Potato chips are being gleefully pounded by mortar and pestle in one corner and a heated discussion about the boiling points of the constituents of wine is underway in another. My most significant professional accomplishment is joyful learning. Moments like these can come when students design their own laboratory investigations based upon an interesting challenge or at an exhibition after working long and hard on a project. They happen regularly when students are pressed to construct their own understanding. After refusing to give a direct answer but having instead pushed a student with a challenge, I feel joy when I hear; "Oh, now I get it!" The process can be challenging yet the result is always sufficient to reward.
If you are ready to get started using an inquiry-based approach to learning:
Guided Inquiry Chemistry Lessons
Institute for Inquiry at The Exploratorium
Inquiry and the National Science Education Standards: A Guide for Teaching and Learning
Teaching Inquiry-Based Chemistry
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