ABSTRACT
RESEARCH AND CURIOSITY Why does Sandra want to stay in from recess? Which lab exercises best get across the concept of momentum? If you ask questions such as these, you show a researcher’s curiosity. You can probably answer many questions by informal observation or by asking questions of your students. If Sandra tells you that Tommy and Paul gang up on her during recess (and she says the teacher on duty tells her she has to solve her own problems), you may have your answer for why she avoids recess outside. Still you might note whether she goes out when other teachers are on duty or when Tommy and Paul are absent. You are then acting as a researcher. You are informally gathering data on a variable you think might explain Sandra’s behavior.
