UNIVERSITY OF CALOOCAN CITY
Biglang Awa St., Corner Cattleya St., EDSA, Caloocan City
COLLEGE OF EDUCATION
SCIENCE IN EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION
SUBJECT CODE:
TOPIC OR LESSON 8:
WEEK:
SUB-TOPIC/S:
ECE 013
Engaging Learners in the Doing of Science
10
Scientific Practices, The Investigation Web, Ways in Asking and
Refining Questions
Hi there! How are you today?
I hope you are still doing fine until this moment.
Investigations form the essence of science and engaging
students in scientific practices. What does it mean to engage in
science? How do I help students plan and design experiments?
How can I help students be systematic in analyzing data? How do I
help students draw conclusions from data?
In this module, we will examine asking and refining
questions, planning and designing experiments, and assembling
and carrying out procedures—key aspects of the doing of science.
We discuss other key aspects of the doing of science—analyzing
data, constructing and revising explanations, building and revising
models, and sharing information with others. Students participate in scientific practices as they
learn about science.
Are you ready? You may now start flipping the pages to unravel these topics.
At the end of this module, learners are expected to develop an essay reflecting relevant
concepts presented and discussed in this module.
Today you will be learning about science education in the past and present. But before you
proceed, here are the goals that you need to hit as you finished this module:
1. engage students in scientific practices,
2. comprehends the investigation web, and;
3. demonstrate ways of asking and refining questions.
In order for you to have a glimpse of how to engage learners in the doing of Science, you will
need to watch a video clip using the link:
Video 1: 5 Effective Ways to engage learners
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5eL4lfOk-o8
Essential Question: How does attention affect learning?
Are the learning goals above clear to you? Remember that those are the things that will keep
you on the right track as you explore our topic. I know that you are already excited about our lesson!
However, there is one more thing that I want you to do. Your task for this portion is to share your
thoughts or insights about:
Exploring STEM Through Play
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qmLEl4QjQ3w
ENGAGING STUDENTS IN SCIENTIFIC PRACTICES
Scientific practices represent the multiple ways in which scientists and engineers explore
and understand the natural and designed world. In this module, we will consider the various
scientific practices as a web of related activities. Throughout the lesson, we will examine the various
instructional supports a teacher can provide to help learners through the various components of
investigations, and we will explore answers to numerous questions that might arise about
investigations.
First, we consider several types of school science activities, some of which you may have
experienced yourself as a student. As you read each scenario, focus on various features of the
instructional setting. What are the students doing and thinking? What is the role of the teacher?
What instructional supports does the teacher provide to support students in doing science.
Scenario 1: A Step-by-Step Activity
Ms. Pilarski, a fifth-grade teacher, presents information on the physical characteristics and
chemical properties of materials. Ms. Pilarski shows the students some white powders and tells the
class they will observe what happens when they mix a small amount of each powder with some liquids
the teacher calls solutions. Ms. Pilarski hands out a sheet of paper with step-by-step directions about
the amounts of powder and liquid to use and about how to mix the materials together. Ms. Pilarski also
passes out a sheet of paper with a carefully labeled table on which the students are to record their
observations. The powders are labeled across the top of the table and the solutions are labeled down
the side. Ms. Pilarski directs the class to describe and illustrate their observations in the table.
Ms. Pilarski allows the students to work in groups of four. Each group has 30 minutes in which
to complete the activity. Ms. Pilarski directs each group to assign one member to gather the required
materials—the powders and solutions—from the table at the front of the class. Students from various
groups volunteer to gather the materials, but in one group none of the students want to go get the
materials. After the students return to their tables with the materials, one student, Frank, grabs some
of the powders and begins mixing them with one of the liquids. In some groups, students begin by
reading Ms. Pilarski’s directions to decide what they need to do first. In one group, all the students
begin working independently of each other. Some students become involved by reading off the
directions and handing materials to the other students. Some students use magnifying glasses to make
observations of the powders, and they draw pictures of what they see. The classroom is loud, but
everyone appears to be on task and students seem to be engaged. Students make comments like, “Hey,
that was cool.” A number of the groups really like it when one of the powders bubbles and fizzes when
mixed with one of the solutions.
