Fostering Inquiry: Reflections of a Vijnana Doot in Chhote Scientists

 Fostering Inquiry: Reflections of a Vijnana Doot in Chhote Scientists

Namaste, I am Jidnyasa, working as a Vijnana Doot, a teacher at the Chhote Scientists program at the Educational Activity Research Centre, Jnana Prabodhni, Pune. With a Master’s degree in science, I'm passionate about nurturing curiosity and fostering inquiry in school students for science.

During the Chhote Scientists sessions, I am deeply engaged in activity-based science education. In this narration, I will share my experience of how I prepared, practiced, and what I observed during Chhote Scientists sessions. I feel glad to share my reflections during the journey.

 As I geared up to prepare for a session on light for the 8th-standard students in the Chhote Scientists program.......

Before diving into the inquiry-based session planning, I decided to perform a concept analysis of light. With a notebook in hand, I started jotting down different keywords (attributes) associated with light. The list began with the obvious ones - light itself, medium, reflection, and refraction. I delved deeper, noting down aspects like the angle of incidence, wavelengths, colors, and the speed of light. Concepts of prisms, lenses, and mirrors also found their place on the list, as did the fascinating phenomena of diffraction and dispersion.

As my list grew, I began to connect the dots and saw how each attribute of concept is related to the other. This led me to develop a comprehensive concept map of light. It was an enlightening experience in itself, witnessing how one attribute of concept flowed into another and realizing the intricate Web of Knowledge surrounding the topic.

With the concept map in hand, I felt more equipped and confident to design an engaging and effective activity-based inquiry approach session on light.

 As I look back, this preparatory task of mind mapping was essential as it helped me organize my understanding of light, identify potential gaps in my comprehension, and initiate thinking about activities which I can organize in class to promote understanding of different aspects of light.

After creating a mind map to outline the key concepts, I thought of finding links in the mind map that matched the objectives of the session. So the next step was to identify activity points that aligned with different properties of light. 

I meticulously worked on a table format to match the properties of light, the approaches of science pedagogy, and the nature of tasks. This helped me to ensure a cohesive and organized activity plan framework. This helped me align different properties of light with various pedagogical approaches such as inductive, deductive, and guided inquiry, which were introduced during our training. This helped me to define the nature of organizational design of tasks, such as demonstration, individual activity, pair task, and group task. This allowed me to visualize components of the session design to provide interactive and collaborative learning experiences during the session.

Referring to the activity bank for light available at the Chhote Scientists repository, I handpicked a few activities to align learning objectives to spark curiosity and interest among the students. For collaborative learning during the session, I designed a combination of activities with a mix of demonstration, individual, pair, and group tasks. This format helped me to visualize flow of the session.

At the end of the tabulation, the thought of material resources required for activities triggered as an involuntary thought, and I started to think about the procurement of materials. When I was asked to develop a kit for the session, I meticulously planned the material requirements and their costs while exploring alternatives. One such discovery was acrylic mirrors, which proved to be a fantastic substitute for glass mirrors. Not only are they lighter and more cost-effective, but they also reduce the risk of injury during handling. To procure these materials, I ventured into the vibrant Bhoari Ali market, where I had a unique and memorable shopping experience.

Prepared with a deeper understanding of the topic, matching content with learning objectives; learning experiences, and working on kit development, I eagerly looked forward to guide the students through the fascinating world of light. The objective of the Chhote Scientists program run by the EARC, Jnana Prabodhini, and KPIT is to ignite curiosity and nurture the scientific spirit in students.  

During our training, I had learned about the importance of icebreakers to kickstart the activity-based sessions. So, I thought of planning an engaging icebreaker activity to capture the students' interest and set the tone of the session. For the icebreaker, I wanted to create something unique and captivating. Thus, I came up with the idea of code messages with letters printed as mirror images. The excitement built up as I prepared the prints for my first activity.

During the icebreaker, I distributed the code messages, and it was satisfying to see a few students quickly identifying the mirrored alphabets. Their curiosity was ignited, and I knew I had engaged them effectively. To involve all students in this exploration, I handed over mirrors to each student. The moment they held the mirrors up to the code messages, their faces lit up with amazement as they decoded the messages. In the end, I gave a take-home task, where students were asked to create mirror image messages.

The icebreaker helped set the tone for the rest of the session. The importance of icebreakers cannot be understated. They serve as powerful tools for the journey of exploration to spark curiosity, create a positive learning environment, and foster meaningful connections between students and teachers with the subject matter.

After the icebreaker activity to introduce different aspects of light, I aimed to engage my students by taking a different approach to content delivery.

To prepare them for the next activity based on reflection, I decided to begin with a simple question: "Where do we use mirrors in our daily lives?" Their responses were delightful, which I jotted down on the blackboard. They mentioned using mirrors while combing their hair, checking vehicles in the rear mirror while driving and biking, even using mirrors to see around corners, and many more. Students' responses to the question reinforced my belief that connecting science education with real-life situations is important to foster interest and understanding.

To introduce the laws of reflection, I decided to opt for an inductive approach activity plan. I decided to allow students to form hypotheses and discover the concept themselves. I provided light ray sources, mirrors, and protractors for them to verify the law of reflection through hands-on exploration. Students were actively engaged in experimentation. I observed that my students were actively exploring, experimenting using material and collaborating while doing the activity. Followed by a discussion based on their observations and findings, I developed a clear diagram on the board.

