Students entering data from their field work into the Vital Signs database.
National Science Education Standards
Teaching Standard A:
Inquiry into authentic questions generated from student experiences is the central strategy for teaching science. Teachers focus inquiry predominantly on real phenomena, in classrooms, outdoors, or in laboratory settings, where students are given investigations or guided toward fashioning investigations that are demanding but within their capabilities.
The Importance of Inquiry
VitalVenture Watershed Experiences offer Maine middle school teachers a model and means for incorporating proven inquiry-based instructional methods in their everyday teaching practice. Each Watershed Experience begins with a current environmental issue and research question of direct meaning and importance to students and local communities. A series of essential questions helps teachers guide students through standards-aligned introductory activities, classroom-based research, inquiry-based field investigations, and a student-lead action.
Classrooms of all disciplines that challenge students to practice authentic inquiry are effective in encouraging the development of essential 21st Century knowledge, skills, and competencies. Inherent in inquiry are the higher-order thinking and processing skills that today’s careers and citizenship demand. While making observations, forming hypotheses, gathering evidence, and analyzing and communicating findings, students must think critically, evaluate information, negotiate, pool their knowledge with peers to find answers to increasingly complex environmental questions, and take action to benefit their local watershed community.
A Continuum of Inquiry
Depending on student needs, prior experiences, and classroom learning goals, a Watershed Experience may play out in classrooms at any one of three successive levels of inquiry: Structured, Guided, or Open. Each level offers students increasing ownership and control of the inquiry process. Teachers ultimately become facilitators, learning and participating alongside their students.
Structured Inquiry
Teachers provide students the structure and scaffolding they need to be successful at all stages of the inquiry process. Peer learning offers additional support as students develop new skills, build on prior experience, construct new meaning, internalize the inquiry process, and extend their learning beyond the classroom. Teachers direct and guide learning and are responsive to student needs and interests throughout the learning experience.
Guided Inquiry
Teachers and students share responsibility for various components of their investigation and action projects. Teachers present students with their research question and methods. Students then assume significant ownership of the inquiry process, using team work and peer review to scaffold their learning experience. Teachers prompt and guide the genesis of the action project, and then let students drive the process of designing, creating, publishing, and doing.
Open Inquiry
Students direct their own inquiry process and are primarily responsible for developing and carrying out their action project. Autonomy, active participation, collaboration, and peer interaction define the learning experience. Teachers guide, facilitate, moderate, differentiate, and prompt only as necessary, often assuming a role as co-learner. The direction and pace of learning varies in response to student needs and interests.
Individual Watershed Experiences target one of these three inquiry levels. Together the Watershed Experiences offer a logical, achievable continuum of inquiry from grade 5 through 8. Ideally, students who complete a Watershed Experience during each of their middle school years will be poised for Guided or Open Inquiry by grade 8. Of course, the Watershed Experiences may be organized and presented at any one of the three levels of inquiry depending on the readiness of students to assume responsibility of their learning process.
