Hawaii Elementary School Teachers to Present Their Students’ RIP-Guided Scientific Inquiries at the 2006 National Science Teachers Association’s National Conference

When students act as real scientists in the classroom using a scientific inquiry model called the Research Investigation Process (RIP™), the students become motivated to want to learn about science and language arts! This is the message that three teacher’s from Hawaii elementary schools will be sharing as they describe how they were able to develop and implement inquiry-based lessons to address state and national standards in science and language arts at the National Science Teachers Association’s (NSTA) National Conference on Science Education next month.

Honolulu, HI (PRWEB) March 23, 2006 –- Imagine being a child in a classroom in which learning standards-based concepts in science, language arts, mathematics, and even history is not done through reading books, but rather through conducting a scientific investigation that will help you to answer your own questions about something that you find interesting. That is what some fortunate students at Kahala Elementary School in Honolulu, Hawaii and Kalei'opu'u Elementary School in Waipahu, Hawaii are experiencing during the school year. Teachers Susan Kamida, Lori LoRusso, and Glendene Otake will be sharing their lesson plans, experiences, observations, and the outcomes of their students’ learning through scientific inquiry with colleagues from throughout the country in their presentations on April 7th at the National Science Teachers Association’s (NSTA) 54th National Conference on Science Education in Anaheim, California.

These and a number of other elementary and secondary school teachers in Hawaii have been engaging their students in learning through a scientific inquiry/critical thinking approach to education called the Research Investigation Process or RIP™. The RIP™, developed by neuroscientist, science education specialist, and teacher Robert Landsman (marketed by ANOVA Science Education Corporation; http://www.anovascience.com), was designed to promote student interest in learning by providing them with the skills and opportunity to find answers to their own questions. Like scientists, students make observations, ask questions, and suggest what they believe to be the best answer to their question. This “tentative” answer is then tested for its correctness through a research study conducted by the students. In addition to serving as an education model for the development of standards-based curricula and instructional strategies, the RIP™ also supports the National Science Education Teaching Standards. Not only do teachers engage in instructional practices which foster student interest and learning, but they also create and share with their colleagues new knowledge about the teaching of science. “We are very pleased and excited to see actual student products resulting from our teacher professional development sessions on the RIP™ program,” stated ANOVA Science Education Corporation CEO Dr. Landsman. “The development and application of scientific inquiry and critical thinking skills are evidenced in these fine examples of teacher implementation and student outcomes that directly target state and national science education standards as well as language arts and mathematics standards.”

In her talk entitled “Caterpillar to Butterfly: Transforming Kindergartners into Scientific Inquirers,” Ms. Glendene Otake will describe how her students experienced the excitement of learning about and investigating the natural world using the RIP™ scientific inquiry approach. According to Ms. Otake, “With the RIP™, the student takes an active part in exploring, discovering, and analyzing the world around him or her.” Their investigation involved using the same inquiry processes used by real scientists as her students learned about the concept of the life cycle while they tested their own hypothesis about the life cycle of the butterfly. “The RIP™ is a fundamental inquiry process that may also be used to organize the students’ thought processes in problem-solving and critical thinking in any area of life,” said Ms. Otake, “It is unlike the traditional lecture type teaching, where the teacher does most of the work and the student takes on a passive role. Because the student is an active learner, the aha’s that the student experiences are meaningful and memorable. The learning that takes place has more impact on the students’ lives.” Ms. Otake also claimed that the RIP™ provides her with an excellent strategy for integrating the teaching of language arts into science. “The students are writing with a purpose. Their writing makes sense and has meaning and relevance to their lives.”

Special Education teacher Susan Kamida and Kindergarten teacher Lori LoRusso both use the RIP™ in their classrooms and have also experienced success in science and beyond. According to Ms. Kamida, “A ‘Wow!’ moment occurred, confidence grew, connections were made, and my special needs student with severe memory problems came to class with a new found interest in learning language arts.” Together in their workshop, “Inquiry Is to Language Arts as Reading and Writing Are to Science!", they will demonstrate how the RIP™ can be used as a scientific inquiry approach to teach students the genre of fairy tale and folk tale and for strengthening reading and writing skills. Using this unique instructional approach to language arts, the teachers will guide conference participants through an example of the steps that are used with special needs students in order to develop an investigation centering on the students’ own research questions originating from their own observations. “We, as classroom teachers are excited and appreciate this opportunity to share with our national colleagues the student outcomes that result from this scientific inquiry process that fosters critical thinking in all content areas,” stated Ms. LoRusso.

ANOVA Science Education Corporation, with offices in Honolulu, HI and Teaneck, NJ, promotes science education in K-12 schools. The company assists schools in implementing the Research Investigation Process (RIP™), a scientific research-based scientific inquiry program designed for grades K-12. Through the RIP™, the company supports schools by providing students with critical thinking and decision-making tools for life-long learning that supports economic growth and security in the USA. The corporation recently developed a subdivision, ANOVA Science Publishing, to coordinate all of its science education products, which include instructional books and posters featuring the RIP™ scientific inquiry program. The company’s newest product is “Look at Me Now,” a guided inquiry book for teachers. As sole distributor of products and services associated with the RIP™, ANOVA Science's contribution towards the nation's movement for science education reform has been recognized and well received by the National Science Teachers Association and other national and state education organizations. ANOVA Science's activities and services include professional development workshops, seminars, and projects; teacher coaching and mentoring; curriculum development addressing state and national standards; and publishing education materials available online at http://www.anovascience.com. For more information, please call (808) 741-8512 or visit us at http://www.anovascience.com.

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