problem. The template is designed on the basis of our five-stage model of inquiry adapted to the National Science Education Standards. As with all inquiry lessons, our model focuses on the shift of power from the teacher at the outset of the lesson to the students upon completion of the lesson.

Making learning whole: an instructional approach for mediating the practices of authentic science inquiries

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liljeström, Anu; Enkenberg, Jorma; Pöllänen, Sinikka

2013-03-01

This design experiment aimed to answer the question of how to mediate the practices of authentic science inquiries in primary education. An instructional approach based on activity theory was designed and carried out with multi-age students in a small village school. An open-ended learning task was offered to the older students. Their task was to design and implement instruction about the Ice Age to their younger fellows. The objective was collaborative learning among students, the teacher, and outside domain experts. Mobile phones and GPS technologies were applied as the main technological mediators in the learning process. Technology provided an opportunity to expand the learning environment outside the classroom, including the natural environment. Empirically, the goal was to answer the following questions: What kind of learning project emerged? How did the students' knowledge develop? What kinds of science learning processes, activities, and practices were represented? Multiple and parallel data were collected to achieve this aim. The data analysis revealed that the learning project both challenged the students to develop explanations for the phenomena and generated high quality conceptual and physical models in question. During the learning project, the roles of the community members were shaped, mixed, and integrated. The teacher also repeatedly evaluated and adjusted her behavior. The confidence of the learners in their abilities raised the quality of their learning outcomes. The findings showed that this instructional approach can not only mediate the kind of authentic practices that scientists apply but also make learning more holistic than it has been. Thus, it can be concluded that nature of the task, the tool-integrated collaborative inquiries in the natural environment, and the multiage setting can make learning whole.

An Investigation of University Students' Collaborative Inquiry Learning Behaviors in an Augmented Reality Simulation and a Traditional Simulation

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wang, Hung-Yuan; Duh, Henry Been-Lirn; Li, Nai; Lin, Tzung-Jin; Tsai, Chin-Chung

2014-01-01

The purpose of this study is to investigate and compare students' collaborative inquiry learning behaviors and their behavior patterns in an augmented reality (AR) simulation system and a traditional 2D simulation system. Their inquiry and discussion processes were analyzed by content analysis and lag sequential analysis (LSA). Forty…

The Role of Collaborative Reflection in Developing a Culture of Inquiry in a School-University Partnership: A U.S. Perspective.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Osguthorpe, Russell T.

This paper describes two cases that illustrate the role of collaborative reflection in developing a culture of inquiry and individual and organizational renewal in school-university partnerships. Three assertions underlie the study: that individual renewal leads to organizational renewal; that developing a culture of inquiry is a prerequisite to…

Collaborative Inquiry and the Shared Workspace of Professional Learning Communities

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Carpenter, Daniel

2017-01-01

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to explore educator collaborative inquiry in the shared workspace in professional learning communities (PLCs). Specifically, this investigation was part of an ongoing investigation of well-established PLC collaborative interactions and self-directed learning of educators as part of the shared workspace as a…

The Impact of Integrated Coaching and Collaboration within an Inquiry Learning Environment

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dragon, Toby

2013-01-01

This thesis explores the design and evaluation of a collaborative, inquiry learning Intelligent Tutoring System for ill-defined problem spaces. The common ground in the fields of Artificial Intelligence in Education and Computer-Supported Collaborative Learning is investigated to identify ways in which tutoring systems can employ both automated…

Technology-Supported Formative and Summative Assessment of Collaborative Scientific Inquiry.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hickey, Daniel T.; DeCuir, Jessica; Hand, Bryon; Kyser, Brandon; Laprocina, Simona; Mordica, Joy

This study defined and validated a new set of dimensions, new anchoring descriptions, and a new rubric format for assessing participation in collaboration. One strand of the research explored the use of analog video-technology to conduct summative assessment of collaborative inquiry. The second strand of the research explored the use of video…

Who Writes the Past? Student Perceptions of Wikipedia Knowledge and Credibility in a World History Classroom

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Calkins, Susanna; Kelley, Matthew R.

2009-01-01

The authors describe an inquiry-based learning project that required students in a first-year world history course to reflect on and analyze critically the nature of the knowledge found in Wikipedia--the free, open-content, rapidly evolving, internet encyclopedia. Using a rubric, the authors explored students' perceptions of the collaborative and…

Integrating Reading into Middle School Science: What We Did, Found and Learned

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Fang, Zhihui; Lamme, Linda; Pringle, Rose; Patrick, Jennifer; Sanders, Jennifer; Zmach, Courtney; Charbonnet, Sara; Henkel, Melissa

2008-01-01

Recent calls for border crossing between reading and science have heightened the need to support science teachers in integrating reading into science and to verify the robustness of this approach in the context of inquiry-based science. In this paper, we share what we did, found, and learned in a collaborative project in which a team of…

When You're Smiling: Exploring How Teachers Motivate and Engage Learners in the Further Education Sector

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wallace, Susan

2014-01-01

This paper is based on a one-year research project in the UK designed to investigate teachers' strategies for motivating learners and managing non-compliant behaviour in the further education sector. Carried out in collaboration with 203 teachers in three colleges of further education, the inquiry set out to identify, through the use of…

Innovation in collaborative health research training: the role of active learning.

PubMed

Poole, Gary; Egan, John P; Iqbal, Isabeau

2009-03-01

This paper describes and discusses the essential pedagogical elements of the Partnering in Community Health Research (PCHR) program, which was designed to address the training needs of researchers who participate in collaborative, interdisciplinary health research. These elements were intended to foster specific skills that helped learners develop research partnerships featuring knowledge, capabilities, values and attitudes needed for successful research projects. By establishing research teams called "clusters", PCHR provided research training and experience for graduate students and post-doctoral fellows, as well as for community health workers and professionals. Pedagogical elements relied on active learning approaches such as inquiry-based and experience-based learning. Links between these elements and learning approaches are explained. Through their work in cluster-based applied research projects, the development of learning plans, and cross-cluster learning events, trainees acquired collaborative research competencies that were valuable, relevant and theoretically informed.

Social Regulation of Learning During Collaborative Inquiry Learning in Science: How does it emerge and what are its functions?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ucan, Serkan; Webb, Mary

2015-10-01

Students' ability to regulate their learning is considered important for the quality of collaborative inquiry learning. However, there is still limited understanding about how students engage in social forms of regulation processes and what roles these regulatory processes may play during collaborative learning. The purpose of this study was to identify when and how co- and shared regulation of metacognitive, emotional and motivational processes emerge and function during collaborative inquiry learning in science. Two groups of three students (aged 12) from a private primary school in Turkey were videotaped during collaborative inquiry activities in a naturalistic classroom setting over a seven-week period, and the transcripts were analysed in order to identify their use of regulation processes. Moreover, this was combined with the analysis of stimulated-recall interviews with the student groups. Results indicated that co- and shared regulation processes were often initiated by particular events and played a crucial role in the success of students' collaborative inquiry learning. Co-regulation of metacognitive processes had the function of stimulating students to reflect upon and clarify their thinking, as well as facilitating the construction of new scientific understanding. Shared regulation of metacognitive processes helped students to build a shared understanding of the task, clarify and justify their shared perspective, and sustain the ongoing knowledge co-construction. Moreover, the use of shared emotional and motivational regulation was identified as important for sustaining reciprocal interactions and creating a positive socio-emotional atmosphere within the groups. In addition, the findings revealed links between the positive quality of group interactions and the emergence of co- and shared regulation of metacognitive processes. This study highlights the importance of fostering students' acquisition and use of regulation processes during collaborative inquiry learning.

The Impact of Collaborative Reflections on Teachers' Inquiry Teaching

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lin, Huann-shyang; Hong, Zuway-R.; Yang, Kuay-keng; Lee, Sung-Tao

2013-12-01

This study investigates the impact of collaborative reflections on teachers' inquiry teaching practices and identifies supportive actions relating to their professional development. Three science teachers in the same elementary school worked as a cooperative and collaborative group. They attended workshops and worked collaboratively through observing colleagues' teaching practices and discussing with university professors about their own inquiry teaching. The pre- and post-treatment classroom observations and comparisons of their teaching reveal that the three teachers were more focussed on asking inquiry-oriented questions in the post-treatment teaching. With additional qualitative data analysis, this study identified supportive resources of professional development. Workshop training sessions and sample unit served as the initiative agent in the beginning stage. Discussions with peers and reflective observation of peer teaching acted as a facilitative agent. Finally, student responses and researchers' on-site visit comments worked as a catalytic agent for their professional development.

Evaluating RITES, a Statewide Math and Science Partnership Program

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Murray, D. P.; Caulkins, J. L.; Burns, A. L.; de Oliveira, G.; Dooley, H.; Brand, S.; Veeger, A.

2013-12-01

The Rhode Island Technology-Enhanced Science project (RITES) is a NSF-MSP Program that seeks to improve science education by providing professional development to science teachers at the 5th through 12th grade levels. At it's heart, RITES is a complex, multifaceted project that is challenging to evaluate because of the nature of its goal: the development of a large, statewide partnership between higher education and K12 public school districts during a time when science education strategies and leadership are in flux. As a result, these difficulties often require flexibility and creativity regarding evaluation, study design and data collection. In addition, the research agenda of the project often overlaps with the evaluator's agenda, making collaboration and communication a crucial component of the project's success. In it's 5th year, RITES and it's evaluators have developed a large number of instruments, both qualitative and quantitative, to provide direction and feedback on the effectiveness of the project's activities. RITES personnel work closely with evaluators and researchers to obtain a measure of how RITES' 'theory-of-action' affects both student outcomes and teacher practice. Here we discuss measures of teacher and student content gains, student inquiry gains, and teacher implementation surveys. Using content questions based on AAAS and MOSART databases, teachers in the short courses and students in classrooms showed significant normalized learning gains with averages generally above 0.3. Students of RITES-trained teachers also outperformed their non-RITES peers on the inquiry-section of the NECAP test, and The results show, after controlling for race and economic status, a small but statistically significant increase in test scores for RITES students. Technology use in the classroom significantly increased for teachers who were 'expected implementers' where 'expected implementers' are those teachers who implemented RITES as the project was designed. This result suggests that RITES teachers, when implementing RITES as designed, used significantly more technology in their classroom after one year of participation than prior to project participation. In addition, the majority of teachers reported retrospectively that RITES participation increased the level of inquiry in their instructional practice in the development and delivery of lessons, and within student assessments. Teachers also reported that RITES increased their collaboration with colleagues and with higher education faculty members. Most telling, teachers noted that RITES rejuvenated their excitement for science and improved their ability to teach the science standards. Teachers noted that the RITES summer short courses, investigations, and technology resources were key program components to supporting their inquiry practices.

Science education reform in an elementary school: An investigation of collaboration and inquiry in a school with an emphasis on language arts and fine arts

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Martini, Mariana

This investigation was framed within the science education reform, which proposes to change the way science is taught and promotes the implementation of inquiry-based teaching approaches. The implementation of inquiry science teaching represents a move away from traditional didactic teaching styles, a transition that requires change in the assumptions underlying the philosophy of traditional science instruction. Another theme in the reform literature is the establishment of collaboration between teachers and researchers or scientists as a way to implement reform practices. Situated within this reform climate, this research aimed to investigate science education at an elementary school with a history of implementing reform ideas in the areas of language arts and fine arts. I employed an ethnographic methodology to examine the nature of a teacher-researcher relationship in the context of the school's culture and teachers' practices. The findings indicate that change was not pervasive. Reform ideas were implemented only in the areas of language arts and fine arts. Situated within a district that promoted an accountability climate, the school disregarded science education and opposed the use of constructivist-based pedagogies, and did not have a strong science program. Since science was not tested, teachers spent little (if any) time teaching science. All participants firmly perceived the existence of several barriers to the implementation of inquiry: (a) lack of time: teachers spent excessive time to prepare students for tests, (b) nature of science teaching: materials and set preparation, (c) lack of content knowledge, (d) lack of pedagogical content knowledge, and (e) lack of opportunities to develop professional knowledge. In spite of the barriers, the school had two assets: an outdoor facility and two enthusiastic teachers who were lead science teachers, in spite of the their lack of content and pedagogical science knowledge. Collaboration between the researcher and each teacher was developmental. Defining who we are and how we approach the work ahead played an important part in the relationship. It took time to build trust and change the modus operandi from a cooperation to a collaboration project. Despite the constraints faced, collaboration had a positive effect on us.

Effects of collaboration and inquiry on reasoning and achievement in biology

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jensen, Jamie Lee

The primary purpose of the present study was to compare the effectiveness of two collaborative grouping strategies and two instructional methods in terms of gains in reasoning ability and achievement in college biology. In order to do so, a quasi-experimental study was performed in which students were placed in one of four treatment conditions: heterogeneous grouping within inquiry instruction, homogeneous grouping within inquiry instruction, heterogeneous grouping within non-inquiry instruction, and homogeneous grouping within non-inquiry instruction. Students were placed in groups based on initial reasoning level. Reasoning levels and achievement gains were assessed at the end of the study. Results showed that within non-inquiry instruction, heterogeneous mean group scores were higher in both reasoning and achievement than homogeneous groups. In contrast, within inquiry instruction, homogeneous mean group scores were higher in both reasoning and achievement. Inquiry instruction, as a whole, significantly outperformed non-inquiry instruction in the development of reasoning ability. Within inquiry instruction, low-ability students had significantly greater reasoning gains when grouped homogeneously. These results support Piaget's developmental theory and contradict Vygotsky's developmental theory. These results also suggest that the success of one grouping strategy over another is highly dependent upon the nature of instruction, which may be a cause for such conflicting views on grouping strategies within the educational literature. In addition, inquiry instruction led to students having greater confidence in their reasoning ability as well as a more positive attitude toward collaboration. Instructional implications are discussed.

Evaluating the effectiveness of a practical inquiry-based learning bioinformatics module on undergraduate student engagement and applied skills.

PubMed

Brown, James A L

2016-05-06

A pedagogic intervention, in the form of an inquiry-based peer-assisted learning project (as a practical student-led bioinformatics module), was assessed for its ability to increase students' engagement, practical bioinformatic skills and process-specific knowledge. Elements assessed were process-specific knowledge following module completion, qualitative student-based module evaluation and the novelty, scientific validity and quality of written student reports. Bioinformatics is often the starting point for laboratory-based research projects, therefore high importance was placed on allowing students to individually develop and apply processes and methods of scientific research. Students led a bioinformatic inquiry-based project (within a framework of inquiry), discovering, justifying and exploring individually discovered research targets. Detailed assessable reports were produced, displaying data generated and the resources used. Mimicking research settings, undergraduates were divided into small collaborative groups, with distinctive central themes. The module was evaluated by assessing the quality and originality of the students' targets through reports, reflecting students' use and understanding of concepts and tools required to generate their data. Furthermore, evaluation of the bioinformatic module was assessed semi-quantitatively using pre- and post-module quizzes (a non-assessable activity, not contributing to their grade), which incorporated process- and content-specific questions (indicative of their use of the online tools). Qualitative assessment of the teaching intervention was performed using post-module surveys, exploring student satisfaction and other module specific elements. Overall, a positive experience was found, as was a post module increase in correct process-specific answers. In conclusion, an inquiry-based peer-assisted learning module increased students' engagement, practical bioinformatic skills and process-specific knowledge. © 2016 by The International Union of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, 44:304-313 2016. © 2016 The International Union of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology.

Addressing the Needs of Doctoral Students as Academic Practitioners: A Collaborative Inquiry on Teaching in Higher Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Starr, Lisa J.; DeMartini, Ashley

2015-01-01

This paper presents preliminary findings from a pilot study whose purpose was to explore how we, a tenure-track faculty member and a doctoral student, understood and developed our teaching practice when engaged in a formal faculty-student relationship. Using a hybrid of collaborative inquiry and collaborative self-study--which included verbal and…

Social Regulation of Learning during Collaborative Inquiry Learning in Science: How Does It Emerge and What Are Its Functions?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ucan, Serkan; Webb, Mary

2015-01-01

Students' ability to regulate their learning is considered important for the quality of collaborative inquiry learning. However, there is still limited understanding about how students engage in social forms of regulation processes and what roles these regulatory processes may play during collaborative learning. The purpose of this study was to…

Reflecting upon Researchers' and Policy-Makers' Tensions in the Collaborative Inquiry Process: "What Do Different Commonplaces Contribute to Curriculum Deliberation?"

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tan, Yuen Sze Michelle; Atencio, Matthew

2017-01-01

This collaborative inquiry, as part of action research, is framed within the unique context of two researchers working closely alongside two policy-makers (research collaborators) to explore how teachers could enter more profoundly into a curriculum discourse. Drawing from Reid's concept of curriculum deliberation as located within institutional…

Mentoring a new science teacher in reform-based ways: A focus on inquiry

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schomer, Scott D.

The processes, understandings, and uses of inquiry are identified by the National Science Education Standards (National Research Council, 1996) as a key component of science instruction. Currently, there are few examples in the literature demonstrating how teachers go about co-constructing inquiry-based activities and how mentors can promote the use of reform-based practices by novices. The purpose of this interpretive case study was to investigate how a mentor and her protege collaboratively developed, implemented and assessed three inquiry-based experiences. The questions that guided this research were: (1) How does the mentor assist protege growth in the development, implementation and assessment of inquiry-based experiences for secondary science students? (2) How are the protege's perceptions of inquiry influenced by her participation in developing, implementing and assessing inquiry-based experiences for secondary science students? The co-construction of the inquiry activities and the facilitation provided by the mentor represented Lev Vygotsky's (1978) social construction of information as the mentor guided the protege beyond her cognitive zone of proximal development. The participants in this study were a veteran science teacher who was obtaining her mentor certification, or Teacher Support Specialist, and her protege who was a science teacher in the induction phase of her career. Data were collected through in-depth, semi-structured interviews, tape recordings of planning sessions, researcher field notes, and email reflections during the co-construction process. Inductive analysis of the data led to the identification of common categories and subsequent findings, which reflected what the mentor and protege discussed about inquiry and the process of collaboration. The six themes that emerged from this study led to several implications that are significant for science teacher preparation and the mentoring community. The teachers indicated tools, such as the "Essential Features and Variations of Inquiry" table, were helpful for planning and assessing inquiry-based experiences. Examination of findings revealed how the process of purposefully collaborating on the development of inquiry-based lessons fostered a more student-centered approach to teaching and learning by the protege. Therefore, having new teachers continue to collaborate with reform-minded mentors beyond their first year of teaching may help new teachers develop inquiry-based pedagogies.

Improving Project Performance through Implementation of Agile Methodologies in the Renewable Energy Construction Industry

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hernandez Mendez, Arturo

Collaborative inquiry within undergraduate research experiences (UREs) is an effective curriculum tool to support student growth. This study seeks to understand how collaborative inquiry within undergraduate biology student experiences are affected within faculty mentored experiences and non-mentored experiences at a large private southeastern university. Undergraduate biology students engaged in UREs (faculty as mentor and non-mentor experiences) were examined for statistically significant differences in student self-efficacy. Self-efficacy was measured in three subcomponents (thinking and working like a scientist, scientific self-efficacy, and scientific identity) from student responses obtained in an online survey. Responses were analyzed using a nonparametric equivalent of a t test (Mann Whitney U test) to make comparisons between faculty mentored and non-mentored student groups. The conclusions of this study highlight the statistically significant effect of faculty mentoring in all three subcomponents. Faculty and university policy makers can apply these findings to develop further support for effective faculty mentoring practices in UREs.

capr - how to partner | Center for Cancer Research

Cancer.gov

CAPR is striving to actively identify prospective partnering avenues and welcomes any inquiries of collaborative opportunities from NIH/NCI intramural laboratories, academic organizations and commercial partners. For further information on partnering mechanisms and to request information on possible collaboration, please, send inquiries to:

Designing flexible instructional space for teaching introductory physics with emphasis on inquiry and collaborative active learning

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bykov, Tikhon

2010-03-01

In recent years McMurry University's introductory physics curriculum has gone through a series of significant changes to achieve better integration of traditional course components (lecture/lab/discussion) by means of instructional design and technology. A system of flexible curriculum modules with emphasis on inquiry-based teaching and collaborative active learning has been introduced. To unify module elements, a technology suite has been used that consists of Tablet PC's and software applications including Physlets, tablet-adapted personal response system, PASCO data acquisition systems, and MS One-note collaborative writing software. Adoption of the new teaching model resulted in reevaluation of existing instructional spaces. The new teaching space will be created during the renovation of the McMurry Science Building. This space will allow for easy transitions between lecture and laboratory modes. Movable partitions will be used to accommodate student groups of different sizes. The space will be supportive of small peer-group activities with easy-to-reconfigure furniture, multiple white and black board surfaces and multiple projection screens. The new space will be highly flexible to account for different teaching functions, different teaching modes and learning styles.

Optimizing students' motivation in inquiry-based learning environments: The role of instructional practices

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kempler, Toni M.

The influence of inquiry science instruction on the motivation of 1360 minority inner-city seventh graders was examined. The project-based curriculum incorporates motivating features like real world questions, collaboration, technology, and lesson variety. Students design investigations, collect and analyze data, and create artifacts; challenging tasks require extensive use of learning and metacognitive strategies. Study 1 used Structural Equation Modeling to investigate student perceptions of the prevalence of project-based features, including real world connections, collaboration, academic press, and work norms, and their relation to interest, efficacy, cognitive engagement, and achievement. Perceptions of features related to different motivational outcomes, indicating the importance of using differentiated rather than single measures to study motivation in context. Cognitive engagement was enhanced by interest and efficacy but did not influence achievement, perhaps because students were not proficient strategy users and were new to inquiry. Study 2 examined the relationship between instructional practices and motivation. The 23 teachers in study 1 were observed six times during one unit. Observations focused on curriculum congruence, content accuracy, contextualization, sense making, and management and climate. A majority of teacher enactment was congruent with the curriculum, indicating that students experienced motivating features of project-based science. Hierarchical Linear Modeling showed that contextualization accounted for between-teacher variance in student interest, efficacy, and cognitive engagement; Teachers encouraged motivation through extended real world examples that related material to students' experiences. Cluster analysis was used to determine how patterns of practice affected motivation. Unexpectedly these patterns did not differentially relate to cognitive engagement. Findings showed that interest and efficacy were enhanced when teachers used particular sense making practices. These teachers provided explicit scaffolding for accomplishing complex tasks with questioning and feedback that highlighted key points. Teachers also used effective management practices and maintained a positive classroom climate. In contrast, a pattern of practice where teachers used questioning and feedback to press students to make connections and synthesize concepts without scaffolding support diminished motivation, because students may have needed more help to deal with challenge. Implications from both studies suggest inquiry teachers need to use explicit scaffolding and academic press together, with effective management practices, to support motivation.

Creating a culture of inquiry in family medicine.

PubMed

Lawson, Peter J; Smith, Samantha; Mason, Mary Jane; Zyzanski, Stephen J; Stange, Kurt C; Werner, James J; Flocke, Susan A

2014-01-01

Strengthening the contribution of reflective practice and new knowledge generation to the learning relationships forged during graduate and undergraduate medical training offers a possibility to create a climate more conducive to the recruitment and retention of family physicians. The Culture of Inquiry (CI) fellowship, an immersive, experientially based training program, combines didactic instruction, workshops, and mentoring to develop the capacity of family medicine's teachers to imagine, implement, and disseminate clinically relevant research and stimulate collaborations with those whom they train. This article outlines the CI fellowship program, summarizes its outcomes, and offers insights about programmatic features contributing to its success. The Department of Family Medicine and Community Health at Case Western Reserve University selected CI fellows from interested local family physicians who train residents and medical students. Over 10 months, with 10% effort expected from fellows, the CI fellowship exposed each fellow to the entire research process and provided technical and logistical support for the design and completion of two research projects. Quantitative and qualitative program evaluation were used to assess outcomes. Scholarly productivity of fellows exceeded expectations. Collaborations with students and residents produced a ripple effect that amplified the fellowship's impact by strengthening those relationships crucial to the creation of a culture of inquiry among family medicine's teachers, learners, and practitioners. The CI fellowship represents a highly replicable program to connect committed and interested clinicians to research mentors with the goal of increasing scholarship and creating a growing culture of inquiry in family medicine.

Student Leadership in Small Group Science Inquiry

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Oliveira, Alandeom W.; Boz, Umit; Broadwell, George A.; Sadler, Troy D.

2014-01-01

Background: Science educators have sought to structure collaborative inquiry learning through the assignment of static group roles. This structural approach to student grouping oversimplifies the complexities of peer collaboration and overlooks the highly dynamic nature of group activity. Purpose: This study addresses this issue of…

Promoting Multi-Site Collaborative Inquiry: Initial Efforts and Challenges.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rafferty, Cathleen D.

This paper explores perspectives, issues, and experiences related to initiating collaborative inquiry across multiple levels and sites, based on school-university partnerships developed between Indiana State University (ISU) and 10 professional development schools (five elementary schools, one middle school, and four high schools). Principles…

Enriching a Collaborative Teacher Inquiry Discourse: Exploring Teachers' Experiences of a Theory-Framed Discourse in a Singapore Case of Lesson Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tan, Yuen Sze Michelle

2014-01-01

This paper explores how a learning theory enriched a collaborative teacher inquiry discourse where lesson study was adopted as the educational action research model to promote teacher professional development. Four Grade 9-10 biology teachers in Singapore drew from variation theory to collaboratively plan and teach new genetics content as part of…

The Effect of a Collaborative Mentoring Program on Beginning Science Teachers' Inquiry-based Teaching Practice

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nam, Jeonghee; Seung, Eulsun; Go, MunSuk

2013-03-01

This study investigated how a collaborative mentoring program influenced beginning science teachers' inquiry-based teaching and their reflection on practice. The one-year program consisted of five one-on-one mentoring meetings, weekly science education seminars, weekly mentoring group discussions, and self-evaluation activities. The participants were three beginning science teachers and three mentors at the middle school level (7-9th grades) in an urban area of South Korea. For each beginning teacher, five lessons were evaluated in terms of lesson design/implementation, procedural knowledge, and classroom culture by using the Reformed Teaching Observation Protocol. Five aspects of the beginning teachers' reflections were identified. This study showed that a collaborative mentoring program focusing on inquiry-based science teaching encouraged the beginning teachers to reflect on their own perceptions and teaching practice in terms of inquiry-based science teaching, which led to changes in their teaching practice. This study also highlighted the importance of collaborative interactions between the mentors and the beginning teachers during the mentoring process.

Setting a research agenda for interprofessional education and collaborative practice in the context of United States health system reform

PubMed Central

Lutfiyya, May Nawal; Brandt, Barbara; Delaney, Connie; Pechacek, Judith; Cerra, Frank

2016-01-01

ABSTRACT Interprofessional education (IPE) and collaborative practice (CP) have been prolific areas of inquiry exploring research questions mostly concerned with local program and project assessment. The actual sphere of influence of this research has been limited. Often discussed separately, this article places IPE and CP in the same conceptual space. The interface of these form a nexus where new knowledge creation may be facilitated. Rigorous research on IPE in relation to CP that is relevant to and framed by health system reform in the U.S. is the ultimate research goal of the National Center for Interprofessional Practice and Education at the University of Minnesota. This paper describes the direction and scope for a focused and purposive IPECP research agenda linked to improvement in health outcomes, contextualized by health care reform in the U.S. that has provided a revitalizing energy for this area of inquiry. A research agenda articulates a focus, meaningful and robust questions, and a theory of change within which intervention outcomes are examined. Further, a research agenda identifies the practices the area of inquiry is interested in informing, and the types of study designs and analytic approaches amenable to carrying out the proposed work. PMID:26230379

Setting a research agenda for interprofessional education and collaborative practice in the context of United States health system reform.

PubMed

Lutfiyya, May Nawal; Brandt, Barbara; Delaney, Connie; Pechacek, Judith; Cerra, Frank

2016-01-01

Interprofessional education (IPE) and collaborative practice (CP) have been prolific areas of inquiry exploring research questions mostly concerned with local program and project assessment. The actual sphere of influence of this research has been limited. Often discussed separately, this article places IPE and CP in the same conceptual space. The interface of these form a nexus where new knowledge creation may be facilitated. Rigorous research on IPE in relation to CP that is relevant to and framed by health system reform in the U.S. is the ultimate research goal of the National Center for Interprofessional Practice and Education at the University of Minnesota. This paper describes the direction and scope for a focused and purposive IPECP research agenda linked to improvement in health outcomes, contextualized by health care reform in the U.S. that has provided a revitalizing energy for this area of inquiry. A research agenda articulates a focus, meaningful and robust questions, and a theory of change within which intervention outcomes are examined. Further, a research agenda identifies the practices the area of inquiry is interested in informing, and the types of study designs and analytic approaches amenable to carrying out the proposed work.

Which Type of Inquiry Project Do High School Biology Students Prefer: Open or Guided?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sadeh, Irit; Zion, Michal

2012-10-01

In teaching inquiry to high school students, educators differ on which method of teaching inquiry is more effective: Guided or open inquiry? This paper examines the influence of these two different inquiry learning approaches on the attitudes of Israeli high school biology students toward their inquiry project. The results showed significant differences between the two groups: Open inquiry students were more satisfied and felt they gained benefits from implementing the project to a greater extent than guided inquiry students. On the other hand, regarding documentation throughout the project, guided inquiry students believed that they conducted more documentation, as compared to their open inquiry peers. No significant differences were found regarding `the investment of time', but significant differences were found in the time invested and difficulties which arose concerning the different stages of the inquiry process: Open inquiry students believed they spent more time in the first stages of the project, while guided inquiry students believed they spent more time in writing the final paper. In addition, other differences were found: Open inquiry students felt more involved in their project, and felt a greater sense of cooperation with others, in comparison to guided inquiry students. These findings may help teachers who hesitate to teach open inquiry to implement this method of inquiry; or at least provide their students with the opportunity to be more involved in inquiry projects, and ultimately provide their students with more autonomy, high-order thinking, and a deeper understanding in performing science.

Teacher's Reflection of Inquiry Teaching in Finland before and during an In-Service Program: Examination by a Progress Model of Collaborative Reflection

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kim, Minkee; Lavonen, Jari; Juuti, Kalle; Holbrook, Jack; Rannikmae, Miia

2013-01-01

In inquiry-based science education, there have been gradual shifts in research interests: the nature of scientific method, the debates on the effects of inquiry learning, and, recently, inquiry teaching. However, many in-service programs for inquiry teaching have reported inconsistent results due to the static view of classroom inquiries and due…

Collaborative Transformations: Cooperative Inquiry as a Catalyst for Change

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Napan, Ksenija; Green, Jennifer K.; Thomas, Judith A.; Stent, Warwick J.; Jülich, Shirley J.; Lee, Debora; Patterson, Lynnemaree

2018-01-01

This research demonstrates that cooperative inquiry (CI) offers authentic opportunities for academics to transform their teaching, paving the way for additional collaborative practices in higher education across a range of disciplines. Using data from cycles of action and reflection, a multidisciplinary group of seven tertiary teachers committed…

Short-Term Research Experiences with Teachers in Earth and Planetary Sciences and a Model for Integrating Research into Classroom Inquiry

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Morgan, P.; Bloom, J. W.

2006-12-01

For the past three summers, we have worked with in-service teachers on image processing, planetary geology, and earthquake and volcano content modules using inquiry methods that ended with mini-research experiences. Although almost all were science teachers, very few could give a reasonable definition of science at the start of the modules, and very few had a basic grasp of the processes of scientific research and could not include substantive scientific inquiry into their lessons. To build research understanding and confidence, an instructor-student interaction model was used in the modules. Studies have shown that children who participate in classrooms as learning and inquiry communities develop more complex understandings. The same patterns of complex understandings have resulted in similarly structured professional communities of teachers. The model is based on professional communities, emphasizing from the beginning that inquiry is a form of research. Although the actual "research" component of the modules was short, the teachers were identified as professionals and researchers from the start. Research/inquiry participation is therefore an excellent example by which to allow their teachers to learn. Initially the teachers were very reluctant to pose questions. As they were encouraged to share, collaborate, and support each other, the role of the instructor became less of a leader and more of a facilitator, and the confidence of the teachers as professionals and researchers grew. One teacher even remarked, "This is how we should be teaching our kids!' Towards the end of the modules the teachers were ready for their mini- research projects and collaborated in teams of 2-4. They selected their own research topics, but were guided toward research questions that required data collection (from existing studies), some data manipulation, interpretation, and drawing conclusions with respect to the original question. The teachers were enthusiastic about all of their research experiences and overall expressed a new understanding of science and research.

Collaboration and Inquiry: Cornell University Partnerships with Rural School Districts

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Porter, K. A.

2003-12-01

Cornell University's location provides valuable opportunities for university-community collaboration. Schools in the area tend to be rural, with limited access to resources. Two projects in place at Cornell provide opportunities for collaboration between graduate students and local K-12 schools. These programs yield benefits for K-12 students by exposing them to resources (and expertise) otherwise unavailable to them; for K-12 teachers, by providing access to knowledge and resources brought to them by the graduate students; and for the graduate students who participate in the program, by giving them opportunities to teach and design curricula. The two programs provide options for outreach that fit many schedules, teaching goals, and interests. The Graduate Student School Outreach Program (GSSOP) is open to all graduate students and local K-12 teachers. Students and teachers often participate for several years in a row. Graduate students prepare a 6-8 session "mini-course" in an area of their interest, and they are matched to local teachers with similar interests or needs. Graduate student participants are required to submit a final formatted curriculum for the lessons that they have taught, and these curricula are made available to the public on the GSSOP web site. GSSOP is currently in its twelfth year as a student-coordinated program, and its funding comes primarily from Cornell's Public Service Center and alumni donations. The Cornell Science Inquiry Partnership (CSIP) provides an opportunity for graduate students in the sciences to participate in longer-term collaborations with regional schools. CSIP is administered under the National Science Foundation GK12 initiative and is currently in its fourth year. CSIP fellows make a year-long commitment to teaching and outreach and receive a full fellowship. Fellows may work with several middle- or high-school teachers over the course of the year, and they may teach many lessons over different time scales. As in GSSOP, CSIP fellows prepare curricula that are made available to the public. CSIP courses focus on inquiry-based instruction, and fellows attend weekly seminars in which inquiry-based teaching and lesson planning strategies and theory are discussed.

Theory to practice: A study of science teachers' pedagogical practices as measured by the Science Teacher Analysis Matrix (STAM) and Teacher Pedagogical Philosophy Interview (TPPI)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Brown, Sherri Lynne

This study continued research previously conducted by a nine-university collaborative, the Salish I Research Project, by exploring science teachers' beliefs and actions with regard to inquiry instruction. Science education reform efforts require that students learn science via inquiry. The purpose of this study was to determine and classify espoused teaching beliefs and observable teaching style. Reported are linkages between the teachers' beliefs and styles, influential coursework from College of Education and College of Liberal Arts, and outcomes of increased classroom experience. Eight participants were chosen from three separate preservice science education cohorts. Inquiry efforts require a student-centered environment as opposed to the traditional teacher-centered environment. According to the 1997 Salish I Research Collaborative, beginning teachers displayed a stark contrast between their student centered beliefs to their teacher-centered actions. The limitations of this study were as follows: (1) the participants had completed the authentic research-based inquiry science course, Knowing and Teaching Science: Just Do It; (2) the participants were currently teaching science at the secondary level; (3) the selected instruments were used in the Salish I Research Collaborative Study, and (4) instrument validity and reliability data were not available. Interview data from the Teacher Pedagogical Philosophy Interview (TPPI) instrument and observational data from the Secondary Science Teacher Analysis Matrix (STAM) instrument were statistically compiled via concept maps and matrices. Data were then represented on an ordinal scale. Interview results indicated that 87.5% of the participants professed a teacher-centered style with regard to teacher and student's actions. Observational results indicated that 56% of the participants displayed a teacher-centered style with regard to content, teacher's actions, student's actions, resources, and environment. Additionally, 36% of the participants displayed a conceptual style, which has characteristics of both teacher and student-centered domains. Linkages between the interview and observational data were unexpected due to the fact that participants professed a slightly greater teacher-centered style along the inquiry instruction continuum than what they actually practiced. This study reported congruity between what the participants believed and what they practiced. A negligible change regarding inquiry beliefs and instruction was discovered among the three cohorts as years of teaching experience increased.

A theory of planned behaviour-based analysis of TIMSS 2011 to determine factors influencing inquiry teaching practices in high-performing countries

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pongsophon, Pongprapan; Herman, Benjamin C.

2017-07-01

Given the abundance of literature describing the strong relationship between inquiry-based teaching and student achievement, more should be known about the factors impacting science teachers' classroom inquiry implementation. This study utilises the theory of planned behaviour to propose and validate a causal model of inquiry-based teaching through analysing data relating to high-performing countries retrieved from the 2011 Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study assessments. Data analysis was completed through structural equation modelling using a polychoric correlation matrix for data input and diagonally weighted least squares estimation. Adequate fit of the full model to the empirical data was realised. The model demonstrates that the extent the teachers participated in academic collaborations was positively related to their occupational satisfaction, confidence in teaching inquiry, and classroom inquiry practices. Furthermore, the teachers' confidence with implementing inquiry was positively related to their classroom inquiry implementation and occupational satisfaction. However, perceived student-generated constraints demonstrated a negative relationship with the teachers' confidence with implementing inquiry and occupational satisfaction. Implications from this study include supporting teachers through promoting collaborative opportunities that facilitate inquiry-based practices and occupational satisfaction.

