Teaching Inquiry and

Inquiry is central to the learning of science. It has been described as “an approach to learning that involves a process of exploring the natural or material (or social) world and that leads to asking questions, making discoveries, and rigorously testing those discoveries in the search for new understanding ” [1]. This article explores the impact of teaching inquiry as contrasted with doing projects and laboratory exercises. Learning through inquiry requires one to have problem solving skills. The authors discuss some of the approaches that they used to teach problem solving skills to High School Physics, Physical Science and Pre-engineering students and some authentic performance assessment methods that were used to provide effective and timely feedback to the students. We also discuss the change in the teaching philosophy of the teacher during this process and the implications of these changes for future students. Background on PROBE Project Scientific inquiry, according to Dow [2], has its roots in the “inherent restlessness of the human mind”. He also said that “the basic human trait that has ensured both our survival as a species and our continuous cultural evolution is our curiosity”. Human progress is a direct function of inquiry as is borne out by history. From ancient Greece, to the Renaissance and to the Age of Enlightenment this passion for inquiry, fueled by questioning and debate has been passed on to the twenty first century scientist. Students need to be taught how to develop the skills necessary to think like scientists and engineers. The development of solid scientists and engineers requires both the learning of concepts and the acquisition of inquiry skills such as scientific thinking and problem solving. Therefore, because inquiry skills are so important, cultivating them should be a significant part of the education process