Most students love “lab” days.
They see it as a chance to be active in the classroom, and to work with classmates, and biology teachers SHOULD be doing labs. Lab activities and demonstrations accomplish two major things:
Teach the scientific process
Teach the standards you are assigned to teach
Here are some generalized comments you might hear when discussing labs with other teachers:
"I do at least one lab a week."
Labs usually take up more time than other types of learning, and can be more difficult to arrange. If you are doing a lab a week, are you getting the “bang for your buck” in student learning? Do your labs cover an important standard or emphasize scientific process concepts?
"All of my lessons are “hands-on,” because that’s the way students learn best."
This is not necessarily true. Students have different learning modalities. (Visual, Auditory, Reading/Writing, and Kinesthetic)
Some students are very introverted and a lab situation is very challenging for them.
"Sometimes I do labs with my students just to let them experience the wonder of science."
I would say that every science teacher wants their students to “experience the wonder of science.” Instructional time is limited. Make sure that you are teaching your standards with your labs. If you see a cool experiment or demonstration that is not biology, maybe it could be a Nature of Science Lab or a suggestion for a student’s science fair project.
"I don’t do labs with my students…. they just can’t handle the lack of structure."
Most teachers have “been there,” but all students need some lab experiences. Scaffold your labs so that students can participate in some way, even if it is limited at first. (An example of this would be to do the “carrot lab” instead of the “iodine/starch dialysis lab.”) If they progress, give them more challenging labs, making sure they handle it well, and make this an enjoyable experience for their classmates AND the teacher.
"I don’t do labs because my school doesn’t give me money for lab supplies."
Schools may receive funding specifically for lab supplies depending on your state. Talk to your colleagues, they may know where you can get funding for lab supplies. Talk to your district science supervisor, they will know if there is money available.
"I don’t do labs because I don’t have a laboratory classroom."
This does present a difficult situation because you need flat tables, sinks and safety equipment to do labs safely. You could go to the principal and see if you have options, or ask a teacher with a lab classroom about switching classrooms on a lab day.
Students love demonstrations too.
A demonstration is a teacher-led activity that gives students another way to see science in action. Demonstrations are appropriate when equipment is limited, the experiment is very technical, or situations where students would struggle in some way.
Student labs should include data gathering, graphing, concluding and questions with a lab.
Go over the lab after the fact, and clarify student misconceptions and questions about it. Teachers who are new to teaching science may have the idea that labs are all about the students having a fun experience. In reality, labs present students with another type of learning opportunity, and it’s very important to achieve that goal with them.
The lab resources listed below will teach your students the scientific process and help your students learn the required material in biology.
Check them out at my TPT store. I am always adding new lessons, so click the link at the top of the page to go to my TPT store.
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