Characterizing the changes in student discussion after teacher questions with changing grade level

Characterizing the changes in teaching practice during first semester implementation of an argument-based inquiry approach in a middle school science classroom

“…In this study, a development of dialogue appeared to be mostly occurring with changes in how the teacher questioned students. There are possible implications as to the importance of teacher questions that seek student ideas as a way to improve the development of dialogue, consistent with previous work (Pinney, 2010). Of importance here is the negotiation of ideas in whole-class discussion, which is not possible with few ideas presented into the discussion.…”

“…Therefore, language is a critical component of becoming literate in science (Jiménez-Aleixandre & . The use of evidence and theory to support or refute a claim, explanation, prediction, or model is a critically important epistemic practice and discourse process in science (Erduran, Osborne & Simon, 2005;Pinney, 2010). When used in classrooms, argumentation sets tasks for students that include explaining and justifying their understanding, arguing from data and defending their conclusions, and critically assessing and challenging the scientific explanations of one another (NRC, 1996).…”

“…The evidence is then used to help support or challenge student claims. These explanations, while frequently left out of classroom practice, can change a student's view of science and enhance their learning of content (Lizotte, McNeill, & Krajcik, 2004;Pinney, 2010).…”

“…Fortunately for teachers, even young children can engage in this specialized discourse. They can learn to explain natural phenomena, design and conduct empirical investigations, and engage in meaningful evidence-based argumentation (Duschl, 2008;Pinney, 2010).…”