Mentoring and Coaching in Schools: Professional Learning through Collaborative Inquiry

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Burley, Suzanne; Pomphrey, Cathy

2011-01-01

Can mentoring and coaching really improve professional practice? How can research and inquiry improve mentoring and coaching practice? "Mentoring and Coaching in Schools" explores the ways in which mentoring and coaching can be used as a dynamic collaborative process for effective professional learning. It demonstrates how the use of practitioner…

The Effect of a Collaborative Mentoring Program on Beginning Science Teachers' Inquiry-Based Teaching Practice

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Nam, Jeonghee; Seung, Eulsun; Go, MunSuk

2013-01-01

This study investigated how a collaborative mentoring program influenced beginning science teachers' inquiry-based teaching and their reflection on practice. The one-year program consisted of five one-on-one mentoring meetings, weekly science education seminars, weekly mentoring group discussions, and self-evaluation activities. The participants…

Using Collaborative Inquiry to Foster Equity within School Systems: Opportunities and Barriers

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ainscow, Mel; Dyson, Alan; Goldrick, Sue; West, Mel

2016-01-01

Drawing on experiences in England over many years, this paper explores the authors' efforts to use collaborative inquiry in order to foster greater equity within schools. All of this is set within national policy contexts that emphasise increased school autonomy, competition, and accountability as central improvement strategies. It is argued that…

Transformational Coaching in Education: A Collaborative Look at the Bridges and Barriers to Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Norwood, Kathryn J.

2013-01-01

The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore possibilities for transformational coaching in education through the collaboration and cooperative argumentation of two researchers, one using appreciative inquiry to look at its transformative potential and the other using critical inquiry to investigate possible hegemonic and non-hegemonic…

Learning with Collaborative Inquiry: A Science Learning Environment for Secondary Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sun, Daner; Looi, Chee-Kit; Xie, Wenting

2017-01-01

When inquiry-based learning is designed for a collaborative context, the interactions that arise in the learning environment can become fairly complex. While the learning effectiveness of such learning environments has been reported in the literature, there have been fewer studies on the students' learning processes. To address this, the article…

Peer Learning Group among College Voice Majors: Collaborative Inquiry Case Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jung, Joo Yeon

2013-01-01

This collaborative inquiry case study investigated a pre-existing peer learning group composed of five Korean college voice students and a non-musician facilitator. The group was chosen for this research to understand the implications of a diversified learning context in addition to the typical master-apprenticeship context of higher music…

Integrating the Beliefs of Dewey, Lewin, and Rogers into a Rationale for Effective Group Leadership.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Grove, Richard W.

1992-01-01

Presents a rationale for effective group leadership grounded in John Withall's articulation of selected beliefs of John Dewey, Kurt Lewin, and Carl Rogers. Teachers and administrators need more and better preparation in collaborative inquiry. Knowledge and skills in collaborative inquiry should undergird the successful functioning of groups of…

Collaborative Developmental Action Inquiry: An Opportunity for Transformative Learning to Occur?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Nicolaides, Aliki; Dzubinski, Leanne

2016-01-01

Life in the 21st century is increasingly complex, paradoxical, and ambiguous, bringing into question the ways that graduate adult education programs function. In this article, we describe an action research study involving the method of collaborative developmental action inquiry conducted with key stakeholders of a program in adult education at a…

Data-driven Inquiry in Environmental Restoration Studies

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zalles, D. R.; Montgomery, D. R.

2008-12-01

Place-based field work has been recognized as an important component of geoscience education programs for engaging students. Field work helps students appreciate the spatial extent of data and the systems operating in a locale. Data collected in a place has a temporal aspect that can be explored through representations such as photographs and maps and also though numerical data sets that capture characteristics of place. Yet, experiencing authentic geoscience research in an educational setting requires going beyond fieldwork: students must develop data literacy skills that will enable them to connect abstract representations of spatio-temporal data with place. Educational researchers at SRI International led by Dr. Daniel Zalles, developer of inquiry-based geoscience curricula, and geoscientists at the University of Washington (UW) led by Dr. David Montgomery, Professor of Earth and Space Sciences, are building educational curriculum modules that help students make these connections. The modules concern the environmental history of the Puget Sound area in Washington State and its relevance for the American Indians living there. This collaborative project relies on environmental data collected in the Puget Sound Regional Synthesis Model (PRISM) and Puget Sound River History Project. The data sets are being applied to inquiry-based geoscience investigations at the undergraduate and high school level. The modules consist of problem-based units centered on the data sets, plus geographic and other data representations. The modules will rely on educational "design patterns" that characterize geoscientific inquiry tasks. Use of design patterns will enable other modules to be built that align to the modes of student thinking and practice articulated in the design patterns. The modules will be accompanied by performance assessments that measure student learning from their data investigations. The design principles that drive this project have already been used effectively in a prior SRI project reported about at AGU 2007 called Data Sets and Inquiry in Geoscience Education. The modules are being readied for pilot-testing with undergraduate students in a new environmental history course at the University of Washington and with students taking science courses in high schools serving American Indian students in the Puget Sound area. This NSF-funded project is contributing to our knowledge base about how students can become more engaged and more skilled in geoscience inquiry and data analysis and what variations in educational supports and expectations need to exist to build successful experiences for the students with the materials. It is also expanding our knowledge of how to better connect place-based education to inquiry tasks that expand students" quantitative reasoning skills. Lastly, it is providing a model of how scientists can work effectively with educational researchers to provide educational outlets for their research. We will report on the progress of the project so far, which is in its first year of funding.

A Collaboration of School Administrators and a University Faculty to Advance School Administrator Practices Using Appreciative Inquiry

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Calabrese, Raymond

2015-01-01

Purpose: An appreciative inquiry (AI) collaborative study with 11 school administrators in a highly diverse suburban school district sought to understand if observing and sharing successful school practices/events in a whole group setting led to change in their perceptions, attitudes, and administrative practice. The paper aims to discuss these…

Collaborative Curriculum Making in the Physical Education Vein: A Narrative Inquiry of Space, Activity and Relationship

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Craig, Cheryl J.; You, JeongAe; Oh, Suhak

2013-01-01

Located at the intersection where teaching and curriculum meet, this narrative inquiry examines how collaborative curriculum making unfolded between and among six members of a physical education department in a middle school in the mid-southern USA. The internationally significant work takes the position that long-term relations are prerequisite…

Collaborative Online Inquiry: Exploring Students' Skills in Locating, Reading, and Communicating Information

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sekeres, Diane Carver; Castek, Jill

2016-01-01

This study examines third, fourth, and fifth grade students' reasoning that was captured as they engaged collaboratively in a teacher designed inquiry task. This task focused on choosing eco-friendly toys for a fictitious local toy store. Results indicated that students were more expressive with reasoning when they shared their ideas orally, but…

Preparing Learning Teachers: The Role of Collaborative Inquiry

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Adams, Pamela

2016-01-01

This paper describes a two-year action research study of 20 pre-service teachers (referred to in the context of this study as intern teachers) in their final 15-week practicum, during which they engaged in a type of action research known as collaborative inquiry. Over the course of their practicum, these intern teachers were interviewed monthly to…

A Feminist Case Study of Five Women Preschool Practitioners' Engagement in the Collaborative Inquiry Process

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Black, Felicia V.

2013-01-01

The purpose of this feminist case study was two-fold: (1) to describe the ways that Collaborative Inquiry (CI) can be proposed as a counter-discourse of professional development that acknowledges the multiple forms of personal and professional knowledge among five women preschool practitioners, and (2) to explore alternative constructs of the…

Unpacking the Complex Relationship between Beliefs, Practice, and Change Related to Inquiry-Based Instruction of One Science Teacher

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lebak, Kimberly

2015-01-01

This case study examines the complex relationship between beliefs, practice, and change related to inquiry-based instruction of one science teacher teaching in a high-poverty urban school. This study explores how video-supported collaboration with peers can provide the catalyst for change. Transcribed collaborative dialogue sessions, written…

Using Scaffold Supports to Improve Student Practice and Understanding of an Authentic Inquiry Process in Science

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Turcotte, Sandrine; Hamel, Christine

2016-01-01

This study addressed computer-supported collaborative scientific inquiries in remote networked schools (Quebec, Canada). Three dyads of Grade 5-6 classrooms from remote locations across the province collaborated using the knowledge-building tool Knowledge Forum. Customized scaffold supports embedded in the online tool were used to support student…

Using a Blog to Create and Support a Community of Inquiry in Secondary Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Pifarre, Manoli; Guijosa, Alex; Argelagos, Esther

2014-01-01

Understanding how blogs can support collaborative learning is a vital concern for researchers and teachers. This article explores how blogs may be used to support secondary education students' collaborative interaction and how such an interaction process can promote the creation of a Community of Inquiry to enhance critical thinking and…

Interaction between Tool and Talk: How Instruction and Tools Support Consensus Building in Collaborative Inquiry-Learning Environments

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gijlers, H.; Saab, N.; Van Joolingen, W. R.; De Jong, T.; Van Hout-Wolters, B. H. A. M.

2009-01-01

The process of collaborative inquiry learning requires maintaining a mutual understanding of the task, along with reaching consensus on strategies, plans and domain knowledge. In this study, we explore how different supportive measures affect students' consensus-building process, based on a re-analysis of data from four studies. We distinguish…

Primary Teachers Conducting Inquiry Projects: Effects on Attitudes towards Teaching Science and Conducting Inquiry

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

van Aalderen-Smeets, Sandra I.; Walma van der Molen, Juliette H.; van Hest, Erna G. W. C. M.; Poortman, Cindy

2017-01-01

This study used an experimental, pretest-posttest control group design to investigate whether participation in a large-scale inquiry project would improve primary teachers' attitudes towards teaching science and towards conducting inquiry. The inquiry project positively affected several elements of teachers' attitudes. Teachers felt less anxious…

Collaborative Inquiry and Distributed Agency in Educational Change: A Case Study of a Multi-Level Community of Inquiry

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Butler, Deborah L.; Schnellert, Leyton; MacNeil, Kimberley

2015-01-01

Teacher professional development has been identified as essential to educational reform. Moreover, research suggests the power of inquiry communities in spurring teacher professional learning and shifts in classroom practice. However, not enough is known about what conditions within a community of inquiry might be necessary to inspire, support,…

Designing for Learner Engagement in Middle School Science: Technology, Inquiry, and the Hierarchies of Engagement

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Harmer, Andrea J.; Cates, Ward Mitchell

2007-01-01

Engaging middle-school students in scientific inquiry is typically recognized as important, but difficult. Designed to foster learner engagement, this method used an online, problem-based, science inquiry that investigated the West Nile virus during four weeks of collaborative classroom sessions. The inquiry prototype was authored in WISE, the…

Collaborative Inquiry: A Strategy for Assessing Response to Instruction and Intervention (RtI2) for English Learner Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Vineyard, Lynn

2010-01-01

This pilot study describes elementary teachers' use of collaborative inquiry as a strategy for assessing Response to Instruction and Intervention (RtI [superscript 2]) in reading for an English Learner student. The design of the study was based on the sociocultural theory that assessment practices shape teachers' understanding of students and of…

The Elizabeth Towns Incident: An Inquiry-Based Approach to Learning Anatomy Developed through High School-University Collaboration

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Marx, Joseph G.; Honeycutt, Kimberly A.; Clayton, Sonia Rahmati; Moreno, Nancy P.

2006-01-01

The Elizabeth Towns Incident (ETI), a set of inquiry lessons on human anatomy, was developed as part of a partnership between the Houston Independent School District (HISD) and Baylor College of Medicine. This collaboration was funded by the National Science Foundation's program, Graduate Teaching Fellowship in K-12 Education. The Houston-based…

Effects of Face-to-Face versus Chat Communication on Performance in a Collaborative Inquiry Modeling Task

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sins, Patrick H. M.; Savelsbergh, Elwin R.; van Joolingen, Wouter R.; van Hout-Wolters, Bernadette H. A. M.

2011-01-01

In many contemporary collaborative inquiry learning environments, chat is being used as a means for communication. Still, it remains an open issue whether chat communication is an appropriate means to support the deep reasoning process students need to perform in such environments. Purpose of the present study was to compare the impact of chat…

Collaborative Teacher Inquiry as a Tool for Building Theory on the Development and Use of Rich Mathematical Tasks

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Slavit, David; Nelson, Tamara Holmlund

2010-01-01

This article describes the collaborative inquiry activity of a group of high school mathematics teachers interested in increasing student engagement and problem solving in the classroom. Specific findings related to the nature of the teacher interactions and subsequent impacts on practice are discussed. The findings focus on (a) the nature of the…

Supporting Inquiry in Science Classrooms with the Web

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Simons, Krista; Clark, Doug

2005-01-01

This paper focuses on Web-based science inquiry and five representative science learning environments. The discussion centers around features that sustain science inquiry, namely, data-driven investigation, modeling, collaboration, and scaffolding. From the perspective of these features five science learning environments are detailed: Whyville,…

Changes in science classrooms resulting from collaborative action research initiatives

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Oh, Phil Seok

Collaborative action research was undertaken over two years between a Korean science teacher and science education researchers at the University of Iowa. For the purpose of realizing science learning as envisioned by constructivist principles, Group-Investigations were implemented three or five times per project year. In addition, the second year project enacted Peer Assessments among students. Student perceptions of their science classrooms, as measured by the Constructivist Learning Environment Survey (CLES), provided evidence that the collaborative action research was successful in creating constructivist learning environments. Student attitudes toward science lessons, as examined by the Enjoyment of Science Lessons Scale (ESLS), indicated that the action research also contributed to developing more positive attitudes of students about science learning. Discourse analysis was conducted on video-recordings of in-class presentations and discussions. The results indicated that students in science classrooms which were moving toward constructivist learning environments engaged in such discursive practices as: (1) Communicating their inquiries to others, (2) Seeking and providing information through dialogues, and (3) Negotiating conflicts in their knowledge and beliefs. Based on these practices, science learning was viewed as the process of constructing knowledge and understanding of science as well as the process of engaging in scientific inquiry and discourse. The teacher's discursive practices included: (1) Wrapping up student presentations, (2) Addressing misconceptions, (3) Answering student queries, (4) Coaching, (5) Assessing and advising, (6) Guiding students discursively into new knowledge, and (7) Scaffolding. Science teaching was defined as situated acts of the teacher to facilitate the learning process. In particular, when the classrooms became more constructivist, the teacher intervened more frequently and carefully in student activities to fulfill a variety of pedagogical functions. Students perceived Group-Investigations and Peer Assessments as positive in that they contributed to realizing constructivist features in their classrooms. The students also reported that they gained several learning outcomes through Group-Investigations, including more positive attitudes, new knowledge, greater learning capabilities, and improved self-esteem. However, the Group-Investigation and Peer Assessment methods were perceived as negative and problematic by those who had rarely been exposed to such inquiry-based, student-centered approaches.

Wondering + Online Inquiry = Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sekeres, Diane Carver; Coiro, Julie; Castek, Jill; Guzniczak, Lizabeth A.

2014-01-01

Digital information sources can form the basis of effective inquiry-based learning if teachers construct the information and exercises in ways that will promote collaboration, communication, and problem solving.

Learning and teaching science as inquiry: A case study of elementary school teachers' investigations of light

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

van Zee, Emily H.; Hammer, David; Bell, Mary; Roy, Patricia; Peter, Jennifer

2005-11-01

This case study documents an example of inquiry learning and teaching during a summer institute for elementary and middle school teachers. A small group constructed an explanatory model for an intriguing optical phenomenon that they were observing. Research questions included: What physics thinking did the learners express? What aspects of scientific inquiry were evident in what the learners said and did? What questions did the learners ask one another as they worked? How did these learners collaborate in constructing understanding? How did the instructor foster their learning? Data sources included video- and audio- tapes of instruction, copies of the participants' writings and drawings, field notes, interviews, and staff reflections. An interpretative narrative of what three group members said and did presents a detailed account of their learning process. Analyses of their utterances provide evidence of physics thinking, scientific inquiry, questioning, collaborative sense making, and insight into ways to foster inquiry learning.

Variations on an Historical Case Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Field, Patrick

2006-01-01

The National Inquiry Standard for Science Education Preparation requires science teachers to introduce students to scientific inquiry to solve problems by various methods, including active learning in a collaborative environment. In order for science teachers to comply with this inquiry standard, activities must be designed for students to…

Supporting Collaborative Inquiry during a Biology Field Trip with Mobile Peer-to-Peer Tools for Learning: A Case Study with K-12 Learners

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Laru, Jari; Jarvela, Sanna; Clariana, Roy B.

2012-01-01

This study explores how collaborative inquiry learning can be supported with multiple scaffolding agents in a real-life field trip context. In practice, a mobile peer-to-peer messaging tool provided meta-cognitive and procedural support, while tutors and a nature guide provided more dynamic scaffolding in order to support argumentative discussions…

Student Inquiry in the Research Process, Part 4: Inquiry Research Investigation.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Preddy, Leslie B.

2003-01-01

Explains a hands-on, classroom teacher/library media specialist collaborative model for implementing the inquiry approach to the research process into the classroom and school library media center. Topics include the investigation phase; source notes; primary sources; interviews; community resources; storyboards; and peer conferences. (LRW)

Inquiry and Intersubjectivity in a Reggio Emilia-Inspired Preschool

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lanphear, Jacquelyn; Vandermaas-Peeler, Maureen

2017-01-01

By utilizing inquiry processes, such as observing and questioning, young children learn to investigate and use evidence to evaluate information. Through intersubjectivity, or social collaboration and mutual focus, children coconstruct an understanding of the world. Children's inquiry and intersubjectivity were observed in a range of activities in…

Promoting Teachers' Moral Reasoning and Collaborative Inquiry Performance: A Developmental Role-Taking and Guided Inquiry Study.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Reiman, Alan J.; Peace, Sandra DeAngelis

2002-01-01

Discusses a study involving experienced teachers that illustrates a developmental methodology for promoting technical performance dimensions and moral and conceptual reasoning. Argues this learning-teaching framework (LTF) uses role taking, guided inquiry, balance, support and challenge, continuity and instructional coaching in educational…

An educational ethnography of teacher-developed science curriculum implementation: Enacting conceptual change-based science inquiry with Hispanic students

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Brunsell, Eric Steven

An achievement gap exists between White and Hispanic students in the United States. Research has shown that improving the quality of instruction for minority students is an effective way to narrow this gap. Science education reform movements emphasize that science should be taught using a science inquiry approach. Extensive research in teaching and learning science also shows that a conceptual change model of teaching is effective in helping students learn science. Finally, research into how Hispanic students learn best has provided a number of suggestions for science instruction. The Inquiry for Conceptual Change model merges these three research strands into a comprehensive yet accessible model for instruction. This study investigates two questions. First, what are teachers' perceptions of science inquiry and its implementation in the classroom? Second, how does the use of the Inquiry for Conceptual Change model affect the learning of students in a predominantly Hispanic, urban neighborhood. Five teachers participated in a professional development project where they developed and implemented a science unit based on the Inquiry for Conceptual Change model. Three units were developed and implemented for this study. This is a qualitative study that included data from interviews, participant reflections and journals, student pre- and post-assessments, and researcher observations. This study provides an in-depth description of the role of professional development in helping teachers understand how science inquiry can be used to improve instructional quality for students in a predominantly Hispanic, urban neighborhood. These teachers demonstrated that it is important for professional development to be collaborative and provide opportunities for teachers to enact and reflect on new teaching paradigms. This study also shows promising results for the ability of the Inquiry for Conceptual Change model to improve student learning.

Dynamic Open Inquiry Performances of High-School Biology Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Zion, Michal; Sadeh, Irit

2010-01-01

In examining open inquiry projects among high-school biology students, we found dynamic inquiry performances expressed in two criteria: "changes occurring during inquiry" and "procedural understanding". Characterizing performances in a dynamic open inquiry project can shed light on both the procedural and epistemological…

Which Type of Inquiry Project Do High School Biology Students Prefer: Open or Guided?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sadeh, Irit; Zion, Michal

2012-01-01

In teaching inquiry to high school students, educators differ on which method of teaching inquiry is more effective: Guided or open inquiry? This paper examines the influence of these two different inquiry learning approaches on the attitudes of Israeli high school biology students toward their inquiry project. The results showed significant…

Two-year colleges, Physics, and Teacher Preparation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Clay, Keith

2002-05-01

In the midst of a teacher shortage no field suffers more than physics. Half of our secondary physics teachers have less than a minor in physics. Meanwhile half of our future teachers start out at two-year colleges with physicists on staff. The opportunity for community colleges to have an impact on K-12 teaching is tremendous. Project TEACH has been honored as an outstanding teacher preparation program. It is a collaboration of colleges and K-12 schools dedicated to the improvement of teacher preparation, especially in science and math. Based at Green River Community College, Project TEACH unites certification institutions, community colleges, and K-12 school districts in the pre-service and in-service training of teachers. Activities of Project TEACH include recruitment and advising of future teachers, field experience for education students, creation of pre-teaching and para-educator degrees, tutoring from elementary school through college, in-service courses for current teachers, and special math and science courses aimed at future teachers. The yearlong interdisciplinary science sequence blends chemistry, physics, geology, and biology in a hands-on inquiry-based environment. The yearlong math sequence covers arithmetic, algebra, geometry, and probability with inquiry-based pedagogy. The programs developed by Project TEACH are being disseminated to colleges across Washington State and beyond.

A Methodological Framework for Studying Policy-Oriented Teacher Inquiry in Qualitative Research Contexts

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Koro-Ljungberg, Mirka

2014-01-01

System-based and collaborative teacher inquiry has unexplored potential that can impact educational policy in numerous ways. This impact can be increased when teacher inquiry builds momentum from classrooms and teaching practices and simultaneously addresses district, state, and national discourses and networks. In this conceptual paper, I…

NGSS-Aligned, K-12 Climate Science Curricula, taught with citizen science and teacher-led inquiry methods

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zainfeld, S.

2017-12-01

Teacher-led inquiry into student learning is a promising method of formative assessment to gain insight into student achievement. NGSS-aligned K-12 Climate Science curricula taught with citizen science and teacher-led inquiry methods are described, along with results from a scientist-teacher collaboration survey.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

DUFTY J W

This is the final report for the project 'Correlations in Confined Quantum Plasmas', NSF-DOE Partnership Grant DE FG02 07ER54946, 8/1/2007 - 7/30/2010. The research was performed in collaboration with a group at Christian Albrechts University (CAU), Kiel, Germany. That collaboration, almost 15 years old, was formalized during the past four years under this NSF-DOE Partnership Grant to support graduate students at the two institutions and to facilitate frequent exchange visits. The research was focused on exploring the frontiers of charged particle physics evolving from new experimental access to unusual states associated with confinement. Particular attention was paid to combined effectsmore » of quantum mechanics and confinement. A suite of analytical and numerical tools tailored to the specific inquiry has been developed and employed« less

Inquiry projects in science teacher education: What can investigative experiences reveal about teacher thinking and eventual classroom practice?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Windschitl, Mark

2003-01-01

Science education reform documents emphasize the importance of inquiry experiences for young learners. This means that teachers must be prepared with the knowledge, skills, and habits of thinking to mentor their students through authentic investigations. This study examines how preservice teachers' inquiry experiences, in a science methods course, influenced and were influenced by their conceptions of inquiry. The study also assesses how these experiences were associated with eventual classroom practice. Six preservice secondary teachers were observed during a 2-month inquiry project and then followed into the classroom as they began a 9-week teaching practicum. Data revealed that participants' preproject conceptions of the inquiry process were related to the conduct and interpretation of their own inquiry project, and that the project experience modified the inquiry conceptions of those participants who already had sophisticated understandings of scientific investigations. Perhaps most importantly, the participants who eventually used guided and open inquiry during their student teaching were not those who had more authentic views of inquiry or reflected most deeply about their own inquiry projects, but rather they were individuals who had significant undergraduate or professional experiences with authentic science research. Finally, this article advocates that independent science investigations be part of preservice education and that these experiences should be scaffolded to prompt reflection specifically about the nature of inquiry and conceptually linked to ways in which inquiry can be brought into the K-12 classroom.

Preschool children's Collaborative Science Learning Scaffolded by Tablets

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fridberg, Marie; Thulin, Susanne; Redfors, Andreas

2017-06-01

This paper reports on a project aiming to extend the current understanding of how emerging technologies, i.e. tablets, can be used in preschools to support collaborative learning of real-life science phenomena. The potential of tablets to support collaborative inquiry-based science learning and reflective thinking in preschool is investigated through the analysis of teacher-led activities on science, including children making timelapse photography and Slowmation movies. A qualitative analysis of verbal communication during different learning contexts gives rise to a number of categories that distinguish and identify different themes of the discussion. In this study, groups of children work with phase changes of water. We report enhanced and focused reasoning about this science phenomenon in situations where timelapse movies are used to stimulate recall. Furthermore, we show that children communicate in a more advanced manner about the phenomenon, and they focus more readily on problem solving when active in experimentation or Slowmation producing contexts.

Knowing, Being, and Doing: Aboriginal and Non-Aboriginal Collaboration in Cancer Services

PubMed Central

Zubrzycki, Joanna; Shipp, Rick; Jones, Victoria

2017-01-01

This qualitative inquiry explored the processes and practices of collaboration as experienced by a group of Australian multidisciplinary Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal health workers. Each worker had participated, for a period of 2 to 5 years, in an Australian Government–funded project in which a range of health initiatives led to improved access to cancer services by Aboriginal communities in a rural region of South Eastern Australia. Initiatives which addressed high rates of mortality from cancer, poor access to cancer screening, and engagement with cancer treatment were developed through the formation of close working relationships between Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal health workers. These relationships were regarded as personally and professionally transformative. Through the sharing of knowledge, skills, and experiences, new ways of knowing, being, and doing emerged. Developing a deeper understanding of cross-cultural collaboration is one way of addressing complex health problems and building the capacity of the health workforce. PMID:28682709

Integrated Design for Geoscience Education with Upward Bound Students

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cartwright, T. J.; Hogsett, M.; Ensign, T. I.; Hemler, D.

2009-05-01

Capturing the interest of our students is imperative to expand the conduit of future Earth scientists in the United States. According to the Rising Above the Gathering Storm report (2005), we must increase America's talent pool by improving K-12 mathematics and science education. Geoscience education is uniquely suited to accomplish this goal, as we have become acutely aware of our sensitivity to the destructive forces of nature. The educational community must take advantage of this heightened awareness to educate our students and ensure the next generation rebuilds the scientific and technological base on which our society rests. In response to these concerns, the National Science Foundation advocates initiatives in Geoscience Education such as IDGE (Integrated Design for Geoscience Education), which is an inquiry-based geoscience program for Upward Bound (UB) students at Marshall University in Huntington, West Virginia. The UB program targets low-income under-represented students for a summer academic-enrichment program. IDGE builds on the mission of UB by encouraging underprivileged students to investigate science and scientific careers. During the two year project, high school students participated in an Environmental Inquiry course utilizing GLOBE program materials and on-line learning modules developed by geoscience specialists in land cover, soils, hydrology, phenology, and meteorology. Students continued to an advanced course which required IDGE students to collaborate with GLOBE students from Costa Rica. The culmination of this project was an educational expedition in Costa Rica to complete ecological field studies, providing first-hand knowledge of the international responsibility we have as scientists and citizens of our planet. IDGE was designed to continuously serve educators and students. By coordinating initiatives with GLOBE headquarters and the GLOBE country community, IDGE's efforts have yielded multiple ways in which to optimize positive implications of the project. On-line learning modules continue to expand the number impacted by the program. Through collaboration with both GLOBE headquarters and the GLOBE Country Coordinator, an international teacher workshop in Costa Rica provided GLOBE training and equipment necessary for a true GLOBE student collaborative project. IDGE continues to expand the impacts beyond the limited participants involved in the program. Overall, the preliminary results show sufficient data that IDGE is successful in: exposing students to an inquiry-based hands-on science experience; providing a positive challenging yet enjoyable science experience for students; providing a science experience which was different than their formal science class; enhancing or maintaining positive attitudes and habits of mind about science; improving some student perceptions of science, science processes, and the nature of science; increasing the number of students considering science careers; enhanced student understanding of the importance of science knowledge and coursework for everyone. Through the practice of field research and inquiry-based learning, the quality of geoscience instruction is inspiring a new generation of geoscientists. This work was supported in part by the National Science Foundation under award #0735596. Any opinions, findings, conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect those of the National Science Foundation.

The View from a Few Hundred Feet : A New Transparent and Integrated Workflow for UAV-collected Data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Peterson, F. S.; Barbieri, L.; Wyngaard, J.

2015-12-01

Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) allow scientists and civilians to monitor earth and atmospheric conditions in remote locations. To keep up with the rapid evolution of UAV technology, data workflows must also be flexible, integrated, and introspective. Here, we present our data workflow for a project to assess the feasibility of detecting threshold levels of methane, carbon-dioxide, and other aerosols by mounting consumer-grade gas analysis sensors on UAV's. Particularly, we highlight our use of Project Jupyter, a set of open-source software tools and documentation designed for developing "collaborative narratives" around scientific workflows. By embracing the GitHub-backed, multi-language systems available in Project Jupyter, we enable interaction and exploratory computation while simultaneously embracing distributed version control. Additionally, the transparency of this method builds trust with civilians and decision-makers and leverages collaboration and communication to resolve problems. The goal of this presentation is to provide a generic data workflow for scientific inquiries involving UAVs and to invite the participation of the AGU community in its improvement and curation.

ASK Magazine. No. 14

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Laufer, Alexander (Editor); Post, Todd (Editor); Brady, Jody Lannen (Editor)

2003-01-01

Academy of Program and Project Leadership (APPL) and ASK Magazine helps NASA managers and project teams accomplish today's missions and meet tomorrow's challenges by providing performance enhancement services and tools, supporting career development programs, sponsoring knowledge sharing events and publications, and creating opportunities for project management collaboration with universities, professional associations, industry partners, and other government agencies. ASK Magazine grew out of APPL's Knowledge Sharing Initiative. The stories that appear in ASK are written by the best of the best project managers, primarily from NASA, but also from other government agencies and industry. These stories contain genuine nuggets of knowledge and wisdom that are transferable across projects. Who better than a project manager to help another project manager address a critical issue on a project? Big projects, small projects - they're all here in ASK. Please direct all inquiries about ASK Magazine editorial policy to Todd Post, EduTech Ltd., 8455 Colesville Rd., Suite 930, Silver Spring, MD 20910, (301) 585-1030; or email to tpost@edutechltd.com.

Biological inquiry: a new course and assessment plan in response to the call to transform undergraduate biology.

PubMed

Goldey, Ellen S; Abercrombie, Clarence L; Ivy, Tracie M; Kusher, Dave I; Moeller, John F; Rayner, Doug A; Smith, Charles F; Spivey, Natalie W

2012-01-01

We transformed our first-year curriculum in biology with a new course, Biological Inquiry, in which >50% of all incoming, first-year students enroll. The course replaced a traditional, content-driven course that relied on outdated approaches to teaching and learning. We diversified pedagogical practices by adopting guided inquiry in class and in labs, which are devoted to building authentic research skills through open-ended experiments. Students develop core biological knowledge, from the ecosystem to molecular level, and core skills through regular practice in hypothesis testing, reading primary literature, analyzing data, interpreting results, writing in disciplinary style, and working in teams. Assignments and exams require higher-order cognitive processes, and students build new knowledge and skills through investigation of real-world problems (e.g., malaria), which engages students' interest. Evidence from direct and indirect assessment has guided continuous course revision and has revealed that compared with the course it replaced, Biological Inquiry produces significant learning gains in all targeted areas. It also retains 94% of students (both BA and BS track) compared with 79% in the majors-only course it replaced. The project has had broad impact across the entire college and reflects the input of numerous constituencies and close collaboration among biology professors and students.

Biological Inquiry: A New Course and Assessment Plan in Response to the Call to Transform Undergraduate Biology

PubMed Central

Goldey, Ellen S.; Abercrombie, Clarence L.; Ivy, Tracie M.; Kusher, Dave I.; Moeller, John F.; Rayner, Doug A.; Smith, Charles F.; Spivey, Natalie W.

2012-01-01

We transformed our first-year curriculum in biology with a new course, Biological Inquiry, in which >50% of all incoming, first-year students enroll. The course replaced a traditional, content-driven course that relied on outdated approaches to teaching and learning. We diversified pedagogical practices by adopting guided inquiry in class and in labs, which are devoted to building authentic research skills through open-ended experiments. Students develop core biological knowledge, from the ecosystem to molecular level, and core skills through regular practice in hypothesis testing, reading primary literature, analyzing data, interpreting results, writing in disciplinary style, and working in teams. Assignments and exams require higher-order cognitive processes, and students build new knowledge and skills through investigation of real-world problems (e.g., malaria), which engages students’ interest. Evidence from direct and indirect assessment has guided continuous course revision and has revealed that compared with the course it replaced, Biological Inquiry produces significant learning gains in all targeted areas. It also retains 94% of students (both BA and BS track) compared with 79% in the majors-only course it replaced. The project has had broad impact across the entire college and reflects the input of numerous constituencies and close collaboration among biology professors and students. PMID:23222831

University of Arizona's Collaboration to Advance Teaching Technology and Science (CATTS): lesson for photonics education collaborations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hall-Wallace, Michelle; Regens, Nancy L.; Pompea, Stephen M.

2002-05-01

CATTS is a National Science Foundation-funded partnership between the University of Arizona and local school districts to improve science, mathematics and technology teaching at all levels. The goals of the CATTS Program are to develop sustainable partnerships with Kindergarten through 12th grade level (K-12) educators that foster integration of science, mathematics, engineering and technology research in classroom learning experiences. The program also creates opportunities for graduate and undergraduate students to be active participants in K-12 education by providing training and fellowships. CATTS seeks to foster effective teaching and a greater understanding of learning at all levels. School districts and University of Arizona outreach programs propose fellowship activities that address identified educational needs; they work together with CATTS to create customized programs to meet those needs. CATTS Fellows, their faculty mentors and K - 12 partners participate in workshops to gain experience with inquiry-based teaching and understanding diverse learning styles. In the partnership, CATTS Fellows have an opportunity to share their research experiences with K - 12 educators and gain experience with inquiry teaching. On the other side of the partnership, professional educators share their knowledge of teaching with Fellows and gain deeper understanding of scientific inquiry. In the two years that this NSF funded program has been in operation, a variety of lessons have been learned that can apply to school, university, and industrial partnerships to foster education and training. In particular since each organization operates in its own subculture, particular attention must be paid to raising cultural awareness among the participants in ways that foster mutual respect and communication of shared goals. Proper coordination and sensible logistics are also critical for the success of a complex project such as this. Training of the partners and the project management will also be described.

Resident Teachers Take an Inquiry Stance: The Impact of Guided Collaborative Inquiry Groups on the Development of Guided Reading Instructional Practices

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Crain de Galarce, Patricia

2014-01-01

Urban schools are struggling to hire and retain effective literacy teachers. Alternative certification programs throughout the country seek to bridge the achievement gap and to bring qualified teachers to underserved classrooms. This dissertation explores the transformative inquiry of developing "resident" teachers in their journey as…

Student Learning through Participation in Inquiry Activities: Two Case Studies in Teacher and Computer Engineering Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Damsa, Crina I.; Nerland, Monika

2016-01-01

The two case studies reported in this article contribute to a better understanding of how inquiry tasks and activities are employed as resourceful means for learning in higher professional education. An observation-based approach was used to explore characteristics of and challenges in students' participation in collaborative inquiry activities in…

"Shifts in Thinking" in Arts Teachers' Narratives: Documentation as Inquiry and Artifact

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Meier, Mary Elizabeth

2012-01-01

In this narrative inquiry, I analyzed art and music teachers' stories of professional learning as they engaged in the study of their teaching practice in a collaborative inquiry group (CIG). During two years of data collection, I examined stories that arts teachers told when describing classroom photographs, images of student work, video…

Environmental Inquiry by College Students: Original Research and Peer Review Using Web-Based Collaborative Tools. Preliminary Quantitative Data Analysis.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cakir, Mustafa; Carlsen, William S.

The Environmental Inquiry (EI) program (Cornell University and Pennsylvania State University) supports inquiry based, student-centered science teaching on selected topics in the environmental sciences. Texts to support high school student research are published by the National Science Teachers Association (NSTA) in the domains of environmental…

Initial Efforts to Coordinate Appreciative Inquiry: Facilitators' Experiences and Perceptions

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Breslow, Ken; Crowell, Lyn; Francis, Lee; Gordon, Stephen P.

2015-01-01

Appreciative inquiry (AI) is an alternative approach to action research that moves participants beyond problem solving and builds on existing strengths as the participants co-construct a positive vision of the future and move toward that vision through collaborative inquiry. Ph.D. students enrolled in a doctoral seminar on AI (who also are…

Has time come for a re-assessment of spa therapy? The NAIADE survey in Italy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Coccheri, S.; Gasbarrini, G.; Valenti, M.; Nappi, G.; di Orio, F.

