Deep disciplinary expertise is necessary to help students learn to use laboratory tools and procedures and to make observations and gather data. Once on the job, science teachers have few opportunities to improve their laboratory teaching. It examined the role of laboratory method of teaching in improving the quality of education, strategies for effective use of laboratory method and the problems facing the effective use of laboratory method in teaching science. 153-186). Millar, R., and Driver, R. (1987). Javonovic, J., and King, S.S. (1998). Review of Educational Research, 52 (2), 201-217. Hirsch, E., Koppich, J.E., and Knapp, M.S. Teachers do not have sole responsibility for carrying out laboratory experiences that are designed with clear learning outcomes in mind, thoughtfully sequenced into the flow of classroom science instruction, integrating the learning of science content and process, and incorporating ongoing student reflection and discussion, as suggested by the research. The Integral Role of Laboratory Inves-tigations in Science Instruction, the National Science Teachers Association (NSTA, 2007) presents a similar sen- . Playing this critical role requires that teachers know much more than how to set up equipment, carry out procedures, and manage students physical activities. A new wave of evidenceThe impact of school, family, and community connections in student achievement. Fraser and K.G. The primary role of a teacher is to establish a learning environment where all students are able to learn and are motivated to learn, an environment that is both challenging and supportive: Establish a learning community consisting of the teacher and the students The guidelines note that simply maintaining the laboratory requires at least one class period per day, and, if schools will not provide teachers with that time, they suggest that those schools either employ laboratory technicians or obtain student help. The. They further report (Lederman, 2004, p. 8): By observing practicing scientists and writing up their reflections, teachers gained insight into what scientists do in various research areas, such as crystallization, vascular tissue engineering, thermal processing of materials, nutrition, biochemistry, molecular biology, microbiology, protein purification and genetics. Arlington, VA: National Science Foundation. It was implemented over four day-long Saturday sessions spread over a semester. Even teachers who have majored in science may be limited in their ability to lead effective laboratory experiences, because their undergraduate science preparation provided only weak knowledge of science content and included only weak laboratory experiences. For example, among high school teachers who had participated in professional development aimed at learning to use inquiry-oriented teaching strategies, 25 percent indicated that this professional development had little or no impact, and 48 percent reported that the professional development merely confirmed what they were already doing. Harlen, W. (2001). Bruner, J. (Working Paper No. While teachers play an active role in lecture-based teaching methods, the students' role is usually reduced to sitting at their desks and listening passively to their teachers, to all. Science Education, 75, 121-133. Goldhaber, D.D., Brewer, D.J., and Anderson, D. (1999). The school science laboratory: Considerations of learning, technology, and scientific practice. Background: Researchers generally agree that the teachers academic preparation in science has a positive influence on students science achievement (U.S. Department of Education, 2000; National Research Council, 2001a). (1997). (2001). Implications of teachers beliefs about the nature of science: Comparisons of the beliefs of scientists, secondary science teachers, and elementary science teachers. This is not a simple task (National Research Council, 2001b, p. 79): To accurately gauge student understanding requires that teachers engage in questioning and listen carefully to student responses. For example, the teacher might use descriptive or qualitative language or images to convey concepts related to. Mortimer, E., and Scott, P. (2003). when studying aspects of biology . We do not yet know how best to develop the knowledge and skills that teachers require to lead laboratory experiences that help students master science subject matter, develop scientific reasoning skills, and attain the other goals of laboratory education. The teaching profession is evolving on a regular basis, with new technology being incorporated into teaching methods and information updated regularly. The main role of a teaching assistant is to provide support to the course instructor to ensure the effective delivery of the required materials and to foster a positive learning environment. Ferguson, R. (1998). TA may not leave the lab unattended while students are in the room. University of Michigan Physics Department: GSI training course. Paper prepared for the Committee on High School Science Laboratories: Role and Vision, July 12-13, National Research Council, Washington, DC. Education Economics, 7(3), 199-208. ), The student laboratory and the curriculum (pp. Qualifications of the public school teacher workforce: Prevalence of out-of-field teaching 1987-88 to 1999-2000. Lee, O., and Fradd, S.H. Laboratory Demonstrations: Do start class by demonstrating key techniques or equipment operation or describing the location and handling of special materials. In contrast, a physicist might use mathematics to describe or represent the reflection, transmission, and absorption of light. Windschitl, M. (2004). a deeper understanding of abstract concepts and theories gained by experiencing and visualising them as authentic phenomena the skills of scientific enquiry and problem-solving, including: recognising and defining a problem formulating hypotheses designing experiments collecting data through observation and/or experimentation interpreting data School administrators have a strong influence on whether high school science teachers receive the professional development opportunities needed to develop the knowledge and skills we have identified. teacher in the classroom and thus cause tension like tools, materials, negative working conditions, student violence on teachers, increasing