Here are my thoughts on inquiry after completing the assignments.

We live in the information age, where at the swipe of your finger information is readily available. Since we live in a technological world with loads of information, the use of strategies which promote inquiry is neccessary for the success of students in the 21st century. The readings support the use of questioning to drive inquiry but also the necessary skills of problem solving and analytical thinking to develop in students for them to use that easily obtained information so they can support, construct, defend and internalize their understanding of a phenonema/event. Reading back though the 8 practices in the Framework for Science Education, the skills needed for students to master these practices require teachers to do a great deal of planning for implementing the use of inquiry in our classrooms. As a high school chemistry teacher, I believe a guided inquiry by reworking some labs and activities will be the most effective. My goal for my classroom is to build and enhance the skills needed for students to successfully use the 8 practices of doing science. I know as a teacher if my students were successful at these 8 practices, they would be the scientific problem solving citizens of the 21st century.