If you are a science teacher, you have probably heard a student (on more than one occasion) says, “When am I ever going to use this information in the real world?” one of the top ways to illustrate or show students real world use of the information you are teaching is by using case studies as part of your curriculum. Depending on what you are teaching, you can add one or two case studies to your teaching methods to help students glean a better understanding on real life application of the methods, processes or other information you are trying to get across.

Illustrates How Companies Use Science

Millions of workers, scientists, lab assistants and more trot into work every day. In their everyday work, they are using scientific methods and research to conduct their tasks and perform their roles in the company. it brings a whole new light to science by featuring case studies as part of your teaching that show how companies use science. Even something as simple as creating makeup that your female students are wearing relates to science, so mix and mingle some real life examples of how science applies to the “real world.”

Feature Experts

In conjunction with written case studies, you may also want to bring experts into the classroom. Living case studies can also help you to drive home the point you are trying to teach. Bring in experts to the classroom that use science, scientific methods or conduct scientific research experiments. Hearing scientists and other science experts talk about the jobs they have and the tasks they perform on a daily basis can also help to teach students about the real world importance and application of what they are learning in the classroom.

You can even combine the case study teaching method and in-class expert talks with a field trip to a company, location or other field trip venue where students can see science in action.