"In the year 1886 Harvard College made a very important change touching the physics in its requirements for admission . . . to establish a requirement of laboratory work. . . . It soon became evident, in view of the inexperience of teachers . . . , that a special course of experiments, carefully thought out and described with much detail, was needed to make the new plan a success. No one could doubt this who had to do with the first examination held under this plan. . . . The candidates who offered experimental physics came, like the traditional beggars, 'some in rags and some in shags and some in velvet gowns.'" (p. iii)

"The book is intended for the use of the student, to enable him to derive the full benefit of his experimental work; to guide him in his thinking, but not to relieve him from the necessity of thinking. It is therefore written with certain reservations: . . . in various cases where the subsequent course of the book requires that the conclusion to be drawn from a certain experiment shall be expressly stated, this statement is not given in immediate connection with the experiment which furnishes the basis for it, but is deferred somewhat in order that the student may have an opportunity to frame one for himself . . .." (p. v)

"'The objects to be sought in the course of experimental physics . . . may be stated thus: 1st, to train the young student by means of tangible problems requiring him to observe accurately, to attend strictly, and to think clearly; 2d, to give practice in the methods by which physical facts and laws are discovered; 3d, to give practical acquaintance with a considerable number of these facts and laws, with a view to their utility in the thought and action of educated men.'" (p. vii)

1902, Robert A. Millikan, Nobel Laureate, Mechanics, Molecular Physics, and Heat.

"The most serious criticism which can be urged against modern laboratory work in Physics is that it often degenerates into a servile following of directions, and thus loses all save a purely manipulative value. Important as is dexterity in the handling and adjustment of apparatus, it can not be too strongly emphasized that it is grasp of principles, not skill in manipulation which should be the primary object of General Physics courses." (p. 3)

1903, H. E. Armstrong, The Teaching of Scientific Method (2nd ed.).

" . . . methods which involve our placing students as far as possible in the attitude of discoverers, methods which involve their finding out instead of merely being told about things."

1919, Frederick William Westaway, Scientific Method: Its Philosophy and Practice.

"Science has one enormous advantage over all other subjects. All facts can be obtained at first hand, and without resort to authority. The learner is thus put in the position of being able to reason with an entirely unprejudiced mind. It is this possibility of self-elimination in forming a judgment that must be regarded as the greatest possible specific result of science teaching." (page 6)

"Let the Science teacher, then, be on his guard against dogmatizing. His chief business is to teach, not to lecture; to guide, not to tell. To lead his scholars to the pursuit and investigation of Truth should be his highest aim." (page 50)

1929, Frederick William Westaway, Science Teaching.

"[A successful science teacher] knows his own subject . . . is widely read in other branches of science . . . knows how to teach . . . is able to express himself [sic] lucidly . . . is skilful in manipulation . . . is resourceful both at the demonstration table and in the laboratory . . . is a logician to his finger-tips . . . is something of a philosopher . . . is so far a historian that he can sit down in a crowd of [students] and talk to them about the personal equations, the lives, and the work of such geniuses as Galileo, Newton, Faraday and Darwin. More than this he is an enthusiast, full of faith in his own particular work." (p. 3)

1996, Carl Sagan, The Demon-Haunted World Science as a Candle in the Dark.

"There were rote memorization about the Periodic Table of the Elements, levers, and inclined planes, green plant photosynthesis, and the difference between anthracite and bituminous coal. But there was no soaring sense of wonder, no hint of an evolutionary perspective, and nothing about mistaken ideas that everybody had once believed. In high school laboratory courses there was an answer we were supposed to get. We were marked off if we didn't get it. There was no encouragement to pursue our own interests or hunches or conceptual mistakes." (p. xiii)

1998, George M. Bodner et al., What Happens When Discovery Laboratories Are Integrated into the Curriculum at a Large University, The Chemical Educator (chemeducator.org/bibs/0003003/00030214.htm).

" . . . a different perspective to teaching chemistry; one in which the laboratory became the centerpiece of the students' learning experience. This involved significant changes in the roles of both the students and their instructor. On the basis of their observa-tions or data, students are now expected to form and test hypotheses that inevitably lead to the discovery of concepts, which are then discussed in class."

1999, Ronald K. Thorton, Using the Results of Research in Science Education to Improve Science Learning, Keynote Address International Conference on Science Education (probesite.concord.org/what/articles/thornton.htm).

"Traditional science instruction in the United States, refined by decades of work, has been shown to be largely ineffective in altering student understandings of the physical world."

2005, Sean Cavanagh, As Test Date Looms, Educators Renewing Emphasis on Science, Education Week (3/30/05 edweek.org).

"In preparation for the new [NCLB science] testing requirements, many states are revamping their science standards moving beyond the simple memorization of facts and formulas and focusing on inquiry-based instruction that teaches students to think like scientists."

2005, U.S. Department of Education (ed.gov/nclb/methods/science/science.html).

"America's schools are not producing the science excellence required for global economic leadership and homeland security in the twenty first century."

"Eighty-two percent of our nation's twelfth graders performed below the proficient level on the 2000 National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) science test."

"The longer students stay in the current system, the worse they do. According to the 1995 Third International Mathematics and Science Study, U.S. fourth graders ranked second. By twelfth grade, they fell to 16th, behind nearly every industrialized rival and ahead of only Cyprus and South Africa."

2005, National Research Council, America's Lab Report.

"Definition: Laboratory experiences provide opportunities for students to interact directly with the material world (or with data drawn from the material world), using the tools, data collection techniques, models, and theories of science.
...
Laboratory experiences can help to enhance national scientific literacy and prepare the next generation of scientists and engineers by supporting students in attaining several educational goals:

• Enhancing mastery of subject matter.
• Developing scientific reasoning.
• Understanding the complexity and ambiguity of empirical work.
• Developing practical skills.
• Understanding of the nature of science.
• Cultivating interest in science and interest in learning science.
• Developing teamwork abilities. " (p.194-195)