It Is ... Inspired Teaching Inspiring Students

Teaching Electricity and Circuits through Inquiry
(All)

Overview

In this course, participants will learn about the science behind electric circuits and how this content can be taught through inquiry. The course will help teachers gain a better understanding of electricity and circuits, including conducting and insulating materials, open and closed circuits, and series and parallel circuits. Participants will learn numerous inquiry-based teaching strategies throughout the course. They will consider inquiry-based methods to introduce the content to students, and they will enhance their questioning techniques to help students make predictions about the content.  Participants will also learn strategies for managing inquiry-based lessons in the classroom and tools for assessing students’ understanding of the content.  Through completion of a final project, participants will demonstrate much of what they learned about the content and teaching methods described above.

Goals and Products

This course will enable participants to

1. Gain the skills, knowledge, and confidence they need to create an engaging classroom that encourages students to learn the fundamentals of electricity through inquiry
2. Develop a greater understanding of inquiry-based teaching strategies and how they differ from standard hands-on activities
3. Learn classroom management and safety strategies associated with teaching electricity to elementary students
4. Become acquainted with assessment strategies and tools for evaluating students’ gains in inquiry-based lessons

Course Products

As a final product, participants will complete a Lesson Modification Template (http://www.edtechleaders.org/documents/ELL/ELL_Planning_Template.doc) that will help them to modify a lesson or unit in a way that enables students with Limited English Proficiency to have equal access to the curriculum.

Content and Technology Standards

None listed.

Reproduced with permission from Education Development Center, Inc.,
Copyright (c), 2000-2008, all rights reserved (http://www.edtechleaders.org).