Generating and Testing Hypothesis

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Definition

When students generate and test hypotheses, they are engaging in complex mental processes, applying content knowledge like facts and vocabulary, and enhancing their overall understanding of the content. This strategy can be used in any content area.

Types

Systems analysis
Problem solving
Experimental inquiry
Investigation

Steps

Identify a place in upcoming lesson where one type of task for this strategy might fit and be intentional in using it more consistently by thing about the following:
Make sure students students can explain their hypothesis and conclusions
- Provide students a set of steps for the task
- Use familiar content to teach the students the steps in the process and explicitly model the strategy use.
- Provide sentence stems to support young or struggling students
- Use graphic organizers to record information when carrying out the process (anticipation guides)
- Provide rubrics that clearly define the expectation
Use a variety of structured tasks to guide and scaffold students through generating and testing hypothesis
- Decision Making
- Problem Solving
- Invention
- Experimental Inquiry
- Historical Investigation
Provide minilessons to promote student understanding of how to develop a good hypothesis, or how to write an explanation of their conclusions.

When to Use

Can be used in all content area classrooms
When there is a question to be answered

Benefits

The act of generating hypotheses is a powerful activity in any type of classroom instruction
Generating hypotheses involves two types of thinking.
- The first, deductive thinking, is the process of using a general rule to make a prediction about a future event or occurrence.
- Inductive thinking, on the other hand, is the process of drawing new conclusions based on information we already know and are taught

Testing for Starch in LiquidsJohn Orsulak's students work in groups using iodine to test for starch in an array of liquids. Students record and analyze data and conduct the test with their team.

Too Hard? Break It Down!Sixth grade teacher Suney Park explains how she breaks hard concepts down in order to make content accessible to her students. By distilling difficult ideas into their basic components, Suney is able to teach challenging content to her sixth graders. Suney talks about how she tells her class that the work they are doing is challenging and often done by people much older than them. Through Suney's encouragement, her students are motivated to take on challenges.

Hypothesizing About BugsNadia Jaboneta has her pre-K students make hypotheses about bugs and test their hypotheses in small groups. Nadia begins by having students share their previous observations about bugs and guides them to construct hypotheses. In small groups, students test these hypotheses and use evidence to support their reasoning.

Resources

Dean, C., Hubbell, E.R., Pitler, H., Stone,BJ., "Classroom Instruction that Works Research-Based Strategies For Increasing Student Achievement, 2nd Edition" McREL 2012

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