To lead effective laboratory experiences, science teachers should know how to use data from all of these assessment methods in order to reflect on student progress and make informed decisions about which laboratory activities and teaching approaches to change, retain, or discard (National Research Council, 2001b; Volkman and Abell, 2003). The effects of professional development on science teaching practices and classroom culture. As teachers move beyond laboratory experiences focusing on tools, procedures, and observations to those that engage students in posing a research question or in building and revising models to explain their observations, they require still deeper levels of science content knowledge (Windschitl, 2004; Catley, 2004). in a limited range of laboratory experiences that do not follow the principles of instructional design identified in Chapter 3. Google Scholar Goldhaber, D.D., Brewer, D.J., and Anderson, D. (1999). (ED 409-634.) (1994). goals of laboratory experiences. A study of Ohios Statewide Systemic Initiative in science and mathematics also confirmed that sustained professional development, over many hours, is required to change laboratory teaching practices (Supovitz, Mayer, and Kahle, 2000, cited in Windschitl, 2004, p. 20): A highly intensive (160 hours) inquiry-based professional development effort changed teachers attitudes towards reform, their preparation to use reform-based practices, and their use of inquiry-based teaching practices. The mystery of good teaching: Surveying the evidence on student achievement and teachers characteristics. Tobin (Eds. For example, the teacher might use descriptive or qualitative language or images to convey concepts related to. Earn CE Get Involved Advocate/Support Your Profession Project ICAN: Inquiry, Context, and Nature of Science. London, England: Routledge. 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. Available at: http://www.horizon-research.com/reports/2002/2000survey/trends.php [accessed May 2005]. Synergy research and knowledge integration. Science Educator, 12(1), 1-9. Tobin (Eds. Generally, the body of research is weak, and the effects of teacher quality on student outcomes are small and specific to certain contexts. 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 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). High school science laboratories. Tushnet, N.C., Millsap, M.A., Noraini, A., Brigham, N., Cooley, E., Elliott, J., Johnston, K., Martinez, A., Nierenberg, M., and Rosenblum, S. (2000). 100 Washtenaw Ave. Culturally adaptive teaching and learning science in labs. It was also clear that teachers enhanced their understanding of science subject matter specific to the lab they experienced. They lock up all the reagents and unplug all electrical equipment to minimize the chances of accidents and fires. However, formulating such questions can be difficult (National Research Council, 2001a, 2001b). The role of practical work in the teaching and learning of science. 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. Not a MyNAP member yet? 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 In a study of 100 preservice science teachers, only 20 percent reported having laboratory experiences that gave them opportunities to ask their own questions and to design their own science investigations (Windschitl, 2004). Chapel Hill, NC : Horizon Research. This method can assist children in becoming more engaged readers and developing critical thinking abilities. It will show you how laboratory sessions can differ with respect to their aim and expected learning . This course is developed to improve the effectiveness of laboratory classes in higher education. Rather, learning is an active process which goes on within the students by guiding the learning . Journal of Research in Science Teaching, 30, 919-934. Final report on the evaluation of the National Science Foundations Instructional Materials Development Program. (2004). 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. 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. Science Education, 77, 261-278. Linn, M.C. Available at: http://www.nces.ed.gov/programs/coe/2004/section4/indicator24.asp [accessed Feb. 2005]. A research agenda. Improving science teachers conceptions of nature of science: A critical review of the literature. The school science laboratory: Considerations of learning, technology, and scientific practice. Constructivist approaches to science teaching. Supovitz, J.A., and Turner, H.M. (2000). Washington, DC: Author. Minstrell, J., and van Zee, E.H. (2003). In K. Howey and N. Zimpher (Eds. Maduabum (1992) sees a laboratory as a place where scientific exercises are conducted by the science teachers for the benefit of the students (learners). ), International handbook of science education (pp. Paper presented at the annual meeting of the National Association for Research in Science Teaching, April, St. Louis, MO. Students cannot be admitted to the classroom until you arrive. Enforcing laboratory rules . In J.M. 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. DeSimone, L.M., Porter, A.S., Garet, M.S., Yoon, K.S., and Birman, B. (2002). American Educational Research Journal 35(3), 477-496. Because many current science teachers have demographic backgrounds different from their students (Lee, 2002; Lynch, Kuipers, Pyke, and Szeze, in press), the ability to communicate across barriers of language and culture is. 