This article describes an inquiry-based science project, presents the professional development that supported it, gives recommendations to teachers of inclusive classrooms, and provides a practical checklist for program assessment. A list of teacher characteristics recommended for the inquiry approach is also provided, along with classroom design…

Discusses the use of the inquiry cycle during a professional development program for social studies teachers. Focuses on controversial issues, specifically the problems in Kosovo. Describes the inquiry cycle in detail and the three-phase cycle that helped teachers understand the importance of social studies. (CMK)

Discussed is the teaching method called the learning cycle and how it can be incorporated into science activities. Included are examples of how teachers and students can use the learning cycle to produce instructional materials. (KR)

Proposes an approach to school laboratory experiences which leads to gradual acquisition of inquiry skills based on the idea of advance organizers. Presents a design which is context familiar and can serve as an introduction to scientific inquiry. Discusses student achievement, and teacher and student attitudes. (CW)

Described are the use of two different tests designed to test for selected inquiry skills. Procedures, tests used, and results in several different countries are presented. Implications for classroom instruction are discussed. (CW)

Inquiry is seen as a tension among three modes of imagination. These modes are labeled creation, self-criticism, and observation. Most people do not want to inquire. They tend to cling to their beliefs about the world. Freud's theories are used in a class designed to dramatize inquiry. (MLW)

Discusses a questionnaire sent to 763 Society for College Science Teaching members to identify problems of teaching nonmajors. Notes the questionnaire had a high return rate. Lists the eight major problems: post negative experiences; motivation; what to teach; abstractions; how to introduce relevance; staying power; inquiry material; and…

A critical look at four conventional beliefs that guide research in higher education is presented. These beliefs concern stakeholders, aims of inquiry, paradigm and modes of inquiry, and inquiry perspectives. Higher education should be a field of study where scholars, administrators and faculty provide the lodestar for inquiry. (Author/MLW)

Contends that what is being proposed as thoughtful or authentic teaching in the social studies, particularly in geography and history, is similar to the "New Social Studies" movement of the 1960s and 1970s. Discusses the origins, development, and decline of the new social studies, using one program, Project Africa, as a model. (CFR)

Details two studies: (1) Study A describes a close replication of a Bishop and Anderson study (1990) using the same conceptual-change teaching module to teach a unit on evolution to nonmajor biology students; and (2) Study B used high school students, and the instruction was based on the inquiry approach to science. (28 references) (Author)

An overview is presented on action research and practical inquiry, with attention to the initial phase of starting this approach, gathering data, analyzing the results, sharing findings, and judging the quality of action research and practical inquiry. Gifted education practitioners are encouraged to share action research findings. (SW)

Guidelines to help ensure that educational research is meaningful and important include (1) have confidence in your own conviction and methods; (2) remember that the conduct of research is an artistic activity; and (3) try to situate the inquiry in a social and historical context to increase its meaning. (SLD)

Using the discipline of history as a case study, the scholarly community of inquiry is compared with the community of inquiry in the classroom. The teacher's role in negotiating knowledge of each is discussed. The more teachers are integrated into the scholarly community, the better they will interpret it. (SLD)

Explains the origin and purpose of the National Science Education Standards. Defines what is meant by the term standards and describes the function of the National Science Education Standards as contributing to the development of a scientifically literate population. Contains 22 references. (DDR)

Discusses the importance of evaluating the inquiry process of learners in order to develop independent learners who are information literate. Highlights include national and state evaluation standards; school districts' curriculum documents that reflect information literacy with a focus on process; learner evaluation criteria; and assessment tools…