2008-01-01

Goal of this study was to investigate whether appropriately applied spa therapy in several indications could be associated with a subsequent fall in the need for costly health services and missed working days due to sick-leave. The Naiade project was a multicenter observational, longitudinal, questionnaire-based study comparing an “entry” inquiry addressed to patients before an entry thermal cycle, and a “return” inquiry after 1 year. Routine statistical methods were used for comparisons. The study was carried out in 297 of the 340 certified Italian spa centers. Inquiries were managed by the spa doctor(s), with the collaboration of family doctors, and when necessary, hospitals, other health services, labour offices and employers. After exclusion of regular customers and of patients with acute disease phases or severe health conditions, 39,943 patients divided into eight diseases subgroups (rheumatic, respiratory, dermatologic, gynaecologic, otorhynologic, urinary, vascular and gastroenteric) underwent entry inquiry and appropriate spa treatment. Patients who returned for treatment after 1 year (“index year”) were 23,680 (59.2%) and received return inquiry. Outcomes considered were: frequency and duration of hospitalisation periods; missed working days; regular use of disease-specific drugs; and resort to “non-spa” rehabilitation therapies. The data collected at return inquiry were compared with those of entry inquiry. All the considered outcomes appeared to be significantly reduced in the index year in seven of the eight disease subgroups in comparison with the previous year. In conclusion, disease-appropriate spa treatments were followed by a reduction in the need of subsequent health interventions in most disease subgroups. The health promoting value of spa treatments should therefore undergo more rigorous assessment with randomised controlled studies.

Implementing inquiry-based kits within a professional development school model

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jones, Mark Thomas

2005-07-01

Implementation of guided inquiry teaching for the first time carries inherent problems for science teachers. Reform efforts on inquiry-based science teaching are often unsustainable and are not sensitive to teachers' needs and abilities as professionals. Professional development schools are meant to provide a research-based partnership between a public school and a university. These collaborations can provide support for the professional development of teachers. This dissertation reports a study focused on the implementation of inquiry-based science kits within the support of one of these collaborations. The researcher describes the difficulties and successful adaptations experienced by science teachers and how a coteaching model provided support. These types of data are needed in order to develop a bottom-up, sustainable process that will allow teachers to implement inquiry-based science. A qualitative methodology with "researcher as participant" was used in this study of two science teachers during 2002--2003. These two teachers were supported by a coteaching model, which included preservice teachers for each teacher as well as a supervising professor. Data were collected from the researcher's direct observations of coteachers' practice. Data were also collected from interviews and reflective pieces from the coteachers. Triangulation of the data on each teacher's case supported the validity of the findings. Case reports were prepared from these data for each classroom teacher. These case reports were used and cross-case analysis was conducted to search for major themes and findings in the study. Major findings described the hurdles teachers encounter, examples of adaptations observed in the teachers' cases and the supportive interactions with their coteachers while implementing the inquiry-based kits. In addition, the data were used to make recommendations for future training and use of the kits and the coteaching model. Results from this study showed that the kit's guided structure of inquiry and the collaboration both affected the inservice teachers in the following ways: The coteaching model supported behavioral and material management issues caused by the implementation of the kits; collaboration with preservice teachers created a "smaller-class-size" effect, which allowed teachers to attend to a smaller number of students for cooperative learning and assessment, and the elementary inservice teachers learned pedagogical strategies and science content from collaborating with secondary preservice teachers in kit use and from the kits' curriculum. Results were used as a self-study for future training and support for implementation of inquiry-based kits.

Promoting Learning by Inquiry Among Undergraduates in Soil Sciences: Scaffolding From Project-based Courses to Student-Staff Research Grants by the National Research Agency in Oman

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Al-Ismaily, Said; Kacimov, Anvar; Al-Maktoumi, Ali

2016-04-01

Three strategies in a soil science undergraduate programme with inquiry-based learning (IBL) principles at Sultan Qaboos University, Oman, are presented. The first strategy scaffolds courses into three phases: with direct instructional guidance, structured IBL, and finally, guided to open IBL. The second strategy involves extra-curricular activities of undergraduates, viz. conducting workshops on soils for pupils in grades 7-9 with their teachers. The third strategy promotes the teaching-research nexus through collaboration between the undergraduates and faculty within a student-supporting, government-funded programme through 1-year long research grants of up to 5,500 US/project. The efficiency of the strategies was evaluated by students' evaluations of courses and instructors and questionnaire-based surveys. Statistics of students' responses in teaching evaluations of IBL courses showed a significantly higher level of satisfaction compared with regular courses taught in the department and college. In surveys of other constituencies of the program, viz. the secondary schools, more than 90% of respondents "agreed" or "strongly agreed" that they had learned new information/secrets about soils. The indicators of success in the third strategy are: winning a highly competitive grant and, moreover, earning an even more competitive annual national award for the best executed research project. The two top graduates of the IBL soil programme progressed into the MSc programme with the university and national scholarships. Key words: inquiry based learning, soil science undergraduate program, scaffold of courses, outreach activities, teaching-research nexus, evaluation of program's efficiency

Designing for student engagement in middle school science: Collaborative problem-solving in environmental science, using nanotechnology and electron microscopy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Harmer, Andrea J.

Engaging middle-school students in scientific inquiry is typically recognized as important, but difficult. Designed to foster learner engagement, this method used an online, problem-based, science inquiry that investigated the Lehigh Gap, Palmerton Superfund Site during five weeks of collaborative classroom sessions. The inquiry prototype was authored in WISE, the Web-Based Science Inquiry Environment headquartered at UC, Berkeley. Online materials, readings, and class sessions were augmented with remote access to an electron microscope to analyze Lehigh Gap samples and an introduction to nanoscale science and nanotechnology through the ImagiNations Web site at Lehigh University. Students contributed the artifacts they generated during their research to a university database and presented them to researchers at the university working on the same problem. This approach proved highly engaging and generated design and development guidelines useful to others interested in designing for student engagement and introducing nanoscale science and electron microscopy in middle school science. This study further found that students' engaged in science inquiry both behaviorally and emotionally and on several different levels. The various levels appeared to create two hierarchies of engagement, one based on behavioral criteria and the other based on emotional criteria. For students involved in the collaborative, problem-solving science, which included experts and access to their microscopes, the highest levels of engagement seemed to empower students and create in them a passion towards science. These hierarchies are illustrated with students' direct quotes, which prove that students engaged in this particular design of science inquiry. Students' engagement in the inquiry led to their achievements in understanding nanoscale science, nanotechnology, and electron microscopy and initiated positive attitude changes towards learning science.

Practical inquiry/theory in nursing.

PubMed

Stevenson, Chris

2005-04-01

This paper explores a social constructionist, pragmatist approach to inquiry and theory-building with a view to exploring its relevance for nursing as a practical discipline. Positivist and postpositivist inquiry approaches in practical disciplines have produced "detached" theories that lack relevance for everyday practice and so sustain the theory-practice gap. Both meta- and mid-range theories tend to see practice as fixed or fixable rather than being enacted in a state of flux. Practical inquiry and theory are described structurally and as co-dependent processes. The research process is sensitive to the influence of context and consists of construction rather than capture. Practical theory is judged in terms of whether it helps people to "go on with" their lives. Practical inquiry/practical theory is superimposed on a previous nursing study in the field of mental health to illustrate how it can account for the processes of clinical research. In particular, the illustration demonstrates the surrender of researcher objectivity in the interests of collaborative understanding that occurs with practical inquiry/theory. Shared meaning arises as rich constructs of the research situation are developed that point to future possibilities for action for all those engaged in the research process. Practical inquiry/theory offers the means to conduct cogent, collaborative, developmental research, although further "trying out" is required.

Guided-Inquiry Based Laboratory Instruction: Investigation of Critical Thinking Skills, Problem Solving Skills, and Implementing Student Roles in Chemistry

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gupta, Tanya

2012-01-01

Recent initiatives in the laboratory curriculum have encouraged an inquiry-based approach to learning and teaching in the laboratory. It has been argued that laboratory instruction should not just be hands-on, but it should portray the essence of inquiry through the process of experiential learning and reflective engagement in collaboration with…

Designing a Web-Based Science Learning Environment for Model-Based Collaborative Inquiry

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sun, Daner; Looi, Chee-Kit

2013-02-01

The paper traces a research process in the design and development of a science learning environment called WiMVT (web-based inquirer with modeling and visualization technology). The WiMVT system is designed to help secondary school students build a sophisticated understanding of scientific conceptions, and the science inquiry process, as well as develop critical learning skills through model-based collaborative inquiry approach. It is intended to support collaborative inquiry, real-time social interaction, progressive modeling, and to provide multiple sources of scaffolding for students. We first discuss the theoretical underpinnings for synthesizing the WiMVT design framework, introduce the components and features of the system, and describe the proposed work flow of WiMVT instruction. We also elucidate our research approach that supports the development of the system. Finally, the findings of a pilot study are briefly presented to demonstrate of the potential for learning efficacy of the WiMVT implementation in science learning. Implications are drawn on how to improve the existing system, refine teaching strategies and provide feedback to researchers, designers and teachers. This pilot study informs designers like us on how to narrow the gap between the learning environment's intended design and its actual usage in the classroom.

Situating teacher learning in the practice of mathematics and science teaching

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hartman, Monica Louise

Education reforms propose new content and pedagogy for students. Making such reforms possible in schools depends on creating new content and pedagogy for teachers' learning. This study investigated an approach to support teachers' learning which has been rapidly growing in popularity. Specifically, the study was designed to learn how a collaborative professional development experience, situated in teachers' own practice, might help elementary teachers develop knowledge for teaching. Eleven fourth and fifth grade teachers from two public schools participated in this professional development which was modeled after Japanese Lesson Study. A qualitative research methodology of critical inquiry was used to analyze the data. The researcher was both designer and participant. This intervention gave these teachers opportunities to learn content, pedagogy, and skills for collaborative inquiry, but not all the teachers continued their involvement. Challenges of time, talk and individualism were problems for all and were among the main reasons teachers in one group gave for leaving the program. Three characteristics of the teachers who completed the project included: (a) dissatisfaction with the learning outcomes of their students; (b) participation with colleagues in social activities throughout the school year; (c) an existing trusting relationship with the program facilitator. The features of this new pedagogy of professional development require teachers to break from typical orientations to practice. This produces a paradox. On one hand, many American teachers do not have the skills needed to be expert at this, for the professional culture does not support such work. On the other hand, if teachers are not given opportunities to collaborate in meaningful ways, the skills they need cannot develop. Although, these teachers were not yet experts in this collaborative inquiry process, the skills required began to develop in the course of engaging in this professional development activity. Future research should seek to identify how to address these challenges more directly by design and how to develop structures to change teachers' environment, to help teachers learn to think of themselves as part of a collective rather than individuals, and to learn the language and the nature of criticism when talking to other professionals.

Assessment of Inquiry Skills in the SAILS Project

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Harrison, Chris

2014-01-01

Inquiry provides both the impetus and experience that helps students acquire problem solving and lifelong learning skills. Teachers on the Strategies for Assessment of Inquiry Learning in Science Project (SAILS) strengthened their inquiry pedagogy, through focusing on seeking assessment evidence for formative action. This paper reports on both the…

Hydroclimatological data and analyses from a headwaters region of Mongolia as boundary objects in interdisciplinary climate change research

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Venable, N. B. H.

2017-09-01

Collaborative work on increasingly complex hydroclimatic investigations often crosses disciplinary boundaries. Elements of scientific inquiry, such as data or the results of analyses can become objectified, or capable of being adopted and/or adapted by users from multiple disciplinary realms. These objects often provide a bridge for collaborative endeavors, or are used as tools by individuals pursuing multi-disciplinary work. Boundary object terminology was first formalized and applied by social scientists. However, few examples of the application of this useful framework are found in the hydrologic literature. The construct is applied here to identify and discuss how common research products and processes are used both internally and externally through providing examples from a project examining the historical and paleo proxy-based hydroclimatology of a headwaters region of Mongolia. The boundary object concept is valuable to consider when conducting and critiquing basic research, collaborating across multiple disciplinary teams as when studying climate change issues, as an individual researcher working in a cross boundary sense using methods from differing disciplines to answer questions, and/or when one group adapts the work of another to their own research problems or interpretive needs, as occurred with selected products of this project.

Collective inquiry in the context of school-wide reform: Exploring science curriculum and instruction through team-based professional development

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Eddy Spicer, David Henning

Teacher collaboration and joint reflective inquiry have been viewed as central elements of progressive educational reform for more than two decades. More recently, researchers, policy-makers, and practitioners have heralded "blended" or "hybrid" approaches that combine online and on-site environments for collaborative learning as especially promising for "scaling up" instructional improvement. Yet, relatively little is known about how teachers working together navigate organizational and interpersonal constraints to develop and sustain conditions essential to collective inquiry. This in-depth study of meaning making about curriculum and instruction among a group of 11 physics teachers in a public, urban secondary school in the U.S. is an effort to explore collective inquiry as a resource for teacher learning and innovations in teaching practice. Through extended observations, multiple interviews, and close analyses of interaction, the study followed teachers for 7 months as they worked together across 3 settings organized in fundamentally different ways to promote joint inquiry into teaching practice. The explanatory framework of the study rests on the mutually-reinforcing conceptual underpinnings of sociocultural theory and systemic functional linguistics to establish connections between micro-social interactions and macro-social processes. Drawing on systemic functional linguistics, the study explores interpersonal meaning making through close analyses of speech function and speech role in 6 extended sequences of generative interaction. Concepts from activity theory elucidate those features of settings and school that directly impinged on or advanced teachers' collaborative work. Findings run counter to prevailing congenial views of teacher collegiality by identifying ways in which collective inquiry is inherently unstable. That instability makes itself apparent at two levels: (a) the dynamics of authority within the group, and (b) middle-level features of setting and school that favored preserving solidarity above developing a critical stance towards practice. The study offers a theoretically-informed description of collective inquiry and an analytic framework to trace its development in naturally-occurring interaction. The analytic framework extends the tools of functional analysis into a new realm, that of teachers' collaborative work, and offers means to understand better the complex array of forces shaping and shaped by teachers' everyday interactions around their practice.

Students Assessing Their Own Collaborative Knowledge Building

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lee, Eddy Y. C.; Chan, Carol K. K.; van Aalst, Jan

2006-01-01

We describe the design of a knowledge-building environment and examine the role of knowledge-building portfolios in characterizing and scaffolding collaborative inquiry. Our goal is to examine collaborative knowledge building in the context of exploring the alignment of learning, collaboration, and assessment in computer forums. The key design…

The Proof of the Pudding?: A Case Study of an "At-Risk" Design-Based Inquiry Science Curriculum

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chue, Shien; Lee, Yew-Jin

2013-12-01

When students collaboratively design and build artifacts that require relevant understanding and application of science, many aspects of scientific literacy are developed. Design-based inquiry (DBI) is one such pedagogy that can serve these desired goals of science education well. Focusing on a Projectile Science curriculum previously found to be implemented with satisfactory fidelity, we investigate the many hidden challenges when using DBI with Grade 8 students from one school in Singapore. A case study method was used to analyze video recordings of DBI lessons conducted over 10 weeks, project presentations, and interviews to ascertain the opportunities for developing scientific literacy among participants. One critical factor that hindered learning was task selection by teachers, which emphasized generic scientific process skills over more important cognitive and epistemic learning goals. Teachers and students were also jointly engaged in forms of inquiry that underscored artifact completion over deeper conceptual and epistemic understanding of science. Our research surfaced two other confounding factors that undermined the curriculum; unanticipated teacher effects and the underestimation of the complexity of DBI and of inquiry science in general. Thus, even though motivated or experienced teachers can implement an inquiry science curriculum with good fidelity and enjoy school-wide support, these by themselves will not guarantee deep learning of scientific literacy in DBI. Recommendations are made for navigating the hands- and minds-on aspects of learning science that is an asset as well as inherent danger during DBI teaching.

Enhancing Science Education Instruction: A Mixed-Methods Study on University and Middle School Collaborations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Owen-Stone, Deborah S.

The purpose of this concurrent mixed methods study was to examine the collaborative relationship between scientists and science teachers and to incorporate and advocate scientific literacy based on past and current educational theories such as inquiry based teaching. The scope of this study included archived student standardized test scores, semi-structured interviews, and a Likert scale survey to include open-ended comments. The methodology was based on the guiding research question: To what extent and in what ways does the collaboration and inquiry methodology, with GTF and PT teams, serve toward contributing to a more comprehensive and nuanced understanding of this predicting relationship between student PASS scores, inquiry skills, and increased scientific literacy for GTF's, PT's, and students via an integrative mixed methods analysis? The data analysis considerations were derived from the qualitative data collected from the three GTF/PT teams by the use of recorded interviews and text answered survey comments. The quantitative data of archived student Palmetto Assessment of State Standards (PASS) scores on scientific literacy and inquiry tests and the Likert-scale portion of the survey were support data to the aforementioned qualitative data findings. Limitations of the study were (1) the population of only the GK-12 teachers and their students versus the inclusion of participants that did not experience the GK-12 Fellow partnerships within their classrooms, should they be considered as participants, (2) involved the researcher as a participant for two years of the program and objectivity remained through interpretation and well documented personal reflections and experiences to inform accuracy, and (3) cultural diversity contributed to the relationship formed between the research Fellow and science educator and communication and scientific language did form a barrier between the Fellow, educator, and student rapport within the classroom. This study's contribution benefits science education, scientists, university science education, and future collaborations. Key Terms: mixed methods, GK-12, scientific literacy, inquiry, collaboration.

Appreciative Pedagogy: Constructing Positive Models for Learning.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Yballe, Leodones; O'Connor, Dennis

2000-01-01

Appreciative inquiry, an approach focused on generation of a vision for an organization, may be adapted for management classes. Students and teachers conduct collaborative inquiry into successful experiences, creating positive images that generate positive action in the classroom. (SK)

Cosmic collaboration in an undergraduate astrophysics laboratory

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gunter, Ramona; Spiczak, Glenn; Madsen, James

2010-10-01

Lessons learned during the first offering of a lab component of an intermediate astrophysics course at the University of Wisconsin-River Falls are discussed. The course enrolled students from a variety of majors. Students worked in mixed-gender, mixed-major collaborative groups. They explored cosmic rays through hands-on, inquiry-based activities that took them from classic, fundamental discoveries to open-ended questions of their own design. We find that students divided their labor and brought the various parts of their research project together with little or no discussion regarding the various pieces and how they inform each other. Aspects of the lab design helped disrupt some typical gender dynamics in that men did not dominate group discussions. However, men did dominate the hands-on activities of the lab.

Fostering collaborative inquiries by prospective and practicing elementary and middle school teachers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

van Zee, Emily; Lay, Diantha; Roberts, Deborah

2003-07-01

The purpose of this study was to document the perspectives and experiences of participants in a complex collaboration. Prospective teachers planned and conducted science lessons and small educational research projects with mentoring from teacher researchers who are science enthusiasts. These group investigations seemed to be effective in modifying the self-perceptions of many of the prospective teachers enrolled in a course on methods of teaching science in elementary school. According to responses on an informal evaluation at the end of the Spring 2000 group investigation, for example, most of the prospective teachers indicated that they perceived themselves to be more confident and more competent to teach science than at the beginning of the course; a few indicated they had already felt confident and competent. Common themes in the prospective teachers' responses indicated that they had learned about teaching science through inquiry, taking ownership of their own learning, researching while teaching, working in groups, and understanding themselves as learners and teachers. The teacher researchers also perceived themselves as benefiting from the collaborative process. Their responses to an e-mail questionnaire suggested that they found working with the prospective teachers to be stimulating and cheering. They enjoyed the discussions, appreciated the help with demanding activities, grew in their own knowledge about teaching and learning, and valued the opportunities for reflection. However, organizing the group investigation was complex, due to time issues, driving distances, school schedules, unexpected teacher responsibilities, and unpredictable weather.

The QuarkNet Collaboration: How "Doing Science" is Changing Science Education

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Whelan, K.

2004-12-01

QuarkNet is a national initiative to involve high-school teachers and their students in real scientific research. Students and teachers assist in seeking to resolve some of the mysteries about the structure of matter and the fundamental forces of nature It is supported by the Department and Energy and the National Science Foundation. This long-term project, beginning its sixth year of implementation, has provided a successful framework that might be adapted to similar endeavors. It is an international collaboration of universities, high schools and research centers including CERN in Switzerland, and Fermilab, LBNL, and SLAC in the United States. The goals of this program include the involvement of students and teachers in authentic scientific research projects. By actually "doing science", they gain first hand knowledge of the research procedure and the inquiry method of learning. Teachers increase their content knowledge and enhance their teaching skills by solving scientific research problems through the inquiry method of learning. Students involved in this program learn fundamental physics and research-based skills through the analysis of real data. Particle physicists also benefit by being exposed to some of the current issues in science education. Through an understanding of National Science Education Standards, physicist-mentors are made aware of the needs of local science education and gain a better grasp of age appropriate content. The QuarkNet program was developed while consulting with research physicists throughout the United States. There are three main program areas that have been established-teacher research experiences, teacher development programs, and an online resource that makes available numerous inquiry-based activities. Select teachers are given eight-week appointments allowing them to gain first hand experience as a part of a scientific research team. Those teachers become lead teachers during the following summer and, along with physicist mentors, work with other teachers on a short research scenario or activity over a period of several weeks. The scenarios can then be adapted for classroom use at virtually any level. The QuarkNet website provides a wide variety of resources for teacher and student use including- samples of experimental data for use in inquiry based activities, venues for communication and collaboration between students, teachers and physicists, student publication areas where ideas can be exchanged, and numerous other resources, activities, and simulations. Currently, the QuarkNet program involves over 50 research institutions and hundreds of teachers. This year, we have also added a student research component at several of the centers. This component will be expanded in the coming years so that many more students will have the opportunity to become an active part and contributing member of a scientific research team.

Library Skills.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Paul, Karin; Kuhlthau, Carol C.; Branch, Jennifer L.; Solowan, Diane Galloway; Case, Roland; Abilock, Debbie; Eisenberg, Michael B.; Koechlin, Carol; Zwaan, Sandi; Hughes, Sandra; Low, Ann; Litch, Margaret; Lowry, Cindy; Irvine, Linda; Stimson, Margaret; Schlarb, Irene; Wilson, Janet; Warriner, Emily; Parsons, Les; Luongo-Orlando, Katherine; Hamilton, Donald

2003-01-01

Includes 19 articles that address issues related to library skills and Canadian school libraries. Topics include information literacy; inquiry learning; critical thinking and electronic research; collaborative inquiry; information skills and the Big 6 approach to problem solving; student use of online databases; library skills; Internet accuracy;…

Instructional Approaches on Science Performance, Attitude and Inquiry Ability in a Computer-Supported Collaborative Learning Environment

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Chen, Ching-Huei; Chen, Chia-Ying

2012-01-01

This study examined the effects of an inquiry-based learning (IBL) approach compared to that of a problem-based learning (PBL) approach on learner performance, attitude toward science and inquiry ability. Ninety-six students from three 7th-grade classes at a public school were randomly assigned to two experimental groups and one control group. All…

Modeling "Tiktaalik": Using a Model-Based Inquiry Approach to Engage Community College Students in the Practices of Science during an Evolution Unit

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Baze, Christina L.; Gray, Ron

2018-01-01

Inquiry methods have been successful in improving science literacy in students of all ages. Model-Based Inquiry (MBI) is an instructional model that engages students in the practices of science through the collaborative development of scientific models to explain an anchoring phenomenon. Student ideas are tested through engagement in content-rich…

Professional Development at ERESE: Refining the inquiry process and moving towards a modularized templeate

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Helly, M.; Massell Symons, C.; Reining, J.; Staudigel, H.; Koppers, A.; Helly, J.; Miller, S.

2005-12-01

The Enduring Resources for Earth Science Education (ERESE) project has now held two professional development workshops to teach and apply the five stage inquiry lesson model for teaching plate tectonics. This development based on a collaborative effort between earth scientists, educators, librarians, and data archive managers, and works towards a classroom practice that focuses on transferring ownership of a classroom inquiry to the learner. The ERESE inquiry model features a modular, five stage approach: (1) a thoughtful orientation to create an environment of physical and intellectual safety for the learner, (2) a carefully chosen provocative phenomenon used to allow the learner to develop a wide range of scientific questions (3) a debriefing that reviews and honors the learners' questions along with the development of a testable hypothesis, (4) learners consult with ERESE resource matrices and the internet to obtain data and other information to test the hypothesis, and (5) the learners present their results in a presentation. The process of ERESE inquiry lessons is guided by a master template and involves a detailed teachers log for documentation of all activities. All products of the process are archived. The master template and teachers log are designed in a modular fashion that ultimately will accommodate a wide range of inquiry lesson styles and the variety of resources available to support the process. Key ERESE modules include: (1) a master template that provides a framework for lesson development, (2) provocative phenomenon for question generation and hypothesis development by the learner, (3) the ERESE resource matrix (which archives text, images and data by expert level for a wide range of scientific questions), and (4) a reflective essay that monitors the ownership transfer to the learner. Modular design of ERESE products allows for the archival of specific types of materials that can be independently accessed and applied to different inquiry styles. The broad appeal is an important step toward a more general product for inquiry based teaching.

Task-Related and Social Regulation during Online Collaborative Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Janssen, Jeroen; Erkens, Gijsbert; Kirschner, Paul A.; Kanselaar, Gellof

2012-01-01

This study investigated how students collaborate in a CSCL environment and how this collaboration affects group performance. To answer these questions, the collaborative process of 101 groups of secondary education students when working on a historical inquiry task was analyzed. Our analyses show that group members devote most of their efforts to…

"Working the Ruins" of Collaborative Feminist Research

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Schultz, Callie Spencer

2017-01-01

In this paper, I enact an "inquiry among the ruins" of a collaborative feminist duoethnography. Through the process of exploring instances of failure, I aim to (re)think "collaborative" research, feminist goals for collaborative research, and a space for such research in the academy. As I work the ruins of a duoethnography, I…

An Intervention Framework Designed to Develop the Collaborative Problem-Solving Skills of Primary School Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gu, Xiaoqing; Chen, Shan; Zhu, Wenbo; Lin, Lin

2015-01-01

Considerable effort has been invested in innovative learning practices such as collaborative inquiry. Collaborative problem solving is becoming popular in school settings, but there is limited knowledge on how to develop skills crucial in collaborative problem solving in students. Based on the intervention design in social interaction of…

Final Report on Activities Supported by Department of Energy Grant No. DE-FG02-02ER63397, 2002-August 31, 2005

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Madelaine Marquez; Neil Stillings

The grant supported four projects that involved professional development for teachers and enrichment programs for students from under-funded and under-served school districts. The projects involved long-term partnerships between Hampshire College and the districts. All projects were concerned with the effective implementation of inquiry-based science learning and its alignment with state and national curriculum and assessment standards. One project, The Collaboration for Excellence in Science Education (CESE), was designed to support research on the development of concepts in the physical sciences, specifically energy and waves. Extensive data from student interviews and written essays supported the neo-Piagetian hierarchical complexity theory of thismore » area of conceptual development. New assessment techniques that can be used by teachers were also developed. The final report includes a full presentation of the methods and results of the research.« less

The impact of collaborative groups versus individuals in undergraduate inquiry-based astronomy laboratory learning exercises

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sibbernsen, Kendra J.

One of the long-standing general undergraduate education requirements common to many colleges and universities is a science course with a laboratory experience component. One of the objectives frequently included in the description of most of these courses is that a student will understand the nature and processes of scientific inquiry. However, recent research has shown that learners in traditional undergraduate science laboratory environments are not developing a sufficiently meaningful understanding of scientific inquiry. Recently, astronomy laboratory activities have been developed that intentionally scaffold a student from guided activities to open inquiry ones and preliminary results show that these laboratories are successful for supporting students to understand the nature of scientific inquiry (Slater, S., Slater, T. F., & Shaner, 2008). This mixed-method quasi-experimental study was designed to determine how students in an undergraduate astronomy laboratory increase their understanding of inquiry working in relative isolation compared to working in small collaborative learning groups. The introductory astronomy laboratory students in the study generally increased their understanding of scientific inquiry over the course of the semester and this held true similarly for students working in groups and students working individually in the laboratories. This was determined by the examining the change in responses from the pretest to the posttest administration of the Views of Scientific Inquiry (VOSI) survey, the increase in scores on laboratory exercises, and observations from the instructor. Because the study was successful in determining that individuals in the astronomy laboratory do as well at understanding inquiry as those who complete their exercises in small groups, it would be appropriate to offer these inquiry-based exercises in an online format.

Building Preservice Teachers' Connections with Communities through Inquiry

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Nicholas, Trula Morehead; Baker-Sennett, Jacquelyn; McClanahan, Lauren; Harwood, Angela

2012-01-01

This study describes how a community-based interprofessional education approach designed to engage preservice teachers with community members and human services professionals contributes to preservice teachers' inquiry skills and their understanding of interprofessional collaboration. Preservice teachers were enrolled in a research methods course…

Student leadership in small group science inquiry

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Oliveira, Alandeom W.; Boz, Umit; Broadwell, George A.; Sadler, Troy D.

2014-09-01

Background: Science educators have sought to structure collaborative inquiry learning through the assignment of static group roles. This structural approach to student grouping oversimplifies the complexities of peer collaboration and overlooks the highly dynamic nature of group activity. Purpose: This study addresses this issue of oversimplification of group dynamics by examining the social leadership structures that emerge in small student groups during science inquiry. Sample: Two small student groups investigating the burning of a candle under a jar participated in this study. Design and method: We used a mixed-method research approach that combined computational discourse analysis (computational quantification of social aspects of small group discussions) with microethnography (qualitative, in-depth examination of group discussions). Results: While in one group social leadership was decentralized (i.e., students shared control over topics and tasks), the second group was dominated by a male student (centralized social leadership). Further, decentralized social leadership was found to be paralleled by higher levels of student cognitive engagement. Conclusions: It is argued that computational discourse analysis can provide science educators with a powerful means of developing pedagogical models of collaborative science learning that take into account the emergent nature of group structures and highly fluid nature of student collaboration.

Inquiry Guided Learning Projects for the Development of Critical Thinking in the College Classroom: A Pilot Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bentley, Danielle C.

2014-01-01

This paper describes the inaugural success of implementing Inquiry Guided Learning Projects within a college-level human anatomy and physiology course. In this context, scientific inquiry was used as a means of developing skills required for critical thinking among students. The projects were loosely designed using the Information Search Process…

Deaf, Hard-of-Hearing, and Hearing Signing Undergraduates’ Attitudes toward Science in Inquiry-Based Biology Laboratory Classes

PubMed Central

Gormally, Cara

2017-01-01

For science learning to be successful, students must develop attitudes toward support future engagement with challenging social issues related to science. This is especially important for increasing participation of students from underrepresented populations. This study investigated how participation in inquiry-based biology laboratory classes affected students’ attitudes toward science, focusing on deaf, hard-of-hearing, and hearing signing students in bilingual learning environments (i.e., taught in American Sign Language and English). Analysis of reflection assignments and interviews revealed that the majority of students developed positive attitudes toward science and scientific attitudes after participating in inquiry-based biology laboratory classes. Attitudinal growth appears to be driven by student value of laboratory activities, repeated direct engagement with scientific inquiry, and peer collaboration. Students perceived that hands-on experimentation involving peer collaboration and a positive, welcoming learning environment were key features of inquiry-based laboratories, affording attitudinal growth. Students who did not perceive biology as useful for their majors, careers, or lives did not develop positive attitudes. Students highlighted the importance of the climate of the learning environment for encouraging student contribution and noted both the benefits and pitfalls of teamwork. Informed by students’ characterizations of their learning experiences, recommendations are made for inquiry-based learning in college biology. PMID:28188279

Primary teachers conducting inquiry projects: effects on attitudes towards teaching science and conducting inquiry

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

van Aalderen-Smeets, Sandra I.; Walma van der Molen, Juliette H.; van Hest, Erna G. W. C. M.; Poortman, Cindy

2017-01-01

This study used an experimental, pretest-posttest control group design to investigate whether participation in a large-scale inquiry project would improve primary teachers' attitudes towards teaching science and towards conducting inquiry. The inquiry project positively affected several elements of teachers' attitudes. Teachers felt less anxious about teaching science and felt less dependent on contextual factors compared to the control group. With regard to attitude towards conducting inquiry, teachers felt less anxious and more able to conduct an inquiry project. There were no effects on other attitude components, such as self-efficacy beliefs or relevance beliefs, or on self-reported science teaching behaviour. These results indicate that practitioner research may have a partially positive effect on teachers' attitudes, but that it may not be sufficient to fully change primary teachers' attitudes and their actual science teaching behaviour. In comparison, a previous study showed that attitude-focused professional development in science education has a more profound impact on primary teachers' attitudes and science teaching behaviour. In our view, future interventions aiming to stimulate science teaching should combine both approaches, an explicit focus on attitude change together with familiarisation with inquiry, in order to improve primary teachers' attitudes and classroom practices.

The ERESE Workshop: a Unique Opportunity for Collaboration Between Classroom Teacher and Research Scientist

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Symons, C. M.; Helly, M.; Staudigel, H.; Koppers, A.; Reining, J.; Helly, J.; Miller, S.

2005-12-01

The ERESE Project (Enduring Resources for Earth Science Education) has hosted 10-15 teachers during a two-week workshop at Scripps Institution of Oceanography (SIO) each of the last two summers. The workshop is a concentrated introduction to the resources available on two National Science Digital Library collections maintained at SIO - http://www.EarthRef.org and http://www.SIOExplorer.ucsd.edu. The workshop is run by a team of scientists from SIO, the San Diego Supercomputer Center and a Lead Educator who is also a classroom teacher. This year three teachers from the first year were invited to return to serve as mentors. During the first week of the workshop teachers play the role of student while a lead scientist plays the role of teacher. The students (aka, teachers) analyze maps of seafloor magnetic anomalies to investigate plate tectonic problems. The magnetic data were collected onboard Scripps ships and are archived at SIOExplorer.ucsd.edu. Technical content lessons were designed to introduce the resource matrices on EarthRef.org, how to upload and download classroom lessons within the collection, SIOExplorer's CruiseViewer (portal to over 600 archived cruises) and Mozilla Browser and Composer for building lessons using our inquiry template. The inquiry lesson templates model scientific inquiry and help to streamline lesson design, enactment and sharing. They reference local, state and national standards in order to increase their appeal to a broad audience. The most valuable feature of hosting an on-campus workshop was that participants were afforded the opportunity to collaborate with scientists and research staff on a daily basis. More than 15 guest speakers addressed the teachers, some of whom led guided tours of their respective research facilities and collections. Guest speakers shared data, lecture notes and engaging "sea stories" all of which painted a picture of life as a research earth scientist. Combining their workshop experience in the role of student, the technical content lessons, the inquiry based pedagogical model and daily collaboration with scientists, the teachers developed plate tectonic lessons using resources from EarthRef.org and SIOExplorer.ucsd.edu. Following implementation during the fall semester teachers will add them to the existing collection of lessons at EarthRef.org.

Creating a Community of Inquiry in Online Library Instruction

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rapchak, Marcia E.

2017-01-01

According to the Community of Inquiry (CoI) model (Garrison, Anderson, & Archer, 2000), an enriching educational experience online in a collaborative learning environment requires three interdependent elements: social presence, teaching presence, and cognitive presence. Social presence provides interaction in the online environment that allows…

Technology Supported Facilitation and Assessment of Small Group Collaborative Inquiry Learning in Large First-Year Classes

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lawrie, Gwendolyn A.; Gahan, Lawrence R.; Matthews, Kelly E.; Weaver, Gabriela C.; Bailey, Chantal; Adams, Peter; Kavanagh, Lydia J.; Long, Phillip D.; Taylor, Matthew

2014-01-01

Collaborative learning activities offer the potential to support mutual knowledge construction and shared understanding amongst students. Introducing collaborative tasks into large first-year undergraduate science classes to create learning environments that foster student engagement and enhance communication skills is appealing. However,…

Students' Views of Collaboration and Online Participation in Knowledge Forum

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Chan, Carol K. K.; Chan, Yuen-Yan

2011-01-01

This study examined students- views of collaboration and learning, and investigated how these predict students- online participation in a computer-supported learning environment. The participants were 521 secondary school students in Hong Kong, who took part in online collaborative inquiry conducted using Knowledge Forum[TM]. We developed a…

Examining Peer Collaboration in Online Inquiry

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Castek, Jill; Coiro, Julie; Guzniczak, Lizbeth; Bradshaw, Carlton

2012-01-01

This study examines peer collaboration among four pairs of seventh graders who read online to determine what caused the downfall of the Mayan civilization. More and less productive collaborative interactions are presented through snippets of dialogue in which pairs negotiated complex texts. Few examples of how teachers can skillfully facilitate…

Increasing the practice of questioning among pediatric nurses: "The Growing Culture of Clinical Inquiry" project.

PubMed

Laibhen-Parkes, Natasha

2014-01-01

This paper describes an innovative methodology implemented in an acute care pediatric setting to build nurses' confidence and competence in questioning practice. The Growing Culture of Clinical Inquiry (GCCI) project was composed of several evidence-based strategies to attain and maintain a spirit of clinical inquiry. These strategies included PowerPoint presentations, evidence-based practice (EBP) unit champions, patient-intervention-comparison-outcome (PICO) boxes, Clinical Inquiry Posters, summaries of evidence (SOE), layman's SOE, medical librarian in-services, and journal clubs. After 1 year of implementation, the GCCI project was evaluated and found to be a promising methodology for fostering a culture of inquiry among pediatric nurses. © 2014.

Evaluating an Inquiry-Based Bioinformatics Course Using Q Methodology

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ramlo, Susan E.; McConnell, David; Duan, Zhong-Hui; Moore, Francisco B.

