Supporting the Practices of Science and Engineering through Inquiry Learning and Sensemaking

Most science programs support an inquiry component of some kind, and the new Next Generation Science Standards define inquiry in terms Science and Engineering Practices (SEP). Why take this course? Despite robust research literature supporting the use of inquiry and SEP in the science classroom, putting this research into practice has proven elusive in many schools. What should inquiry teaching and learning look like in the classroom? The workshop will provide concrete strategies to support inquiry learning, teaching the SEP, and sensemaking in the science classroom.

The workshop is appropriate for middle and high school science teachers. Participants will receive a copy of Inquiry and the National Science Education Standards (2001), published by the National Academies Press, and Translating the NGSS for Classroom Instruction (2012) by Rodger Bybee, plus equipment samples needed for the workshop. Teachers will learn to redesign their own lessons to better support inquiry and the practices of science and engineering and will examine tools from Achieve and other groups to evaluate lessons for their inquiry and SEP content.