My biggest inquiry class hasn't done much inquiry recently, due to some intense work on chemistry background. We're working our way up to an inquiry about heat transfer, which should be fun. We've just done an example lab, and will be starting background research this week.
My other physical science class is finishing up an inquiry about simple machines. I tried to focus the background research by providing specific questions to answer, but that seemed to backfire, as students were missing the big picture in an attempt to answer specific questions. Attendance also became a problem, with students who missed class holding on to their group's materials. I did get each group to reflect after a first round of data, and modify or troubleshoot their apparatus for a second round of experimentation, which was a step forward. With this group in particular, I feel I may need to limit inquiry groups to two individuals, since there were a few students who let their group members handle the entire project.
My chemistry students will be trying something slightly different this week, with a problem-based lab that requires stoichiometric calculations in order to solve.
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