CHM 4XXX: Inquiry Instruction in Chemistry
Course Justification: The Inquiry Instruction course provides a guided-inquiry approach
to teaching science education, while providing a deep understanding of chemistry
content. The course integrates teaching pedagogy with course content, providing students
with detailed course materials that may be used in the classroom, as well as the research
base that drives the course content. The course incorporates current results from chemical
education research, effective curriculum materials, use of technology, and experience in
collaborative learning and guidance. Much of the content is delivered through laboratory
exercises and some will use computer-based labs, thus providing students with a
thorough understanding of content delivery through technology.
The course is based on the Learning Cycle Theory of Instruction, a systematic approach
to the design of curriculum and instruction applicable to all science/mathematics
curricula. The course focuses on using Learning Cycle as a method to teach general
chemistry topics. The Learning Cycle is a research-based methodology that implements
the National Science Education Standards.
This course serves as a foundational course in the Chemistry Department’s new Chemical
Education Track (under the BA). It could also be a component of other science and
mathematics education tracks. These programs are replacing the current College of
Education secondary science and mathematics Bachelor’s degree programs.
FLORIDA INTERNATIONAL UNIVERSITY
Department of Chemistry
Fall 2010 CHS 4702 Syllabus
Inquiry Instruction in Chemistry
Faculty: Dr. Palmer Graves & Dr. Uma Swamy
Textbook: A theory of Instruction: Using the Learning Cycle to Teach
Science Concepts and Thinking Skills, NARST Monograph, No. 1, 1989
Course Description
Inquiry Instruction in Chemistry addresses most aspects of introductory chemistry teaching,
including the integration of teaching methods with course content as it should be done in the
classroom. The class incorporates up-to-date results of chemical education research, effective
curriculum materials, use of technology, and experience in collaborative learning and guidance.
You will be introduced to the Learning Cycle Theory as a systematic approach to the design of
curriculum and instruction. This course will utilize an inquiry based chemistry laboratory to
introduce topics and then develop the topics through discussion in class. We will examine
chemistry topics that are generally covered in a high school chemistry course. Throughout the
course of the semester, students will frequently switch perspectives and examine how the lessons
are taught so that they will get insight and experience in teaching methods.

Course Approach

This is an integrated lecture/laboratory course with minimal lecture. Since "teachers teach
as they have been taught," this class includes extensive practice in implementing the
curriculum as intended for high school classes. Participants rotate through roles of
student and instructor as they practice techniques of guided inquiry and cooperative
learning. Plans and techniques for raising the level of discourse in classroom discussions
and student presentations are emphasized. Students in the class are immersed in studying
the chemistry content of the entire semester. The Inquiry Instruction course provides a
detailed implementation of the National Science Education Standards.
Learning Outcomes
By the end of this course, you will develop a deeper understanding of chemistry content
knowledge and be equipped with a robust teaching methodology for developing student abilities
to:
 make sense of physical experience,
 understand scientific claims,
 articulate coherent opinions of their own and defend them with cogent arguments,
 use technology specific to the discipline to enhance learning experience and assist special
needs and ELLs,
 evaluate evidence in support of justified belief.
Specifically, you will learn to:







how to ground your teaching in a well-defined pedagogical framework (Inquiry
instruction), rather than following rules of thumb;
organize course content around scientific models as coherent units of structured
knowledge;
engage students collaboratively in making and using models to describe, to explain, to
predict, to design and control physical phenomena;
integrate technology into content delivery
use assistive technology
involve students in using computers as scientific tools for collecting, organizing,
analyzing, visualizing, and modeling real data;
continuously improve and update instruction with new software, curriculum materials
and insights from educational research;
Readings: Students will be assigned daily reading from the textbook and from articles distributed
in class. Students will write one report on a paper in research in science education.
Projects: Students will be expected to complete two papers. The papers will address the topics
outlined below. The papers will be due at the end of the 5th week and the end of the 9th week of
class.
 Compare the instruction of a topic using inquiry-based instruction vs some other
instructional strategy. Include a discussion of the philosophical and research basis
for each strategy. Specifically,

First, you will need to identify three elements of Inquiry-Based
Instruction that you feel like are the result of Inquiry Instruction’s
attention to human development and learning. You will need to
clearly identify what the elements are, and what elements of
human development and learning they are the result of. You will
also need to include a justification of how research in human
development and learning is expressed in the elements of
instruction.

