Top NJCTL Teaching Tip of the Month: Make Labs a Centerpiece of Your Students’ Classroom Experience

Everyone is subject to the beginning-of-winter blahs, both students and teachers alike!

What’s a great way to re-engage your classroom with a jolt of collaborative energy? Labs can captivate your students and solidify their understanding of scientific theories and mathematical equations by bringing them to life.

The key to a successful lab can be in your planning and preparation.  Be sure to:

*     Have all of the lab materials ready-to-go.

*     Provide a short, simple explanation of what will be learned.

*     Plan for maximum interaction...create groups that include quieter and more outgoing students, as well as those who usually grasp concepts at varying rates.  

*     Have the students fully explore questions on their own before coming to you for guidance.

*     Provide time for groups to share their learning with the entire class.

We encourage you to take full advantage of the wide range of  labs NJCTL provides for you as part of our free, editable online course materials for K-12 mathematics and science, as well as our AP offerings.  Younger students can share in the excitement of feeling like “real” scientists, older students can familiarize themselves with basic laboratory equipment that will be used in college, and everyone will have the opportunity to master important lab skills in an interactive environment.