• Supports students in constructing scientific argumentation
• Trains students to better select, evaluate and communicate their ideas as part of a good scientific argument
• Gives students an opportunity to practice logical scientific reasoning when presenting their answers
• Helps students link scientific knowledge and practices to what happens around them in real life, thereby changing their perception that studying science is mere memory work

Why IASA?

Science as an Inquiry is central to the current framework of the Singapore Science Curriculum. It focuses on students adopting an investigative approach to science – to make observations, search for evidence, debate and discuss possible solutions, and construct new scientific understandings.

The IASA learning packages and web application are developed:

• with input from current science teachers
• with prototypes on three science disciplines, biology (Ecology), physics (Heat) and chemistry (Chemical Changes)
• to help teachers teach students to use argumentations as part of the investigative nature of scientific understanding
• to support a richer experience of science learning through argumentation

How Does It Work?

IASA, which stands for Integrative Approach to Scientific Argumentation, features learning tasks that guides students in writing out their scientific reasoning and argumentations, using the Claim-Evidence-Reasoning (CER) format.

The learning tasks use real-life scenarios that help students connect the scientific observations and investigations to their everyday lives.

The IASA web app additionally provides an engaging platform for students to review and give feedback on their classmates’ work in small groups. Using the app, students are guided to

• think critically about the scientific claim
• examine how and why each piece of evidence justifies or denies the claim
• provide advice to their friends on improving their claim(s), the evidence, and/or the reasoning(s)

Evidence from IASA Research

• Students who were engaged across the three implementation cycles demonstrated gradual improvement in the quality of written scientific arguments.
• Students were more deliberate in adopting the criteria and conventions for good scientific argumentation.

How Can Teachers Get Started?

Facilitating Factors for Adoption of An Argument-based Pedagogy

• Strong beliefs about the importance of argumentation in teaching science
• Carving out time and space to internalize the rationale of this pedagogy
• Trying it out, supported by continuous reflective discussions

If you’re interested to try using the online IASA web app with your students or for more information on the IASA toolkits, contact the Principal Investigators, Dr Seah Lay Hoon or Dr Azilawati Jamaludin.

Further Readings

The IASA Model

Research Projects

IASA: Investigative Analysis and Structured Argumentation for Seeding Critical Thinking and Inquiry Skills for the 21st Century

Research Team

To learn more about this research, please contact the Principal Investigators, Dr SEAH Lay Hoon at layhoon.seah@nie.edu.sg or Dr Azilawati JAMALUDIN at azilawati.j@nie.edu.sg.

Principal Investigator

• Dr SEAH Lay Hoon (formerly of NIE)

• Dr Azilawati JAMALUDIN, OER, Learning Sciences and Assessment AG, NIE

Co-Principal Investigators

• Prof David HUNG

Collaborator

• Dr Dawn Ng

• Mr Kom Mun Siong, MOE

Research Associates

• Mr Frederick Talaue (formerly of NIE)

• Mr Gde Buana Sandila (formerly of NIE)

Software Developer

• Mr Lee Chun Yuan