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Inquiry experiences can provide valuable opportunities for students to improve their understanding of both science content and scientific practices. However, the implementation of inquiry learning in classrooms presents a number of significant challenges. We have been exploring these challenges through a program of research on the use of scientific visualization technologies to support inquiry-based learning in the geosciences. In this article, we describe 5 significant challenges to implementing inquiry-based learning and present strategies for addressing them through the design of technology and curriculum. We present a design history covering 4 generations of software and curriculum to show how these challenges arise in classrooms and how the design strategies respond to them. Students at all grade levels and in every domain of science should have the opportunity to use scientific inquiry and develop the ability to think and act in ways associated with inquiry.

Inquiry experiences can provide valuable opportunities for students to improve their understanding of both science content and scientific practices. However, the implementation of inquiry learning in classrooms presents a number of significant challenges. We have been exploring these challenges through a program of research on the use of scientific visualization technologies to support inquiry-based learning in the geosciences. In this article, we describe 5 significant challenges to implementing inquiry-based learning and present strategies for addressing them through the design of technology and curriculum. We present a design history covering 4 generations of software and curriculum to show how these challenges arise in classrooms and how the design strategies respond to them. Students at all grade levels and in every domain of science should have the opportunity to use scientific inquiry and develop the ability to think and act in ways associated with inquiry.

This study employed a randomized experiment to examine differences in teacher and student learning from professional development (PD) in two modalities: online and face-to-face. The study explores whether there are differences in teacher knowledge and beliefs, teacher classroom practice, and student learning outcomes related to PD modality. Comparison of classroom practice and student learning outcomes, normally difficult to establish in PD research, is facilitated by the use of a common set of curriculum materials as the content for PD and subsequent teaching. Findings indicate that teachers and students exhibited significant gains in both conditions, and that there was no significant difference between conditions. We discuss implications for the delivery of teacher professional learning.

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Meeting ambitious content and process (inquiry) standards is an important challenge for science education reform particularly because educators have traditionally seen content and process as competing priorities. However, integrating content and process together in the design of learning activities offers the opportunity to increase students' experience with authentic activities while also achieving deeper content understanding. In this article, I explore technology‐supported inquiry learning as an opportunity for integrating content and process learning, using a design framework called the Learning‐for‐Use model. The Learning‐for‐Use model is a description of the learning process that can be used to support the design of content‐intensive, inquiry‐based science learning activities. As an example of a technology‐supported inquiry unit designed with the Learning‐for‐Use model, I describe a curriculum called the Create‐a‐World Project, in which students engage in open‐ended Earth science investigations using WorldWatcher, a geographic visualization and data analysis environment for learners. Drawing on the Learning‐for‐Use model and the example, I present general guidelines for the design of inquiry activities that support content learning, highlighting opportunities to take advantage of computing technologies. © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Res Sci Teach 38: 355–385, 2001