Lab investigations offer students a chance to learn science content through a problem-based approach that encourages higher-order thinking. For effective student engagement, you should carefully consider how your formal and informal investigation fits into your overall lesson cycle.
This lab skills course will teach you how to choose content goals and design a question for your students to investigate further, following the scientific method. You will learn how to design the right pre- and post-lab activities that support student learning in their lab and then help ensure they are learning the scientific skills within your planned content goals.
Your training focuses on teaching the scientific method and will guide you in designing a comprehensive scientific investigation, from creating big questions aligned with your goals to planning and executing each step of the process. You will leave the course with a full scientific investigation plan and 25 templates, samples, and student resources ready to be implemented into your classroom.
Instructor(s):Self-Study
Requirements:
Hardware Requirements:
- This course can be taken on either a PC, Mac, or Chromebook.
Software Requirements:
- PC: Windows 10 or later.
- Mac: macOS 10.6 or later.
- Browser: The latest version of Google Chrome or Mozilla Firefox is preferred. Microsoft Edge and Safari are also compatible.
- Microsoft Word Online
- Adobe Acrobat Reader
- Software must be installed and fully operational before the course begins.
Other:
- Email capabilities and access to a personal email account.
- Editing of a Microsoft Word document is required in this course. You may use a free version of Microsoft Word Online, or Google Docs if you do not have Microsoft Office installed on your computer. Model Teaching can provide support for this.
Instructional Material Requirements:
The instructional materials required for this course are included in enrollment and will be available online.
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Lesson 1
- Introduction to Scientific Investigations
- Learn about the 3 components of the scientific investigation framework.
- Creating a Big Question Aligned with Your Content Goals
- Plan your content goals for a new scientific investigation and design an appropriate big question, structured as a problem your students can later seek to solve.
- Choosing the Right Scientific Investigation
- Learn how to choose your scientific investigation and methods for modifying lab activities to accommodate more advanced levels of investigation.
- The Pre-Lab
- Evaluate the purpose of pre-lab activities, then design them and plan for the student and teacher actions within them.
- The Lab
- Evaluate the components of the scientific method to help your students engage in the lab activity and consider the teacher and student's actions to ensure scientific investigation throughout the lab activity.
- The Post-Lab
- Evaluate the purpose of post-lab activities, then design them and plan for the student and teacher actions within them.
- Putting it All Together
- Using the sample provided, build your own idea for a scientific investigation for your current or future classroom and receive feedback on your plans.
- Applying What You Have Learned
- Get ideas on how to implement the concepts into your classroom, find a list of online resources that support the course topics, and read the research behind scientific inquiry in the classroom that supports this evidence-based professional development.
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