Content vs. Process

I feel like there's a good argument that there needs to be a balance of content and process in science classes, however, there are students who lack fundamental knowledge that makes any process meaningless.

My classes so far have heavily emphasized the content of the sciences. The application and process of the science will come in later stages of inquiry.

I feel like the first-year mistake is to try to make everything an inquiry activity when that's just not possible your first year. After your first year you learn that it's just as important to know how to reteach or re-emphasize what you've been teaching to get students to retain information on some level.

I have had some success getting students to retain information for more than 1 or 2 days. It shocks me that students can recognize things now and that they're capable of understanding what they see when I show them a DNA molecule and when I talk about enzymes and how most enzymes end in -ase.

I feel like inquiry is something that is difficult to implement without some prior knowledge. I mean it's counter-intuitive but if students are completely clueless, then inquiry is a frustrating and meaningless class activity.

I don't know, I suppose it depends on the activity and it's design but I find that the more effective methods of teaching tough concepts is to teach it over and over in different ways...