As the 2008 year approaches, the NSTA National Advisory Board (NAB) invites your help in identifying 15 programs for the 2008 Exemplary Science Program Monograph. The sixth monograph in the series now requests nominations for recognizing teachers and schools. Inquiry has become a word that all respect and admire – almost religiously. Most teachers, textbook authors, curriculum developers, and the general public see it important and purport to use it. However, in actual practice it often has a word like guided, completed, or even “directed” used with it as an adjective. But could scientists be so restrained??
The 2008 ESP monograph will focus on teachers and programs which illustrate full (or open) inquiry. This means that it starts with student curiosities and questions followed by student attempts to deal with their own curriculum and attempt to provide answers. Of course the main ingredient for scientific inquiry is collecting evidence from others to evaluate and to establish validity to the ideas and solutions proposed. And, these must be shared and used to resolve the issues. All of this requires contexts (situations) to promote inquiry – which is the stated major goal for science education as indicated in the National Science Education Standards. Specifically the goal called for producing students who “experience the richness and excitement of knowing about and understanding the natural world”.
The NAB looks forward to reviewing nominations and working with at least 15 teacher teams who are involved with real inquiry on the part of students in their classrooms. Nominations should be forwarded to Robert E. Yager, Chair of NSTA’s ESP efforts and editor of the ESP Monograph Series (Science Education Center, Room 450 VAN, The University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa 52242, robert-yager@uiowa.edu, 319-335-1189).
Filed under: IABT News, Professional Development | Tagged: Exemplary Science, inquiry learning, NAB, NSTA, teaching
I do not understand the requirements for submissions to the ESP Monograph. I would write if I was clear on what was wanted.
It looks to me as if this is an invitation to nominate someone who would then write what they do for this work.