Teaching Science Through Inquiry in the Foundation Phase

References

• Van Schaik Publishers. Available at: https://www.gov.za/sites/default/files/images/a108-96.
• Seefeldt, C., Castle, S.D. & Falconer, R.D. 2014. Social studies for the preschool/primary child, 9th ed. New York: Pearson.
• Society of South African Geographers. 2003. Geography: the state of the disciplines of South Africa: a survey, 2000/2001. University of Pretoria.
• Sunal, C.S. & Haas, M.E. 2011. Social studies for the elementary and middle grades: a constructivist approach. Boston, MA: Pearson.
• The Collective Heart. 2014. Educate someone today. Available at: http://www.thecollectiveheart.org/projects.html
• Thirteen Ed Online. 2004. Concepts to classroom: constructivism as a paradigm for teaching and learning. Available at: http://www.thirteen.org/edonline/concept-2class/constructivism/index_sub1.html
• UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization). 1998. Citizenship education for the 21st century. Available at: http://www.unesco.org/education/tlsf/mods/theme_b/interact/mod07task03/appendix.htm
• Van Aardt, L. 2020. Experiences of Grade 3 learners on their rights and responsibilities across diverse settings. Doctoral thesis. University of Pretoria.
• Wasserman, J. 2023. Controversial issues in teaching and learning - Views from South Africa. Seminario de Investigación Educativa Conferencia. Pontificia Universidad Católica del Perú, 18 September 2023.

Teaching Science Through Inquiry in the Foundation Phase

Contents

• Introduction
• A Comprehensive View of Science
  • Defining Science
  • The Nature of Science (NoS)
  • The STEAM Connection
• Science Education for Young Learners
  • Our View of Children
    • Experimenting
    • Inferring
    • Communicating
• The Inquiry-Based Approach to Teaching Science
  • What is Inquiry-Based Science Education (IBSE)?
  • Principles of IBSE
  • Why Teach Science in the Foundation Phase?
  • The Components of Science Education
• Key Concepts ("Big Ideas") in Science
• Science Knowledge
  • Essential Features and Actions in Classroom Inquiry
  • Designing IBSE Units and Investigations
  • The Role of the Foundation Phase Teacher
• Creating a Learning Environment That Promotes Inquiry
  • Criteria for Selecting Suitable Content
  • Science Content Areas
  • Organising the Classroom
  • Time and Space to Explore Freely
  • Displaying Science
• Assessment
  • Scientific Observation
  • Comparing
  • Classifying
  • Measuring
  • Predicting
  • Assessment in IBSE
  • Indicators of Proficiency in the Science Domains
• Summary

The Purpose of the Chapter

• Science education, particularly inquiry-based science education, develops aims of modern society and scientifically aware, socially responsible citizens.
• Chapter aims to highlight importance of quality science education at Foundation Phase level and situate science within life skills in South African national curriculum.

The Subject Life Skills in the Foundation Phase

• According to the Curriculum and Assessment Policy Statement (DOBE, 2011), the subject life skills in the Foundation Phase is divided into study areas, of which natural science forms part of the beginning knowledge area.

• Subject

  • Study Area
    • Content: Provides the context within which the content is presented
    • Social sciences
      • Beginning knowledge
        • Prescribed topics (per grade)
          • History
          • Geography
          • Natural sciences
          • Technology
      • Personal and social wellbeing
        • Prescribed topics (per grade)
          • Life skills
      • Performing arts
        • Creative games and skills
          • Improvise and interpret
      • Visual arts
        • Create in 2D
        • Construct in 3D
        • Visual literacy
      • Physical education
        • Rhythm
        • Balance
        • Spatial orientation
        • Laterality
        • Perceptual motor skills
        • Co-ordination
        • Sports and games

Learning Outcomes

• Understand what science means and entails at Foundation Phase level
• Understand the child-as-scientist, and know how to promote learners' foundational competencies in science
• Know how to teach science through inquiry in the Foundation Phase.

Key Concepts and Definitions

• Inquiry-based science education (IBSE): mirrors the approach scientists employ when they question the natural world in order to find solutions and develop better understanding.
• Inquiry mindset: an inherently human attitude of questioning and wondering, typical to all children.
• Science: "is both a body of knowledge that represents current understanding of natural systems and the process whereby that body of knowledge has been established and is continually extended, refined and revised" (Duschl, Schweingruber & Shouse, 2007: 26).
• Science knowledge: general ideas (knowledge/content) that learners need to acquire from life, physical, earth and space sciences.
• Science process skills: skills involved in learning science. Learners acquire science knowledge through a process of investigation in which they employ inquiry or science process skills, for example: observe, compare, classify, predict, infer, communicate, etc.
• Scientific literacy: "the capacity to use scientific knowledge, to identify questions and to draw evidence-based conclusions in order to understand and help make decisions about the natural world and the changes made to it through human activity" (OECD, 2003).

