Teacher Development of Authentic Inquiry Lessons Using Scientific Field Data and Student Development of Understanding of Complex Earth Systems

In the past few decades there has been a call for increased use of inquiry-based learning (IBL) in K-16 science classrooms. The principal goal is to help students develop an understanding of the natural world through authentic science investigation. Authentic inquiry allows students to acquire scientific knowledge and understanding, relate science research to real-world problems, apply their knowledge, and to become familiar with and know how to perform scientific research. To fully understand complex earth systems, students must be able to conceptualize the system under investigation, transfer content knowledge, and understand the relationships between different scales of time and space (Herbert, 2003). This case study involved three novice teachers from the Greater Houston area, two seventh grade science teachers and one sixth grade mathematics teacher, that are involved in a NSF professional development program for novice teachers. These three teachers participated in a case study about their personal barriers to design and implementation of inquiry for the classroom. These teachers were provided with scientific field research data gathered from a complex costal margin system in South Texas, Laguna Atascosa National Wildlife Refuge. They were tasked with designing and implementing an inquiry project for their students using the data provided. The teachers used a combination of rich data sets, information technology, and multiple representations to support the students understanding of this complex coastal margin system. Rubric analysis of the lesson plan design followed the guidelines of developing inquiry units from Etheredge & Rudintsky (2003). The student products were analyzed using a rubric designed from Chinn & Malhotra (2002) to assess their role of being and thinking like a scientist. Preliminary results show the teachers tended to design data set analysis inquiry activities and students, although prompted to support their claims with evidence, were not always successful at the task.