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). Effects of professional development on teachers instruction: Results from a three-year longitudinal study. Available at: http://www.sedl.org/connections/research-syntheses.html [accessed May 2005]. Paper prepared for the Committee on High School Science Laboratories: Role and Vision, June 3-4, National Research Council, Washington, DC. little information is available on the effectiveness of these efforts. The role of the laboratory in science learning. Learning in the laboratory: Some thoughts from the literature. Expertise in science alone also does not ensure that teachers will be able to anticipate which concepts will pose the greatest difficulty for students and design instruction accordingly. (1990). Linn, E.A. Sutman, F.X., Schmuckler, J.S., Hilosky, A.B., Priestly, H.S., and Priestly, W.J. 13-Week Science Methodology Course. Teachers play a critical role in leading laboratory experiences in ways that support student learning. National Research Council. Laboratory experiences and their role in science education. 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. 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. TA may not leave the lab unattended while students are in the room. Is there a shortage among mathematics and science teachers? Laboratory training is also frequently used to develop skills necessary for more advanced study or research. Finally, an . (2003). Washington, DC: National Academy Press. Click here to buy this book in print or download it as a free PDF, if available. You choose your level of involvement based on your needs. Linn, M.C., Davis, E.A., and Bell, P. (2004). Qualifications of the public school teacher workforce: Prevalence of out-of-field teaching 1987-88 to 1999-2000. A focus on deepening teachers knowledge of science or mathematics. Program faculty report that many teachers tend to dwell on hands-on activities with their students at the expense of linking them with the nature of science and with abilities associated with scientific inquiry. 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. Laboratory experiments Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann. Hammer, D. (1997). Collaborator. 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. Organizational conditions that support inquiry in high school science instruction. Active learning opportunities focused on analysis of teaching and learning. The actual crime scene processing takes place in one day and the entire project can take up to 7 depending on your schedule. Ann Arbor, MI 48109-2218, Strategies for Effective Teaching in the Laboratory Class, 2021Regents of the University of Michigan. Driver, R. (1995). Educational Researcher, 15, 4-14. 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. Millar, R. (2004). Preordained science and student autonomy: The nature of laboratory tasks in physics classrooms. American Association of Physics Teachers. What can they contribute to science learning? Available at: http://www7.nationalacademies.org/bose/June_3-4_2004_High_School_Labs_Meeting_Agenda.html [accessed May 2005]. (1997). Between sessions, teacher participants reflected on what they were learning and applied some of it in their classrooms, following the active learning approach suggested by the research on professional development for science teachers. 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. East Lansing, MI: National Center for Research in Teacher Education. It may be useful, however, to begin . Gitomer, D.H., and Duschl, R.A. (1998). Most states do not regulate the quality and content of professional development required for renewal of teaching certificates (Hirsch, Koppich, and Knapp, 2001). Although the time frame of the study prevented analysis of whether the teacher communities were sustained over time, the results suggest that school districts can use focused professional development as a way to create strong teaching communities with the potential to support continued improvement in laboratory teaching and learning. Lynch, S., Kuipers, J., Pike, C., and Szeze, M. (in press). Teacher-Student Interaction . Science Teacher (October), 40-43. Catley, K. (2004). Paper prepared for the Committee on High School Science Laboratories: Role and Vision, July 12-13, National Research Council, Washington, DC. Participant teachers were also interviewed. Journal of Research in Science Teaching. We begin by identifying some of the knowledge and skills required to lead laboratory experiences aligned with the goals and design principles we have identified. 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 Other studies report that undergraduate laboratory work consists primarily of verification activities, with few opportunities for ongoing discussion and reflection on how scientists evaluate new knowledge (e.g., Trumbull and Kerr, 1993, cited in Windschitl, 2004). 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). Volkmann, M., and Abell, S. (2003). Loucks-Horsley, Love, Stiles, Mundry, and Hewson (2003) provide a detailed design framework for professional development and descriptions of case studies, identifying strategies for improving science teaching that may be applicable to improving laboratory teaching. Science educators, school administrators, policy makers, and parents will all benefit from a better understanding of the need for laboratory experiences to be an integral part of the science curriculumand how that can be accomplished. Volunteers receive training, a sourcebook of activities appropriate for middle school students, a kit of science materials, and a set of videotapes. Designing computer learning environments for engineering and computer science: The scaffolded knowledge integration framework. National Center for Family and Community Connections with 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. (1991). Teachers may help children become more confident and proficient readers by breaking down the reading comprehension process into discrete subtasks and offering targeted teaching and feedback on each one. A three-way error components analysis of educational productivity. Committee on Techniques for the Enhancement of Human Performance: Occupational Analysis. Once again. Available at: http://www.nsta.org/positionstatementandpsid=16 [accessed Oct. 2004]. The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, America's