RUNNING HEADER: Domain E Literature Review

Domain E Literature Review

Mary Beth Adams
National University

In partial fulfillment of the requirements for

TED 690 Capstone Course
Dr. Clifton Johnson

RUNNING HEADER: Domain E Literature Review

Abstract
This paper reviews Harris and Rooks article, Managing Inquiry-Based Science: Challenges In
Enacting Complex Science Instruction in Elementary and Middle School Classrooms. In this
article, Harris and Rook present a pyramidal model of classroom management in an inquirybased classroom. Their model includes the following components: Students, materials, tasks,
science ideas, and classroom community.

RUNNING HEADER: Domain E Literature Review

Literature Review
Science classrooms are different from many other classrooms of other academic
disciplines. A teacher may spend time lecturing and providing instruction, but the teacher should
have the students engaging in active learning through labs and collaborative activities.
Managing an active classroom such as a science classroom can prove to be difficult, especially
for a novice teacher. Harris and Rooks present the challenges science teachers face in their
article, Managing Inquiry-Based Science: Challenges In Enacting Complex Science Instruction
in Elementary and Middle School Classrooms (2010).
In the last few decades, there has been a shift away from teacher-led instruction.
According to Harris and Rooks, teachers should spend less time with recitation and seatwork.
And more time carrying out investigations (2010, 228). In order to provide students with
opportunities to deepen their knowledge of concepts, students need to interact with the new
information. Classroom management is easiest when the students are passively learning, but this
is not the most effective method for receiving academic instruction.
Harris and Rook share their belief that classroom management and instruction should not
be separate entities, but that they should be combined into a pervasive management model.
Pervasive management is intertwined with instruction and involves sustained support for
student learning (Harris and Rook, 2010, 230). Harris and Rook went on to present a pyramidal
model that takes in to account the following: Students, materials, tasks, science ideas, and
classroom community (2010). This model represents all of the components that science teachers
must consider when managing a science based classroom.
Inquiry instruction places higher demands on students in terms of participation, personal
responsibility for learning, and intellectual effort (Harris and Rook, 2010, 232). Students need

RUNNING HEADER: Domain E Literature Review

to be developmentally ready for the tasks that are presented to them. If the assignments are too
hard, the students will fail and they will behave poorly to show their frustration. If the
assignments are too easy, the students will not give their best effort and may act out due to
boredom. The teacher must also provide the proper amount of support. If the teacher provides
too little support, the students may not fully understand the concepts they are investigating. If
the teacher provides too much support, the students will not be able to interact with the concepts
fully.
The availability of instructional materials has increased dramatically with the presence of
the internet. Virtual labs, webquests, and presentations using PowerPoint or Google slides are a
few examples of capabilities that we not present a few decades ago. Inquiry-based labs are also
written differently than more straight-forward labs. Teachers must know how to navigate new
technology as well as deliver a non-scripted inquiry-based lab. As the students utilize
technology, they, too, need guidance and scaffolding. Google has a way to create a Custom
Search Engine. This is an excellent tool for teachers to use. A teacher preloads verified websites
into a Custom Search Engine, and the students run a normal Google Search using the teachers
search engine. Navigating thousands, if not millions, of search results is overwhelming, so
having a custom search engine loaded with relevant sites is beneficial to the students.
Harris and Rook list tasks as the next component of their pyramidal model. They suggest
that authentic tasks should be used in a science classroom. Authentic tasks engage students in
scientific activity in a manner similar to how scientists conduct their work (2010, 234). The
Next Generation Science Standards seek to promote authentic tasks by incorporating Science and
Engineering Practices into their objectives. Students should develop models, design prototypes,

RUNNING HEADER: Domain E Literature Review

engage in argument from evidence, and formulate scientific inquiries just as real scientists and
engineers do.
All science teachers instruct students on scientific concepts. However, in an inquirybased classroom, the need for providing activities that build on each other and link together is
important. Teachers need to present coherent lesson plans. Coherence refers to the manner in
which activities are sequenced together to work together in a lesson to support the learning
process (Harris and Rook, 2010, 235). In addition to providing lesson plans that fit together, the
teacher must also determine his or her students prior knowledge and work to link new
information with the old. Uncovering any misconceptions that may steer a student incorrectly is
also important.
Inquiry-based classrooms require students to collaborate. Providing a safe environment
for students idea sharing is crucial. Teachers should also promote an environment that is not
teacher- led, but is student-led. Normally, the teacher poses a question, a student answers it, and
the teacher responds. In inquiry-based classrooms, teachers should devote more time to students
answering students. The teacher is involved, but the teacher is also learning from the students as
the students learn from each other. With the advancement of technology in classrooms, the
teacher could present a question, and the students could search for answers using the internet.
Conclusion
Promoting an inquiry-based science classroom is challenging, but necessary. Students
must engage with the scientific concepts personally instead of passively while listening to a
lecture. Science teachers have used pre-scripted labs for years, but they now should give
students the opportunity to develop their own inquiries and write their own procedures. To

RUNNING HEADER: Domain E Literature Review

ensure that classroom management remains intact, the science teacher must provide
developmentally appropriate assignments, scaffold the use of technology and other materials,
create authentic tasks, plan coherent lessons, and provide a safe venue for collaboration.

RUNNING HEADER: Domain E Literature Review

References

Harris, C. J., & Rooks, D. L. (2010). Managing inquiry-based science: Challenges in enacting
complex science instruction in elementary and middle school classrooms. Journal of
Science Teacher Education, 21(2), 227-240.