Non-formal learning settings like out-of-school labs provide students with insights into authentic learning situations. For example, in physics, students are engaged in experimenting as an authentic method. However, increasing the authenticity in experimentation can lead to overwhelming demands and hinder concept development and does not even need…

Experimentation is a valuable way to build understanding in science. EcoXPT research looks at supporting authentic experiment-based inquiry within an immersive virtual ecosystem. EcoXPT includes a variety of investigative tools, including a Mesocosm tool that allows students to set up experimental pools to test interactions between variables. This…

This article explores three ways a teacher incorporated text sets into her seventh-grade classroom to foster authentic inquiry. Student reflections suggest this approach helped them cultivate questioning, researching, and cooperative learning skills that became lasting habits of inquiry and helped them succeed on core tests.