Indeed, the inductive method to conduct the activity allows students to form their hypotheses about what they are learning. It starts with specific observations and then encourages students to find a generalized conclusion that explains the principle. This experience triggered me to think about how I can use an inductive approach to foster curiosity and critical thinking in my students.

For the next activity, I focused on a guided inquiry-based approach, centring around the exciting concept of Multiple Images. Guided inquiry-based learning empowers students to actively explore, ask questions, conduct research, and develop critical thinking skills under the guidance of a facilitator. 

For the activity, I provided reusable materials like two identical mirrors, tape, a protractor, a candle, and beads. During the Multiple Images activity, I instructed the students to design a setup for experiment to get images of candle by join two mirrors with tape and place a lighted candle in the middle of the protractor. They were then asked to vary the angle between the mirrors and observe the number of images produced.

After experimentation based on their observations, I engaged students in discussions. The focus of the discussion was to examine the relationship between angles and the number of images.  We discussed situations such as what happens when mirrors face each other (parallel) with an object in between, leading to an endless reflection. Together, we concluded our understanding of the phenomenon, as multiple images are formed when two or more mirrors are placed at certain angles to each other. An object's image in one mirror acts as the object for the other mirror, leading to a chain of reflections, resulting in multiple images. We concluded the discussion about the formula for the number of images.

 

The guided inquiry approach allowed my students to take ownership of their learning, foster curiosity, and develop a deeper understanding of light and reflection. The multiple images experiment was exciting and interactive, emphasizing the importance of hands-on exploration and inquiry leading to critical thinking in science education.

In the pedagogical context, guided inquiry-based learning serves as a progression towards investigation, which is project-based learning. Classroom interaction during guided inquiry advances beyond cookbook experiments. As students move towards investigation, they get the opportunity to participate in exploration-based learning rather than traditional instruction-based learning.

I decided to conduct the next activity as a demonstration of the properties of light, as demonstrations are effective and useful in science learning. 

First, I defined the learning outcomes of the demonstration. I wanted my students to understand the concepts of reflection and refraction of light as it passes through different mediums. With this in mind, I gathered the necessary materials: a glass bottle filled with water, a Dettol solution, a laser pointers, an agarbatti, and a matchbox.

 Then I imagined the stage for the demonstration and the position of the students. I decided to arrange the class in a semi-circular configuration, allowing everyone to have a clear view of the experiment. To maintain a smooth flow during the demonstration, I visualized my actions along with an explanation and possible situations for interaction during the demonstration.

On the day of the demonstration, I began by adding Dettol solution to the water-filled bottle and shaking it well. Then, I introduced agarbatti smoke to another bottle before sealing it. I used a laser pointer to shine light through the bottles, both in water and air. This way, the students could observe the path of light in different mediums. As the demonstration progressed, I increased the angle of incidence when the light passed from water to air. This allowed the students to witness the bending of light and understand the concept of refraction. I invited student volunteers to experiment, making demonstration more interactive and memorable.

During the demonstration, the students were fascinated by the visual effects of the path of light and actively participated in the activity. 

I realized that effective science demonstrations require careful planning and precise execution. Due to visual effects, practical experiences, and engaging narratives, I could create a sense of wonder and curiosity among the students. A demonstrator can hold back some information to invite ideas and participation, leading to more focused attention. Demonstration is an important tool in science education.

To wrap up the session on a high note, I revised the activities we performed together and the properties of light we learned. In concluding remarks, I told them about practical applications where reflection and refraction of light are used. I shared a few examples of instruments and applications where these phenomena play a crucial role. I talked about how mirrors are used in telescopes and periscopes to observe distant objects, how lenses are employed in microscopes and cameras to magnify images, how prisms split light to create rainbows, and a few more.

    I would like to highlight an important practice that we follow in our Chhote Scientists team. We prepare as a team. After finalizing the activity plan, I practised the experimental procedure individually. Then I sat together with my colleague, Vijnana Doot from the Chhote Scientists team, to have a demo-practice session. During this session, I conducted the activities for the Chhote Scientists team members as if I was presenting the activities in front of students. The team members shared their observations and provided suggestions for improvement. This simulation exercise significantly helped me.

As a teacher at Chhote Scientists, planning for activity-based sessions with an inquiry approach has been a transformative experience. Earlier, I was just delivering information, sometimes explaining with charts and figures, but during this session, I noticed a wonderful shift—instead of just passively listening, my students were actively engaged and actively thinking.

I think that by aligning the properties of light, pedagogical approaches, and organizational design of tasks, I could organize interactive and collaborative learning experience for my students. The importance of meticulous planning helped me match and achieve the objectives of the Chhote Scientists program in science education. Through carefully designed activities, I could spark curiosity and interest among my students, making learning engaging. This reinforced my belief in the Power of hands-on learning.

To summarize my reflection, I think I should tell one Mantra; a crucial skill that I found essential for science teachers in inquiry-based sessions is Effective Questioning. By asking thought-provoking questions, one can stimulate students' participation, curiosity, encourage critical thinking, and foster a deeper understanding of scientific concepts.

Prashant Divekar

Jnana Prabodhini,Pune