In Beirut, It’s Time for Some Real Science

ACS Beirut’s budding chemists savor their success (photo: ACS Beirut).

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The mission statement of the High School science department at the American Community School of Beirut (ACS) states that “Our goal is to nurture and inspire scientific curiosity among all of our students by providing them with interesting, challenging programs and activities which increase their science curiosity and understanding of the world. ... Inquiry is and must be central to learning science.”

Concretely, the science mission statement reflects itself in the lab activities that are offered in our courses. In fact, in the High School, we have four labs: a MS science lab, a Biology lab, a Chemistry lab, and a Physics lab, in which students perform activities appropriate to their age and grade level.

The directions for the experiments are given by the teachers or are designed by the students, and in both cases the ultimate aim is the same: to increase students’ knowledge and understanding of concepts through challenging applications, and to develop an understanding and appreciation of the scientific method, its benefits, and its limitations.

However, the elements of our mission statement are best achieved when students design their own experiments. Then and only then do students start to genuinely appreciate the work of scientists and the constraints they face. My IB Chemistry Year 1 students experienced this recently, when they had to actually perform an experiment they had designed.

They had to work on their own, trying procedures and new techniques, modifying steps as they encountered difficulties, finding solutions, thinking about alternatives… and finally feeling proud of their accomplishments.

Students could see the excitement in my eyes as their anxiety morphed into determination, their frustrations washed away by willpower and perseverance. The achievement of a more meaningful and authentic science experiences can be sensed from the students’ reflections on their lab work.

“The design of the procedure allowed me to pay closer attention to the details of an experiment, and it showed their significance, as I had to use them to make my experiment functional... I had the power to create my own experiment and to reach my own conclusions... I enjoyed paying attention to the accuracy of the procedure and being able to make adjustments.”

According to another student, “The lab plannings were great. I have become much better at formulating lab procedures and improving them while in the lab. Designing labs gave me the freedom to choose between many different methods, and it helped me think.”

In the memorable words of yet another ACS Beirut student, “I really feel like I am a scientist now!”

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