Inquiry

Model

Is about

The Inquiry Model is designed to give students experience with the scientific method.

Theory and
Planning

Theory: The Inquiry model is

based on cognitive learning
theory a nd using the scientific
method.
Planning
Specify Learning Objectives: One
of the objectives will always b e
increasing s elf-direction, one will
always b e deepening
understanding of the scientific
method, and the third will b e
clarification/understanding/
answering a question with a
variable that can b e manipulated
and an effect that can b e
measured
Be prepared: You must b e
prepared with the materials the
students will need, but older
students will develop their o wn
strategies, so b e prepared to
guide them if they get stuck, but
dont squash their creativity by
planting a method in their h ead
before they have time to think

Implementing

Implementation
Identify Question: The t eacher, or
ideally the students, identify a
question that the students will try to
answer, hopefully a question that
attracts students attention and
draws them into the lesson. Once
identified, write the question clearly
on the board for reference and a sk
students to explain it in their own
words.
Generate h ypotheses: Students t ry to
answer the question, their answers
are their hypotheses and once states,
you should refer to them a s such
Gather and Display Data: Make sure
students understand controlled
variables and manipulating only one
at a time, and let them conduct their
experiments; b e p repared to
intervene if they are not holding the
controlled variables constant. Once
the data is gathered have the
students o rganize it in a chart or
table, or whatever works best for
them, and display it to the class
Assess Hypotheses and Generalize:
Students d etermine whether or not
the data supports their hypothesis
(you may n eed to guide their
analysis). Great opportunity to
discuss the many ambiguities in life

Assessment and
Motivation
Assessment
Performance assessments are
an option for assessing content
learned through the inquiry
model, additionally, older
students may write lab reports
to go back and summarize and
analyze their process and
results. You could also, if
looking for a paper and p encil
formal assessment, present the
students with a question and
have them form a hypothesis
and detail out what their
procedure to gather data
would b e, then give them the
data and have them analyze
the data and their h ypothesis,
basically recreating the lesson
but with d ifferent content and
they d ont gather the data
themselves.
Motivation
Student motivation in this
model comes from their
natural excitement to answer a
question that, hopefully, the
students posed in the first
place.

Riley Jennings
3-16-16
EDC 311

Modifications
Younger Kids:
Younger s tudents will n eed a lot
more guidance from you in
forming their h ypotheses,
determining a valid way to test
their h ypotheses, and analyzing
the data to d etermine whether
or not they h ypotheses were
supported, you should have
guiding/scaffolding questions
ready to go and a few methods
ready to suggest.
Also consider employing
spontaneous inquiry when the
opportunity arises, its a great
way to engage students
The inquiry model can b e
modified for content areas other
than science, but you as the
teacher will n eed to have
questions ready to guide the
students to the variables that
they will b e analyzing

So What?? When students learn t hrough hands on questioning and personal discovery the content is much more relevant to
them and they are far more likely to remember it and care about it.