Background Information for Inquiry
On this page, you'll find links that fellow
teachers and KSN staff have recommended. These
links are tools to help guide your background
research on inquiry.
Teaching Science through Inquiry
This ERIC (Educational Resources Information Center) digest neatly provides a concise and clear overview of precisely what teaching inquiry means, and what benefits the inquiry method confers on the learning process.
Inquiry in the National Science Education Standards: A Guide for Teaching and Learning
This chapter from Inquiry in the National Science Education Standards covers the history of educational methods and the development of inquiry, tying in key role of inquiry the national content standards. The chapter explains the inquiry standards in detail.
ENC Focus: Inquiry and Problem Solving
This online issue of ENC Focus magazine offers a great collection of articles addressing inquiry and problem solving. Articles cover real-life classroom stories
and strategies, and offer ideas from the field on taking inquiry further.
The Exploratorium Institute for Inquiry
The Exploratorium Institute for Inquiry provides workshops, programs, online support, and an intellectual community of practice which afford science reform educators an experience of how inquiry learning looks and feels. This site is useful for its description of inquiry, its collection of professional development activities, and inquiry resources.
Foundations: Inquiry Thoughts, Views, and Strategies for the K-5 Classroom
Foundations is a monograph for professionals in science, mathematics,
and technology education, and this issue in particular addresses inquiry. Browse the chapter titles and see if any of the topics catch your interest. We've found Chapters 2 ("What Children Gain by Learning Through Inquiry") and 4 ("The Power of Children's Thinking") to be particularly useful.
Frequently Asked Questions About Inquiry
As part of the Learning Science Through Inquiry project, this collection of Frequently Asked Questions addresses all of the key questions about inquiry including: "What is my role in an inquiry classroom?", "How can teachers keep all students involved in an inquiry classroom?", and "How is inquiry science teaching different than "hands-on" science teaching?" This is a page well worth looking at, no matter where you may be in the process of incorporating inquiry into your classroom. The rest of this site can also provide useful tools.
Science Inquiry Model
The Mathematics and Science Education Center developed this model to help K-12 teachers infuse inquiry into their science instruction and curriculum. The site contains information about the basics of inquiry; the components of their inquiry model; teaching strategies; and links to additional resources.
Everyday Classroom Tools
The Everyday Classroom Tools project (designed for K-6 grades) seeks to immerse elementary school students in the spirit of inquiry, to help them begin to observe and learn from their experience. There are articles to guide you, and a collection of inquiry-minded activities.
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