This course will engage participants in exploring the foundations of inquiry-based teaching and learning while gaining a new familiarity with Woodland Park Zoo as an informal science education setting. Through making observations on zoo grounds, developing comparative questions, devising investigations to answer those questions and communicating results, participants will experience the full process of inquiry and will learn how to facilitate this process with their audiences. This type of first-hand, experiential learning encourages independent and critical thinking, increasing students’ awareness and concern for the local environment and its inhabitants. We will engage in activities that demonstrate the applications of inquiry in the classroom, on zoo grounds, in the schoolyard and other outdoor settings. We will discuss case studies that illustrate the use of inquiry to improve science learning and engage students/citizens as leaders in their communities. Through this course, participants will develop the investigation, critical reflection, and collaboration skills needed to lead inquiry‐driven learning for diverse communities. They will learn to develop a comparative question, design an inquiry‐driven scientific study, and develop their skills in scientific writing and research. Participants will come away with information and techniques for applying inquiry in classroom and informal education settings, developing inquiry skills in their audiences and assessing inquiry-based learning.