Student Microscopes, A View from Down in the Trenches

Extract

The use of microscopes in education has proved be a powerful tool in grades K through 12 for catching the student's interest in the sciences, the humanities and the arts. While the equipment and the approach varies with the grade level, the questions of availability, teacher training and cost are each important to obtaining full and successful use of microscopes in the classroom. The one item which is beyond the control of the school is the high cost of appropriate quality microscopes. A projection system capable of showing bacteria should be available to the teacher at all times and a number of microscopes which the students can use themselves should also be present Because of the cost, many schools, both public and private, have only one microscope room or share one set of microscopes for the entire school. The result is a study of the tool rather than using the tool to better appreciate history, ecology, high technology, medicine, and so forth.