teacher expectations and tiredness of teacher. Laboratory learning: Addressing a neglected dimension of science teacher education. Fraser and K.G. This method can assist children in becoming more engaged readers and developing critical thinking abilities. These might include websites, instructional materials, readings, or other resources to use with students. Evaluating the evidence on teacher certification: A rejoinder. Gather people close to focus them on what you are doing and consider the range of visual and auditory needs among your students to provide equitable access to the demonstration. Further research is needed to inform design of laboratory-focused teacher professional development that can support teachers in improving laboratory instruction. One study found that having an advanced degree in science was associated with increased student science learning from the 8th to the 10th grade (Goldhaber and Brewer, 1997). It aims to support teachers to improve their teaching skills for active learning in university science laboratory courses. In B.J. You choose your level of involvement based on your needs. Bell, P. (2004). Schulze (Eds. Qualified high school teachers will have opportunities to work and learn at the Argonne, Brookhaven, Lawrence Berkeley, Oak Ridge, and Pacific Northwest National Laboratories and at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory. In J.M. Using questioning to assess and foster student thinking. After completion of the course, teachers classroom behaviors were videotaped and analyzed against traditional and reformed instructional strategies. Currently, few teachers lead this type of sense-making discussion (Smith, Banilower, McMahon, and Weiss, 2002). Presentation to the Committee on High School Science Laboratories: Role and Vision, July 12-13, National Research Council, Washington, DC. Science Teacher Responsibilities: Designing, developing, and delivering quality lesson plans and curricula that adhere to national and school guidelines. Davis, and P. Bell (Eds. Available at: http://www7.nationalacademies.org/bose/July_1213_2004_High_School_Labs_Meeting_Agenda.html. Ann Arbor, MI 48109-2218, Strategies for Effective Teaching in the Laboratory Class, 2021Regents of the University of Michigan. National Center for Education Statistics. Laboratory experiments Committee on High School Biology Education, Commission on Life Sciences. Paper presented at the National Association for Research in Science Teaching meeting, March 23, Chicago, IL. Teachers who had engaged in even more intensive professional development, lasting at least 160 hours, were most likely to employ several teaching strategies aligned with the design principles for effective laboratory experiences identified in the research. Methods of assessing student learning in laboratory activities include systematically observing and evaluating students performance in specific laboratory tasks and longer term laboratory investigations. workincluding verification workrequires deep knowledge of the specific science concepts and science processes involved in such work (Millar, 2004). Note: The suggestions below were generated by a group of U-M GSIs based on their experiences teaching in a physics lab course. Hilosky, A., Sutman, F., and Schmuckler, J. Using questioning to guide student thinking. (2004). Active learning opportunities focused on analysis of teaching and learning. Copyright 2023 National Academy of Sciences. International Journal of Science Education 22(7), 665-701. develop and implement comprehensive safety policies with clear procedures for engaging in lab activities; ensure that these policies comply with all applicable local, state, and federal health and safety codes, regulations, ordinances, and other rules established by the applicable oversight organization, including the Occupational Safety & Health In addition, few high school teachers have access to curricula that integrate laboratory experiences into the stream of instruction. Further research is needed to inform design of professional development that can effectively support improvements in teachers laboratory instruction. They reported that the chief function of their school was instruction, followed, in order of emphasis, by preservice teacher education, research, and inservice teacher education. Teachers require several types of knowledge to succeed in these multiple activities, including (1) science content knowledge, (2) pedagogical content knowledge, (3) general pedagogical knowledge, and (4) knowledge of appropriate assessment techniques to measure student learning in laboratory education. Among those who had, an overwhelming majority said the experience had helped them better understand science content and improved both their teaching practice and their enthusiasm (Bayer Corporation, 2004). Current professional development for science teachers is uneven in quantity and quality and places little emphasis on laboratory teaching. location_onUniversity of Michigan instructors and laboratory assistants working in school or college settings in vocational . Bayer facts of science education 2004: Are the nations colleges adequately preparing elementary schoolteachers of tomorrow to teach science? Available at: http://www.sedl.org/connections/research-syntheses.html [accessed May 2005]. Smith, P.S., Banilower, E.R., McMahon, K.C., and Weiss, I.R. In addition to the many programs to increase teachers knowledge and abilities discussed above, the scientific community sometimes engages scientists to work directly with students. They found a large number of preparations, tried each one out, and identified one method as most likely to succeed with the introductory students. Improving teachers in-service professional development in mathematics and science: The role of postsecondary institutions. Undergraduate science departments rarely provide future science teachers with laboratory experiences that follow the design principles derived from recent researchintegrated into the flow of instruction, focused on clear learning goals, aimed at the learning of science content and science process, with ongoing opportunities for reflection and discussion. . (2002). NSTA position statement: Laboratory science. