Classroom Inquiry Rubric for Teacher Interactions

Classroom Inquiry Rubric for Teacher Interactions

When students are doing inquiry-based science, an observer will see teachers:

Model Behaviors and Skills

1. They show children how to use new tools or materials.
2. They guide students in taking more and more responsibility in investigations.
3. They help students design and carry out skills of recording, documenting, and drawing conclusions.

Support Content Learning

1. They help students form tentative explanations while moving toward content understanding.
2. They introduce tools and materials and scientific ideas appropriate to content learning.
3. They use appropriate content terminology, as well as scientific and mathematical language.

Use Multiple Means of Assessment

1. They are sensitive to what children are thinking and learning, and identify areas in which children are struggling.
2. They talk to children, ask questions, make suggestions, share, and interact.
3. They move around and make themselves available to all students.
4. They help children go to the next stage of learning with appropriate clues and prompts.

Act as Facilitators

1. They use open-ended questions that encourage investigation, observation, and thinking.
2. They carefully listen to students’ ideas, comments, and questions, in order to help them develop their skills and thought processes.
3. They suggest new things to look at and try, and encourage further experimentation and thinking.
4. They orchestrate and encourage student dialogue.

Adapted from materials created by the Exploratorium Institute for Inquiry.

Dr. Robert Sweetland's Notes ©