A model for extending hands-on science to be inquiry based

School Science and Mathematics, Jan 2001 by Huber, Richard A, Moore, Christopher J

Many popular hands-on science activities, as traditionally implemented, fail to support inquiry-based science instruction, because the activities direct teachers to terminate lessons prematurely. This paper presents a model describing one approach for extending seemingly limited hands-on activities into full-- inquiry science lessons. The strategy involves (a) discrepant events to engage students in direct inquiry; (b) teacher-supported brainstorming activities to facilitate students in planning investigations; (c) effective written job performance aids to provide structure and support; (d) requirements that students provide a product of their research, which usually includes a class presentation and a graph; and (e) class discussion and writing activities to facilitate students in reflecting on their activities and learning. The paper presents the model as a tool for facilitating science teachers ' efforts to understand and implement the type of powerful, effective, and manageable inquiry-based science instruction called for in the National Science Education Standards.

With paternal compassion, the guru of classroom management, Harry along, urged educators to give novice teachers permission to engage their students in pedagogically questionable textbook- and worksheet-- driven activities (along, 1998; along & along, 1998). Such activities, according to along, are relatively harmless, provided that teachers eventually move beyond them. along contended that novice teachers rely on textbooks and worksheets as their "primary survival tools," and they should be given permission to do what they must do to survive. Research on teaching practices suggests that Wong's advice is well founded. Both novice and experienced teachers appear to rely heavily upon textbooks when making decisions about what and how to teach (Bellen, Bellen & Blank, 1992; Roth, Roffie, Lucas & Boutonne, 1997; Sanchez & Valcarcel, 1999). For example, in a survey of experienced and novice teachers in Spain, researchers Sanchez and Valcarcel, (1999) found almost all of the teachers (92%) used textbooks as a basic reference for their planning units. Textbooks served as the only guide for 33% of the teachers, and for most of the teachers (59%), textbooks served as the "basic pillar of the lesson" (p. 499).

Unfortunately, hands-on activities recommended by many science textbooks and worksheets are typically presented as step-by-step instructions. As discussed in the National Science Education Standards (Standards; National Research Council, 1996), when science teachers move beyond worksheets and step-bystep procedures in order to engage students in inquiry, they must constantly struggle to guide student inquiry toward curriculum goals. As pointed out by Crawford (1999), this ongoing demand for improvisation during teaching can be expected to create a substantial stumbling block for novice science teachers. Concerns about the substantial challenges inherent in implementing inquiry-based science instruction, as called for in the Standards, are substantial and well documented (Lederman & Niess, 1998), and it is hardly surprising that the challenges are especially problematic for novice teachers.

While worksheets or textbook-based instructions may eliminate some of the known stumbling blocks for novice teachers, they also lead to the elimination of true inquiry. Thus, supporting novice science teachers in making the transition from surviving hands-on instruction to mastering inquiry-based instruction presents a particularly difficult challenge.

Clearly, worksheet- and textbook-based hands-on activities provide valuable structure to novice teachers, who are in the process of learning how to teach science and manage classroom activities. However, there are at least three substantial risks associated with an overreliance on these tools. First, as pointed out by Wong, teachers may become complacent and start confusing survival with teaching. Rather than making the transition into mastery teaching, these teachers begin believing that the maintenance of a smooth classroom environment evidences effective teaching. Second, the presentation of science as a process of following stepby-step instructions and filling in blanks on worksheets promotes erroneous and impoverished concepts regarding the nature of science. The hands-on activities tend to be dominated by the mechanical tasks characteristic of the work of laboratory technicians rather than the creative endeavors of scientists. Finally, and perhaps most problematic, the written directives deprive students of ownership over their investigations. Rather than designing and carrying out investigations to answer their own questions, they are following instructions to find out ifthey guessed the correct answer to the teacher's questions.

Fortunately, however, many of these activities are not inherently flawed, but merely fall short of supporting full inquiry because the activities direct teachers to terminate the explorations prematurely. Consequently, science instruction can be enhanced by providing novice science teachers with an integrated set of tools designed to provide an easy means of extending traditional hands-on activities into full-inquiry investigations. The Standards define "full inquiry" as a process in which students (a) pose a productive question; (b) design an investigation directed toward answering that question; (c) carry-out the investigation, gathering the applicable data in the process; (d) interpret and document their findings; and (e) publish or present their findings in an open forum (National Research Council, 1996). The following model is designed to move teachers from worksheets into this type of full-inquiry-based instruction.