Natural experiments: taking the lab outdoors

Abstract

<p>Many teachers like to take their classes on field trips. So why do we usually confine chemistry lessons to the laboratory or classroom? The benefits of outdoor teaching are well documented (Malone & Waite, 2016; Dillon et al., 2006), and include both cognitive and skills-based aspects. It’s also well known that, for most students, solving puzzles is more exciting than reading textbooks or listening to lectures.</p>

<p>For these reasons, we decided to develop an enquiry-based approach to science lessons, where students act as ‘detectives’, first creating their own hypotheses in the classroom, then gathering information outdoors and applying their findings to the hypotheses.</p>

<p>In this article, we describe an activity focused on measuring the levels of glucose and starch found in plants and fungi. We equip the students with an investigation bag containing everything they need for the chemistry fieldwork. At the end of the activity, the students return to the classroom to discuss their findings.</p>