Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Gandhinagar has decided to make Science learning an interesting subject for Kasturba Gandhi Balika Vidyalaya (KGBV) students. Along with IIT Gandhinagar, the Uttar Pradesh government has planned a ‘curiosity programme for teaching science in an experimental way’ to teach science as an interesting subject in an experimental way.
The main aim is to create a chain of residential schools for girl students from socially and economically weaker sections studying in Kasturba Gandhi Balika Vidyalayas (KGBVs). The initiative will also make the students proficient in science subjects.
IIT Gandhinagar to Groom 50 Teachers for the Programme
According to reports, a faculty team from IIT Gandhinagar will groom around 50 KGBV teachers as master trainers under the programme. Tthe teachers will be trained based on 100 modules prepared for teaching science in an experiential way, using interesting toys, stories, activities, and assignments.
The prepared modules are a 5-15 minute videos that cover different topics from science books of grade 6 to 8. These videos explain the ways of doing an activity and the science behind it. A curiosity box will be provided to each school, which is an indispensable part of the programme. These boxes contain the materials that will enable the teachers to conduct the interesting activity with students important for an immersive experience. Students will also be able to perform activities on their own.
Sarita Tiwari, an additional project director of Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA) said that there is a notion that science is not a girls' subject, for which the SSA has planned to take this programme as a challenge.
With the help of this programme, SSA aims to make students and more importantly teachers fall in love with the science subject. The main idea is to make the classroom experience more engaging and enjoyable as it will provide experiential learning, spark innovation, foster creativity, and focus on concepts, she said.
Further, the students will have to maintain a notebook where they note down their experiences, like their observations, scientific understanding, and queries for each activity that is conducted. The students will also be provided with engaging assignments in each module that would enable them to think about the in-depth concept.
Teachers from all the 746 KGBVs will be trained as a master teacher online thrice a week and after the six months of the programme, these teachers will have to attend a residential workshop of master trainers at IIT Gandhinagar. Meanwhile, the physical workshops will take place early in 2022.
One of the principals from KGBV schools said that if the students and teachers become interested in the science subject, eventually, the critical thinking, scientific temper, and conceptual understanding will follow.
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