(a.k.a. Inquiry-based science education)
A topic in teaching science
Enquiry-based science education (also known as inquiry-based science education, EBSE or IBSE) is an approach to teaching science based on authentic enquiry activities. This can be considered a pedagogy, and is often considered an example of a 'constructivist' pedagogy because it support students in making connections and developing explanations and arguments for themselves.
Read about pedagogy
Read about constructivist pedagogy
Enquiry is central to science, as the very essence of science is to enquire into the natural world. It has long been considered in many curriculum contexts that laboratory (and field) work is an important part of science learning, and sometimes laboratory skills have been considered as the focus of important learning objectives.
However, whilst the laboratory is a good place for scientific enquiry, the move to enquiry-based science education is less concerned with practical skills than the nature of the processes of enquiry. In part this is the transferable skills that are learned through enquiry, and appreciating the nature of science and the practice of science.
Read about different aims for the science curriculum
Read about teaching the nature of science
Levels of enquiry
Carrying out a scientific enquiry is a complex undertaking that requires considerable background knowledge, planning/organisational skills, and reasoning skills. It is recognised that in school teaching, learners may not be ready to take on such an undertaking.
More reasonably, it is expected that students should over their school career be progressively supported to develop increasing competence in enquiry. So, this will include activities where students are supported in engaging in aspects of enquiry, without necessarily being expected to fully plan and carry out enquiries.
This fits with the notion of scaffolding learning, where learners are offered genuine challenges suitable to help them develop new skills and competences, but with sufficient support to allow success – supported that is 'faded' as the learner progresses.
Read about scaffolding learning
Many enquiry activities will be laboratory/field based, but not all. Students may, for example, be given data to interpret, or information to synthesise into an explanation or argument.
One approach to levels of enquiry is to break down an enquiry into a series of steps form first identifying the problem or issue to reaching conclusions or recommendations. The teacher takes responsibility for setting up some phases of the process, whilst the learners take responsibility for others (uusaly the latter ones). Over time a shift occurs to learners taking on increasing responsibility across the process.
POGIL
An approach to EBSE (IBSE) that has been widely adopted is known as 'Process-Oriented Guided Inquiry Learning' or POGIL. POGIL activities are designed for group-work, and around a 'learning cycle' which shifts between a familiarisation phase of exploring the phenomena of interest, a conceptualisation stage, where a 'concept' is developed to reflect the target scientific concept (and is provided with the formal label) and a phase of applying the new ideas in suitable contexts.
The topic will be treated in more detail in a book being prepared for the RSC Advances in Chemistry Education series.
