Demonstrated Inquiries

. .. 1 demonstrated in u~es focus the attention and the.control of th,

Accordmgto FIgure 6, , . q b' xhib .t d Many
SCIenceteacher situation around the teacher and the phenomenon emg e 1 e .
.. .
are very familiar with doing demonstrated inquiries because they play an 1Dlp~rtant rolf
in teaching science-related topics, Some concepts and topics are best ~res~!ec througl
this type of presentation. Why? For the teacher, doing demonstrated ~qumes captures
the attention of the audience, acts as a cognitive hook to "wow" the audience, ~d
keep~ students' minds engaged. For the students, demonstrate~ inquiries are usually
interest ing, thought provoking, and enjoyable to observe, es~a~y when the results
.are ~o~. terintuitive and provide an unanticipated result At this point you may be
asking, Isn.t
.a demonstrated inquiry the same as a typical demonstration?" Well, the answer to that IS
both yes and no. They are similar in that they are both teacher centered and both are
usually conducted when

all students need to observe a particular phenomenon;

the procedure is complicated for students to follow; .
the results of the phenomenon need to be guided or controlled;
dangerous, toxic,or flammable materials are used;
an explosionmay (or will) result;
safetyis a concern;
materialsor equipment are limited;
expensivechemicals, equipment, or other supplies are being used; and
time is of the essence.

In primary school, we probably all participated in "show and tell." When I was-
in second grade and it was my tum for show and tell,'I brought my pet turtle to
school and get up in front of the room and talked about my favorite animal.
Traditional demonstrations are like show and tell, where the teacher is generally doing
the showing and the" telling-or in some cases, yelling. Demonstrated inquiries
differ from conventional demonstrations in the way the teacher integrates
questioning into the presentation. In a demonstrated inquiry, the teacher often will
pose questions to solicit input in designing the demonstration. In this case, the student
plays a more active role then just being a passive observer. Also in demonstrated
inquiries, the conclusion is counterintuitive to a student's normal experience and
evokes "What if ... " or "I
r. . wonder ... " sequel questions. This acts as a means to extend the inquiry beyond the
initial demonstration. Demonstrated inquiries that invite further questions and
follow-upinquiries are often called discrepant events.

Discrepant Events
Discrepantevents are mind-engaging actions in ~hich the students observe unex
pected o~~comes.Wondering why these unexpected things happen, contrary to what
~as anticipated, students experiencing the discrepancy have the motivation and
mterest to ~o~~ate additional questions to pursue. Discrepant events are especially
useful f,orImh~tn:'g a lesson or a unit of study and capturing students' interest and
promoting curiosity, The outcome usually produces a lot of "oohs" and "ahhs." For
Somestuden!s a discrepant event can become an epiphany or a eureka moment of
sudden unexplained discovery. When a high school boy combines the "ah" of won
derment and the "ha" of laughter, he gets an "ah-ha" moment and says, "I got W"

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 Observin.g discrepant events can serve as a springboard to other science inquiries.
Rath.er than mtroducing a new topic or concept and later providing the typical d~m?n
stratton that proves the concept is correct, the discrepant event is used at the beguuung
of the lesson to capture the students' imagination and sense of wonder. Discrepant eve~ts
~re succes~ful when they initiate a wanting to know. Several steps are recommended m
mcorporatmg discrepant events into a lesson: .

1. Demonstrate the event. Present students with an opportunity to observe results

that appear contradictory. Provide students with an opportunity to confront the
questions being raised.
2. Allow students to investigate the event. Students should be allowed to test the
event or discrepancy by using science process skills such as observing, inferring,
recording data, formulating hypotheses, and generalizing. Allow sufficient time to
test the event and form hypotheses or questions to investigate. Encourage students
to raise "What if ... " and "I wonder ... " questions about the discrepancy. Provide
guidance to introduce. inquiry. strategies without giving away the answer or pro
viding a-full explanation.
3. Allow time for students to test their "What if ... " and "1 wonder ... " questions
arid share the results of their inquiries.
4. Discuss the causes of the discrepancy to introduce the topic being studied (density,
pressure, heat, etc.). During the 'discussion, refer back to the demonstration to
personalize the concept being presented.
5. Apply the concept being studied to an application level beyond the classroom.
Provide a culminating activity or laboratory experience that extends the learning
rather than proves that what already was said is correct.

Structured Inquiries
With traditional hands-orr labs, the teacher or the textbook provides the question to be
studied, usually at the top of the lab sheet The students are told what materials to use
and what procedures to follow to generate expected data and results. These labs are
sometimes called LIcookbook" science because, as with following a recipe in a cookbook,
students are expected to follow prescribed directions or procedures in which the results
from all the students are predictably the same. Many high school science teachers sub
scribe to this type 'of confirmation activity because it provides direction for the students
and tells them what to do to complete the experiment.
; Teachers often stick to what's in the textbook and rely on prescribed labs as a source
f of involving students in science because they feel that labs are easy to follow and provide
students with focus and direction on how to cany out the activity. Although cookbook
I.
~.
Jabs provide students with an opportunity to do hands-on, manipulative science, they
f. usually confirm an expect~~, predict:~ outcome. .
1 followingin quesnon:
Fortheexample, activity
a tra~ttio~.How from lOth-grade
testathe hardness chemistry
of water?" class,
Then the
the teacher
i poses can yo~ teacher
Ii provides each group of students the matenals to be ~: .

