A modeling-based inquiry framework for early childhood science learning

Abstract

In this chapter, we present a modeling-based inquiry framework for the teaching and learning of science in early childhood classrooms. The framework that we present is grounded in our beliefs that (1) a fundamental cultural feature of science is the process of constructing, testing/evaluating, and reconstructing models of the world, and (2) PreK-2 science instruction should be designed to facilitate through discourse-rich interactions young children’s understanding of the relationships among domain models as well as their ability to use models generatively. Reflecting a modeling-based inquiry orientation to the teaching and learning of science, our framework is an adaptation and extension of seven key features of the National Research Council’s Practices of for K-12 Science Classrooms from the Framework for K-12 Science Education: Practices, Crosscutting Concepts, and Core Ideas. Drawing from a research study involving a kindergarten science unit on “What is Science?”, we provide an example of how teacher-scaffolded inquiry discourse helps children learn to articulate physical science models and develop an understanding of models and modeling in the science classroom, illustrating several dimensions of the framework including: articulating a model; identifying evidence with which to make a prediction; communicating models, and collecting and analyzing evidence. Finally, we discuss how the modeling-based inquiry framework has yielded important theoretical information about the nature of young children’s conceptual development in science and provide implications for its use in classrooms and future research.