“What If Not” Strategy Applied to Open-Ended Stimulating Problem Posing in Inquiry-Based Geometry Classes

Abstract

It has been more than two decades since researchers advocated the inquiry-based instruction in their classes. The idea, as appealing as it is in the theory, appeared not to be as fruitful in implementation. There are reports of students’ resentments, frustrations, withdrawals, as well as challenges that instructors faced in their choice of appropriate and stimulating geometry problems. The present article is intended to exactly address these problems by exploring new ideas and presenting examples of open-ended geometry problems for future research and experimentation. The ideas and strategies presented here can be used in almost all instructional settings in general and for pre-service and in-service geometry teacher education students, in particular.