The Go-Lab Inquiry Cycle

The Go-Lab Inquiry Cycle is graphically presented in the image.

This activity includes two ILS
In this first ILS we will follow this pathway:
OrientationQuestionExplorationData InterpretationConclusion;
There is a second ILS that can be done after this one, that will follow a slightly different
pathway, because students will have to design experiments and take data. In this case, the
structure wil be:
OrientationHypothesisExperimentationData InterpretationConclusion;

About the lesson plan

Title:
Better if bulbs don't explode
Brief Description:
This is an ILS thought for 12-14 years old students that work with electricity in a more
conceptual way, talking about potential and intensity for the first time in their curricula.
Students will have to find a way to avoid bulbs exploding in a circuit and explain the reason
why they did it in the initial example presented.
In the second ILS following this one, students will have to find the relationship between the
main electrical magnitudes in the bulb.
Subject Domain: Technology, physics, electricity
Keywords: Electric circuit, voltage, intensity, resistance.
Language: Catalan
Age Range: 12-14 years
Didactical Hours: 2 hours
Educational Objectives (Types of knowledge):
Factual:
-Components in a basic electric circuit.
-Limits in electric magnitudes for real components.
Conceptual:
-Main electrical magnitudes: Resistance, Power, Current and Potential.
Procedural:
-Connecting electrical circuits
-Changing electrical magnitudes in a circuit.
Meta-cognitive :
-Using simulators as a way to study behaviour of real systems
-Ability to self-evaluate and correct their work

Orientation
The students are presented with a problem: one of their classmates is trying to add a bulb
light to one construction and can't find the right way to do it. There are already three bulbs
that have explode.
In the presentation video included in the ILS, the student shows in her computer screen how
she has constructed the circuit and the bulb explosion, and ask for help.
Students have to work in groups of 4 students (3 if necessary), using some of the
collaborative techniques they have been taught in the tutorial hours, which include:
Reading the material in groups and checking everybody understands the problem
Sharing ideas by 1-2-4 strategies.
The rotating paper
Dividing the work in different parts and distributing the roles
Co and auto-evaluating the results of its work using rubrics.

Conceptualization
The class has been working previously about the different elements that you can find in a
circuit, and we have defined voltage, resistance, power and intensity. Students have
completed the scheme included in the file previouswork.pdf (solved scheme is included too in
another file) using the textbook.
Presentation (5 minutes)
First of all, students are presented with the problem and they see the video. We check
everybody has understood the explanation and we give them the personal material
(Go-Lab_ILS_electric circuit1_individual.pdf) and the group material (GoLab_ILS_electric circuit1_grup.pdf)
List of concepts (30 minutes)
They are asked to select a list of concepts that they think are important to solve this
problem. They have to choose them from the their textbook, their notes and the
previous scheme.
They use the 1-2-4 collaborative technique to do it: They have 5-10 minutes to read
individually the text and construct a personal list. Then they share during 5 minutes
this list with one of its classmates and complete it. Finally, they have to arrive to an
agreed list with the four components of the group.

This technique is used to allow everybody to have a time to think for themselves, and
avoid only quick answering students to contribute.
Conceptual map (25 minutes)
They have to construct a conceptual map linking the different concepts. To do it we
use the rotational paper technique:
We ask them to construct sentences linking the main concepts (ie.: Voltage in the
circuit is produced by generators. Bulbs are receptors. Voltage descent in receptors,
resistances helps us to control intensity...). They have to write this sentences in turns
on a shared paper that rotates between the different members of the group. The rest
of the group have to check the written sentence is right.
Once they've got the set of sentences, they construct the conceptual map by hand.
The student who is in charge of information technologies will have to get a definitive
copy with the CmapTools for the next classroom.
TEACHER TIPS:
The details related to exact way teacher conducts the class will change, of course, from one
group to another.
This activity is directed to a class group that has some experience with collaborative
techniques. The small working groups have been already organized by the tutor at the
beginning of the term. Students are used to roles distributions and have already use 1-2-4
and rotatory paper techniques.
Students have used cmaptools and google docs too.
These pupils have no previous experience with inquiry learning methodology, so the activities
are very detailed and they will need a lot of scaffolding. In more experienced groups,
students may be allowed a higher degree of autonomy, and they may design or decide the
activities they need to solve the question.
Question (5 minutes)
The main question for this first part is presented by the teacher: How can we construct a
circuit that works properly?
In this last part of conceptualization, they have to think for the next class session possible
questions that allow them to work with the solution: Can we change the bulb? Should we
change the source? Can we add some resistance? Or some other bulb? How should we
connect it?...
They think and write down these ideas in their individual report as homework for second
session.

Investigation
Computers are necessary for this second session.
Presentation of the Lab circuit simulator (10 minutes)
Teacher explains the main components in the lab and the way it works.
The URL for the Lab is:
http://go-lab.gw.utwente.nl/production/circuitSimulator/build/circuitSimulator.html

Ideas discussion in the group. (20 minutes)

They share the different questions and possibilities they have thought individually at
home, and decide which are they going to try first.
For every idea, they will have to complete in the group inform:
The proposition to solve the problem
The screen capture with the circuit implemented
The outcome of the circuit
Conclusion (10 minutes)
Once they have tried all the ideas, they have to look again at the results and to arrive to an
agreement about the best option they have found. They will present this option to the class.
Discussion
Sub-phase 1: Communication (15 minutes)
Every group will explain to the classroom their main conclusions and the way they have
found to solve the problem. If possible, they have to justify why its solution works using the
concepts introduced in conceptualization phase
Sub-phase 2: Reflection (5 minutes)
Reflection, in this activity, includes two steps:
They have to complete the rubrics to evaluate themselves and their group classmates.
They can do this part at home and give it back to the teacher in the next class if
necessary (they are included in the individual documentation)
Teacher can conduct a 10 minutes final discussion that is the introduction activity to the
second ILS related to electric circuits. Students can be oriented to the idea that there
may be some way to have a better insight in this problem, using numbers for the
properties we have been discussing.