.
t- Four samples of water (hard, tap, distilled, and bottled) labeled A, B, C, and D
-
i Four test tubes
Four rubber stoppers
(
 A test-tube rack
A graduated cylinder
Liquid soap
An eyedropper

Next, the teacher provides the procedures for the students to follow:

1. Use the graduated cylinder to measure 50 mL of water sample A.

2. Label the test tube "Sample A."
3. Place the 50 mL of Sample A in a test tube.
4 Re eat the rocedure for the other three water samples-B, C, and D. Place ea~
f
. sa!ple in separate test tube. Label each test tube according to the sample It
contains.
5. Use the eyedropper to place two drops of liquid soap in each of the test tubes
containing the water samples.
6. Observe and record your findings.
7. Now place a rubber stopper in each test tube and gently swirl each of the soap and
water mixtures for 15 seconds. Again, observe and record your results.
8. Repeat me same procedure, but this nme. vigorously shake each of the soap and
water mixtures for 1 minute. Observe and record your results.
9. Repeat the same procedure for 3 minutes. Observe and record your results.

Observations Belore Observations After 15 Observations After 1 Observations After 3

Sample Shaking. Second of Shaking Minute of Shaking Minutes of Shaking

A
.
B

C
0

Although this is a relatively simple activity that most high school students can
complete, you can see how teacher directed it is. The original question, the materials -
needed, and the procedures are all provided to the students. All that the students have to ..
do is follow the steps of the procedure and record the results in the appropriate column
in the data table. You can see that this activity can be thought of as a type of cookbook
activity, and although it is hands-on, it is not inquiry based.
Laboratory experiences can, however, become a means of inviting inquiry and can be
us~ as a springboard into inquiry when, like discrepant events, they provide an oppor
~ty for .stu~ents to make observations or discoveries that are nnexpected or unpre
dlct~d..This bnng~ us to the structured inquiry. In some ways the structured inquiry
may be similar to the kinds of labs normally found in high school science textbooks-but
there
are differences. Whereas cookbook labs usually provide students with the question to be
tested, a step-by-step procedure to follow, and a data table to fill in, with structured
inquiry students are responsible for designing a chart or table to organize the data col
lected. This is an important distinction because if a student cannot design his or her own
data table, you can assume he or she doesn't fully understand the investigation or vari
ables being examined. In addition, by having the student design his or her own data table,
the task enhances more ownership of the investigation.
Structured labs also have another distinctive feature. Whereas traditional labs usually
have follow-up questions that focus on summarizing the results, structured inquiries
encourage students to analyze their findings and draw implications for proposing subse
quent inquiries where they raise new questions and design their own investigations
again increasing the ownership of the experience. Structured inquiries are especially
appropriate when students need practice in following directions or have little prior expe
rience in scientific inquiry. By first providing this type of inquiry and then moving on to
more student-directed inquiries, the teacher can scaffold students toward more indepen-
dence and ownership in conducting their o",m ir.vestigations. - .

Guided or Teacher-Initiated Inquiries

-The guided or teacher-initiated inquiry is the next level of independence for students.
Inthis case, the teacher provides the question, but the student is responsible for designing
the inves tigation as well as the data table and analyzing and communicating the results.
It is very similar to problem solving, where a student is given a problem and asked to plan a
solution.
TIle previous activity for testing hard water can be easily modified from a structured -
inquiry to a guided inquiry. One step would be to have several prearranged questions for
students to answer on their own. The teacher could pose several starter questions as
prompts. The students then would be required to write their own procedures and carry
out their own investigations. The following are several starter questions: .

. Using soap as an indicator, how can you design a procedure to test the hardness of
water?
What materials will you need?
What different samples of water will you test?
What steps will you follow?
What will you look for to determine the level of hardness in the water? _
How will you organize and record your results?

Again, by first presenting the hard water as an initial exploration in the form of a
demonstrated or structured inquiry, the teacher can lead students in choosing other
questions to investigate. Say, for example, the teacher provides an opening exploration by
testing one sample of water for hardness. From this initial experience, students would be
given an opportunity to develop follow-up questions to investigate on their own.
In this
'way, students are being scaffolded from a demonstrated or StrtiCfute<iinquiry to a guided
inquiry. Questions may include the following:

How sanitary is the water from the school drinking fountain? In the school's locker
room showers?
Do different brands of bottled water yield different test results?
What result would we get if we tried the water from our own homes? Or from
swimming pool water? Or water in a local pond, stream, or river? - -
 ? .
. water versUs well water.
'''lhat results would we get if we tested the CIty ? What causes water to be
What's the difference between hard and soft water.
"h~rd';? How can you make hard water I/soft"?" ft" ter?
". " . h d ter? Or so wa .
Do some detergents work best m ar wa .
laundry
" from a structured inquiry to a "
In these examples, you can see how s.tud21ltsprogress fir t ed a"basic experience
guided inquiry. This is usually the case since most students s ne independent
. el f i . As scaffold students to that
to move on to a more you.
higher lev 0 mqwry. . . d do exploration
levels of inquiry. consider how you can first provide an intro u ry th tin
activates and m~els the inquiry process, thereby moving students along e con
uum
toward self-directed learning.

