Teaching children to ask investigable questions in science
Issue 331 | Page 119 | Published Dec 2008
Description
This article describes a multiple case study of three teachers of grade 5 children (10/11 year-olds) in Cape Town, South Africa. Three aims of the study were: (1) to describe the strategies teachers use to teach children how to ask investigable science questions, (2) to determine how successful teachers are in teaching this questioning skill, and (3) to compare the approaches of successful and unsuccessful teachers. Multiple methods of data collection were employed, including written questionnaires, teacher interviews, lesson observations, and document analyses. Findings showed the successful teacher used the greatest number and variety of recommended possible teaching strategies and she role-modelled her inquisitive approach.
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