Your science lab is a place where students fall in love with science — if you design it with learning goals in mind. The right science lab design can make science an adventure of thrilling discoveries.
“Once you open up that curiosity door, anything is possible.” Chances are your students can tell you which beloved science teacher on a popular television show uttered that truism. Your school science lab, with its digital microscopes and triple-beam balances, is that “curiosity door.” And when your science lab is reimagined with an eye towards learning goals, your students will find that falling in love with science is, indeed, possible. Whatever science lab classroom designs you can dream up, School Outfitters can help you furnish it brilliantly.
Start by identifying the goals of student lab work
Your science lab isn’t just a place to extract DNA from a strawberry. Like most educational activities, kids learn a variety of skills that will help them in all facets of life.
School labs help students master scientific concepts
Hands-on experience is an important adjunct to textbook learning. School labs bring information learned through books and lectures to real-world applications. By bringing firsthand experience to scientific concepts, science labs bridge the gap between academic learning and real-world application.
Labs support students in developing scientific reasoning skills
Scientific reasoning skills are useful far beyond the lab setting. The process of clearly defining a problem and developing a logical process to solve it is important in all areas of life. Science labs contribute to the development of important critical thinking and problem-solving skills and reinforce the distinction between opinion and fact.
Science labs help students develop practical skills
The ability to use tools correctly and successfully manipulate their surroundings are skills students can use in many situations. The confidence a student develops when building simple wind turbines can inspire her to tackle everything from home improvement projects to a robotics engineering degree as an adult.
Science labs improve students’ ability to work as a team
The archetype of the lone mad scientist belongs solely in literature class; science is, in fact, a field of collaboration and teamwork. Not only that, teamwork is at the heart of success for the modern workplace. Employers value diversity when it comes to ideas and experiences. Your science lab lays the foundation for the essential skills of being able to work in a group.
School science labs help students appreciate the ambiguity of real-world science
When learned solely through textbooks, science seems like it provides clear answers to our questions about the world. While certitude is always a goal of science, all too often, results surprise and lead to more questions. Your science lab helps students deal with ambiguity. And in a world rife with uncertainty, remaining calm and collected in the face of ambiguity is a superpower.
School science labs nurture a love of science
And finally, your science lab is the place where you introduce students to the exciting world of science. Textbooks can make science seem droll and heady. In the lab, however, science is the purview of bonafide explorers. Whether they’re building a robot or a potato battery, students learn that science is fun when they have access to a well-designed science lab.
Use the goals of student lab work to design your science lab
With the above goals for inspiration, you can design a school science lab that ticks all the boxes. In this section, we’ll cover ways you can reimagine your science lab to facilitate learning and a love of science. Here’s where school furniture and science-specific classroom furniture options can truly transform your spaces.
Define clear learning outcomes for your lab work
While some of your coursework may evolve organically, you know which big projects you want to tackle before the school year begins. For each of these science lab projects, develop clear learning goals. The learning outcomes you outline will help you design your science lab. For example, if you want to focus on teamwork, then a series of mobile lab stations that can be moved to accommodate groups of various sizes will be helpful.
Your science lab can reflect the flow of scientific work
Several steps go into the completion of any science project. You’ll want to design your science labs to reflect the flow of this work. A fully equipped lab station with sink and storage will keep students focused on the work rather than scattering to wash their hands or find supplies.
Provide areas in your lab for student reflection and discussion
Collaboration and discussion form the bedrock of outstanding scientific work. Your science lab can help students build teamwork skills when you create a space for student discussion. A whiteboard school desk with storage bins is the ideal solution that allows students to draw diagrams and tables to illustrate scientific concepts and results.
Design the perfect science lab for free with School Outfitters
Your school science lab is a place where bookwork blossoms into adventures of thrilling discoveries. In addition to being a place where students can fall in love with science, your science lab is also where they learn important life skills. From the ability to logically solve problems to fortitude in the face of ambiguity, a science lab is a lot like a petri dish where essential life skills grow. Visit our classroom design page to begin designing your ideal science lab today and be inspired by prerendered classroom layouts you’ll love. Let us help you transform traditional school science labs into engaging and flexible science learning experiences!