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann. (2003). Rather, learning is an active process which goes on within the students by guiding the learning . Journal of Research in Science Teaching, 20, 745-754. Do all student have access to laboratory experiences? Millar, R. (2004). To lead laboratory experiences that incorporate ongoing student discussion and reflection and that focus on clear, attainable learning goals, teachers require pedagogical content knowledge. In addition, they found that commercially available laboratory manuals failed to provide cognitively challenging activities that might help to bridge the gap between teachers lack of knowledge and improved laboratory experiences (McComas and Colburn, 1995, p. 120). (1997). Hammer, D. (1997). In 2000, according to a nationally representative survey of science teachers, most school administrators provided inadequate time for shared planning and reflection to improve instruction. In this section we describe the difficulty school administrators encounter when they try to support effective laboratory teaching. They must address the challenge of helping students to simultaneously develop scientific reasoning, master science subject matter and progress toward the other goals of laboratory experiences. Science for all, including students from non-English-language backgrounds. Among teachers who acted as heads of science departments, 21 percent indicated that the lack of opportunities for teachers to share ideas was a serious problem for science instruction (Smith et al., 2002). ASCP understands your role in the medical laboratory and has developed cost effective learning products, tools to manage your re-certification, and opportunities for you to grow as a leader in the laboratory. Familiarity with the evidence or principles of a complex theory does not ensure that a teacher has a sound understanding of concepts that are meaningful to high school students and that she or he will be capable of leading students to change their ideas by critiquing each others investigations as they make sense of phenomena in their everyday lives. (2000). Educational Researcher, 15, 4-14. Similarly, Hilosky, Sutman, and Schmuckler (1998) observe that prospective science teachers laboratory experiences provide procedural knowledge but few opportunities to integrate science investigations with learning about the context of scientific models and theories. What do they contribute to science learning? teacher is teaching both chemistry and physics, requiring more preparation time (American Association of Physics Teachers, 2002). Washington, DC: Author. Prospective and practicing secondary school science teachers knowledge and beliefs about the philosophy of science. A three-way error components analysis of educational productivity. Teachers require deep conceptual knowledge of a science discipline not only to lead laboratory experiences that are designed according to the research, but also to lead a full range of laboratory experiences reflecting the range of activities of scientists (see Chapter 1). Switch between the Original Pages, where you can read the report as it appeared in print, and Text Pages for the web version, where you can highlight and search the text. Students were asked to survey the literature for methods to reduce aromatic nitro compounds to the corresponding amines. Requirements for professional development of in-service science teachers differ widely from state to state. Once again. Arlington, VA: National Science Teachers Association. Cognition and Instruction, 15(4), 485-529. Other studies indicate that high-quality professional development can encourage and support science teachers in leading a full range of laboratory experiences that allow students to participate actively in formulating research questions and in designing and carrying out investigations (Windschitl, 2004). 9-13 Thus, medical laboratory professionals can be key members of the interprofessional health care team. Finally, an . To date, however, few high schools have adopted such research-based science curricula, and many teachers and school administrators are unaware of them (Tushnet et al., 2000; Baumgartner, 2004). They also spend a week doing laboratory research with a scientist mentor at the Fred Hutchinson Center or one of several other participating public and private research institutions in Seattle. The distinction between key ideas in teaching school physics and key ideas in the discipline of physics. Ann Arbor, MI: University of Michigan Physics Department. Wright, S.P., Horn, S., and Sanders, W. (1997). Organizational conditions that support inquiry in high school science instruction. These limits, in turn, could contribute to lower science achievement, especially among poor and minority students. Seeking more effective outcomes from science laboratory experiences (Grades 7-14): Six companion studies. In this approach, school administrators recognize that leadership for improved teaching and learning is distributed throughout the school and district and does not rest on traditional hierarchies. (1994). Engaging students in analysis of data gathered in the laboratory and in developing and revising explanatory models for those data requires teachers to be familiar with students practical equipment skills and science content knowledge and be able to engage in sophisticated scientific reasoning themselves. Science teachers may be modeling instructional practices they themselves witnessed or experienced firsthand as students in college science classes. Journal of Research on Science Teaching, 37, 963-980. Emerging issues and practices in science assessment. National Research Council. Project ICAN: Inquiry, Context, and Nature of Science. Journal of Research in Science Teaching, 30, 919-934. Improving high school science teachers capacity to lead laboratory experiences effectively is critical to advancing the educational goals of these experiences. He enrolled at the University of the Free State in 1980 and obtained a BSc degree in Mathematics and Physics, as well as a Higher Education Diploma. To make these choices, they must be aware not only of their own capabilities, but also of students needs and readiness to engage in the various types of laboratory experiences. (1990). Teacher and classroom context effects on student achievement: Implications for teacher