Inquiry, Process Skills, and Thinking in Science

Abstract

I nquiry is central to science education today. But understanding its many nuances is still an issue according to research (Flick and Lederman 2004). And understanding is the first step to implementa-tion. Here are some of the questions teachers ask frequently: • What ? • Does , and , how ? • How inquiring ? • Is , is teachers , or ? • Do - on activity students print ? These are significant questions—ones that every teacher ought to be asking . Solet'stakethemoneatatime.InquiryandProcessSkillsTheNationalScienceEducationStandardsdefinein-quiry"thenatural-dence…"(NRC,p.23).Notice.This.Inquiryisaboutlogic,it'saboutreasoningfromdata,andit'saboutapplyingscientifictechniquesandskillstoreal-world.I,butnowabout.Beginning,thereinquiryskills.Scientists,described,inferred,measured,andpredicted.Theyidentifiedvariables,controlledvariables,designed,and.Thenotion,and,theytogethertosolveproblems.EducatorsevendesignedafullelementaryschoolcurriculumthatfocusedonjustteachingprocessskillscalledScience—AProcessApproach(seeInternetResource).EssentialFeaturesTheprocessskillsapproachcontinuedtobepopularthrough,but-ingatomisticandpiecemeal.Althoughstudentscouldperform,they-lems,and.Thisled"inquiry"popularizedbytheNationalScienceEducationStandards.Inquiryisthe.Realizingbe,The-searchCouncil(2000)identifiedseveral"essentialfea-tures"that.In-stead,thebroad,andmostthelearner: • Engages, • Participates, • Gives, • Formulates, • Connects,and • Communicates.