To to define, explain, and organize standards-driven science learning through active hands-on investigation, The Science Center of Inquiry has developed an inquiry-based learning model called 1 2 3 - A B C.  This model is  a highly effective and non-linear procedure for improving student science achievement in ways that also build a passion for life-long learning.  The model is effective when conducting mini-investigations that take only a few minutes or when exploring the most extensive and complex investigations that can last a lifetime.  1 2 3 - A B C is broken into two stages:                    

1 2 3 - Engaging interest and curiosity:  The first stage of the inquiry model is finding something that is interesting enough to want to investigate it.  Often students need exposure to, and personal contact with, phenomena or ideas to create that personal interest that can lead to learning.  This effort should provide students with time to share ideas and help each other create ideas and possibilities.   1 2 3 includes:    

1. Finding phenomena to explore:  Information and understanding evolves from encountering things or ideas in ways that stimulate curiosity.  In science learning this often means identifying phenomena that are accessible, seem intriguing, and can be supported by content and curriculum objectives.

2. Being curious by exploring about and doing ‘What-Ifs?”:   This involves finding possibilities by having time to express natural curiosity through open-ended manipulation, messing about, discussion, and observation. Through this process students develop personal connections and interest. 

3. Using all senses to make, record, and organize observations:  This creates a foundation for students to create  and focus on questions that are necessary for achieving meaningful learning. 

A B C - Inventing new ideas just for you and me:  The second part in full inquiry is building understanding of the things and ideas we are investigating.  It involves digging deeper to determine causes and effects, analyzing objects or events, and/or building explanations. A B C includes:  

1. Asking testable and focused questions:  Observations are essential for asking interesting questions – perhaps the most important component in meaningful learning.  At first these questions should not be limited.  Then, after generating as many questions of interest as possible, teachers and students should provide focus by organizing questions into categories such as: “Questions that we cannot explore because of resource limitations, Questions that we can and will explore, Questions that are interesting but may be better to pursue later because of time or focus, and/or Questions that connect to important standards for learning.   Categories can also be organized based upon the type of question.   Science questions seek understanding of “what is going on” and often begin with: what factors caused, how can we explain or describe, or what would happen if.  Technology questions often begin with what can we do with or how can we and often lead to challenge activities.   Why questions are not strong science questions because why is often outside the realm of science.  (LINK to questions that support inquiry) 

2. Building investigations to answer questions:  One of the most empowering statements a learner can make is: Hey, we may not know but we certainly can and will find out.  This statement suggests that the learner has an interest, knows the question, and believes that they have the power to create meaningful perspectives. Students may then use many strategies to find out by actually being young scientists.  In “doing what scientists do” students may:

   a. Create experiments as fair tests to make comparisons, determine relationships, and describe causes and effects.

   b. Find patterns the help recreate the past, understand the present, and/or predict the future.

   c. Build models to explain what has happened, create relevance, and/or understand things we cannot directly access or see.

   d. Discuss ideas or read what others have to say to help guide questions, procedures, and synthesis of ideas.

3. Communicating, discussing, and debating ideas and answers:  Building understanding (or answers) requires articulating, analyzing, and defending perspectives and answers.  This process is effective for challenging existing ideas and modifying and incorporating new ideas into an individual’s thinking about nature.  This should lead to more new questions than answers.

In developing the 1-2-3 & A-B-C model, SCI has attempted to capture components that are important to learning just about anything.  This process is not new by any means.  It is just another way of describing an important part of the approach that gave birth to modern science. It is what many good learners learn do on their own even if it is not formally applied in their schooling.  The reason for the emphasis on formalizing and expanding inquiry learning approaches in schools is that there does exist evidence that this approach coupled with well-defined and organized content can make a highly significant improvement in student learning.

Applying this inquiry model, however, does require some thoughts about traditional views of learning.  It is especially important to realize that, while the model describes important components used during quality inquiry-based learning, it is not a step-by-step recipe to a single outcome. Authentic inquiry is usually not a simple linear process and often takes many unexpected turns. This happens because authentic inquiry values every student’s thinking and is partly driven by student experiences and questions within the context and content of the investigation.  We should also remember that understanding nature is a primary reason for doing science investigations and this model only helps describe components and processes for achieving this goal.  Therefore, when creating rich and valuable science inquiry-based learning, it is critical that we treat investigations of natural phenomena as adventures to explore the unknown, create questions, and build explanations rather than as linear lessons to arrive at a singular and previously defined destination, although this process does lead to important destinations for each and every student.  Inquiry is what scientists do.  Inquiry is not a single path to a single answer.

 How SCI inquiry meets content standards:

SCI applies the 1 2 3 & A B C model for doing investigations to explore interesting natural phenomena from which scientific knowledge develops.  If this approach is used to investigate phenomena that connect to all science disciplines, students are able to advance personal understanding in Physical, Earth, and Life Sciences in ways that help all students achieve science content standards for learning.  It is important to realize, however, that we do not advocate doing investigations to “prove” what the teacher already knows.  Rather we see using what the teacher knows to guide experience- and age-appropriate investigations so that “the students also know.”  

Essentially we are suggesting that standards provide the platform or permission for launching great science learning adventures.   They help us select investigations, see and articulate value in the investigations, and serve as a guide for asking and answering important questions.  Thus we believe that standards are best achieved if we teach from the standards rather than to the standards.