Importance Of Practical Work In School Science

Practical work defined in various term and often argued, Science in the National Curriculum frequent used term including ‘practical and enquiry skills’, ‘practical and investigation activities’ and ‘experimental work’ (QCA, 2007 a/b). According to Wellington (1988) in Dillon J. (2008). there are ‘at least six types of activity’ that take place in school science ‘that we would probably all class as practical work’. Activities in the lab are fun activities and can provide new experiences and reinforce the understanding of scientific concepts in students. This kind of teaching approach will give opportunity to students experience research through their efforts. Based on the Integrated Secondary School Curriculum (2010), students are also given

In this context, ‘practical work' mean tasks in which students observe or manipulate real objects or material for themselves (individually or in small groups). In most recent published review state more classical definition of practical work, students gain learning experience through several ways including in which students interact with the materials or observe the secondary data to understand the natural world (Lunetta et al., 2007). Wellington and Ireson (2008) believes that practical work in school carried out in various ways. Millar (2004, p.1) define practical work as learning activity in any science teaching which the students either working individually or group, observing and/or manipulating things that they are studying. Teachers may use practical work as a method to develop certain skills by giving the illustration and feel of the phenomena (Wellington,

Practical works will show the students how logic works in our daily life. Hodson (1993) found some evidence through his review of research into practical work that it served to motivate, developed skills, conceptual learning enhancement, to insight the scientific methods and later developed scientific attitudes. Although there is no evidence related to practical works towards students’ motivation in learning science, we can only assume that in this case, those skills were developed to the level of satisfactory of competence. A good and quality practical work helps the students to engage more thus help them to develop specific skill such as better understanding in science process of investigation and concepts. As a teacher, before they can conduct a science practical activity, they must ready with a good question, for example “what do I expect the students to learn by doing this practical task that they could not learn at all or not so well, if they were merely told what happens? (Millar, 2002). By asking question before planning can help the teacher to define what the aim of the activity thus explain its use to the