evaluation. Life in science laboratory classrooms at the tertiary level. Why staying ahead one chapter doesnt really work: Subject-specific pedagogy. (1994). School administrators can take several approaches to providing time for this type of ongoing discussion and reflection that supports student learning during laboratory experiences. Journal of Research in Science Teaching, 39(3), 205-236. The role of the laboratory in science teaching: Neglected aspects of research. There are promising examples of teacher professional development focused on laboratory experiences. When asked whether they had time during the regular school week to work with colleagues on the curriculum and teaching, 69 percent of high school teachers disagreed and 4 percent had no opinion, leaving only 28 percent who agreed. These strategies included arranging seating to facilitate student discussion, requiring students to supply evidence to support their claims, encouraging students to explain concepts to one another, and having students work in cooperative groups. Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum. (71) $4.50. Paper presented at the annual meeting of the National Association for Research in Science Teaching, April, St. Louis, MO. Studies of the few schools and teachers that have implemented research-based science curricula with embedded laboratory experiences have found that engaging teachers in developing and refining the curricula and in pro-. This lack of discussion may be due to the fact that high school science teachers depend heavily on the use of textbooks and accompanying laboratory manuals (Smith et al., 2002), which rarely include discussions. Register for a free account to start saving and receiving special member only perks. (2004). In addition, some researchers argue that, although professional development expends resources (time, money, supplies), it also creates new human and social resources (Gamoran et al., 2003, p. 28). Most states do not regulate the quality and content of professional development required for renewal of teaching certificates (Hirsch, Koppich, and Knapp, 2001). Enforcing laboratory rules . The culture of education. A professor engaged upper level chemistry majors in trying to create a foolproof laboratory activity to illustrate the chemistry of amines for introductory students. Reporting on a post-institute survey, McComas and Colburn note that a surprising number of teachers felt that the safety sessions were most important (p. 121) (no numbers were reported). 7082.) on specific instructional practices increased teachers use of these practices in the classroom. Teachers and teacher aides should lead by example and wear personal protective equipment (PPE); follow and enforce safety rules, procedures, and practices; and demonstrate safety behavior to promote a culture of safety. In this program, faculty modeled lower-level inquiry-oriented instruction focused on short laboratory sessions with limited lecturing and no definitions of terms. In many cases teachers ranked in-service training as their least effective source of learning (Windschitl, 2004, p. 16; emphasis in original). Gamoran, A. Looking inside the classroom: A study of K-12 mathematics and science education in the United States. Scientific laboratories, college and university science departments, and science museums have launched efforts to support high school science teachers in improving laboratory teaching. The role of practical work in the teaching and learning of science. The laboratory has been given a central and distinctive role in science education, and science educators have suggested that there are rich benefits in learning from using laboratory activities. Available at: http://www7.nationalacademies.org/bose/KTobin_71204_HSLabs_Mtg.pdf [accessed August 2005]. Goldhaber, D.D., and Brewer, D.J. In a year-long study of prospective biology teachers (Gess-Newsome and Lederman, 1993), the participants reported never having thought about the central ideas of biology or the interrelationships among the topics. Further research is needed to examine the scope and effectiveness of the many individual programs and initiatives. In reviewing the state of biology education in 1990, an NRC committee concluded that few teachers had the knowledge or skill to lead effective laboratory experiences and recommended that major new programs should be developed for providing in-service education on laboratory activities (National Research Council, 1990, p. 34). light, such as reflection, transmission, and absorption. (2004). One study found that, when laboratories were easily accessible, 14- and 15-year-old students who used the facilities during their free time reported increased interest in academics and took advanced science courses (Henderson and Mapp, 2002). Properly designed laboratory investigations should: have a definite purpose that is communicated clearly to students; focus on the processes of science as a way to convey content; incorporate ongoing student reflection and discussion; and enable students to develop safe and conscientious lab habits and procedures (NRC 2006, p. 101-102). Examining the effects of a highly rated curriculum unit on diverse students: Results from a planning grant. All rights reserved. At this time, however, some educators have begun to question seriously the effectiveness and the role of laboratory work, and the case for laboratory . U.S. Department of Energy. However, formulating such questions can be difficult (National Research Council, 2001a, 2001b). Zip. Olsen, T.P., Hewson, P.W., and Lyons, L. (1996). In the Seattle program, teachers attend a 13-day summer workshop in which they work closely with each other, master teachers, and program staff to develop expertise in molecular biology. Classroom and field-based "lab work" is conceptualized as central components of Also, you can type in a page number and press Enter to go directly to that page in the book. Darling-Hammond, L., Berry, B., and Thoreson, A. (2002). Associations of science teachers have taken differing positions on how administrators can best support teachers in preparing for and cleaning up after laboratory experiences. In B.J. (1997). Designing computer learning environments for engineering and computer science: The scaffolded knowledge integration framework.