Conducting experiments is seen as a valuable, if not essential, part of physics education. However, such activities are also costly and time-consuming. Moreover, it is often reported that these activities hardly contribute to the students’ content knowledge, nor that they enhance students’ view on how science works or teaches them how to plan an inquiry independently.
In this interactive presentation, I highlight our approach to teaching scientific inquiry - engaging students in scientific inquiry through a focus on argumentation. I will elaborate on the various studies conducted on teaching scientific inquiry to 14-16y olds (culminated in the dissertation 'Development of a teaching-learning sequence for scientific inquiry through argumentation in secondary physics education').
In addition to a brief overview of the scientific findings, I engage participants hands-on in the activities, provide practical advice and materials that can be directly applied in the own classroom setting.