Inquiry Strategies for the Journey North Teacher Asking, "How Do We Know What We Know?" Back to Menu of Inquiry Strategies The overarching question, How do we know what we know? is vital to being a critical thinker, citizen, and scientist. It is a particularly important "lens" to use today when we are awash in information from a virtually unlimited variety of sources. Scientists rely on evidence (data from their own and others' observations and investigations) to construct explanations and answer their questions. A good scientist respects evidence and is willing to change his or her ideas, predictions, theories, and explanations if new information is inconsistent or contradictory. Questions That Help Students Consider Evidence KWL Chart: How Do You Know Identifying Sources of Evidence Facebook Pinterest Twitter © 1997 – 2019 Journey North. All rights reserved.