2008-01-01

Faculty at a Midwestern metropolitan public university recently developed a course on bioinformatics that emphasized collaboration and inquiry. Bioinformatics, essentially the application of computational tools to biological data, is inherently interdisciplinary. Thus part of the challenge of creating this course was serving the needs and…

Urban Schools' Teachers Enacting Project-Based Science

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tal, Tali; Krajcik, Joseph S.; Blumenfeld, Phyllis C.

2006-01-01

What teaching practices foster inquiry and promote students to learn challenging subject matter in urban schools? Inquiry-based instruction and successful inquiry learning and teaching in project-based science (PBS) were described in previous studies (Brown & Campione, [1990]; Crawford, [1999]; Krajcik, Blumenfeld, Marx, Bass, & Fredricks,…

Exploring Marine Ecosystems with Elementary School Portuguese Children: Inquiry-Based Project Activities Focused on "Real-Life" Contexts

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Guilherme, Elsa; Faria, Cláudia; Boaventura, Diana

2016-01-01

The purpose of the study was to investigate how young students engage in an inquiry-based project driven by real-life contexts. Elementary school children were engaged in a small inquiry project centred on marine biodiversity and species adaptations. All activities included the exploration of an out-of-school setting as a learning context. A total…

Identifying the Factors Leading to Success: How an Innovative Science Curriculum Cultivates Student Motivation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Scogin, Stephen C.

2016-06-01

PlantingScience is an award-winning program recognized for its innovation and use of computer-supported scientist mentoring. Science learners work on inquiry-based experiments in their classrooms and communicate asynchronously with practicing plant scientist-mentors about the projects. The purpose of this study was to identify specific factors contributing to the program's effectiveness in engaging students. Using multiple data sources, grounded theory (Strauss and Corbin in Basics of qualitative research. Sage, Newbury Park, 1990) was used to develop a conceptual model identifying the central phenomenon, causal conditions, intervening conditions, strategies, contexts, and student outcomes of the project. Student motivation was determined to be the central phenomenon explaining the success of the program, with student empowerment, online mentor interaction, and authenticity of the scientific experiences serving as causal conditions. Teachers contributed to student motivation by giving students more freedom, challenging students to take projects deeper, encouraging, and scaffolding. Scientists contributed to student motivation by providing explanations, asking questions, encouraging, and offering themselves as partners in the inquiry process. Several positive student outcomes of the program were uncovered and included increased positivity, greater willingness to take projects deeper, better understanding of scientific concepts, and greater commitments to collaboration. The findings of this study provide relevant information on how to develop curriculum, use technology, and train practitioners and mentors to utilize strategies and actions that improve learners' motivation to engage in authentic science in the classroom.

Collaboration amidst Disagreement and Moral Judgment: The Dynamics of Jewish and Arab Students' Collaborative Inquiry of Their Joint Past

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Pollack, Sarah; Kolikant, Yifat Ben-David

2012-01-01

We present an instructional model involving a computer-supported collaborative learning environment, in which students from two conflicting groups collaboratively investigate an event relevant to their past using historical texts. We traced one enactment of the model by a group comprised of two Israeli Jewish and two Israeli Arab students. Our…

APPRECIATIVE INQUIRY IN THE OFFICE OF RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT: IMPROVING THE COLLABRATIVE CAPACITY OF ORGANIZATION

EPA Science Inventory

This paper highlights the use of appreciative inquiry (AI), a growing practice in organization development in the Office of Research and Development (ORD) of the Environmental Protection Agency. AI is a strength-based approach to change that induces innovation and collaboration t...

Interactive and Collaborative Professional Development for In-Service History Teachers

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Callahan, Cory; Saye, John; Brush, Thomas

2016-01-01

This article advances a continuing line of inquiry into an innovative teacher-support program intended to help in-service history teachers develop professional teaching knowledge for inquiry-based history instruction. Two prior iterations informed our design and use of professional development materials; they also informed the implementation…

Challenge: The Arts as Collaborative Inquiry

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hallmark, Elizabeth F.

2012-01-01

An immediate critical task of the arts education field is to resolve the polarities of low-quality integrative and overly marginalized discipline-specific approaches to teaching in schools. In pursuing this challenge, the author defines three teaching approaches--arts as craftsmanship, arts as play, and arts as inquiry--and calls for re-weighted…

Encouraging Greater Student Inquiry Engagement in Science through Motivational Support by Online Scientist-Mentors

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Scogin, Stephen C.; Stuessy, Carol L.

2015-01-01

Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) call for integrating knowledge and practice in learning experiences in K-12 science education. "PlantingScience" (PS), an ideal curriculum for use as an NGSS model, is a computer-mediated collaborative learning environment intertwining scientific inquiry, classroom instruction, and online…

Wiki Laboratory Notebooks: Supporting Student Learning in Collaborative Inquiry-Based Laboratory Experiments

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lawrie, Gwendolyn Angela; Grøndahl, Lisbeth; Boman, Simon; Andrews, Trish

2016-01-01

Recent examples of high-impact teaching practices in the undergraduate chemistry laboratory that include course-based undergraduate research experiences and inquiry-based experiments require new approaches to assessing individual student learning outcomes. Instructors require tools and strategies that can provide them with insight into individual…

A Case Study Inquiry on Faculty Advisors and the Appreciative Advising Model

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Finch, Brian S.

2013-01-01

Appreciative advising is an innovative academic advising method based on the organizational development theory of appreciative inquiry. This approach emphasizes student strengths through a collaborative relationship between advisor and student using open-ended questions and focusing on positive potential. This study addressed the local problem of…

Nematodes: Model Organisms in High School Biology

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bliss, TJ; Anderson, Margery; Dillman, Adler; Yourick, Debra; Jett, Marti; Adams, Byron J.; Russell, RevaBeth

2007-01-01

In a collaborative effort between university researchers and high school science teachers, an inquiry-based laboratory module was designed using two species of insecticidal nematodes to help students apply scientific inquiry and elements of thoughtful experimental design. The learning experience and model are described in this article. (Contains 4…

Sharing Outsider Thinking: Thinking (Differently) with Deleuze in Educational Philosophy and Curriculum Inquiry

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sellers, Warren; Gough, Noel

2010-01-01

This essay performs a number of our collaborative responses to thinking (differently) with Deleuze in educational philosophy and curriculum inquiry. Deleuze "and Guattari" have inspired each of us in distinctive ways. Single-authored products include a series of narrative experiments or "rhizosemiotic play" in writing…

Appreciative Inquiry as an Organizational Development Tool.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Martinetz, Charles F.

2002-01-01

Defines appreciative inquiry as a change model that uses traditional organizational development processes (team building, strategic planning, business process redesign, management audits) in a new way, both as a philosophy and as a process. Emphasizes collaboration, participation of all voices, and changing the organization rather than the people.…

Inquiring Minds, Meaningful Responses: Children's Interests, Inquiries, and Working Theories

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hedges, Helen; Cooper, Maria

2014-01-01

This project/report partnered researchers with teachers from two centres to explore and theorise understandings of children's inquiries and working theories. This project investigated the following questions: (1) What is the nature and content of infants', toddlers' and young children's inquiries and working theories in relation to their everyday…

Inquiry in Limnology Lessons

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Variano, Evan; Taylor, Karen

2006-01-01

Inquiry can be implemented in various ways, ranging from simple classroom discussions to longterm research projects. In this article, the authors developed a project in which high school students were introduced to the nature and process of scientific discovery through a two-week guided inquiry unit on "limnology"--the study of fresh water, which…

Community Collaboration for Inquiry Success

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Fuller, Cherry; Kearley, Donna; Byerly, Gayla; Ramin, Lilly

2014-01-01

Synergy may be defined as the collaboration between two or more parties to produce a combined effect greater than the sum of their separate parts. That is exactly what happened in Denton, Texas, when all types of librarians collaborated on a community reading initiative. In 2007 Denton Reads--a One Book, One Community organization--was formed with…

A Collaborative Inquiry to Promote Pedagogical Knowledge of Mathematics in Practice

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Moghaddam, Alireza; Sarkar Arani, Mohammad Reza; Kuno, Hiroyuki

2015-01-01

The present study attempts to report a collaborative cycle of professional development in teaching elementary school mathematics through lesson study. It explores a practice of lesson study conducted by teachers aiming to improve their knowledge of pedagogy. The study adopts an ethnographic approach to examine how collaborative teaching within an…

Yesterday's Students in Today's World—Open and Guided Inquiry Through the Eyes of Graduated High School Biology Students

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dorfman, Bat-Shahar; Issachar, Hagit; Zion, Michal

2017-12-01

Educational policy bodies worldwide have argued that practicing inquiry as a part of the K-12 curriculum would help prepare students for their lives as adults in today's world. This study investigated adults who graduated high school 9 years earlier with a major in biology, to determine how they perceive the inquiry project they experienced and its contribution to their lives. We characterized dynamic inquiry performances and the retrospective perceptions of the inquiry project. Data was collected by interviews with 17 individuals—nine who engaged in open inquiry and eight who engaged in guided inquiry in high school. Both groups shared similar expressions of the affective point of view and procedural understanding criteria of dynamic inquiry, but the groups differed in the expression of the criteria changes occurring during inquiry and learning as a process. Participants from both groups described the contribution of the projects to their lives as adults, developing skills and positive attitudes towards science and remembering the content knowledge and activities in which they were involved. They also described the support they received from their teachers. Results of this study imply that inquiry, and particularly open inquiry, helps develop valuable skills and personal attributes, which may help the students in their lives as future adults. This retrospective point of view may contribute to a deeper understanding of the long-term influences of inquiry-based learning on students.

Teaching, as Learning, as Inquiry: Moving beyond Activity in the Analysis of Teaching Practice.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sandoval, William A.; Deneroff, Victoria; Franke, Megan L.

This paper describes an ongoing high school science teacher professional development project, Beyond Final Form Science, that focuses on developing teachers' ideas of scientific inquiry and inquiry pedagogy. It analyzes the first several months of the project, highlighting analyses of teachers' interactions during monthly professional development…

Appreciative Inquiry: A Tool for Organizational, Programmatic, and Project-Focused Change

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Priest, Kerry L.; Kaufman, Eric K.; Brunton, Kelsey; Seibel, Megan

2013-01-01

This practice paper describes how leadership education faculty and students at Virginia Tech have facilitated change through the use of appreciative inquiry (Ai) at the departmental level, program level, and project level. Appreciative inquiry has been found to be a useful tool for leadership educators, as its foundation in social constructionist…

Teachers' Inquiry Stance: Collaboration through Data Analysis in a Professional Learning Community

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Haack, Darin Marcus

2017-01-01

The purpose of this qualitative case study was to understand how teachers experience a stance toward inquiry through participation in Professional Learning Communities (PLCs). In order to meet this objective, the following questions framed this research: (1) How do individual teachers make meaning of the epistemological and dialogic aspects of…

Playing to Your Strengths: Appreciative Inquiry in the Visioning Process

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Fifolt, Matthew; Stowe, Angela M.

2011-01-01

"Appreciative Inquiry" (AI) is a structured approach to visioning focused on reflection, introspection, and collaboration. Rooted in organizational behavior theory, AI was introduced in the early 1980s as a life-centric approach to human systems (Watkins and Mohr 2001). Since then, AI has been used widely within the business community;…

Preservice Teachers' Inquiry in a Professional Development School Context: Implications for the Practicum

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mule, Lucy

2006-01-01

Professional development school (PDS) contexts are increasingly being viewed as powerful sites for the preparation of future teachers in the USA. One of their documented strengths is in the fostering of preservice teachers' inquiry within collaborative frameworks that result from the partnerships between university teacher education programmes and…

Transformative Professional Development: Inquiry-Based College Science Teaching Institutes

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Zhao, Ningfeng; Witzig, Stephen B.; Weaver, Jan C.; Adams, John E.; Schmidt, Frank

2012-01-01

Two Summer Institutes funded by the National Science Foundation were held for current and future college science faculty. The overall goal was to promote learning and practice of inquiry-based college science teaching. We developed a collaborative and active learning format for participants that involved all phases of the 5E learning cycle of…

Towards a Caring Community: Modeling, Dialogue, Practice, and Confirmation.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Harris, Charlotte Matthews

A teacher educator, engaged in ongoing practitioner inquiry to explore self as well as program, examines her evolution as a teacher of teachers through reflection, systematic inquiry, and collaboration. Relating autobiographically, she conjures up her professional stories and listens to her voice in an effort to define and refine her role, reflect…

Using Inquiry to Break the Language Barrier in Chemistry Classrooms

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Adams, Andrew; Jessup, Weston; Criswell, Brett A.; Weaver-High, Consuelo; Rushton, Gregory T.

2015-01-01

A guided inquiry lesson intended to support the linguistic and conceptual development of English language learners (ELLs) in a small, cotaught, high-needs secondary setting is presented. Collaborative groupings based on language and content ability coupled with an emphasis on student-student discourse and a hands-on investigation appeared to…

Patterns of Scaffolding in Computer-Mediated Collaborative Inquiry

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lakkala, Minna; Muukkonen, Hanni; Hakkarainen, Kai

2005-01-01

There is wide agreement on the importance of scaffolding for student learning. Yet, models of individual and face-to-face scaffolding are not necessarily applicable to educational settings in which a group of learners is pursuing a process of inquiry mediated by technology. The scaffolding needed for such a process may be examined from three…

Inquiry Resources Collection as a Boundary Object Supporting Meaningful Collaboration in a Wiki-Based Scientist-Teacher Community

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kim, Hye Jeong; Herbert, Bruce

2012-01-01

Different interpretations of scientific inquiry exist between the two different communities of scientists and science teachers. Thus, in order to achieve a successful partnership between science teachers and scientists in establishing effective communities of practice, the framework for instructional practice in teacher professional development…

Original Research and Peer Review Using Web-Based Collaborative Tools by College Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cakir, Mustafa; Carlsen, William S.

2007-01-01

The Environmental Inquiry program supports inquiry based, student-centered science teaching on selected topics in the environmental sciences. Many teachers are unfamiliar with both the underlying science of toxicology, and the process and importance of peer review in scientific method. The protocol and peer review process was tested with college…

Strategic Tooling: Technology for Constructing a Community of Inquiry

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Thompson, Penny; Vogler, Jane S.; Xiu, Ying

2017-01-01

The Community of Inquiry (CoI) framework describes online learning as a collaborative process supported by social presence, teaching presence, and cognitive presence, which work together to facilitate critical thinking and learning. The technology used in an online class can facilitate a CoI when its features support, rather than constrain,…

Organizational Climate and Emotional Intelligence: An Appreciative Inquiry into a "Leaderful" Community College

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Yoder, Debra Marie

2005-01-01

In an era of unprecedented challenges and rapid change, community colleges need effective leadership that brings out the best in people, organizations, and communities. This qualitative study was based on interpretive research using appreciative inquiry (AI). AI is based on social constructivist theory and is a collaborative and highly…

Collaborative Professional Learning through Lesson Study: Identifying the Challenges of Inquiry-Based Teaching

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gutierez, Sally Baricaua

2015-01-01

In the Philippines, inquiry-based teaching has been promoted and implemented together with recently instigated curriculum reforms. Serious teacher professional development efforts are being used extensively to properly orient and present the benefits of inquirybased teaching. Despite these efforts, there still exists a big gap in the effective…

Using Appreciative Inquiry to Create a Sustainable Rural School District and Community

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Calabrese, Raymond; Hester, Michael; Friesen, Scott; Burkhalter, Kim

2010-01-01

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to document how a doctoral research team applied an action research process to improve communication and collaboration strategies among rural Midwestern school district stakeholders. Design/methodology/approach: An appreciative inquiry (AI) action research methodology framed as a qualitative case study using…

The Effect of POGIL on Academic Performance and Academic Confidence

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

De Gale, S.; Boisselle, L. N.

2015-01-01

POGIL (Process Oriented Guided Inquiry Learning) is a collaborative learning technique that employs guided inquiry within a cyclic system of exploration, concept invention, and application. This action research explores students' academic performance on a unit of organic chemistry work taught using POGIL, in addition to the effect of POGIL on…

A Narrative Inquiry into Schooling in China: Three Images of the Principalship

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Craig, Cheryl J.; Zou, Yali; Poimbeauf, Rita P.

2015-01-01

This narrative inquiry exploring contemporary Chinese schooling involved three researchers who worked collaboratively as a team. Each researcher resonated with a different image of the principalship embedded in the storied account proffered by Xu Xiaozhang ??, leader of Hexie Elementary School in Tianjin, China. (1) Principal as the lead teacher;…

Re-Envisioning Literacy in a Teacher Inquiry Group in a Native American Context

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Vaughn, Margaret

2016-01-01

The present study describes a yearlong collaborative inquiry involving six teachers and their professional discussions about literacy instruction as they developed a curriculum to support the cultural and linguistic needs of their school's 88% Native American student population. Participants in this study were four Native American teachers and two…

Changing Our Minds/Changing the World: The Power of a Question

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Laman, Tasha Tropp

2006-01-01

This article examines the curricular possibilities within critical inquiry-based primary classrooms. The children in this first through third grade multi-age, multi-lingual classroom participated in a two-year critical and collaborative inquiry around issues of segregation and the Jim Crow laws. A touchstone text, Freedom Summer (Wiles, 2001) and…

Combining research, advocacy, and education: the methods of the Grandparent Caregiver Study.

PubMed

Roe, K M; Minkler, M; Saunders, F F

1995-11-01

This article presents a case study of the effective synergy of health education inquiry, community collaboration, and policy advocacy. Using the Grandparent Caregiver Study as the example, the authors focus on key methodological decisions that enabled them to incorporate research, education, and advocacy activities into an ever-growing project on a modest budget. The study itself centered on two in-depth interviews with each of 71 African American grandmothers raising young grandchildren due to the crack cocaine epidemic in Oakland, California. The case study demonstrates ways in which health education research can increase the efficacy of individuals and disenfranchised groups to define problems, voice their concerns, and advocate for more just and healthy public policies. Through discussion of the authors' methods and activities, they suggest strategies through which research participants, service providers, and policymakers can work together to bring a new issue to the policy arena through a collaborative and empowering research process.

Inquiry Based Writing Workshop

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Spence, Lucy K.

2009-01-01

Teacher-librarians have implemented collaborations, becoming facilitators of literacy development throughout their schools as library research moves into multimodal forms. For instance, Wolf & Jordan (2006) studied teacher-librarian collaboration with third grade students researching and writing within a unit on severe weather preparedness. The…

Using Chem-Wiki to Increase Student Collaboration through Online Lab Reporting

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Elliott, Edward W., III; Fraiman, Ana

2010-01-01

The nature of laboratory work has changed in the past decade. One example is a shift from working individually or in pairs on single traditional verification experiments to working collaboratively in larger groups in inquiry and research-based laboratories, over extended periods in and outside of the lab. In this increased era of collaboration, we…

Heeding the CALL (Comprehensive Assessment of Leadership for Learning): An Inquiry into Instructional Collaboration among School Professionals

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Min, Sookweon; Modeste, Marsha E.; Salisbury, Jason; Goff, Peter T.

2016-01-01

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to examine what school leadership practices are associated with a school's level of instructional collaboration among school professionals and also investigates what school characteristics are linked to the level of instructional collaboration in a school. Design/methodology/approach: This study drew data from…

Making Science Matter: Collaborations between Informal Science Education Organizations and Schools. A CAISE Inquiry Group Report. Executive Summary

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Center for Advancement of Informal Science Education, 2010

2010-01-01

Throughout the world, and for many decades, science-rich cultural institutions, such as zoos, aquaria, museums, and others, have collaborated with schools to provide students, teachers and families with opportunities to expand their experiences and understanding of science. However, these collaborations have generally failed to institutionalize:…

Narrative Accounts of US Teachers' Collaborative Curriculum Making in a Physical Education Department

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

You, JeongAe; Craig, Cheryl J.

2015-01-01

Through the use of narrative inquiry, this research study explores the collaborative curriculum making experiences of six teachers (three males; three females) in one physical education (PE) department in an urban middle school in the U.S. Collaboration; as defined in this work, this has to do with teachers' voluntary interactions and their shared…

Science teachers' attempts at integrating feminist pedagogy through collaborative action research

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Capobianco, Brenda M.

2007-01-01

The purpose of this study was to examine the experiences of three science teachers attempting to transform their practice by conducting action research on feminist science teaching. The teachers engaged in systematic, self-critical inquiry of their own practice and joined 8 other science teachers to engage in collaborative conversations about the nature of science, science teaching, and science education as a way of coming to a better understanding of how science can be taught for a more diverse group of students. Data were gathered via semistructured interviews, whole-group discussions, classroom observations, and review of supporting documents. Data analysis was based on narrative inquiry, where particular attention was given to the construction and reconstruction of the teachers' stories of their practical inquiries. Results indicated that the teachers as researchers of their own practice gained new knowledge about feminist science teaching and, furthermore, generated a cluster of pedagogical possibilities for inclusive, dynamic science teaching.

Collaborative visual analytics of radio surveys in the Big Data era

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vohl, Dany; Fluke, Christopher J.; Hassan, Amr H.; Barnes, David G.; Kilborn, Virginia A.

2017-06-01

Radio survey datasets comprise an increasing number of individual observations stored as sets of multidimensional data. In large survey projects, astronomers commonly face limitations regarding: 1) interactive visual analytics of sufficiently large subsets of data; 2) synchronous and asynchronous collaboration; and 3) documentation of the discovery workflow. To support collaborative data inquiry, we present encube, a large-scale comparative visual analytics framework. encube can utilise advanced visualization environments such as the CAVE2 (a hybrid 2D and 3D virtual reality environment powered with a 100 Tflop/s GPU-based supercomputer and 84 million pixels) for collaborative analysis of large subsets of data from radio surveys. It can also run on standard desktops, providing a capable visual analytics experience across the display ecology. encube is composed of four primary units enabling compute-intensive processing, advanced visualisation, dynamic interaction, parallel data query, along with data management. Its modularity will make it simple to incorporate astronomical analysis packages and Virtual Observatory capabilities developed within our community. We discuss how encube builds a bridge between high-end display systems (such as CAVE2) and the classical desktop, preserving all traces of the work completed on either platform - allowing the research process to continue wherever you are.

Synthesis and Hydrogenation of Disubstituted Chalcones: A Guided-Inquiry Organic Chemistry Project

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mohrig, Jerry R.; Hammond, Christina Noring; Schatz, Paul F.; Davidson, Tammy A.

2009-01-01

Guided-inquiry experiments offer the same opportunities to participate in the process of science as classical organic qualitative analysis used to do. This three-week guided-inquiry project involves an aldol-dehydration synthesis of a chalcone chosen from a set of nine, followed by a catalytic transfer hydrogenation reaction using ammonium formate…

Teachers' Tendencies to Promote Student-Led Science Projects: Associations with Their Views about Science

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bencze, J. Lawrence; Bowen, G. Michael; Alsop, Steve

2006-01-01

School science students can benefit greatly from participation in student-directed, open-ended scientific inquiry projects. For various possible reasons, however, students tend not to be engaged in such inquiries. Among factors that may limit their opportunities to engage in open-ended inquiries of their design are teachers' conceptions about…

Effects of 3D Printing Project-based Learning on Preservice Elementary Teachers' Science Attitudes, Science Content Knowledge, and Anxiety About Teaching Science

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Novak, Elena; Wisdom, Sonya

2018-05-01

3D printing technology is a powerful educational tool that can promote integrative STEM education by connecting engineering, technology, and applications of science concepts. Yet, research on the integration of 3D printing technology in formal educational contexts is extremely limited. This study engaged preservice elementary teachers (N = 42) in a 3D Printing Science Project that modeled a science experiment in the elementary classroom on why things float or sink using 3D printed boats. The goal was to explore how collaborative 3D printing inquiry-based learning experiences affected preservice teachers' science teaching self-efficacy beliefs, anxiety toward teaching science, interest in science, perceived competence in K-3 technology and engineering science standards, and science content knowledge. The 3D printing project intervention significantly decreased participants' science teaching anxiety and improved their science teaching efficacy, science interest, and perceived competence in K-3 technological and engineering design science standards. Moreover, an analysis of students' project reflections and boat designs provided an insight into their collaborative 3D modeling design experiences. The study makes a contribution to the scarce body of knowledge on how teacher preparation programs can utilize 3D printing technology as a means of preparing prospective teachers to implement the recently adopted engineering and technology standards in K-12 science education.

GLOBE Earth Science Education and Public Outreach in Developing Countries GLOBE Earth Science Education and Public Outreach in Developing Countries

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sparrow, E. B.; Boger, R. A.

2005-12-01

GLOBE is an international hands-on earth science education program that involves scientists, teachers and students in more than 16,000 primary and secondary schools. GLOBE is funded by the National Aeronautics Administration (NASA), the National Science Foundation (NSF) and the U.S. Department of State. GLOBE works with schools (teachers and students) through more than 100 U.S. GLOBE partnerships with universities, state and local school systems, and non-government organizations. Internationally, GLOBE is partnered with 109 countries that include many developing nations throughout the world. In addition to the GLOBE's different areas of investigation e.g. Atmosphere/ Weather, Hydrology, Soils, Land Cover Biology and Phenology ( plant and animal), there are special projects such as the GLOBE Urban Phenology Year Project (GUPY) that engages developing and developed countries ( Finland, United States, Japan, Philippines, Thailand, Jordan, Kyrgystan, Senegal, Poland, Estonia, and the Dominican Republic) in studying the effects of urbanization on vegetation phenology, a sensitive indicator of climate change. Vegetation phenology integrates different components of the Earth system i.e. carbon and geochemical cycling, water cycling and energy cycling and is an excellent way to engage students in collaborative projects. This presentation will highlight the GUPY project and provide additional examples of local initiatives and collaborations with indigenous communities that use GLOBE and an inquiry approach to revise science education in developing countries .

Using Educative Assessments to Support Science Teaching for Middle School English-language Learners

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Buxton, Cory A.; Allexsaht-Snider, Martha; Suriel, Regina; Kayumova, Shakhnoza; Choi, Youn-jeng; Bouton, Bobette; Baker, Melissa

2013-03-01

Grounded in Hallidayan perspectives on academic language, we report on our development of an educative science assessment as one component of the language-rich inquiry science for English-language learners teacher professional learning project for middle school science teachers. The project emphasizes the role of content-area writing to support teachers in diagnosing their students' emergent understandings of science inquiry practices, science content knowledge, and the academic language of science, with a particular focus on the needs of English-language learners. In our current school policy context, writing for meaningful purposes has received decreased attention as teachers struggle to cover large numbers of discrete content standards. Additionally, high-stakes assessments presented in multiple-choice format have become the definitive measure of student science learning, further de-emphasizing the value of academic writing for developing and expressing understanding. To counter these trends, we examine the implementation of educative assessment materials—writing-rich assessments designed to support teachers' instructional decision making. We report on the qualities of our educative assessment that supported teachers in diagnosing their students' emergent understandings, and how teacher-researcher collaborative scoring sessions and interpretation of assessment results led to changes in teachers' instructional decision making to better support students in expressing their scientific understandings. We conclude with implications of this work for theory, research, and practice.

The GLOBAL Learning and Observations to Benefit the Environment (GLOBE) Collaboration System. Building a robust international collaboration environment for teachers, scientists and students.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Overoye, D.; Lewis, C.

2016-12-01

The Global Learning and Observations to Benefit the Environment (GLOBE) Program is a worldwide hands-on, primary and secondary school-based science and education program founded on Earth Day 1995. Implemented in 117 countries, GLOBE promotes the teaching and learning of science, supporting students, teachers and scientists worldwide to collaborate with each other on inquiry-based investigations of the Earth system. As an international platform supporting a large number and variety of stakeholders, the GLOBE Data Information System (DIS) was re-built with the goal of providing users the support needed to foster and develop collaboration between teachers, students and scientists while supporting the collection and visualization of over 50 different earth science investigations (protocols). There have been many challenges to consider as we have worked to prototype and build various tools to support collaboration across the GLOBE community - language, security, time zones, user roles and the Child Online Protection Act (COPA) to name a few. During the last 3 years the re-built DIS has been in operation we have supported user to user collaboration, school to school collaboration, project/campaign to user collaboration and scientist to scientist collaboration. We have built search tools to facilitate finding collaboration partners. The tools and direction continue to evolve based on feedback, evolving needs and changes in technology. With this paper we discuss our approach for dealing with some of the collaboration challenges, review tools built to encourage and support collaboration, and analyze which tools have been successful and which have not. We will review new ideas for collaboration in the GLOBE community that are guiding upcoming development.

Exploring prospective secondary science teachers' understandings of scientific inquiry and Mendelian genetics concepts using computer simulation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cakir, Mustafa

The primary objective of this case study was to examine prospective secondary science teachers' developing understanding of scientific inquiry and Mendelian genetics. A computer simulation of basic Mendelian inheritance processes (Catlab) was used in combination with small-group discussions and other instructional scaffolds to enhance prospective science teachers' understandings. The theoretical background for this research is derived from a social constructivist perspective. Structuring scientific inquiry as investigation to develop explanations presents meaningful context for the enhancement of inquiry abilities and understanding of the science content. The context of the study was a teaching and learning course focused on inquiry and technology. Twelve prospective science teachers participated in this study. Multiple data sources included pre- and post-module questionnaires of participants' view of scientific inquiry, pre-posttests of understandings of Mendelian concepts, inquiry project reports, class presentations, process videotapes of participants interacting with the simulation, and semi-structured interviews. Seven selected prospective science teachers participated in in-depth interviews. Findings suggest that while studying important concepts in science, carefully designed inquiry experiences can help prospective science teachers to develop an understanding about the types of questions scientists in that field ask, the methodological and epistemological issues that constrain their pursuit of answers to those questions, and the ways in which they construct and share their explanations. Key findings included prospective teachers' initial limited abilities to create evidence-based arguments, their hesitancy to include inquiry in their future teaching, and the impact of collaboration on thinking. Prior to this experience the prospective teachers held uninformed views of scientific inquiry. After the module, participants demonstrated extended expertise in their understandings of following aspects of scientific inquiry: (a) the iterative nature of scientific inquiry; (b) the tentativeness of specific knowledge claims; (c) the degree to which scientists rely on empirical data, as well as broader conceptual and metaphysical commitments, to assess models and to direct future inquiries; (d) the need for conceptual consistency; (e) multiple methods of investigations and multiple interpretations of data; and (f) social and cultural aspects of scientific inquiry. This research provided evidence that hypothesis testing can support the integrated acquisition of conceptual and procedural knowledge in science. Participants' conceptual elaborations of Mendelian inheritance were enhanced. There were qualitative changes in the nature of the participants' explanations. Moreover, the average percentage of correct responses improved from 39% on the pretest to 67% on the posttest. Findings also suggest those prospective science teachers' experiences as learners of science in their methods course served as a powerful tool for thinking about the role of inquiry in teaching and learning science. They had mixed views about enacting inquiry in their teaching in the future. All of them stated some kind of general willingness to do so; yet, they also mentioned some reservations and practical considerations about inquiry-based teaching.

A Multi-User Virtual Environment for Building and Assessing Higher Order Inquiry Skills in Science

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ketelhut, Diane Jass; Nelson, Brian C.; Clarke, Jody; Dede, Chris

2010-01-01

This study investigated novel pedagogies for helping teachers infuse inquiry into a standards-based science curriculum. Using a multi-user virtual environment (MUVE) as a pedagogical vehicle, teams of middle-school students collaboratively solved problems around disease in a virtual town called River City. The students interacted with "avatars" of…

Exploring Relationship between Students' Questioning Behaviors and Inquiry Tasks in an Online Forum through Analysis of Ideational Function of Questions

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tan, Seng-Chee; Seah, Lay-Hoon

2011-01-01

In this study we explored questioning behaviors among elementary students engaging in inquiry science using the "Knowledge Forum", a computer-supported collaborative learning tool. Adapting the theory of systemic functional linguistics, we developed the Ideational Function of Question (IFQ) analytical framework by means of inductive analysis of…

A Self-Study Investigation of Using Inquiry Groups in a Professional Development School Context

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Garin, Eva; Harper, Mya

2016-01-01

Inquiry Group participation for PDS teachers and teacher candidates is one of the signature programs of the Bowie State University PDS Network and provides PDS teachers and teacher candidates the opportunity to collaborate on teaching strategies and methodologies to use in their classrooms. This article uses self-study methodology to explore the…

Using the Inquiry Process to Motivate and Engage All (Including Struggling) Readers

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Savitz, Rachelle S.; Wallace, Kelly

2016-01-01

With increasingly rigorous standards and mounting high stakes testing, it seems harder than ever to motivate and engage struggling readers. In this article the authors provide an overview of the inquiry learning process, which details how providing students with choice and opportunities to collaborate with peers can keep students invested in their…

The Community of Inquiry Framework Meets the SOLO Taxonomy: A Process-Product Model of Online Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Shea, Peter; Gozza-Cohen, Mary; Uzuner, Sedef; Mehta, Ruchi; Valtcheva, Anna Valentinova; Hayes, Suzanne; Vickers, Jason

2011-01-01

This paper presents both a conceptual and empirical investigation of teaching and learning in online courses. Employing both the Community of Inquiry framework (CoI) and the Structure of Observed Learning Outcomes (SOLO) taxonomy, two complete online courses were examined for the quality of both collaborative learning processes and learning…

A Five-Stage Prediction-Observation-Explanation Inquiry-Based Learning Model to Improve Students' Learning Performance in Science Courses

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hsiao, Hsien-Sheng; Chen, Jyun-Chen; Hong, Jon-Chao; Chen, Po-Hsi; Lu, Chow-Chin; Chen, Sherry Y.

2017-01-01

A five-stage prediction-observation-explanation inquiry-based learning (FPOEIL) model was developed to improve students' scientific learning performance. In order to intensify the science learning effect, the repertory grid technology-assisted learning (RGTL) approach and the collaborative learning (CL) approach were utilized. A quasi-experimental…

Collaborative Inquiry with Technology in Secondary Science Classrooms: Professional Learning Community Development at Work

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Harnisch, Delwyn L.; Comstock, Sharon L.; Bruce, Bertram C.

2014-01-01

The development of critical scientific literacy in primary and secondary school classrooms requires authentic inquiry with a basis in the real world. Pairing scientists with educators and employing informatics and visualization tools are two successful ways to achieve this. This article is based on rich data collected over eight years from middle…

Developing Inquiry for Learning: Reflecting Collaborative Ways to Learn How to Learn in Higher Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ovens, Peter; Wells, Frances; Wallis, Patricia; Hawkins, Cyndy

2011-01-01

"Developing Inquiry for Learning" shows how university tutors can help students to improve their abilities to learn and to become professional inquirers. An increasing proportion of students entering higher education seem to assume that learning is a relatively passive process. This may be the largest single limitation to their achievement.…

The Proof of the Pudding?: A Case Study of an "At-Risk" Design-Based Inquiry Science Curriculum

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Chue, Shien; Lee, Yew-Jin

2013-01-01

When students collaboratively design and build artifacts that require relevant understanding and application of science, many aspects of scientific literacy are developed. Design-based inquiry (DBI) is one such pedagogy that can serve these desired goals of science education well. Focusing on a Projectile Science curriculum previously found to be…

Changing the Instructional Model: Utilizing Blended Learning as a Tool of Inquiry Instruction in Middle School Science

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Longo, Christopher M.

2016-01-01

Educators need to delve further into effective ways to spark student interest, motivation, and curiosity both in the middle school classroom and in the online environment. A thoughtfully crafted blended learning process, infused with inquiry learning, can provide students with opportunities to collaborate, think critically, and pose questions,…

An International Collaboration to Promote Inquiry-Based Learning in Undergraduate Engineering Classrooms

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Randall, D'Arcy C.; Moore, Christy; Carvalho, Isabel S.

2012-01-01

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to describe specific techniques of "inquiry-based learning" employed by three instructors in Engineering schools, one in Europe and two in the USA. Design/methodology/approach: Theorists such as Bransford et al. argue that twenty-first century educators need to teach students to do more than simply…

Designing a Web-Based Science Learning Environment for Model-Based Collaborative Inquiry

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sun, Daner; Looi, Chee-Kit

2013-01-01

The paper traces a research process in the design and development of a science learning environment called WiMVT (web-based inquirer with modeling and visualization technology). The WiMVT system is designed to help secondary school students build a sophisticated understanding of scientific conceptions, and the science inquiry process, as well as…

Teaching for Ownership in the Middle School Science Classroom: Towards Practical Inquiry in an Age of Accountability

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Clayton, Christine D.; Ardito, Gerald

2009-01-01

The authors of this study document one middle school classroom in an attempt to understand how inquiry learning, supported with technological tools, can provide students with opportunities to develop ownership of science content knowledge. Case study and collaborative teacher researcher methods were utilized to document the implementation of a…

Doing Science by Waving Hands: Talk, Symbiotic Gesture, and Interaction with Digital Content as Resources in Student Inquiry

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gregorcic, Bor; Planinsic, Gorazd; Etkina, Eugenia

2017-01-01

In this paper, we investigate some of the ways in which students, when given the opportunity and an appropriate learning environment, spontaneously engage in collaborative inquiry. We studied small groups of high school students interacting around and with an interactive whiteboard equipped with Algodoo software, as they investigated orbital…

The Narrative Documentation of Pedagogical Experiences and the Democratization of Professional Development and Schooling in Argentina

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Suarez, Daniel Hugo

2017-01-01

This article represents the culmination of several decades of the development of collaborative forms of teacher inquiry in Argentina and Chile. Inspired by education ethnographers in the 1970s and 1980s, the "talleres" (workshops) movement led to forms of professional development grounded in critical ethnographic inquiry by teachers and…

A Guided Inquiry Methodology to Achieve Authentic Science in a Large Undergraduate Biology Course

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Martineau, Carolyn; Traphagen, Stephen; Sparkes, Timothy C.

