Lecture on Laboratory Approach applied to Teaching

1. Chapter 8: Laboratory and Field Work
Objectives:
1. Define and give purpose for lab and field work
2. Discuss and construct exercises in five lab approaches
3. Discuss elements of pre- and post-lab discussions
4. Describe teaching tips for successful labs
5. Plan productive and safe field trips

2. I. Defining Laboratory Work
A. Engages students in finding out first hand
1. Involves asking questions, making observations, proposing
solutions, making predictions, organizing data, explaining patterns
2. Can be used to improve technical skills
3. May involve specialized equipment
B. Central to science instruction
1. Shows students what scientists actually do
2. Develop a better understanding of concepts and principles
3. Provides concrete experiences
4. Promotes:
a. Attitudes towards science
b. Scientific inquiry
c. Conceptual development
d. Technical skills
C. Concerns
1. Often aimless, trivial, and badly planned
2. Periods too short, students often don’t complete the lab, lack
materials
3. Should promote inquiry, not be “cookbook” only

3. II. Approaches to Laboratory Work
A. Science process skills
1. Learning skills, not content, is sometimes the primary goal of a lab
2. Often addressed at the beginning of a science course
3. Mental processes associated with science:
a. Observing and Inferring
i. p. 152 gives an example exercise
ii. Observing = noting something with senses or an instrument
iii. Inferring = explaining what you observe
b. Measuring: p. 153 give creative example of a practice exercise
c. Hypothesizing = general statement about set of phenomena
d. Communicating
e. Experimenting = trying something out
i. Can be controlled, where only one variable is allowed to change
ii. Independent variable = what is changed
iii. Dependent variable = what you are measuring
B. Deductive or Verification Lab
1. Confirm concepts already presented in class
2. Convince students through concrete, personal experience
3. Try to avoid cookbook by allowing some freedom to try things

4. C. Inductive Laboratory
1. Develop experience with a concept before formal instruction
2. Students search for unknown patterns and principles
3. Example box 8.2, figure 8.4, and figure 8.5
4. Learning cycle (5E lesson plan) exploration step prior to explanation
encourages the use of inductive labs
D. Technical Skill Laboratory
1. Manipulative and hand-eye coordination skill important to science
2. Teachers should master all skills in the content area (p. 158)
3. Examples:
a. Care and use of microscopes is very important to biology students
b. Measuring voltage and current important in physics
4. Diagrams, graphs, drawings are important in all sciences
5. Struggling with basic skill impedes learning concepts in lab
E. Problem-Solving Lab
1. Allow students to participate in selecting problem (insect to study)
2. Students typically understand better when organizing own learning
3. Can serve to motivate low or high-achieving students

5. III. Preparing Students for Lab
A. Pre-lab discussion
1. Inform students why, how, and what they will be doing
2. Should explain how lab related to topic currently under study
3. If inductive lab, don’t give away the principle
4. May include demonstration of new techniques or equipment
5. Labs are less cookbook if student know what to look for
B. Giving directions
1. Need to be explicit and contain safety information
2. Oral instructions are fine for one-step activities: test pH with paper
3. Distribute written instructions or write on chalkboard if complex
4. May include questions for students to answer at certain points
C. Post-lab discussion
1. Often rushed or ignored due to lack of time
2. Critical to students crystallizing what they have learned

6. 3. Suggested post-lab activities
a. View and analyze data and observations
b. Have students explain data and how it demonstrates concepts
c. Check student misconceptions; they don’t always “get it”
d. Discuss science process skills to connect lab with science/technology
IV. Teaching Tips for Successful Labs
A. Relevance of Lab work
1. Lab can become disconnected from course content, everyday lives
2. Use of commonplace equipment (xylophone, candles, household
chemicals) provide connection to reality (Rubin, 1988)
3. Make sure lab is tied to content taught in other ways
B. Structure in Lab activities
1. Short exercises with plenty of direction seem to work best at first
2. Students become frustrated if they “don’t know what to do”
3. Some less structured labs facilitate problem solving, conceptual
change, and motivation. Can be incorporated later in a course.

7. C. Student Recording and Reporting of Data
1. Try to keep is simple so most time is spent on the experiment
2. Most manuals provide space for student data collection
3. Should vary, just as complexity of labs vary
4. Open-ended or inquiry labs may require more in-depth reporting
a. Typical format: problem, materials, procedure, results, conclusions
b. Often quite time-consuming to grade
5. De-emphasize correctness of data and conclusions, emphasize
process skills
D. Management and Discipline
1. Arrange for enough space and to keep materials away until needed
2. Individual work is best, but not always feasible
3. Groups often promote off-task activities: assign roles
4. Noise can be a problem in the less structure lab environment
5. Continuous contact with teacher can help: walk around, don’t sit
6. Rules and policies should be developed and discussed prior to lab
7. Example set of policies p. 165

8. E. Evaluation
1. Items to grade: lab exams, reports, notebooks, behavior, effort
2. Lab exams should be short and should reinforce concept learning
3. Lab practicals = stations with skills, techniques evaluated
4. Effort and behavior should count significantly, especially in middle
school
V. Field Work
A. Contributes to scientific literacy
1. Authentic learning experiences
2. Often the most memorable and enjoyable activities
B. Planning a Field Trip
1. Hospitals, power plants, factories, wildlife refuges are possibilities
2. Selection must be based on connection to curriculum
3. Survey possible sites prior to trip; often areas right around the
school can provide natural environment needed (p. 167)
4. Consult administrators for permission and policies
5. Make sure students know exactly what to do once in the field
6. In-class activities before and after maximize educational benefits