Transforming Osmosis Labs to Address Standards for Inquiry

A priority for all biology teachers must be for students to leave the classroom with a broad knowledge and understanding of science. Students need to be critical of science, analyze science, and relate new science knowledge to their daily lives. Unfortunately, many students are not reaching this goal. One strategy for making science laboratories more student-centered and to meet the National Science Education Standards for inquiry is to convert verification activities to inquiry-based investigations. The authors provide teachers with simple strategies to convert a confirmation-type osmosis laboratory into an inquiry investigation.