New Curriculum Inquiry-Based Learning Teaching Examples Series. Primary Science. Grades 3-6

Author: Li Yifei
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2003-09-01
Features: From the perspective of theoretical research, this project, based on extensive studies of domestic and international literature, questionnaires, and field observations, has proposed systematic theoretical viewpoints on the concept and types of inquiry, the definition and types of inquiry-based learning, the fundamental principles for promoting inquiry-based learning in subject teaching, and the evaluation of inquiry-based learning. These viewpoints have been integrated into the "Three-Dimensional Theory of Inquiry-Based Learning." The core idea of this theory is to oppose a rigid and narrow understanding of inquiry and inquiry-based learning, advocating for an analysis of inquiry activities from the perspectives of objects, purposes, and methods, and promoting the diversification of inquiry-based learning forms.
From the perspective of applied research, this project has preliminarily established teaching research teams for major subjects in primary, junior high, and senior high schools under the new curriculum structure. It has conducted preliminary research on the implementation and evaluation of inquiry-based learning in various subjects, focusing on aspects such as objects and content, purposes, methods, and forms. A systematic teaching experiment in inquiry-based learning has been carried out, accumulating a large number of teaching cases and design plans for inquiry-based learning.
At the practical level, the experimental schools in this project are actively exploring methods and measures to establish a school support system for inquiry-based learning, providing effective support for teachers and students to conduct teaching experiments in inquiry-based learning. This work still needs further advancement. This series of books is one of the serial research achievements of this project, gathering teaching cases of inquiry-based learning in major subjects in primary, junior high, and senior high schools under the new curriculum structure. Unlike traditional teaching cases in China, the teaching cases organized in this series are not written in the form of recorded teacher-student dialogues but are presented as documentary teaching narratives.
In these documentary teaching narratives, teachers describe their design ideas, implementation processes, outcomes, and reflections in either the first or third person regarding a specific teaching case. The basic writing format is as follows:
(1) The opening section explains the background and motivation for the lesson, the design ideas, and preliminary preparations.
(2) The main section provides a detailed description of the teaching implementation process, showcasing key teaching steps, as well as the behaviors and language of teachers and students in each step.
(3) The concluding section briefly summarizes the teaching outcomes and personal reflections, highlighting the strengths and areas for improvement of the lesson.
In some teaching cases, additional materials or works prepared by teachers or students during the teaching process are included as attachments. To help readers better understand the teaching cases gathered in this series, subject teaching researchers and theoretical researchers from the project have provided detailed in-text comments for each case. After each case, the relevance to the curriculum standards is explained, and a brief analysis of the designed and implemented inquiry-based learning activities is provided.