Guided Inquiry and Discovery in General Chemistry

The teaching of laboratories in the General Chemistry curriculum is an opportunity for educators to provide students with a flavor of the practice of Chemistry. We present a guided inquiry and discovery oriented approach to presenting experiments in the General Chemistry laboratory. Our presentation requires students to design and implement an investigation in response to a scientific question. Students are provided with a guiding set of questions, leading them to design and implement an experimental investigation. Such an approach mirrors the process of scientific experimental design and research. We present a solubility product experiment within our paradigm of first year chemistry experiments. The experiment involves discovery of the common ion effect from the experimental data and calculations. A work sheet with guiding questions is provided as a supporting document for easy integration into an existing curriculum.