When the activity sheets suggested extensions and tried to encourage the students to become the originator of the questions and the designer of activities, they floundered. There were no blanks to fill in. The suggestions were ignored and all activity ceased. Here, too, science had not been the point of the activity. As a teacher, I know the classroom limitations.
Time is short, the material is complex, and the students are anxious about doing well.
In response, I have tried hard to make it work by ensuring that the instructions are clear and everyone understands how to fill in the lab sheets. And I have had that sinking experience in those classrooms of procedurialism replacing inquiry and understanding. A seventh grade class that used the MBL Sound Unit for several months is an example of tool-empowered inquiry. The two science teachers started by using the unit with their whole class as a group investigation. A single microcomputer was set up at the front of the class.