The Suchman

Inquiry Model

Presented by:
Karen Hicks
J ean Overstreet
EDUC 617 Models of Teaching

Inquiry Model
Often children are taught in school as though the
answers all come from their textbooks. In
reality, most problems we face in the world have
no easy answers.

In everyday problem solving, it is not usually
clear what information will be needed to solve a
given problem, nor is it always clear where the
information can be found. Therefore, everyday
problems generally have no one right solution.
Robert Sternberg



Benefits gained from inquiry model

According to Jerome Bruner, there are 4
benefits:
An increase in intellectual potency
The shift form extrinsic to intrinsic
rewards
(instead of giving back the right answers, students
manipulate the environment and solve problems)
Learning the heuristics of discovery
(the more experienced one is for solving problems,
the best one can learn how to solve problems
better)
Aid to memory processing


History/Beliefs of the model

J. Richard Suchman presented his model
in the United States in 1962.
The Suchman Inquiry Model can be used
with any subject.
He believed that scientific strategies could
be taught to young learners.
When students ask why out of genuine
interest, they are more likely to grasp the
information and to retain it as their own
understanding!

Steps in the Suchman
Model
I. Select a problem & conduct research
II. Introduce the process & present the
problem
III. Gather data
IV. Develop a theory & verify
V. Explain the theory & state the rules
associated with it
VI. Analyze the process
VII. Evaluate
I. Select the problem & conduct
research
The teacher begins by selecting a puzzling problem
that is truly stimulating for the students.

Any subject can follow this model. All that is
needed is a puzzling situation for the students to
find a logical and reasonable solution!

The teacher completes the necessary research on the
problem and prepares a data sheet for quick
reference . The teacher determines how much
information should be provided to the students at
the beginning of the inquiry process and what
additional information might be needed if the
students are having difficultly.

II. Introduce the Process & Present
the Problem
The teacher reads the problem aloud or hands
out problem sheets.
Students Rules to follow:
May ask a question only when called on
Talking only to one another during caucus
periods, times given to group discussion and
cooperative work among students
Questions must be phrased so that the teacher
can answer with a simple yes or a no
Allowed to continue asking questions as long as
they are getting a positive teacher response.


III. Gather Data
Each question must be asked as a
tentative hypothesis.
Teacher can answer yes or no or Can
you restate that question?
Data gathered should be recorded on
given data sheets or on the board as the
teacher directed you earlier.
IV. Develop a Theory & Verify
Students can pose a theory that would
answer the original problem. The class
can either accept or reject it. If
accepted, then the class begins
working on a deeper understanding of
the theory. They may ask to caucus in
order to discuss the information and
form hypotheses to ask. The theory
must be proven by the class before
moving to the next step.
V. Explain the theory & state the
rules associated with it

Once the students have explained their
theory in their own terms, they
formulate a method to test the theory.
When they discover there is error with
their tests/theory, then they must go
back to data collection and start over.


VI. Analyze the process
Students review the process they utilized
to come into acceptance of their theory.
Now, they should consider how they
might have sped up their process (i.e.
forming more effective questioning
techniques).


VII. Evaluate
Determine if the students really did
understand the theory and process.
Since there is no right answer, ask
them to identify another probable
theory this can lead to debate.
Ask students to come up with their own
puzzling situation or problem to solve.


Quiz

1) The teacher must do all of the
following except
a. Prepare an interesting and
puzzling problem.
b. Come up with data sheets.
c. Answer students questions with
yes or no.
d. Perform tests of the students
hypotheses.
d


3) The Suchman model is more
A. deductive
B. inductive
C. cant determine from the research
B
2) Which of the following would be an advantage with
the Suchman Inquiry Model?
a. The teacher will spend less in preparation time.
b. The community (parents, school, etc) will like this
teaching model the best.
c. Students will make a passing score on the unit test.
d. Students will value learning for learnings sake.
D
4) Who is credited for coming up with 4
benefits for this model?
A) Johnson & Johnson
B) Barak Rosenshine
C) Jerome Bruner
D) Robert Sternberg

C
5) The teacher can answer any and all question(s)
the students may have at any point during their
processing.

A) True
B) False
C) Cant determine

B
6) The students do all of the following
except
a. Depend on the teacher to tell them
the answer.
b. Ask questions that can be
answered with a yes or no.
c. Form hypotheses in the form of
questions.
d. Test their hypotheses.

A











7) The first step in the Suchman
process is
a) Present the problem
b) Select a problem/research
c) Gather data
8) Students should consider only one
theory at a time
a) T
b) F
7) B
8) True

9) This teaching model is
A. highly teacher centered
B. highly student centered
C. combination of a & b
C
10) The Suchman model is best described
as
A. direct instruction
B. problem solving centered
C. cooperative learning
B









The End!!