Ways in Developing Learner's Inference Skills in Science

Developing learners' inference skills in science can be achieved through a variety of strategies that engage
students in critical thinking, observation, and logical reasoning. Here are some effective ways to foster and
enhance inference skills in the context of science education:

1.Hands-on Experiments: Encourage students to actively participate in hands-on experiments. Observing

phenomena, collecting data, and drawing conclusions from the results promote inference skills.

Example: Experiment Title: "Effect of Sunlight on Plant Growth"

Objective: To investigate the impact of sunlight on the growth of plants and make inferences based on the
observations.

2. Scientific Inquiry Project: Assign scientific inquiry projects where students formulate hypotheses, design
experiments, and draw conclusions based on their observations and data analysis. This process engages them
in the scientific method and enhances inference abilities.

Example: "The Impact of Soil pH on Seed Germination"

Objective: To investigate how different soil pH levels affect the germination rate of seeds.

1.Did the soil pH levels have an impact on seed germination? How?

2.What patterns or trends did you observe in the data?
3.Were there any unexpected results, and how do you explain them?
4.How can your findings be applied to real-world scenarios, such as agriculture or gardening?

3. Data Analysis Activities: Provide students with data sets and ask them to analyze the information.
Encourage them to draw conclusions, identify patterns, and make inferences based on the data.

Example of Data Analysis Activity: "Analyzing Climate Change Data"

Context: Students are given a set of climate change data, including temperature measurements and
precipitation levels, over the past few decades for a specific region

4. Peer Collaboration: Foster collaborative learning environments where students can discuss and analyze
scientific concepts together. Peer interactions provide opportunities for sharing perspectives and drawing
collective inferences.

Example of Peer Collaboration Activity: "Ecological Impact Discussion"

Context: Students are studying the ecological impact of human activities on a local ecosystem. They are
divided into small groups to collaboratively discuss and analyze the information.

5. Model-Based Learning: Use models and simulations to help students visualize and understand scientific
concepts. Discussing the limitations and implications of the models requires students to make inferences about
how well the model represents real-world phenomena.

Example of Model-Based Learning Activity: "Simulating Population Dynamics"

Context: Students are exploring the dynamics of population growth and decline using a computer-based
simulation.

6.Problem-Based Learning: Present students with real-world problems that require scientific analysis and
inference to solve. This approach encourages them to apply their knowledge and draw conclusions in practical
situations.

Example of Problem-Based Learning Activity: "Analyzing Water Quality Issues in a Local River"

Context: Students are presented with a real-world problem related to water quality in a nearby river. They need
to investigate and propose solutions based on scientific analysis and inference.

7. Inquiry-Based Labs:Design inquiry-based laboratory activities where students have the opportunity to
explore and discover scientific principles. This hands-on approach promotes active engagement and enhances
inference skills.
Example of Inquiry-Based Lab Activity: "Investigating Enzyme Activity"

Objective: To explore the factors affecting enzyme activity through a hands-on laboratory investigation.

Guide to making an inference

Use these steps to help you make an inference:

1. Identify the premise

When making an inference, first identify what you are inferring. This allows you to focus on what you are trying
to understand. For example, if you see your brother carrying a baseball, you may want to make an inference in
regards to what your brother is doing.

2. Ask a question

After identifying your premise, you can ask a question about what is occurring. The conclusion you make at the
end of your inference can help answer this inquiry. For instance, you may ask, "Where is my brother going?"

3. Search for clues

Next, look for clues that may help you make your inference. You can do this by observing the situation. In the
above example, you may note that your brother is carrying a baseball. You may also see that he has keys in
his other hand.

4. List relevant details

Create a list of relevant details that may help you determine what's happening. For instance, you may
remember that the last time your brother carried a baseball, he was about to go to the park to play with the
neighbor. You also might recall that when your brother has keys in his hand, it usually means he's driving
somewhere. However, you also know that sometimes when he has keys, it's because he's returned from
somewhere else.

5. Narrow down the choices

Once you have a list of details, begin eliminating the ones that are probably unlikely. Doing this can help you
reach your logical conclusion. For example with the brother, you can eliminate that your brother has returned
from somewhere since you know he's been in the house the past hour.

6. Make your inference

Finally, put your observation and knowledge together to make your inference. In the example above, you can
conclude that your brother is most likely going out to the park to play baseball with the neighbor since he'ss
carrying a baseball and his keys. You reached this conclusion by thinking back on your experience and
observation.

