Curiosity
is
a
fundamental
human
trait.
By
valuing
this
natural
impulse
to
learn,
the
inquiry
process
can
give
children
the
direct
feedback
and
personal
experiences
they
need
to
shape
new
and
enduring
views
of
the
world.
This
essay
points
out
how
inquiry
can
make
a
difference
in
the
way
children
acquire
and
understand
scientific
concepts.
Where
do
butterflies
come
from?
What
causes
clouds?
Where
does
the
sun
go
at
night?
Do
ants
bite?
Why
does
it
get
dark
quickly
in
the
winter?
How
do
you
make
a
flashlight
light?
From
an
early
age,
humans
puzzle
over
phenomena
of
nature
they
encounter
and
ask
many
questions
about
them.
Whether
asked
verbally
or
in
actions,
these
questions
indicate
curiosity-
an
intense
desire
to
know
or
to
find
out.
Curiosity
is
thus
a
fundamental
human
trait.
But
how
does
one
find
answers
to
these
questions?
Is
it
by
inquiring
into
them
directly,
or
is
it
by
obtaining
answers
from
those
who
already
know
them?
What
we
do
to
get
an
answer
to
a
question,
and
how
we
know
when
an
answer
is
"correct,"
are
also
indications
of
human
curiosity.
Since
curiosity
is
at
the
center
of
inquiry,
these
questions
too
are
an
integral
part
of
inquiry,
which
in
turn
must
be
a
human
habit
of
mind
and
learning.
The
National
Science
Education
Standards,
developed
by
the
National
Research
Council
(1996),
elaborate
major
components
of
learning
and
teaching
science
through
inquiry.
"Students
at
all
grade
levels
and
in
every
domain
of
science,"
it
states,
"should
have
the
opportunity
to
use
scientific
inquiry
and
develop
the
ability
to
think
and
act
in
ways
associated
with
inquiry,
including
asking
questions,
planning
and
conducting
investigations,
using
appropriate
tools
and
techniques
to
gather
data,
thinking
critically
and
logically
about
relationships
between
evidence
and
explanations,
constructing
and
analyzing
alternative
explanations,
and
communicating
scientific
arguments"
(p.
105).
Although
this
definition
refers
to
qualities
of
inquiry
that
are
especially
related
to
the
learning
and
practice
of
science,
inquiry
also
relates
to
learning
in
other
areas
of
study.
Communicating
Through
Action
Inquiry
is
at
once
a
practical
and
an
intellectual
activity.
In
young
children,
inquiry
frequently
focuses
on
tangible
items
that
are
of
immediate
interest.
For
example,
when
a
toddler
slides
off
a
couch
and
for
the
first
time
lands
on
her
feet
instead
of
falling
flat
on
the
floor,
she
may
climb
back
onto
the
couch
and
repeat
the
activity.
The
child
might
do
this
several
times,
exhibiting
delight
each
time
she
lands
on
her
feet.
It
is
as
though
the
toddler
is
wondering:
"If
I
do
it
again,
will
I
land
on
my
feet?
And
will
it
happen
that
way
if
I
do
it
yet
again,
and
again,
and
again?"
The
child
builds
upon
this
knowledge
to
successfully
accomplish
other
tasks-hopping
from
one
point
to
another,
for
example,
without
falling
flat
on
the
ground.
This
kind
of
behavior
is
one
of
the
early
indicators
of
human
inquiry
and
of
how
humans
utilize
inquiry
experiences
to
aid
their
intellectual
development.
But
although
the
toddler
might
successfully
hop
from
one
place
to
another,
the
experience
by
itself
does
not
provide
her
with
an
explanation
of
how
she
accomplished
the
task.
An
explanation
is
the
result
of
combining
intellectual
activity
with
discrete
facts
gathered
through
inquiry.
The
development
of
explanations
is
an
essential
component
of
science
inquiry
activity.
When
they
engage
in
learning
activities
characterized
by
inquiry,
children
provide
a
window
through
which
we
can
"see"
their
thinking
and
analyze
the
knowledge
and
dispositions
they
bring
to
bear
on
their
activities.
In
turn,
by
having
direct
contact
with
children's
questions
and
with
children's
ways
of
answering
them,
teachers
gain
valuable
knowledge
regarding
developmental
stages
reached
by
their
students.
They
can
assess
the
children's
questions-
what
they
are
and
how
they
are
framed.
They
can
observe
the
children
closely
to
see
the
tools
they
use,
the
data
they
collect,
and
what
they
consider
in
their
attempts
to
answer
their
questions.
They
can
listen
to
the
children's
conversations
and
discussions
of
the
processes,
outcomes,
and
science
meanings
of
their
inquiries.
Inquiry
is
thus
a
powerful
strategy
through
which
children
can
communicate
the
state
of
their
knowledge.
When
students
connect
batteries
and
wires
to
successfully
light
a
bulb,
for
instance,
not
only
do
they
communicate
the
state
of
their
knowledge
about
the
physical
aspects
of
electric
circuits,
they
also
provide
valuable
opportunities
for
a
teacher
to
help
them
build
upon
that
knowledge.
As
the
children's
cumulative
knowledge
and
experience
increase,
they
are
better
able
to
acquire
additional
science
concepts
associated
with
their
work
on
electrical
circuits,
such
as
resistance
and
current
flow.
Making
Decisions
and
Acquiring
Concepts
Generally,
children
have
limited
opportunities
to
make
important
decisions-especially
those
which
are
taken
seriously
by
adults.
Learning
through
inquiry
continually
provides
children
with
the
opportunity
to
make
firsthand
decisions.
