Calls for reform-based science instruction have highlighted inquiry as a critical component in science education (e.g. National Research Council [NRC], 1996, 2000, 2007). To date, there has been little research describing how teachers' classroom practice changes as they implement inquiry-based instruction. This study characterizes how an experienced elementary school teacher changed with respect to her responsiveness to student thinking (i.e. the degree to which she followed up on her students' ideas) as she implemented three iterations of an inquiry-based module on the water cycle.

This research was guided by two overarching questions: (1) How can a teacher's responsiveness to student thinking be characterized?; and (2) How does one teacher, Mrs. Miller, change with respect to her responsiveness to her students' thinking over the course of three iterations of an inquiry-based module? In order to answer these questions, two distinct, yet complementary, methods of analysis were used.