A Study on Science Teaching based on Multiply Programmed Activitv for Inquiry Learning in Secondary School (Part 2) - Species and the structure of Animals -

Abstract

A major aim of secondary school science is to cultivate the students' ability and attitude to keep on inquiring the around world scientifically. This ability and attitude can be acquired by having the students experience many voluntary inquiries. Through the learning activity of “Species and the structure of Animals", which is taught at the earliest stages in secondary school, it is important for the students to understand animals in relation to their surroundings. It is also necessary for the students to have some joyful experiences of discovery through their own inquiries. Science teaching based on multiply programmed activity for inquiry learning is one of the most effective learning methods in having the students such experiences. The following results were obtained from the practical study of this science teaching containing a lot of field activities. 1) In the field activities, all groups of students were able to find many questions by themselves. And most of the students tried to inquire with much interest voluntarily. 2) Although all groups inquired into the structure of animals and scheme of motion, no groups inquired the relation between animals and surroundings how they caught food, and how they propagated. But, by presenting interim reports of the students, all groups could inquire voluntarily all the learning contents which were expected at the later stage of the learning activity.