How can I help my students get the most out of their lab experiences?
—J., Tennessee

A lab that follows a step-by-step “recipe” does not challenge students to think much. Allowing them to design their own experimental procedures and identify variables and controls is a very powerful teaching method.

General advice:

• Safety is always first! Educate students about this.
• Teach students how to ask a scientific question.
• Integrate questions throughout the lab to guide and elicit thinking.
• Remind any student who asks, “Is this right?” that there is no “right” or “wrong” answer, just data to be collected and analyzed.
• Peer review and group self-evaluations often motivate students to work more diligently.

Before the lab:

• Test labs yourself well ahead of time to identify issues including safety, equipment needs, most likely errors, possible substitutions, and potential bottle-necks. Time the lab and add extra time for students to set up and clean up!
• Have students read over instructions and ask/answer questions.
• Teach the skills students will need (titrating, measuring, cutting, and so on).
• Assigning students to groups may minimize socializing.

During the lab:

• Have students set out and put away equipment
• Provide a timeline with milestones for the period
• Circulate, observe, and check on progress

After the lab:

• Conduct a post-lab debrief. Discussing errors and contradictory results are excellent teaching moments.
• Reflection and writing typically have more ‘minds on’ value than filling in blanks.
• Pay attention to the process more than the product.
• Give students examples and a list of resources to complete reports.
• Explain expectations for reports, give exemplars and a list of resources. Provide a scoring rubric.

Hope this helps!

Photo Credit: MR1882 (Own work) via Wikimedia Commons