Science & Engineering Practices:
1. Asking Questions and Defining Problems
Students at any grade level should be able to ask questions of each other about the texts they read, the features of the phenomena they observe, and the conclusions they draw from their models or scientific investigations. For engineering, they should ask questions to define the problem to be solved and to elicit ideas that lead to the constraints and specifications for its solution.
(NRC Framework2012, p. 56) Scientific questions arise in a variety of ways. They can be driven by curiosity about the world, inspired by the predictions of a model, theory, or findings from previous investigations, or they can be stimulated by the need to solve a problem. Scientific questions are distinguished from other types of questions in that the answers lie in explanations supported by empirical evidence,including evidence gathered by others or through investigation. While science begins with questions, engineering begins with defining a problem to solve. However, engineering may also involve asking questions to define a problem, such as: What is the need or desire that underlies the problem? What are the criteria for a successful solution? Other questions arise when generating ideas, or testing possible solutions, such as:What are the possible trade-offs? What evidence is necessary to determine which solution is best? Asking questions and defining problems also involves asking questions about data, claims that are made,and proposed designs. It is important to realize that asking a question also leads to involvement in another practice. A student can ask a question about data that will lead to further analysis and interpretation. Or a student might ask a question that leads to planning and design,an investigation,or the refinement of a design. Whether engaged in science or engineering, the ability to ask good questions and clearly define problems is essential for everyone. The following progression of Practice 1summarizes what students should be able to do by the end of each grade band. Each of the examples of asking questions below leads to students engaging in other scientific practices. Asking questions and defining problems in grades 3–5 builds on previous experiences and progresses to specifying qualitative relationships. - Ask questions about what would happen if a variable is changed. - Identify scientific (testable) and non-scientific (non-testable) questions. - Ask questions that can be investigated and predict reasonable outcomes based on patterns such as cause and effect relationships. - Use prior knowledge to describe problems that can be solved. - Define a simple design problem that can be solved through the development of an object, tool, process, or system and includes several criteria for success and constraints on materials, time, or cost. |
There are 2 goals to this practice: 1) to motivate students to explore, create, and innovate; and 2) to guide further investigation and design solutions.
While it helps for teachers to model effective questions, students need to generate their own questions to activate their prior knowledge, focus their learning efforts, and elaborate on their knowledge. Science becomes more interesting and personal as they pursue questions and investigate to find answers. Students in kindergarten begin by asking questions about what they're observing. All of the Cross-Cutting Concepts (CCCs) are related to productive questions: - What patterns do I see in the data? - What are the possible causes? - Did I precisely measure the quantities? - How do different parts of the system exchange energy? - How does the structure of this match its function? - Can we reverse the changes? Engineers ask questions as they define a problem to solve. They may look at the nature of the problem, people's needs, and constraints (like money) to creating solutions. They may ask about the best materials to use or possible consequences of their solutions. Throughout the design and testing process, engineers ask further questions about the performance of their solution and how it can be improved. |