The Ghana Education Service has partnered with Practical Education Network (PEN) to train teachers in hands-on science in a bid to eliminate the “chew, pour, pass, and forget” phenomenon in Ghana’s education.
The training workshop took place at the Odorgonno Model Basic School in the Ga Central Municipality and brought together ten (10) science teachers each from Ga Central, Ga North and Weija Gbawe municipalities.
The training forms part of the PEN Teacher Roadmap programme which seeks to fully equip teachers with hands-on pedagogy in the teaching of science and mathematics using locally available materials.
“The latest teacher training techniques place a greater emphasis on classroom practices as another way to improve Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics – STEM Education,” said Madam Winifred Cynthia Aku Gbadago, the Municipal Director of Education for Ga Central.
According to her “effective teachers should use relevant everyday events as a basis for science instructions that foster interest and curiosity. In a way, Kids are by nature curious and need to feed their curiosity and deepen their understanding of scientific concepts. This approach encourages students to take more active roles in figuring out how natural events work instead of being taught those lessons by an instructor.”
However, she bemoaned the inadequacy of Teaching and Learning Materials for teachers to practicalize science experiments, thus praising PEN for exposing teachers to how they can use low or zero cost locally available materials to teach science practically and effectively.
The participating teachers are expected to replicate the activities they have learnt with their learners in the classroom to begin to shift their science lessons from a lecture-based method to a more practical and meaningful learning experience for their learners.
Tips for Teachers on How to Teach Science Practically
Practical science is the science of how. It requires students to think critically and creatively to solve real-world problems using available resources. If you are a teacher that wants to teach your students practical science, then this blog post is for you! Teaching practical science can be challenging because it involves multiple senses. You want your students to not only see, touch, hear and smell the materials but also understand how these things work together. Here are some great tips on how teachers can incorporate practical science into their lessons:
Teach By Example
When you want to teach by example, you want to demonstrate and show your students how to approach and solve problems as scientists. By doing this, you are allowing them to learn through observation. This is one of the best ways to teach practical science because it allows your students to learn by doing. In addition, there is a great connection between observation and creativity. When you observe what your students are doing, you can ask them to explain their thinking and methodology. This will allow you to model how scientists think and create an environment of curiosity and discovery. Another great way to teach by example is through investigations. Investigations are hands-on investigation activities that allow students to conduct experiments, collect data and analyze the results. Through investigations, students can not only learn about science but also develop critical thinking and problem solving skills.
Create an Environment of Discovery
Teaching by discovery is all about creating an environment that encourages your students to explore and investigate on their own. This will allow them to think critically and creatively. By fostering an environment of discovery, you are removing the need for teacher direction or answers. This is great for students who have a tendency to get bored with reading about the same things over and over again. When you want to create an environment of discovery, you want to make your classroom a place where your students feel safe to ask questions. You can do this by creating a classroom environment where students feel safe to ask questions and express their curiosity. Another thing that you can do to create an environment of discovery is by creating opportunities for students to investigate on their own.
Move Beyond the Textbook
As a teacher, you are going to be using a lot of science textbook information. You want to move beyond the textbook and think about how you can use real-world examples and challenges to help your students think critically and creatively. It is important that you are not just using textbook information but also real-world examples. When you want to move beyond the textbook, you want to think about how you can help make your lessons real-world applicable. This can be done through hands-on activities, field trips and incorporating challenges into your lessons. It is important that you do not make challenges out of an arbitrary thing. Challenges should have a real-world application. For example, if you are teaching about the Sun, you can make a challenge out of what would happen if the Sun did not shine. A great way to move beyond the textbook is to think outside of the box when it comes to inquiry-based lessons.
Make it Hands-On and Feelable
When you want to make it hands-on and feelable, you want to make your materials real-world applicable. This will allow students to get a glimpse of what it feels like to be a scientist. There are a lot of materials designed for classrooms, but they are not connected to the real world. When you want to make it hands-on and feelable, you want to use materials that are not always designed for science classrooms. This will allow you to make materials that are not always designed for science classrooms that are real-world applicable. When it comes to making your materials real-world applicable, you want to think about how you can make them tactile and hands-on. This will allow your students to get a wider glimpse of what it feels like to be a scientist.
READ: STEM Education Reports Submitted to Education Ministry
Integrate Technology into Your Classroom
When it comes to integrating technology into your classroom, you want to make sure that your students are engaged and having fun while learning. This will allow them to form deep connections and develop a passion for science. You want to look at how you can integrate technology into your classroom so that your students are engaged and having fun while they are learning. This can be done by incorporating games and challenges into your lessons. You want to make sure that you are using technology that has high engagement and low frustration levels. It is important that you are integrating technology into your classroom so that your students are engaged and having fun while they are learning. This can be done by incorporating games and challenges into your lessons. You want to make sure that you are using technology that has high engagement and low frustration levels.
Conclusion
Practical science is the science of how. It requires students to think critically and creatively to solve real-world problems using available resources. If you are a teacher that wants and wants to teach your students practical science, then this article is for you! These practical science tips can help you integrate practical science into your lessons and make your students engaged and excited about the scientific process.