Professor Robyn Gillies has worked extensively in both primary and secondary schools to embed STEM education initiatives into the science curriculum. This includes helping teachers to embed inquiry skills into the science curricula so they capture students' interests, provide opportunities for them to explore possible solutions to problems, explain phenomena, elaborate on potential outcomes, and evaluate findings. Professor Gillies is a Chief Investigator on the Science of Learning Research Centre (SLRC), her recommendations on how teachers can translate research into practice have been widely profiled in the international literature and on the website of the Smithsonian Science Education Center in Washington, DC.

Challenges educators to reconsider the approaches used to support student learning in the classroom. This thought-provoking volume presents research evidence to support arguments and provides teachers with frameworks within which they can embed new approaches in ways that support student development in academic and transferable contexts.

Chapter 1: Inquiry-based science

BACKGROUND

INQUIRY-BASED SCIENCE

USING INQUIRY-BASED SCIENCE TO CHALLENGE THINKING

Cooperative Learning Activities

Strategies to help students learn to work cooperatively together

Group size

Group composition.

Type of task

Individual reflection activity

Group's Action Plan

Characteristics of Complex Tasks

CHALLENGES IMPLEMENTING INQUIRY-BASED SCIENCE

CHAPTER SUMMARY

ADDITIONAL READINGS

Chapter 2: Visual, embodied and language representations in teaching inquiry based-science: A case study

INTRODUCTION

TYPES OF REPRESENTATIONS

Purpose of the case study

METHOD

Context for the study

Inquiry-based science unit

Data collection

Teacher measures

RESULTS AND DISCUSSION

The inquiry-based science lessons

Lesson 1: Engage

Lesson 2: Explore

Lesson 3: Explain

Lesson 4: Elaborate

Lesson 5: Evaluate

CHAPTER SUMMARY

ADDITIONAL READINGS

Chapter 3: Developing scientific literacy

INTRODUCTION

BACKGROUND

SCIENTIFIC LITERACY

Questions that challenge children's understandings

Question Stems and Cognitive Processes

The discourse of science

Encouraging audience participation

Linguistic Tools that promote student discussion

Accountable Talk

Exploratory Talk

Philosophy for Children (P4C)

CHAPTER SUMMARY

ADDITIONAL READINGS

Chapter 4: Promoting scientific discourse

INTRODUCTION

DIALOGIC TEACHING

Example of Dialogic Teaching

Dialogic interactions in a cooperative group setting

STRATEGIES TO PROMOTE DIALOGIC INTERACTIONS

DIALOGIC STRATEGIES FOR STUDENTS

Critical Thinking Skills

CHAPTER SUMMARY

ADDITIONAL READINGS

Chapter 5: Structuring cooperative learning to promote social and academic learning

INTRODUCTION

COOPERATIVE LEARNING

BENEFITS OF COOPERATIVE LEARNING

Advantages of small, cooperative group instruction

Types of cooperative learning groups

KEY ELEMENTS IN COOPERATIVE LEARNING

Skills that Facilitate Interpersonal Communication

STRATEGIES FOR CONSTRUCTING COOPERATION IN GROUPS

STRATEGIES FOR ASSESSING COOPERATIVE LEARNING

CHAPTER SUMMARY

ADDITIONAL READINGS

Chapter 6: The Structure of Observed Learning Outcomes (SOLO) Taxonomy: Assessing students' reasoning, problem-solving and learning

INTRODUCTION

THE SOLO TAXONOMY

FIVE LEVELS OF THE SOLO TAXONOMY

INTENDED LEARNING OUTCOMES

Examples of the increasing complexity in students' language: Using the SOLO Taxonomy

CHAPTER SUMMARY

ADDITIONAL READINGS