Joy of Learning: Science Teacher Training Workshop, Bihar (23.01.2017-28.01.2017)
I recently joined the Eklavya team in conducting a teacher training workshop at Hajipur, Vaishali, Bihar. I worked with experienced teacher educators who had worked in the HSTP programme.
The 5-day workshop started with introductions and teachers and the resource group discussed –questions such as: What is science? Why is it necessary to teach science? How should we teach science in school? Teachers were then divided into groups.
The biology group worked on ‘Bhojan aur Pachan’ (meals and digestion). We started with a group discussion on the aim of the 6th and 7th standard textbook chapters and asking the reason why the chapters are at the beginning of the textbook. Teachers brainstormed about constituents of specific food items; sources of the food we encounter daily; importance of nutrition, balanced diet and malnutrition; and how to teach students about trees, crops and nature.
A session in progress
Hands-on activities such as Bhojan ki thalli, sources of food, food testing for nutrients (protein, carbohydrates and fat), the food chart and human body mapping help students to understand the relevance of the textbook topics to their lives. Teachers enjoyed the activities and expressed that we should use hands-on activities to convey scientific concepts and not only for fun.
In physics, the topics were ‘Measurement’ and ‘Electricity’ in which the history and depth in topic were discussed. Hands-on activities explaining concepts such as least count, units, circuits, resistance and their applications in our daily life were briefly discussed.
Teachers were very active and interested in learning and said that it was the first time they were experiencing the hands-on teaching methodology. They commented on the importance of questioning, considering student’s perception and application of textbook concepts to students’ surroundings. During experiments, it was great to see the same enthusiasm in teachers that one does in students.
(Praveen Allamsetti and Sayali Chougale, Science Team, Eklavya, Bhopal)
