Inquiry in Science Classrooms

I thought this reading was very helpful because it explicitly demonstrated the connection between real science in practice and inquiry in a science classroom. Humans are innately curious, so if students discover they have unanswered questions, they will be more involved in searching for the answers. However, I have to admit that I found myself wondering why the geologist cared so much about some dead trees along a coastline. I feel like it's the same for many students, especially in traditional science classrooms that don't include an inquiry aspect. They wonder, "What is the point behind learning all this information?" I was very happy to see that there was, in fact, a point behind the geologist's work. Similarly, the students saw a solution to their tree problem. Showing students that science has practicality makes it even less removed from their everyday lives. As a teacher, I want my students to experience this connection to real world problems.

Secondly, this text addressed some of the concerns I've been having about constructivism. After reading our other articles, I felt a little lost about exactly how to set up a constructivist classroom. I liked that this reading talked about Mrs. Graham's class because this discussion included specific details of her instruction--making a list of hypotheses, splitting the students up into groups based on their ideas, scaffolding while the students designed experiments, showcasing the findings to the entire group at the end, deciding on the best answer, and "publishing" their work in a letter to the custodian. This organization made sense to me, and it could also help with differentiation based on students' ability levels if I adjusted the groups a little.

Finally, the myths section of this reading answered so many of my questions about inquiry in the science classroom. The distinction between "guided" (teacher-led) and "open" (student-led) inquiry helped me realize that not all inquiry lessons have to be centered on the students' questions. I think it would be best to have instruction on how to ask questions by starting the year out with more structured inquiry lessons. Also, it's important that students have background knowledge before they can ask questions, so every topic does not need to be taught through inquiry. These ideas made an inquiry-based classroom seem more realistic to me.