What does research tell us about learning in high school science labs? It appears that the uneven quality of current high school laboratory experiences is due in part to the preparation of science teachers to lead these experiences. Erroneous ideas about respiration: The teacher factor. Gitomer, D.H., and Duschl, R.A. (1998). Respecting childrens own ideas. Results of the study also confirmed the effectiveness of providing active learning opportunities. 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). In B.J. Teachers lacking a science major may be less likely to engage students in any type of laboratory experience and may be less likely to provide more advanced laboratory experiences, such as those that engage the students in posing research questions, in formulating and revising scientific models, and in making scientific arguments. Available at: http://www7.nationalacademies.org/bose/June_3-4_2004_High_School_Labs_Meeting_Agenda.html [accessed May 2005]. (2004). Associations of science teachers have taken differing positions on how administrators can best support teachers in preparing for and cleaning up after laboratory experiences. To date, over 400 RE-SEED volunteers have worked with schools in 10 states. ), Faculty development for improving teacher preparation (pp. Goldhaber, D.D. Washington, DC: National Academy Press. However, a review of the literature five years later revealed no widespread efforts to improve laboratory education for either preservice or in-service teachers (McComas and Colburn, 1995). Helping students attain the learning goals of laboratory experiences requires their teachers to have broad and deep understanding of both the processes and outcomes of scientific research. ), Knowledge base for the beginning teacher. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press. National Science Teachers Association. of habitual errors aids pupil in understanding nature of satisfactory performance Managing Practice Effectively laboratory and clinical experiences not merely repeating same exercise essential to goal attainment in psycho-motor and cognitive areas a teacher can manipulate whole-part approaches Helping Students . Establishing classroom, lab, and field trip rules and regulations and ensuring that . As is known, it is suggested that closedended - experiments cannot contribute much to meaningful the learning of students [13]. Institute participants also asked for more discussion of assessment methods for laboratory teaching, including the role of video testing, and also recommended inclusion of sessions that address teaching science laboratory classes on a small budget. They also concluded that longer term interventions13 weeks in this caseresult in some change in the instructional strategies teachers use. Available at: http://www7.nationalacademies.org/bose/June_3-4_2004_High_School_Labs_Meeting_Agenda.html [accessed May 2005]. Teachers College Record, 105(3), 465-489. It is unclear whether these and other ad hoc efforts to provide summer research experiences reach the majority of high school science teachers. School administrators can take several approaches to providing time for this type of ongoing discussion and reflection that supports student learning during laboratory experiences. Teachers also need to know how to judge the quality of students oral presentations. 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. 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). Available at: http://www7.nationalacademies.org/bose/June_3-4_2004_High_School_Labs_Meeting_Agenda.html [accessed May 2005]. In a guided-inquiry laboratory (GIL), the teacher provides the students with a question, or set of questions, and the students design an experiment to address the question(s). McDiarmid, G.S., Ball, D.L., and Anderson, C.W. 791-810). They appeared to have little understanding of the field writ large. Lynch, S., Kuipers, J., Pike, C., and Szeze, M. (in press). Laboratories in science education: Understanding the history and nature of science. Lee and Fradd (1998) and others observe that some scientific values and attitudes are found in most cultures (e.g., wonder, interest, diligence, persistence, imagination, respect toward nature); others are more characteristic of Western science. ), Internet environments for science education. Deng (2001) describes pedagogical content knowledge for science teachers as an understanding of key scientific concepts that is somewhat different from that of a scientist. A new wave of evidenceThe impact of school, family, and community connections in student achievement. Catley, K. (2004). In 1999-2000, 39.4 percent of all physics teachers in public high schools had neither a major nor a minor in physics, 59.9 percent of all public high school geology teachers lacked a major or minor in geology, 35.7 percent of chemistry teachers lacked a major or minor in that field, and 21.7 percent of biology teachers had neither a major nor a minor in biology (National Center for Education Statistics, 2004). The authors concluded that professional development activities that are short-term interventions have virtually no effect on teachers behaviors in leading laboratory experiences. We then go on to describe approaches to supporting teachers and improving their capacity to lead laboratory experiences through improvements in professional development and use of time. Goldhaber, D.D., and Brewer, D.J. Looking inside the classroom: A study of K-12 mathematics and science education in the United States. The laboratory in science education: Foundations for the twenty-first century. Chapel Hill, NC: Horizon Research. Rethinking laboratories. Hofstein, A., and Lunetta, V.N. The role of the laboratory in science teaching: Neglected aspects of research. Click here to buy this book in print or download it as a free PDF, if available. Also, you can type in a page number and press Enter to go directly to that page in the book. Some research indicates that teachers do not respond to sustained professional development by taking their new knowledge and skills to other schools, but rather by staying and creating new benefits where they are. Teachers design and carry out an open-ended field research project, of their own choosing. To be successful in leading students across the range of laboratory experiences we have described, teachers must choose laboratory experiences that are appropriate at any given time. Washington, DC: National Academy Press. Research on the efficacy of strategies used for professional development related specifically to laboratory experiences, however, is not readily available. Washington, DC: Brookings Institution. Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum. To succeed at it and ask the types of higher level and cognitively based questions that appear to support student learning, teachers must have considerable science content knowledge and science teaching experience (McDiarmid, Ball, and Anderson, 1989; Chaney, 1995; Sanders and Rivers, 1996; Hammer, 1997). (2004). The California Institute of Technology has a program to help scientists and graduate students work with teachers in elementary school classrooms in the Pasadena school district. educational outcomes (Ferguson, 1998; Goldhaber, 2002; Goldhaber, Brewer, and Anderson, 1999; Hanushek, Kain, and Rivkin, 1999; Wright, Horn, and Sanders, 1997). Active learning opportunities focused on analysis of teaching and learning. 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. The changing nature of work: Implications for occupational analysis. 