Abstract:

The implementation of the Inquiry Based Science Education (IBSE) and introducing of modern smart technologies into science teaching are two core processes which are recently highlighted in Czech Republic among factors, proposed to help enhance the attractivity of natural science for the young people and to increase the achievement of science education. Recent international research indicates that the use of modern technologies facilitates the implementation of the inquiry approach in science education. On the other hand, last findings indicate that such smart didactic technologies as interactive whiteboards (IWB), possessing high potential for the use in inquiry didactic approach, are in practise mostly used by teachers just like data projectors or tools for didactic games or evaluation, but unfortunately, they are not entirely utilized in inquiry education.
Therefore we conducted a case study tracking a classroom research on teaching program aimed to the morphological properties of the leaf, which was based on both, IWB as well as inquiry approach. As a focus group, the 7 th grade pupils from three different schools in South Bohemia were chosen. At each school one focus group of the pupils was educated through inquiry approach by using IWB and another group of pupils was taught the same topic through classical frontal teaching without IWB. The level of pupils understanding was evaluated by pre and post-test and the results of the tested pupils taught by inquiry - IWB education were compared to the results of control group of pupils taught by frontal teaching. The pupils were also asked for their opinion on the absolved inquiry lesson unit by a short questionnaire immediately after the lesson.

Here we bring the design of our inquiry - IWB program and the results of our research case study.

We concluded, that inquiry approach by using IWB was very efficient and was accepted very positive by pupils. Inquiry teaching through IWB increased significantly pupils‘understanding of morphological properties of the leaf. According to the statistic evaluation of control test, the pupils from the tested group reached higher score than the pupils from control group. Also participants‘view of the use of IWB in inquiry, as follows from the analysis of the questionnaires, was very positive. Prevailing part of the focus group of pupils was very engaged in lecture, showed higher attention and work enthusiastically on inquiry tasks.

Based on our case study, we can assume that inquiry teaching by properly using IWB can attract the pupils to nature science and increase the pupils‘achievement of science education. These findings are to be proven by further research.

Acknowledgement:
This work was supported by project no. GAJU 078/2013/S

Keywords:

inquiry based science education, interactive white board.