Essay Question: Judge the usefulness of a particular teaching method

or approach used in teaching your subject area.

Thesis Statement: Inquiry provides essential scientific study that is

meaningful and useful in daily life, society and the
environment by means of students’ prior knowledge
and inquisitive mind to grasp theory and information
towards knowledge, understanding and application,
and training skills and processes (, 2008).

1. State Sternberg’s reason for inquiry that “the

solutions to everyday problems depend on and
interact with the contexts in which the problems
Introductory are presented” (Gunter, 2007).
Paragraph

Rhetorical 2. State that the MOE Primary Science is using

Moves inquiry approach to enable students to “view the
pursuit of science as meaningful and useful” (,
2008).
3. Persuade the reader that inquiry simulates and
trains students’ perseverance to carry out
scientific investigation.

4. State the thesis that Inquiry provides the

essential scientific study that is meaningful and
useful in daily life, society and the environment
by means of students’ prior knowledge and
inquisitive mind to grasp theory and information
towards knowledge, understanding and
application, and training skills and processes (,
2008).

5. Indicate to reader that teachers are not being

set aside as they are the heads of inquiry who
facilitate the fundamentals of problem solving
(Gunter, 2007).

6. Describe that the inquiry approach would have

Para. real life problems deal in school and students
1. will learn to integrate skills and processes
seeing the similarity of solving the problems in
Body school and real life(Gunter, 2007).

7. Show the reader that students will take

 ownership of a task when they are engaged in
identifying or sharpening questions for
inquiry(Steve, 2000).

8. State that teacher will have opportunities for

Para responsive teaching and their teacher-selected
2. problems prompt students more challenges to
inquire about unfamiliar problems(Gunter, 2007)

9. State that through data collection teacher is able

to personalize students’ inquiry approach to find
their information especially it is near to their
cultural background and interests (Gunter,
2007).

10. Show that students will learn the skill to

Para formulate explanations from evidence to
3. address scientifically oriented questions(Steve,
2000).
11. Show that through the inquiry process, students
learn to read and evaluate their explanations
with other explanations that also exhibit
scientific understanding(Steve, 2000).

12. Imply that inquiry motivates students to find

Concluding solutions intrinsically rather than pushing to
Paragraph solve teacher’s problem with the right answer
(Gunter, 2007).

13. Contend that going through the process of

inquiry, students have learnt perseverance
through in the process of doing the scientific
investigation.

Bibliography
Gunter, M. A., Thomas, E. H., & Susan, M. L. (2007). Instruction. A Models Approach.
Boston: Pearson Education, Inc,.
Science Syllabus Primary 2008. (2008). Singapore: Curriculum Planning And
Development Division, Ministry Of Education.
Steve, O., & Susan, L. (2000). Inquiry and the National Science Education Standards: A
Guide for Teaching and Learning. Washington, DC: National Academy Press.

Sternberg asserts that “the solutions to everyday problems depend on and

interact with the contexts in which problems are presented” (Gunter, 2007). Hence, he
shows us that inquiry captures the contemporary life experience and MOE Primary

Science framework seeks to use scientific inquiry method to enable science as

meaningful and useful(, 2008). In the process of their investigations, inquiry simulates

and trains student to have perseverance and not quicken, take short cuts or waiting for

teacher’s solutions. As such, this paper aims to focus the usefulness of inquiry in

providing essential scientific study that is meaningful and useful in daily life, society and

the environment by means of students’ prior knowledge and inquisitive mind to grasp

theory and information towards knowledge, understanding and application, and training

skills and processes (MOE Science Syllabus Primary, 2008, p.1). Inquiry does not mean

we set aside teachers. On the contrary, we shall see how teachers help to keep the

students on track, encouraging student participation and provide appropriate information

keeping the student on track, thus acting as the heads of inquiry facilitating the

fundamentals of problem solving (Gunter, 2007).

Inquiry approach is grounded in problem-based learning theory where real life

problem are to be dealt in school with the intention that students will learn to integrate

skills and processes, seeing the similarity of solving the problems both in school and

real life(Gunter, 2007). Looking at the problem, they will attempt to work through the

process of observing, comparing, classifying, using apparatus and equipment,

communicating, inferring, predicting, analysing, generating possibilities, evaluating and

formulating hypotheses for their observations and information(, 2008). This thorough

process encourages students to take ownership of the task(Steve, 2000). Their

solutions produced may be varied, but teachers will accept their works so long the
learning engages student’s thinking with facilitates scientifically oriented

questions(Steve, 2000).

Inquiry’s key approach is asking questions and finding information. Here, teacher

will have opportunities for responsive teaching with the students(Gunter, 2007). The

teacher-selected problems with similar cultural background or interest students have,

may invite them to inquire curiosity and suggest creativity in solving the problem(Gunter,

2007). Teachers who know student’s individual interest and skills could help to link their

searches questions to their prior knowledge and clearly stated objectives so that they

are able to combine new information and skills(Gunter, 2007). This process of collecting

data for solutions allows teacher to look into individual students’ data collected and

helps them to personalize their inquiry approach to find their information which would be

moving them towards finding their own inquiries(Gunter, 2007).

Bibliography
Gunter, M. A., Thomas, E. H., & Susan, M. L. (2007). Instruction. A Models Approach.
Boston: Pearson Education, Inc,.
Science Syllabus Primary 2008. (2008). Singapore: Curriculum Planning And
Development Division, Ministry Of Education.
Steve, O., & Susan, L. (2000). Inquiry and the National Science Education Standards: A
Guide for Teaching and Learning. Washington, DC: National Academy Press.