INQUIRY IN K–12 EARTH SCIENCES: A MODEL FOR INSTRUCTIONAL ORGANIZATION, PLANNING, & DELIVERY

Inquiry as a mode of science teaching in K–12 education has been continually stressed since the publication of Benchmarks for Science Literacy (1993) and the National Science Education Standards (1996).  Many states have subsequently adopted similar standards in their curricula.  But models of science inquiry, such as those developed for chemistry and physics, do not always enjoy a comfortable application in Earth science teaching.  It is possible, for example, to develop meaningful scientific questions in the Earth sciences, but it is often impossible to manipulate variables in controlled experimentation of Earth phenomena, or remain an active participant during the entire time span of an Earth event.  Drawing from the philosophy and history of science (e.g. Chamberlin, 1897; Kitts, 1977; Oreskes, 1999) and science education (e.g. Ault, 1994, 1998; Monk & Dillon, 1995) literature bases, this presentation reports the results of an analysis used to define a model in inquiry in instruction that is specific to the geosciences and much more applicable to Earth science instruction in K-12 settings.  The definition of problems, the selection of methods, and arrival of solutions remain constructs in common with general models of inquiry instruction.  Within questions, basic descriptions of materials, space, and time are increased in dimensionality by interpretations and extrapolations, and finally to descriptions of the interactions of each.  In the selection of methods, basic observational strategies are expanded to testable models.  And in the determination of appropriate solutions to inquiries, the framing of historical narratives augments the development of specific interpretations.   Between each stage previously defined (questions/methods/solutions), specific operational pathways are proposed that serve as a map for teachers in effectively framing inquiry experiences.  These pathways allow students to build scientific habits of mind that reflect the nature of geosciences research.  In order to enhance the instructional utility of this geoscience-specific model of inquiry, the varying levels of inquiry of Bell, et al. (2005) are applied, reflecting varying levels of teacher structure and student autonomy.  Such an approach allows for targeted organization of instruction appropriate to specific student audiences.