Friday, September 18, 2009
9_16_09
Did the Benedict's solution lab, without too many modifications from our original plan--I think it was complicated enough for the students at this point, when they had only had their intro to carbohydrates the day before, and many of them simply do not have the ability or more likely the motivation to follow directions on their own, they just sit there waiting for you to come by and explain it to them step by step...if this is one thing I can get them to do, to explore the lessons on their own without fear of failure or "writing down the wrong thing," for them to get the confidence and motivation, that would be a huge accomplishment. Perhaps no one has expected them to work independently before. Shelley came by, and talked about even though one has to battle apathy, sometimes the right course of action is to at least set higher (but attainable) standards, and perhaps you can reach some of them, the effects are often intangible and not seen until months or years later.
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I wish that I could have been there to see it. Did you provide them a framework within which to 'play' (i.e. experiment) with the materials? Have the students been trained to expect experimental outcomes to be certain? How have they been provided positive or negative feedback in relation to experimental outcomes being similar to or different from expected outcomes? Some students limit themselves for fear of failure and others because they don't see the point of 'discovering' something that is known. What makes you interested in doing an experiment in your research lab? What is your motivation?
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