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Make science fun for students
A prototype bridge mounted onto the rig while a load cell is applied below to test for aesthetic value by students at the Annual Viva Science Challenge in 2018.
One way for young people to appreciate sciences, is not as something to make their school life miserable, but as a vehicle to help explain the marvels of this world.
For instance, why don’t we fall off and drift way into deep space or why do trees provide more nourishment than your favourite meal? The answers are gravity for former and photosynthesis for the latter.
How you teach science subjects matters greatly. Unfortunately, the fun element is often missing, resulting in struggling and bored students desperate for the lesson to end.
Recently, the results of the 2018 Uganda Certificate of Examinations (UCE) were released showing a significant improvement in general performance.
However, candidates continue to perform poorly in science subjects with nearly half of them not attaining the minimum Pass 8.
This is a big concern in a world being transformed by technology. Janet Museveni, the Minister of Education and Sports, believes this poor performance is mainly due to equally poor teaching methods and the limited opportunities to do more practical exercises.
She said teachers are still drilling and bombarding students with facts and figures which encourages cram work instead of eliciting understanding. It is difficult to ask the right questions when you barely understand the subject matter.
Ms Museveni also cited limited parent participation in their children’s learning.
She said the government was now planning to start training teachers to enable children to learn and understand so they are able to answer examination questions better. But parents, although crucial in complementing teachers’ efforts, are not the only important ingredient in getting the best out of our children.
The fun aspect
Another effective way of improving science uptake is the introduction of special and fun programmes that build warmth and demystify difficult concepts. We need to push for more lesson time taken up with practical experiments that challenge students by sparking their imaginations and encouraging them towards further research.
How you package all this, is of vital consideration. However, a joint venture between Eutelsat, one of the world’s top satellite operators and MultiChoice, Africa’s entertainment leader, has proven to be successful.
The annual DStv Eutelsat Star Awards is a competition that aims at stimulating interest in science and technology and inspiring innovative thinking among secondary and high school students across the African continent.
Students can choose between writing an essay and designing a poster to depict the areas in which they believe the full potential of satellite technology can be exploited to improve livelihoods.
Last year, Amos Mumbere, a Ugandan was the overall essay winner and he got the chance to travel to Paris and eventually French Guyana to watch a satellite being launched into space; an experience he termed as ‘ecstatic’.
The awards have gone a long way not only in making science fun, but also educating students on how satellite technology can be used for development. Satellite technology is used for weather forecasting which is crucial in agriculture and disaster management.
The smart phones we use everyday come with pre-installed weather applications that allow us to access data captured from outer space, which are then analysed and processed in real time. Satellite technologies can help monitor the effects of climate change, improve natural resource management, and help prevent threats to biodiversity.
Emphasise STEM
Governments across the world have identified the Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) curriculum in the belief that students’ abilities can be developed as opposed to being static and unchangeable. Learned skills can change and develop over time.
Research has also shown that STEM subjects are the most important for facing the challenges of the future. It is predicted that almost all jobs will require STEM knowledge. If a person does not want to work in a STEM environment, studying STEM subjects nonetheless will still help them develop important skills employers want such as communication and logical thinking.
The truth is, we cannot run away from sciences if economic development is to continue. Teaching science has to be easily tied into our daily lives if our students are to embrace it with more enthusiasm.
Basically, this is what the Eutelsat awards competition is all about. Nor is there any doubt about the potential available in this country. Uganda has continuously provided representatives in the continental competition and we hope to have another winner!