2013-01-01

University instructors are challenged to involve large student populations with varying pre-existing knowledge in authentic inquiry. We present a model in which students collaborate to design and run their own experiment and engage in peer evaluation. In the model, students in different lab sections of a multi-section course explore alternative…

Effects of Web based inquiry on physical science teachers and students in an urban school district

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Stephens, Joanne

An inquiry approach in teaching science has been advocated by many science educators for the past few decades. Due to insufficient district funding for science teaching, inadequate science laboratory facilities, and outdated science materials, inquiry teaching has been difficult for many science teachers, particularly science teachers in urban settings. However, research shows that the availability of computers with high speed Internet access has increased in all school districts. This study focused on the effects of inservice training on teachers and using web based science inquiry activities with ninth grade physical science students. Participants were 16 science teachers and 474 physical science students in an urban school district of a large southern U.S. city. Students were divided into control and experimental groups. The students in the experimental group participated in web based inquiry activities. Students in the control group were taught using similar methods, but not web based science activities. Qualitative and quantitative data were collected over a nine-week period using instruments and focus group interviews of students' and teachers' perceptions of the classroom learning environment, students' achievement, lesson design and classroom implementation, science content of lesson, and classroom culture. The findings reported that there were no significant differences in teachers' perception of the learning environment before and after implementing web based inquiry activities. The findings also reported that there were no overall significant differences in students' perceptions of the learning environment and achievement, pre-survey to post-survey, pre-test to post-test, between the control group and experimental group. Additional findings disclosed that students in the experimental group learned in a collaborative environment. The students confirmed that collaborating with others contributed to a deeper understanding of the science content. This study provides insights about utilizing technology to promote science inquiry teaching and learning. This study describes students' and teachers' perceptions of using web based inquiry to support scientific inquiry.

Students Dig Deep in the Mystery Soil Lab: A Playful, Inquiry-Based Soil Laboratory Project

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Thiet, Rachel K.

2014-01-01

The Mystery Soil Lab, a playful, inquiry-based laboratory project, is designed to develop students' skills of inquiry, soil analysis, and synthesis of foundational concepts in soil science and soil ecology. Student groups are given the charge to explore and identify a "Mystery Soil" collected from a unique landscape within a 10-mile…

Acting Like a Mathematician: A Project to Encourage Inquiry Early in the Math Major

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Camenga, Kristin A.

2017-01-01

Inquiry is promoted as a way to engage students so that they learn more deeply; inquiry is also an end in itself, introducing students to the research process and the behaviors of a mathematician. This article reflects on an individual exploratory project used in a sophomore-level number theory course, examining how it supported student inquiry…

Goal, Objectives, and Responsibilities. Competency-Based Education (CBE): Pathways to College, Career, and Life Ready Graduates

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Iowa Department of Education, 2018

2018-01-01

In 2012 Senate File 2284 approved competency-based education (CBE). In 2013 House File 215 provided $100,000 to be used as grants to districts/schools participating in a collaborative effort toward CBE pathways for their students and a framework toward statewide implementation. The Iowa CBE Collaborative will engage in collaborative inquiry to…

Inquiry identity and science teacher professional development

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bryce, Nadine; Wilmes, Sara E. D.; Bellino, Marissa

2016-06-01

An effective inquiry-oriented science teacher possesses more than the skills of teaching through investigation. They must address philosophies, and ways of interacting as a member of a group of educators who value and practice science through inquiry. Professional development opportunities can support inquiry identity development, but most often they address teaching practices from limited cognitive perspectives, leaving unexplored the shifts in identity that may accompany teachers along their journey in becoming skilled in inquiry-oriented instruction. In this forum article, we envision Victoria Deneroff's argument that "professional development could be designed to facilitate reflexive transformation of identity within professional learning environments" (2013, p. 33). Instructional coaching, cogenerative dialogues, and online professional communities are discussed as ways to promote inquiry identity formation and collaboration in ways that empower and deepen science teachers' conversations related to personal and professional efficacy in the service of improved science teaching and learning.

Using guided inquiry and the information search process to develop research confidence among first year anatomy students.

PubMed

Bentley, Danielle Christine; Robinson, Andrea Cristina; Ruscitti, Robert Joseph

2015-01-01

With the growing volume of obtainable medical information and scientific literature, it is crucial that students in the field of allied health professions develop and refine the research skill set necessary to effectively find, retrieve, analyze, and use this information. This skill set can be effectively developed using student inquiry; an active learning process where students answer questions using research and data analysis. Therefore, with the pedagogical goal of developing information literacy among a cohort of allied health professional trainees, first year students studying human anatomy completed inquiry-based projects that were structured within the framework of the Information Search Process. This article thoroughly describes the conceptualization, creation, improvement, implementation, and assessment of the projects beginning with version one, the Student Inquiry Projects. Following a pilot of the Student Inquiry Projects various evidence-based improvements resulted in the final project version called the Inquiry Guided Learning Projects (IGLPs). A full assessment of the IGLPs revealed that students' self-perceived confidence improved for all tested research skills including: research question development, research question selection, exploration of peer-review literature, acquisition of resources, effective communication of results, and literature citation (all P < 0.05). Furthermore, six months following project completion students retained improved confidence in research question development and effective communication of results, with 90% of students indicating the IGLPs were directly responsible for these improvements. By guiding students through the Information Search Process, the IGLPs successfully developed research confidence among allied health trainees. © 2015 American Association of Anatomists.

Wiki Laboratory Notebooks: Supporting Student Learning in Collaborative Inquiry-Based Laboratory Experiments

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lawrie, Gwendolyn Angela; Grøndahl, Lisbeth; Boman, Simon; Andrews, Trish

2016-06-01

Recent examples of high-impact teaching practices in the undergraduate chemistry laboratory that include course-based undergraduate research experiences and inquiry-based experiments require new approaches to assessing individual student learning outcomes. Instructors require tools and strategies that can provide them with insight into individual student contributions to collaborative group/teamwork throughout the processes of experimental design, data analysis, display and communication of their outcomes in relation to their research question(s). Traditional assessments in the form of laboratory notebooks or experimental reports provide limited insight into the processes of collaborative inquiry-based activities. A wiki environment offers a collaborative domain that can potentially support collaborative laboratory processes and scientific record keeping. In this study, the effectiveness of the wiki in supporting laboratory learning and assessment has been evaluated through analysis of the content and histories for three consenting, participating groups of students. The conversational framework has been applied to map the relationships between the instructor, tutor, students and laboratory activities. Analytics that have been applied to the wiki platform include: character counts, page views, edits, timelines and the extent and nature of the contribution by each student to the wiki. Student perceptions of both the role and the impact of the wiki on their experiences and processes have also been collected. Evidence has emerged from this study that the wiki environment has enhanced co-construction of understanding of both the experimental process and subsequent communication of outcomes and data. A number of features are identified to support success in the use of the wiki platform for laboratory notebooks.

Student cognition and motivation during the Classroom BirdWatch citizen science project

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tomasek, Terry Morton

The purpose of this study was to examine and describe the ways various stakeholders (CBW project developer/coordinator, elementary and middle school teachers, and 5th through 8th grade students) envisioned, implemented and engaged in the citizen science project, eBird/Classroom BirdWatch. A multiple case study mixed-methods research design was used to examine student engagement in the cognitive processes associated with scientific inquiry as part of citizen science participation. Student engagement was described based on a sense of autonomy, competence, relatedness and intrinsic motivation. A goal of this study was to expand the taxonomy of differences between authentic scientific inquiry and simple inquiry to include those inquiry tasks associated with participation in citizen science by describing how students engaged in this type of science. This research study built upon the existing framework of cognitive processes associated with scientific inquiry described by Chinn and Malhotra (2002). This research provides a systematic analysis of the scientific processes and related reasoning tasks associated with the citizen science project eBird and the corresponding curriculum Classroom BirdWatch . Data consisted of responses to surveys, focus group interviews, document analysis and individual interviews. I suggest that citizen science could be an additional form of classroom-based science inquiry that can promote more authentic features of scientific inquiry and engage students in meaningful ways.

RITES: Online (Reaching In-Service Teachers With Earth Sciences Online)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Baptiste, H.

2002-12-01

The RITES: Online project team (Drs. H. Prentice Baptiste, Susan Brown, Jennifer Villa) believe that the power of technology could not be effectively utilized unless it is grounded in new models of teaching and learning based on a student centered and project based curriculum, that increases opportunities for active, hands-on learning and respect for multiculturalism. We subscribe to an inquiry approach to learning. Specifically, science teaching should actively engage the learners in activities that draw on multiple abilities and learning styles. Recent brain-based research has shown that human beings construct knowledge through actions and interactions within their environment. Learning occurs in communities, and new ideas are linked to previous knowledge and constructed by the learner. Knowledge is acquired by making connections. We believe the aforementioned ideas and points to be equally true for the inservice teachers participating in the RITES: Online project as well as for their students. The ESSEA science courses are delivered by distance learning via the university WebCt distance education system. Teachers are encouraged to use technology in their classrooms and to record their students' involvement in science activities with digital cameras. Teachers involved in the ESSEA courses are engaged in earth science inquiry activities relevant to the four spheres (atmosphere, lithosphere, biosphere, hydrosphere) with the students in their classes. This presentation will highlight the teachers in the roles of designer, researcher, and collaborator. As a result of our courses our teachers attain the following positive outcomes: 1) Teachers experience the inquiry approach to learning about the spheres of our earth. 2) Teachers become confident in using technology. 3) Teachers learn to work cooperatively in-groups and understand what their own students must feel. 4) Teachers find ways to obtain dynamic professional development and not leave their classrooms or homes. 5) Teachers develop relationships with other teachers that have an interest in teaching science and a learning community evolves.

Fostering Students’ and Teachers’ Understanding of the Nature of Science: Where We Need the Broadest of Broader Impacts

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Laursen, S. L.; Dauber, R.; Molnar, P. H.; Smith, L. K.

2009-12-01

Making wise decisions about daunting societal and environmental problems requires understanding of both scientific concepts and the limits of scientific knowledge. While K-12 school standards now include topics on scientific inquiry and the nature of science, few science teachers have personal knowledge of these ideas through conducting science research first-hand. In their own education, most have experienced primarily fact-packed lecture courses rather than deep engagement with gathering, interpreting and communicating about scientific evidence. Teachers are thus at a disadvantage in teaching about the nature of science. Moreover, few curriculum materials directly address these ideas. Instead, instructors at all levels tend to rely on students gleaning ideas from their lab work, without ever making them explicit. The result is a poor understanding of the nature of science among many students and citizens. Thus the nature of science is an important and fruitful area for “broader impacts” efforts by NSF-funded projects across the entire spectrum of science. To address this gap, we have created a 20-minute educational documentary film focused on the nature and processes of science. The film is a broader impacts effort for a large, NSF-funded, multidisciplinary, collaborative research project to study the uplift of the Tibetan plateau and its impact on atmospheric and climate processes. The film, Upward and Outward: Scientific Inquiry on the Tibetan Plateau, focuses on the process of science, as seen through the lens of a specific project. Viewers follow an international team of scientists as they work in the laboratory and in the field, build new instruments and computer models, travel to exotic locales, argue about their findings, and enjoy collaboration and conversation. By gaining an insider’s glimpse into both the intellectual process of scientific inquiry and the everyday social and professional activities of science, students learn how science is a human process for building knowledge, not just a body of fact. While originally targeted to students in grades 8-12, the film has also proven effective with undergraduates in introductory science courses, and with teachers in professional development courses. The 20-minute length ensures that the film can be readily screened and discussed within a single class session, and teachers are supported with suggested pre/post writing prompts, discussion questions, teaching tips, and background materials on the film's scientific content. The presentation will describe the making of the film, its relationship to the scientific project, its use with students and teachers, and some data on their responses. We will show a short clip and make copies of the DVD available to educators and professional developers who attend the session. More information about the film, a short clip, and supporting information for educators can be found at our web site.

Impactful Practitioner Inquiry: The Ripple Effect on Classrooms, Schools, and Teacher Professionalism. Practitioner Inquiry Series

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Nichols, Sue; Cormack, Phil

2016-01-01

How does practitioner inquiry impact education? Examining the experiences of practitioners who have participated in inquiry projects, the authors present ways in which this work has enabled educators to be positive change agents. They reveal the difference that practitioner inquiry has made in their professional practice, their understanding of…

Project LAUNCH: Bringing Space into Math and Science Classrooms

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Fauerbach, M.; Henry, D. P.; Schmidt, D. L.

2005-01-01

Project LAUNCH is a K-12 teacher professional development program, which has been created in collaboration between the Whitaker Center for Science, Mathematics and Technology Education at Florida Gulf Coast University (FGCU), and the Florida Space Research Institute (FSRI). Utilizing Space as the overarching theme it is designed to improve mathematics and science teaching, using inquiry based, hands-on teaching practices, which are aligned with Florida s Sunshine State Standards. Many students are excited about space exploration and it provides a great venue to get them involved in science and mathematics. The scope of Project LAUNCH however goes beyond just providing competency in the subject area, as pedagogy is also an intricate part of the project. Participants were introduced to the Conceptual Change Model (CCM) [1] as a framework to model good teaching practices. As the CCM closely follows what scientists call the scientific process, this teaching method is also useful to actively engage institute participants ,as well as their students, in real science. Project LAUNCH specifically targets teachers in low performing, high socioeconomic schools, where the need for skilled teachers is most critical.

Collaborative Communication in Work Based Learning Programs

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wagner, Stephen Allen

2017-01-01

This basic qualitative study, using interviews and document analysis, examined reflections from a Work Based Learning (WBL) program to understand how utilizing digital collaborative communication tools influence the educational experience. The Community of Inquiry (CoI) framework was used as a theoretical frame promoting the examination of the…

Power and Knowledge-Building in Teacher Inquiry: Negotiating Interpersonal and Ideational Difference

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Spicer, David H. Eddy

2011-01-01

Professional collaboration in schools features prominently in contemporary approaches to educational change. Advocates highlight the importance of situated knowledge to continuous teacher learning, sustained school reform and improved student learning. Critics portray collaboration as an invisible and coercive means of official control. The…

Broadening Educational Practice to Include Translanguaging: An Outcome of Educator Inquiry into Multilingual Students' Learning Needs

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Van Viegen Stille, Saskia; Bethke, Robin; Bradley-Brown, Jackie; Giberson, Janet; Hall, Gillian

2016-01-01

This paper reports research findings relating to a recent initiative to build capacity and support professional learning among educators to meet the needs of English language learners in Ontario schools. Drawing on data from case studies of educator teams in 16 school districts, the paper explores whether and how collaborative inquiry promoted…

An Instructional Model to Support Problem-Based Historical Inquiry: The Persistent Issues in History Network

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Brush, Thomas; Saye, John

2014-01-01

For over a decade, we have collaborated with secondary school history teachers in an evolving line of inquiry that applies research-based propositions to the design and testing of a problem-based learning framework and a set of wise practices that represent a professional teaching knowledge base for implementing a particular model of instruction,…

Comparing the Quality of Third, Fourth, and Fifth Graders' Social Interactions and Cognitive Strategy Use during Structured Online Inquiry

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Coiro, Julie; Sekeres, Diane Carver; Castek, Jill; Guzniczak, Lizabeth

2014-01-01

This study examined the social and cognitive interaction patterns of third, fourth, and fifth graders as they collaboratively read on the Internet and responded to an inquiry prompt. Data analysis revealed patterns of cognitive strategy use that intersected with social forms and functions of dialogue. Dyads that exhibited higher levels of…

The Impact of Collaborative Groups versus Individuals in Undergraduate Inquiry-Based Astronomy Laboratory Learning Exercises

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sibbernsen, Kendra J.

2010-01-01

One of the long-standing general undergraduate education requirements common to many colleges and universities is a science course with a laboratory experience component. One of the objectives frequently included in the description of most of these courses is that a student will understand the nature and processes of scientific inquiry. However,…

An Inquiry-Based Biochemistry Laboratory Structure Emphasizing Competency in the Scientific Process: A Guided Approach with an Electronic Notebook Format

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hall, Mona L.; Vardar-Ulu, Didem

2014-01-01

The laboratory setting is an exciting and gratifying place to teach because you can actively engage the students in the learning process through hands-on activities; it is a dynamic environment amenable to collaborative work, critical thinking, problem-solving and discovery. The guided inquiry-based approach described here guides the students…

Exploring Problem-Based Learning in the Context of High School Science: Design and Implementation Issues

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Goodnough, Karen; Cashion, Marie

2006-01-01

This paper reports on the experiences of a small collaborative inquiry group consisting of a high school science teacher, Deidre, and two university researchers, the authors of this paper, as they explored an active, inquiry-based approach to teaching and learning referred to as Problem-Based Learning or PBL (Barrows, 1994; Barrows & Tamblyn,…

Lonergan's philosophy as grounding for cross-disciplinary research.

PubMed

Kane, Anne

2014-04-01

Increasingly, nurses conduct scientific inquiry into complex health-care problems by collaborating on teams with researchers from other highly specialized fields. As cross-disciplinary research proliferates and becomes institutionalized globally, researchers will increasingly encounter the need to integrate their particular research perspectives within inquiries without sacrificing the potential contributions of their discipline-specific expertise. The work of the philosopher Bernard Lonergan (1904–1984) offers the necessary philosophical grounding. Here, I defend a role for philosophy in cross-disciplinary research and present selected ideas in Lonergan's work. These include: (1) a dynamic, normative pattern that each inquirer operates uniquely also forms the common core, or unity, in knowing; (2) the possibility of cross-disciplinary knowledge development is dependent on each researcher's consciousness of her or his attentiveness, intelligence, reasonableness, and responsibleness; and (3) shifts in researchers' viewpoints, or horizons, facilitate their collaborative inquiry and their grasp of the unity in knowing. The desire to know, shared by team members, drives their inquiry. Lonergan's stance is consistent with nursing values because it respects, but does not unconditionally privilege, any researcher or discipline. Arguments support a claim that Lonergan's perspective is well suited to guide nurse researchers participating on cross-disciplinary health research teams.

The ERESE project: Bridging the gap between Digital Science Libraries and Education through Professional Development of Teachers and Database Development

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Staudigel, H.; Helly, M.; Helly, J.; Koppers, A.; Massel-Symons, C.; Miller, S.

2004-12-01

The ERESE (Enduring Resources in Earth Science Education) project involves a close collaboration between teachers, librarians, educators, data archive managers and scientists in Earth sciences and information technology, to create a digital library environment for Earth science education. We report here on an ongoing (NSF-NSDL) project involving teachers' professional development in the pedagogy of plate tectonics in middle and high schools. This work included efforts in scientific database development in terms of contents and search tools, the development of an inquiry based learning approach, a two week professional development workshop attended by 15 teachers from across the nation, a classroom implementation of lesson plans developed by the teachers at the workshop and an evaluation/validation process for the success of their pedagogic approaches. This ERESE project offers a novel path for both science teaching and professional outreach for scientists, and includes four key components: (1) A true, long-term research partnership between educators and scientists, guiding each other with respect to the authenticity of the science taught and the educational soundness of a scientists' elaborations on science concepts. (2) Expansion of existing scientific databases through the use of metadata that tie scientific materials to a particular expert level and teaching goal. (3) The design of interfaces that make data accessible to the educational community. (4) The use of an inquiry based teaching approach that integrates the scientist-educator collaboration and the data base developments. Our pedagogic approach includes the development of a central hypotheses by the student in response to an initial general orientation and presentation of a well chosen central provocative phenomenon by the teacher. Then, the student develops a research plan that is devoted to address this hypothesis through the use of the materials provided by a scientific database allowing a students prove or disprove their hypothesis and to explore the limits of the (current) understanding of a particular science question. Our first experience with this ERESE project involved a steep learning curve, but the initial results are very promising, providing true professional development for educators as well as for the scientists, whereby the former learn about new ways of teaching science and the latter learn to communicate with teachers.

Improving the Pipeline of Women in STEM Fields: Addressing Challenges in Instruction, Engagement, and Evaluation of an Aerospace Workshop Series for Girl Scouts

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sealfon, C. D.; Plummer, J. D.

2012-08-01

The Women in Aerospace and Technology Project (WATP) is a collaborative effort between the Girl Scouts of Eastern Pennsylvania, the American Helicopter Museum, Boeing Rotorcraft, Sikorsky Global Helicopters, Drexel University, West Chester University, and Arcadia University. The program aims to increase the representation of women in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) fields; the evaluation team identified a secondary goal to assess growth in participants' understanding of scientific inquiry. Girls, grades 4-12, were invited to join Girl Scout troops formed at the American Helicopter Museum to participate in a series of eight workshops on the physics and engineering of flight. Five college women majoring in physics and engineering were recruited as mentors for the girls. Lessons were written by local aerospace industry partners (including Boeing and Sikorsky); the mentors then taught the lessons and activities during the workshops. To evaluate the impact of this project, we collected data to answer two research questions: 1) In what ways does the program impact participants' attitudes towards science and interest in pursuing science as a career? 2) In what ways does the program impact participants' understanding of the nature of scientific inquiry? In this article we summarize results from two sources of data: before and after survey of attitudes about science and end-of-workshop informal questionnaires. Across the seven months of data collection, two challenges became apparent. First, our assessment goals, focusing on scientific interest and inquiry, seemed misaligned with the workshop curricula, which emphasized engineering and design. Secondly, there was little connection among activities within workshops and across the program.

Bringing humanity into view: action research with Qatar's ambulance service.

PubMed

Coleman, Gill; Wiggins, Liz

2017-08-21

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to argue for the widening of attention in healthcare improvement efforts, to include an awareness of the humanity of people who work in the sector and an appreciation of the part human connection plays in engagement around good quality work. Theoretical frameworks and research approaches which draw on action-based, interpretive and systemic thinking are proposed, as a complement to current practices. Design/methodology/approach The paper describes the early stages of an action research (AR) project, which used the appreciative inquiry "4D" framework to conduct participative inquiry in Hamad Medical Corporation's ambulance service in Qatar, in which staff became co-researchers. Findings The co-researchers were highly motivated to work with improvement goals as a result of their participation in the AR. They, and their managers, saw each other and the work in new ways and discovered that they had much to offer. Research limitations/implications This was a small-scale pilot project, from which findings must be considered tentative. The challenges of establishing good collaboration across language, culture and organisational divides are considerable. Practical implications Appreciative and action-oriented inquiry methods can serve not only to find things out, but also to highlight and give value to aspects of humanity in the workplace that are routinely left invisible in formal processes. This, in turn, can help with quality improvement. Originality/value This paper is a challenge to the orthodox way of viewing healthcare organisations, and improvement processes within them, as reliant on control rather than empowerment. An alternative is to actively include the agency, sense-making capacity and humanity of those involved.

Bringing Technology into High School Physics Classrooms

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zettili, Nouredine

2005-04-01

In an effort to help high school physics teachers bring technology into their classrooms, we at JSU have been offering professional development to secondary education teachers. This effort is part of Project IMPACTSEED (IMproving Physics And Chemistry Teaching in SEcondary Education), a No-Child Left Behind (NCLB) grant funded by the Alabama Commission on Higher Education, serving high school physics teachers in Northeast Alabama. This project is motivated by a major pressing local need: A large number of high school physics teachers teach out of field. To achieve IMPACTSEED's goals, we have forged a functional collaboration with school districts from about ten counties. This collaboration is aimed at achieving a double aim: (a) to make physics and chemistry understandable and fun to learn within a hands-on, inquiry-based setting; (b) to overcome the fear- factor for physics and chemistry among students. Through a two-week long summer institute, a series of weekend technology workshops, and onsite support, we have been providing year-round support to the physics/chemistry teachers in this area. This outreach initiative has helped provide our students with a physics/chemistry education that enjoys a great deal of continuity and consistency from high school to college.

Meta-Analysis of Inquiry-Based Instruction Research

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hasanah, N.; Prasetyo, A. P. B.; Rudyatmi, E.

2017-04-01

Inquiry-based instruction in biology has been the focus of educational research conducted by Unnes biology department students in collaboration with their university supervisors. This study aimed to describe the methodological aspects, inquiry teaching methods critically, and to analyse the results claims, of the selected four student research reports, grounded in inquiry, based on the database of Unnes biology department 2014. Four experimental quantitative research of 16 were selected as research objects by purposive sampling technique. Data collected through documentation study was qualitatively analysed regarding methods used, quality of inquiry syntax, and finding claims. Findings showed that the student research was still the lack of relevant aspects of research methodology, namely in appropriate sampling procedures, limited validity tests of all research instruments, and the limited parametric statistic (t-test) not supported previously by data normality tests. Their consistent inquiry syntax supported the four mini-thesis claims that inquiry-based teaching influenced their dependent variables significantly. In other words, the findings indicated that positive claims of the research results were not fully supported by good research methods, and well-defined inquiry procedures implementation.

Comparing Two Inquiry Professional Development Interventions in Science on Primary Students' Questioning and Other Inquiry Behaviours

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nichols, Kim; Burgh, Gilbert; Kennedy, Callie

2017-02-01

Developing students' skills to pose and respond to questions and actively engage in inquiry behaviours enables students to problem solve and critically engage with learning and society. The aim of this study was to analyse the impact of providing teachers with an intervention in inquiry pedagogy alongside inquiry science curriculum in comparison to an intervention in non-inquiry pedagogy alongside inquiry science curriculum on student questioning and other inquiry behaviours. Teacher participants in the comparison condition received training in four inquiry-based science units and in collaborative strategic reading. The experimental group, the community of inquiry (COI) condition, received training in facilitating a COI in addition to training in the same four inquiry-based science units. This study involved 227 students and 18 teachers in 9 primary schools across Brisbane, Australia. The teachers were randomly allocated by school to one of the two conditions. The study followed the students across years 6 and 7 and students' discourse during small group activities was recorded, transcribed and coded for verbal inquiry behaviours. In the second year of the study, students in the COI condition demonstrated a significantly higher frequency of procedural and substantive higher-order thinking questions and other inquiry behaviours than those in the comparison condition. Implementing a COI within an inquiry science curriculum develops students' questioning and science inquiry behaviours and allows teachers to foster inquiry skills predicated by the Australian Science Curriculum. Provision of inquiry science curriculum resources alone is not sufficient to promote the questioning and other verbal inquiry behaviours predicated by the Australian Science Curriculum.

Inquiry at the Heart of Teacher Preparation

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Yeigh, Maika J.

2017-01-01

This essay describes the action research projects and culminating conference for a Graduate Teacher Education Program. Teacher candidates conduct year-long research projects with the dual-goal of building a reflective inquiry stance and improving instructional practice.

An Action Research Project by Teacher Candidates and Their Instructor into Using Math Inquiry: Learning about Relations between Theory and Practice

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Betts, Paul; McLarty, Michelle; Dickson, Krysta

2017-01-01

This paper reports on what two teacher candidates and their instructor learned from an action research project into the use of inquiry to teach mathematics. We use a model of the relation between theory and practice in teacher education to interpret what we learned about inquiry. This model describes three modes for teacher candidates to learn…

After the Ink Dries: Doing Collaborative International Work in Higher Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Shore, Sue; Groen, Janet

2009-01-01

This article offers a contribution to the limited literature on internationalization as academic work. Using narrative inquiry incorporating a mode of research known as "car time", the authors generate narratives of practice to analyse the day-to-day work involved in their international university collaboration. The article foreshadows…

Expanding Our Understanding of the Inquiry Process

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Stafford, Tish; Stemple, Jennifer

2011-01-01

School librarians know the importance of collaboration. They cannot run effective school library programs unless they work closely with classroom teachers. They have learned that deep collaboration is a fluid process that evolves over time. Only as connections are made and relationships are forged can real instructional progress occur. Yet it…

Mendeley: Creating Communities of Scholarly Inquiry through Research Collaboration

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Zaugg, Holt; West, Richard E.; Tateishi, Isaku; Randall, Daniel L.

2010-01-01

Mendeley is a free, web-based tool for organizing research citations and annotating their accompanying PDF articles. Adapting Web 2.0 principles for academic scholarship, Mendeley integrates the management of the research articles with features for collaborating with researchers locally and worldwide. In this article the features of Mendeley are…

Collaborative Learning: Students' Perspectives on How Learning Happens

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Almajed, Abdulaziz; Skinner, Vicki; Peterson, Ray; Winning, Tracey

2016-01-01

Collaborative learning (CL), a core component of inquiry-based learning approaches, aims to support students' development of key skills (e.g., working in multidisciplinary teams). To design effective CL activities, we need to understand students' perceptions about CL. However, few studies have examined students' understandings of CL. This…

A Collaborative, Investigative Recombinant DNA Technology Course with Laboratory

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Pezzementi, Leo; Johnson, Joy F.

2002-01-01

A recombinant DNA technology course was designed to promote contextual, collaborative, inquiry-based learning of science where students learn from one another and have a sense of ownership of their education. The class stressed group presentations and critical reading and discussion of scientific articles. The laboratory consisted of two research…

Collaboration and Self-Regulation in Teachers' Professional Development

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Butler, Deborah L.; Lauscher, Helen Novak; Jarvis-Selinger, Sandra; Beckingham, Beverly

2004-01-01

This paper describes a professional development model with promise for supporting meaningful shifts in practice. We begin by introducing the theoretical principles underlying our professional development model, with a focus on explicating the interface between collaborative inquiry in a learning community (Lave, 1991, In L.B. Resnick, J.M. Levine,…

A Collaboration in Care: Re-Visioning Teacher-Student Dialogue in Dance Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gose, Rebecca; Siemietkowski, Grace

2018-01-01

The following narrative recounts a collaborative reflective investigation into pedagogical care using a teacher-student dyad approach. Originating from the student's inquiry that fulfilled her teacher's assignment, the ensuing exploration investigates care from both teacher and student perspectives in the classroom and choreographic settings. This…

Pedagogical Reasoning and Action: Affordances of Practice-Based Teacher Professional Development

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Pella, Shannon

2015-01-01

A common theme has been consistently woven through the literature on teacher professional development: that practice-based designs and collaboration are two components of effective teacher learning models. In addition to collaboration and practice-based designs, inquiry cycles have been long recognized as catalysts for teacher professional…

The Value of Coaching: Collaborative Relationships Spur Professional Growth

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kang, Grace Y.

2016-01-01

Teachers do not simply want resources given to them. They often seek out relationships from more knowledgeable or experienced colleagues to ask advice, model lessons, or start an inquiry group. Establishing relationships within collaboration is essential for learning and knowledge development (Putnam & Borko, 2000). This study's goal was to…

Collaboration-Focused Workshop for Interdisciplinary, Inter-Institutional Teams of College Science Faculty

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hanson, Pamela K.; Stultz, Laura

2015-01-01

Many science educators know of the pedagogical benefits of inquiry- and research-based labs, yet numerous barriers to implementation exist. In this article we describe a faculty development workshop that explored interdisciplinary and inter-institutional collaborations as potential mechanisms for overcoming barriers to curricular innovation.

Teachers' tendencies to promote student-led science projects: Associations with their views about science

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bencze, J. Lawrence; Bowen, G. Michael; Alsop, Steve

2006-05-01

School science students can benefit greatly from participation in student-directed, open-ended scientific inquiry projects. For various possible reasons, however, students tend not to be engaged in such inquiries. Among factors that may limit their opportunities to engage in open-ended inquiries of their design are teachers' conceptions about science. To explore possible relationships between teachers' conceptions about science and the types of inquiry activities in which they engage students, instrumental case studies of five secondary science teachers were developed, using field notes, repertory grids, samples of lesson plans and student activities, and semistructured interviews. Based on constructivist grounded theory analysis, participating teachers' tendencies to promote student-directed, open-ended scientific inquiry projects seemed to correspond with positions about the nature of science to which they indicated adherence. A tendency to encourage and enable students to carry out student-directed, open-ended scientific inquiry projects appeared to be associated with adherence to social constructivist views about science. Teachers who opposed social constructivist views tended to prefer tight control of student knowledge building procedures and conclusions. We suggest that these results can be explained with reference to human psychological factors, including those associated with teachers' self-esteem and their relationships with knowledge-building processes in the discipline of their teaching.

Sustaining a Mature Teacher Inquiry Network

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Satter, Sarah Bea

2014-01-01

This research consisted of a case study of an active network for teacher inquiry. Specifically, I investigated how an organization dedicated to teacher inquiry had provided the structure, leadership, and resources to sustain, maintain, and expand the network. The group studied was the Mid-Ohio Writing Project, a teacher inquiry network affiliated…

Using Technology to Engage Preservice Elementary Teachers in Learning about Scientific Inquiry

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jones, Loretta L.; MacArthur, James R.; Akaygün, Sevil

2011-01-01

Elementary teachers are often required to teach inquiry in their classrooms despite having had little exposure to inquiry learning themselves. In a capstone undergraduate science course preservice elementary teachers experience scientific inquiry through the completion of group projects, activities, readings and discussion, in order to develop a…

Integrating social science and design inquiry through interdisciplinary design charrettes: an approach to participatory community problem solving.

PubMed

Sutton, Sharon E; Kemp, Susan P

2006-09-01

Interdisciplinary collaborations that aim to facilitate meaningful community outcomes require both the right mix of disciplinary knowledge and effective community participation, which together can deepen collective knowledge and the capacity to take action. This article explores three interdisciplinary design charrettes, intensive participatory workshops that addressed specific community problems and provided a context for integrating design and social science inquiry with local community knowledge. Evaluation data from the charrettes shed light on how students from the design and social science disciplines experienced the charrettes, and on their interactions with community members. Key advantages to this interdisciplinary, community-based collaboration included expanded knowledge derived from the use of multiple modes of inquiry, particularly the resulting visualization tools that helped community members understand local issues and envision novel solutions. Key drawbacks included difficulties in balancing the two disciplines, the tendency for social scientists to feel out of place on designers' turf, and the increased disciplinary and interpersonal conflicts arising from a more diverse pool of participants.

Building Warmth Sculpture in the Student-Teacher Relationship: Goethean Observation and Contemplative Practice in an Action Research Inquiry

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kresin-Price, Nancy

2013-01-01

Through an action research approach, this dissertation focuses on the central role of interpersonal warmth in the teacher and student relationship. The heart of its inquiry is based on data gathered by a set of teachers working collaboratively as co-researchers in their own classrooms. These individuals inquired into the potential of the teacher…

There and Back Again: A Middle Scholar's Inquiry Excursion (Middle School).

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Katz, Claudia Anne; Johnson-Kuby, Sue Ann

1996-01-01

Describes an inquiry project that middle school students complete during the first quarter of the year, and that serves as a foundation for future inquiry undertakings, research papers, and writing workshops. (SR)

RITES: Online (Reaching In-service Teachers with Earth Sciences Online)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Baptiste, H.

2003-12-01

The RITES: Online project team (Drs. H. Prentice Baptiste, Susan Brown, Jennifer Villa) believed that the power of technology could not be effectively utilized unless it was grounded in new models of teaching and learning based on a student centered and project based curriculum, that increased opportunities for active, hands-on learning and respect for multiculturalism. We subscribe to an inquiry approach to learning. Specifically, science teaching should actively engage the learners in activities that draw on multiple abilities and learning styles. Recent brain-based research has shown that human beings construct knowledge through actions and interactions within their environment. Learning occurs in communities, and new ideas are linked to previous knowledge and constructed by the learner. Knowledge is acquired by making connections. We believed the aforementioned ideas and points to be equally true for the teacher candidates and inservice teachers participating in the RITES: Online project as well as for their students. The ESSEA science courses were delivered by distance learning via the university WebCt distance education system to teacher candidates (preservice teachers) and inservice teachers. Teacher candidates and inservice teachers were encouraged to use technology when involving their students in science inquiry activities and to record their students' involvement in science activities with digital cameras. Teacher candidates and inservice teachers involve in the ESSEA courses are engaged in earth science inquiry activities relevant to the four spheres (atmosphere, lithosphere, biosphere, hydrosphere) with the students in their classes. This presentation will highlight teacher candidates and inservice teachers in the roles of designer, researcher, and collaborator. Examples of student works will also be a part of the Power point presentation. As a result of our courses our teachers have attained the following positive outcomes: 1) Teacher candidates and inservice teachers are experiencing the inquiry approach to learning about the spheres of our earth. 2) Teacher candidates and inservice teachers are becoming confident in using technology. 3) Teacher candidates and inservice teachers are learning to work cooperatively in-groups and understand what their own students must feel. 4) Teacher candidates and inservice teachers are finding ways to obtain dynamic professional development and not leave their classrooms or homes. 5) Teacher candidates and inservice teachers are developing relationships with other teachers that have an interest in teaching science and a learning community is evolving.

A Capstone Project Using the Gap Analysis Model: Closing the College Readiness Gap for Latino English Language Learners with a Focus on College Affordability and Student Grades

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kurland, Michael A. T.

