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The National Science Education Standards mandate that science teachers "plan an inquiry-based program", "focus and support inquiries", and "encourage and model the skills of scientific inquiry." Inquiry is an approach to teaching that involves a process of exploring the natural world, that leads to asking questions and making discoveries in the search of new understandings. Inquiry is a method of approaching problems that is used by professional scientists but is helpful to anyone who scientifically addresses matters encountered in everyday life. Inquiry is based on the formation of hypotheses and theories and on the collection of relevant evidence. There is no set order to the steps involved in inquiry, but children need to use logic to devise their research questions, analyze their data, and make predictions. When using the inquiry methods of investigation, children learn that authorities can be wrong and that any question is reasonable.

Welcome to Inquiry-based Learning. Start here in the "Explanation" section, which is all about the CONCEPT. Then go on to "Demonstration" and the following sections, where we move from CONCEPT TO CLASSROOM!

What Teacher Educators Need to Know about Inquiry-Based Instruction   

Welcome to Concept to Classroom! We've got a new look with the same great workshops. The site features a series of FREE, self-paced workshops covering a wide variety of hot topics in education. Some of the workshops are based in theory, some are based in methodology - but all of the workshops include plenty of tips and strategies for making classrooms work. Access the workshops in the menu below or visit the About the Series section to learn how you can apply these workshops toward professional development credit.