Chapter 9: Using Inquiry to Teach Inquiry: A Pre-Service Science Education Model with Possibilities for Developing Hispanic English Language Learners’ Academic Discourse

There is emerging evidence that inquiry-oriented approaches to science teaching and learning show promise for meeting the needs of an increasingly culturally and linguistically diverse U.S. student population. Despite calls from national associations of science educators and educational researchers for adopting inquiry methods in science teaching, however, there is evidence of a lingering “teaching gap” (Stigler & Hiebert, 1999). Science teaching in the U.S. is still largely focused on developing students’ procedural knowledge, while it neglects their conceptual development. Teacher preparation programs face the challenge of preparing the next generation of teachers to adopt methods that they may have never experienced as learners. This chapter presents findings of a study of K–4 teacher candidates’ development of understanding of inquiry pedagogy in science. In their growing understanding of inquiry, they also realized its potential for supporting English language learners’ conceptual and linguistic development. We highlight the reflections of five of the study participants who, through immersion in inquiry teaching and reflection on their teaching experiences, demonstrated transformation in their perspectives of pedagogical methods and their relationship with linguistic development.