Science teaching: Historical 
                              background
          There have been many influential philosophers of 
                                  education
     Experiential Learning (J. Dewey) Levels of Processing (Craik & 
     Cognitive Load Theory (J.          Lockhart)
     Sweller)                           Multiple Intelligences (H. Gardner)
     Conditions of Learning (R.         Situated Learning (J. Lave)
     Gagne)                             Social Development (L. Vygotsky)
     Connectionism (E. Thorndike)       Social Learning Theory (A. Bandura)
     Constructivist Theory (J. Bruner) Subsumption Theory (D. Ausubel)
     Experiential Learning (C.          Information Processing Theory (G. 
     Rogers)                            Miller)
              but none has dealt effectively with teaching 
     Genetic Epistemology (J. Piaget)
              science using inquiry-oriented approaches.
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            Attempts to help: Definitions of 
           National Science inquiry
        Education Standards –            National Science Teachers 
                   NRC                        Association - NSTA
     “Scientific inquiry refers to       “Scientific inquiry is a 
     the diverse ways in which           powerful way of 
     scientists study the natural        understanding science 
     world and propose                   content. Students learn how 
     explanations based on the           to ask questions and use 
     evidence derived from their         evidence to answer them. In 
     work. Inquiry also refers to        the process of learning the 
     the activities of students in       strategies of scientific 
     which they develop                  inquiry, students learn to 
     knowledge and                       conduct an investigation and 
     understanding of scientific         collect evidence from a 
     ideas, as well as an                variety of sources, develop 
     understanding of how                an explanation from the data, 
     scientists study the natural        and communicate and defend 
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     world.”                             their conclusions.” 
      There is a greater need for guidance.
         Science teaching               A life-changing event
     Traditional approaches:
        teacher seen as authority
        “received” knowledge
        emphasis on equations
     Inquiry approaches:
        teacher seen as facilitator
        construction of knowledge
        emphasis on conceptual 
        understanding in addition 
        to applications
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             What is inquiry-oriented 
                        teaching?
      Inquiry-oriented teaching:
      • is student-centered instruction.
      • sees the teacher as a guide, not an authority 
        figure.
      • focuses on questions rather than answers.
      • uses an epistemology based on student 
        experience rather than faith in the teacher.
      • is in need of clearly defined approaches that 
        will systematically teach all the scientific and 
        intellectual process skills expected of 
        someone who is scientifically literate.
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      Levels of Inquiry Model of Science 
                          Teaching
     Moulton Hall at I.S.U.              Talk Outline
                                       What is Inquiry?
                                    The Inquiry Spectrum
                                      Intellectual Process 
                                              Skills
                                   LI Model Learning Cycle
                                      Learning Sequence 
                                             Demo
                                     The Future of the LI 
                                             Model
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