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Participants:

Paul Grobstein, BMC faculty, biology; Alice Lesnick, Bi-Co Ed Program faculty; Anne Dalke, BMC faculty, english; Elizabeth Catenese, BMC alum, teacher; Ashley Dawkins, BMC undergrad, physics; Betsey Reese, BMC Information Services; Darla Attardin, BMC alum, Information Services, Alison Cook-Sather, Bi-Co Ed Program faculty; Peter Brodfuehrer, BMC faculty, biology; Glenn Heck, Delaware Valley Friends, teacher; Wil Franklin, BMC faculty, biology; Sonya Martin, alum, Drexel faculty, science education; Betsy Schmidt, Haverford undergrad

Proceedings (summary by Alice Lesnick)

During this session we used texts by Paul and Alison to uncover ideas and questions about the nature of open-ended, transactional inquiry. We explored and challenged our own understandings of the meaning of inquiry and its connection to our different philosophies of education. Is science as much about creation as about discovery? Is change always good, always to be sought, in educational practice? Is pleasure an important source of insight into the value of educational experience? We then turned to instances of practice, hearing from an undergraduate student about physics instruction she is experiencing at college and in the high school classroom in which she is a classroom assistant, and from two biology faculty. The main focus of this discussion became assessment: how can assessment be congruent with inquiry-based teaching? What is at stake?