Whew, this article really hit home! I agree that activities are better than text-book lessons in a science classroom and, prior to this science methods course, I thought hands-on activities were the way to go as well. From what I can remember, this is what it was like in elementary school-and most years I actually did like science. I agree with the article in that activitymania isn't bad, but inquiry is a step further, and allows students to learn better and more effectively as they relate it to their own lives.
The chart comparing the two also really helped me see the differences. One of the things that attracts me about inquiry is that students are not being passive; instead they are making their own hypothesis based on their questions and observations, and making their own list of procedures they will need and how they plan to go about their experiment. I think that is very important. I know from experience that when I, either individually or with a small group of classmates, have to totally design on our own experience, we earn way more! I'm glad that in our science methods course, we aren't all about activitymania and we are learning about this important inquiry procedure early.
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