The Spirit of Inquiry @ Mirra – ParentSpeak
On 15th June 2021, the first Science lab session was introduced at Mirra in virtual mode. It has been an exciting journey since for all of us - the students, parents and facilitator.
The human need to solve problems can arise from curiosity or from necessity. The facilitator takes our curiosity to the next level through a variety of experiments.
Planning begins way ahead of the session when the materials and observation recording template are shared. Using a multi-modal method, the students are engaged in learning in an interactive and interesting way. The sessions begin with greetings, review of the previous session and presentation of the concept behind the experiment. Then we head towards the experiment with enthusiasm; we spend quality time in doing science during and after the session. After the experiment is completed, the session ends with a quiz based on the day's learning. The quiz has become a ritual in our science lab sessions and the students look forward to it.
Students learn about taking turns, appreciating a given opportunity, listening and focusing, observing details and recording them. Inferences are also made based on the concept and observation.
Takeaways
Science is not just what a few people do in their laboratories, but it is a learning related to our lives, something that everyone can understand and participate in.
There is science everywhere. We should be interested in science and try to have a close relationship with it, so that we are able to understand what is happening around us. The most important thing is to became part of it, to participate.
We now believe that it is possible to make science easier and more interesting to students, so they learn science doing science.
“When education is viewed as inquiry, important things happen. The focus of education becomes learning and the task of teaching becomes one of supporting the inquiry process." - Harste
We look forward to exploring the inquiry process.