In this first scenario, the teacher selected and gave the students directions about how to
carry out the activity. Although the students experienced phenomena and worked in small groups to
make and record observations, they spent little, if any, time planning what they were to do and little,
if any, time discussing what the observations meant. Moreover, the activity the students performed
was not tied to a question that the students asked or that they found meaningful.
Scenario 2: A Trial-and-Error Activity
Mr. Warren, a fifth-grade teacher, passes out one light bulb, a wire, and a battery. He
challenges the students to work in teams of two to find as many ways as possible to light the bulb using
just the wire and the battery. Mr. Warren directs the class to sketch “all the ways you can get the bulb
to light, using the battery and wire.” He hands out plastic bags that contain the various materials.
Almost all the teams jump into the task with little or no discussion about what to do. A number of the
teams try connecting the bulb, wire, and battery in a straight-line configuration, but this method fails
to light the bulb. Some students comment that they have a “bad bulb” or a “battery that doesn’t work.”
After several failed attempts, some of the teams discuss ways to get the bulb to light. As some of the
groups get their light bulb to light, comments such as “cool!” or “wow!” are heard. Some of the teams
that fail to light their bulbs become frustrated and stop trying, but most of the groups persist, possibly
because trying to light the bulb is more fun than answering the questions at the end of the chapter. The
excitement in the room grows as various teams light the bulb. After about 10 minutes, most teams have
lit their bulbs. Mr. Warren walks around the room, asking each team to demonstrate its strategies. Mr.
Warren challenges the teams to find out how to light the bulb in different ways. Some teams that are
having difficulty finding a way to light their bulbs ask other teams for help; the successful teams seem
happy to share their techniques. Mr. Warren encourages the groups that are having difficulty to think
of different ways to light the bulb.
Mr. Warren also challenges the teams that had success lighting the bulb in more than one way
to “make two light bulbs light so that, if you disconnect one light bulb, the other goes out too.” Some
teams talk about how lighting the bulb is related to switching on the light in the classroom. In Scenario
2, as in Scenario 1, the teacher selected the activity for the students. Once again, the activity was not
tied to the driving question or to a question that the students asked. Unlike Scenario 1, in this case the
teacher did not tell the students how to do the activity, so students conceivably could have made plans
for how to light the bulb, but most just used trial-and-error methods. The activity was fun, but most of
the students did not understand why the bulb would or would not light. Little, if any, discussion
occurred regarding why the bulb lit in one configuration and not in others. Moreover, the class did not
follow through with this activity to further explore issues related to electrical phenomena. Although
some of the students were able to make a connection between lighting the bulb and how lights work in
their homes or the school, most students did not understand how lighting the bulb related to how the
lights work in a building.
In Scenario 2, as in Scenario 1, the teacher selected the activity for the students. Once again,
the activity was not tied to the driving question or to a question that the students asked. Unlike
Scenario 1, in this case, the teacher did not tell the students how to do the activity, so students
conceivably could have made plans for how to light the bulb, but most just used trial-and-error
methods. The activity was fun, but most of the students did not understand why the bulb would or
would not light. Little, if any, discussion occurred regarding why the bulb lit in one configuration
and not in others. Moreover, the class did not follow through with this activity to further explore
issues related to electrical phenomena. Although some of the students were able to make a
connection between lighting the bulb and how lights work in their homes or the school, most
students did not understand how lighting the bulb related to how the lights work in a building.
Scenario 3: Engaging in Scientific Practices
In Ms. Tamika Brown’s fifth-grade classroom, one group of four students is sitting in a circle
talking with other students writing in notebooks. Another group is standing behind a table putting soil
in a pot, and another is gathered around a computer at the back of the class. Ms. Brown is talking with
the fourth group of students. The group sitting in a circle is making a list of possible questions to
explore: “Do worms help decomposition?”, “Will new worms be born in the decomposition column?”,
and, “What will decompose first?” One student says that the group can’t design an experiment to study
whether worms will be born in the decomposition column because it would be hard to count all the
worms. Another student responds that it doesn’t matter if they count all the worms; they just need to
see if there are more.
The group putting soil in a pot has already made a plan for investigating the effects of compost
on the growth of bean plants. The students are planting eight bean plants. They plan to plant two
plants with a 75/25 mixture of compost and soil, two plants with a 50/50 mixture, another two with a
25/75 mixture, and two with just soil. Some of the students are still discussing whether they need to
plant some plants with 100% compost.
