An Inquiry-Based Lesson
Too often students are "spoon-fed" science without true understanding. They are never taught how to ask questions and how to develop investigations to anwer their questions. They follow "cookbook" labs and find the answers that the teacher wants. Inquiry based lessons challenge the student to ask questions and design their own experiments to determine the answers to their questions. The students are not taught any science content or vocabulary prior to the inquiry lesson. Instead they design an experiment based on a question, collect data, analyze the data, and draw conclusions based upon their data which try to answer their question. After the experiment, the teacher applies the vocabulary and "science" behind their investigation. In addition, students are asked to reflect on their experimental design and results. They are challenged to come up with ways to improve the design of their experiments and develop more questions to explore.
Most students are not accustomed to inquiry lessons. For this lesson, I proposed the questions to be investigated and helped guide the students through their experimental design and data collection. I proposed two questions: How is the force applied to an object related to its acceleration? and How is the mass of an object related to its acceleration? Before the students could design an experiment to answer these 2 questions, I had to discuss the elements of an experiment including the independent variable, dependent variable, control, constants, data tables, graphs, and how to interpret the collected data.
I gave the students the materials they would be using and operationally defined force, mass, and acceleration as applied to this investigation. The students were placed in groups and designed their own experiments to investigate the 2 proposed questions. They made their hypothesis for each question. Next, they identified the independent and dependent variables and included them in their data tables. They considered all the other possible variables and how to hold them constant, therefore manipulating only one variable.
How is the force applied to an object related to its acceleration?
The students changed the amount of air in a balloon in order to change the force applied to the balloon. They related the circumference of the balloon to the force applied to the balloon. They related the distance the balloon traveled to the acceleration of the balloon.
How is the mass of an object related to its acceleration?
The students changed the amount of mass by adding paper clips to their apparatus. They related the distance the balloon traveled to the acceleration of the balloon.
The students conducted their experiments, collected data, created graphs using Excel, analyzed the data, and determined if this data supported or did not support their hypotheses. They reflected on their experimental design & on other ways to determine the effect of mass & force on acceleration....Just like Sir Isaac Newton did!!!
Website Name |
Website Description |
| Emints: Teaching Tips on Inquiry Lessons | This site includes professional development programs developed by teachers collaborating with the University of Missouri. |
| University of Michigan: School of Education | This is the University of Michigan's education site. It includes their description of an inquiry and constructivist approach to the teaching of science. |
| New YorkCity's PBS station: WNET Thirteen: Concept to Classroom Series | This New York City public broadcasting station has an education online service that has numerous resources for teachers, parents, and students. It is called Concept to Classroom. Click on Inquiry-based Learning. Or search the other informative workshops. |