ABSTRACT
What does it mean to teach science through inquiry? If teachers should teach science through inquiry, and if they should first experience the ways they are expected to teach, then what might it mean to teach "science teaching" through inquiry? These questions have emerged from my experiences during the past decade in designing activities and assignments in courses for prospective teachers (van Zee, 1998a, 1998b, 2000; van Zee & Roberts, 2001; van Zee, Lay, & Roberts, 2003). I write from the perspective of an instructor inquiring into my own teaching practices (Cochran-Smith & Lytle, 1993; Hubbard & Power, 1993,1999; Shulman, 1998). This chapter reflects on the meaning of teaching through inquiry and ways in which such teaching can form the basis for courses on methods of teaching science in elementary school.
