Teaching and Learning Science Through Inquiry at the Middle School Level

It is commonly acknowledged that science is rarely taught in a way that
engages students in the processes of science - in other words, in a way
that engages them in the inquiry that is science. Yet changing the current
practice has proved difficult, possibly because models of teaching science
through inquiry are rare, and because considerable effort is needed to
bring about a change in teaching practice. In order to address this
challenge, researchers the world over have studied various aspects of
teaching science through inquiry. In this talk, I will discuss our own
research in this field, which has focused on aspects of inquiry teaching
from the perspectives of researchers, teachers and students. This research
has its roots in our curriculum development program at the middle school
level, from which we gained extensive classroom experience, and which led
to insights on what to teach, and how, at this level.