overview
Got the "H.O.T.S." for Inquiry?
Gail B. Wortmann
Session Description:
Are your students high-level thinkers? Have they engaged sufficiently in the investigative nature of science? Are they ready for standardized tests that require higher order thinking to evince knowledge of scientific inquiry? This presentation will characterize the inquiry process and look at ways to teach and assess higher order thinking skills. Active inquiry yields positive results and incorporates higher order thinking. Research suggests that higher order thinking skills-applying, analyzing, synthesizing and evaluating-are teachable and learnable in the science classroom. By gathering and analyzing data during the presentation, participants will engage in both the "doing" and "understanding" of scientific inquiry as endorsed by the National Science Education Standards. Participants will apply inquiry techniques, evaluate current scientific research using a rubric, synthesize test questions based on Bloom's Taxonomy of higher order thinking and analyze successful student inquiry examples.
Gail B. Wortmann
Gail B. Wortmann writes curriculum and teaches high school anatomy and physiology as a master teacher for Iowa Learning Online, a virtual school sponsored by the Iowa Department of Education. She is a National Board Certified Teacher who believes in riding the leading edge of her profession. In her 32 years of classroom teaching, she has made many appearances across the United States to promote technology integration and active learning tied to educational standards for both teachers and students. Wortmann has served as Iowa's Teacher of the Year, a Pioneer Mentor, a member of NCREL's Teacher Advisory Council and an Access Excellence Fellow. She has received awards from the Milken Family Foundation, the National Science Teachers Association, the National Association of Biology Teachers, the Mid-American Educator's Hall of Fame, the Iowa Department of Education and the Iowa Academy of Science. Teaching defines who she is, not just what she does.