The group at the computer is composing a letter to another fifth-grade class. The students are
explaining to the other class, which is located in another state, their plan for investigating the influence
of light on decomposition. They will email their letter to this class when they have finished writing it.
The fourth group is discussing with Ms. Brown how to investigate the effects of airflow on
decomposition. This group’s plan is to build a decomposition column with numerous holes. Ms. Brown,
through a series of questions, is trying to help the group understand the need for control and a larger
sample. Ms. Brown asks, “If you use only one decomposition column, how will that help you understand
how airflow influences decomposition?” The students in the group are debating this question. One
student says, “You really won’t know if you use only one column because there will be nothing to
compare it to.” Another student argues that they could investigate “how fast the various stuff
decomposes” using just one column. Another student responds that “how fast” won’t help them answer
their question. The group continues to debate. Ms. Brown moves on to work with another group.
The third scenario shows students engaged in the doing of science using various scientific
practices. Students pursue solutions to questions of importance by asking and refining their own
questions, debating ideas, making predictions, designing plans and/ or experiments, measuring,
collecting, and analyzing data and/or information, making claims, using evidence, communicating
their ideas, and findings to others, and asking new questions. Research supports the notion that
young children are capable of performing all these aspects of engaging in science (Krajcik et al.,
1998; National Research Council, 2000).
Research shows that young children have the ability to make sense of phenomena using
scientific practice and learn new science ideas, although their explorations are not as sophisticated
as those of adolescents and adults because of limited prior knowledge (Metz, 1995; NRC, 2007). The
teacher plays the critical role of orchestrating their various uses of scientific practices and selecting
curricular areas that allow students to ask questions that result in developing an understanding of
important disciplinary core ideas.
A Framework for K–12 Science Education stresses that content should not be learned
separately from engaging in scientific practices. Explorations that integrate the use of scientific
practices with disciplinary core ideas and crosscutting concepts provide an environment for
learners to make sense of phenomena and develop deep, integrated understanding.
Students of all ages need to ask their own questions that are important to them, design their
own experimental procedures, make sense of their data, analyze their data, share their plans and
findings with others for feedback and criticism, and generate new ideas. Doing so will support
students in developing a scientific disposition and ownership of their work. Asking questions,
designing experiments, analyzing data, making claims supported with evidence, and sharing what
they know should be a routine part of students learning science.
THE INVESTIGATION WEB
Engaging in science is akin to seeking the answer to an unknown question about how the
world works, for which humans seem to have a deep need. In this section, we examine the
investigation web, a process of carrying out science exploration that includes “messing about,”
asking and refining questions, finding information, planning, and designing, building the apparatus
and collecting data, constructing models, analyzing and interpreting data, constructing
explanations, making arguments with evidence, and communicating findings. The investigation web
is a representation of the various scientific practices.
Figure A presents one visualization of the investigation web. The investigation web
represents the nonlinear quality of science and illustrates the way that students revisit various
scientific practices. Each component provides feedback for another part. Finding information about
a topic might lead students to refine their questions or to refine the procedures in an investigation.
In Scenario 3, students might have uncovered information about building decomposition
columns that caused them to refine their question regarding the impact of airflow on
decomposition. Preliminary data analysis could have suggested ways for students to modify their
procedures to collect more reliable data. Students may well have noticed that their decomposition
column felt warm, and this observation might have encouraged them to collect data on temperature
changes.
Using their data, students could build a model that explains the process of decomposition.
Completing an investigation should lead to other questions. For example, once students found out
that oxygen is needed to help materials decompose, they could have posed new questions regarding
the decomposition of materials buried in a landfill. Some investigations may well have begun with
the gathering of data or with the search for a pattern. Students might have designed an investigation
of decomposition only after “messing around” with different decomposing materials and noticing
that air affects the rate of decomposition for some materials but had little impact on others.
Figure A. The Investigation Web
You shouldn’t expect science exploration to engage students in all the scientific practices,
but it should incorporate a number of practices. You also shouldn’t expect your classroom
exploration to run so smoothly from the start. As the teacher, you will need to provide instructional
supports throughout. Being good at doing science, like learning to play an instrument or a sport,
takes repeated experiences, knowledge, and feedback from others. You cannot expect students to
develop into excellent scientists overnight. But over the course of a year's worth of study and
practice, they will get even better. The same is true with the science.
