Fundamentals of Inquiry: Summary Schedule

The Fundamentals of Inquiry workshop is organized into the following sections that illuminate the fundamentals of inquiry-based teaching and learning. Participants have reflective conversations throughout the workshop that allow them to see into the professional development design process—from the design of each individual activity to the overall structure of the workshop.

Elements of Inquiry

The experiences in this section focus on hands-on approaches and science practices related to inquiry learning.

Day 1:
Comparing Approaches: Discover how different approaches to hands-on teaching support different goals for learning.   

Day 2:
Science Practices: Identify the science practices needed to carry out inquiry, which includes asking questions, planning and carrying out investigations, analyzing and interpreting data, and arguing from evidence. Put these science practices into action and examine their roles in learning.

Raising Questions: Examine the kinds of questions learners ask about phenomena and find out how to turn “non-investigable” questions into “investigable” ones.

Immersion in Inquiry

Day 3:
Plan and conduct an investigation: Experience how science content and science practices can be learned through a carefully orchestrated inquiry process. Explore questions that are fundamental to designing an inquiry experience, including:

• What are good starting points for investigations?
• What roles do materials play?
• How is inquiry learning best facilitated?
• How can an understanding of science concepts be developed through inquiry?

Connections to the Classroom

Day 4:
Subtle Shifts:

• Make connections between workshop experiences and different professional development and classroom contexts.
• See how current classroom activities can be modified to incorporate more science inquiry and science practices.

Preview workshop activities or download our facilitators guides.