What makes one science lab better than another? One Boston school thinks labs should be a primary learning tool and not a secondary amenity.

National Study

Sean Cavanagh, writer for Education Week, states that a national study found teachers and curricular materials do not connect lab work with the science curriculum. Labs are focused on procedure which leaves students unclear what they're supposed to learn. The National Research Council would like to see students improve their scientific reasoning.

West Roxbury Education Complex, Boston

Teacher Matthew Anthes-Washburn does things backwards. He allows students to experience in the lab setting prior to learning specific vocabulary and concepts. He wants students to discover first and later he will explain why. He uses the ABC approach -- Activity Before Content. Once the students have the experience, they will then have a better understanding of the concept when taught. The mind will have a memory of the lab experience to link to the concept.

The Present Method

The typical science lab method in most classrooms consists of lectures and content first. Once that is learned, students then go to the labs to experience what they have learned. With this method, students memorize data and know the outcome. In Anthes-Washburn's classroom, students think -- not memorize. Anthes-Washburn says, "It's a truer model of scientific thinking. In the field of science, if you're in a lab, you don't have a fixed outcome."

9th Grade Physics

Professor of Science Education, Arthur Eisenkraft, helped write a new curriculum, Active Physics. Eisenkraft is also a former president of the National Science Teachers Association. Active Physics, intended to be taught in 9th grade, allows all students with the opportunity to take a science subject traditionally reserved for elite students. Since Active Physics has been offered to students in Boston, the number of students (especially minority students) taking Advanced Placement science courses has greatly increased.

Smaller High Schools

West Roxbury Education Complex was broken up into smaller units similar to New York City's smaller high schools funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. Scott Bartholomew, a teacher who teaches down the hall from Anthes-Washburn, says "If they're not interested in what you're telling them, they'll just tune you out." Bartholomew teacher 9th grade science with Anthes-Washburn.

Yeah, But

Many teachers may be thinking, "Yeah, he can be successful but he doesn't have the tough kids I teach." Actually, 78% of the student population is eligible for free or reduced lunches.

Anthes-Washburn does not have the "perfect" environment nor the perfect students. But, each day students who participated in the lessons have been given valuable information that will make the lesson the following day less difficult to understand.

Common Shortcomings

The National Research Council found that most students are not exposed to effective labs. The NRC study cited a number of reasons for labs' shortcomings.

• Poor school facilities and organization. Many schools lack the space for labs; others have overly rigid schedules that do not allow students to participate often enough for labs to have a positive impact on learning.
• Weak teacher preparation. Teacher colleges and other universities provide educators with little training on conducting effective labs; professional-development activities for veteran teachers are limited in quality and availability.
• Poor design. Many labs are not designed with clear learning goals in mind, and are disconnected from the flow of science lessons. Students are not encouraged to discuss their preconceptions about scientific topics before, during, and after labs.
• Cluttered state standards. Influential academic documents encourage schools to cover long lists of science topics by grade and offer little guidance for including labs in the flow of classes.
• Little representation on state tests. Science assessments given by states do not guage student skills in using labs -- which contributes to the lack of attention they receive in schools.
• Scarce evidence of what works. Little research exists on what types of labs are most effective; scientists and researchers even disagree on how to define a science lab.

Four Suggestions for Improvement

Researchers have identified a few strategies for creating effective hands-on activities that will improve students' science learning.

• Clearly stated purposes. Students must understand the explicit goals of a lab in order to understand the science behind it and carry it out effectively.
• Effective sequence. Labs should be connected to what students learned before -- and after -- that particular hands-on activity. They should be integrated into instruction, rather than presented as isolated events.
• Blending of content and process. In conducting labs, teachers should emphasize both scientific content in their classes and the processes used by scientists in their work.
• Discussion and reflection. Students in a lab should be encouraged to discuss and reflect on those activities. They should be asked to develop explanations and make sense of patterns in data -- not just confirm ideas that a teacher has presented to them.

SOURCE: National Research Council

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Copyright article 2007 Barbara Pytel. All Rights Reserved.