Variations

Instructional goals

Form of Inquiry Pedagogy

Activity Samples

Conceptual change; development of accurate understandings

Tightly structured activities & demonstrations with teacher questioning

• Linear relationships
• Pendulum swing factors
• Persuasion

Explore contexts & materials surrounding concepts

Open-ended, divergent inquiries that allow free manipulation of materials & stimulate questions

• Best use of pen & ink
• Advertisement design
• Solutes & solvents exploration
• Design explorations

Describe & compare local phenomena; collect data, infer meanings for data

Teacher/students pose real world problem; students design & implement investigations; generate claims (whole class, small group or individual student research; project based)

• Population trends
• Market Study
• Stream health analysis
• Inquiries centered on student-developed questions to research

Develop skills to conduct inquiries with underlying multiple hypotheses; gather evidence; construct explanations

Teacher/students pose experimental problem; design & implement investigations; report conclusions with supporting evidence (whole class & small group guided inquiries; project-based; individual student research)

• Impact of living wage on job market
• Factors affecting rate of reaction