Introduction

• The natural world awakens curiosity, driving continual inquiry into how it works and our place in it.
• Science provides an effective tool for understanding; children are born scientists with a desire to explore.
• Teachers should nurture this ability through scientific investigations in the Foundation Phase.

A Comprehensive View of Science

• Science is sometimes stereotyped with labs, microscopes, and complex equations, but this isn't the full picture.

Defining science

• Science is viewed differently by people: some see it as knowledge, facts, complex concepts, etc., while others see it as a process of investigation.
• Duschl et al. (2007: 26) define science as both a body of knowledge and the process by which that knowledge is established, extended, refined, and revised.
• Good science education requires both learning scientific knowledge and developing scientific skills.

The Nature of Science (NOS)

• Teaching and understanding how science works (Nature of Science, NoS) should be integrated into science education for young learners.
• Learners can understand what science is, who studies science, and how scientists work through inquiries, stories, and discussions.
• Russell and McGuigan (2017) restated the NoS aspects as the following seven ideas:
  1. Empirical: scientific knowledge is derived from evidence (e.g. from observation or measurement of the physical world).
  2. Theory/Law: scientific theories and laws are distinctly different and need to be clearly distinguished.
  3. Creative: human traits like creativity and imagination play a central role in scientific knowledge construction.
  4. Theory-laden: scientific knowledge rests upon certain theories (i.e. observations are interpreted through a prior understanding of other theories).
  5. Social: science is a human endeavour and knowledge is socially and culturally constructed.
  6. Multiple methods: there is no single scientific method, but rather a range of methods.
  7. Provisional: scientific knowledge is open to revision in the light of new evidence.

The STEAM connection

• STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts, and mathematics) education integrates these disciplines; it's a priority worldwide and part of early years curricula.
• Mathematical problems involve reasoning, connecting, representing, and communicating (Kilpatrick, Swafford & Findell, 2004).
• Scientific inquiry involves formulating questions, investigating, drawing evidence-based conclusions, and communicating findings (Bosman, 2024).
• Engineering design revolves around problem-solving (planning, constructing, evaluating, modifying, communicating) (NGSS, 2013).
• Art forms encompass creative thinking, expression, and communication.
• STEAM experiences involve real-world context exploration, using inquiry-based approaches.
• STEAM promotes holistic development: physical, language, social skills, collaboration, emotional well-being, self-confidence, creativity, imagination, and active learning (Wahyuningsih et al., 2020).
• STEAM helps acquire critical and creative thinking, collaborative problem-solving, effective communication, and knowledge in various domains.

Science Education for Young Learners

• Young children see science as vast and complex. At Foundation Phase, science concerns children's everyday lives and understanding the world around them.

Our view of children

• Teachers' understanding of children shapes classroom practices.

The competent child

• Children are curious, active, self-motivated, and competent learners who learn best when they interact with peers and adults (social learning).
• Children learn best through first-hand experiences and active participation in inquiry (Dewey, 1859-1952).
• Children are competent beings can practice childlike science.
• Quality science contributes to children's science learning (knowledge), shapes their identity as scientists, and strengthens their potential for becoming scientists.

The child-scientist

• Young children are capable scientists with abstract abilities.
• Scientists and children are the best learners in the universe (Gopnik et al., 1999).
• Children employ scientific thinking as they look for explanations, make predictions, do experiments and draw conclusions.
• Children are little scientists who study the natural world just like real scientists do.

Why teach science in the Foundation Phase?

Solid foundations for life-long science

• Quality science education should start early to develop scientific knowledge, thinking skills, and positive attitudes.
• Science develops sequentially. Learners continually build on and revise their knowledge and abilities.
• Early exposure to science lays the foundation for advanced concepts and skills.

Scientific literacy as an aim

• Scientific literacy is a necessity to live, play, learn and work in a world dominated by advancements in science and technology.
• Scientific literacy enables people to understand, apply, and make informed decisions about the natural world.

New generation competencies

• Education prepares young Foundation Phase citizens to be informed and contributing members of society.
• Learners need to move beyond being passive recipients of knowledge to being knowledge builders equipped with the requisite knowledge.
• Education should prepare people with a range of literacies (e.g. scientific, technological, digital, cultural, civic) to respond appropriately to issues in their everyday lives.

Science for all

• All learners can learn science regardless of individual differences.
• Anyone can be and become a scientist.
• Quality early investment (or interventions if needed) is essential for children's wholesome development; but it also has sustainable, long-term effects on the development of human capital, social cohesion and economic success.