As children become more developed, they can perform more complex investigations to seek
cause-and-effect relationships. For example, fourth-grade students could chart the length of a
shadow cast from a stake placed in the ground to notice the pattern of the sun's "movement" across
the sky.
MESSING ABOUT
How do you start students exploring science and making sense of phenomena? How do you
help children ask questions about phenomena? Messing about (Hawkins, 1965) is a critical aspect
of doing science. Messing about includes exploring, manipulating objects, making initial
observations, experiencing phenomena, and taking things apart.
Messing about implies children exploring aspects of the world they find of interest.
Messing about natural phenomena creates situations that encourage children to wonder and
question. Children can learn much by examining what is in a pond, taking apart an old flashlight, or
watching various gears work in unison. Messing about also allows children to have essential prior
experiences to engage in more in-depth and systematic explorations.
Teachers can use a number of techniques to create learning environments in which children
can mess about and ask questions. With careful structuring, worthwhile explorations of challenging
and unfamiliar phenomena can occur. For example, a teacher can structure a messing-about session
to help students ask good questions about skateboards. We will consider two types: initial
observations and manipulating objects.
1. Initial Observations
allow students to observe phenomena that will pique their curiosity, create a sense of
wonderment, motivate them to ask questions, and allow them to make sense of phenomena
to support their developing understanding of various aspects of disciplinary core ideas,
crosscutting concepts, and scientific and engineering practices
Imagine that you want to involve students in a biology exploration about insects to support
learners in developing understandings of the importance of the environment for food and
protection. To focus on early elementary students’ observations, ask students to map out areas of
the playground or nature then select one area, or microbiome, for observation. Ask them to write
down and share questions that emerge from their observations such as "Do each of the areas have
the same insects?", and, "Why do you suppose they are different?".
2. Manipulation of materials
- may include building an apparatus, taking things apart, handling or playing with objects, or
making various measurements
For instance, you might have students set up an aquarium, take apart a flashlight, look at
different objects through a magnifying glass, or plant some seeds. Many objects are good
items for students to manipulate: seeds, toy cars, balls, and magnets.
However, manipulating materials and making initial observations should not be isolated
activities. Manipulation ought to be accompanied by observation of the effects of various
manipulations.
ASKING AND REFINING QUESTIONS
“Students at any grade level should be able to ask questions of each other about the texts
they read, the features of the phenomena they observe, and the conclusions they draw from their
models or scientific investigations.” (p. 56, NRC, 2012)
Once students have “messed about” and made initial observations, they need to ask
meaningful and worthwhile questions based on those observations. Worthwhile questions are
related to the learning goals you hope to meet, and meaningful questions are those that students
find of value. The students who are observing insects in a nature area might begin to ask questions
such as, “Where do different insects live?”, “When do the insects first appear?”, and, “When do we
stop seeing various insects?” Making observations and asking questions are not necessarily
separate practices. Children often begin to ask questions while they are observing. Frequently,
students refine their questions as they make more observations and as they find and synthesize
information. Asking questions is a critical scientific practice (Schwarz, Passmore, & Reiser, 2017)
Asking Questions and Defining Problems, from NGSS, the types of questions students should
be able to answer at the end of various grade bands. For instance, in the K–2 range students should
“ask questions based on observations to find more information about the natural and/or designed
world(s).” By the end of 3–5 students should “ask questions about what would happen if a variable
is changed,” and by the end of 6–8 ask questions “to determine relationships between independent
and dependent variables and relationships in models.”
Experiences are another potential source of student questions. Reading the newspaper,
talking to parents or other family members, or going on a family trip can lead to students asking
questions about phenomena as well. As students experience the world around them, questions
about the environment can and will arise. For instance, if a child’s family composts lawn clippings,
the child might be interested in why the compost pile doesn’t smell.
The Role of the Teacher
One technique for helping students generate questions is having them set up their
experimental notebooks with two columns shown in Table A: Initial Observations and Questions.
Another technique to help students generate questions is to provide students with question stems.
