Science Framing Statement

The foundation of my philosophy on science education is built upon inquiry. In this

original curriculum science center and lesson on the rock cycle, I focus on engendering curiosity,

helping students to construct processes to investigate their questions, and reflect upon the

findings and results of those processes. Inquiry in science education can be viewed as both a

means (inquiry as an instructional approach), and well as an end (inquiry as a learning outcome)

(Abd-el-Khalick, et al., 2004). In the game I created about the rock cycle, students are

encouraged to both use inquiry to propel them through the rock cycle as they transform from one

type of rock to another. They are also guided toward an understanding about the rock cycle that

depends on inquiry to succeed: considering variables and contexts.

Engagement is such a crucial aspect of all education, and an inquisitive approach to

education truly enhances student engagement in the subject matter. Science is one of the subject

areas most conducive to natural inquiry. Observing the natural world around us naturally brings

about curiosity and so the scientific approach and the five Es (Engage, Explore, Explain,

Elaborate and Evaluate) gives teachers and students the framework to work with to gain greater

understanding and answers to the questions we have (Bass, 2014). The ability to think like a

scientist— that is, inquisitively, constructively, and critically working toward understanding— is

a trait that will benefit all students throughout their entire lives. Teaching students to address

critical thinking by applying the scientific method to solving problems and answering questions

is something that can be helpful in many other areas of study and personal life. The basic

premise of approaching concerns and problems in order to better understand why is how I view
the scientific approach, and in its’ most fundamental elements this approach is undoubtedly

transferable across disciplines.

Guiding our students’ thought processes through the scientific method and using the 5 Es,

we are scaffolding them toward greater understanding, but another necessary aspect of science

education I believe must also be present in order for them to really keep this information close at

hand and accessible. When students are given plenty of opportunities to be scientists and do

science, that is when they will be more likely to remember the lessons we aim to teach them.

This aspect of science education is something that I see as not theories and laws they learn, but

something they do, and the lessons are natural answers to the specific questions that the inquiry

approach provokes. The more freedom students are given in designing and conducting their

investigations, the more meaningful the results will be. In the rock cycle game, students see

rocks as something dynamic and changeable and are prodded to consider what kind of rock

certain conditions will create. They are using inquiry to think sequentially, analytically, and

interdependently like geologists do.

Recently, many science education curricula has been increasingly built on the STEM,

STEAM, and now STREAM model. This approach to science education is an attempt to

integrate science, technology, engineering, math, and now art and reading into science classes.

STEAM encourages investigation, hands-on learning, and creativity while incorporating

interdisciplinary learning. Perhaps most importantly, and maybe most arguably, STEAM

education is specifically characterized by engaging in all these subject areas simultaneously

(Green, 2018). Some educators, especially those in the elementary level, question why literacy

skills are not highlighted in the science curriculum if we’re aiming for integrating all subject
areas. Researchers such as Hand, Norton-Meier, Gunel, and Akkus (2015) studied the effects of

embedding language arts into elementary science classrooms, and the results indicated that that

these opportunities for student to connect intellectually challenging science content with

language-based activities contributed to a significant increase in test scores for both science and

language arts.

In a lot of ways, I see the science teacher’s role as a skilled questioner who steers

students along a wide path toward the essential understandings. If we as teachers equip our

students with opportunities to ask and shape thoughtfully formed questions, we are providing

students with the most affective tool we can give them for constructing their own knowledge.

Furthermore, research has shown that providing time and encouraging students to ask and deepen

their questions increases their engagement and participation, as well and making their

understanding more relevant and lasting (Pedros-de-Jesus, Leite, and Watts, 2016). If we give

our students time to develop and communicate their questions and investigate possible solutions

in creative and flexible ways, I think we’re giving students the best kind of science education we

can give them, one not defined by the subjects that are integrated, but supported by the necessary

tools to construct lasting understandings about the world in which we live.

Abd-el-Khalick, F., Boujaoude, S., Duschl, R., Lederman, N.G., Mamlok-Naaman, R., Niaz, M.,

Treagust, D., and Tuan, H. (2004). Inquiry in science education: International

perspectives. Retrieved from Wiley Online Library on March 30, 2019 at https://

www.researchgate.net/profile/Peter_Taylor11/publication/

271281071_CULTURE_AND_COMPARATIVE_STUDIES_Inquiry_in_Science_Educat

ion_International_Perspectives/links/5aace61d458515ecebe65c4a/CULTURE-AND-

COMPARATIVE-STUDIES-Inquiry-in-Science-Education-International-

Perspectives.pdf

Bass, J.E., Contant, T.L., and Carin, A.A. (2009). Teaching science as inquiry: twelfth edition.

Boston, MA: Allyn and Bacon.

Hand, B., Norton-Meier, L.A., Gunel, M., and Akkus, R. (2015). Aligning teaching to learning: A

3-year study examining the embedding of language and argumentation into elementary

science classrooms. International Journal of Science and Math Education. DOI 10.1007/

s10763-015-9622-9.

Green, K. (2018). Preserving the early excitement of STEAM. Edutopia. Retrieved on March 30,

2019 from https://www.edutopia.org/article/preserving-early-excitement-steam

Pedrosa-de-Jesus, H., Leite, S., and Watts, M. (2016). ‘Question moments’: A rolling programme

of question opportunities in classroom science. Research in Science Education, 46, 3: pp

329-341.