We all can't wait until Monday!

After completing a self-evaluation three weeks ago, I have found that my science instruction has not followed the model of inquiry very closely. I have been engaging my students in traditional, old school, recipe-like labs that require the students to follow a list of instructions in order to reach the predetermined goal. These types of lessons are filled with mostly right and wrong answers. The activities do not give the students a chance to develop, explore, or test their own ideas. My students are missing out on inquiry, missing out on real science.
Fortunately, I am now learning how to adapt my large inventory of science activities, which I’ve been using up until this point, so that they can start to shift towards learning through inquiry. This semester’s class is focusing on improving classroom “facilitation” (not instruction-move away from “teaching”). There are two strategies that I’ve already incorporated.
The first strategy is one that I call “What & Why?” It’s a form of questioning used to probe for student ideas. I have started to use this when my students are in the predicting stage of their investigations. More specifically, I ask them “What do you think? & Why do you think that?” when making their predictions. I’m trying to stress that their reasons for their prediction are just as important as their hypothesis. I’ve seen this become a great asset to discussions before and after the experiment/test portion of the investigations. Just last week, I had a discussion with my classes about the results from their “Metric Mass” investigation. They were faced with surprising evidence that contradicted their predictions. They could actually share why they were wrong by looking back at their written reasons. They could see how different their ideas were before testing their hypothesis.
The second strategy I’ve applied to my “facilitation” of inquiry is one that encourages formation of student ideas. I introduced a new “Journey North” project by passing out an unknown object (Emperor Tulip Bulb) to pairs of students. (Thanks Sally Crissman!) I did not tell them what it was, but I asked them to record any questions they had in their new science journal. We discussed the questions they had without answering them. I took one of the questions, (What is it?), and turned it into a “What & Why” prediction. This was followed by a “Where & Why?” prediction about where I got the objects. The students recorded and shared a wide variety of ideas about what the object could be. They thought it could be an onion, garlic, potato, seed, nut, plant, man-made object, radish, or a turnip. Only three students were convinced it was some kind of a bulb. As the students passed in their journals and exited the classroom, they begged me to tell them what it was. I said, “We’ll find out on Monday.” I spent about $17 on the above produce that I plan to share on Monday. They will be able to see if their predictions were correct… without me telling them. We all can’t wait until Monday!
-Mark H.