Question stems serve as cognitive supports and focus student questions. The following stems are
useful in helping students generate questions: “I wonder what would happen if . . . ?”, “What if . . . ?”,
“How does . . . ?”, and, “What does . . . ?”
Table A. Initial Observations and Questions
Table B. Asking Questions and Defining Problems across the K–8 grade bands
Types of Questions
There are three possible types of questions that students might ask as part of an
investigation.
A. Descriptive questions permit students to find out about observable characteristics of
phenomena.
B. Relational questions allow students to find out about associations among the characteristics of
different phenomena.
C. Cause and effect questions provide opportunities for students to make inferences about how one
variable affects another variable.
Table C. Types of Questions
Students in early elementary grades will ask many descriptive questions that will lead them
to find out information about a phenomenon through making systematic observations. “What kinds
of foods do mealworms eat?” and, “What kinds of leaves can a caterpillar eat?” are descriptive
questions. Students can answer these questions by making systematic observations either in natural
settings or in controlled situations.
Although young children are unlikely to design an experiment to answer a cause and effect
question on their own, you can set up an investigation in which the class explores the influence of
one variable on another. For example, to explore if the amount of sunlight influences how green a
plant is, you could set up an experiment in which one plant is kept in the sun and one in the shade.
The class could make periodic comparisons between the two plants.
You will need to help students move from asking descriptive to relational questions. The
types of stems that you give students can have an effect on the types of questions they generate.
Another way to facilitate the transition is to list students' questions on the board or with an
overhead projector.
Questions for Investigation and the Driving Question
If similar questions arise for a number of students, you might pick one to explore as a class.
In doing so, this selection could lead to a driving question for a project. This is particularly valuable
when students are first learning how to design and conduct investigations. However, as students
gain more experience in science, students should have opportunities to explore their own questions.
Working on their own questions leads students to feel ownership about what they are doing and to
be more engaged. The most effective learning occurs when the learning is situated in an authentic,
real-world context (Krajcik & Shin, 2014).
Engaging learners in figuring out solutions to their own questions should contribute to
resolving the driving question of the class. For example, students might complete a number of
decomposition investigations, such as exploring what causes and promotes decomposition, to
answer their own questions: “Do worms cause materials to decompose in soil?” and, “Does airflow
speed up decomposition?” Even though such investigations would be designed to answer the
student questions, they would be related to the driving question of the project: “Where does all our
garbage go?”1 Maintaining a consistent focus ensures that what happens in the classroom is
purposeful and meaningful.
Hypothesizing
Hypotheses are questions stated in a testable form that relate to how an independent variable
affects a dependent variable. A student can design an experiment to collect data that will either give
support for a claim or refute a claim; such a claim becomes a hypothesis. The question, “Do pillbugs
move toward cool places over warm places?” can be transformed into the hypothesis, “Pillbugs will
move to cool places rather than warm places.” Students can design an experiment to collect data
that will either support or refute this hypothesis. Students could count the number of pillbugs that
go to the lower-temperature section of the apparatus.
Table D shows how to refine the hypothesis.
Table D. Refining hypothesis
Making Predictions
Predictions are what students think might happen. Students make predictions based on previous
experiences, knowledge, and observations of the phenomena they are exploring. Making predictions
also helps students synthesize their prior knowledge with the new understandings they gain from
exploring their topic. One technique you can use to help children make their own predictions and
take ownership of their work is to have each child in a group make his or her own prediction.
OBTAINING INFORMATION
Obtaining information is a vital component of exploring science, and of the investigative web. It is
through the information-seeking process that students learn background information so essential to
a successful investigation. The term information can mean what is known about a topic, and it can
mean data that others have collected. Students can seek out two types of data:
a. Current data refers to data scientists have collected in the recent past; typically, it is
anywhere from a few hours old to a month old.
b. Archival data refers to data that scientists collected in the past and then stored.
Table E below shows several aspects of Obtaining, Evaluating, and Communicating Information
across the K–8 from NGSS.
Table E. Obtaining, Evaluating, and Communicating Information across the K–8 from
NGSS.
A critical component of any scientific investigation is for students to explore relevant
background information. You will need to help your students develop skills in searching out
information related to their questions. Young children will need several types of assistance. You can
use a checklist like the one below to guide students in their search.
