I find that lab experience is vital to teaching as it ties theory to practice. As Charles mentioned above, lab instruction and experience really allows a student to develop the real-world skills needed to be successful professionals in their area of study/expertise. It also allows the student to apply the principles they have been learning during instruction, thus creating a more holistic student. Particularly as it relates to Bloom's Taxonomy, lab experience allows all three domains to be tied together, and as with instruction, lab activities should be well thought out and planned, and contain specific objectives and criteria, again, to clearly define for the student what he or she will gain from successfully completing the lab requirements.