Second, compare Inquiry-Based Instruction with another
instructional strategy that you have experienced on the three
elements you identified in the first part.
Identification of
instructional
elements aligned
with human
development and
learning. FEAP 7.6
Target
Acceptable
Unacceptable
The student has
identified three
elements of
instruction that are
completely aligned
with research from
human development
The student has
identified three
elements of
instruction that are
moderately aligned
with research from
human development
The student either
did not identify
element of
instruction or the
elements are not
aligned with
research from
human development
Comparison of
Inquiry-Based
Instruction based on
three elements.
FEAP 7.6
and learning
and learning
and learning
The student has
compared InquiryBased Instruction
with another
instructional
approach and has
appropriately
characterized all
elements of the
other instructional
approach
The student has
compared InquiryBased Instruction
with another
instructional
approach and has
appropriately
characterized some
elements of the
other instructional
approach
The student has
compared InquiryBased Instruction
with another
instructional
approach but has not
characterized
elements of the
other instructional
approach
 How is technology used in Inquiry-based Instruction? What are the perceived
benefits and drawbacks and how does this use of technology align with the use of
technology to accommodate special needs and ELL students? For this, you will
need to first describe how technology is used in Inquiry- Based Instruction. Then
identify perceived benefits and drawbacks of using technology in the Inquiry
class. Finally, describe three ways technology allows you to accommodate
students with special needs and ELL students?
Target
Acceptable
Unacceptable
Describe the use of
technology in the
Modeling classroom
FEAP 5.5
The student
describes productive
ways to utilize
technology to
promote active
learning.
The student
describes productive
ways to utilize
technology to
primarily as a
resource
The student
description does not
address technology
as an instructional
tool.
Identifying
perceived benefits
and drawbacks of
technology in the
class.
FEAP 5.5
The student
identifies both
benefits and
drawbacks of using
technology and the
benefits promote
active learning and
the drawbacks
inhibit active
learning.
The student
identifies either
benefits or
drawbacks of using
technology and the
benefits promote
active learning and
the drawbacks
inhibit active
learning.
The student fails to
identify either
benefits or
drawbacks of using
technology and/or
fails to identify why
these are benefits or
drawbacks.
Using technology to
accommodate
students with
The student fully
The student
The student
describes three ways adequately describes adequatly describes
in which technology two ways in which
only one or less
special needs or
ELLs
FEAP 5.6
allows you to
accommodate
special needs
students or diverse
learners.
technology allows
you to
accommodate
special needs
students or diverse
learners.
ways in which
technology allows
you to
accommodate
special needs
students or diverse
learners.
Final Project
As a final project students will select a general chemistry topic and write a Learning Cycle lab on
that topic.
Tentative Schedule:
Week
Topic
Week 1
Unit I: Scientific Thinking
in Experimental Settings
Week 2
Unit II: What is the
Learning Cycle?
Unit III: Historical
Perspective
Teaching Tools: Technology
in the chemistry classroom
Unit IV: Teaching and
Learning Theory and The
Learning Cycle
Same
Unit V: Teaching
Declarative and Procedural
Knowledge
Unit VI: Research on SCIS
Teaching Tools: Assistive
Technology in the chemistry
lab
Unit VII: Research on
Learning Cycles
Unit VII: Learning Cycle
Phases in Chemistry and
Physics
Unit VIII: Questions and
Future Research
Unit VIII: Questions and
Future Research
Student Presentation of
Research Paper
Final Exam
Week 3
Week 4
Week 5
Week 6
Week 7
Week 8
Week 9
Week 10
Week 11
Week 12
Week 13
Week 14
Readings
Hestenes, “A Modeling
Method for HS Physics
Instruction
Mestre: Learning and
Instruction in PreCollege…”
Text § 2
Example LC 2
Text § 3
Multiple websites
Text § 4 pp 13 - 22
Example LC 3
Text § 4 pp 23 - 44
Text § 5
Example LC 4
Text § 6 pp 59 - 64
Text § 6 pp 65 – 69
Example LC 5
Text § 6 pp 72– 76
Text § 7 pp 77- 83
Text § 7 pp 84- 88