Lab Report: Investigations in High School Science, http://www.bayerus.com/msms/news/facts.cfm?mode=detailandid-survey04, http://www7.nationalacademies.org/bose/July_1213_2004_High_School_Labs_Meeting_Agenda.html, http://www7.nationalacademies.org/bose/June_3-4_2004_High_School_Labs_Meeting_Agenda.html, http://epx.sagepub.com/cgi/content/abstract/17/5/613, http://www.educationnext.org/20021/50.html, http://www.sedl.org/connections/research-syntheses.html, http://www7.nationalacademies.org/bose/July_12-13_2004_High_School_Labs_Meeting_Agenda.html, http://www.nsta.org/positionstatementandpsid=16, http://www.horizon-research.com/reports/2002/2000survey/trends.php, http://www7.nationalacademies.org/bose/March_29-30_2004_High_School_Labs_Meeting_Agenda.html, http://www7.nationalacademies.org/bose/KTobin_71204_HSLabs_Mtg.pdf, http://www.nces.ed.gov/programs/coe/2004/section4/indicator24.asp, http://www.scied.science.doe.gov/scied/LSTPD/about.htm. In M.C. No national survey data are available to indicate whether science teachers receive adequate preparation time or assistance from trained laboratory technicians. (2002). Marjolein Dobber a. , Rosanne Zwart b. , Marijn Tanis a b 1. , Bert van Oers a. You're looking at OpenBook, NAP.edu's online reading room since 1999. The available evidence indicates that the current science teaching workforce lacks the knowledge and skills required to lead a range of effective laboratory experiences. Share a link to this book page on your preferred social network or via email. 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). These professionals use specialized instrumentation and techniques to analyze patients' samples, such as blood, urine, body fluids and tissue, and stool. 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). Darling-Hammond, L., Berry, B., and Thoreson, A. A Japanese high school language lab shows students' positions ), Knowledge base for the beginning teacher. Equity for linguistically and culturally diverse students in science education. can be sequenced into a flow of science instruction in order to integrate student learning of science content and science processes. Respecting childrens own ideas. 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. Students were asked to survey the literature for methods to reduce aromatic nitro compounds to the corresponding amines. 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. It may also be because teachers lack the content knowledge, pedagogical content knowledge, general pedagogical knowledge, and knowledge of assessment required to lead such discussions (Maienschein, 2004; Windschitl, 2004). Bayer Corporation. ), Internet environments for science education. There are promising examples of teacher professional development focused on laboratory experiences. when studying aspects of biology . Research on the efficacy of strategies used for professional development related specifically to laboratory experiences, however, is not readily available. Washington, DC: Author. Transforming teaching in math and science: How schools and districts can support change. The inequities in the availability of academically prepared teachers may pose a serious challenge to minority and poor students progress toward the. The teachers, all biology majors, could only list the courses they had taken as a way to organize their fields. Providing more focused, effective, and sustained professional development activities for more science teachers requires not only substantial financial resources and knowledge of effective professional development approaches, but also a coherent, coordinated approach at the school and district level. Specifically, it challenges the assumption that having a college degree in science, by itself, is sufficient to teach high school science. Gamoran and others studied six sites where teachers and educational researchers collaborated to reform science and mathematics teaching, focusing on teaching for understanding. Educational Evaluation and Policy Analysis, 24(2), 81-112. (1998). Laboratory Learning: An Inservice Institute. Pedagogical content knowledge may include knowing what theories of natural phenomena students may hold and how their ideas may differ from scientific explanations, knowledge of the ideas appropriate for children to explore at different ages, and knowledge of ideas that are prerequisites for their understanding of target concepts. Improving high school science teachers capacity to lead laboratory experiences effectively is critical to advancing the educational goals of these experiences. location_onUniversity of Michigan Revisiting what states are doing to improve the quality of teaching: An update on patterns and trends. (2002). 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). Their previous, closely prescribed laboratory experiences had not helped them to understand that there are many different ways to effect a particular chemical transformation. It is important for the teacher to be a good learner so as to keep up with the changes. Center for Education. (2004). (2003). Results of the study also confirmed the effectiveness of providing active learning opportunities. Loucks-Horsley, S., Love, N., Stiles, K.E., Mundry, S., and Hewson, P.W. Few professional development programs for science teachers emphasize laboratory instruction. Resource Provider. McDiarmid, G.W. Further research is needed to examine the scope and effectiveness of the many individual programs and initiatives. (1997). Another analysis of the data from the National Center for Education Statistics found that students in high schools with higher concentrations of minority students and poor students were more likely than students in other high schools to be taught science by a teacher without a major or minor in the subject being taught (U.S. Department of Education, 2004).
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