It’s a long jump from filling in bubbles on a biology exam to correctly operating a PCR machine. While having a theoretical foundation is important, practical laboratory skills are just as important, and much harder to find time and resources to teach.
大多数高中老师根本无法花时间教实验室技能,因为它们与标准化考试无关。但是,在我们日益激烈的世界中,如果学生没有经验,那么学生就可以进入实验室,但是他们需要在实验室工作才能获得这种经验。
学生entering college completely unprepared for lab work are overshadowed by students with prior research lab experience, no matter how masterful their command of the written biology curriculum may be.
他们可能会欺骗生物化学考试,但是他们了解适当的无菌技术的重要性吗?
通常,招聘首席研究员倾向于选择具有一些先前实验室经验的学生,而不是新生渴望学习的学生,仅仅是因为该学生在管理实验室工作的基础方案和原则方面具有更多的经验。
那么您如何提供帮助?将实用的实验技能纳入您的课程中。这是5个重要技能,可以在您的学生申请第一个实验室职位之前与他们合作:
1.实验室安全
The single most important element of lab work is vigilant adherence to safety protocol. Across the board, safety protocol in research labs includes:
- Close toed shoes and eye protection
- 保持长发绑回
- No food or drinks near the lab
- Do not leave experiments unattended
- Only use equipment that you are trained and approved to operate
- 始终了解消防安全和疏散程序

听起来很简单,但是很容易懒惰和弯下腰。即使您的实验没有任何直接的危险,附近的其他人也可能。准备可靠地遵守安全规则的学生表明了成熟和准备就绪,以实现更高级的实验室责任。要了解更多并练习实验室安全技能,尝试我们的实验室安全模拟免费。
2. Aseptic technique
实验会因污染而迅速无效。学生应该了解,即使在实验室中,环境中无形地都存在污染的潜力。
向学生传授预防污染的常规程序(称为无菌技术),这是实验室中学生思维过程的宝贵脚手架,并鼓励人们敏锐地关注细节。学生对无菌技术的思考和实践越多,它就越会成为第二天性。
It’s difficult to give students a solid understanding of aseptic technique just through explanation, but with thebacterial isolation virtual lab,他们可以在在线实验室环境中学习和练习该技术,直到他们获得掌握为止。
3. Mammalian and bacterial cell culture
生长的细胞系和细菌菌落是实验室研究的另一个基本部分。并非每个实验室都会使用细胞,但是有足够的能力,在进入大学之前就建立和维持健康的细胞生长环境很有帮助。确保您的学生知道保持细胞生存和快乐需要什么,包括琼脂的作用,不同温度的影响以及避免污染(再次无菌技术!)。
If you don’t have the resources in the classroom to practice cell culture, students can playthe cell culture virtual laband get the same practical, interactive learning experience, as well as introductions to the machinery used in today’s labs to culture cells. They can also practice aseptic technique and plate streaking in thebacterial isolation virtual lab。
4. Gel electrophoresis:
凝胶电泳是另一种无处不在的研究实验室工具技术,大多数高中无法进入。如果学生正在寻找与生物化学相关的研究实验室中的经验,他们将遇到这一过程。此外,包括AP生物学考试确实要求学生了解什么是凝胶电泳,其工作原理以及研究人员可以从结果中学到什么,所有这些都不难以实践技术。
幸运的是,聚合酶链反应虚拟实验室includes a gel electrophoresis component that will ask your students to solve a murder scene using the technique. Students will emerge with a much clearer understanding of the procedures around pouring and running gels, including why it works and what it can be used for.
5. PCR
说到聚合酶链反应(PCR), pretty much every lab these days has a PCR machine. While students might not necessarily have to know exactly how the machine works to operate one in the lab, it definitely helps to have a basic understanding of what’s going on in there. Additionally, DNA amplification and specifically PCR comes up with relative frequency on standardized exams like the biology SAT subject test or the AP biology exam, so it’s definitely worth your time to cover it in class.
考试通常会结合有关PCR应用程序申请的问题,因此您可以在实验室和测试中为学生提供优势聚合酶链反应虚拟实验室,他们可以在应用环境中了解凝胶电泳和PCR。