;
Lorem Ipsum Dolor Spring 2016
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that none of the mentors or students received explicit instruction in the
practices; the practices emerged naturally in the environment meant to foster
inquiry.
The most frequently observed practices were obtaining, evaluating and
communicating information and planning and carrying out investigations. This
was no surprise as the whole purpose of the camp was for students to
develop an investigation and be able to talk about it. The least frequently
observed practices were analyzing and interpreting data and engaging in
written and oral argument from evidence. Ways to implement these two
practices in classrooms has been a topic of discussion among researchers
(McNeill, 2011.) When prompted through questioning, students readily
supplied the reasons for their conclusions, but few volunteered the
information out right. Students were more inclined to simply relate their
procedures. Questions and results were offered after they explained what
they had done. Table 2 lists the numbers of students who demonstrated the
practices.
40
