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Lab-Based Learning

Lab-based learning involves students conducting hands-on experiments and activities to deepen their understanding of science concepts. Laboratories provide opportunities for students to think critically and solve problems by manipulating real materials. There are several benefits to lab-based learning, including developing skills in observation, communication, problem solving, and understanding the scientific process. Effective lab instructors ensure labs have clear goals, provide guidance to students while allowing independent work, and evaluate student learning and their own teaching.

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khairina rangkuti
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40 views

Lab-Based Learning

Lab-based learning involves students conducting hands-on experiments and activities to deepen their understanding of science concepts. Laboratories provide opportunities for students to think critically and solve problems by manipulating real materials. There are several benefits to lab-based learning, including developing skills in observation, communication, problem solving, and understanding the scientific process. Effective lab instructors ensure labs have clear goals, provide guidance to students while allowing independent work, and evaluate student learning and their own teaching.

Uploaded by

khairina rangkuti
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Lab-Based Learning

What is Lab-Based learning?


Laboratories are wonderful settings for teaching and learning science. They provide students
with opportunities to think about, discuss, and solve real problems.

Writing about laboratory teaching at the college level, McKEACHIE said:

Laboratory teaching assumes that first-hand experience in observation and manipulation of the
materials of science is superior to other methods of developing understanding and appreciation.
Laboratory training is also frequently used to develop skills necessary for more advanced study
or research.

Why use Lab-Based Learning?


Since late in the 19th century, science educators have believed that the laboratory is an important
means of instruction in science. Laboratory instruction was considered essential because it
provided training in observation, supplied detailed information, and aroused pupils' interest.

Science labs can be among the richest experiences students have at the university. It is one of the
few opportunities students will have to practice science in a similar way that professionals do. In
order for labs to be effective, students need to understand not only how to do the experiment, but
why the experiment is worth doing, and what purpose it serves for improving students'
understanding a concept, relationship, or process.

Shulman and Tamir, in the Second Handbook of Research on Teaching (Travers, ed., 1973),
listed five types of objectives that may be achieved through the use of the laboratory in science
classes:

1. Skills - manipulative, inquiry, investigative, organizational, communicative


2. Concepts - for example, hypothesis, theoretical model, taxonomic category
3. Cognitive abilities - critical thinking, problem solving, application, analysis, synthesis
4. Understanding of the nature of science- scientific enterprise, scientists and how they
work, existence of a multiplicity of scientific methods, interrelationships between science
and technology and among the various disciplines of science
5. Attitudes - for example, curiosity, interest, risk taking, objectivity, precision, confidence,
perseverance, satisfaction, responsibility, consensus, collaboration, and liking science
(1973, p.1119).

Lab-Based Teaching Strategies


Developing and teaching an effective laboratory requires as much skill, creativity, and hard work
as proposing and executing a first-rate research project.
Think About the Goals.

Before you begin to develop a laboratory program, it is important to think about its goals. Here
are a number of possibilities:

 Develop intuition and deepen understanding of concepts.


 Apply concepts learned in class to new situations.
 Experience basic phenomena.
 Develop critical, quantitative thinking.
 Develop experimental and data analysis skills.
 Learn to use scientific apparatus.
 Learn to estimate statistical errors and recognize systematic errors.
 Develop reporting skills (written and oral).

Preparing Lab Sections

The most important thing you can do to ensure that your lab sections run smoothly is to be well
prepared. Your preparation, prior to the start of the semester, should include being acquainted
with the storeroom of the lab so that time won’t be lost during a lab looking for necessary
equipment or materials, and if applicable, knowing the location of the first aid kit, basic first aid
rules, and procedures for getting emergency assistance.

What Makes for Great Lab Instructor?

Not only an awareness of the basics of presenting, but also a greater understanding of how group
work fits within a larger context.

 Good lab instructors are both great teachers AND great managers. They get their students
to understand the importance of the day’s activities by first clearly explaining the
significance of the activity.
 Good Lab instructors are always seeking to make experiments and practical problems
relevant. In fact some of the best lab instructors turn their experiments into practical
problem solving exercises.
 Good lab instructors spend time early in the semester preparing their students to work in
groups. They assign them to work within specified roles, to use one another to reach
solutions, to in effect “jigsaw” results by using different lab groups to provide different
pieces of the solution “puzzle.”
 Good instructors offer just enough help, forcing students to solve problems on their own.
Finally, great lab instructors have eyes in the back of their head and are always alert for
potential problems. They ALWAYS address safety issues before turning students loose
on experiments.
 Good lab instructors provide specific clear instructions are more useful than vague
"remember what I said last week".
Asking and Answering Questions

Asking questions

Establishing contact with students as they work involves learn names and using them in
conversations with students. Asking questions means you can watch out for students who look
like they're coping well but are really putting on a show. You will discover your own best way to
interrupt, but here are some suggested questions:

 You seem to be getting on well?


 Where have you got to? Are you stuck?
 This looks good. What are you going to do next?
 Why do you think that happened?
 Have you finished? What are you going to do next?
 What sort of thing did you take notes on?
 Have you thought about how you will write up this project/experiment?
 What have you got out of today? Has it been worthwhile?
 Other people have said such-and-such. Do you agree?
 How do you think this fits in with the rest of the course?

Answering questions

No matter how long you teach or how thoroughly you prepare, there will always be questions
that take you by surprise or you don't know the answer right then. Remain calm, honest, and try
one of these approaches for responding:

 The student can be encouraged to find out the answer (especially when it is their
responsibility). Where do you think you could go to find an answer to that
question? Hey, you're smart enough to find out an answer to that. Have you looked in that
book or tried this?
 You can go and find the answer. Can I think about that and come back to you?
 You and the student can explore together. Why don't you try looking in that book and
I’ll try this one.

Managing Laboratory Sections

Labs are sometimes offered in conjunction with large lecture courses so that students may
acquire technical skills and apply concepts and theories presented in lecture. Labs, however, are
often “stand-alone” classes with no connection to a parent course. Even where they are related to
another course, they often have their own agenda that may not be related to the lecture. This
hands-on experience encourages students to develop a spirit of inquiry and allows them to live
for a semester as practicing scientists. It may sound trite, but you really do have an opportunity
to help students develop some appreciation of the mysterious scientific method.
Evaluating What You’ve Done.

As the lab section draws to a close, you'll want to assess your success as well as that of your
students in the lab. As in most situations, evaluations can be conducted both formally and
informally.

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