The components of science education

• Science education for young learners should focus on establishing foundational scientific concepts, basic science knowledge, inquiry (process) skills, and the competencies and character qualities that will cultivate their scientific literacy.

• Inan and Inan (2015) refer to the 3Hs (Hands-on, Heads-on, Hearts-on) approach to science education that takes a whole-child perspective.

• Figure 3.3 illustrates the important qualities of science education (heads, hands and hearts) that we need to consider when planning a curriculum in a constructivist way.

• Scientific knowledge and concepts (knowing science)

  • Science is a study of the natural world (body of knowledge) in the areas of life and living, energy and change, matter and materials, earth and space.

• Scientific process (doing science)

  • Scientific skills are thinking skills used to study the natural world and include skills such as making observations, asking questions, making predictions, designing investigations, analysing data, supporting claims with evidence

• Scientific competencies/qualities/dispositions

  • Motivational attitudes: enthusiasm, questioning, curiosity, desire to know, motivation
  • Social attitudes: cooperation, responsibility, tolerance, collaboration, independence
  • Practical attitudes: inventiveness, sensitivity, perseverance, creativity, flexibility
  • Reflective attitudes: tentativeness, open-mindedness, respect for evidence, critical reflection

Key Concepts (“Big Ideas”) in Science

• Due to the vast amount of science knowledge, content for children should be organized around key concepts or big ideas.
• Every subject has its own big ideas.
• Big ideas function as broad, overarching ideas built from smaller ideas in content areas.
• An example is given in Figure 3.4.

Science Knowledge

• Content debates concern what to teach at each grade level and how to sequence it.
• In CAPS, themes are suggested per term, but science outcomes or successive sequencing aren't detailed, requiring Foundation Phase teachers to make these decisions.

Criteria for selecting suitable content

• Content must allow direct experience with phenomena & material from the immediate environment.
• Content should address a big idea.
• Content should be developmentally appropriate.
• Context (immediate environment) is critical.
• The interests of the learners and the teachers also determine the choice of content.

Science content areas

• The natural world presents many opportunities for science.

Life sciences

• Life sciences studies living things (humans, animals, plants, microorganisms), distinguishing living from non-living, and categorizing living things.

  • All living things have basic needs, that is, food, water, oxygen, protection, and reproduction.
    • These needs include:
      • exploring and understanding healthy living (ourselves), and how we as humans should take care of animals (pets, farm animals and wild animals) to ensure that their basic needs are met
    • growth, development and reproduction (including life cycles).
  • all living things need a habitat, i.e. a place where they live, and where their basic needs are met. This includes exploring and understanding unique adaptations that help living things survive in their habitat (i.e. how they move, eat, live and behave to survive).
  • all living things have unique physical features (shape, size, etc.), which determine what they can do and how they do it to live in different kinds of places (i.e. to meet their basic needs in order to survive). This includes exploring and understanding how the physical features (form) of humans, plants and other living creatures determine their function (what they can do) and how they move, eat, live and behave in order to survive (also how humans and animals use their senses).
  • all living things are interdependent. This involves understanding the importance of biodiversity and the relationship between living things and their environment. (Note: concepts such as interdependence can be complex and may be more appropriate for older learners). This includes:
    • exploring and understanding how maintaining the variety of living things ensures their survival
    • how changes in any parts of a habitat affect all other living things in that habitat (breaking the food chain, leading to environmental changes)
    • developing environmental awareness and an understanding of environmental concepts (including natural resources and how our decisions have an impact on those resources)
    • developing concepts such as conservation and exploring topics such as using and saving water, collecting litter, saving and planting trees, and exploring ways to reduce, reuse and recycle

Physical science

• Physical science involves matter and materials

  • Everything is made from material called matter.
  • There is a wide variety of materials (e.g. metals, ceramics, plastic, wood, glass, rubber, and physical substances such as air, water, food, etc.).
  • Different materials have different properties (e.g. strength, hardness, toughness, elasticity, stiffness, transparency, etc.). Their properties (form) determine their uses (function). Matter can be classified according to its observable characteristics (e.g. size, shape, colour, weight, temperature and ability to react with other substances).
  • Matter can exist as solids, liquids or gases (depending on how the particles are arranged). Topics to discuss or investigate include:
    • exploring air (air is all around us, takes up space, has weight; moving air pushes things)
    • exploring and understanding the effects of boiling, evaporation, etc.
  • Matter can be mixed or separated. This discussion point includes exploring and understanding dissolving or separating materials (combining/separating substances).
  • Matter can be changed into different forms. Physical or chemical changes can take place. This topic includes:
    • exploring and understanding physical changes, i.e. the changes that take place in appearance, but not in the substance itself (e.g. by tearing paper, shaping clay, chopping wood)
    • exploring chemical changes, i.e. the change in characteristics so that a new substance is formed (e.g. burning)
    • finding out how some materials are biodegradable and others not
    • discovering that changes can take place in a variety of ways (e.g. reversible, irreversible, etc.). This includes exploring the effects of mixing, heating or cooling, etc. and how they affect the substances' behaviour.
  • Matter can float or sink. This topic includes exploring buoyancy and/or the reasons why in water.