Table F. Checklist for Finding Information
To help students determine what information is relevant, the teacher could use a
chart like the one in Table G Evaluating information.
Table G. Evaluating information
The Web contains a great deal of information presented by businesses or special interest
groups that are trying to advocate certain positions. Such information is often biased or invalid.
Students can be taught to think critically about the validity of information by answering questions
such as those in Table H. Assessing the validity of the information.
Table H. Assessing the validity of information
Planning and designing investigations
Planning and designing investigations are essential scientific practices (NRC, 2007; Schwarz,
Passmore, & Reiser, 2017).
Planning refers to students thinking about and working out how their investigation will
take place, and answering questions such as, “Who will measure the data?” and, “Who will get the
equipment?”
Designing refers to the structure of the experiment and answers the questions, “What data
do I need to answer my question?” and, “How will I obtain the data?”
Planning and carrying out investigation is certainly central to figuring out the process and is
an essential scientific practice. Table I presents several aspects of Planning and Carrying Out
Investigations across the K–8 from NGSS.
Table I. Planning and Carrying Out Investigations across the K–8 from NGSS
There are a number of other ways to support students in learning how to plan and design.
These include using goal sheets, critiquing plans and designs, modeling planning and designing, and
creating class plans and designs. You can help your students learn to be more thoughtful planners
and follow through on decision-making by using goal sheets o track plans, determine the division of
labor, develop timelines and schedules, and make decisions about resources.
Another technique that is valuable in helping students plan is to use a checklist to provoke
students’ thinking and expand their ideas about possible resources. In an information-based world,
making decisions about what information to use is no easy task, and students will need your help.
CARRYING OUT THE PROCEDURES
Data are essential to science because it is from the data that evidence is generated. Think of
data as the various measurements and observations you collect to make sense of a question. Data
are observations that you can see and measure by using instruments. Moreover, scientific data are
repeatable. Evidence is the data transformed and used to support claims. Scientists carry out
systemic procedures to observe and record valid and reliable data.
Students gather data when they carry out a procedure. Conducting the procedures of an
investigation includes a wide range of activities such as gathering the equipment, assembling the
apparatus, following through on procedures, and making observations. As children and
scientists carry out their procedures, they often will think of new ideas for modifying their
experimental work. Technology tools can play a major role in assisting children in collecting data.
“Starting in the earliest grades, students should be asked to express their thinking with
drawings or diagrams and with written or oral descriptions.” (p. 93, NRC, 2012)
Teachers play a critical role in helping students carry out procedures. They need to help
students track down and organize equipment. Teachers can save time for students carrying out
investigations and help students build routines if essential equipment (such as scissors, magnifying
glasses, beakers, rulers, and test tubes) are accessible and always placed in the same location in the
classroom.
Teachers also need to help students assemble apparatus. Young students may not have the
strength or manual dexterity to do the necessary cutting and fitting. Although the teacher should
give students opportunities to try doing things themselves, a teacher or an adult helper might need
to give assistance. This is particularly true if it looks like a student might injure herself in the
process of trying.
In this module, we introduced the investigation web as a visualization device to show how
scientific practices are an integral aspect of science, and how various scientific practices work
together to support students in making sense of phenomena. We examined important components
of the investigation web: (1) messing about so that students can initially explore ideas, (2) asking
and refining questions that can be investigated by students, (3) obtaining information that will
provide direction for the investigation, (4) planning and designing a procedure, and (5) carrying out
the procedures and refining them.
The students will create a sample lesson plan per group that engages students in
investigatory work.
Congratulations! You are now done with lesson 1. Make sure to take notes of the important
details for you to ace the quiz next meeting.
Create a graphic organizer about ways in asking and refining questions.
Duschi, R. A. et al. (2007). Taking Science to School: Learning and Teaching Science in K-8
Krajcik, S. & Czerniak, C. (2018). Teaching Science in Elementary and Middle School: A
Project-Based Learning Approach. Fifth Edition
Martin et al. (2014). Teaching Science for All Children. Pearson New International Edition
Video 1: 5 Effective Ways to engage learners
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5eL4lfOk-o8
Video 2: Exploring STEM Through Play
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qmLEl4QjQ3w