This document discusses the pedagogical context and goals of science laboratory instruction. It explains that science laboratories allow students to engage in guided inquiry, collect and analyze data, and develop explanations through hands-on activities. The document outlines several major goals for students, including developing conceptual understanding and scientific skills. It also discusses challenges of laboratory instruction and strategies to address them, such as preparation, alternative plans, and emphasizing that mistakes can lead to discovery.

1. SCIENCE
LABORATORY
Pedagogical Context

2. It’s Everywhere!It’s Everywhere!

3. SCIENCE LABORATORY:
A Form of Instruction
• group or individual
activity
• carefully designed
guided inquiry
questions
– often executed in a
laboratory room

4. What Does It Offers?
• Students will be able to:
– Collect data through interaction
– Use typical laboratory materials
– Use data simulation tools
– Engage in decision making
environment,
– Reflect upon observation
• discovery-based learning.

5. What Does It Offers?
• To teachers:
– facilitators
– ask leading questions
– draw attention to interesting details

6. What’s So Special About Teaching Labs?
• Labs are often the best or only source of
INTERACTION for the students
– Interaction with an instructor
– with other students
– with the subject material itself
– with their prior knowledge and ideas about a
topic.
• Labs/recitations are about actually
DOING SCIENCE (or the inquiry activities of your
field), not listening to someone talk about it.

8. MAJOR GOALS FOR STUDENTS

9. Why Use Science Laboratory
Experimentation?
• to introduce new ideas
• to clarify puzzling aspects of
topics with which students typically
struggle.

10. Why Use Science Laboratory
Experimentation?
• result of an experiment is
surprising (convincing)  ownership

11. Why Use Science Laboratory
Experimentation?
• Conceptual focus  another concept for
application.

12. Science Learners…
• Are engaged by scientifically oriented questions.
• Give priority to evidence which allows them to
develop and evaluate explanations that address
scientifically oriented questions.
• Formulate explanations from evidence.
• Evaluate their explanations in light of alternative
explanations, especially those reflecting scientific
understanding; and
• Communicate and justify their proposed
explanation.

14. So How to Teach?
• Instructor Preparation
– design
– designate
– match
– choose

15. FOUR PARTS OF EFFECTIVE TEACHING
• Provide Context: Why should anyone care or
How do you learn best?
• Draw out students’ Prior Knowledge and
(mis?)conceptions on topic
– Ask them to predict will happen in a given
situation and WHY they think that (think,
predict, write, pair, share)
• Model Authentic Practice
• Make Meaning from activity (or else it is busy
work)
– What were the Actual Results?
– How does that connect back to the purpose of
the activity? What do the Results Mean?

16. So How to Teach?
• Student Preparation
• Students will;
– read instructions
– complete pre-class reading
– make predictions

17. LEARNING WITH THE LAB

18. LEARNING IN LAB
• Know exactly what the students are
supposed to learn and why they have
to learn these things.
• Perform the entire experiment in
advance.
• Read and study the theory on which
the experiment(s) are based.
• Research the relevance of the
experiment, both the technique being
taught and the applications of the
theory being demonstrated.

19. LEARNING IN LAB
• Talk to instructors who will often have
very useful tips about experiments
you are performing.
• Decide how to introduce new method
to make the lab exercise most
effective.
• Guide students in preparing their lab
reports by using experimental data
and help them in data analysis and
interpretations of results.

20. Assessment & Learning Outcomes
OUTCOMES
Manipulate apparatus and instruments
Perform routine techniques
Collect and process data
Interpret data after the experiment
Communicate findings in the form of a report

21. OUTCOMES
Solve problems through experimentation
Design an experiment to test a hypothesis
Effectively work as part of a group to address a
large problem
Consider safety aspects of laboratory work
Disseminate findings in an appropriate manner to a
variety of audience types
Assessment & Learning Outcomes

22. How do your labs “rate?”
Inquiry Rating ScaleInquiry Rating Scale

23. Most people learn best in a concrete manner involving
personal participation, physical or hands-on activities,
and opportunities for personal discovery.

24. THE CHALLENGES

25. Challenges
• The notion that, “It might go wrong.”
• Students might not follow directions
• materials might get confused
• people follow the wrong steps
• internet service may go down

26. • risk of too many participants being
involved
• potential shortage of time, resources and
facility space
• teacher cannot assist all students
Challenges

27. • No materials available
• No laboratory area
Challenges

28. To answer the challenges…
• Improvised
• Prepare back-up plan or alternative plan
• Perform the experiment in advance
• Research in advance the same activity
and compare results.
• Check the time schedule

30. Everyone makes mistakes!!
Mistakes leads to new scientific discoveries
Scientific discoveries takes place in lab
30

31. References
• Ball, Sheryl et.al. 2013. What are Classroom Experiments?SERC
Pedagogic Service Project
http://serc.carleton.edu/sp/library/experiments/index.html retrieved Jan 20,
2017
• Loughran, Berry, & Mulhall.2012.Understanding and Developing Science
Teachers’ Pedagogical Content Knowledge. Professional Learnings. Sense
Publishers, USA
• Seery, Michael 2010. Teaching in the Laboratory: 1 – Pedagogy.
http://michaelseery.com/home/index.php/2010/09/teaching-in-the-
laboratory-1-pedagogy/ Retrieved Jan. 20, 2017