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What Is Laboratory Method of Teaching Science?

The document discusses laboratory methods of teaching science. It describes laboratory methods as planned learning activities involving hands-on experiences with materials or experiments. Laboratories allow students to observe and manipulate materials to demonstrate concepts learned in class. The document outlines several types of laboratories and their purposes, as well as the merits and demerits of laboratory methods of teaching science. It also discusses mobile science labs, virtual labs, pre-recorded labs, and an online library of supplemental learning resources for science education in the Philippines.

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Reuben John Abalayan
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397 views

What Is Laboratory Method of Teaching Science?

The document discusses laboratory methods of teaching science. It describes laboratory methods as planned learning activities involving hands-on experiences with materials or experiments. Laboratories allow students to observe and manipulate materials to demonstrate concepts learned in class. The document outlines several types of laboratories and their purposes, as well as the merits and demerits of laboratory methods of teaching science. It also discusses mobile science labs, virtual labs, pre-recorded labs, and an online library of supplemental learning resources for science education in the Philippines.

Uploaded by

Reuben John Abalayan
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
Available Formats
Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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What is Laboratory Method of Teaching Science?

 The Laboratory Method is a planned learning activity dealing with original or raw data in the
solution of problem. It is a procedure involving first hand experiences with materials or facts
derived from investigations or experimentation.

 Laboratory method is a unique source of quality teaching and learning in science


because science students are able to observe and manipulate materials to demonstrate
certain aspects of the subject matter which has been learnt in class through lectures,
discussions and textbooks.

 A laboratory is a room, or building or a special period of time equipped and set apart for
practical or experimental studies to take place. – Omiko (2015)

 As we all know that Science is different from any other subject. In order to understand its
concepts, one has to look beyond the books and conventional classroom teaching.
Effective teaching and learning of science involves seeing, handling and manipulating
real objects and materials. The knowledge that students attain in classrooms would be
ineffectual unless they actually observe the process and understand the relationship
between action and reaction.

Merits of Laboratory Method


1. Give firsthand experience to students.
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2. Provide students participation in original research.
- For our STEM students for example, they have this one specialized subject called
CAPSTONE RESEARCH wherein they plan, complete, and present a self-directed
culminating project reflecting their personal interest. And they tend make use of
laboratory in their experimental research to test their study.
3. Develop skill in the use of laboratory equipment and instruments.
- As the students directly get indulged in the experimental functions and handle the
various complex instruments themselves, thus various kinds of practical skills and
proficiency get developed in them to considerable extent, with the help of which they
prove to be successful in earning their livelihood in the future.
4. Make use of the power of observation and reasoning.
5. Make use of reality to make learning easier and permanent.
- Tell Me and I Forget; Teach Me and I May Remember; Involve Me and I Learn. (John
Dewey) More than anything else, authentic learning experiences generate lifelong learning.
6. Build scientific attitude in the students.
Demerits of Laboratory Method
1. All Knowledge cannot be verified through experiment.
There are some kinds of knowledge which cannot be verified through experiments, as a
result of which this method has limited applicability. Not only this, generally it is found
that teachers do not allow the students to make experiments independently, as it
involves certain kind of risk of occurrence of accident.
2. Shortage of resources.
3. Lack of funds.
For procuring the essential materials and facilities, a huge amount of funds are required,
because of which this method is considered to be expensive. It is not possible to make
use of such method in schools of our nation, especially in some government schools.
4. Students may feel heavy burden.
As every student in expected to learn by performing experiments, thus it is felt by some
experts that this method expects too much from the students. In this method, students
feel heavy burden on themselves as a result of which they do not get involved in the
exploration and investigation processes with their fullest capacities.
5. Teacher finds it difficult to attend to the individual needs of the students.
Not only the students feel lot of burden on them, but teacher also have the same kind of
tendency. Sometimes, teacher find it difficult to attend to the individual needs of the
students, as they differ from each other to considerable extent. As a result of this,
students get discouraged, as a result of which, it becomes very difficult for teacher to
provide timely help and guidance to them.
6. Need experienced and well qualified teachers.
This method can only be used by experienced and well qualified teacher otherwise,
probabilities of getting failure can be increased.

Types of Laboratories
Laboratories are commonly classified according to their purpose and structure.

 A skillbased laboratory (SBL) is that in which students learn basic scientific skills or
techniques (e.g., how to read a triple beam balance or graduated cylinder, how to use a
microscope, how to conduct a titration).
 In a verification, or confirmation, laboratory (VL) students know the concept that they
will observe during the activity and are often provided with step by-step directions to
achieve a predetermined outcome.
 In a directed-inquiry laboratory (DIL) the teacher poses the question and provides the
mechanism to answer it.
 In a guided-inquiry laboratory (GIL), the teacher provides the students with a
question, or set of questions, and the students design an experiment to address
the question(s).
 Finally, an open-ended inquiry laboratory (OIL) provides the greatest degree
of freedom in that students develop their own questions, design their own
experiments, and come to their own conclusions in regard to scientific
phenomena. This type of laboratory is considered the most student-centered
when compared to the other types of laboratories.
MOBILE SCI LAB
Department of Science and Technology-Science Education Institute (DOST-SEI
developed a science buses for Filipino learners. The “Science Explorer” project is a mobile
interactive learning facility that features exciting hands-on learning through fun and easy
science activities. Topics include weather science, forest biodiversity, river geology, water
rocketry, and marine science. In 2019, it has served around 32,000 elementary and high school
students in more than 100 municipalities all over the country since 2010. While the Science
Explorer mostly caters to younger students, nuLab is primarily intended for senior high school
students. The advanced STEM modules feature topics such as nanotechnology, aerospace
engineering, nuclear science, earthquake risk analysis, science media literacy, programming,
oceanography, robotics, entomology, and environmental science.
VIRTUAL LAB

 Students can breed "pure" mice with known genotypes that exhibit specific fur colors,
and learn how traits are passed on via dominant and recessive genes. Mice can be
stored in cages for future breeding, and the statistics of fur color are reported every time
a pair of mice breed. Punnett squares can be used to predict results.
PRE-RECORDED LABORATORY
Benefits of this video approach
Students can watch the videos in an 'on-demand' setting, pausing and rewinding the videos as
needed while watching them at their convenience while writing the lab reports.

STARBOOKS
https://cvc.pshs.edu.ph/index.php/2014-08-18-00-27-40/2014-08-18-02-00-57/library/starbooks
STARBOOKS’ extensive library is now integrated into the online learning platform DepEd
Commons and is a recommended supplemental learning resource for public schools.

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