Information Technology Reference
In-Depth Information
Design Elements
There were three primary considerations in designing the course. First, a flexible
design was adopted. The teachers logged onto the course at their convenience,
within a specified timeframe. Second, the participants were required to read and
respond to literature that has defined the formal (official) discourse on classroom
inquiry. To that end, the topic, Inquiry and the national science education stan-
dards (NRC, 2000) was used as the main text for the course. The topic introduces
the reader to the theory and practice of classroom inquiry, connecting the goals of
classroom inquiry to the national science education standards and the discourse on
educational reform. It also provides vignettes that illustrate the applications of class-
room inquiry, using age-appropriate examples. The text was supplemented by other
readings. Third, a discussion forum was created as a way of establishing and sustain-
ing a learning community of course participants. WebCT uses threaded discussions,
which is a group of messages related to a single message. The forum provided the
teachers with opportunities to converse among themselves, and to reflect on their
learning, making sense of the course content in terms of their own professional back-
grounds and goals. The asynchronous design afforded the participants time to read
each other's responses, formulate their own ideas, and produce thoughtful responses.
To encourage accountability in discussions, the participants were required to
complete the readings assigned each week, and take an online quiz, before con-
tributing to the discussions. The readings provided a form of intellectual scaffolding,
providing teachers with the background knowledge to discuss inquiry, as well as the
linguistic tools to talk about reform. Accountability for discussions was also built
into the course by assigning 30% of the course grade to discussions.
The weekly quiz: The quiz was made up of six multiple choice-type questions,
and one essay-type question. The following are examples of essay type questions
that were posed:
The two scenarios provided in chapter 1 describe inquiry in science and inquiry
in the classroom. What is one way that these two inquiries are similar? What is
one way that they differ?
Provide an example from your own teaching of the change elements (at least two)
necessary to support inquiry-based teaching in your school.
Discussion topics: The goal of the weekly discussions was to encourage teachers
to interpret the themes emerging from the course in terms of their own experiences,
and to learn from each other. The instructor (who is also the author), participated in
the discussions, commenting on the teachers' contributions. However, the primary
interactions were between the teachers. The weekly topics and related discussion
topics are listed in Table 23.1.
Final project: The teachers conducted a critical review of instructional materials
that they were using or were contemplating using to explore ways in which they
could be used as is, or adapted for classroom inquiry. This aspect of the course is
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