The Challenge: Lab Work
Teacher: (hands out the lab sheets and materials tray) “Alright, we’re going to start the group activity now!”
Student A: (grabs the tray of materials) “I’m going to pour the baking soda in the cup!”
Student B: “STOOOOOOPPPPP!”
Student C: “Ok. Student A can do that, then I’ll do the next thing. What were the directions?”
Student B: “I think the directions are under the tray.”
Student C: (knocks tray over and grabs directions) “DUDE, you weren’t supposed to pour the baking soda yet!”
Student A: “I don’t care. Who made you king?”
Student D: (You don’t even notice this student because they’re just sitting there.)
There’s a lack of learning, cooperation, and clarity in this scenario. The activity itself is unclear, and the students seem equally confused. I have to admit, when I first started conducting group activities, this is how things often unfolded, but with even more groups. Aside from honing their arguing skills, I’m not sure if my classes accomplished much.
The Solution: Lab Team Roles
Each student now has a defined role for every activity. If they forget their specific responsibilities, they can refer to a poster or wear a necklace with their role card. We practice these roles extensively during the initial unit. I guide them through reading instructions, waiting for materials, assigning tasks as a team, and checking in with one another to ensure everyone understands.
With designated roles, our group activities run much more smoothly. While occasional issues may still arise, 99% of the time is now highly productive. If we compare this to the earlier scenario, we’re looking pretty darn good!
Free Lab Team Roles
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5 thoughts on “Classroom Management Solution: Lab Teams”
My students LOVE their lab roles. It makes them feel like real scientist in a real lab! As a teacher I noticed there’s minimal behavior interruptions which is awesome!!! Thanks for all your materials! I would love to meet you in person sometime! I’m one of your bigger fans but not in the creepy way! =)
Love these! My students like them a lot. I changed “Participate” to “Spokesperson” and added that it is there job to ask the teacher questions and share results with the rest of the class.
I accidentally come across your blog while searching on the net about the proper usage of Interactive Science Notebook because I am still deciding if I can utilize ISN or science folder since our school is shifting more into technology, students will be assigned their own chromebook this year so I just want to ask which do you think is best? I am kinda new teacher in 6th grade science and still learning. Last year was my first teaching experience I came in the middle of the school and it was rough and challenging. Btw, I love of all your posts and it will really help me a lot. Thank you very much!
Hi! I’m still on the fence about using digital notebooks. While 1-to-1 technology is awesome for some things, there are so many benefits to being able to write, draw, and reflect.
-Ari
This is really well-thought out- can’t wait to try it in the classroom!
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