Self-Directed or student
Initiated Inquiries
The highest level of inquiry occurs when students initiate their own ~ues~~ns.
Accor~g
to the Invitation to Inquiry Grid, in self-directed or student-initiated mqumes
(sometimes
called open inquiry or full inquiry) students raise their own questions, design their
own procedures! and organize and analyze their own results. During self-directed
inquiry,the overall responsibility for the completion of the task shifts from the teacher
to the student
We now understand how the levels of self-direded" ownership and involvement
on the part of the teachers and the students vary significantly for each learning
situation described. During a demonstrated inquiry,the teacher plays an active role
while the stu dents playa more observant role. In contrast, during the self-directed
inquiry, the stu dents have full ownership of the questions while the teacher plays a
facilitating role. That doesn't mean that the teacher passively stands aside during a
student-initiated investiga tion. The teacher still has the responsibility of posing
ancillary questions to foster critical thinking during the investigation and directing
students to online "and consult print

TEACHER PART1CIPATION
(low/Passive).
(High!Active)
... .
-,
z (lowlPassive)
o Demonstrated Inquiries
~
Q.
o Structured Inquiries
i=
IX
c(

...ZW. Guided Inquiries

C
:J (High/Active) Self-Directed Inquiries
...
C/)
 resources to help clarify th find' "
h the i " .e mgs of the mquuy. The teacher plays an even greater role
w en e mqwry s results are conummicated through an argument-based discussion,
Herde the teacher plays a.n po r ttaln ro e i.n fac g the dilSCUS.Slonan d k the
im. ilitatin' eepm. g
s~ ents on-task as they JUstify and defend their claims to their peers. Figure 6.3 summa
nzes the ownership level of each learning situation.

Guidine Students Into Inquiry

Most stud:nts,. ~d teachers for that matter, are not 'ready to begin with full student
generated mqumes at the start of the school year. During the first few weeks of school,
t~achers n~d to set expectations for classroom management, discipline, classroom rou
tines, grad~g procedures, and so on. Establishing and maintaining a healthy and safe
classroom is a prerequisite for an inquiry lesson. Without rules, inquiry becomes unruly
and unmanageable. It is normal for teachers to wait until they grow accustomed to their
classes before starting a full inquiry-based unit, This is especially true for. teachers who
have students coming to them without prior experience in inquiry learning. So the recom
mendation to novice teachers is to get your classroom management house in order before
moving on to inquiry-based instruction. An active classroom needs a teacher with honed
management skills. This topic will be addressed in more detail in Chapter 8.
. The Invitation to Inquiry Grid (Figure 6.1) can also serve as a way to chart a yearlong
instructional plan so that students are gradually but continuously encouraged to take on
.more responsibility for their learning. During the early months of the school year or when
students are unfamiliar with inquiry learning, the teacher may choose to begin with .
dem-
onstrated inquiries, focusing on having students observe and experience several mind
engaging discrepant events. During the next several months, the teacher can then move
into
the structured-inquiry stage, concentrating on providing sound hands-on inquiries that
provide the opportunity for extended investigations. Beforethe end of the first semester, a
reasonable expectation would be to have students involved in one or more guided inqui
ries, with the goal of evolving the students' expertise into several full student-initiated
inquiries at the beginning of the second semest~. Inthe final ~~sis, each teacher has to
plot his or her own course based on the expenence "an~ capability of the class. In this
example, the Invitation to Inquiry Grid serves as a morutonng tool for teachers in designing
their yearlong instructional plans. As the school year _proceeds,teachers. can ask, "Am I
moving my students from i:eacher-d~~den~ to ~~re independent expenenc;s~ and am I
providing opportunities for student-wtiated tnq~es as the year pro~? " .
By now, you should have a good grasr of the differencebetween doing ~ no~-~qWI'f
hands-on lab and an inquiry-based lab. lOU have read that although most mqwry mves
ligations involve using hands-on and minds-on means of learning, not all hands-on labs
are inquiry based. Although it may be ~ds-o?, when ~ lab presented b~ the teacher or
the textbook provides the question to be mvestigat~d, directs what matenals t') use,
tells what variable to test, lists the steps to fo~o,w"to ~d the ans~er !o the q~estion,
and
.h h to organiz8 the data collected, It s indubitably not mqwry. That s not to say
sows owti nal type of lab doesn , tha ve a time . lace imth
or pace tnehigh
ruz sch 00I science
. pro-
tha ta tradi 0 ....
gram; it just says, Don't call It inquiry; . .
To further lain the differences ~ong a de~ons~ated, a structure~, a guided, and
rv a lesson on soil permeability WIll be presented m four different
a se If-dird~ '
m qw.J,.
eete from .
. same concept, we can then see how each level
...
ch U the SCience differs
approa es. sing
the others.