The role of the laboratory in science learning. Educational Policy, 14(3), 331-356. 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. Can schools narrow the black-white test score gap? This paper explores the role of laboratory and field-based research experiences in secondary science education by summarizing research documenting how such activities promote science learning. Improving high school science teachers capacity to lead laboratory experiences effectively is critical to advancing the educational goals of these experiences. The effects of professional development on science teaching practices and classroom culture. During the school year, teachers may access kits of materials supporting laboratory experiences that use biomedical research tools. (2004). In developing an investigation for students to pursue, teachers must consider their current level of knowledge and skills, the range of possible laboratory experiences available, and how a given experience will advance their learning. Gallagher, J. Priestley, W., Priestley, H., and Schmuckler, J. Journal of Research in Science Teaching, 30, 919-934. Driver, R. (1995). Journal of Science Education and Technology, 13(2), 189-206. In contrast, a physicist might use mathematics to describe or represent the reflection, transmission, and absorption of light. 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). Journal of the Learning Sciences, 6(2), 227-269. For example, in developing the Computers as Learning Partners science curriculum unit, Linn and colleagues researched how well models of thermodynamics at various levels of abstraction supported students learning. (1994). This body of knowledge addressed the kind of laboratory instruction given to students, consideration of students with special needs, supportive teaching behaviors, models to engage students working in small groups, the sequencing of instruction, and modes of assessment (p. 121). [I]t represents the blending of content and pedagogy into an understanding of how particular topics, problems, or issues are organized, represented and adapted to the diverse interests and abilities of learners, and presented for instruction. Note: The suggestions below were generated by a group of U-M GSIs based on their experiences teaching in a physics lab course. 4. Teacher awareness of students science needs and capabilities may be enhanced through ongoing formative assessment. What do they contribute to science learning? Most current professional development for science teachers, such as the activities that had little impact on the teaching strategies among teachers responding to the 2000 survey, is ad hoc. Arrangements must be made with Instructor to cover unavoidable absences or planned breaks. 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-. Do all student have access to laboratory experiences? Clark, R.L., Clough, M.P., and Berg, C.A. U.S. Department of Energy. They found that a heat-flow model was better able to connect to middle school students knowledge about heat and temperature than a molecular-kinetic model (Linn, Davis, and Bell, 2004). McComs (Eds. Sign up for email notifications and we'll let you know about new publications in your areas of interest when they're released. U.S. Department of Education. Some school and school district officials may be reluctant to invest in sustained professional development for science teachers because they fear losing their investments if trained teachers leave for other jobs. Catley (2004) reports that having gone through the process of frustration, false starts and the elation of completion, [the teachers] came away with a deeper understanding of how inquiry works and a sense of empowerment. Available at: http://www7.nationalacademies.org/bose/June_3-4_2004_High_School_Labs_Meeting_Agenda.html [accessed May 2005]. Fulfilling the promise: Biology education in the nations schools. Lab's History Department, which is responsible for educating students in grades 9-12, seeks a teacher with expertise and experience teaching Modern Global or Modern World History coursework. Duration (total contact hours, span of time). The National Survey of Science and Mathematics Education: Trends from 1977 to 2000. Tobin (Eds. 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. Administrators allocate time, like other resources, as a way to support teachers in carrying out these routines. International Journal of Science Education 22(7), 665-701. In L.P. Steffe and J. Gale (Eds. Pre-service biology teachers knowledge structures as a function of professional teacher education: A year-long assessment. Sanders, M. (1993). U.S. Department of Education. McComas and Colburn (1995) established an inservice program called Laboratory Learning: An Inservice Institute, which incorporated some of the design elements that support student learning in laboratory experiences. These changes persisted several years after the teachers concluded their professional development experiences.. McDiarmid, G.W. For example, the teacher might use descriptive or qualitative language or images to convey concepts related to. Laboratory experiences and their role in science education. 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). 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. Washington, DC: National Academy Press. Available at: http://www.scied.science.doe.gov/scied/LSTPD/about.htm [accessed Feb. 2005]. It will show you how laboratory sessions can differ with respect to their aim and expected learning . 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- . Glagovich, N., and Swierczynski, A. Shulman, L.S. Available at: http://www.fhcrc.org/education/sep/ [accessed Feb. 2005]. Examining the effects of a highly rated curriculum unit on diverse students: Results from a planning grant. Laboratory experiments The Chemistry Department of City College (City University of New York) places undergraduate science and engineering majors in middle school classrooms to assist teachers during laboratory activities and learn classroom management from the teachers. Erroneous ideas about respiration: The teacher factor. Rethinking laboratories. However, several types of inflexible scheduling may discourage effective laboratory experiences, including (a) limits on teacher planning time, (b) limits on teacher setup and cleanup time, and (c) limits on time for laboratory experiences. Paper presented at the National Association for Research in Science Teaching meeting, March 23, Chicago, IL. Goldhaber, D.D. Science Teacher, September, 38-41. Students cannot be admitted to the classroom until you arrive. Research on teachers using a science curriculum that integrates laboratory experiences into the stream of instruction indicates that repeated practice with such a curriculum, as well as time for collaboration and reflection with professional colleagues, leads teachers to shift from focusing on laboratory procedures to focusing on science learning goals (Williams, Linn, Ammon, and Gearheart, 2004). 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). For example, Northeastern University has established a program called RE-SEED (Retirees Enhancing Science Education through Experiments and Demonstration), which arranges for engineers, scientists, and other individuals with science backgrounds to assist middle school teachers with leading students in laboratory experiences. A teacher knows how to work well as part of a team. Some individual teachers told our committee that they did not have adequate preparation and cleanup time. Click here to buy this book in print or download it as a free PDF, if available. 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. For example, Western science promotes a critical and questioning stance, and these values and attitudes may be discontinuous with the norms of cultures that favor cooperation, social and emotional support, consensus building, and acceptance of the authority (p. 470). After receiving his BEd and MEd degrees from the same university in 1985 and 1986 respectively he started his teaching career as Mathematics and Science teacher in 1989 at Windhoek High . Methods of assessing student learning in laboratory activities include systematically observing and evaluating students performance in specific laboratory tasks and longer term laboratory investigations. Improving science teachers conceptions of nature of science: A critical review of the literature. In response to surveys conducted in the mid-1990s, teachers indicated that, among the reasons they left their positionsincluding retirement, layoffs, and family reasonsdissatisfaction was one of the most important. Washington, DC: American Psychological Association. 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. Washington, DC: Author. Classroom and field-based "lab work" is conceptualized as central components of