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Knowing inquiry as practice and theory: Developing a pedagogical framework with elementary school teachers
Citation
Poon, C.-L., Lee, Y.-J., Tan, A.-L., & Lim, S. S. L. (2012). Knowing inquiry as practice and theory: Developing a pedagogical framework with elementary school teachers. Research in Science Education, 42(2), 303-327. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11165-010-9199-9
Abstract
In this paper, we characterize the inquiry practices of four elementary school teachers by means of a pedagogical framework. Our study surfaced core components of inquiry found in theoretically-driven models as well as practices that were regarded as integral to the success of day-to-day science teaching in Singapore. This approach towards describing actual science inquiry practices - a surprisingly neglected area - uncovered nuances in teacher instructions that can impact inquiry-based lessons as well as contribute to a practice-oriented perspective of science teaching. In particular, we found that these teachers attached importance to (a) preparing students for investigations, both cognitively and procedurally; (b) iterating pedagogical components where helping students understand and construct concepts did not follow a planned linear path but involved continuous monitoring for learning; and (c) synthesizing concepts in a consolidation phase. Our findings underscore the dialectical relationship between practice-oriented knowledge and theoretical conceptions of teaching/learning thereby helping educators better appreciate how teachers adapt inquiry science for different contexts.
Date Issued
2012
Publisher
Springer
Journal
Research in Science Education