Abstract I believe that inquiry is not just a method to teach science, but inquiry is science and science is
Philosophy, goals and objectives I have debated with fellow teachers about inquiry. I have heard that inquiry is just one Evolution and Activities I began this journey into inquiry-based science teaching back in 2003. Several graduate classes
step (or "unsteps"!) was doable and made a big difference. I still had to make sure students had sufficient background information and they had to check with me for safety before beginning, but the students became scientists! The classroom atmosphere changed, students became more collaborative, and they had to rely on each other for ideas. The students came up with their own plans including main goal and all the details (how much to weigh, how long to heat... ). They also noticed that other students were approaching the problem differently (there was more than one way to solve a problem.) Some of these methods worked and some did not, but that led to great post lab discussions and sometimes opportunities to do the lab again. I tell my students - failure is an option! If you already know the outcome, you are not learning anything new! The students were proud when an idea finally worked and they were successful. An example of such a lab is when students were asked to determine the concentration of a blue copper (II) acetate solution, some solved the problem by evaporation (although those who heated it to evaporatefound that they burned it!), by precipitation, by single replacement reaction, by matching the color with their own prepared standards, by matching the color using dilution of a standard, and by matching the color using different depths. This was all the same lab! I discovered that the best inquiry labs have several different successful methods. Students have also come up with ideas even I had not imagined. Throughout the year, students designed calorimeters, determined factors that affect the rates of reaction, and examined the relationship between volume and temperature of gases (to name just a few). I described this process in an article for The Science Teacher - A year without procedures (October 2005) - attached. I continue to add new inquiry based labs and activities each year. After the classroom focus became inquiry, the multiple choice/short answer tests at the end of each unit didn't seem to accurately measure the skills anymore or reflect the classroom activities,
so (with the encouragement ofa colleague) I knew I had to change these also. I added an inquiry lab portion to most of my tests, including my finals. My first final came naturally. I had separated the first two quarters into themes: qualitative and quantitative chemistry so for the final I gave each lab group a different solution and asked them simply - What is it? And what's the concentration? Students had to come up with their own methods and accurately determine the results. Instead of a theoretical written problem, students conducted flame tests, performed precipitation reactions, used gravimetric, titration or colorimetric techniques and applied stoichiometry to solve their real problem. Once again, there were great discussions, problem solving, and a variety of methods performed throughout the classroom. (When the classroom sequence changed a few years ago, I developed a new first semester exam. Students are now given 6 chemical and 6 chemical names. They need to match the name to the chemical based on their knowledge of measurement, the atom, bonding and chemical reactions. Once again students performed different tests to solve the puzzle.) - The second semester became more of a challenge. We had studied: energy, reaction rates, gases, and acids and bases. This time I found a lab that was based on a toy called a bomb bag (it contains a citric acid solution and sodium bicarbonate). The reaction was endothermic, produced a gas (which caused it to pop) and contained acids and bases. Students were given different "mock versions" of the bag and asked to analyze them for a new toy company that wanted to make their own bomb bag version. They answered questions from the hypothetical toy company with their own methods. I also added lab portions to unit tests. Students have determined Ke q of a reaction for the equilibrium unit, and identified unknowns all without procedures.
Impact Students have responded very positively to the change to inquiry. When asked about labs
Connection to Standards Teaching inquiry is a key standard in the National Standards for Science Education as published