Classifying Objects and Events based on their Observable Characteristics

Classifying - grouping or ordering objects or events into categories based on properties or criteria.

Example: Placing all rocks having certain grain size or hardness into one group.

The process of sorting involves grouping objects or events according to their similarities, whereas the process
of classifying involves grouping objects or events into groups (e.g., when an educator asks students to sort the
cutlery by putting all of the forks in one group, all of the spoons in another, and all of the knives in a third
group). When students sort and classify objects or events, they are determining the attributes that the objects
or events share, and what attributes they don't share, or how they are alike and how they are different.

Sorting & Classifying are important because they...

● are processes that support the development of students' reasoning abilities

● support skill development and concept attainment in areas of mathematics such as geometry, pattern
recognition, grouping numbers, sets and data management
● support the development of scientific concept that things can belong to and be organized into unique
groups (e.g., living things, machines, types of weather, etc.)

Developing the Skill of Sorting & Classifying

1. Describe things, including how they are the same and how they are different.

Example: "This is a picture of all the things I saw at the pond. This one's an insect and it lives outside the
pond. This one's a fish and it lives in the pond"

2. Sort collections of items into groups according to one self-determined attribute and/or property and talk
about how they sorted/their sorting rule.

Example : when presented with a collection of cutlery: "I put all of these in one group because they are all
made of metal."

3. Describe the attributes and/or properties that a group of things does not have.

Example: "These fasteners are all made of metal but they do not have ridges." 4. Sort objects and/or events
according to two or more self-determined attributes and/or properties

Example: "I put all of these pieces of material in one group because they all feel rough and they are all blue."

5. Classify collections of items into groups according to attributes and/or properties provided by the educator.

Example: "Classify the pictures according to the habitat in which the animal lives: the jungle. the arctic, or the
desert."

6. Find examples of how classification is used in everyday life and how having things sorted and classified is
helpful.

Making Predictions Based on Evidence

Predicting is an important reading strategy. It allows students to use information from the text, such as titles,
headings, pictures and diagrams to anticipate what will happen in the story. When making predictions, students
envision what will come next in the text, based on their prior knowledge. Predicting encourages children to
actively think ahead and ask questions. It also allows students to understand the story better, make
connections to what they are reading, and interact with the text.

Making predictions is also a valuable strategy to improve reading comprehension. Students are able to make
predictions about a story, based on what they have already heard, read, or seen. This in turn, will allow
students to become actively involved in the reading process. To determine if their predictions are correct,
students should be required to reread portions of the text to recall facts about the characters or events within
the story. Picture walks can serve as a tool to organize information within a story, which can also increase a
child's comprehension. During a picture walk, students are able to activate their prior knowledge and connect
the visual images in the story to their own personal experiences.

Students can also use a graphic organizer to predict the outcome of a story. They can do this by identifying
clues within the text to predict how characters will behave and how significant problems in the story will be
solved. When using a graphic organizer, students are able to stay fully engaged in the story as they capture
their thoughts in a logical way. It is important for teachers to encourage children to record clues that either
support or deny their predictions. Teachers can also allow students to revise their predictions in order to reflect
on the clues that are found within the text.

Making predictions encourages readers to use critical thinking and problem solving skills. Readers are given
the opportunity to reflect and evaluate the text, thus extracting deeper meaning and comprehension skills.
Students will also be more interested in the reading material when they connect their prior knowledge with the
new information that is being learned.

Types of Predicting Skills

1. Interpolation is a process of determining the unknown values that lie in between the known data points. It is
mostly used to predict the unknown values for any geographical related data points such as noise level,
rainfall, elevation, and so on.

Example: Let's consider a scenario where you have collected elevation data for various locations on a
mountain range. However, there are some locations for which you don't have direct elevation measurements.
In this case, interpolation can be used to estimate the elevation at those intermediate locations based on the
known data points.
2. Extrapolation can be defined as the prediction or the estimation of a variable beyond the given data set by
observing its relation with the other variable in the existing data set. Some extrapolation techniques are linear
extrapolation, conic extrapolation, and polynomial extrapolation. Extrapolation is about predicting hypothetical
values that fall outside a particular data set. The predictive quality of extrapolation means the method is usually
used to predict unknown future values, unlike interpolation, which is usually about estimating past values.

Example: suppose a data set consists of four given values: 1, 3, 5 and 7. If these values were plotted on a
graph and the line was expected to continue in the same way, the fifth value could be extrapolated as 9.