Testable Questions:Inquiring Minds Want to Know

Jeff Blacklock

Margaret Hammer

Midwestern State University

CAST 2011

Dallas, TX

November 17-19, 2011

What is Inquiry?

Inquiry empowers students to ...

become independent thinkers and life-long learners.

Inquiry empowers students to ...

generate questions or problems to be solved.

Inquiry empowers students to ...

chose a course of action and carry out the investigation.

Inquiry empowers students to ...

record data and draw conclusions.

Two Kinds of Questions

Causal

Trying to understand the world.

Existence

Recalling factual information.

What are Testable Questions?

Testable questions ...

ask about objects, organisms, and events in the natural world.

Testable questions ...

can be answered through investigations that involve experiments, observations,

or surveys.

Testable questions ...

are answered by collecting and analyzing evidence that is measurable.

Testable questions ...

relate to scientific ideas rather than personal preference or moral values.

Testable questions ...

do not relate to the supernatural or to non-measurable phenomena.

Asking Questions“Does” “How” “What if” or “I wonder”

questions can be investigated.

Asking Questions“Why” questions require an explanation. These need to be revised to “What” or “What if” questions to be investigated.

Asking Questions

Question SortReady for investigation

Need revision

Need an expert to answer

Ramps and Marbles

Watch the demonstration Each group pose testable questions Make a hypothesis Plan the procedure Collect results and document Report conclusions

Exploring Moon Phases

Getting Students There

Additional Resource: Shadows

“Although inquiry is no panacea, it is one more strategy teachers can use, at the appropriate time,

to engage students in investigations and satisfy their

curiosity for learning.” - Haury cited by Llewellyn

“Tell me and I forget, show me and I remember, let me do it and

I understand.”-Chinese Proverb

Testable Questions:Inquiring Minds Want to Know

Jeff Blacklock

phillip.blacklock@mwsu.edu

Margaret Hammer

margaret.hammer@mwsu.edu

Midwestern State University