As science teachers, or teachers in general, we tend to have the mindset of doing things in our classroom the way we were taught, the way our department runs things, or what our colleague down the hall does. But if you really think about the reason behind what you’re doing, what you normally do might change. That’s exactly what happened with formal lab reports in my classroom. In this episode, I’m sharing why I ditched formal lab reports and how that decision impacted me and my students.
When I started to examine why I was assigning formal lab reports, I realized I was doing them for all the wrong reasons. So, when I finally made the decision to ditch them altogether, it greatly benefited my students and me. The pressure was off, and labs started to become enjoyable again, along with many other positive benefits. And since students weren’t getting critical thinking and scientific writing skills from the formal lab reports, I incorporated supplemental activities that provided students opportunities to practice those skills.
I’m aware that some science teachers feel very strongly about doing formal lab reports, and this might be a controversial episode, but for me, they didn’t serve a purpose in my classroom anymore. By ditching formal lab reports, it transformed the culture on lab days while still finding ways for students to practice skills that will help and support them later in their educational career. So whether you continue to do formal lab reports in your science classes or not, I hope this episode encourages you to make appropriate changes that are best for you and your students!
Resources Mentioned:
Show Notes: https://itsnotrocketscienceclassroom.com/episode105
94. How to Deal with Cheating in Your High School Science Classes
93. Simple Strategies for Classroom Management
92. 5 Ways to Have Precise Pacing and Tight Transitions in your Secondary Science Classroom
91. My Top 5 Classroom Management Routines and Procedures for High School Science Teachers
90. Classroom Management Philosophy for Secondary Science Teachers
89. Classroom Management in a Post-COVID World with Guest Casey O’Hearn
88. PRACTICAL IMPLEMENTATION: Part 5
87. Aligning Your Assessments: Curriculum Design Part 5
86. PRACTICAL IMPLEMENTATION: Part 4
85. Building Out Your Backbone: Curriculum Design Part 4
84. PRACTICAL IMPLEMENTATION: Part 3
83. Forming Your Foundation: Curriculum Design Part 3
82. PRACTICAL IMPLEMENTATION: Parts 1 and 2
81. Analyzing Your Aims: Curriculum Design Part 2
80. Strategizing Your Sequence: Curriculum Design Part 1
79. 4 Ways to Use Your Summer Well
78. Our LEAST Favorite Topics to Teach & How We Approach Them with Guest Sam Holcomb of Engineer Does Education
77. 5 Myths You Might Believe About Your Work Email
76. How Did You Do This Year?
75. End of Year Classroom CLEANOUT Without the FREAKOUT
Create your
podcast in
minutes
It is Free
LifeBlood
Navigating Life After 40
Science of Reading: The Podcast
How To!
The Minimal Mom