Application Of Modeling Thought In Scientific Inquiry

Since the modern times, the development degrees of science and technology had been more and more regarded as an indicator of the prosperity of a country, as a result, the science education had been an increasingly important event. And the scientific inquiry --advocated by Dewey and Schwab-- has gradually occupied the dominant position in the field of science education.In the reform of the fundamental educational course, China had clearly put forward the requirements of learn to inquiry, innovation and practice, all this stuffs had fully embodied that for a period of time in the future, the key teaching points of science education courses should be focused on cultivation of the students’ scientific literacy.As a former examination-oriented education experiencer and a growing-up practitioner of scientific inquiry curriculum, the author had practiced a number of scientific inquiry based teaching cases, during his study pursuing a master degree. The author found that scientific inquiry curriculum was naturally more lively than the traditional teaching way, and more capable at cultivating students’ inquiry, creativity and practice ability. But at the same time, it was easy for some novice teachers to lose the original goal of teaching, lose the leading role of the classroom. That would lead people to a wrong impression that scientific inquiry was just play.In order to eliminate this impression, the author thought that the method of modeling might be a solution to the problem.Then, on one hand, the author adopted the further development of the case--" which LEGO non-powered car could move further" --as an example, using the experimental research method, practiced the project that to integrate modeling into inquiry activities, and confirmed that it was feasible; and also completed through a modeling way that this activity needed to consider two factors--the load and tire-- and the concrete method of how they could affect the travel distance of the car.On the other hand, through the reflection and interpretation of the case’s further development process, the author used the case study method to interpreted how to modeling a method in the inquiry activities. It is also pointed out that another feature of this case was that in the last of this inquiry activity, the answer was still suspended and open. These would be a considerable role in encouraging students to get richer and more creative knowledge.At the end of this paper, the author briefly introduced the activity design of the LEGO car case, and then shared a few thoughts on scientific inquiry.