2013-01-01

This capstone dissertation inquiry project focused on the underperformance of English language learners (ELLs) at a high school. The Clark and Estes' (2008) gap analysis model was the analytical framework used to conduct this inquiry. At the request of the school, the inquiry focus was on gaining a better understanding of the underachievement…

Using appreciative inquiry to bring neonatal nurses and parents together to enhance family-centred care: A collaborative workshop.

PubMed

Trajkovski, Suza; Schmied, Virginia; Vickers, Margaret; Jackson, Debra

2015-06-01

Family-centred care (FCC) has been well recognised, accepted and reported in the literature as an optimised way of caring for hospitalised children. While neonatal units strive to adopt this philosophy, published research suggests there are difficulties implementing FCC principles in daily practice. Appreciative inquiry (AI) is a philosophy and methodology that offers a unique, strength-based approach to promoting organisational learning and positive organisational change. As a participatory approach, AI facilitates change from the ground up and lends itself to building effective partnerships or collaborations. This article reports the findings of a one-day workshop using an AI methodology to bring neonatal nurses and parents together to enhance the FCC within a neonatal intensive care unit in Sydney, Australia. Participants (n = 15) developed collaborative insights of optimal FCC that can be built upon to support neonates and their families in the future. Shared visions were formed, strategies identified and a development plan made for ongoing collaborations and partnerships. AI provides a flexible framework that enables the mandatory collaboration needed to develop action plans that can form the catalyst for organizational change in health-care research and practice. © The Author(s) 2013.

Teaching the Inquiry Process to 21st Century Learners

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Carnesi, Sabrina; DiGiorgio, Karen

2009-01-01

Unlike the static, set-in-stone research project, the inquiry process is an interactive cycle used to teach research in any content area. The inquiry process engages students in a way that promotes critical thinking, higher-level processing, and the use of more varied and appropriate resources. This article introduces the inquiry process and…

Pupil Inquiry Behavior Analysis and Change Activity. Interim Project Report.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Manion, Raymond C.

This interim report discusses progress toward three major goals of the Pupil Inquiry Behavior Analysis and Change Activity: increased pupil inquiry, changed teacher behavior to facilitate pupil inquiry, and the development of a 32-week course of instruction to provide for these behavioral changes. Data currently available deals with the emotional…

What Students Really Think about Doing Research

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bernard, Warren

2011-01-01

There are many types of inquiry activities out there: Demonstrations, guided or scaffolded inquiry labs, open- or free-inquiry labs, and problem-based or project-based learning activities are all staples in science education. The importance of inquiry is highlighted in such documents as the National Science Education Standards (NRC 1996) and the…

Integrating Inquiry-Based Science and Education Methods Courses in a "Science Semester" for Future Elementary Teachers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Madsen, J.; Fifield, S.; Allen, D.; Brickhouse, N.; Dagher, Z.; Ford, D.; Shipman, H.

2001-05-01

In this NSF-funded project we will adapt problem-based learning (PBL) and other inquiry-based approaches to create an integrated science and education methods curriculum ("science semester") for elementary teacher education majors. Our goal is to foster integrated understandings of science and pedagogy that future elementary teachers need to effectively use inquiry-based approaches in their classrooms. This project responds to calls to improve science education for all students by making preservice teachers' experiences in undergraduate science courses more consistent with reforms at the K-12 level. The involved faculty teach three science courses (biology, earth science, physical science) and an elementary science education methods course that are degree requirements for elementary teacher education majors. Presently, students take the courses in variable sequences and at widely scattered times. Too many students fail to appreciate the value of science courses to their future careers as teachers, and when they reach the methods course in the junior year they often retain little of the science content studied earlier. These episodic encounters with science make it difficult for students to learn the content, and to translate their understandings of science into effective, inquiry-based teaching strategies. To encourage integrated understandings of science concepts and pedagogy we will coordinate the science and methods courses in a junior-year science semester. Traditional subject matter boundaries will be crossed to stress shared themes that teachers must understand to teach standards-based elementary science. We will adapt exemplary approaches that support both learning science and learning how to teach science. Students will work collaboratively on multidisciplinary PBL activities that place science concepts in authentic contexts and build learning skills. "Lecture" meetings will be large group active learning sessions that help students understand difficult concepts, make connections between class activities, and launch and wrap-up PBL problems. Labs will include activities from elementary science kits as launching points for in-depth investigations that demonstrate the continuity of science concepts and pedagogies across age levels. In the methods course, students will critically explore the theory and practice of elementary science teaching, drawing on their shared experiences of inquiry learning in the science courses. Field placements in elementary classrooms will allow students to ground their studies of science and pedagogy in actual practice.

The Communication in Science Inquiry Project (CISIP): A Project to Enhance Scientific Literacy through the Creation of Science Classroom Discourse Communities

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Baker, Dale R.; Lewis, Elizabeth B.; Purzer, Senay; Watts, Nievita Bueno; Perkins, Gita; Uysal, Sibel; Wong, Sissy; Beard, Rachelle; Lang, Michael

2009-01-01

This study reports on the context and impact of the Communication in Science Inquiry Project (CISIP) professional development to promote teachers' and students' scientific literacy through the creation of science classroom discourse communities. The theoretical underpinnings of the professional development model are presented and key professional…

Establishing Conceptual Boundaries: What Is an Adult Education Project, Promise and Practice?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Stein, David S.

2014-01-01

In a movement toward workforce development as an academic entity, the identity of adult education as projects for inquiry is troubled. In some academic programs, adult education has been termed adult learning in the service of promoting teaching and learning for the workplace. However, adult education's inquiry, its projects, might be more…

Project LITE: Light Inquiry Through Experiments

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Brecher, Kenneth

2007-06-01

"Project LITE: Light Inquiry Through Experiments" is a science education project aimed at developing interactive hands-on and eyes-on curriculum, software and materials about light and optics. These are being developed for use in undergraduate astronomy courses, but they can also be used to advantage in physics, chemistry, Earth science and psychology courses throughout the K-12 and undergraduate curriculum.

Authenticating Children's Literature: Raising Cultural Awareness with an Inquiry-Based Project in a Teacher Education Course

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Smith, Jane; Wiese, Patricia

2006-01-01

This article discusses the importance of authentic picture-storybook adaptations of multicultural folktales and describes an action research project through which a children's picture-book adaptation of a traditional tale can be authenticated using an inquiry-based process. In addition to modeling an actual authentication project using "The Golden…

A Teacher's Inquiry into Bringing in Biliteracy in a Fifth-Grade English-Only Classroom

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Abraham, Stephanie Lynn

2017-01-01

This teacher inquiry project explored how I, a non-Spanish speaking teacher at the time, implemented critical, bilingual pedagogies to foster biliteracy development among my fifth-grade students. One, the project showed that students could further their biliteracy by incorporating their funds of knowledge through a family stories writing project.…

Students Around the World Engaged in Climate Science (Invited)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sparrow, E. B.; Kopplin, M.; Boger, R.; Jaroensutasinee, K.; Jaroensutasinee, M.; Yoshikawa, K.; Morris, K.; Gordon, L. S.; Yule, S.

2013-12-01

One of the GLOBE (Global Learning and Observations to Benefit the Environment) earth system science projects, Monitoring Seasons Through Global Learning Communities also called Seasons and Biomes, has engaged primary and secondary teachers and their students in weather and climate studies in collaboration with scientists and community experts. In this worldwide inquiry- and project-based initiative, students have been monitoring indicators of interannual variability in seasons, such as green-up and green-down of plants, air and soil temperature, soil moisture, precipitation, cloud types, percent cloud cover, as well as learning the difference between weather and climate. They have used standardized scientific measurements developed in GLOBE for investigations on atmosphere, soils, hydrology, land cover and phenology as well as those developed in Seasons and Biomes, such as ice seasonality protocols, frost tube and mosquito protocols. Studies have ranged from individuals to small groups of students, classes to schools, local to regional to global reach and involvement. Global learning communities have formed through professional development workshops conducted by Seasons and Biomes in the U.S. and other countries (more than 1600 educators in 51 countries) as well as through collaborative projects like the cross-continent videoconferences, GS-Pals project facilitated by GLOBE Alumni, the Mt Kilimanjaro expeditions, Mosquito studies in Thailand, and Permafrost and Active Layer Monitoring (over 22,000 students). Seasons and Biomes and GLOBE have provided the tools and infrastructure for observing, measuring, recording, archiving, and analysis of data, including venues for communicating results. Students have presented their projects locally, nationally and internationally and have contributed to climate studies and cross-cultural enrichment.

Storying the Terroir of Collaborative Writing: Like Wine and Food, a Unique Pairing of Mentoring Minds

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Griffin, Shelley M.; Beatty, Rodger J.

2010-01-01

As two faculty members in a Canadian post-secondary teacher education context, the authors inquired into their collaborative writing process initiated through an informal faculty mentoring relationship. Situating their writing in the discourses of personal practical knowledge, social constructionism, narrative inquiry, and autobiography grounds…

Must Dewey and Kierkegaard's Inquiry for World Peace Be Violent?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Webster, R. Scott

2011-01-01

Amongst the many aims of education, surely the pursuit of global peace must be one of the most significant. The mandate of UNESCO is to pursue world peace through education by primarily promoting collaboration. The sort of collaboration that UNESCO endorses involves democratic dialogue, where various persons from differing backgrounds can come…

Video-Mediated Teacher Collaborative Inquiry: Focus on English Language Learners

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Baecher, Laura; Rorimer, Sarah; Smith, Leonore

2012-01-01

High school teachers today work in challenging, high-accountability instructional environments, striving to meet the needs of upwards of 100 learners per day. Rapidly growing numbers of English-language learners (ELLs) in U.S. classrooms have added to these pressures. Rather than using collaborative structures to face these challenges, the…

Working in the Interpretive Zone: Conceptualizing Collaboration in Qualitative Research Teams.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wasser, Judith Davidson; Bresler, Liora

1996-01-01

Formulates the idea of the "interpretive zone" as a way to describe the space in which collaborative interpretation of research unfolds. Because of the importance of teamwork to qualitative research, the interpretive zone becomes a critical location for future methodological inquiry and examination of the dynamics of group research. (SLD)

Collaborative Research Goes to School: Guided Inquiry with Computers in Classrooms. Technical Report.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wiske, Martha Stone; And Others

Twin aims--to advance theory and to improve practice in science, mathematics, and computing education--guided the Educational Technology Center's (ETC) research from its inception in 1983. These aims led ETC to establish collaborative research groups in which people whose primary interest was classroom teaching and learning, and researchers…

The Brink of Change: Gender in Technology-Rich Collaborative Learning Environments

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Goldstein, Jessica; Puntambeka, Sadhana

2004-01-01

This study was designed to contribute to a small but growing body of knowledge on the influence of gender in technology-rich collaborative learning environments. The study examined middle school students attitudes towards using computers and working in groups during scientific inquiry. Students attitudes towards technology and group work were…

Serious and Playful Inquiry: Epistemological Aspects of Collaborative Creativity

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sullivan, Florence R.

2011-01-01

This paper presents the results of a micro-genetic analysis of the development of a creative solution arrived at by students working collaboratively to solve a robotics problem in a sixth grade science classroom. Results indicate that four aspects of the enacted curriculum proved important to developing the creative solution, including the…

Lessons Learned: Collaborative Symbiosis and Responsive Disciplinary Literacy Teaching

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wilder, Phillip; Herro, Danielle

2016-01-01

This paper describes a case study of how a middle school literacy coach and a science teacher attempted to improve disciplinary literacy teaching in a sixth-grade science class. The collaborative inquiry exposed the disciplinary knowledge gap of the literacy coach (a former language arts teacher) and the science teacher's limited knowledge of…

Collaborative Lesson Hook Design in Science Teacher Education: Advancing Professional Practice

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

McCauley, Veronica; Davison, Kevin; Byrne, Corinna

2015-01-01

This article documents the process of collaboratively developing lesson hook e-resources for science teachers to establish a community of inquiry and to strengthen the pedagogy of science teaching. The authors aim to illustrate how the development and application of strategic hooks can bridge situational interest and personal interest so that…

Deaf, Hard-of-Hearing, and Hearing Signing Undergraduates' Attitudes toward Science in Inquiry-Based Biology Laboratory Classes.

PubMed

Gormally, Cara

2017-01-01

For science learning to be successful, students must develop attitudes toward support future engagement with challenging social issues related to science. This is especially important for increasing participation of students from underrepresented populations. This study investigated how participation in inquiry-based biology laboratory classes affected students' attitudes toward science, focusing on deaf, hard-of-hearing, and hearing signing students in bilingual learning environments (i.e., taught in American Sign Language and English). Analysis of reflection assignments and interviews revealed that the majority of students developed positive attitudes toward science and scientific attitudes after participating in inquiry-based biology laboratory classes. Attitudinal growth appears to be driven by student value of laboratory activities, repeated direct engagement with scientific inquiry, and peer collaboration. Students perceived that hands-on experimentation involving peer collaboration and a positive, welcoming learning environment were key features of inquiry-based laboratories, affording attitudinal growth. Students who did not perceive biology as useful for their majors, careers, or lives did not develop positive attitudes. Students highlighted the importance of the climate of the learning environment for encouraging student contribution and noted both the benefits and pitfalls of teamwork. Informed by students' characterizations of their learning experiences, recommendations are made for inquiry-based learning in college biology. © 2017 C. Gormally. CBE—Life Sciences Education © 2017 The American Society for Cell Biology. This article is distributed by The American Society for Cell Biology under license from the author(s). It is available to the public under an Attribution–Noncommercial–Share Alike 3.0 Unported Creative Commons License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0).

Engaging Ecosystems

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Duncan, Susan; Papers, Jerry; Franzen, Woody; Otto, Pat

2006-01-01

Vertical connections, constructed using inquiry, give students the skills to reach new heights in both their academic and local communities. In this article, the authors present inquiry projects, developed by middle level teachers, to ensure that students use higher-level thinking skills to improve the community. Each project is connected to the…

A Case Study of Technology-Enhanced Historical Inquiry

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Yang, Shu Ching

2009-01-01

The paper describes the integration of web resources and technology as instructional and learning tools in oral history projects. The computer-mediated oral history project centred around interviews with community elders combined with new technologies to engage students in authentic historical inquiry. The study examined learners' affective…

Developing Marine Science Instructional Materials Using Integrated Scientist-Educator Collaborative Design Teams: A Discussion of Challenges and Success Developing Real Time Data Projects for the COOL Classroom

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

McDonnell, J.; Duncan, R. G.; Glenn, S.

2007-12-01

Current reforms in science education place increasing demands on teachers and students to engage not only with scientific content but also to develop an understanding of the nature of scientific inquiry (AAAS, 1993; NRC, 1996). Teachers are expected to engage students with authentic scientific practices including posing questions, conducting observations, analyzing data, developing explanations and arguing about them using evidence. This charge is challenging for many reasons most notably the difficulty in obtaining meaningful data about complex scientific phenomena that can be used to address relevant scientific questions that are interesting and understandable to K-12 students. We believe that ocean sciences provide an excellent context for fostering scientific inquiry in the classroom. Of particular interest are the technological and scientific advances of Ocean Observing Systems, which allow scientists to continuously interact with instruments, facilities, and other scientists to explore the earth-ocean- atmosphere system remotely. Oceanographers are making long-term measurements that can also resolve episodic oceanic processes on a wide range of spatial and temporal scales crucial to resolving scientific questions related to Earth's climate, geodynamics, and marine ecosystems. The availability of a diverse array of large data sets that are easily accessible provides a unique opportunity to develop inquiry-based learning environments in which students can explore many important questions that reflect current research trends in ocean sciences. In addition, due to the interdisciplinary nature of the ocean sciences these data sets can be used to examine ocean phenomena from a chemical, physical, or biological perspective; making them particularly useful for science teaching across the disciplines. In this session we will describe some of the efforts of the Centers for Ocean Sciences Education Excellence- Mid Atlantic (COSEE MA) to develop instructional materials, in which students use real-time-data (RTD) to generate explanations about important ocean phenomena. We will discuss our use of an Instructional Design Model (Gauge 1987) to: 1) assess our audience need, 2) develop an effective collaborative design team, 3) develop and evaluate the instructional product, and 4) implement professional development designed to familiarize teachers with oceans sciences as a context for scientific inquiry.

Professional Development through Collaborative Inquiry for an Art Education Archipelago

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gates, Leslie

2010-01-01

The culture of isolation in schools leaves many art educators feeling that they are, in a sense, islands. Working from the idea of an island, I use the geographic metaphor of an archipelago as a means to understand the tensions between isolation and collaboration related to professional development for art educators. In this article, I describe…

Fostering ICT and Inquiry Enhanced Instruction in Early Years Science Education: Creating a Model of Team Teaching

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Havu-Nuutinen, Sari

2017-01-01

This study aims to develop team teaching approach at elementary school science by piloting the created model of teachers' collaboration in three different stages. In the research the model of team teaching is seen as teachers' collaboration in which university teachers, elementary school teachers and teacher students are working towards…

The Affordances of Design-Based Research for Studying Multicultural Literature Instruction: Reflections and Insights from a Teacher-Researcher Collaboration

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Thein, Amanda Haertling; Barbas, Patricia; Carnevali, Christine; Fox, Ashleigh; Mahoney, Amanda; Vensel, Scott

2012-01-01

This paper details a teacher-researcher effort to investigate effective instructional practices for teaching multicultural literature through a collaborative, iterative process of inquiry driven by tentative, theoretical principles. The study began with a distillation of recent scholarship on multicultural literature response into a set of…

Collaboration, Multiple Methods, Trustworthiness: Issues Arising from the 2014 International Conference on Self-Study of Teacher Education Practices

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mena, Juanjo; Russell, Tom

2017-01-01

This article reviews 65 studies presented at the 10th international self-study of teacher education practices conference in 2014 to determine whether emerging self-study research incorporates the five major characteristics of self-study: self-initiated inquiry that is situated and improvement-aimed; undertaken collaboratively; uses multiple…

Practising the Public? Collaborative Teacher Inquiry in an Era of Standardization and Accountability

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hardy, Ian

2018-01-01

This paper analyses the nature of collaborative teacher learning as a form of 'public sphere', under current policy conditions. The research draws upon Habermas' notions of communicative action and public spheres, and literature on the nature of teachers' learning in the context of standardized curriculum and assessment reform, to analyse how…

Cognitive Presence in Virtual Collaborative Learning: Assessing and Improving Critical Thinking in Online Discussion Forums

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Beckmann, Jennifer; Weber, Peter

2015-01-01

The paper introduces a virtual collaborative learning setting called "Net Economy," which we established as part of an international learning network of currently seven universities. Using the Community of Inquiry framework as guidance and Canonical Action Research (CAR) as the chosen research design, the discussion forum of the online…

Enhancing Science Education Instruction: A Mixed-Methods Study on University and Middle School Collaborations

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Owen-Stone, Deborah S.

2012-01-01

The purpose of this concurrent mixed methods study was to examine the collaborative relationship between scientists and science teachers and to incorporate and advocate scientific literacy based on past and current educational theories such as inquiry based teaching. The scope of this study included archived student standardized test scores,…

Collaborative School Improvement: Eight Practices for District-School Partnerships to Transform Teaching and Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kaufman, Trent E.; Grimm, Emily Dolci; Miller, Allison E.

2012-01-01

How can districts bring instructional improvement to scale within and across schools? The authors of "Collaborative School Improvement" argue that districts can play a powerful part in helping schools build the capacity to engage in inquiry-based reform--but that this effort requires a shift in districts' traditional role as a professional…

A Culture of Collaborative Inquiry: Learning to Develop and Support Professional Learning Communities

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Nelson, Tamara Holmlund; Slavit, David; Perkins, Mart; Hathorn, Tom

2008-01-01

Background/Context: The type of professional development provided for teachers has been undergoing change from a one-time workshop approach to a more embedded, long-term, reflective, and collaborative structure. Although findings on the impact of new forms of professional development (PD) are beginning to emerge in the literature, there is little…

Computer-Supported Collaborative Inquiry on Buoyancy: A Discourse Analysis Supporting the "Pieces" Position on Conceptual Change

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Turcotte, Sandrine

2012-01-01

This article describes in detail a conversation analysis of conceptual change in a computer-supported collaborative learning environment. Conceptual change is an essential learning process in science education that has yet to be fully understood. While many models and theories have been developed over the last three decades, empirical data to…

Authentic Collaborative Inquiry: Initiating and Sustaining Partner Research in the PDS Setting

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

James, Jennifer Hauver; Kobe, Jessica; Shealey, Glennda; Foretich, Rita; Sabatini, Ellen

2015-01-01

This is the story of our collaborative work as educators and researchers. Because writing as a collective is challenging, we have elected Jenn to serve as narrator, but the story is ours collectively. We are Glennda and Rita, elementary school teachers, Ellen, principal, and Jess, graduate research assistant. The story told here is distilled from…

The Twin Purposes of Guided Inquiry: Guiding Student Inquiry and Evidence-Based Practice

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

FitzGerald, Lee

2010-01-01

Guided Inquiry is a means by which student enquiry can be facilitated in schools, while simultaneously being the vehicle for evidence-based practice. This paper illustrates this twin purpose in two contexts: An overview discussion of the 2008 NSW Association of Independent Schools' Project, led by Dr. Todd, and a 2010 Guided Inquiry at Loreto…

Effects of Web Based Inquiry Science Environment on Cognitive Outcomes in Biological Science in Correlation to Emotional Intelligence

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Manoj, T. I.; Devanathan, S.

2010-01-01

This research study is the report of an experiment conducted to find out the effects of web based inquiry science environment on cognitive outcomes in Biological science in correlation to Emotional intelligence. Web based inquiry science environment (WISE) provides a platform for creating inquiry-based science projects for students to work…

Guiding science expeditions: The design of a learning environment for project-based science

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Polman, Joseph Louis

Project-based pedagogy has been revived recently as a teaching strategy for promoting students' active engagement in learning science by doing science. Numerous reform efforts have encouraged project-based teaching in high schools, along with a range of supports for its implementation, often including computers and the Internet. History has shown, however, that academic research and new technologies are not enough to effect real change in classrooms. Ultimately, teachers accomplish activity with their students daily in classrooms. Putting the idea of project-based teaching into practice depends on many particulars of teachers' situated work with students. To better understand the complexity of project-based science teaching in schools, I conducted an interpretive case study of one exceptional teacher's work. The teacher devotes all class time after the beginning of the year to open-ended, student-designed Earth Science research projects. Over four years of involvement with the Learning through Collaborative Visualization (CoVis) reform effort, this teacher has developed, implemented, and refined strategies for supporting and guiding students in conducting open-ended inquiry. Through a close examination of the teacher's work supporting student projects, I explore the design issues involved in such an endeavor, including affordances, constraints, and tradeoffs. In particular, I show how time constrains both student and teacher action, how the traditional school culture and grading create stumbling blocks for change, and how conflicting beliefs about teaching and learning undermine the accomplishment of guided inquiry. I also show how Internet tools including Usenet news, email, and the World Wide Web afford students an opportunity to gather and make use of distributed expertise and scientific data resources; how an activity structure, combined with a corresponding structure to the artifact of the final written product, supports student accomplishment of unfamiliar practices; and how the teacher guides students in real time through mutually transformative communication. I synthesize the important design elements into a framework for conducting project-based science, especially in settings where such pedagogy is relatively new. This study will inform teachers and reformers of the practical and complex work of implementing project-based teaching in schools.

Undergraduate Students' Perceptions of an Inquiry-Based Physics Course

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ballone Duran, Lena; McArthur, Julia; van Hook, Stephen

2004-04-01

The purpose of this study was to examine middle childhood students'' perceptions of the learning environment in a reform-based physics course. A lecture-style, introductory physics course was modified into an inquiry-based course designed for preservice middle childhood teachers through the collaborative efforts of faculty in the Colleges of Education and Arts and Sciences. Focus group interviews were conducted to examine students'' perceptions. The results suggested that the students initially felt a level of frustration with a new constructivist experience; however, they were able to embrace the inquiry method and expressed a desire for additional specialized content courses for preservice teachers.

"We Are All Becoming Teacher/Theorists": Collaborative Inquiry into the Intellectual, Relational, and Political Work of Learning to Teach

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Simon, Robert M.

2009-01-01

This study is the result of my work as a teacher educator in an English methods course and a member of an inquiry community I formed with eight of my students, all middle and secondary student English teachers at the University of Pennsylvania. I investigate what was at stake for them in learning to teach English in Philadelphia urban schools in…

An Inquiry into Protein Structure and Genetic Disease: Introducing Undergraduates to Bioinformatics in a Large Introductory Course

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bednarski, April E.; Elgin, Sarah C. R.; Pakrasi, Himadri B.

2005-01-01

This inquiry-based lab is designed around genetic diseases with a focus on protein structure and function. To allow students to work on their own investigatory projects, 10 projects on 10 different proteins were developed. Students are grouped in sections of 20 and work in pairs on each of the projects. To begin their investigation, students are…

Addition Chains: A reSolve Lesson

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Turner, Paul; Thornton, Steve

2017-01-01

This article draws on some ideas explored during and after a writing workshop to develop classroom resources for the reSolve: Mathematics by Inquiry (www.resolve.edu.au) project. The project develops classroom and professional learning resources that will promote a spirit of inquiry in school mathematics from Foundation to year ten. The…

What Kindergarten Students Learn in Inquiry-Based Science Classrooms

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Samarapungavan, Ala; Patrick, Helen; Mantzicopoulos, Panayota

2011-01-01

The purpose of this study was to examine how participation in an inquiry-based science program impacts kindergarten students' science learning and motivation. The study was implemented as part of a larger, federally funded research project, the Scientific Literacy Project or SLP (Mantzicopoulos, Patrick, & Samarapungavan, 2005). The study…

Inquiry in the Community

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hanes, Jena; Sadler, Troy D.

2005-01-01

Projects based in the community give students the opportunity to engage in investigation as scientists and apply their work to make a difference at home. Community-based projects allow for easy implementation of high-end inquiry in the science classroom. When students become involved in research based in authentic community problems they gain a…

Unpacking the Complex Relationship Between Beliefs, Practice, and Change Related to Inquiry-Based Instruction of One Science Teacher

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lebak, Kimberly

2015-12-01

This case study examines the complex relationship between beliefs, practice, and change related to inquiry-based instruction of one science teacher teaching in a high-poverty urban school. This study explores how video-supported collaboration with peers can provide the catalyst for change. Transcribed collaborative dialogue sessions, written self-reflections, and videotapes of lessons were used to identify and isolate the belief systems that were critical to the teacher's decision making. The Interconnected Model of Professional Growth was then used to trace the trajectories of change of the individual belief systems. Analysis of the data revealed the relationship between beliefs and practices was complex in which initially espoused beliefs were often inconsistent with enacted practice and some beliefs emerged as more salient than others for influencing practice. Furthermore, this research indicates change in both beliefs and practice was an interactive process mediated by collaborative and self-reflection through participation in the video-supported process.

Inquiry and Problem Solving.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Thorson, Annette, Ed.

1999-01-01

This issue of ENC Focus focuses on the topic of inquiry and problem solving. Featured articles include: (1) "Inquiry in the Everyday World of Schools" (Ronald D. Anderson); (2) "In the Cascade Reservoir Restoration Project Students Tackle Real-World Problems" (Clint Kennedy with Advanced Biology Students from Cascade High…

Exploring English Language Learners (ELL) experiences with scientific language and inquiry within a real life context

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Algee, Lisa M.

English Language Learners (ELL) are often at a distinct disadvantage from receiving authentic science learning opportunites. This study explored English Language Learners (ELL) learning experiences with scientific language and inquiry within a real life context. This research was theoretically informed by sociocultural theory and literature on student learning and science teaching for ELL. A qualitative, case study was used to explore students' learning experiences. Data from multiple sources was collected: student interviews, science letters, an assessment in another context, field-notes, student presentations, inquiry assessment, instructional group conversations, parent interviews, parent letters, parent homework, teacher-researcher evaluation, teacher-researcher reflective journal, and student ratings of learning activities. These data sources informed the following research questions: (1) Does participation in an out-of-school contextualized inquiry science project increase ELL use of scientific language? (2) Does participation in an out-of-school contextualized inquiry science project increase ELL understanding of scientific inquiry and their motivation to learn? (3) What are parents' funds of knowledge about the local ecology and does this inform students' experiences in the science project? All data sources concerning students were analyzed for similar patterns and trends and triangulation was sought through the use of these data sources. The remaining data sources concerning the teacher-researcher were used to inform and assess whether the pedagogical and research practices were in alignment with the proposed theoretical framework. Data sources concerning parental participation accessed funds of knowledge, which informed the curriculum in order to create continuity and connections between home and school. To ensure accuracy in the researchers' interpretations of student and parent responses during interviews, member checking was employed. The findings suggest that participation in an out-of-school contextualized inquiry science project increased ELL use of scientific language and understanding of scientific inquiry and motivation to learn. In addition, parent' funds of knowledge informed students' experiences in the science project. These findings suggest that the learning and teaching practices and the real life experiential learning contexts served as an effective means for increasing students' understandings and motivation to learn.

The acquisition of inquiry skills and computer skills by 8th grade urban middle school students in a technology-supported environment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ruffin, Monya Aisha

The evolution of increased global accessibility and dependency on computer technologies has revolutionized most aspects of everyday life, including a rapid transformation of 21st century schools. Current changes in education reflect the need for the integration of effective computer technologies in school curricula. The principal objective of this investigation was to examine the acquisition of computer skills and inquiry skills by urban eighth grade students in a technology-supported environment. The study specifically focused on students' ability to identify, understand, and work through the process of scientific inquiry, while also developing computer technology tool skills. The unique component of the study was its contextualization within a local historically significant setting---an African-American cemetery. Approximately seventy students, in a local middle school, participated in the five-week treatment. Students conducted research investigations on site and over the Internet, worked in collaborative groups, utilized technology labs, and received inquiry and computer technology instruction. A mixed method design employing quantitative and qualitative methods was used. Two pilot studies conducted in an after-school science club format helped sharpen the research question, data collection methods, and survey used in the school-based study. Complete sets of data from pre and post surveys and journals were collected from sixty students. Six students were randomly selected to participate in in-depth focus group interviews. Researcher observations and inferences were also included in the analysis. The research findings showed that, after the treatment, students: (a) acquired more inquiry skills and computer skills, (b) broadened their basic conceptual understanding and perspective about science, (c) engaged actively in a relevant learning process, (d) created tangible evidence of their inquiry skills and computer skills, and (e) recalled and retained more details about the inquiry process and the computer technology tools (when they attended at least 80% of the treatment sessions). The findings indicated that project-based, technology-supported experiences allowed students to learn content in an interdisciplinary way (building on culturally relevant local histories) and provided enjoyable learning opportunities for students and teachers. Participation in the treatment encouraged students to think beyond the technical aspects of technology and relate its relevancy and usefulness to solving scientific queries.

Creating Science Education Specialists and Scientific Literacy in Students through a Successful Partnership among Scientists, Science Teachers, and Education Researchers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Metoyer, S.; Prouhet, T.; Radencic, S.

2007-12-01

The nature of science and the nature of learning are often assumed to have little practical relationship to each other. Scientists conduct research and science teachers teach. Rarely do the scientist and the science teacher have an opportunity to learn from each other. Here we describe results from a program funded by NSF, the Information Technology in Science (ITS) Center for Teaching and Learning. The ITS Center provided the support and structure necessary for successful long-term collaboration among scientists, science teachers, and education researchers that has resulted in the creation of new science education specialists. These specialists are not only among the science teachers, but also include avid recruits to science education from the scientists themselves. Science teachers returned to their classrooms armed with new knowledge of content, inquiry, and ideas for technology tools that could support and enhance students' scientific literacy. Teachers developed and implemented action research plans as a means of exploring educational outcomes of their use and understanding of new technologies and inquiry applied to the classroom. In other words, they tried something different in the class related to authentic inquiry and technology. They then assessed the students' to determine if there was an impact to the students in some way. Many of the scientists, on the other hand, report that they have modified their instructional practices for undergraduate courses based on their experiences with the teachers and the ITS Center. Some joined other collaborative projects pairing scientists and educators. And, many of the scientists continue on-going communication with the science teachers serving as mentors, collaborators, and as an "expert" source for the students to ask questions to. In order to convey the success of this partnership, we illustrate and discuss four interdependent components. First, costs and benefits to the science teacher are discussed through case studies, survey results, and descriptive categories. Costs and benefits to the scientist are discussed through the use of case studies, surveys, and observations. Third, student learning outcomes from a case study are presented. It is argued that the partnership created the opportunity for the integration of imaginative tools of science (specifically GIS in the case study) and authentic science inquiry. The last component is the discussion of the various tools of science utilized by the scientists for their research, taught to the science teachers by the scientists, and then taught to the students by the science teachers. At each step the technology was modified to fit the levels and applications of the specific science teacher, the grade level taught, and the content area taught. Examples of imaginative tools utilized include Geographic Information System (GIS), Global Positioning System (GPS), Google Earth, time-lapse photography, digital microscopy, and Excel. In summary, by examining this collaborative partnership through the lens of the scientists, the science teachers, and the science teachers' students it is evident that this partnership has created new science education specialists and can ultimately improve scientific literacy in K-12 students. Reference: NRC (2005). How Students Learn. The National Academies Press. Washington D.C.

Guided-inquiry based laboratory instruction: Investigation of critical thinking skills, problem solving skills, and implementing student roles in chemistry

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gupta, Tanya

Recent initiatives in the laboratory curriculum have encouraged an inquiry-based approach to learning and teaching in the laboratory. It has been argued that laboratory instruction should not just be hands-on, but it should portray the essence of inquiry through the process of experiential learning and reflective engagement in collaboration with peers and in facilitation by the instructor. A student-centered active learning approach may be an effective way to enhance student understanding of concepts in the laboratory. The dissertation research work explores the impact of laboratory instruction and its relevance for college-level chemistry. Each chapter is different from the preceding chapter in terms of the purpose of the study and the research questions asked. However, the overarching idea is to address the importance of guided-inquiry based laboratory instruction in chemistry and its relevance in helping students to make connections with the chemistry content and in imparting skills to students. Such skills include problem solving, collaborative group work and critical thinking. The first research study (Chapter 2) concerns the impact of first year co-requisite general chemistry laboratory instruction on the problem-solving skills of students. The second research study (Chapter 3) examines the impact of implementing student roles also known as Student-Led Instructor Facilitated Guided-Inquiry based Laboratories, SLIFGIL) by modifying the Science Writing Heuristic approach of laboratory instruction. In the third research study (Chapter 4), critical thinking skills of first semester general chemistry laboratory students were compared to advanced (third or fourth year) chemistry laboratory students based on the analysis of their laboratory reports.

Teacher Discourse Strategies Used in Kindergarten Inquiry-Based Science Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Harris, Karleah; Crabbe, Jordan Jimmy; Harris, Charlene

2017-01-01

This study examines teacher discourse strategies used in kindergarten inquiry-based science learning as part of the Scientific Literacy Project (SLP) (Mantzicopoulos, Patrick & Samarapungavan, 2005). Four public kindergarten science classrooms were chosen to implement science teaching strategies using a guided-inquiry approach. Data were…

Connecting Mathematics in Primary Science Inquiry Projects

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

So, Winnie Wing-mui

2013-01-01

Science as inquiry and mathematics as problem solving are conjoined fraternal twins attached by their similarities but with distinct differences. Inquiry and problem solving are promoted in contemporary science and mathematics education reforms as a critical attribute of the nature of disciplines, teaching methods, and learning outcomes involving…

Eliciting User Requirements Using Appreciative Inquiry

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gonzales, Carol Kernitzki

2010-01-01

Many software development projects fail because they do not meet the needs of users, are over-budget, and abandoned. To address this problem, the user requirements elicitation process was modified based on principles of Appreciative Inquiry. Appreciative Inquiry, commonly used in organizational development, aims to build organizations, processes,…

To the Planets, Comets, and Beyond: A Vision of Sustained Collaboration

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gaboardi, M.; Grauer, M.; Humayun, M.; Dixon, P.

2007-12-01

Our NASA-funded, E/PO partnership, the Student-Teacher Astronomy Resource (STAR) Program, has been successful in integrating current space science knowledge, scientific inquiry, and educational practices. With our focus on the recent NASA Stardust Mission, we engage teachers, students, and the general public in timely, research-based inquiry into space science. One such component of our program is "The Solar System: To the Planets, Comets, and Beyond," a new curricula that is accessible to, and comfortable for, primary educators, many of whom were previously uncomfortable teaching space science. This achievement is the result of ongoing collaboration between a formal primary educator (Grauer), the director of educational outreach for the National High Magnetic Field Laboratory (Dixon), a cosmochemist (Humayun) and a graduate student (Gaboardi), both researchers in the geochemistry program within the NHMFL. Indicators of success in our outreach program include the following: 1- Increased public awareness of research as evidenced by local television, newspaper, and radio coverage, 2- Requests from individual teachers, schools, and school districts for workshops specific to our program, 3- Overwhelmingly positive formal and informal responses from teachers, students, and parents participating in our program, 4- Requests from high-school students for advice involving science fair projects, 5- High level of performance of Grauer's primary students in space science curricula developed as a result of collaboration, and 6- Integration of a space science component into the sustained outreach program provided by the NHMFL. We are currently collecting formal questionnaires from teachers who have participated in our 2007 workshops to explore the following further indicators of success: 1- teachers' use of our curricula, 2- teachers' comfort levels in teaching space science both before and after attending our workshop, and 3- teachers' evaluation of their own space science content knowledge before and after attending our workshop. Based on formal responses from the 2006 cohort, and informal responses from the 2007 cohort, we expect evaluations to be strongly positive.

