Facilitators Guides
These guides contain the information needed to present professional development sessions to teachers. They include materials lists, step-by-step directions, scripts and prompts and facilitation hints, along with necessary charts and handouts.
Fundamentals of Inquiry
Workshops designed to introduce teachers to inquiry
Using hands-on experiences and focused reflection, Institute for Inquiry® workshops give teachers a thorough grounding in the pedagogy and practice of science inquiry. Participants examine different ways of teaching hands-on science, explore the process skills of inquiry, engage in a full scientific inquiry, and consider ways to include inquiry in their own classrooms.
Elements of Inquiry
Workshop I: Comparing Approaches to Hands-On Science
Examining different hands-on methods of teaching science
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Workshop II: Process Skills
Exploring the science process skills and how students develop them
Workshop III: Raising Questions
Focusing on how students’ questions lead to inquiry
Immersion in Inquiry
Workshop IV: Stream Table Inquiry
Engaging in full scientific inquiry
Connections to the Classroom
Workshop V: Subtle Shifts: Adapting Activities for Inquiry
Incorporating elements of inquiry into the classroom activities
Assessing for Learning
Workshops designed to introduce teachers to formative assessment
Based on the work of noted British educator Wynne Harlen, these workshops introduce the Formative Assessment Cycle, a process by which teachers gather evidence of students’ thinking and use this evidence to decide next steps for teaching. These workshops are designed to be used sequentially, building on one another so participants develop a comprehensive view of formative assessment in the classroom.
Workshop I: Introduction to Formative Assessment
Distinguishing formative from summative assessment
Workshop II: Assessing Process Skills
Gathering evidence of students’ science process skill development
Workshop III: Effective Questioning
Determining how different kinds of questions can reveal students’ science ideas
Workshop IV: Assessing Science Ideas
Discovering how feedback can help students advance their science ideas
Workshop V: Student Self-Assessment
Examining ways to involve students in assessing their own work