The NSTA Board of Directors has approved a revised position statement, Integral Role of Laboratory Investigations in Science Instruction. This statement replaces Laboratory Science, which was written and approved in 1990. In its declarations, the statement reflects the goals of NSTA:
NSTA strongly believes that developmentally appropriate laboratory investigations are essential for students of all ages and ability levels. They should not be a rote exercise in which students are merely following directions, as though they were reading a cookbook, nor should they be a superfluous afterthought that is only tangentially related to the instructional sequence of content. Properly designed laboratory investigations should:
• have a definite purpose that is communicated clearly to students;
• focus on the processes of science as a way to convey content;
• incorporate ongoing student reflection and discussion;
• enable students to develop safe and conscientious lab habits and procedures.
According to committee chair Arthur Eisenkraft, the time for revision was now. “NSTA strives to keep its position statements current. We received our impetus to revise this important position statement from the National Academy of Sciences’ recent America’s Lab Report. Also, the last 10–15 years has seen a tremendous shift in emphasis toward safety in laboratories and other facilities, and we needed to reflect that.” Eisenkraft added, “The laboratory experience should not be seen as an add-on but as an integral part of instruction that all students have access to.”
The best way that this position statement can help teachers, according to Eisenkraft, is to emphasize to all administrators that science teachers should never be required to choose between teaching in an unsafe environment or compromising instruction by not teaching laboratory science at all.
Regarding specific guidelines for each grade level, the position statement outlines the following:
Preschool and Elementary Level
• With the expectation of science instruction every day, all students at the preschool and elementary level should receive multiple opportunities every week to explore science labs that fit the definition described in the Introduction.
• Laboratory investigations should provide all students with continuous opportunities to explore familiar phenomena and materials. At developmentally appropriate levels, they should investigate appropriate questions, analyze the results of laboratory investigations, debate what the evidence means, construct an understanding of science concepts, and apply these concepts to the world around them.
Middle and High School Levels
• With the expectation of science instruction every day, all middle-level students should have multiple opportunities every week to explore science labs as defined in the Introduction. At the high school level, all students should be in the science lab or field, collecting data every week while exploring science labs.
• Laboratory investigations in the middle and high school classroom should help all students develop a growing understanding of the complexity and ambiguity of empirical work, as well as the skills to calibrate and troubleshoot equipment used to make observations. Learners should understand measurement error and have the skills to aggregate, interpret, and present the resulting data (NRC 2006, p. 77).
• As students progress through middle and high school, they should improve their ability to collaborate effectively with others in carrying out complex tasks, share the work of the task, assume different roles at different times, and contribute and respond to ideas.
College Level
At the college level, all students should have opportunities to experience inquiry-based science laboratory investigations as defined in the Introduction. All introductory courses should include labs as an integral part of the science curriculum. Laboratory experiences should help students learn to work independently and collaboratively, incorporate and critique the published work of others in their communications, use scientific reasoning and appropriate laboratory techniques to define and solve problems, and draw and evaluate conclusions based on quantitative evidence. Labs should correlate closely with lectures and not be separate activities. Exposure to rigorous, inquiry-based labs at the college level also is important because most teachers develop their laboratory teaching techniques based on their own college coursework laboratory experiences.
“By providing information for science teachers at all grade levels, NSTA can be the standard-bearer for improving total instruction,” Eisenkraft explained.
To read the complete position statement, visit www.nsta.org/positionstate-ment&psid=16.
Position Statement Committee
The following individuals served on the committee and contributed their time and expertise to revise the existing NSTA Position Statement.
Arthur Eisenkraft (Chair)
Distinguished Professor of Science Education
Graduate College of Education
University of Massachusetts, Boston
Toby M. Horn
Co-Director, Carnegie Academy for Science Education
Carnegie Institution of Washington
Washington, D.C.
Michael C. Lach
Director of Mathematics and Science
Chicago Public Schools
Chicago, Illinois
Inez Liftig
Grade 8 Science Teacher
Fairfield Woods Middle School
Fairfield, Connecticut
Steve Long (Board Liaison)
Department Chair/Chemistry Teacher
Rogers High School
Rogers, Arkansas
Juliana V. Texley
Consultant and NSTA Press Author
New Baltimore, Michigan
Jean Tushie (Council Liaison)
Biology Teacher
Eden Prairie High School
Eden Prairie, Minnesota
Karen Worth
Senior Scientist
Center for Science Education
Education Development Center, Inc.
Newton, Massachusetts