Inquiry-Based Teaching in Life Sciences

Asking questions is a vital part of any learning process, and within the life sciences there is certainly a lot to explore! Inquiry-Based Science Education (IBSE) is beneficial for many reasons and not only for students, but teachers too.

It is primarily a shift from the mere passing on of information, to the stimulation of students’ curiosity and motivation for them to inquire. IBSE allows students to be in control of their own learning process and acquire knowledge in a more interactive way.

On the other hand, IBSE methodologies give teachers the opportunity to present the curriculum from a new angle and to follow students’ development on a unique scale. This way, Inquiry Based-Teaching makes the classroom a space of curious learning and more flexible teaching.

The Inquiry-Based Teaching in Life Sciences MOOC is meant to enhance life science teachers’ pedagogical competences and practices, and improve their conceptual understanding of life science to help them further establish and disseminate IBSE.

The MOOC will offer a selection of tested classroom activities and resources from a number of European countries to empower life science teachers to introduce IBSE methodologies to students aged 12-19, and help them reflect on their own practices.

In this MOOC, participants will:

• Experience Inquiry as an adult learner
• Acquire the skills and confidence to implement Inquiry-Based Teaching in the classroom
• Learn how to reflect on their own teaching practice
• Enhance their personal and their students’ conceptual understanding of life sciences
• Explore various formal and informal assessment approaches for IBSE

This MOOC is produced under the Amgen Teach project, which is funded by the Amgen Foundation and coordinated by the European Schoolnet. Video contributions and content were provided by the training providers involved in the Amgen Teach project.

 

Course Introduction
Module 1: Experience inquiry as a learner
Module 2: Implement inquiry in the classroom
Module 3: Conceptual understanding of life sciences
Module 4: Assessment and inquiry I
Module 5: Assessment and inquiry II