A Web-Based Learning Support System for Inquiry-Based Learning

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kim, Dong Won; Yao, Jingtao

The emergence of the Internet and Web technology makes it possible to implement the ideals of inquiry-based learning, in which students seek truth, information, or knowledge by questioning. Web-based learning support systems can provide a good framework for inquiry-based learning. This article presents a study on a Web-based learning support system called Online Treasure Hunt. The Web-based learning support system mainly consists of a teaching support subsystem, a learning support subsystem, and a treasure hunt game. The teaching support subsystem allows instructors to design their own inquiry-based learning environments. The learning support subsystem supports students' inquiry activities. The treasure hunt game enables students to investigate new knowledge, develop ideas, and review their findings. Online Treasure Hunt complies with a treasure hunt model. The treasure hunt model formalizes a general treasure hunt game to contain the learning strategies of inquiry-based learning. This Web-based learning support system empowered with the online-learning game and founded on the sound learning strategies furnishes students with the interactive and collaborative student-centered learning environment.

Reading, Writing, and Conducting Inquiry about Science in Kindergarten

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Patrick, Helen; Mantzicopoulos, Panayota; Samarapungavan, Ala

2009-01-01

Over the past three years, the authors have worked with kindergarten teachers to develop study units with sequences of integrated science inquiry and literacy activities appropriate for kindergartners. Their work, which is part of the Scientific Literacy Project, has been very successful. The success of the Scientific Literacy Project (SLP) is in…

A Model Inquiry-Based Genetics Experiment for Introductory Biology Students: Screening for Enhancers & Suppressors of Ptpmeg

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Setty, Sumana; Kosinski-Collins, Melissa S.

2015-01-01

It has been noted that undergraduate project-based laboratories lead to increased interest in scientific research and student understanding of biological concepts. We created a novel, inquiry-based, multiweek genetics research project studying Ptpmeg, for the Introductory Biology Laboratory course at Brandeis University. Ptpmeg is a protein…

Learning about Cells as Dynamic Entities: An Inquiry-Driven Cell Culture Project

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Palombi, Peggy Shadduck; Jagger, Kathleen Snell

2008-01-01

Using cultured fibroblast cells, undergraduate students explore cell division and the responses of cultured cells to a variety of environmental changes. The students learn new research techniques and carry out a self-designed experiment. Through this project, students enhance their creative approach to scientific inquiry, learn time-management and…

Student-Teachers' Dialectically Developed Motivation for Promoting Student-Led Science Projects

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bencze, J. Lawrence; Bowen, G. Michael

2009-01-01

School science systems tend to emphasize teaching and learning about achievements of science (such as laws and theories) at the expense of providing students with opportunities to develop realistic conceptions about science and science inquiry and expertise they could use to conduct their own science inquiry projects. Among reasons for such an…

Project Citizen: Promoting Action-Oriented Citizen Science in the Classroom

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Green, Carie; Medina-Jerez, William

2012-01-01

In recent years, citizen science projects have emerged as a means to involve students in scientific inquiry, particularly in the fields of ecology and environmental science. A citizen scientist is "a volunteer who collects and/or processes data as part of a scientific inquiry" (Silverton 2009, p. 467). Participation in citizen science…

Inquiry-Based Teaching: Teachers' Conceptions, Impediments and Support

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Pozuelos, Francisco; Trave Gonzalez, Gabriel; Canal de Leon, Pedro

2010-01-01

This paper describes a study into the implementation within two Spanish primary schools of an inquiry-based curricular project entitled "Exploring Our World" (ages 6-12). Taking the form of two case studies, it offers a description of the two participating schools and the development of the project within them. Particular attention is…

Comparing Ethical and Epistemic Standards for Investigative Journalists and Equity-Oriented Collaborative Community-Based Researchers: Why Working for a University Matters

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Newman, Anne; Glass, Ronald David

2014-01-01

Criticisms of IRBs are proliferating. In response, we compare the ethical and epistemic standards of two closely related forms of inquiry, investigative journalism and equity-oriented collaborative community-based research (EOCCBR). We argue that a university affiliation justifies formal ethical review of research and suggest how institutionalized…

The role of expert searching in the Family Physicians' Inquiries Network (FPIN)*

PubMed Central

Ward, Deborah; Meadows, Susan E.; Nashelsky, Joan E.

2005-01-01

Objective: This article describes the contributions of medical librarians, as members of the Family Physicians' Inquiries Network (FPIN), to the creation of a database of clinical questions and answers that allows family physicians to practice evidence-based medicine using high-quality information at the point of care. The medical librarians have contributed their evidence-based search expertise and knowledge of information systems that support the processes and output of the consortium. Methods: Since its inception, librarians have been included as valued members of the FPIN community. FPIN recognizes the search expertise of librarians, and each FPIN librarian must meet qualifications demonstrating appropriate experience and training in evidence-based medicine. The consortium works collaboratively to produce the Clinical Inquiries series published in family medicine publications. Results: Over 170 Clinical Inquiries have appeared in Journal of Family Practice (JFP) and American Family Physician (AFP). Surveys have shown that this series has become the most widely read part of the JFP Website. As a result, FPIN has formalized specific librarian roles that have helped build the organizational infrastructure. Conclusions: All of the activities of the consortium are highly collaborative, and the librarian community reflects that. The FPIN librarians are valuable and equal contributors to the process of creating, updating, and maintaining high-quality clinical information for practicing primary care physicians. Of particular value is the skill of expert searching that the librarians bring to FPIN's products. PMID:15685280

Guided-Inquiry Experiments for Physical Chemistry: The POGIL-PCL Model

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hunnicutt, Sally S.; Grushow, Alexander; Whitnell, Robert

2015-01-01

The POGIL-PCL project implements the principles of process-oriented, guided-inquiry learning (POGIL) in order to improve student learning in the physical chemistry laboratory (PCL) course. The inquiry-based physical chemistry experiments being developed emphasize modeling of chemical phenomena. In each experiment, students work through at least…

Facilitating Elementary Science Teachers' Implementation of Inquiry-Based Science Teaching

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Qablan, Ahmad M.; DeBaz, Theodora

2015-01-01

Preservice science teachers generally feel that the implementation of inquiry-based science teaching is very difficult to manage. This research project aimed at facilitating the implementation of inquiry-based science teaching through the use of several classroom strategies. The evaluation of 15 classroom strategies from 80 preservice elementary…

Disciplinary Literacy and Inquiry: Teaching for Deeper Content Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Spires, Hiller A.; Kerkhoff, Shea N.; Graham, Abbey C. K.

2016-01-01

Disciplinary literacy is gaining momentum as an approach to adolescent literacy. Believing that a key aspect of disciplinary literacy is knowledge construction, the authors introduce a model for relating disciplinary literacy with project-based inquiry. Rather than merely exploring topics during inquiry, students use practices of a discipline to…

The Teaching of Anthropogenic Climate Change and Earth Science via Technology-Enabled Inquiry Education

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bush, Drew; Sieber, Renee; Seiler, Gale; Chandler, Mark

2016-01-01

A gap has existed between the tools and processes of scientists working on anthropogenic global climate change (AGCC) and the technologies and curricula available to educators teaching the subject through student inquiry. Designing realistic scientific inquiry into AGCC poses a challenge because research on it relies on complex computer models, globally distributed data sets, and complex laboratory and data collection procedures. Here we examine efforts by the scientific community and educational researchers to design new curricula and technology that close this gap and impart robust AGCC and Earth Science understanding. We find technology-based teaching shows promise in promoting robust AGCC understandings if associated curricula address mitigating factors such as time constraints in incorporating technology and the need to support teachers implementing AGCC and Earth Science inquiry. We recommend the scientific community continue to collaborate with educational researchers to focus on developing those inquiry technologies and curricula that use realistic scientific processes from AGCC research and/or the methods for determining how human society should respond to global change.

Variables that impact the implementation of project-based learning in high school science

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cunningham, Kellie

Wagner and colleagues (2006) state the mediocrity of teaching and instructional leadership is the central problem that must be addressed if we are to improve student achievement. Educational reform efforts have been initiated to improve student performance and to hold teachers and school leaders accountable for student achievement (Wagner et al., 2006). Specifically, in the area of science, goals for improving student learning have led reformers to establish standards for what students should know and be able to do, as well as what instructional methods should be used. Key concepts and principles have been identified for student learning. Additionally, reformers recommend student-centered, inquiry-based practices that promote a deep understanding of how science is embedded in the everyday world. These new approaches to science education emphasize inquiry as an essential element for student learning (Schneider, Krajcik, Marx, & Soloway, 2002). Project-based learning (PBL) is an inquiry-based instructional approach that addresses these recommendations for science education reform. The objective of this research was to study the implementation of project-based learning (PBL) in an urban school undergoing reform efforts and identify the variables that positively or negatively impacted the PBL implementation process and its outcomes. This study responded to the need to change how science is taught by focusing on the implementation of project-based learning as an instructional approach to improve student achievement in science and identify the role of both school leaders and teachers in the creation of a school environment that supports project-based learning. A case study design using a mixed-method approach was used in this study. Data were collected through individual interviews with the school principal, science instructional coach, and PBL facilitator. A survey, classroom observations and interviews involving three high school science teachers teaching grades 9--12, were also used in the data collection process. The results of the study indicated that the use of PBL increased student engagement, ability to problem-solve, and to some extent academic performance. The results also revealed several factors that impacted the implementation of project-based learning: (a) Student attributes such as high student absenteeism, lack of motivation, and poor behavior prevented teachers from completing the PBL unit in a timely fashion. (b) Certain school and district policies and requirements were not conducive to PBL implementation. Policies and practices impacting instructional time and teaching supplies acquisition made it difficult for teachers to plan lessons and obtain necessary supplies. (c) Teachers did not receive PBL training in a timely fashion. Teachers received training approximately two months prior to implementation. (d) Teacher collaboration influenced PBL implementation as it enabled teachers to share and discuss ideas, resources, and lessons. Implications for practice include: (a) School and district leaders must create and follow policies and procedures that support conditions that support inquiry learning, (b) Teachers need resources to overcome the challenges associated with project-based learning, (c) Teachers must have the freedom to have a vision for the implementation of PBL that fits their particular classroom context, and (d) Steps should be taken to ensure students have the prior knowledge and skills to successfully engage in PBL.

A Model for Collaborative Learning in Undergraduate Climate Change Courses

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Teranes, J. L.

2008-12-01

Like several colleges and universities across the nation, the University of California, San Diego, has introduced climate change topics into many existing and new undergraduate courses. I have administered a program in this area at UCSD and have also developed and taught a new lower-division UCSD course entitled "Climate Change and Society", a general education course for non-majors. This class covers the basics of climate change, such as the science that explains it, the causes of climate change, climate change impacts, and mitigation strategies. The teaching methods for this course stress interdisciplinary approaches. I find that inquiry-based and collaborative modes of learning are particularly effective when applied to science-based climate, environmental and sustainability topics. Undergraduate education is often dominated by a competitive and individualistic approach to learning. In this approach, individual success is frequently perceived as contingent on others being less successful. Such a model is at odds with commonly stated goals of teaching climate change and sustainability, which are to equip students to contribute to the debate on global environmental change and societal adaptation strategies; and to help students become better informed citizens and decision makers. I present classroom-tested strategies for developing collaborative forms of learning in climate change and environmental courses, including team projects, group presentations and group assessment exercises. I show how critical thinking skills and long-term retention of information can benefit in the collaborative mode of learning. I find that a collaborative learning model is especially appropriate to general education courses in which the enrolled student body represents a wide diversity of majors, class level and expertise. I also connect collaborative coursework in interdisciplinary environmental topics directly to applications in the field, where so much "real-world" achievement in research, education, government and business is effectively accomplished in collaborative teams.

Teachers and Technology Use in Secondary Science Classrooms: Investigating the Experiences of Middle School Science Teachers Implementing the Web-based Inquiry Science Environment (WISE)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schulz, Rachel Corinne

This study investigated the intended teacher use of a technology-enhanced learning tool, Web-based Inquiry Science Environment (WISE), and the first experiences of teachers new to using it and untrained in its use. The purpose of the study was to learn more about the factors embedded into the design of the technology that enabled it or hindered it from being used as intended. The qualitative research design applied grounded theory methods. Using theoretical sampling and a constant comparative analysis, a document review of WISE website led to a model of intended teacher use. The experiences of four middle school science teachers as they enacted WISE for the first time were investigated through ethnographic field observations, surveys and interviews using thematic analysis to construct narratives of each teachers use. These narratives were compared to the model of intended teacher use of WISE. This study found two levels of intended teacher uses for WISE. A basic intended use involved having student running the project to completion while the teacher provides feedback and assesses student learning. A more optimal description of intended use involved the supplementing the core curriculum with WISE as well as enhancing the core scope and sequence of instruction and aligning assessment with the goals of instruction through WISE. Moreover, WISE projects were optimally intended to be facilitated through student-centered teaching practices and inquiry-based instruction in a collaborative learning environment. It is also optimally intended for these projects to be shared with other colleagues for feedback and iterative development towards improving the Knowledge Integration of students. Of the four teachers who participated in this study, only one demonstrated the use of WISE as intended in the most basic way. This teacher also demonstrated the use of WISE in a number of optimal ways. Teacher confusion with certain tools available within WISE suggests that there may be a way to develop the user experience through these touch points and help teachers learn how to use the technology as they are selecting and setting up a project run. Further research may study whether improving these touch points can improve the teachers' use of WISE as intended both basically and optimally. It may also study whether or not teacher in basic and optimal ways directly impact student learning results.

Supporting Inquiry-based Earth System Science Instruction with Middle and High School Earth Science Teachers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Finkel, L.; Varner, R.; Froburg, E.; Smith, M.; Graham, K.; Hale, S.; Laura, G.; Brown, D.; Bryce, J.; Darwish, A.; Furman, T.; Johnson, J.; Porter, W.; von Damm, K.

2007-12-01

The Transforming Earth System Science Education (TESSE) project, a partnership between faculty at the University of New Hampshire, Pennsylvania State University, Elizabeth City State University and Dillard University, is designed to enrich the professional development of in-service and pre-service Earth science teachers. One goal of this effort is to help teachers use an inquiry-based approach to teaching Earth system science in their classrooms. As a part of the TESSE project, 42 pre-service and in-service teachers participated in an intensive two-week summer institute at UNH taught by Earth scientists and science educators from TESSE partnership institutions. The institute included instruction about a range of Earth science system topics as well as an introduction to teaching Earth science using an inquiry-based approach. In addition to providing teachers with information about inquiry-based science teaching in the form of sample lesson plans and opportunities to revise traditional lessons and laboratory exercises to make them more inquiry-based, TESSE instructors modeled an inquiry- based approach in their own teaching as much as possible. By the end of the Institute participants had developed lesson plans, units, or year-long course overviews in which they were expected to explain the ways in which they would include an inquiry-based approach in their Earth science teaching over the course of the school year. As a part of the project, graduate fellows (graduate students in the earth sciences) will work with classroom teachers during the academic year to support their implementation of these plans as well as to assist them in developing a more comprehensive inquiry-based approach in the classroom.

Using the Communication in Science Inquiry Project Professional Development Model to Facilitate Learning Middle School Genetics Concepts

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Baker, Dale R.; Lewis, Elizabeth B.; Uysal, Sibel; Purzer, Senay; Lang, Michael; Baker, Perry

2011-01-01

This study describes the effect of embedding content in the Communication in Inquiry Science Project professional development model for science and language arts teachers. The model uses four components of successful professional development (content focus, active learning, extended duration, participation by teams of teachers from the same school…

An Inquiry-Based Project Focused on the X-Ray Powder Diffraction Analysis of Common Household Solids

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hulien, Molly L.; Lekse, Jonathan W.; Rosmus, Kimberly A.; Devlin, Kasey P.; Glenn, Jennifer R.; Wisneski, Stephen D.; Wildfong, Peter; Lake, Charles H.; MacNeil, Joseph H.; Aitken, Jennifer A.

2015-01-01

While X-ray powder diffraction (XRPD) is a fundamental analytical technique used by solid-state laboratories across a breadth of disciplines, it is still underrepresented in most undergraduate curricula. In this work, we incorporate XRPD analysis into an inquiry-based project that requires students to identify the crystalline component(s) of…

Science Seminar: Science Capstone Research Projects as a Class in High School

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Schwebach, J. Reid

2008-01-01

Inquiry-based, student-lead research may be a pinnacle of high school science education, and the implementation of inquiry themes at all grades is of profound importance. At The Beacon High School in New York City, all seniors, regardless of their scientific proclivity or interest, completed original science research projects as a graduation…

The Distant Exploration of Wolves: Using Technology to Explore Student Questions about Wolves

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Campbell, Todd

2006-01-01

Radio telemetry data available via the internet are used to facilitate long-term inquiry projects. Through these projects, students gain a deeper understanding of scientific inquiry and the nature of science, while developing their own questions and procedures and carrying out those procedures before sharing their findings with peers. (Contains 1…

Teaching Science with Web-Based Inquiry Projects: An Exploratory Investigation

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Webb, Aubree M.; Knight, Stephanie L.; Wu, X. Ben; Schielack, Jane F.

2014-01-01

The purpose of this research is to explore a new computer-based interactive learning approach to assess the impact on student learning and attitudes toward science in a large university ecology classroom. A comparison was done with an established program to measure the relative impact of the new approach. The first inquiry project, BearCam, gives…

Examining Authentic Intellectual Work with a Historical Digital Documentary Inquiry Project in a Mandated State Testing Environment

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Swan, Kathy; Hofer, Mark; Swan, Gerry

2011-01-01

Three criteria for meaningful student learning--construction of knowledge, disciplined inquiry, and value beyond school--are assessed as authentic learning outcomes for an implementation of a digital documentary project in two fifth grade history classrooms where teachers' practices are constrained by a high-stakes testing climate. In all three…

Insider Perspectives on Mentoring Teachers of Students with Complex Disabilities: A New Zealand Story

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jones, Phyllis; de Kock, Jill; Charles, Devs; Jourdan, Neil; Copeland, Sarah; Willis, Sheryl

2015-01-01

This article shares a school based inquiry project undertaken by staff in a special day school in the North Island of New Zealand supported by an external teacher educator/researcher from the United States. The inquiry project followed the Accessible Research Cycle (Jones, Whitehurst, & Egerton, 2012), which is a phased progression of…

Strengthening Teaching and Research Links: The Case of a Pollution Exposure Inquiry Project

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Spronken-Smith, Rachel; Kingham, Simon

2009-01-01

In recent years there has been a move towards the strengthening of teaching and research links in the undergraduate curriculum. Inquiry-based learning offers an opportunity for students to engage in research tasks and consequently students can develop valuable research skills, as well as working on projects aligned to staff research interests.…

Undergraduate Student Attitudes and Perceptions toward Low- and High-Level Inquiry Exercise Physiology Teaching Laboratory Experiences

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Henige, Kim

2011-01-01

The purpose of this investigation was to compare student attitudes toward two different science laboratory learning experiences, specifically, traditional, cookbook-style, low-inquiry level (LL) activities and a high-inquiry level (HL) investigative project. In addition, we sought to measure and compare students' science-related attitudes and…

Teachers' Views on Implementing Storytelling as a Way to Motivate Inquiry Learning in High-School Chemistry Teaching

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Peleg, Ran; Yayon, Malka; Katchevich, Dvora; Mamlok-Naaman, Rachel; Fortus, David; Eilks, Ingo; Hofstein, Avi

2017-01-01

Educational research and policy suggest inquiry as one of the most prominent ways of promoting effective science education. However, traditional approaches towards inquiry learning are not always sufficiently motivating for all learners. The EU-funded project, TEMI--Teaching Enquiry with Mysteries Incorporated, suggests that mysterious scientific…

The 5E Instructional Model: A Learning Cycle Approach for Inquiry-Based Science Teaching

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Duran, Lena Ballone; Duran, Emilio

2004-01-01

The implementation of inquiry-based teaching is a major theme in national science education reform documents such as "Project 2061: Science for All Americans" (Rutherford & Alhgren, 1990) and the "National Science Education Standards" (NRC, 1996). These reports argue that inquiry needs to be a central strategy of all…

Transforming a Traditional Laboratory to an Inquiry-Based Course: Importance of Training TAs When Redesigning a Curriculum

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wheeler, Lindsay B.; Clark, Charles P.; Grisham, Charles M.

2017-01-01

Laboratory course redesign and effective implementation of an inquiry-based curriculum can be challenging, particularly when teaching assistants (TAs) are responsible for instruction. Our multiyear redesign of a traditional general chemistry laboratory course has included transitioning to a project based guided inquiry (PBGI) curriculum that…

Learning about the Types of Plastic Wastes: Effectiveness of Inquiry Learning Strategies

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

So, Wing-Mui Winnie; Cheng, Nga-Yee Irene; Chow, Cheuk-Fai; Zhan, Ying

2016-01-01

This study aims to examine the impacts of the inquiry learning strategies employed in a "Plastic Education Project" on primary students' knowledge, beliefs and intended behaviour in Hong Kong. Student questionnaires and a test on plastic types were adopted for data collection. Results reveal that the inquiry learning strategies…

Inquiry-based science education: towards a pedagogical framework for primary school teachers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

van Uum, Martina S. J.; Verhoeff, Roald P.; Peeters, Marieke

2016-02-01

Inquiry-based science education (IBSE) has been promoted as an inspiring way of learning science by engaging pupils in designing and conducting their own scientific investigations. For primary school teachers, the open nature of IBSE poses challenges as they often lack experience in supporting their pupils during the different phases of an open IBSE project, such as formulating a research question and designing and conducting an investigation. The current study aims to meet these challenges by presenting a pedagogical framework in which four domains of scientific knowledge are addressed in seven phases of inquiry. The framework is based on video analyses of pedagogical interventions by primary school teachers participating in open IBSE projects. Our results show that teachers can guide their pupils successfully through the process of open inquiry by explicitly addressing the conceptual, epistemic, social and/or procedural domain of scientific knowledge in the subsequent phases of inquiry. The paper concludes by suggesting further research to validate our framework and to develop a pedagogy for primary school teachers to guide their pupils through the different phases of open inquiry.

Partnering with American Indian communities in health using methods of strategic collaboration.

PubMed

Rajaram, Shireen S; Grimm, Brandon; Giroux, Jennifer; Peck, Magda; Ramos, Athena

2014-01-01

The Association for Prevention Teaching and Research (APTR) sponsored six regional workshops in 2010 on community engagement and community-engaged research. One of the six workshops was a collaborative effort between the Great Plains Tribal Chairman's Health Board (GPTCHB)-Northern Plains Tribal Epidemiology Center and the College of Public Health at the University of Nebraska Medical Center (UNMC-COPH). To create a meaningful and dynamic forum for the exchange of ideas and co-learning between researchers from urban, tribal and nontribal communities and to build the groundwork for development of sustainable partnerships between researchers and American Indian (AI) communities to eliminate health disparities. To enhance meaningful community engagement, we utilized methods of Strategic Collaboration using the Appreciative Inquiry, 4D Change Process Model and designed several interactive group activities including Collaborative Learning and Understanding Exercises (CLUE) and the Research Café. The key themes that emerged from the interactive sessions stressed the importance of building relationships and trust; mutual use and sharing of data; and acquiring knowledge, skills, and abilities to enable sustainable research partnerships with AI communitiesConclusions: Innovative, dynamic, and strategic collaborative methods of Appreciative Inquiry and the World Café can served to engage people in a constructive dialogue to create a shared vision and plan for more meaningful research partnerships based on principles of equity and social justice, essential for the elimination of health disparities. These collaborative methods can be replicated and adapted in diverse communities, locally, nationally, and globally.

Characteristics of Pre-Service Teachers' Online Discourse: The Study of Local Streams

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liang, Ling L.; Ebenezer, Jazlin; Yost, Deborah S.

2010-02-01

This study describes the characteristics of pre-service teachers' discourse on a WebCT Bulletin Board in their investigations of local streams in an integrated mathematics and science course. A qualitative analysis of data revealed that the pre-service teachers conducted collaborative discourse in framing their research questions, conducting research and writing reports. The science teacher educator provided feedback and carefully crafted prompts to help pre-service teachers develop and refine their work. Overall, the online discourse formats enhance out-of-class communication and support collaborative group work. But the discourse on the critical examination of one another's point of views rooted in scientific inquiry appeared to be missing. It is suggested that pre-service teachers should be given more guidance and opportunities in science courses in carrying out scientific discourse that reflects reform-based scientific inquiry.

Exploring the meaning of parental involvement in physical education for students with developmental disabilities.

PubMed

An, Jihoun; Hodge, Samuel R

2013-04-01

The purpose of this phenomenological inquiry was to explore the experiences and meaning of parental involvement in physical education from the perspectives of the parents of students with developmental disabilities. The stories of four mothers of elementary aged children (3 boys, 1 girl), two mothers and one couple (mother and father) of secondary-aged youth (1 girl, 2 boys) with developmental disabilities, were gathered by using interviews, photographs, school documents, and the researcher's journal. Bronfenbrenner's (2005) ecological system theory provided a conceptual framework to interpret the findings of this inquiry. Three themes emerged from thematic analysis: being an advocate for my child, understanding the big picture, and collaborative partnerships undeveloped in GPE. The findings lend additional support to the need for establishing collaborative partnerships in physical education between home and school environments (An & Goodwin, 2007; Tekin, 2011).

Impact of problem finding on the quality of authentic open inquiry science research projects

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Labanca, Frank

2008-11-01

Problem finding is a creative process whereby individuals develop original ideas for study. Secondary science students who successfully participate in authentic, novel, open inquiry studies must engage in problem finding to determine viable and suitable topics. This study examined problem finding strategies employed by students who successfully completed and presented the results of their open inquiry research at the 2007 Connecticut Science Fair and the 2007 International Science and Engineering Fair. A multicase qualitative study was framed through the lenses of creativity, inquiry strategies, and situated cognition learning theory. Data were triangulated by methods (interviews, document analysis, surveys) and sources (students, teachers, mentors, fair directors, documents). The data demonstrated that the quality of student projects was directly impacted by the quality of their problem finding. Effective problem finding was a result of students using resources from previous, specialized experiences. They had a positive self-concept and a temperament for both the creative and logical perspectives of science research. Successful problem finding was derived from an idiosyncratic, nonlinear, and flexible use and understanding of inquiry. Finally, problem finding was influenced and assisted by the community of practicing scientists, with whom the students had an exceptional ability to communicate effectively. As a result, there appears to be a juxtaposition of creative and logical/analytical thought for open inquiry that may not be present in other forms of inquiry. Instructional strategies are suggested for teachers of science research students to improve the quality of problem finding for their students and their subsequent research projects.

Autonomous entropy-based intelligent experimental design

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Malakar, Nabin Kumar

2011-07-01

The aim of this thesis is to explore the application of probability and information theory in experimental design, and to do so in a way that combines what we know about inference and inquiry in a comprehensive and consistent manner. Present day scientific frontiers involve data collection at an ever-increasing rate. This requires that we find a way to collect the most relevant data in an automated fashion. By following the logic of the scientific method, we couple an inference engine with an inquiry engine to automate the iterative process of scientific learning. The inference engine involves Bayesian machine learning techniques to estimate model parameters based upon both prior information and previously collected data, while the inquiry engine implements data-driven exploration. By choosing an experiment whose distribution of expected results has the maximum entropy, the inquiry engine selects the experiment that maximizes the expected information gain. The coupled inference and inquiry engines constitute an autonomous learning method for scientific exploration. We apply it to a robotic arm to demonstrate the efficacy of the method. Optimizing inquiry involves searching for an experiment that promises, on average, to be maximally informative. If the set of potential experiments is described by many parameters, the search involves a high-dimensional entropy space. In such cases, a brute force search method will be slow and computationally expensive. We develop an entropy-based search algorithm, called nested entropy sampling, to select the most informative experiment. This helps to reduce the number of computations necessary to find the optimal experiment. We also extended the method of maximizing entropy, and developed a method of maximizing joint entropy so that it could be used as a principle of collaboration between two robots. This is a major achievement of this thesis, as it allows the information-based collaboration between two robotic units towards a same goal in an automated fashion.

Achieving a coherent curriculum in second grade: Science as the organizer

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Park Rogers, Meredith A.

The purpose of this study was to examine how a team of four second grade teachers used their approach to teaching science as a means for designing and implementing a coherent curriculum. Within this study, curriculum coherency refers to making logical instructional connections that are both visible and explicit for students. A teacher using a common teaching strategy or critical thinking skills in such a way that the commonalities between subject areas are clearly demonstrated to students is one example of curriculum coherency. The research framework guiding this study was phenomenology; I used a case study method for data analysis. The primary data source was field notes gathered during 10 weeks of classroom observations. Secondary data sources included observations of team meetings, two sets of interviews with each of the four teachers, an interview with the school principal, and artifacts used and developed by the teachers. An analysis of the data led me to interpret the following findings: (1) the teachers viewed science as a tool to motivate their students to learn and believed in teaching science through an inquiry-based approach; (2) they described science inquiry as a process of thinking organized around questions, and saw their teaching role as shifting between guided and open classroom inquiry; (3) they taught all subjects using an inquiry-based approach, emphasized the process skills associated with doing scientific inquiry, and consistently used the language of the process skills throughout their instruction of all disciplines; (4) their team's collaborative approach played a significant role in achieving their vision of a coherent curriculum; the successfulness of their collaboration relied on the unique contributions of each member and her commitment to professional development. This study demonstrates how an inquiry-based science curriculum can provide educators with an effective model for designing and implementing a coherent curriculum. Furthermore, the findings have implications for elementary preservice and inservice programs with respect to using science teaching as a foundation for developing curriculum coherency.

The Interactive Potential of Multiple Media: A New Look at Inquiry Projects

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ranker, Jason

2010-01-01

This article presents the inquiry and literacy processes of two fifth-grade students as they created a digital video about African American history for a school project. During this process, the students gained experience in researching (both on the Web and in books) and writing, with the overall goal of creating a digital documentary video about…

The Poet in the Warehouse. Creative Writing as Inquiry: Using Imaginative Writing To Explore Other Disciplines.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

McCue, Frances

This master's project contains two essays and a long poem, examining the possibilities of creative writing as a tool of inquiry in mathematics, history, science, film, art, and architecture. The project's first essay, "The Poet in the Warehouse," introduces a brief history of imaginative writing and an argument for its inclusion in…

Inquiry-Based Freshman Seminar on "What You Can (Or Should Not) Do to End Global Poverty"

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kisaalita, William S.

2018-01-01

Offering first year seminars and experiences is well-established as one of the high-impact educational practices. An inquiry-based freshman seminar in which students conduct poverty simulation term projects has been offered for five years at the University of Georgia. The students have four project options of: dressing the part and panhandling…

Using Appreciative Inquiry to Explore Australian Football Coaches' Experience with Game Sense Coaching

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Pill, Shane

2015-01-01

This paper reports on a project framed as a strengths-based case study in the field of sport coaching. The aim of this research was twofold. First, the project trialled. Appreciate Inquiry (AI) for sport pedagogy research and explain how AI can be used in sport coaching research. Second, using an appreciative perspective, the aim of the research…

The Use of Wikis in a Science Inquiry-Based Project in a Primary School

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lau, Wilfred W. F.; Lui, Vicky; Chu, Samuel K. W.

2017-01-01

This study explored the use of wikis in a science inquiry-based project conducted with Primary 6 students (aged 11-12). It used an online wiki-based platform called PBworks and addressed the following research questions: (1) What are students' attitudes toward learning with wikis? (2) What are students' interactions in online group collaboration…

Growing Talent for Inclusion: Using an Appreciative Inquiry Approach into Investigating Classroom Dynamics

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Doveston, Mary; Keenaghan, Marian

2006-01-01

This paper reports on an Appreciative Inquiry project called "Growing Talent for Inclusion" which has been running since 2002. The project grew out the authors' work in a Local Authority Support Service assisting schools to meet the needs of pupils with a range of additional educational needs. Faced with a large number of individual referrals,…

Mobile Inquiry Learning in Sweden: Development Insights on Interoperability, Extensibility and Sustainability of the LETS GO Software System

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Vogel, Bahtijar; Kurti, Arianit; Milrad, Marcelo; Johansson, Emil; Müller, Maximilian

2014-01-01

This paper presents the overall lifecycle and evolution of a software system we have developed in relation to the "Learning Ecology through Science with Global Outcomes" (LETS GO) research project. One of the aims of the project is to support "open inquiry learning" using mobile science collaboratories that provide open…

Cosmic Rays - A Word-Wide Student Laboratory

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Adams, Mark

2017-01-01

The QuarkNet program has distributed hundreds of cosmic ray detectors for use in high schools and research facilities throughout the world over the last decade. Data collected by those students has been uploaded to a central server where web-based analysis tools enable users to characterize and to analyze everyone's cosmic ray data. Since muons rain down on everyone in the world, all students can participate in this free, high energy particle environment. Through self-directed inquiry students have designed their own experiments: exploring cosmic ray rates and air shower structure; and using muons to measure their speed, time dilation, lifetime, and affects on biological systems. We also plan to expand our annual International Muon Week project to create a large student-led collaboration where similar cosmic ray measurements are performed simultaneously throughout the world.

CO[subscript 2] Investigations: An Open Inquiry Experiment for General Chemistry

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Stout, Roland P.

2016-01-01

This paper presents a successful, free inquiry experiment in which students devise an experiment to measure carbon dioxide in an important chemical, biological, or environmental situation. Also discussed is rationale for adopting an open inquiry experiment and how it fits into the laboratory as a whole. Typical student projects are given, and data…

An Inquiry-Based Approach to Teaching Research Methods in Information Studies

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Albright, Kendra; Petrulis, Robert; Vasconcelos, Ana; Wood, Jamie

2012-01-01

This paper presents the results of a project that aimed at restructuring the delivery of research methods training at the Information School at the University of Sheffield, UK, based on an Inquiry-Based Learning (IBL) approach. The purpose of this research was to implement inquiry-based learning that would allow customization of research methods…

JELL-O and Detergents: A Successful Inquiry Recipe

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Brown, Patrick; Friedrichsen, Patricia

2006-01-01

This article presents an activity for early-in-the-year parents' night. The beginning of a new school year is an exciting time. The authors, as teachers, like to capture that excitement by engaging their 10th-grade biology students in an inquiry project demonstrating the nature of science and scientific inquiry. They developed the Next Step…

Incorporating Active Learning and Student Inquiry into an Introductory Merchandising Class

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lee, Hyun-Hwa; Hines, Jean D.

2012-01-01

Many educators believe that student learning is enhanced when they are actively involved in classroom activities that require student inquiry. The purpose of this paper is to report on three student inquiry projects that were incorporated into a merchandising class with the focus on making students responsible for their learning, rather than the…

Challenges and Support When Teaching Science through an Integrated Inquiry and Literacy Approach

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ødegaard, Marianne; Haug, Berit; Mork, Sonja M.; Sørvik, Gard Ove

2014-01-01

In the Budding Science and Literacy project, we explored how working with an integrated inquiry-based science and literacy approach may challenge and support the teaching and learning of science at the classroom level. By studying the inter-relationship between multiple learning modalities and phases of inquiry, we wished to illuminate possible…

Using Peer Feedback to Improve Students' Scientific Inquiry

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tasker, Tammy Q.; Herrenkohl, Leslie Rupert

2016-01-01

This article examines a 7th grade teacher's pedagogical practices to support her students to provide peer feedback to one another using technology during scientific inquiry. This research is part of a larger study in which teachers in California and Washington and their classes engaged in inquiry projects using a Web-based system called Web of…

Using Science and the Internet as Everyday Classroom Tools

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mandel, Eric

1999-01-01

The Everyday Classroom Tools project developed a K-6 inquiry-based curriculum to bring the tools of scientific inquiry, together with the Internet, into the elementary school classroom. Our curriculum encourages students and teachers to experience the adventure of science through investigation of the world around us. In this project, experts in computer science and astronomy at SAO worked closely with teachers and students in Massachusetts elementary schools to design and model activities which are developmentally appropriate, fulfill the needs of the curriculum standards of the school district, and provide students with a chance to experience for themselves the joy and excitement of scientific inquiry. The results of our efforts are embodied in the Threads of Inquiry, a series of free-flowing dialogues about inquiry-inspiring investigations that maintain a solid connection with our experience and with one another. These investigations are concerned with topics such as the motion of the Earth, shadows, light, and time. Our work emphasizes a direct hands-on approach through concrete experience, rather than memorization of facts.

Collaborative Inquiry Uses Data To Get Results.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ready, Diane E.

