Lab Notebooks Deepen Inquiry

The authors present practical advice for integrating lab notebooks into your teaching practice. Lab notebooks are a critical element of inquiry science teaching, as they can be used to incr... See More

The authors present practical advice for integrating lab notebooks into your teaching practice. Lab notebooks are a critical element of inquiry science teaching, as they can be used to increase the depth of student understanding of inquiry lab concepts. The authors provide tips for making lab notebooks relevant to students, teaching lab notebook skills and streamlining the grading process. I especially like the use of Peer Evaluation of lab notebooks, as this will help to increase the quality of student work.

Notebook or No Notebook That is the Question

Notebooks have long been a mainstay of laboratory science, yet with the growing use of computer technology their presence is waning. Many industrial labs are replacing written notebooks with... See More

Notebooks have long been a mainstay of laboratory science, yet with the growing use of computer technology their presence is waning. Many industrial labs are replacing written notebooks with digital information management systems. Another trend, the growing importance of collaboration is further supporting the move away from individual notebooks. While writing is an important tool in supporting learning, I am no longer sure that laboratory notebooks are the appropriate format. In my classes I am moving more to the use of collaborative online tools such as google docs.