Inquiry-based approach to science a hit with students

“I like the way he teaches—you have to teach yourself, decide how you learn it,” 11th-grader Tyler Grimes said. “You can answer the questions in three different ways, see it three different times and get used to it.”

“Not everyone learns the same way,” said Anne Rollins, who is Grimes’ lab partner and also an 11th-grader. “And you learn by teaching someone else, explaining it to each other.”

Rollins said they don’t have to be perfect or focus on just getting the answers right for a test. The emphasis is on understanding concepts, many of which are repeated in units throughout the year. If they don’t understand something the first time around but pick it up later, they can get a grade in an earlier unit changed since they demonstrated an understanding.

Scali’s approach teaches the skills valued in STEM fields—critical and analytical thinking, time management—but they are skills that can benefit anyone. Students also gain confidence as problem-solvers.

“I had never been in a class where you were given what you were expected to know but not told how,” said Travis Piser, a former student of Scali’s and now a freshman at the University of Delaware studying to become a biology teacher. “Every teacher talks at you, but Scali never gives answers, he gives questions. It’s more fun to learn that way. It’s like solving a puzzle.”

Scali actively researches best practices and cutting-edge approaches, and he hops from group to group in class, providing guidance and direction. Of course, he challenges the students to arrive at answers on their own.

“I want students to see they can do this,” he said. “If they think about processes and apply it to the real world, I think I’ve done my job.”

Information from: The News Journal of Wilmington, Del., http://www.delawareonline.com.

For more news about STEM education, see:

Climate change skepticism seeps into classrooms

Meet six of the country’s best STEM schools

New framework aims to shape K-12 science

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