Todd

The first thing that comes to mind in going about the assessment for inquiry-based projects, is that I am constantly making tweaks and revisions to the rubrics I use. I think you have to adapt the assessments for the groups you are teaching and project to project.  Assessing student work is important for me too because I learn to adapt rubrics based on previous student performance.

Some challenges I’ve faced in leading and assessing inquiry-based activities definitely is the time component.  Trying to complete assignments and projects under a deadline and get through the curriculum is a big challenge for me. Having enough time to allow for the inquiry process is essential to making it a worthwhile experience to allow them to process and critically think/problem solve.  But I really try to monitor their process to make sure everyone finishes their work somewhere in the same time frame and keep the class from being too disjointed.  The other side of the coin is giving too much time, especially for those who work faster, this can create potential problems with classroom management when students are sitting idle waiting for others to catch up.

@Bridget I'm going to check this out, seems really useful and can provide some insight to good inquiry lessons.  Seeing a lot of good suggestions so far.

My science class geared towards high-needs learning participated in citizen science through the eBird application. The challenges I experienced were more along the lines of the inexperience of the group of students I had, as well as their ability to draw inferences from their observations. The learning outcomes I expected from having my students participate in this project were pretty widespread due to the widespread cognitive dissonance I had among the student in the class. Differentiated instruction was a useful tool in this case.

We as educators can be catalysts for students to observe and wonder by tapping into their interests from the start. Although I don't consider myself one, I think master educators are able to read the room and introduce concepts/topics that would appeal to their students. Having students fill out a survey on where their interests lie can help an educator tap into a nerve for students to make their learning more personable and dynamic.

The most impactful thing about creating my sound map is the way it loosens you up and helps you pay attention to things you may have normally missed. Closing your eyes helps pique your listening and slows your brain down from what are otherwise distractions. This is a lesson I have used for students across the learning spectrum.  I teach a wide range of students, from those with very high-needs to those enrolled in science research skills.  I use it as a mindfulness lesson. I open the lesson by taking them outside, record their heartrate before this exercise, then we practice a breathing exercise before taking 5 minutes to do the sound map.  After doing so, we again take/record a heart bpm. Mostly, students see their heart rate drop and feel more relaxed which in my opinion, makes them more receptible to the ensuing bird walk, with which results we eventually upload to eBird.

To me, scientific inquiry can be any of a multitude of methods to observe, explore and explain the natural world around us.  Teachers should try to create an environment and be experienced enough for students to succeed in getting used to asking questions and exploring and using those experiences from the natural world to answer these questions.  

The three teaching practices UC Davis recommends are "sharing findings with outside audiences, youth taking ownership of data quality, and interacting with complex social ecological systems." The second one here, about students taking ownership of data quality, is something I wish to model and convey to my students. I think students become more intrinsically motivated when they do this, and thus, a better experience for the student (and the teacher).  As far as data quality goes, sometimes pairing the right students together for a project can improve that data quality. Some students would be motivated to try harder in such group work because they may feel more responsible for the project and not wan tot disappoint their peers.  Contributing in this way can make the experience more meaningful and create that sense of ownership.

The introduction does a nice job of giving an overview of introducing the scientific method through inquiry and citizen-science. The Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) lists the steps (pp. 5) to carrying out an experiment of sorts to answer a research question based on what the "wonder" (pp. 11). Projects I would reconsider after reading this (as an introduction device to science research) would be to go out into the field and use their observations through a mindfulness exercise like closing their eyes and listening to the sounds around them. Record their observations as a map and keep a tally of the different noises they heard and infer what may be causing them. Students may be asked if they heard any bird noises. Did any sound familiar? If so, which do you think they were? Were there any noises that are new to you? We could discuss their data as a class and leave it with an "I Wonder" post-it that can be explored from there. From there students can be encouraged to do bird census surveys around the school and upload their data to a citizen-science database such as eBird.  They may be encouraged to track how natural phenomena such as weather conditions, time of day, etc., may be used to help explain the presence or absence of birds, or even bird behavior. From here, students may begin to create a research question they may be able to answer through previous literature, collected data and well-reasoned arguments..