Below
is the Science as Inquiry rubric for evaluating activities 1 and
2. Please complete all information requested and select a choice
for each descriptor for the entire rubric. Remember to make note
of the time before you start evaluating the activity as we'll ask
you how long this activity took at the bottom of the rubric. Finally,
beneath each rubric section is an open response dialog box. Please
use this box to provide us with any feedback or editorial comments
you feel may help NLIST improve the clarity or rigor of the rubric.
Again, thank you for your time!
For any questions please contact:
Dr. Maurya Schweizer
PH: 540-961-9329
Email: maurya@vt.edu
Rubric for Evaluating Essential
Features of Classroom Inquiry in Instructional Materials
The Council of State Science
Supervisors (CSSS) developed the following rubric to assist a wide
variety of audiences to develop an understanding of the desired
characteristics of inquiry materials and to describe the extent
to which a given material contains the descriptors outlined in the
rubric. Instructional material refers to almost any material that
is intended for use in the instruction of students. The material
may be a textbook, laboratory guide, website, or a short instructional
module.
A wide range of audiences should be able to use the rubric for a
variety of purposes. Someone with limited knowledge of inquiry can
use the list of descriptors to develop an understanding of the desired
characteristics of inquiry materials. A teacher or curriculum specialist
could use the descriptors, coupled with a limited knowledge of the
variations, to make informal analyses of materials for use in local
classrooms. District or state level administrators can use the full
instrument to select materials in a more official or policy-oriented
capacity by selecting and training a group of reviewers in the use
of the rubric. Instructional materials developers can use of the
rubric to produce more inquiry oriented teaching materials. It should
be noted that the more reliability demanded of the rubric, the more
training and experience the users should have.
The rubric is based on the following definition of inquiry adapted
from the National Science Education Standards.
Final
Version
Science as Inquiry Definition
Inquiry is the process scientists use to build an
understanding of the natural world based on evidence. Students
can learn about the world using inquiry. Although learners
rarely discover knowledge that is new to humankind, current
research indicates that when engaged in inquiry learners
build knowledge new to themselves.
Learner inquiry is a multifaceted activity that involves
making observations; posing questions; examining multiple
sources of information to see what is already known; planning
investigations; reviewing what is already known in light
of the learner's experimental evidence; using tools to gather,
analyze and interpret data; proposing answers, explanations,
and predictions; and communicating the results. Inquiry
requires identification of assumptions, use of critical
and logical thinking, and consideration of alternative explanations.
As a result of participating in inquiries, learners will
increase their understanding of the science subject matter
investigated (section A), gain an understanding of how scientists
study the natural world (section B), develop the ability
to conduct investigations (section C), and develop the habits
of mind associated with science (section D).
Final
Version Science as Inquiry Definition
The overarching purpose of inquiry is stated in the first paragraph.
Inquiry, as described in the second paragraph, is a broadly defined
collection of processes used to study the natural world. Some educators
have viewed the purpose of inquiry in the classroom almost exclusively
as students learning these processes. The definition used here views
classroom inquiry as incomplete unless it also results in the four
outcomes described in the third paragraph.
Those four outcomes provide the basis for the four sections of the
rubric (Sections A, B, C, D). Within each section there are a number
of descriptors that materials should align with if they are going
to adequately support learners in the acquisition of the desired
outcomes. The descriptor is stated in the first column followed
by four variations on the degree to which the material satisfies
the descriptor.
Although the rubric is designed to describe a range of four possibilities
for each descriptor, the interpretation of the variations differs
somewhat from section to section. There are descriptors, such as
those in Section A for subject matter, that are evaluative in nature.
It clearly is important that the instructional material be aligned
with the applicable standards, is accurate, and provides an adequate
opportunity for learners to acquire the content.
In other cases, such as most of Sections B and C where learners
are engaged in developing the abilities and understanding of inquiry,
the instructional material should be selected based on where the
learners are in their development of the skills and understanding
of inquiry. Instruction and the materials used can and should vary
the amount of structure built into the activity and the degree to
which learners ask their own questions, design an investigation,
and develop their own explanations depending on their previous experience
and understanding.
Often the inquiry in materials is described with terms such as "structured,"
"guided," and "open" used to describe the extent to which learners
have control of the inquiry process when using the materials. Although
the rubric does not use this language, there may be a temptation
to label the variations in some of the descriptors in this manner.
Since the rubric is designed to help teachers, materials reviewers,
and material developers select or design instructional materials
that best suit their learners' needs, Sections B and C of the rubric
should be use only to describe the materials but not to judge their
quality. The ultimate goal of inquiry-based science education will
be to have learners working with materials at variation IV on most
descriptors. But learners usually cannot start with materials at
this level; they need to progress over time to that end, thus the
need for materials with a variety of levels of learner control.
The development of scientific habits of mind results in a set of
values and mental attitudes on the part of the learner. These traits,
taken from the Benchmarks for Science Literacy, include curiosity,
honesty, openness, and skepticism are described in Section D. Although
these values can be presented through direct instruction, they will
develop in a more enduring and transferable form if they are presented
in all elements of science teaching. As learners experience the
role of investigations and develop their inquiry skill (as described
in Section C) they can be encouraged to practice habits of mind
associated with science. When they study the way scientists do their
work to better understand the role of inquiry in science (as described
in Section B) they become aware of how scientists demonstrate the
values and habits of mind associated with science. Because these
values an important part of what students learn through inquiry,
they are considered as a group in Section D with references (links)
to the related descriptors in sections B and C.
Once trained in the use of the rubric, educators can use this rubric
to review instructional materials at any grade level. A person experienced
in the use of the rubric and who understands the development of
learners should be able to make judgments about the examples, questions,
opportunities, and instructions, which are appropriate for the learners,
in question. Based on these judgments educators can decide where
on each descriptor continuum the materials belong for it to fit
their needs.
Final
Version