Lab reports are something I’m pretty familiar with. Coming from a high school specialized in science, we were required to write a lab report every single week for our weekly labs. Though the labs ranged vastly throughout the 4 years, there was always something to take away from each. Even though most of the labs had an expected result, it was still very interesting to physically make these results happen in a lab setting. We can always read about a subject through books or textbooks, but information tends to last longer when learning is more hands on. A 2009 study conducted by researchers at Purdue University found that middle school students who were taught about human impact on water quality through a hands-on learning method showed high comprehensions of the concept as opposed to only learning through textbook and lecture method.

I believe this is not only something that can be implemented in a science course. For example, it is possible to go on a field trip to a history museum for a history course. In particular, I remember a specific class that focused on the founding of the United States which took a more hands-on approach. Half of the class were designated as “nationalists” while the other half were designated as “patriots” and we had a class debate with each side arguing for their ideas and opinions. This was a very effective way of learning the topic because each student was extremely engaged in the debate and it made the topic a fun one.