Ripon College1, Physics, Ripon, WI 54971 University of California Santa Cruz2, Physics, Santa Cruz, CA 95060 University of Notre Dame3, Physics, Notre Dame, IN 46556
The process of guided inquiry is gaining popularity in science classrooms at all educational levels. Through this interactive process, students are allowed to engage with information in a way that is most beneficial to them according to Howard Gardner’s Theory of Multiple Intelligences. This research uses Gardner’s theory as a theoretical framework to provide insight on why guided inquiry has been successful. It was found that guided inquiry supports each of the intelligences outlined by Gardner, and does so in a natural way through the use of science notebooks, minimally guided laboratory procedures, and “whiteboard” sessions. This suggests that the Theory of Multiple Intelligences should be recognized as an important factor in the construction of guided inquiry curricula.
T. Knowles was supported by a NSF-REU grant and by the Northern Indiana Science, Mathematics, and Engineering Collaborative.
[Abstract (PDF)]