• The topic of energy and change involves:

  • learning how forces can make things move, increase/decrease speed, change direction, and change shape

  • pulling, pushing, and concepts of friction, mass and weight, gravity, pressure and force.

  • Sound: observations of different sounds and how those sounds are classified, sound production, how sound travels, use of hearing.

  • Heat: explore and measure temperature, test heat transfer, and use heat/altering temperatures to change states of observable materials.

  • Light: light follows a straight line until hitting a new object, which can reflect/bend/absorb it (mirror/lens/etc), recognize primary (direct) sources and secondary (reflected) sources, explore material interaction, and be able to describe how sense of sight interacts with observation.

  • Magnets: Made of iron/iron alloys, able to attract/repel, north/south poles and the effects of each.

  • Electricity: Observe simple circuits, how static is generated, what electricity is used for, origins of electricity and safe practices when interacting with electricity.

Earth and space science and the environment

• Earth and space involve the study of the structure of the earth (water, rocks, soil, etc.), sea and sea-life, atmosphere and weather, and the changes that occur over time.
• This study involves:
  • Earth's materials- water, soil, rocks, minerals and gases in the atmosphere and they are non-living
  • properties of water, how its needed for life, properties and use of water, cleaning properties
    • Properties if eart materials
    • Uses of earth materials
    • Types of rock/use of rock and sand
    • Types/uses of soil/organism living in the soil
    • Atmosphere Conditions/gases
    • Weathers and its conditions
    • Seasonal changes/effects of sun, air or water temperature
  • Space- Children are intrigued by travel, sun, stars, moon and planet but aren't developmentally ready ro unnderstand it. Teacher should be care and make the concept as understandable, real-life, safe and hands-on as possible
    Note: Kovalik and Olsen (2010) suggest that the content for early primary grades should be heavier in life sciences and lighter in earth and physical sciences, mainly due to the reason that life sciences provide opportunity for direct experience and therefore are more concrete and understandable to younger learners. However, when we focus exclusively on life sciences, we deprive learners of the excitement of experimentation with content from the physical sciences. We should therefore offer a balanced programme, so that learners acquire a basic knowledge of each of the content areas.

Scientific Inquiry Skills

• In a scientific inquiry, we use inquiry skills to study the natural world.
• Scientists learn about the world through making observations; comparing and classifying objects or events; asking questions; designing investigations; analyzing data; and supporting data with evidence.
• When children interact with things in the environment in a scientific manner, they too employ inquiry skills.

Scientific observation

• Observation activates learners' senses and is the main route to gathering information from the environment.
• Through focused observation, learners use their senses to construct meaning and knowledge about the world by seeing, hearing, smelling, tasting and feeling.
  * Use the more than one sense
  * Use ALL the appropriate senses and identify senses used
  * Identify the observable properties of objects
  * Describe properties accurately

Comparing

• Comparing is the process skill that deals with the concept of similarities and differences, and builds upon the process of observation.
• Comparing sharpens learners' observation skills, is a complex, simultaneous, high-speed process that depends heavily on prior knowledge and upon a wide range of previously stored observations.
• Learners compare when they:
  * Use appropriate senses to observe similarites in objects
  * Tell you about the characteristics of objects
  * Compare objects and discuss how or why alike or diffrent

Classifying

• Classification involves identifying, matching, sorting, naming, comparing, contrasting, grouping and distinguishing similarities and differences.
• Just as real scientists use the organization process to group and classify their work, in a classroom context this skill involves classifying the data that was observed and compared into categories, i.e. putting objects and events together in groups using a logical rationale.
  * Group objects or even by their properies/functions
  * Identify properties that are commmon
  * Sort accurately into groups
  * Form subgroups

Measuring

• Measuring is the skill of quantifying observations in terms of numbers, distances, time, volume and temperature using non-standard or standard units.
• It also involves placing objects or events in a chronological or numerical sequence.
  * Arrange objects in sequence by length
  * Use Measurements to explain coclusions
  * Select appropriate of measurement/Use Measurement appropiately

Predicting

• A prediction is a statement about what you expect to happen in the future. It involves the ability to state a future occurrence based on a pattern that you have formed from previous observations (i.e. prior experience).
• A prediction is not a mere guess, but a statement based on substantial data

Experimenting

• A scientific method or controlled to manipulte certain factors within a system