Hudson, S.B., McMahon, K.C., and Overstreet, C.M.
PDF Laboratory Teaching: Implication on Students' Achievement In - ed Abstract available at: http://epx.sagepub.com/cgi/content/abstract/17/5/613 [accessed May 2005]. Gamoran and colleagues found that, although the educational researchers provided an infusion of expertise from outside each of the six school sites, the professional development created in collaboration with the local schools had its greatest impact in supporting local teachers in developing their own communities. 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). The arts and science as preparation for teaching. Teacher participants at the institute experienced firsthand learning as students in several laboratory sessions led by high school instructors who were regarded as master laboratory 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. 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). Internet environments for science education. U.S. Department of Education. These changes persisted several years after the teachers concluded their professional development experiences.. Researchers generally agree that the teachers academic preparation in science has a positive influence on students science achievement (U.S. Department of Education, 2000; National Research Council, 2001a). Over the course of a years worth of pedagogical preparation and field experiences, the new teachers began to reorganize their knowledge of biology according to how they thought it should be taught. Laboratory experiments 99-138). Paper prepared for the Committee on High School Science Laboratories: Role and Vision, June 3-4, National Research Council, Washington, DC. 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. 9-13 Thus, medical laboratory professionals can be key members of the interprofessional health care team. Teachers play a critical role in leading laboratory experiences in ways that support student learning. (ED 409-634.) 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. In an ideal world, administrators would provide adequate laboratory space and time to allow students to continue investigations over several weeks or months, and they would also provide time for students to work outside regular school hours.
Advanced Practice: Doctorate in Clinical Laboratory Science Seattle: Author. Education Next, 2(1), 50-55. 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. Fulfilling the promise: Biology education in the nations schools. Current professional development for science teachers is uneven in quantity and quality and places little emphasis on laboratory teaching. Haase, B.S. 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. Available at: http://www.horizon-research.com/reports/2002/2000survey/trends.php [accessed May 2005]. Welcome to the Science Education Partnership. Classroom and field-based "lab work" is conceptualized as central components of The degree to which teachers themselves have attained the goals we speak of in this report is likely to influence their laboratory teaching and the extent to which their students progress toward these goals. ), Faculty development for improving teacher preparation (pp. 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). For example, the teacher might use descriptive or qualitative language or images to convey concepts related to. When one college physics professor taught a high school physics class, he struggled with uncertainty about how to respond to students ideas about the phenomena they encountered, particularly when their findings contradicted accepted scientific principles (Hammer, 1997). They must consider how to clearly communicate the learning goals of the laboratory experience to their students. In doing so, they showed teachers how laboratory experiences. New York: Pergamon.
Lab Professional - ASCP Presentation to the Committee on High School Science Laboratories: Role and Vision, July 12-13, National Research Council, Washington, DC. The role of the laboratory in science learning. 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 Switch between the Original Pages, where you can read the report as it appeared in print, and Text Pages for the web version, where you can highlight and search the text. (2002).
ROLE DESCRIPTION Education Support Employee Laboratory Assistant 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. 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). National Research Council. Tobin (Eds. 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). Washington, DC: National Academy Press. Life in science laboratory classrooms at the tertiary level. Data from the National Center for Education Statistics (2004) show variation in teacher qualifications from one science discipline to another. ), Constructivism in education. This course is developed to improve the effectiveness of laboratory classes in higher education. Resource Provider. Teachers, Laboratory Attendants and Gardeners must be made to attend, at regular . Primary science: Taking the plunge. take place in a school laboratory, but could also occur in an out-of-school setting, such as the student's home or in the field (e.g. In the ICAN program, teachers participate in science internships with working scientists as one element in a larger program of instruction that includes an initial orientation and monthly workshops. Teachers must consider how to select curriculum that integrates laboratory experiences into the stream of instruction and how to select individual laboratory activities that will fit most appropriately into their science classes. Schulze (Eds. (1995). The design of this professional development program incorporated the principle of integrating laboratory experiences into the stream of instruction and the goal of providing a full range of laboratory experiences, including opportunities for students to participate in developing research questions and procedures. A study package for examining and tracking changes in teachers knowledge. Evaluating the evidence. Studies in Science Education, 14, 33-62. Duschl, R. (1983). Many preservice teachers hold serious misconceptions about science that are similar to those held by their students (Anderson, Sheldon, and Dubay, 1990; Sanders, 1993; Songer and Mintzes, 1994; Westbrook and Marek, 1992, all cited in Windschitl, 2004). 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. Hirsch, E., Koppich, J.E., and Knapp, M.S. Laboratory learning: Addressing a neglected dimension of science teacher education. in a limited range of laboratory experiences that do not follow the principles of instructional design identified in Chapter 3. (2002). They reported that the chief function of their school was instruction, followed, in order of emphasis, by preservice teacher education, research, and inservice teacher education.
What Are the Duties of a Student Lab Assistant? | Work - Chron The investigators found that professional development focused. Windschitl, M. (2004). Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Earlbaum. At this time, however, some educators have begun to question seriously the effectiveness and the role of laboratory Available at: http://www7.nationalacademies.org/bose/June_3-4_2004_High_School_Labs_Meeting_Agenda.html [accessed May 2005]. Guiding students through the complexity and ambiguity of empirical. Retired scientists and engineers: Providing in-classroom support to K-12 science teachers. 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).
The Role of Laboratory in Science Teaching | NARST Linn, M.C., Davis, E.A., and Bell, P. (2004). 357-382). The elementary level science methods course: Breeding ground of an apprehension toward science? One study found that having an advanced degree in science was associated with increased student science learning from the 8th to the 10th grade (Goldhaber and Brewer, 1997). Teachers also need to know how to judge the quality of students oral presentations. Currently, teachers rarely provide opportunities for students to participate in formulating questions to be addressed in the laboratory. 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. Rethinking the continuum of preparation and professional development for secondary science educators. 1 Introduction, History, and Definition of Laboratories, 3 Laboratory Experiences and Student Learning, 5 Teacher and School Readiness for Laboratory Experiences, 7 Laboratory Experiences for the 21st Century, APPENDIX A Agendas of Fact-Finding Meetings, APPENDIX B Biographical Sketches of Committee Members and Staff. In many cases teachers ranked in-service training as their least effective source of learning (Windschitl, 2004, p. 16; emphasis in original). Research conducted in teacher education programs provides some evidence of the quality of preservice science education (Windschitl, 2004). Administrators who take a more flexible approach can support effective laboratory teaching by providing teachers with adequate time and space for ongoing professional development and shared lesson planning. Raleigh: Science House, North Carolina State University. 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.