Faculty Publications & Research
Pennies and Eggs: Initiation Into Inquiry Learning for Pre-Service Elementary Education Teachers.
Abstract
Two labs incorporating the Science Writing Heuristic are described that introduce scientific inquiry in a course for preservice students majoring in elementary education. One lab adapts a previously described discovery learning opportunity involving the change in composition and mass of pennies in 1982. The other involves the use of flotation methods to separate hard-boiled and uncooked eggs based on density. Evidence for student engagement with the method is presented, along with analysis of persistent problems with the concept of density revealed by students’ writing about their understandings.
This paper has been withdrawn.