Six-year-old Zoe performing the oil and water experiment to learn about density at his science study corner at home. | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
Six-year-old Zoe loves to spend time isolating DNA from fruit, making foamy ‘elephant’s toothpaste’ . And when he is not experimenting with his fizzy chemistry kit, he has his head buried in science comics, learning about dinosaurs, volcanoes and flying machines. “A good curriculum is anything that fosters the child’s natural sense of wonder. We have lessons that we do at home every day. There’s always a dozen questions on topics like rockets or hydrogen atoms. So one day, we explore the atmosphere, space and beyond. And on another day, habitats and animals; elements on the periodic table; or just learn about the human body,” says Grace Lyn, who has been homeschooling her son Zoe.
Grace remembers how, as a student, she would queue up to check out a microscopic view for a brief 10 seconds in the lab. “That was our biology practical session for pretty much the whole middle school year. It is remarkable to see how far we have come. Today we have quality, affordable science gadgets that help create an environment that enables the child to thrive,” says Grace. Beyond the doors of a traditional classroom, homeschoolers, educators and scientific institutions are nurturing the next generation of sci-tech talent and STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics) education is one of the key components. In many educational institutions today the focus is also on the way teachers are trained and how they interact with students.
“Opportunities should be enlarged for children in schools so that they can be engaged in scientific discussions. And that happens when there is a shift towards application-based knowledge gathering,” says Venumohan Manga, founder of Little Angels school. With an aim to facilitate a deeper understanding of subjects at the school level, the educational institution has subject experts as teachers right from the primary grade level since its inception in 1983.
Deepthi Nannam, mother of two, believes that practical learning of scientificd concepts creates a lasting impression. A post-graduate in pharmaceutical analysis, Deepthi love science experiments as a student and would wait for the practical lab period. Today, her kitchen has become a live laboratory for her children. “I use the ingredients in our kitchen for most of our experiments. I ordered basic lab kits like test tubes, beakers, stands from various websites,” she says. For instance, to explain the concept of density Deepthi used oil, water, honey, and milk to make a density tower. “We also made a density rainbow using sugar solutions of various concentrations. And the children were absolutely thrilled,” she says.
On other days, she checked the acidity and basicity of the household items using a natural pH indicator (hibiscus flower juice). “The topic of pH came about when our pink hydrangea flower plant from the nursery started producing blue flowers when we planted it in our garden. So, whenever we come across a new concept, I try to explain it to them in a practical way,” adds Deepthi.
According to Vasu Prakash, director of Sri Prakash educational institutions, outlining ways for teachers to encourage student enquiry and facilitating exchange of ideas by providing platforms like science festivals is another way to improve STEM education.
While existing teaching methods have long been based on the rhetoric of well-established curriculums, it does little to break the mindset of ‘I know and you don’t know’ in traditional classrooms. “To break that barrier, we introduced the concept of International Science and Mathematics Festival for children from 2012. The festival was held once every two years and saw school students from across the country as well as southeast Asia converge at a common platform and engage in exchange of ideas,” says Vasu Prakash. Experts from Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre and Indian Space Research Organisation also visited the institution for interactions with the students.
While many mainstream educational institutions are moving beyond blackboards, educational philosophies like Waldorf are rooted in the understanding that science and scientific phenomena evoke wonder in a child when introduced in an age appropriate manner.
“It is important for children to experience the wonder of science without becoming aware of the abstract concepts behind the processes in early years. Experimentation leading to observation and conclusion fully starts at 12 years of age in a Waldorf curriculum,” says Deepti Vadlamudi, head of academics of Swechha, a Waldorf inspired school in Visakhapatnam. Strengthening a child’s understanding of science in later years begins with building a strong foundation in the early years. “Waldorf children in their early years are surrounded by the wonders of Nature — sounds, tastes, light sources, different smells and varied surfaces. Jumping and balancing gestures have inherent concepts of spatial awareness and mechanics. Touching materials of different temperatures and lifting objects of various weight and density are all sensorial experiences of the physics concepts that come later. Cooking allows young children to experience baking, fermentation, caramelizing of sugar and the child will help develop a loving relationship for learning and experimenting. The sensory experiences form living pictures that grow with the children through the grades as the concepts behind these images are revealed,” says Deepti. In the higher grades, students describe the observations from the experiments. The class discusses the observations, thinks about them, struggles with them and then strives to arrive at a conclusion. Deepti adds, “Even though they arrive at concepts already proven, they own the experience of finding it themselves.”
Our code of editorial values
Printable version | Feb 28, 2022 10:45:15 pm | https://www.thehindu.com/society/ahead-of-national-science-day-teachers-and-homeschoolers-talk-about-what-makes-a-good-science-curriculum/article65083376.ece