2001-01-01

Describes the Concorde model and its training sessions, which are funded by the U.S. Department of Education, for the professional development of mathematics teachers. Uses practical data collection and analysis to improve student learning. (YDS)

Skynet Junior Scholars: Bringing Astronomy to Deaf and Hard of Hearing Youth

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Meredith, Kate; Williamson, Kathryn; Gartner, Constance; Hoette, Vivian L.; Heatherly, Sue Ann

2016-01-01

Skynet Junior Scholars (SJS), funded by the National Science Foundation, aims to engage middle school youth from diverse audiences in investigating the universe with research quality robotic telescopes. SJS project development goals include: 1) Online access to optical and radio telescopes, data analysis tools, and professional astronomers, 2) An age-appropriate web-based interface for controlling remote telescopes, 3) Inquiry-based standards-aligned instructional modules. From an accessibility perspective, the goal of the Skynet Junior Scholars project is to facilitate independent access to the project by all youth including those with blindness or low vision and those who are Deaf or Hard of Hearing.Deaf and Hard of Hearing (DHH) students have long been an underserved population within STEM fields, including astronomy. Two main barriers include: (1) insufficient corpus of American Sign Language (ASL) for astronomy terminology, and (2) DHH education professionals who lack astronomy background. A suite of vocabulary, accessible hands-on activities, and interaction with trained professionals, are critical for enhancing the background experiences of DHH youth, as they may come to an astronomy lesson lacking the basic "incidental learning" that is often taken for granted with hearing peers (for example, from astronomy in the media).A collaboration between the Skynet Junior Scholars (SJS) project and the Wisconsin School for the Deaf is bringing astronomy to the DHH community in an accessible way for the first time. We follow a group of seven DHH youth over one semester as they interact with the SJS tools and curriculum to understand how they assimilate astronomy experiences and benefit from access to telescopes both directly (on school campus and at Yerkes Observatory) and through Skynet's robotic telescope network (optical and radio telescopes, inquiry-based modules, data analysis tools, and professional astronomers). We report on our first findings of resources and best practices for engaging DHH youth in astronomy in the future.

Scopes for Schools: What do students know about light and mirrors?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Stassun, K.; Fabian, D.; Brissenden, G.; Lattis, J.

2002-05-01

The 'Scopes for Schools Project is an inquiry- and standards-based program that unites K-12 teachers, students, and professional astronomers to conduct outreach, curriculum development, and teacher professional development in astronomy. The main activities of S4S ('Scopes for Schools) are a teacher professional development workshop to increase teachers' astronomy content and pedagogical content knowledge, provide modeled curriculum activities, and the physical materials needed for doing astronomy in the classroom. We then build low-cost, high-quaility Dobsonian telescopes in the classroom with the students supplemented with fun, collaborative, inquiry-based astronomy activities. Finally, we help support the new teacher partners by assisting with star parties and astronomy club development. Previously, the curriculum development aspects of S4S have focused on post-telescope building activities, but in an attempt to provide a clear understanding of the optical properties of a telescope, we have developed an activity that explores how light interacts with a bare mirror. By grades 6-8, we have observed strongly held alternative conceptions about sight, the nature of light, and its interaction with reflective surfaces. We specifically and rigorously address this problem and the Benchmark ``Something can be "seen" when light waves emitted or reflected by it enter the eye-just as something can be "heard" when sound waves from it enter the ear.'' (Project 2061) with an activity that encourages students to manipulate a mirror and a light source to discover how images are formed. Students also gain experience with multiple variables in an experiment and the idea that it may not be possible to prevent outside factors from influencing the experiment. We discuss how this ``mirror activity'' relates to the cognitive development of students, the standards, and the greater S4S project. The 'Scopes for Schools Project has recieved funding from the Wisconsin Space Grant Consortium and a Chandra EPO grant.

Agile methods in biomedical software development: a multi-site experience report.

PubMed

Kane, David W; Hohman, Moses M; Cerami, Ethan G; McCormick, Michael W; Kuhlmman, Karl F; Byrd, Jeff A

2006-05-30

Agile is an iterative approach to software development that relies on strong collaboration and automation to keep pace with dynamic environments. We have successfully used agile development approaches to create and maintain biomedical software, including software for bioinformatics. This paper reports on a qualitative study of our experiences using these methods. We have found that agile methods are well suited to the exploratory and iterative nature of scientific inquiry. They provide a robust framework for reproducing scientific results and for developing clinical support systems. The agile development approach also provides a model for collaboration between software engineers and researchers. We present our experience using agile methodologies in projects at six different biomedical software development organizations. The organizations include academic, commercial and government development teams, and included both bioinformatics and clinical support applications. We found that agile practices were a match for the needs of our biomedical projects and contributed to the success of our organizations. We found that the agile development approach was a good fit for our organizations, and that these practices should be applicable and valuable to other biomedical software development efforts. Although we found differences in how agile methods were used, we were also able to identify a set of core practices that were common to all of the groups, and that could be a focus for others seeking to adopt these methods.

Agile methods in biomedical software development: a multi-site experience report

PubMed Central

Kane, David W; Hohman, Moses M; Cerami, Ethan G; McCormick, Michael W; Kuhlmman, Karl F; Byrd, Jeff A

2006-01-01

Background Agile is an iterative approach to software development that relies on strong collaboration and automation to keep pace with dynamic environments. We have successfully used agile development approaches to create and maintain biomedical software, including software for bioinformatics. This paper reports on a qualitative study of our experiences using these methods. Results We have found that agile methods are well suited to the exploratory and iterative nature of scientific inquiry. They provide a robust framework for reproducing scientific results and for developing clinical support systems. The agile development approach also provides a model for collaboration between software engineers and researchers. We present our experience using agile methodologies in projects at six different biomedical software development organizations. The organizations include academic, commercial and government development teams, and included both bioinformatics and clinical support applications. We found that agile practices were a match for the needs of our biomedical projects and contributed to the success of our organizations. Conclusion We found that the agile development approach was a good fit for our organizations, and that these practices should be applicable and valuable to other biomedical software development efforts. Although we found differences in how agile methods were used, we were also able to identify a set of core practices that were common to all of the groups, and that could be a focus for others seeking to adopt these methods. PMID:16734914

Constructing a Global Learning Partnership in Physiotherapy: An Ireland-Uganda Initiative.

PubMed

O'Sullivan, Cliona; Kazibwe, Herman; Whitehouse, Zillah; Blake, Catherine

2017-01-01

There is a strong correlation between disability and poverty and it is acknowledged that until disability issues are addressed, the goal of poverty reduction in low-income countries is unlikely to be achieved. Despite the high prevalence of disability in developing countries, there remains a significant shortage of rehabilitation professionals as highlighted by the WHO report, Human resources for Health (2006). The purpose of this project was to develop a collaborative and sustainable partnership to strengthen educational and research capacity in global health, disability, and rehabilitation between two physiotherapy schools; University College Dublin, Ireland, and Mbarara University of Science and Technology, Uganda. This article aims to describe the approach used and initial project outcomes. This project involved a bilateral visit to both institutions by two members of staff of respective physiotherapy programs. These visits entailed stakeholder meetings, clinical site visits, and workshops to identify the priorities for the partnership and shape the collaboration going forward. Appreciative inquiry methodology was used during the workshops and the four-dimensional framework for curriculum development was used to guide analysis and underpin findings. The key priorities identified were (i) development of joint global health learning initiative, (ii) to explore the possibility of postgraduate learning and research opportunities for Ugandan colleagues, and (iii) to develop joint clinical placements. The rationale and context and a plan of action is described. The project is ambitious and in order to be sustainable, the importance of long-term interinstitutional commitment and further funding cannot be ignored. This work provides a framework for other universities and institutions wishing to undertake similar activities. Such partnerships provide rich learning opportunities for students and health professionals and facilitate a deeper understanding of global health issues, social and cultural health determinants, and development of enhanced professional skills.

An Inquiry-Based Approach to Study the Synapse: Student-Driven Experiments Using C. elegans

PubMed Central

Lemons, Michele L.

2016-01-01

Inquiry-based instruction has been well demonstrated to enhance long term retention and to improve application and synthesis of knowledge. Here we describe an inquiry-based teaching module that trains undergraduates as scientists who pose questions, design and execute hypothesis-driven experiments, analyze data and communicate their research findings. Before students design their research projects, they learn and practice several research techniques with the model organism, Caenorhabditis elegans. This nematode is an ideal choice for experimentation in an undergraduate lab due to its powerful genetics, ease and low cost of maintenance, and amenability for undergraduate training. Students are challenged to characterize an instructor-assigned “mystery mutant” C. elegans strain. The “mystery mutant” strain has a defect in cholinergic synaptic transmission. Students are well poised to experimentally test how the mutation impacts synaptic transmission. For example, students design experiments that address questions including: Does the effected gene influence acetylcholine neurotransmitter release? Does it inhibit postsynaptic cholinergic receptors? Students must apply their understanding of the synapse while using their recently acquired research skills (including aldicarb and levamisole assays) to successfully design, execute and analyze their experiments. Students prepare an experimental plan and a timeline for proposed experiments. Undergraduates work collaboratively in pairs and share their research findings in oral and written formats. Modifications to suit instructor-specific goals and courses with limited or no lab time are provided. Students have anonymously reported their surprise regarding how much can be learned from a worm and feelings of satisfaction from conducting research experiments of their own design. PMID:27980470

Teaching Inquiry using NASA Earth-System Science: Lessons Learned for Blended, Scaffolded Professional Development

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ellis, T. D.; TeBockhorst, D.

2013-12-01

Teaching Inquiry using NASA Earth-System Science (TINES) is a NASA EPOESS funded program exploring blended professional development for pre- and in-service educators to learn how to conduct meaningful inquiry lessons and projects in the K-12 classroom. This project combines trainings in GLOBE observational protocols and training in the use of NASA Earth Science mission data in a backward-faded scaffolding approach to teaching and learning about scientific inquiry. It also features a unique partnership with the National Science Teachers Association Learning Center to promote cohort building and blended professional development with access to NSTA's collection of resources. In this presentation, we will discuss lessons learned in year one and two of this program and how we plan to further develop this program over the next two years.

Training Teachers to Use Technology and Inquiry-based Learning Practices in the Geosciences through an Industry-University Partnership

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

McNeal, K.; Buell, R.; Eiland, L.

2009-12-01

Teacher professional development centered about the Geosciences is necessary in order to train K-12 teachers about this science field and to effectively educate K-12 students about Earth processes. The partnership of industries, universities, and K-12 schools is a collaborative pathway to support these efforts by providing teachers access to technology, inquiry-based learning, and authentic field experiences within the Geosciences context. This research presents the results of Project SMARTER (Science and Mathematics Advancement and Reform utilizing Technology and Enhanced Resources), a co-lead industry-university partnership and teacher professional development workshop program that focused on technology and inquiry-based learning in the Geosciences. The workshop included fifteen teachers from five distressed counties in Mississippi as defined by the Appalachian Regional Commission. Three (one science, once math, one technology) 7-12 grade teachers were selected from each school district and worked together during activities as a team to foster a cooperative learning experience. The two week workshop trained teachers on the use of a variety of technologies including: Vernier Probes and software, TI-calculators and presenter, Mimio Boards, GPS receivers, Google Earth, Excel, PowerPoint, projectors, and the use of historic geologic datasets. Furthermore, teachers were trained on proper field collection techniques, the use of Hach Kits and field probes, and the interpretation of geologic data. Each daily program incorporated the use of technology-rich and inquiry-based activities into one of the five Earth spheres: atmosphere, lithosphere, biosphere, hydrosphere, and anthrosphere. Results from the pre-post technology attitude survey showed that participating teachers significantly (p < 0.05) increased their confidence level in using technology. Furthermore, all participants self-reflected that the workshop both increased their interest in the Geosciences and their plans to integrate technology in future classroom activities. Qualitative responses from daily feedback forms and journal entries indicated that participating teachers were enthusiastic about inquiry-, technology-, and field-based learning activities and were willing to incorporate cross-discipline lesson plans. Evaluation of final lesson plans developed by the teachers during the workshop combined with follow-up classroom visits illustrated that the teachers appropriately developed classroom lessons to incorporate inquiry and technology and that they successfully implemented these lesson plans in their own classroom as a direct result of participating in workshop activities.

EarthInquiry: Using On-Line Data to Help Students Explore Fundamental Concepts in Geoscience

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Alfano, M.; Keane, C. M.; Ridky, R. W.

2002-12-01

Using local case studies to learn about earth processes increases the relevance of science instruction. Students are encouraged to think about how geological processes affect their lives and experiences. Today, with many global data sets available on-line, instructors have unprecedented opportunities to bring local data into the classroom. However, while the resources are available, using on-line data presents a particular set of challenges. Access and entry to web sites frequently change and data format can be unpredictable. Often, instructors are faced with non-functional web sites on the day, or week, that they plan to assign a given activity. The American Geological Institute, with the participation of numerous geoscience professors, has developed EarthInquiry, a series of activities that utilize the abundant real-time and archived geoscience data available on-line. These modules are developed primarily for introductory college students. EarthInquiry modules follow a structured format, beginning with familiar examples at the global and national level to introduce students to the on-line data and the EarthInquiry web site. The web site offers detailed and up-to-date instructions on how to access the data, cached copies of sample data that can be used to complete each activity in the event of a network outage, and an assessment activity that helps students determine how well they have achieved an understanding of key concepts. The EarthInquiry booklet contains a series of engaging questions that allow students to solve problems in a scientific manner. As students gain content understanding and confidence in the requisite analysis, they examine the presented material at a more local level. In one activity, students explore the recurrence interval of a local stream. In other activities, they investigate the mineral resources and earthquake histories of their state. All modules are developed with the intent of building an appropriate cognitive foundation, while complimenting the topics typically discussed in an introductory physical or environmental geology course. The project is a collaboration of the American Geological Institute and W.H. Freeman and Company Publishers.

University-Level Teaching of Anthropogenic Global Climate Change (AGCC) via Student Inquiry

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bush, Drew; Sieber, Renee; Seiler, Gale; Chandler, Mark

2017-01-01

This paper reviews university-level efforts to improve understanding of anthropogenic global climate change (AGCC) through curricula that enable student scientific inquiry. We examined 152 refereed publications and proceedings from academic conferences and selected 26 cases of inquiry learning that overcome specific challenges to AGCC teaching. This review identifies both the strengths and weaknesses of each of these case studies. It is the first to go beyond examining the impact of specific inquiry instructional approaches to offer a synthesis of cases. We find that inquiry teaching can succeed by concretising scientific processes, providing access to global data and evidence, imparting critical and higher order thinking about AGCC science policy and contextualising learning with places and scientific facts. We recommend educational researchers and scientists collaborate to create and refine curricula that utilise geospatial technologies, climate models and communication technologies to bring students into contact with scientists, climate data and authentic AGCC research processes. Many available science education technologies and curricula also require further research to maximise trade-offs between implementation and training costs and their educational value.

Enhancing Teachers' Application of Inquiry-Based Strategies Using a Constructivist Sociocultural Professional Development Model

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Brand, Brenda R.; Moore, Sandra J.

2011-05-01

This two-year school-wide initiative to improve teachers' pedagogical skills in inquiry-based science instruction using a constructivist sociocultural professional development model involved 30 elementary teachers from one school, three university faculty, and two central office content supervisors. Research was conducted for investigating the impact of the professional development activities on teachers' practices, documenting changes in their philosophies, instruction, and the learning environment. This report includes teachers' accounts of philosophical as well as instructional changes and how these changes shaped the learning environment. For the teachers in this study, examining their teaching practices in learner-centered collaborative group settings encouraged them to critically analyze their instructional practices, challenging their preconceived ideas on inquiry-based strategies. Additionally, other factors affecting teachers' understanding and use of inquiry-based strategies were highlighted, such as self-efficacy beliefs, prior experiences as students in science classrooms, teacher preparation programs, and expectations due to federal, state, and local mandates. These factors were discussed and reconciled, as they constructed new understandings and adapted their strategies to become more student-centered and inquiry-based.

Project CUES: A New Middle-School Earth System Science Curriculum Being Developed by the American Geological Institute

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Smith, M. C.; Smith, M. J.; Lederman, N.; Southard, J. B.; Rogers, E. A.; Callahan, C. N.

2002-12-01

Project CUES is a middle-school earth systems science curriculum project under development by the American Geological Institute (AGI) and funded by the National Science Foundation (ESI-0095938). CUES features a student-centered, inquiry pedagogy and approaches earth science from a systems perspective. CUES will use the expanded learning cycle approach of Trowbridge and Bybee (1996), known as the 5E model (engage-explore-explain-elaborate-evaluate). Unlike AGI's Investigating Earth Systems (IES) curriculum modules, CUES will include a single hard-bound textbook, and will take one school-year to complete. The textbook includes a prologue that addresses systems concepts and four main units: Geosphere, Hydrosphere, Atmosphere, and Biosphere. Each eight-week unit takes students through a progression from guided inquiry to open-ended, student-driven inquiry. During first 4 to 5 weeks of each unit, students explore important earth science phenomena and concepts through scripted investigations and narrative reading passages written by scientists as "inquiry narratives". The narratives address the development of scientific ideas and relay the personal experiences of a scientist during their scientific exploration. Aspects of the nature of science will be explicitly addressed in investigations and inquiry narratives. After the guided inquiry, students will develop a research proposal and conduct their own inquiry into local or regional scientific problems. Each unit culminates with a science conference at which students present their research. CUES will be the first NSF-funded, comprehensive earth systems textbook for middle school that is based on national standards. CUES will be pilot tested in 12 classrooms in January 2003, with a national field test of the program in 50 classrooms during the 2003-2004 school year.

"Applying Anatomy to Something I Care About": Authentic Inquiry Learning and Student Experiences of an Inquiry Project

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Anstey, Lauren M.

2017-01-01

Despite advances to move anatomy education away from its didactic history, there is a continued need for students to contextualize their studies to make learning more meaningful. This article investigates authentic learning in the context of an inquiry-based approach to learning human gross anatomy. Utilizing a case-study design with three groups…

Life-Cycle Thinking in Inquiry-Based Sustainability Education--Effects on Students' Attitudes towards Chemistry and Environmental Literacy

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Juntunen, Marianne; Aksela, Maija

2013-01-01

The aim of the present study is to improve the quality of students' environmental literacy and sustainability education in chemistry teaching by combining the socio-scientific issue of life-cycle thinking with inquiry-based learning approaches. This case study presents results from an inquiry-based life-cycle thinking project: an interdisciplinary…

Facebook for scientists: requirements and services for optimizing how scientific collaborations are established.

PubMed

Schleyer, Titus; Spallek, Heiko; Butler, Brian S; Subramanian, Sushmita; Weiss, Daniel; Poythress, M Louisa; Rattanathikun, Phijarana; Mueller, Gregory

2008-08-13

As biomedical research projects become increasingly interdisciplinary and complex, collaboration with appropriate individuals, teams, and institutions becomes ever more crucial to project success. While social networks are extremely important in determining how scientific collaborations are formed, social networking technologies have not yet been studied as a tool to help form scientific collaborations. Many currently emerging expertise locating systems include social networking technologies, but it is unclear whether they make the process of finding collaborators more efficient and effective. This study was conducted to answer the following questions: (1) Which requirements should systems for finding collaborators in biomedical science fulfill? and (2) Which information technology services can address these requirements? The background research phase encompassed a thorough review of the literature, affinity diagramming, contextual inquiry, and semistructured interviews. This phase yielded five themes suggestive of requirements for systems to support the formation of collaborations. In the next phase, the generative phase, we brainstormed and selected design ideas for formal concept validation with end users. Then, three related, well-validated ideas were selected for implementation and evaluation in a prototype. Five main themes of systems requirements emerged: (1) beyond expertise, successful collaborations require compatibility with respect to personality, work style, productivity, and many other factors (compatibility); (2) finding appropriate collaborators requires the ability to effectively search in domains other than your own using information that is comprehensive and descriptive (communication); (3) social networks are important for finding potential collaborators, assessing their suitability and compatibility, and establishing contact with them (intermediation); (4) information profiles must be complete, correct, up-to-date, and comprehensive and allow fine-grained control over access to information by different audiences (information quality and access); (5) keeping online profiles up-to-date should require little or no effort and be integrated into the scientist's existing workflow (motivation). Based on the requirements, 16 design ideas underwent formal validation with end users. Of those, three were chosen to be implemented and evaluated in a system prototype, "Digital|Vita": maintaining, formatting, and semi-automated updating of biographical information; searching for experts; and building and maintaining the social network and managing document flow. In addition to quantitative and factual information about potential collaborators, social connectedness, personal and professional compatibility, and power differentials also influence whether collaborations are formed. Current systems only partially model these requirements. Services in Digital|Vita combine an existing workflow, maintaining and formatting biographical information, with collaboration-searching functions in a novel way. Several barriers to the adoption of systems such as Digital|Vita exist, such as potential adoption asymmetries between junior and senior researchers and the tension between public and private information. Developers and researchers may consider one or more of the services described in this paper for implementation in their own expertise locating systems.

3Hs Education: Examining hands-on, heads-on and hearts-on early childhood science education

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zeynep Inan, Hatice; Inan, Taskin

2015-08-01

Active engagement has become the focus of many early childhood science education curricula and standards. However, active engagement usually emphasizes getting children engaged with science solely through hands-on activities. Active engagement by way of hands, heads, and hearts are kept separate and rarely discussed in terms of getting all to work together, although inquiry-based education and student interest have been accepted as important in science education. The current study is an inquiry-based research. It aims to describe and examine projects and activity stations for preschoolers in a Turkish preschool classroom bringing together the pieces of the puzzle of science education, called here 'Hands-Heads-Hearts-on Science Education'. The study, conducted from a qualitative-interpretivist paradigm, reveals that activity stations and projects create a context for hands-on (active engagement), heads-on (inquiry based or mental-engagement), and hearts-on (interest based) science education. It is found that activity stations and projects, when maintained by appropriate teacher-support, create a playful context in which children can be actively and happily engaged in science-related inquiry.

Where is our water?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Colli, A.; Spadaro, G.

2012-04-01

C.R.E.A. (Reference Centre for Environmental Education), sponsored by Region Lombardia (Italy), is a reference point for environmental education. Every year different activities and laboratories are offered to Pavia's schools, in collaboration with science teachers in particular with ANISN ones. The wide range of material and techniques in geo and environmental sciences, the speed with which the discipline is developing, and the diversity of the student need a wide range of teaching approaches, including inquiry-, technology-, data-, field-, and game-based activities. The purpose of teaching is not only to provide students with detailed skills and knowledge, but also to let them develop the capability of critical thinking, dealing with controversial issues in a balanced and sensitive manner. An "active", research-based teaching-learning style to bring young people to reflect and act on issues of vital importance for their future is WebQuest, an inquiry-oriented lesson format in which most or all the information that learners work with comes from the web. In the project Mothership Earth students critically evaluate information they found in the web about geo and environment issues and design actions using the information gathered. In November 2011 the teachers and the students of a middle school of Bereguardo, a small town near Pavia, decided to realize a WebQuest about ecological footprint. They calculated the footprint of the food they eat every day: they calculated also the water used (water footprint). WebQuest influenced students' learning performance positively They discovered that animal food need a lot of water and has a very big footprint, so they decided to change their "diet" to make their footprint smaller. For the future we will implement the project, proposing the realization of WebQuest in outdoor: in real situations, students could acquire much more knowledge and experiences, with the aim to improve their lifestyle. Every year laboratories about "Water health" are realized by different pupils in Pavia's schools (age 6-18)."Where is our water?" is a book written by CREA collaborators, a useful tool for teachers to engage students in constructing knowledge, skills and values from direct experience with laboratories and practical activities based on experiential learning (learning by doing).

The effects of inquiry instruction on student learning in technology-based undergraduate chemistry laboratories

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Meade, Karen Marie

The purpose of this study was to identify conceptual and attitudinal effects of inquiry learning in technology-based undergraduate chemistry laboratories. There were 428 participants who were registered in general chemistry laboratory at the University of Iowa in the Spring of 2002. Conceptual and attitudinal pretest and posttest results were quantitative in nature. Qualitative results were collected from questionnaires and focus groups. Quantitative data were analyzed using a repeated measures analysis of variance to identify differences between treatment groups. A high-inquiry treatment group was open-ended and required student decisions regarding data collection, data representation, and interpretation. The low-inquiry treatment involved collaboration and traditional learning strategies. Major findings of this study were: (1) Pretest to posttest conceptual gains were significant for both treatment groups. Low-inquiry students performed significantly better on exploration questions than high-inquiry students. (2) Process skills developed at higher levels for high-inquiry students than low-inquiry students. (3) Positive attitudes decreased significantly for all students from pretest to posttest. More favorable attitudes toward science enjoyment and the ability to do well in science were found for high-inquiry students. More favorable attitudes toward science enjoyment and the ability to do well in science were found for low-inquiry males and high-inquiry females. (4) More favorable attitudes toward the nature of science caused by use of the learning cycle were reported by high-inquiry students. (5) Low-inquiry students reported more favorable attitudes toward technologies in the laboratory than did high-inquiry students. Favorable attitudes toward the use of infrared spectrometers and unfavorable attitudes toward the use of pH meters were reported by both treatment groups. (6) More formal reasoning skills were reported by high-inquiry students. Both groups reported that looking for patterns was a common theme in the laboratories. Hypotheses were reported as rarely used by both treatment groups. These findings are significant because they indicate that inquiry activities positively affect attitudes toward science, gender equality, and contribute to the development of formal reasoning skills and process skills.

Students' attitude-related responses to inquiry learning in undergraduate kinesiology laboratory instruction

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Henige, Kimberly Ann

The purpose of this investigation was to determine whether the student attitudes are impacted when teaching methods in an undergraduate Kinesiology lab course shift from a traditional, cookbook-style, low inquiry-level to an investigative, high inquiry-level approach. Students participated in five weeks of Level 0-1 (low) inquiry activities, followed by five weeks of a Level 3 (high) inquiry project. The same Likert-scale survey was administered to students before and after each 5-week period. The attitudes measured by the survey included students' (a) attitude to scientific inquiry, (b) adoption of scientific attitudes, (c) enjoyment of science lessons, and (d) motivation in science. Repeated measures ANOVAs revealed no significant change in any of the attitude measures when the survey results from the different time points were compared. An open-ended qualitative survey was given to the students at the end of the semester and provided more insight. When asked to compare the low and high-level inquiry experiences, most students reported enjoying the higher level of inquiry more. On the other hand, most students felt they learned more during the low inquiry-level activities. The reported level of motivation in lab was about the same for both levels. When asked what they liked most about the high-level inquiry project, students favored aspects such as the independence, responsibility, and personal relevance. When asked what they liked the least, most students said there was nothing they disliked. Of the minority of students who did not like the high-level of inquiry, most claimed to be uncomfortable with the lack of structure and guidance. Other findings were that many students expressed a new or increased respect and appreciation for what scientists do. Some students experienced a decrease in their reliance on science to be true and correct. While some students thought the high-level inquiry was harder, others perceived it as being easier. These findings illustrate how students enrolled in the same course can have very different experiences with inquiry. In general, the effect of high-level inquiry was not negative, and in fact, was found to have some desirable effects on students.

A Study on the Effects of Collaborative Teaching as Measured by the Student Nurse's HESI-RN Exam Scores in an AD/RN Program

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sweeney, Irene O.

2014-01-01

The inquiry to be addressed in this Action Research Study (ARS) is the effective teaching modality that will increase the class average pass rate and reduce the percent of students who do not score 850 or above on the HESI-RN exams. The researcher's intent was to provide data in support of a collaborative teaching environment in which to…

Latin American Security Challenges: A Collaborative Inquiry from North and South

DTIC Science & Technology

2004-01-01

Jorge Eduardo Malena, and Gabriela E. Porn Conclusion 103 Bibliography 109 Abbreviations 115 Contributors 117 Collaborating Organizations 119 Titles...Malena of the Catholic University, Bue- nos Aires; and Gabriela E. Porn of the Centro de Estudios Hemisféricos on their chapter. With good fortune and...Malena of the Catholic University, Buenos Aires; and Gabriela E. Porn of the Centro de Estudios Hemisféricos assess “Chinese Interests in Latin

Using Nikola Tesla's Story and His Experiments as Presented in the Film "The Prestige" to Promote Scientific Inquiry: A Report of an Action Research Project

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hadzigeorgiou, Yannis; Garganourakis, Vassilios

2010-01-01

This paper reports on an action research project undertaken with the primary aim of investigating the extent to which situations that evoke a sense of wonder can promote scientific inquiry. Given the intense interest, curiosity, and wonder that some students had begun to develop after seeing the film "The Prestige", a science teacher…

Increasing Bellevue School District's elementary teachers' capacity for teaching inquiry-based science: Using ideas from contemporary learning theory to inform professional development

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Maury, Tracy Anne

This Capstone project examined how leaders in the Bellevue School District can increase elementary teachers' capacity for teaching inquiry-based science through the use of professional learning activities that are grounded in ideas from human learning theory. A framework for professional development was constructed and from that framework, a set of professional learning activities were developed as a means to support teacher learning while project participants piloted new curriculum called the Isopod Habitat Challenge. Teachers in the project increased their understanding of the learning theory principles of preconceptions and metacognition. Teachers did not increase their understanding of the principle of learning with understanding, although they did articulate the significance of engaging children in student-led inquiry cycles. Data from the curriculum revision and professional development project coupled with ideas from learning theory, cognition and policy implementation, and learning community literatures suggest Bellevue's leaders can encourage peer-to-peer interaction, link professional development to teachers' daily practice, and capitalize on technology as ways to increase elementary teachers' capacity for teaching inquiry-based science. These lessons also have significance for supporting teacher learning and efficacy in other subject areas and at other levels in the system.

CAREER Educational Outreach: Inquiry-based Atmospheric Science Lessons for K-12 students

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Courville, Z.; Carbaugh, S.; Defrancis, G.; Donegan, R.; Brown, C.; Perovich, D. K.; Richter-Menge, J.

2011-12-01

Climate Comics is a collaborative outreach effort between the Montshire Museum of Science, in Norwich, VT, the Cold Regions Research and Engineering Laboratory (CRREL) research staff, and freelance artist and recent graduate of the Center for Cartoon Studies in White River Junction, VT, Sam Carbaugh. The project involves the cartoonist, the education staff from the museum, and researchers from CRREL creating a series of comic books with polar science and research themes, including sea ice monitoring, sea ice albedo, ice cores, extreme microbial activity, and stories and the process of fieldwork. The aim of the comic series is to provide meaningful science information in a comic-format that is both informative and fun, while highlighting current polar research work done at the lab. The education staff at the Montshire Museum develops and provides a series of hands-on, inquiry-based activity descriptions to complement each comic book, and CRREL researchers provide science background information and reiterative feedback about the comic books as they are being developed. Here, we present the motivation for using the comic-book medium to present polar research topics, the process involved in creating the comics, some unique features of the series, and the finished comic books themselves. Cartoon illustrating ways snow pack can be used to determine past climate information.

"We Found the 'Black Spots' on Campus on Our Own": Development of Inquiry Skills in Primary Science Learning with BYOD (Bring Your Own Device)

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Song, Yanjie

2016-01-01

This paper reports on a study situated in a one-year project "Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) for Mobile Knowledge Building," aiming at investigating how primary school students developed their inquiry skills in science learning in BYOD-supported learning environments. Student perceptions of the BYOD-supported inquiry experience were also…

PolarTREC-Teachers and Researchers Exploring and Collaborating: Science Education from the Poles to the World

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Warnick, W. K.; Breen, K.; Warburton, J.; Fischer, K.; Wiggins, H.; Owens, R.; Polly, B.; Wade, B.; Buxbaum, T.

2007-12-01

PolarTREC-Teachers and Researchers Exploring and Collaborating is a three-year (2007-2009) teacher professional development program celebrating the International Polar Year (IPY) that advances polar science education by bringing K-12 educators and polar researchers together in hands-on field experiences in the Arctic and Antarctic. Currently in its second year, the program fosters the integration of research and education to produce a legacy of long-term teacher-researcher collaborations, improved teacher content knowledge through experiences in scientific inquiry, and broad public interest and engagement in polar science. Through PolarTREC, over 40 U.S. teachers will spend two to six weeks in the Arctic or Antarctic, working closely with researchers in the field as an integral part of the science team. Research projects focus on a wide range of IPY science themed topics such as sea-ice dynamics, terrestrial ecology, marine biology, atmospheric chemistry, and long-term climate change. While in the field, teachers and researchers will communicate extensively with their colleagues, communities, and hundreds of students of all ages across the globe, using a variety of tools including satellite phones, online journals, podcasts and interactive "Live from IPY" calls and web-based seminars. The online outreach elements of the project convey these experiences to a broad audience far beyond the classrooms of the PolarTREC teachers. In addition to field research experiences, PolarTREC will support teacher professional development and a sustained community of teachers, scientists, and the public through workshops, Internet seminars, an e-mail listserve, and teacher peer groups. To learn more about PolarTREC visit the website at: http://www.polartrec.com or contact info@polartrec.com or 907-474-1600. PolarTREC is funded by NSF and managed by the Arctic Research Consortium of the US (ARCUS).

Reflections as near-peer facilitators of an inquiry project for undergraduate anatomy: Successes and challenges from a term of trial-and-error.

PubMed

Anstey, Lauren M; Michels, Alison; Szymus, Julianna; Law, Wyanne; Edwin Ho, Man-Hymn; Qu, Fei; Yeung, Ralph T T; Chow, Natalie

2014-01-01

Near-peer facilitators (senior students serving as facilitators to their more junior peers) bring a unique student-based perspective to teaching. With fewer years of teaching experience however, students who become involved in a facilitator role typically develop related skills quickly through a process of trial-and-error within the classroom. The aim of this paper is to report on the authors' own experiences and reflections as student near-peer facilitators for an inquiry-based project in an undergraduate anatomy course. Three areas of the facilitator experience are explored: (1) offering adequate guidance as facilitators of inquiry, (2) motivating students to engage in the inquiry process, and (3) fostering creativity in learning. A practical framework for providing guidance to students is discussed which offers facilitators a scaffold for asking questions and assisting students through the inquiry process. Considerations for stimulating intrinsic motivations toward inquiry learning are made, paying attention to ways in which facilitators might influence feelings of motivation towards learning. Also, the role of creativity in inquiry learning is explored by highlighting the actions facilitators can take to foster a creative learning environment. Finally, recommendations are made for the development of formalized training programs that aid near-peer facilitators in the acquisition of facilitation skills before entering into a process of trial-and-error within the classroom. © 2013 American Association of Anatomists.

Scientific literacy of adult participants in an online citizen science project

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Price, Charles Aaron

Citizen Science projects offer opportunities for non-scientists to take part in scientific research. Scientific results from these projects have been well documented. However, there is limited research about how these projects affect their volunteer participants. In this study, I investigate how participation in an online, collaborative astronomical citizen science project can be associated with the scientific literacy of its participants. Scientific literacy is measured through three elements: attitude towards science, belief in the nature of science and competencies associated with learning science. The first two elements are measured through a pre-test given to 1,385 participants when they join the project and a post-test given six months later to 125 participants. Attitude towards science was measured using nine Likert-items custom designed for this project and beliefs in the nature of science were measured using a modified version of the Nature of Science Knowledge scale. Responses were analyzed using the Rasch Rating Scale Model. Competencies are measured through analysis of discourse occurring in online asynchronous discussion forums using the Community of Inquiry framework, which describes three types of presence in the online forums: cognitive, social and teaching. Results show that overall attitudes did not change, p = .225. However, there was significant change towards attitudes about science in the news (positive) and scientific self efficacy (negative), p < .001 and p = .035 respectively. Beliefs in the nature of science exhibited a small, but significant increase, p = .04. Relative positioning of scores on the belief items did not change much, suggesting the increase is mostly due to reinforcement of current beliefs. The cognitive and teaching presence in the online forums did not change, p = .807 and p = .505 respectively. However, the social presence did change, p = .011. Overall, these results suggest that multi-faceted, collaborative citizen science projects can have an impact on some aspects of scientific literacy. Using the Rasch Model allowed us to uncover effects that may have otherwise been hidden. Future projects may want to include social interactivity between participants and also make participants specifically aware of how they are contributing to the entire scientific process.

Project - based teaching and other methods to make learning more attractive

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Švecová, Libuše; Vlková, Iva

2017-01-01

This contribution presents the results of a research carried out at secondary schools in the Moravian-Silesian Region. This research involved a total of 120 pupils and focused on project teaching with the emphasis on pupil inquiry activity and the connection of their knowledge in the fields of physics and biology. To verify pupil inquiry activity, the tasks on the worksheets have been designed specifically to measure physical quantities on the human body by computer-aided measuring processes. To support pupil inquiry activity, group work was selected as the organization method of teaching. Audio recording and pedagogical observations were used as the research tools for assessment and a consequent evaluation of acquired data.

Agriscience Student Engagement in Scientific Inquiry: Representations of Scientific Processes and Nature of Science.

PubMed

Grady, Julie R; Dolan, Erin L; Glasson, George E

2010-01-01

Students' experiences with science integrated into agriscience courses contribute to their developing epistemologies of science. The purpose of this case study was to gain insight into the implementation of scientific inquiry in an agriscience classroom. Also of interest was how the tenets of the nature of science were reflected in the students' experiments. Participants included an agriscience teacher and her fifteen students who were conducting plant experiments to gain insight into the role of a gene disabled by scientists. Data sources included classroom observations, conversations with students, face-to-face interviews with the teacher, and students' work. Analysis of the data indicated that the teacher viewed scientific inquiry as a mechanical process with little emphasis on the reasoning that typifies scientific inquiry. Students' participation in their experiments also centered on the procedural aspects of inquiry with little attention to scientific reasoning. There was no explicit attention to the nature of science during the experiments, but the practice implied correct, incorrect, and underdeveloped conceptions of the nature of science. Evidence from the study suggests a need for collaboration between agriscience and science teacher educators to design and conduct professional development focused on scientific inquiry and nature of science for preservice and practicing teachers.