The approaches that the teachers use in the inquiry-based science teaching

In their interviews the teachers mentioned that they use different kind of activities that support the inquiry-based learning. As mentioned in the previous chapter the amount that the teachers implement inquiry-based learning in their science teaching is generally little. When implementing inquiry-based learning in their science teaching the teachers mentioned that they do different projects and experiments and use the A.I.M.S program. The A.I.M.S program supports playful, human-centered, and culturally-sustaining approaches to teaching and learning mathematics and science (Aims Center). In the teacher interviews, a teacher described the A.I.M.S program the following way:

“Google that. And it's an acronym so there's like periods in between. But it's really cool like science and it's really hands-on and it's a lot of the inquiry method. But they, you can buy little books like, like teacher manual kinda like things. And it will things that you can do with it and it's. It's amazing.” (Amber)

When doing the projects and experiments to get the features of the inquiry-based teaching included in science, the teachers try to come up with different ideas that would relate the teaching into the things taught from the book and into the everyday life including different holidays.

“In October. Since we have Halloween in October, we studied things like that, such as spiders. So she had a spider that had just moulted. She had the skin. And we took our kids on that field trip down the hall.

So that they could look and see, and you know, interact with the room a little. We had a little girl who brought a giant leaf because she was excited about it and interested in it. So I sent her to a teacher in our building that is an expert on plants. And so we try to just connect them with different ways that they can explore. So to me exploring anything is creativity.” (Kimberly)

A teacher mentioned that they have the cut and paste science books and science kits that they can use, but they have not had time to use them. The cut and paste books mean textbooks which have material that fits the science teaching perfectly. In the cut and paste books children can for example cut different words and try to place them correctly in the picture to name the different parts of the plans. The “Cut and paste: Science” book by Smith the book is described to provide a variety of motivating, interactive activities to help young students master concepts and content.

The book also allows students to try a variety of possibilities before gluing down their final answers (Goodreads).

“I like to use a lot of hands-on things. And I had actually for this year bought a cut and paste science book, but we haven't had the opportunity to use it. Of course I had a student intern the whole first part of the school year.” (Kelly)

“So, I mean, she came in and she took over, and she was doing all of it. And unfortunately science was also one of the things that we hardly had time to deal, so she didn't either. But hopefully we'll be able to get on the right track and I'll be able to use some of those things. I know for years we have bought these science kits that go along with the series. And lots of the teachers are not able use them just because there's not time.” (Kelly)

As using information and communication technology in their science teaching the teachers mention they mostly use it to search information for science and they sometimes do BrainPOP which is an educational software application. Also, the teachers note they sometimes watch videos and do PowerPoints but, in the end, they do not use technology in inquiry-based teaching. In

addition, one teacher mentioned that from her perspective it is not reasonable in the first grade level to do for example the chart growth of a plant in computer as the teacher thinks that they rather do things in a paper where students can see it and do the things themselves. Also, though the teachers did not use Information and Communication Technology as much in implementing inquiry-based teaching in science, some teachers still consider that including the ICT would allow the children to do more inquiry.

“Hopefully, that would allow them to do more inquiry. And find out about things that they know more, that they want know more about. That's what I would like to see. Because that's what my own children at home, better, elementary age are able to do. If they wanna know about something, they go straight to a computer or iPad. So that's what I would like to do with them.” (Kimberly)

In their interviews the teachers mentioned that they use more teacher-guided inquiry activities compared to the open inquiry activities that are initiated by the children because of their own personal confidence.

“Yes, yes. And probably, honestly, we have a kindergarten teacher who is much more focused on kids probably and inquiry, because it's her natural gift in science. And… we don't think that way. So, we tend to set it out more teacher-guided.” (Stephanie)

Although the teachers mostly use teacher-guided approaches in their teaching, they sometimes tried to incorporate inquiry-based teaching in their science education.

“Well, this doesn't go with first grade, but I mean it could be used for first grade. When I was in sixth grade and I taught science, and we were doing the layers of the Earth and the different types of boundaries. We had a little Snickers bar. And we would pull it apart to diverge and converge it and transform and all. We had pulled it apart and then we took the little, tiny Snickers bar and we pushed it together to show how the Earth moves. And then we you know did it sideways to show all of those. You know being able to use those things... maybe they could come up and make their own models with Play-Doh.” (Kelly)