Scientific Inquiry in the Elementary Classroom
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Overview and Purpose
The goal of this mini-course is to help current or future elementary educators gain more information about what scientific inquiry is and how they can implement it into their classroom. This mini-course will inform the learner about how scientific inquiry can be implement across multiple learning environments. As a current K-5 special area Science Teacher, I have seen and experienced how young students view and engage in science education. However, the typical science instruction involves cookbook-style labs, yet using a hands-on scientific inquiry approach is both more engaging and more effective. The goal of this mini-course is to inform and prepare elementary educators to implement scientific inquiry into their learning environment.
Needs Assessment
Elementary science education is in need of a change. Students are typically taught using textbooks and "cookbook" labs. Students are told not only what they are supposed to be investigating but they are also told what their "expected" result is. This type of learning deprives the young scientists of their creativity, innovation, and individuality throughout their learning. Students taught science in this way are not given the opportunities to make their own discoveries and do the work of real scientists. This mini-course is designed with current or future elementary educators or curriculum designers in mind. It provides an opportunity to educate teachers on ways to shift their methodology in teaching elementary science in a way that will get more students motivated, engaged, involved, and excited about their science education. It will help elementary students to make meaning and connection within their learning while making their own discoveries. Currently, there are efforts being made to improve elementary science education through the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) and curriculums such as: Mystery Science, Amplify Science, and Picture Perfect STEM. The standards shift the language of student expectations to incorporate more hands-on elements and inquiry-based explorative opportunities. The curriculums allow teachers to have a way to incorporate scientific inquiry into their classrooms by increasing the engagement and involvement of the students while keeping a focus on the standards. This mini-course will help participants to reach the goal of having the resources and confidence to teach inquiry-based science lessons by working to explain what scientific inquiry is and why it is important, how to implement it across multiple settings: traditional classroom, lab setting, and online learning environments, and allow the participant to practice the skills they have learned.
Performance Objectives
- After completing this mini-course, learners will be able to confidently implement scientific inquiry lessons into their classroom setting (traditional, special area/lab, online)
- After completing this mini-course, learners will be able to define scientific inquiry
- After completing this mini-course, learners will be able to explain why scientific inquiry is important
- After completing this mini-course, learners will be able to create their own elementary scientific inquiry based lesson plan
Course Units
This mini-course includes the following units. Click the title of a unit to go to its page.
Unit 1: What is Scientific Inquiry and Why is it Important
Unit 2: How to Create my Own Scientific Inquiry Lessons
Unit 3: How to Implement Scientific Inquiry in a K-5 Special Area Science Class
Unit 4: How to Implement Scientific Inquiry in an In-Class Science Lesson
Unit 5: How to Implement Scientific Inquiry in an Online Learning Environment
Unit 6: Final Evaluation and Assessment
Extended Resources
These resources have been included throughout the units in this mini-course and can serve to be beneficial in deepening the learners understanding of scientific inquiry.
4 levels of inquiry. Inquiry in Education. (2014, October 29). https://inquiryineducation.wordpress.com/4-levels-of-inquiry/
Amplify. (2018a). Amplify science. https://amplify.com/programs/amplify-science/
Amplify. (2018b, September 12). Amplify science - K 5. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h_miOZ0sBTI
Army Educational Outreach Program. (n.d.). Investigative techniques - NSTA. National Science Teaching Association. https://static.nsta.org/ecybermission-files/helpdocs/Investigative%20Techniques.pdf
Edutopia. (2015, August 24). Inquiry-Based Learning: Developing student-driven questions. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OdYev6MXTOA&t=9s
Edutopia. (2015b, December 16). Inquiry-Based Learning: From teacher-guided to student-driven. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mAYh4nWUkU0&t=24s
Ivory, A. (2023, October 29). Importance of hands-on science activities. Importance of Hands-On Science Activities | Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. https://www.hmhco.com/blog/importance-of-hands-on-science-activities
MasterClass. (2022, March 7). Scientific inquiry definition: How the scientific method works - 2023. https://www.masterclass.com/articles/scientific-inquiry
Murdoch, K. (2015, November 29). What does it mean to be an inquiry teacher?. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xlX32gB_e-w&t=17s
Mystery Science. (2014, May 19). Mystery science. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1iAqXbuqReg
Mystery Science. Open-and-go lessons that Inspire Kids to Love Science. Mystery Science. (2014). https://mysteryscience.com/
Splawn, R. (2013, October 2). Science inquiry. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gsl4kEQWcFI
Toro, S. (2021, April 12). Promoting scientific inquiry inside and outside of the classroom. Edutopia. https://www.edutopia.org/article/promoting-scientific-inquiry-inside-and-outside-classroom/
Victoria. (2023, November 6). How to use scientific inquiry in the elementary classroom. Learning by Inquiry. https://www.learningbyinquiry.com/how-to-use-scientific-inquiry-in-the-elementary-classroom/
Zhang , J., & Chen, M.-H. (n.d.). Idea thread mapper. Idea Thread Mapper. https://idea-thread.net/