  The objectives of physics laboratory courses include fostering conceptual
understanding and development of several important cognitive, psycho-motor,
attitudinal and affective abilities. In most of the Indian colleges and
universities (and probably at many other places all over the world) the usual
practice of performing a set of experiments, in a cook-book mode, seldom helps
students achieve the objectives of the physics laboratory courses and develop
the abilities and skills required to become a successful experimental
physicist. This paper describes the details of an instructional approach
designed and being followed by the author for a past few years, to encourage
students independent thinking in the physics laboratory. This instructional
approach encourages students active participation, independent thinking and
offers an opportunity to learn how to think scientifically during traditional
physics laboratory courses without major curriculum and content changes. Here,
guided problem solving approach is adopted by combining problem-solving and
guided design modes of instruction. In this approach an experiment is presented
as an experimental problem with well thought procedural instructions. During a
typical laboratory session, first an introductory demonstration is presented to
each group of a few students separately for the first twenty minutes by the
mentors as a prelude to the problem and the remaining laboratory time is made
available for students to independently solve the experimental problem. The
paper also illustrates the approach by describing a familiar experimental
problem and the demonstration on Electromagnetic damping with some details of
the experimental arrangement, which is being used by the author for training of
students and teachers at the introductory university level.
