Educational Insights

A teacher asked me a version of this question after a workshop, and it is one I hear all the time. She loves hands-on science and knows her students learn more when they are doing rather than watching. But every time she sets out the materials and turns students loose, the room gets away from her. Groups race ahead before they know what they are doing, a few students take over while others drift, materials get misused, and by the time she has put out one fire another has star

This week’s question comes from a high school science teacher who writes: “You showed a matrix during your presentation with processes across the top (generate, critique, support, refine, problematize) and products down the side (model, explanation, argument, and so on). Can you explain what each of those processes and products actually means, and give some examples of what the tasks look like when you pair them up to assign group discussion tasks?” Thank you for sending this

A teacher asked me this question after a recent workshop, and it is one I get a lot. Whenever she tries to start a discussion, the same two or three students answer everything, the rest of the class checks out, and even when students do talk, they end up off topic in about thirty seconds. The pattern is familiar, and it is not a personality issue or a classroom-management issue. It is a design and facilitation issue, which means it is something we can actually solve. Below ar

Assessment has always been more than a neutral measure of student achievement. In science classrooms, assessments shape what gets taught, how it gets taught, and how students see themselves as learners. They signal what counts as important knowledge. They influence how classroom time is spent. And they affect which students come to believe they are “good at” science. At their best, assessments illuminate student thinking, guide instruction, and provide meaningful feedback. At

When Round Rock ISD first encountered Argument-Driven Inquiry (ADI), they saw a vision for what inquiry-based science instruction could look like: authentic, student-centered, and aligned with rigorous standards. By training a Science Cadre, piloting investigations, and scaling through PLCs, the district built teacher leadership and transformed classrooms. Today, ADI helps RRISD teachers engage every student in doing real science while also strengthening literacy and critical

Critical thinking in inquiry encourages students to question, analyze, and evaluate information. It pushes them beyond passive learning to active discovery.