Science can be fun to teach

Over one hundred (100) high school science teachers from the length and breadth of Jamaica and from the  science  disciplines (physics, chemistry, biology, Integrated science) converged on  the campus of The MICO University college for the three-day event. Teachers were awed through hands- on science activities using mainly local materials and covering some content areas of the National Standards Curriculum, and the Caribbean Examinations Council syllabi for the science subjects.The aim of the workshop was to enable teachers to create an environment and opportunities for students to develop a love for science, hopefully translating into greater interest in science subjects and ultimately larger numbers of students opting to do the sciences in secondary school exit examinations.The workshop was a very stimulating, exciting and novel experience for most teachers, who deemed it “successful” in demonstrating how simple fun ways in which science concepts are  taught can bring joy, excitement and enthusiasm to students.According to Mrs. Sharon Thompson Jordan teacher of biology, “ this exposure has motivated me so much, not only to share concepts which I teach with my students but to begin a Science club which will see the utilisation of the various other concepts exposed to me outside of my area of teaching”.The leader of the Pueblo Science group Mayrose Salvador, in commenting on the experience  of the group in Jamaica said, “We’re all very happy to have interacted with the science teachers of Jamaica and learn first-hand how receptive and dedicated they are to learning fun and novel ways of teaching science. The energy they displayed during the workshop was quite inspiring for us as scientists who go out into the world more often to share our expertise and strive to solve real world problems being faced in communities or schools. We’re all excited to go back home and continue to develop more experiments that teachers can use in their classrooms. We hope that the training will serve as a catalyst for further innovation of STEM activities and demonstrations that use locally available resources and promote collaboration...”The event was sponsored by Solar Market Ja, the Association of Science Teachers of Jamaica, the Ministry of Education Youth and Information, the Petroleum Corporation of Jamaica as well as Pueblo Science and IBM Jamaica.This piece was published by the Association of Science Teachers of Jamaica.