They
can
decide
which
questions
to
raise
at
various
points,
which
ones
to
follow
in
depth
and
why,
what
science
tools
to
use
for
various
tasks,
how
to
organize
data,
how
to
portray
the
patterns
created
by
the
data,
and
what
conclusions
to
accept
or
reject
as
they
work.
It
is
also
of
significance
that
children
learn
to
develop
their
decision-making
capacities
in
collaboration
with
their
peers,
and
with
a
teacher's
assistance.
One
important
ingredient
of
intellectual
and
scholastic
development
is
being
aware
of
one's
own
state
of
knowledge.
Children's
engagement
in
science
inquiry
gives
them
the
opportunity
to
receive
accurate
feedback
directly
from
the
outcomes
of
their
own
inquiry.
For
example,
when
children
try
different
ways
of
connecting
batteries,
bulbs,
and
wires
to
produce
light,
they
get
feedback
directly
from
the
materials
they
use:
the
bulbs
may
or
may
not
light,
or
the
light
may
be
dim
or
bright,
depending
on
the
materials
used
and
how
the
parts
are
connected.
Through
inquiry,
children
acquire
concepts
in
an
authentic
fashion
and
can,
therefore,
be
aware
of
the
level
of
conceptualization
they
have
achieved.
For
example,
in
a
video
documentary
on
children's
classroom
science
investigations
developed
by
WGBH,
a
public
television
station
in
Boston,
Massachusetts,
children
learned
how
to
test
for
the
presence
of
sugar
in
a
variety
of
edible
liquids.
Contrary
to
the
expectations
of
one
child,
milk
tested
positive
when
it
was
checked
for
sugar.
The
child
knew
that
the
milk
came
from
a
cow,
and
to
her
knowledge,
cows
didn't
eat
sugar!
On
the
basis
of
this
observation,
the
child
surmised
that
something
must
have
happened
inside
the
cow
to
introduce
sugar
into
the
milk.
Children's
engagement
in
science
inquiry
gives
them
the
opportunity
to
receive
accurate
feedback
directly
from
the
outcomes
of
their
own
inquiry.
The
child's
acquisition
of
concepts
about
chemical
indicators,
and
her
observation
of
the
results
of
tests
on
milk,
led
her
to
formulate
a
further
concept
about
a
probable
chemical
change
in
the
cow.
From
their
explorations,
the
children
learned
a
variety
of
information
about
the
properties
of
liquids.
They
learned
that
the
concept
of
"flow"
implies
continuity
of
material
and
direction
of
motion;
they
learned
that
in
many
ordinary
cases,
a
liquid
is
not
just
one
thing,
but
a
combination
of
substances.
As
they
inquired
further,
their
knowledge
base
and
conceptual
understanding
about
liquids
increased.
The
children
could
then
use
these
concepts
to
develop
other
science
concepts.
The
results
of
the
children's
own
investigations
provided
direct
feedback
to
them.
The
Many
Benefits
of
Inquiry
When
children
learn
science
through
inquiry,
they
communicate
their
thoughts
and
ideas
through
practical
action
as
well
as
through
symbols
(i.e.,
speech,
writing,
numbers,
drawings).
With
multiple
ways
of
communicating
the
same
information,
teachers
can
have
direct
and
accurate
knowledge
of
each
child's
level
of
science
learning.
It
also
gives
teachers
direct
knowledge
of
the
child's
capacity
to
successfully
carry
out
inquiry.
As
a
result,
teachers
are
thus
better
able
to
help
children
advance
their
knowledge
of
science,
science
inquiry,
and
of
the
nature
of
doing
science.
Inquiry
contributes
to
children's
social
development,
as
well
as
to
their
intellectual
development.
Science
inquiry
in
school
is
carried
out
in
a
social
context.
Children
discuss
plans
and
work
collaboratively
in
carrying
out
inquiry
activities.
As
they
work,
they
keep
science
notebooks
containing
written
and
pictorial
records
and
reflections.
They
also
prepare
themselves
and
present
their
work
in
a
public
forum
to
their
classmates,
who
serve
as
critical
friends.
These
activities
not
only
foster
collaboration
among
children,
they
also
help
develop
language
and
literacy
capacity.
In
addition,
inquiry
requires
children
to
access
written
material
in
order
to
compare
their
own
"discoveries"
with
authentic
science
knowledge.
By
reading
and
comprehending
this
material,
children
join
the
larger
scientific
community
on
the
topics
they
study.
Conclusion
At
first,
children's
inquiries
center
on
directly
observable
and
often
accessible
phenomena.
Through
the
processes
of
asking
questions,
obtaining
answers,
attaching
meaning
to
the
results
of
their
investigations,
and
relating
the
meanings
they
make
to
established
scientific
knowledge,
children
build
a
repertoire
of
knowledge,
skills,
and
habits
of
mind
that
affirm
their
human
capacity
to
productively
use
inquiry
for
their
development.
They
also
acquire
significant
science
concepts.
The
interplay
between
children
developing
the
ability
to
do
inquiry
and
acquiring
the
concepts
of
science-
one
building
upon
the
other
is
indispensable
in
successful
inquiry
learning.
When
schools
adopt
an
inquiry
approach
to
science
education,
they
also
align
with
children's
natural
impulses
to
learn.
Science
learning
thus
becomes
an
extension
of
the
characteristically
human
approach
to
knowledge
acquisition.
It
is
also
an
affirmation
of
a
person's
capacity
to
learn,
an
essential
ingredient
in
every
child's
wholesome
intellectual
and
cultural
development.
Reference
National
Research
Council.
(1996).
National
science
education
standards.
Washington,
DC:
National
Academy
Press.
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