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 . Clearly, their preservice experiences do not provide the skills and knowledge needed to select and effectively carry out laboratory experiences that are appropriate for reaching specific science learning goals for a given group of students. You will need to develop your own teaching style, your own way of interacting with students, and your own set of actions that determine the learning atmosphere of the classroom. The extent of student learning in any educational environment depends largely on the effectiveness of the instructors. Data from a 2000 survey of science and mathematics education indicate that most current science teachers participate infrequently in professional development activities, and that many teachers view these activities as ineffective (Hudson, McMahon, and Overstreet, 2002). Journal of Personnel Evaluation in Education, 11(1), 57-67. Trumbull, D., and Kerr, P. (1993). The proper performance of these duties requires the undivided attention of the teaching assistant during each laboratory period. Teachers play a critical role in leading laboratory experiences in ways that support student learning. The organization and structure of most high schools impede teachers and administrators ongoing learning about science instruction and the implementation of quality laboratory experiences. Seeking more effective outcomes from science laboratory experiences (Grades 7-14): Six companion studies. Laboratory training is also frequently used to develop skills necessary for more advanced study or research. For example, HHMI has funded summer teacher training workshops at the Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory for many years, and also supports an ongoing partnership between the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center and the Seattle, Washington, public schools (Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, 2003). (1991). National Research Council. At this time, however, some educators have begun to question seriously the effectiveness and the role of laboratory Laboratory Demonstrations: Do start class by demonstrating key techniques or equipment operation or describing the location and handling of special materials. Bruner, J. (1997). . Project ICAN includes an intensive three-day summer orientation for science teachers followed by full-day monthly workshops from September through June, focusing on the nature of science and scientific inquiry. A focus on deepening teachers knowledge of science or mathematics. Science Education, 77(3), 301-317. The impact of longer term intervention on reforming the approaches to instructions in chemistry by urban teachers of physical and life sciences at the secondary school level. Washington, DC: American Psychological Association. One study illustrates undergraduate students lack of exposure to the full range of scientists activities, and the potential benefits of engaging them in a broader range of experiences. 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. The research described above indicates that undergraduate laboratory experiences do not integrate learning of science content and science processes in ways that lead to deep conceptual understanding of science subject matter. The teachers skills in posing questions and leading discussions also help students to effectively and accurately communicate their laboratory activities and the science sense they make from them, using appropriate language, scientific knowledge, mathematics, and other intellectual modes of communication associated with a particular science discipline. It aims to support teachers to improve their teaching skills for active learning in university science laboratory courses. The limited evidence available indicates that some undergraduate science programs do not help future teachers develop full mastery of science subject matter. Leading laboratory experiences is a demanding task requiring teachers to have sophisticated knowledge of science content and process, how students learn science, assessment of students learning, and how to design instruction to support the multiple goals of science education. 6. These studies confirm earlier research findings that even the best science curriculum cannot teach itself and that the teachers role is central in helping students build understanding from laboratory experiences and other science learning activities (Driver, 1995). The research also indicates that undergraduate laboratory work, like the laboratory experiences of high school students, often focuses on detailed procedures rather than clear learning goals (Hegarty-Hazel, 1990; Sutman, Schmuckler, Hilosky, Priestley, and Priestley, 1996). Supporting classroom discussions may be particularly challenging for teachers who work with a very diverse student population in a single classroom, or those who have a different cultural background from their students (see Tobin, 2004). Coffey, Everyday assessment in the science classroom (pp. The research team focused the curriculum on helping students understand these principles, including flow principles, rate principles, total heat flow principles, and an integration principle. A science methodology course for middle and high school teachers offered experience in using the findings from laboratory investigations as the driving force for further instruction (Priestley, Priestly, and Schmuckler, 1997). Assistants show the students how to handle chemical spills, dispose of broken glassware and get rid of non-hazardous and chemical waste . Chaney, B. Presentation to the Committee on High School Science Laboratories: Role and Vision, June 3-4, National Research Council, Washington, DC. Is laboratory-based instruction in beginning college-level chemistry worth the effort and expense? Journal of College Science Teaching, 33(6). Modifying cookbook labs. Science teachers behavior in the classroom is influenced by the science curriculum, educational standards, and other factors, such as time constraints and the availability of facilities and supplies. Constructivist approaches to science teaching. It is important for the teacher to be a good learner so as to keep up with the changes. How can school organization contribute to effective laboratory teaching. 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). After completion of the course, teachers classroom behaviors were videotaped and analyzed against traditional and reformed instructional strategies. Anderson, C., Sheldon, T., and Dubay, J. To determine the current role of laboratory schools in the United States, the 123 existing laboratory schools were surveyed. 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. Designing a community of young learners: Theoretical and practical lessons. Teachers need to use data drawn from conversations, observations, and previous student work to make informed decisions about how to help them move toward desired goals. Other studies have also found that most teachers do not experience sustained professional development and that they view it as ineffective (Windschitl, 2004). Linn, M.C. A teacher knows how to work well as part of a team. In M.D. One study found that schools that provide more support to new teachers, including such professional development activities as induction and mentoring, have lower turnover rates (Ingersoll, 2003, p. 8). (1990). (2004). Laboratory work also gives the students the opportunity to experience science by using scientific research procedures. Davis, and P. Bell (Eds. Gallagher, J. 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 Elementary School Journal, 97(4), 401-417. Crime scenes are set up and the students play the role of Crime Scene Investigators to process the scene. Despite the weakness of current professional development for laboratory teaching, a growing body of research indicates that it is possible to develop and implement professional development that would support improved laboratory teaching and learning. 1. ), Constructivism in education.
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