Laboratory Method Of Teaching

LABORATORY METHOD OF TEACHING

““Lab Ex. Is taking Lab Ex. Is taking Creativity Creativity

to the Neto the NeXXt Power”t Power”

Dr. Prashant MehtaAssistant Professor

NLU Jodhpur

It’s Everywhere!It’s Everywhere!

Welcome to the 6 Natural Science Oriented Wonders of

the World

I. Earth FormationsMount Everest

The Grand CanyonAyers Rock

Victoria FallsMeteor Craters

Great Barrier Reef

II. Living Earth

III. Technology

How do we view instructions?

“The previously dominant view of instruction as direct transfer of knowledge from teacher to student does not fit the current perspective.

The present view places the learner’s constructive mental activity at the heart of all instructional exchanges…”

“…This does not mean that students are left to discover everything for themselves, nor that what they discover and how they choose to describe and account for it are left solely to them…

Valid & Powerful Knowledge

“…Instruction must provide experiences and information from which learners can build new knowledge. Instruction helps to focus those processes so that the resulting knowledge is both valid and powerful.

Valid in the sense of describing the world well…and powerful in the sense of being useful and reliable for those students in many diverse settings.”

THE PURPOSE OF THIS SESSION

(WHAT’S SO SPECIAL ABOUT TEACHING LABS?)

• Labs are often the best or only source of INTERACTION for the students – Interaction with an instructor (you), with other

students, with the subject material itself, or with their prior knowledge and ideas about a topic.

• Labs/recitations are about actually DOING SCIENCE (or the inquiry activities of your field), not listening to someone talk about it.With a diverse mix of students, this approach has fostered creativity and hands-on

learning. Throughout the course students have created innovative interfaces that not only capture fundamental concepts of tangible interaction but also contribute novel

techniques for supporting collaborative design.

How do we get there

• Incrementally…– Small changes– Practice is essential– Expect resistance to repeat

again and again

• Experimentally…– A hands on learning process for

all– Some things work well in

laboratory setting–Most things need “tweaking”

adjustments

Inquiry based teaching & learning

• What is it?• Why do it?• How do you do it?

What it is?

Inquiry approach places the student in the role of the investigator.

– Asking questions– Structuring investigations– Confronting ambiguous findings– Constructing relationships and creating

metaphors

Inquire (verb)

• To ask about

• To search into especially by asking questions

• To make investigation

Science Learners……………………

• Are engaged by scientifically oriented questions.

• Give priority to evidence which allows them to develop and evaluate explanations that address scientifically oriented questions.

• Formulate explanations from evidence.

• Evaluate their explanations in light of alternative explanations, especially those reflecting scientific understanding; and

• Communicate and justify their proposed explanation.

Learning Cycle

EngageEngage student interest.

ExploreExplore content and learn lab skills through relevant and concrete experiences

ExplainExplain questions generated by introducing content

ElaborateElaborate by applying concepts and lab skills to new inquiry situations

EvaluateEvaluate content, process, and communication skills

FOUR PARTS OF EFFECTIVE TEACHING

• Provide Context: Why should anyone care or How do you learn best?

• Draw out students’ Prior Knowledge and (mis?)conceptions on topic– Ask them to predict will happen in a given situation and

WHY they think that (think, predict, write, pair, share)• Model Authentic Practice• Make Meaning from activity (or else it is busy work)– What were the Actual Results?– How does that connect back to the purpose of the activity?

What do the Results Mean?

MAJOR GOALS OF LAB WORK

• Teaching Manual and Observational skills relevant to the subject

• Improving understanding of methods of scientific enquiry• Developing problem solving and doing by self skills• Nurturing professional and constructive attitude

LABORATORY TEACHING IN PRESPECTIVE

• Integrated Laboratories• Project Work• Participation in Research• Computer Assisted

Laboratory Instruction• Audio Visual Laboratory• Simulated Experimentation• Demonstrations

SKILLS OF LABORATORY TEACHING

• Explaining and Presenting Experimental Information

• Questioning, Listening and Responding to process queries

• Giving Directions • Demonstrations• Pre Lab Preparation• Post Lab Findings• Helping Students • Preparing Laboratory

Course

SOME LABORATORY TEACHING METHODS

• Students learn by their own effort.• Demonstration method• Slide Booklets – Shows Process, Complex Procedure,

and Complicated Apparatus.• Tape Booklets – Provides instructions, Descriptions, and

Method of Calculations• Wall Charts• Video recording or Interactive Video• Computer Simulated Experiments

LEARNING IN LAB

• Know exactly what the students are supposed to learn and why they have to learn these things.

• Perform the entire experiment in advance. • Read and study the theory on which the experiment(s) are

based. • Research the relevance of the experiment, both the

technique being taught and the applications of the theory being demonstrated.

• Talk to instructors who will often have very useful tips about experiments you are performing.

• Decide how to introduce new method to make the lab exercise most effective.

• Guide students in preparing their lab reports by using experimental data and help them in data analysis and interpretations of reults.

LEARNING IN LABS

Multiple goals:• Enjoyment of hands-on, practical learning• Developing an understanding of concepts

and applications• Skill development

– Techniques - use and safe handling of equipment etc.

– Observation – care in observation, appropriate recording

– Data collection (measurement) and analysis

• Understanding methods of investigation/design in science,engineering etc. – Testing ideas– Cycles of questions, design,

observation / measurement, analysis, drawing conclusions

• Communication of learning outcomes• Collaborative learning

Influence Learning Loop

Practice means doing experiments in lab

APPROACH TO PROBLEM SOLVING

• Identify the problem, • State the problem objective, • List constraints,

assumptions, and facts, • Generate possible solutions, • Determine the most likely

solution, • Conduct experimentation• Analyze the solution, • Synthesize the solution, • Evaluate the solution, • Prepare a report, • Implement the plan, • Check results for

consistency.

How do your labs “rate?”Inquiry Rating ScaleInquiry Rating Scale

Most people learn best in a concrete manner involving personal participation, physical or hands-on activities, and opportunities for

personal discovery.

Everyone makes mistakes!!Mistakes leads to new scientific

discoveriesScientific discoveries takes place in lab

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