Science Laboratory Instruction: Summary of Findings and Implications from Four Companion Studies...continued:

In an attempt to "practice what I preach," I included the two evaluations.

Hopefully completing the two evaluations will take you more time than reading this did, making the whole effort on your part more "longer term." I encourage you to take some time this semester to do both of the "assignments." Directions for use are provided after the 7-point "How Open Are Your Activities" rating scale and before the "Assessment Table."

Feel free to contact me with questions about what or how to change. I'd like to know how your program rated as well. My e-mail address is "cdowning@ptloma.edu". Information on other contact methods is available by clicking on my name at the "Table of Contents" for these abstracts.

How Open Are Your Activities?

Rating Title Laboratory Exercise Description Non-Laboratory Activity Description Level of Thinking Required 1 Locked Students are given all procedures. Students write on "lab sheet." Answer spaces are provided. Data tables are included. Students fill in blank spaces on a "worksheet." Knowledge 2 Tightly Closed Students are given all procedures. Data tables are included. Students write "the answer" to worksheet questions. Knowledge 3 Closed Students are given all procedures. Questions/Directions leave little room for creativity. No independent thought is required. Knowledge/ Comprehension 4 Ajar Students are given all procedures. Some questions or conclusions are open-ended. Questions or directions leave little room for creativity or independent thought. Comprehension/ Application 5 Slightly Open Students are given most procedures and/or some questions or conclusions are open-ended. Some (or part of the) questions or directions allow for creative or independent thought. Application 6 Open Students develop procedures. An equipment list provided. Many questions or conclusions.are open-ended. Questions or directions encourage creativity and independent thinking. Analysis/ Synthesis 7 Way Open Students are given a problem to solve (or they develop their own!). Students develop procedures and draw their own conclusions. Questions or directions require creativity and independent thinking. Synthesis/ Evaluation

Directions for Use

1. Use this scale and rate each lab exercise and non-lab activity used in your program.

2. Calculate average rating for each lab/activity in each unit.

3. If your average lab/activity rating is not increasing as a semester progresses, revise some labs or activities to open them up and increase their rating or replace low rated labs or activities with higher rated ones.

4. Your goal should be to have a slightly higher average lab/activity rating for each consecutive semester in your program.

Definition: Assessment can be defined as any exercise, activity, or observation in which students are evaluated for content knowledge, process skill level, or problem-solving ability.

Directions: Please review each formal and informal assessment used in your program. List each in a table with the following headings: Semester -- Unit -- Assessment Type. Several assessment types are described below. If you use some other assessment type in your program, please provide your description of that type below your Assessment Table.

Assessment Type Description

Alternative Creative writing, dialogues, letter writing, art projects, musical projects, etc., are used to assess student's ability to apply knowledge.

Collaborative Groups of students perform some task or skill. Part of the grading is based on individual student performance, part is based on quality of the collaboration among group members.

Essay Usually defined as a "test," it can also be used as a homework assignment. There is a definite expected answer.

Informal Usually based on teacher observation. May assess knowledge or a skill. Frequently associated with monitoring cooperative group work. Also refers results of conversations with students during class periods.

Laboratory Report Consistent scoring of a written report based on results from a laboratory exercise. Normally contains "results" and "conclusions."

Objective Usually defined as a "test." Questions are multiple choice, matching, and the like. There is a single correct answer to each question. These are often machine scored.

Performance Often given after a laboratory in which a specific skill was taught. Students "perform" some task and come up with results consistent with skills previously learned. May have some time limitations imposed.

Project Student (or group of students) produce some form of product like a model or report. Frequently lasts over an entire instructional unit.

After completing an Assessment Table for each semester of your program, you may find a disproportionate number of "Essay" and "Objective" assessments. If so, you need to determine how other types of assessment can be used to replace or be combined with those "traditional" types to allow more students to display their full range of knowledge and achievement in your program.

Science Education Reform Index

Let's Collaborate Index