SECTION FIVE : Conclusion
Focusing on what
you learned by doing the lab
Step
1: Write a paragraph summarizing what you have learned about the scientific
concept of the lab from doing the lab. Back up your statement with details
from your lab experience.
More
Help:
- Return to the scientific
concept you established in the Introduction. But instead of describing
what you know about the scientific concept in the Conclusion, describe
what you learned about the concept from doing the lab. For example:
- How did solving
the problem help you to learn about the concept?
- How has your
understanding of the concept improved or otherwise changed from
doing the lab?
- What specific
aspects of the procedure or data contributed to your learning?
- What difficulties
did you have with the concept before doing the lab and how were
those difficulties alleviated by doing the lab?
- How might what
you have learned in the lab be applicable in the future?
- Be direct in your
statement of what you have learned. Don't be afraid to start out saying,
"In this lab, I learned that ...." This sort of clarity will
be appreciated by the reader. Elaborate on your statement with additional
details about what you have learned.
Step
2: If there is anything else you have learned about from doing the
lab, such as how to solve this particular problem, how to design an experiment,
the kinds of the lab procedures or kinds of analyses you used, describe
it in a paragraph or 2.
More
Help:
- There may be more
that you have learned about from the lab experience than the scientific
concept of the lab. If so, write a paragraph describing it. For example:
- What did you
learn about experimental design, how to design an experiment?
- Was there
anything in the experimental procedure that you found particularly
interesting to learn how to do?
- Did you apply
a procedure for analyzing data that was useful to learn about?
- Did you learn
anything about using a spreadsheet or graphing or creating other
visuals?
- Did you learn
anything about writing or about science from writing the report?
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