Exploraroty
labs are set up for pure exploration of a concept or
material. These labs will generally not have directions
to guide the students, but challenge the students to
work together and find ways to test an idea or just
see what happens when you do an action on an object.
At times, there will be directions to guide the students
through the introduction of a concept so they can see
what happens to prepare them for further in-depth studies.
The report that the students will give will be a journaling
of their answers to various thought questions.
Cook-Book
Cook-Book
labs are labs typically found in a science textbook.
These labs have a ste-by-step procedure that the students
must follow to get a certain outcome. While I may use
these labs to help demontrate a concept, I rarely use
this type of lab setting. Why? This lab is not true
to science. Science does not have predetermined outcomes
that we all get so we know what we already know. Science
is about new discoveries. A Cook-Book Lab does not allow
for new discoveries only a assessment of how well students
can follow directions. If a lab like this is done in
class, the report will be the analysis and conclusion
aspect that the book prescribes.
Discovery
Discovery
labs are labs that present the student with a problem
or general concept and the students discover a way to
test that particular problem. These are the most often
used lab in my classroom. Students must become scientist
and develop an idea of what will happen based on what
they know, then develop a test to see if their thoughts
are founded by observable data. Results are not guaranteed
nor are they going to be the same for every lab group-I
do not even know what the results will be. This type
of lab requires critical thinking and group work to
reach a valid test and successfully gather the data.
This lab is truly science in action. To resport the
findings of these labs, students will have to write-up
a formal lab report based on the TEKS given to me by
the state and is commonly the same type of report used
in higher educational areas.
