The meaning making about inquiry based teaching in a science teacher preparation program

Abstract

In this work we present an analysis of the effort that a group of tutors and professors have made to share a meaning of the notions “inquiry based teaching” and “inquiry based learning”. For this, we made an analysis of the data produced from notes elaborated in several meetings of this group for two years and in interviews that we did with tutors. We draw on the Theory of the Enunciation of Bakhtin to identify the meanings put into circulation by the participants, considering the positions of the participants and the specific conditions of enunciation. The results of our analysis point to some tensions among point of views of these persons about inquiry based teaching and learning. And addition, it point out the existence of some parameters that can help us to define a way to understand these notions conceived by this group.

Keywords

• inquiry based teaching
• teacher preparation program
• construction of meaning
• theory of the enunciation