Practical work by laboratory stations: An innovation in experimental work

Experimental work is essential for the development of scientific skills and student motivation. However, students are not always involved in the experimental work, and the development of scientific skills is compromised. In this study, the model of experimental teaching of Chemistry and Physics by laboratory stations is presented and its contribution to the promotion of self-efficacy and self-regulation is discussed. This model had underlying active learning, neuroeducation and was developed using a collaborative Peer Instruction approach. The regular use of laboratory stations during two years, in two classes of basic education, allowed not only counteracting the distance between the students and Physics and Chemistry but also improving the students’ engagement in classrooms. The purposes of this implementation were to develop students' Chemistry and Physics knowledge, to engage students in the classroom activities, and develop scientific skills (handling equipment, making and describing observations, recording data, gave meaning to measurements, obtaining experimental results, discuss and analyse results, planning experiments to verify hypotheses). The promotion of collaborative work habits among students, critical thinking and the debate between peers as strategies to achieve significant learning were also other aims of this methodology.