Using Checklists to Support Hands-On Science Learning

In her book Visual Thinking, animal scientist and autism advocate Temple Grandin delivers an urgent message: Skilled, hands-on labor is on the decline in the United States. Vocational training in our educational systems is not sufficient to fill the technical or manufacturing jobs left when members of that workforce retire.

In the middle school science classroom, there is a hands-on element based on skills that are similar to what Grandin describes. Using glassware and thermometers and following the practices of a traditional science lab are examples of equipment-based skills that students need to develop to be competent scientists. I’ve also noticed in more recent years that these are areas where my students have needed greater support.

In my class, learners had difficulty persevering past their frustration threshold when working with microscopes. They often raised their hands for teacher help at the first sign of a challenge. To help build their confidence and an important hands-on skill set, I developed a checklist of tasks for students to complete when working with the microscope.

The checklist was instructional for the students and allowed me to assess each learner’s ability to use the tool properly. I found the strategy to be very effective: Instead of most students asking for help to view a specimen under the microscope, I had a room of proud practitioners requesting me to observe how well they could use the tool.

Here are four tips for creating an effective science practicum checklist.

1. Break Down the Task Into Essential Steps

Performance tasks aren’t new for science educators. The Next Generation Science Standards frame learning goals as “performance expectations.” Desired learning outcomes and content knowledge are merged in one coherent statement. Similarly, teachers may start a unit by posting several “I can…” statements around the room for students to refer to (for example, “I can identify a low-pressure system on a weather map”). Both are great tools, but a science practicum checklist doesn’t need to be so “official” to be effective.

To make a practicum checklist, I start with a skill I’d like each of my learners to be able to independently complete using science equipment: clearly viewing a slide using a microscope, safely completing a dissection, or accurately measuring and mixing parts of a solution.

Next, I break down that multistep process into a simple, easy-to-follow task sequence. I wove safety instructions directly into the checklist to emphasize that proper equipment use and personal safety are not separate things. They are integral to the skill that’s being assessed. The first two steps in my microscope checklist, for example, are: “I can safely carry the microscope by the arm and base to my table. I can safely place a slide by the edges of the glass on the stage.”

2. Make it Attainable

Once the steps of the science practicum checklist are mapped out, each student is given a printed copy of their list. I gave out the checklist on the first day of our work with the equipment.

It was my expectation that every student in the room perform all of the steps to 100 percent accuracy as part of a teacher evaluation. I communicated to my class that I fully anticipated that every learner would meet success, with support and practice time provided as needed.

3. Give Practice Time

Rehearsal is such an important component to learning a new skill. I found most success by giving students free exploration opportunities with the equipment once they received the checklist. This encouraged the students to take the time to develop proficiency with the skills presented on the checklist. This is a more involved process than quickly following a list of cursory directions, an issue I’ve had in previous years.

It’s important to provide an activity, something worthwhile for the students to do, as they build their familiarity with the tools. In my microscope practicum, I had students compare and draw slides of plant and animal cells. I reminded them to refer back to their checklist if they ran into trouble and praised their successes.

The lesson set didn’t follow a strict timeline. When the students felt they were ready to be evaluated at any point during the open exploration, they’d let me know. This was a responsive approach that allowed me to spot-check students for whom proficiency came easily, while others had extra time built into the experience.

4. Make it Worth Something

Once students alerted me that they were ready to be evaluated, I sat next to them with their practicum checklist. They would then perform each step as written on their list. I would tick off each task and sign their page upon completion.

I made the cutoff after three class periods. The students would be working on an activity using the microscope, but they would need to be evaluated within those three periods. There’s always flexibility—students could take their assessment during a study hall, after school, or during a lunch period if they did not check in within the three class periods.

The goal was to provide a low-risk environment during this evaluation. I assessed students in front of their peers. My thinking was for classmates to see how I graded students, granting them the confidence to say, “I can do that, too.” If a student made a mistake, I would pause the assessment and say, “Practice that step. Get back to me when you can do this without help.” While this did serve as a summative assessment that went into the grade book, students didn’t have to complete their evaluation until they were able to demonstrate complete proficiency.

From Helplessness to Independence

In prior years, working with microscopes was a draining experience for me and my students. They didn’t know or remember steps for using equipment or how to problem-solve if they ran into an issue. This would happen despite the fact that I went over the skills at the beginning of the lesson. As the teacher, tending to each and every student when their hand went up was exhausting. I felt like I was promoting helplessness rather than independent learning.

The practicum checklists I developed changed the mood during this learning activity. Students were excited to be scored and were proud that they could find the specimen on their microscope without my help. The checklists facilitated a positive experience that built student accountability and supported ownership of their learning.