Laboratory Method of Teaching Science

This method is one of the important methods of teaching science and it forms an integral part of effective science teaching. Under this method, teacher encourages the students to derive various scientific laws and principles on their own by getting personally involved in the experiment work.

For this, provision of a well- equipped laboratory is made by the teacher. Along with such materials and facilities, proper instructions are being provided by the teacher to the students by which they can carry out their experiments self-independently. They carry on the experiments and record the observation properly, on -the basis of which they infer their results or draw conclusions.

Entire work of the students is being supervised and controlled by the teacher, as a result of which, probability of meeting with any kind of accident reduces to considerable extent. Not only this, with this, students perform their work without conducting any kind of mistake.

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For science teaching, this method is used to maximum possible extent by the teachers, as a result of which, some experts have divided it into various categories, some of which are as follows:

Inductive Laboratory Method:

Through this method, students get the opportunity to form various scientific concepts and principles on their own as in this method they have to take part in various project functions.

Verification and Deduction Method:

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Through this method, teachers illustrate various scientific concepts, principles and laws in front of students.

Technical Skill Oriented Method:

This method stresses to acquire various kinds of manipulative skills which involve the development of hand-eye coordination.

Science Process Oriented Method:

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Through this method, teachers develop the science process skills of various kinds in the students.

Thus, any form of laboratory method can be used by the teacher. But, it is very necessary to plan and organise laboratory activities carefully. Pre-laboratory instructions should be provided by the science teacher well in advance of time as through it students will get prepared for taking active part in laboratory activities.

Through such kind of pre-laboratory instructions, students will become oriented to the objectives to be attained and the procedures or methods to be adopted.

Necessary directions for actual laboratory work should be provided by the teacher to the students, which should highlight the precautions which they are required to be observed. Teacher can provide the instructions to the students either in’ written form or orally. If these are provided in the written form, then there should be proper provision of black-board and instruction cards in the classroom, as without it, this function cannot be performed properly.