Inquiry-Oriented Laboratory Work

Performance Objectives:

• The teacher candidate will explain the rationale for using laboratory work.
• The teacher candidate will state the goals of introductory laboratory work as presented by the AAPT.
• The teacher candidate will explain the differences between the "typical" physics lab, and the problem-oriented physics lab as defined by the PER Group at the University of Minnesota.
• The teacher candidate will identify the nature of the ideal inquiry lab, and distinguish it from the more traditional "cookbook" lab.

PHY 311 Course Syllabus

Goals of the Introductory Physics Laboratory (1998 AAPT Statement)

Inquiry Labs: What Science Lab Activities Should Look Like (116 kB PDF draft document added 9/22/03)

Levels of inquiry: Hierarchies of pedagogical practices and inquiry processes (see definitions of various types of inquiry-oriented labs)

Cookbook versus Inquiry Labs (last updated 10/04/04)

Problem-Solving Labs (PowerPoint Presentation)

Text version of above PowerPoint Presentation (pdf)

Problem Solving Labs a la University of Minnesota PER Group

Sample Laboratory Guidelines

Sample Guidelines for Lab Reports

Sample Inquiry-based Labs (new link to PHY 302)

Return to PHY 311 Course Outline