Ways of knowing beyond facts and laws of science: An ethnographic investigation of student engagement in scientific practices

In this study, an anthropological perspective informed by sociolinguistic d iscourse analysis was used to examine how teachers, students, and scientist s constructed ways of investigating and knowing in science. Events in a com bined fourth- and fifth-grade elementary class were studied to document how the participating teacher provided opportunities for students to diverge f rom the intended curriculum to pursue their questions concerning the behavi or of sea animals in a marine science observation tank. Analysis of the cla ssroom discourse identified ways that particular teaching strategies provid ed opportunities for student engagement in scientific practices. implicatio ns of this study fbr the teaching of science in elementary classrooms inclu de the value of student-initiated science explorations under the conditions of uncertainty and for topics in which the teacher lacked relevant discipl inary knowledge. (C) 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.