Individualised laboratory method

 A pupil-centered method that provides hands own experience.

This method provides opportunities for each student to conduct own experiment  in the science laboratories.

Best method to develop scientific process skills & scientific temper among learners.

This method represents true nature of science as it involves arriving at at conclusions through investigation and verification 

Each learner is provided with separate laboratory space to conduct his experiments.

Each pupil is provided with a laboratory manual containing instructions and the teacher merely guides and supervises the pupil’s work.  

Laboratory becomes a place where the teacher and the taught solve their problems together.

Learning by Doing : To learn science is to do science, there no other way of learning science.

Preparation for laboratory work

Laboratory should be well organised with essential resources.

Laboratory periods should be correlated with class work

Ensure pupils are not doing experiments, which have not been discussed in the class.

Pupils should be told before hand about the setting up of apparatus, records of results and particulars to be taken care of.

Necessary directions to be taken from text books.

Bring a separate laboratory note book for the recordings of experiments

➤Aim  ➤ Apparatus used  ➤ Principle ➤ Procedure  ➤ Result   ➤ Conclusion

Pupils whose work is unsatisfactory should not be allowed to do the practical work.

Role of Teacher

As a Supervisor, monitoring all the learners works, progress, dilemma, doubts etc.

The supervision of the teacher counts much in the success of laboratory method

Teacher is a leader, inspirer and guide

He must go form student to student giving guidance and needy directions.

Elaborate instructions need not be given

He should give only hints and thought provoking questions.

He must give personal attention to all students.

He has to help the pupils in setting up apparatus or in drawing up the inference.

Division of experiments among pupils can be assigned according to the developmental stage of learners.

Pupils are divided into different batches, one batch doing the same experiment one day.  The same group will be doing another experiment in the next day.  Another cycle of experiments by another group and so on.

Beginners are allowed to do experiment in pairs which is convenient.

As we reaches higher classes the restrictions are minimized & provided more freedom in performing experiments.

Merits

• It is a child assertive/ centered method.
• Develops scientific process skills
• Highly motivated for further researches & studies
• Develop a sense of scientific methodology in solving problems.
• It gives more opportunities for pupils to participate actively.
• Gains a high degree of scientific temper, tolerance, self esteem etc.
• It gives facilities for developing the laboratory technique and manipulative skills.
• Based on the principle of ‘learning by doing’

Demerits

• It is a very economic in nature, Requires large infrastructure & resources.
• Time consuming
• The dull pupils are often tempted to copy down the results of the brilliant one.