inquiry-based discovery learning

Inquiry-based discovery methods allow students to draw conclusions and construct meaning for open-ended questions by collecting and analyzing data with minimal guidance or instruction. In such activities, the process of investigating is valued as much as, if not more than, the results of those efforts. Skills associated with scientific inquiry include asking questions, planning and conducting investigations, using appropriate tools and techniques to gather data, thinking critically and logically about relationships between evidence and explanations, constructing and analyzing alternative explanations, and communicating scientific arguments.

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Gummy Bear Demo
// Tuesday, April 7, 2026 Michael Jansen
The “gummy bear” demonstration is a mainstay in 11 (Honors) Chemistry. It is visually stimulating, sure to excite the most jaded, social media-addicted teenager. This article provides a thorough, thought-provoking analysis of the products. It will deepen students’ understanding of the importance of empirical observations, and of good ol’ fashioned thinking.
// Monday, November 17, 2025 Daniel Rivera
Implementing a Process-Oriented Guided Inquiry Learning (POGIL) style recrystallization activity provides students with an opportunity to actively engage in the learning process while reinforcing key chemical concepts such as polarity, solubility, and purification techniques.
Assassin's Bottle title card
// Tuesday, September 16, 2025 Tom Kuntzleman
The disappearing rainbow1 is a wonderful chemistry demonstration previously featured here on ChemEdX.2-4 In this experiment, a colorless solution of NaOH is poured into a row of flasks, each containing a different acid–base indicator.
// Tuesday, August 26, 2025 Nora Walsh
Given the success of the first installment of Five for the First, I thought I would write a follow-up column highlighting five more activities I do during the first week of school! These are activities I have used to set up my classes for success.
CLC Innovators Program preview image
// Thursday, October 31, 2024 Peter Sanders
The Chemistry Laboratory Curriculum (CLC) Innovators Program is now accepting applications for the 2025 cohort! This program offers institutional teams from across the U.S. the chance to participate in a week-long summer institute and ongoing virtual support meetings during the 2025-2026 academic year.
Picture Perfect Chemistry title preview image
// Saturday, October 19, 2024 Tom Kuntzleman
Josh Kenney, Melissa Hemling, and I just published an article in the October 2024 Journal of Chemical Education. The article describes inquiry-based activities that highlight the chemistry behind “No-Mess” picture-coloring books.1 Well, it turns out that our timing is impeccable.
The Chemistry of Water Reveal Coloring Books preview image with picture of water reveal dinosaur book
// Tuesday, July 16, 2024 Tom Kuntzleman
A variety of interesting coloring books are available on the market that use water as a coloring agent.1 When water is applied to the pages of these books, colors seem to appear like magic. When the water evaporates, the colors disappear. This allows the pages of these books to be colored over and over again.
Exploring Color Separation in Salting-Out Experiments preview image with image showing color changes from green to blue over yellow
// Saturday, May 4, 2024 Tom Kuntzleman
In “salting out” demonstrations, a mixture of water and an organic liquid separates into two layers upon addition of an inorganic salt.1-4 Typically, acetone or various alcohols are used for the organic liquid, while NaCl, Na2CO3, or K2CO3 are used as the salt.