Inquiry-based Instruction: Putting the Science Back Into "Agricultural Science"

Science... to many, this word brings to mind beakers, atoms, chemicals or periodic tables. But, to an agricultural educator, the word science may evoke images of plants, animals, soils or circuits.

Science is inevitably at the basis of everything that an agricultural educator teaches, from the chemical reactions that take place in a weld, to the process of photosynthesis that occurs in a soybean plant. We often use scientific standards, and the word science is even in our name... so, why isn't science always emphasized in an agricultural classroom? Why is there often a disconnect in the minds of the public between science and agriculture? What can we, as teachers, do to re-connect the words science and agriculture?

Perhaps one of the best tools that a teacher can use to put the science back into agricultural science is to utilize Inquiry-based Instruction. Inquiry-based instruction is a technique, which plays off of the scientific method and forces students to think critically about problems. Inquiry-based Instruction is often based upon a scientific problem, such as the amount of light needed for a plant to thrive, or how electricity works in a circuit. During Inquiry-based Instructions, students often first formulate a question, then investigate the problem. They then use the evidence that they found to describe, explain or predict. Next, they connect the evidence and their knowledge to formulate a solution, which they then share. As previously stated, this process mimics the scientific method, and relies heavily on scientific-based investigation and higher-order thinking.

According to the article by Alan Colburn, entitled Inquiry Primer, there are four types of Inquiry-based instruction; structured inquiry, guided inquiry, open inquiry, and learning cycle. Structured inquiry is more teacher-centered, and relies on a problem that is presented by the teacher. The teacher also provides the students with everything that they need to investigate, including the materials, procedures and information, but does not provide them with conclusions. Guided inquiry is very similar to structured inquiry, but the teacher does not provide the procedures. Instead, students are required to come up with a procedure on their own. Open inquiry allows the students to come up with their own problem to investigate. Finally, learning cycle occurs when the teacher only provides the title of a concept, and the students must formulate a problem and a solution based upon that.

Not only is the structure of the inquiry-based instruction important, but so is the teacher. He or she must ask open-ended, guiding questions which help students come to an appropriate conclusion. Perhaps the most important thing that a teacher must do is to allow the student to guide themselves. The teacher must avoid telling the student what to do next, but instead, allow them to figure it out on their own. This encourages higher-level thinking, which is essential in both the scientific method as well as in Inquiry-based Instruction.

Overall, Inquiry-based Instruction is a great tool that can encourage higher-level thinking and help teachers incorporate science into their classroom. If more teachers would incorporate Inquiry-based Instruction in their classroom, the disconnect between science and agriculture may finally be eliminated.