# data[].attributes.headline
Incorporation of Constructed Response Through Inquiry-Based Instruction

# data[].attributes.subject
Incorporation of Constructed Response Through Inquiry-Based Instruction

# data[].attributes.body
Teachers can promote student constructed responses through inquiry-based instruction. Minner, Levy, and Century (2009) list the core components of scientific inquiry as:

1.  Learners are engaged by scientifically oriented questions.

2. Learners give priority to evidence, which allows them to develop and evaluate explanations that address scientifically oriented questions.

3. Learners formulate explanations from evidence to address scientifically oriented questions.

4. Learners evaluate their explanations in light of alternative explanations, particularly those reflecting scientific understanding.

5. Learners communicate and justify their proposed explanations.

As cited by NRC, 2000, p. 25

# data[].attributes.body
My experience teaching high school Biology and Geophysical Science over the past few years has greatly influenced the focus area of this action research project. As part of my teaching philosophy, I believe that students should leave my classroom as scientifically literate individuals, ones who can transfer their understanding of scientific concepts to real-world situations. Over the past few years I have noticed my students are lacking in their ability to apply their understanding on a deeper level. Students struggle to construct explanations, use evidence, solve complex science problems and use reasoning skills. This action research project is geared towards studying the use constructed response as a way of improving students' overall depth on knowledge, as well as their performance on more complex activities and assessments.

# data[].attributes.body
See possible resources in the document attached below.

# data[].attributes.body
Newly designed assessments, such as those associated with the Common Core "will feature more rigorous readings, more complex writing tasks, more sophisticated use of evidence, and more reasoning and non-routine thinking in mathematics" (Silver & Perini, 2014, para. 5).

"Open-ended responses provide a rich opportunity for students to engage in the active generation of knowledge, problem solving, explanation of difficult concepts, and reasoning that are not required or emphasized in closed response test items" (Magliano and Graesser, 2012, p. 608).

"Open-ended items also provide opportunities for instructors to provide substantive feedback to students at a relatively fine-grained level, which is important for enhancing learning outcomes" (Magliano and Graesser, 2012, p. 608).

"Doing science is more than direct experience; it is a process of inquiry where understanding is constructed from experience using a creative and logical process of scientific reasoning" (Worth et al., 2009, xi).

# data[].attributes.body
"We define student-constructed responses as those that require a student to produce an answer in natural language that may range from a couple of sentences to several paragraphs" (Magliano and Graesser, 2012, p. 608)

# data[].attributes.headline
Potential Barriers to the Frequent Use of Constructed Response: 

# data[].attributes.subject
Potential Barriers to the Frequent Use of Constructed Response: 

# data[].attributes.body
1. Grading student constructed responses can pose many challenges that educators may not be willing to face. Both time, as well as the expertise required to provide effective feedback, need to be considered.

2. Students' ability to demonstrate understanding through constructed response will not occur automatically. Therefore, already limited classroom time must be devoted to scaffolding student learning through instruction and practice.

3. Altering classroom instruction to be presented in a more inquiry-based manner challenges the current need to "cover" content quickly and superficially in an effort to get through all required content standards. Many educators may be uncomfortable with this shift.