Inquiry Project Ideas: Exit Slip

Two particular areas I would like to explore are motivation and scientific reasoning.

Student motivation is important because it affects student outcomes greatly. Researches show that intrinsic motivation is positively correlated with good student outcomes. However, my personal interest in this topic is developed from what I believed was a deficiency in my education. After a long journey, I have finally acquired the skills needed to develop intrinsic motivation within myself. I felt that my parents and schools failed to teach me on how to think for myself, because public education put all of the focus on empathy and "good for the society", two styles of thinking that I already possess and practice. I did not learn how to protect myself and how to make myself feel good, which was the reason for my struggles during young adult years. I would like to investigate various approaches to increase student intrinsic motivation for my inquiry project.

The other reason I decided to teach is the lack of scientific reasoning in public. I found that many policy makers and citizens lack the skills to think with logic and evidence. Many people blindly held their beliefs without the ability to justify and to critically examine them. I also found that many students I tutored lack the ability to formulate a problem with a clear logic flow. I wish to make a difference in my students' lives to equip them with the powerful tool of scientific reasoning. This second inquiry topic can be introduced by dedicating lessons on scientific reasoning rather than the course contents.