What is Science Inquiry?

What is Science Inquiry? Science is the process that allows us to to understand, or at least to better understand, the natural world through observable physical evidence. This is a process that is accomplished through observation and experimentation, aimed to simulate natural processes under controlled conditions. The method that science uses to accomplish this task is referred to as "The Scientific Method", or better termed "Scientific Inquiry". In this way, science inquiry not only uses pre existing constructs, but perhaps more importantly, allows for the creation of new concepts that can in long term lead to a complete new understanding of the natural world. Perhaps one of the best ways to drive this process, is to place students from early grades up into a laboratory. In this way, students begin to feel comfortable asking difficult questions, and begin the process of collecting evidence, interpreting, and constructing explanations. What's even more compelling, is that through structured inquiry, students can be presented with a phenomena and begin to generate their own unique questions, design experiments, gather evidence, and finally propose explanations based solely on their own work.