After reading the articles, I have to admit that I have feelings of excitement and anxiousness. I agree that inquiry is the best method for learners to make meaning of the world around them and to internalize that information to later use again. Reflecting back on my elementary and middle school science science experiences, sadly, it was mostly read the chapter, answer the questions, define the vocabulary terms and then have a test. I was fairly good at memorizing and recalling information. However, that wasn’t sufficient in my college courses. Thankfully, I had parents that helped me explore nature and to find my own meaning. I am thankful that I passed this on to my children. It helped them to think and make inferences and new meaning on their own. Often, I was able to view things in a new perspective through their eyes.

Applying this in my classroom has been a challenge. We of course have a curriculum that we need to follow, however, that does not always allow the students the freedom to direct their own path to learning. Many times my students have asked me just to tell them what I want them to know instead of struggling through the discovery process. It is difficult to get them to think independently but that is one of my goals for my students. I also have had difficulty with having the resources that I need to allow true inquiry learning in my classroom instruction. I hope to gain the knowledge and skills that will guide my students to be independent learners through the inquiry method.