Monday, May 25, 2020
Inquiry Based Science Instruction Using Science Fair Projects
Problem Statement In order to fully develop critical thinking skills necessary to function in the world of science, and the world in general, science teachers must incorporate more robust authentic inquiry activities, as part of their overall science curriculum. However, in my experience as a science teacher (18 years) and a science program director (3 years) in inner-city high schools in Boston, students do not have the opportunity to engage in robust authentic inquiry activities. Using my yearsââ¬â¢ experience in the public education system, it is clear to me that factors, such as teachersââ¬â¢ inadequate content knowledge, lack of motivation to implement inquiry, pressure to teach to high stake standardized tests, lack of experienceâ⬠¦show more contentâ⬠¦(Carlton, 2008) Similarly, western gender stereotypes have biased historical research of gender studies in the south (Fennell and Arnot, 2008); thereby rendering such research limited in its historical significance and material use. Thus, exposing students to authentic scientific inquiry via science fair projects is not only necessary to the studentââ¬â¢s academic success, it is, in my opinion, a vital component of the development of critical thinking skills necessary to separate authentic scientific data and research results from potentially questionable results; like the superiority/inferiority of different races and other biases. Teacher Beliefs and Experience Teachersââ¬â¢ actions in the classroom tend to reflect their own belief systems. This holds true both in my own experience working in the field of education, and other academics. For as Wallace and Kang note in their article ââ¬Å"An Investigation of Experienced Secondary Science Teachersââ¬â¢ Beliefs About Inquiry: An Examination of Competing Beliefs Setsâ⬠, ââ¬Å"what a teacher actually does in the classroom is representative of her beliefs.â⬠(2004) Additionally, in conducting research for their article ââ¬Å"White Male Teachers on Differences: Narratives of Contact and Tensionsâ⬠, Jupp and Slattery note the comments of one of the participants in the research project as stating ââ¬Å"â⬠¦teachers are certainly biased against certain children, especially if they donââ¬â¢t knowShow MoreRelatedMiddle School Curriculum Map Essay1323 Words à |à 6 Pagesintegrating reading in secondary areas such as science. 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