Enhancing Inquiry Skills through NGSS Design

Science and innovation are central to human progress for a long time. With the world currently relying on science as a field that leads many innovation and projects that are critical in the world, the need to make students understand and love science early is critical. The problem is that the way teachers teach science in school is difference from how science is practiced in real life. Therefore, The Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) have a role in filling the discrepancy. One of the roles of NGSS is to introduce a sense of inquiry to students in their early stages. From the video, therefore, it is evident that NGSS focuses on developing the habits and skills that scientists and engineers use in day-to-day life. In this sense, the teacher’s role is to guide the students but allow them to practice what they learn and make a conclusion for themselves. 

The students get to engage in the practice, reason through different aspects of an issue, and explain their conclusion based on the evidence they get for themselves. In this sense, NGSS enhances the skills of research and enquiry among the students ( NGSS: Science & Engineering Practices). The NGSS content is formulated to help students learn how to think rather than telling them what to think. From the video also, it is evident that when the students use the framework designed under the NGSS guideline, the students get the encouragement that is vital for them. The degree of inquiry and research allows the students to question, investigate, and draw their inferences based on evidence. With the level of inquiry and research skills that NGSS enhances in students, it means that students develop the ability for independence, a high degree of responsibility, and being proactive when they approach matters. Such students will, therefore, be suitable in the world of science, where inquiry is the key to success. 

Reference

NGSS: Science & Engineering Practices . Teaching Channel 2020; https://learn.teachingchannel.com/video/science-engineering-practices-achieve