About CSTL
CSTL is a
not-for-for profit 501(C3) organization with the mission of encouraging
science learning and literacy. This means giving people
and children the opportunity to study science topics in an exploratory and
inquisitive way. This type of learning is similar to how a scientist may
conduct an experiment or make new discoveries. A scientist may call this the
scientific process in which the questions about a subject matter and their
answers are generated by the scientist. In the field of education this is
known as inquiry-based learning. The basic premise of this type of learning
is that the learner is the designer of their experiences. The teacher is a
facilitator of this process and points, interjects, and suggests ways
in which the learner may pursue answers. The teacher is in a sense teaching
someone how to learn and not just giving the answers or content.
What makes inquiry-based learning powerful is
what it offers students:
1. The ability to learn how to ask questions and understand what
types of questions make good questions. This means
that learning new or unexplored ideas will be
easier as the learner asks questions that are pertinent to the challenge
at hand.
2. Good questioning technique gives the learner ownership of
their learning, thereby motivating the learner to seek solutions and
answers.
3. The ability to problem-solve and work-out situations,
experiment, test, collect data and research, and form a conclusion.
In conclusion, inquiry-based learning gives people the tools to
learn on their own. In reality, this is very similar to how society functions; how we function depends greatly on our ability to ask questions, find
answers, and propose solutions. The use of the inquiry based teaching strategy is
the philosophy threaded into CSTL's programming, allowing CSTL to complete its
mission of encouraging science learning and literacy.
