Proceedings of the 8th International Conference on Intellectual ...

Shaheed Hartley
It is very difficult to teach practical work in a classroom. I carry my apparatus along with
me in a box as I move from one class to ano<strong>the</strong>r. [teacher D3]
Our classes are too big and we have so much administrative work. I’m sure we can
reduce <strong>the</strong> amount <strong>of</strong> administrative work through one or ano<strong>the</strong>r IT package. Doing <strong>the</strong>
experimentation in such big classes is a problem. [teacher D7]
In <strong>the</strong> end <strong>the</strong> principal agreed that <strong>the</strong> science laboratories need to be reinstated and that collectively
<strong>the</strong>y will explore opportunities through which this can happen. There was also agreement that
teachers needed to attend courses on doing practical work with large classes and how to use
elementary everyday products to teach physics and chemistry concepts and a greater need for
learner involvement.
4.3.5 School E
At <strong>the</strong> group interview at School E science teachers expressed a need to utilize <strong>the</strong> school’s computer
centre as part <strong>of</strong> a teaching tool. They wanted support on how to make use <strong>of</strong> computer-assisted
learning and teaching but also a need to have curriculum-based s<strong>of</strong>tware that <strong>the</strong>y could as additional
reinforcement through problem solving and testing. There are three new teachers (teaching less than
three years) that expressed a need for additional support in some <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> content in <strong>the</strong> curriculum,
support in terms content knowledge, pedagogical strategies and practical and experimental skills. The
following are excerpts <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> views expressed:
Our school obtained a computer laboratory which allows us to utilise it for science and
ma<strong>the</strong>matics education. We need some advice on how we can use it in our daily
teaching. We also need subject specific curriculum-based programmes that we can use
for testing and reinforcing concepts with learner.[teacher E1]
I am new to teaching science and I am sure <strong>the</strong>re are o<strong>the</strong>r ways <strong>of</strong> teaching <strong>the</strong> subject
that will draw <strong>the</strong> interest <strong>of</strong> learners. I would like to start something for <strong>the</strong> learners as
well.[teacher E4]
I am also in my second year <strong>of</strong> teaching science and I am still very overcautious and
awkward when I set up experiments.[teacher 5]
There was general agreement that <strong>the</strong> science teachers need support in incorporating information
technology for teaching purposes. The science teachers also expressed an interest in short courses,
refresher or upgrading courses and also full qualification like <strong>the</strong> ACE course for science teachers.
These courses should address practical and experimental components, content knowledge and
teaching approaches. The younger teachers were in favour <strong>of</strong> starting a science club at <strong>the</strong> school.
4.4 Collective agreements <strong>of</strong> priority needs amongst five schools
The five schools have identified <strong>the</strong>ir needs in science education in both <strong>the</strong> NAQ and OEQ, and
highlighted <strong>the</strong>ir priority needs in <strong>the</strong> group interviews. There was a general agreement that <strong>the</strong> issue
<strong>of</strong> practical and experimental work in science is a priority since many <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> schools indicated that
<strong>the</strong>se are sometimes done due to <strong>the</strong>ir own lack <strong>of</strong> training, confidence and application. There was a
call for learner participation in <strong>the</strong> form <strong>of</strong> science clubs or competitions to improve <strong>the</strong>ir interest in
science as a learning area. There is also an understanding that some areas <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> content in <strong>the</strong> new
curriculum are lacking and a need exist <strong>of</strong> how to integrate <strong>the</strong> practical and experimental work in <strong>the</strong>ir
daily teaching. Teachers want to be able to use information technology in both teaching and
administration to allow for greater time to spend on areas that learners have difficulty with. Teachers
expressed an interest to join fellow science teachers from surrounding schools in <strong>the</strong> district involved
in <strong>the</strong> short courses, upgrading courses and full qualification courses that would provide <strong>the</strong>m with
some accreditation on completion <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> course. These opportunities would also provide <strong>the</strong>m a
vehicle to share <strong>the</strong>ir experiences with o<strong>the</strong>rs and to build up a network or support base <strong>of</strong> science
teachers. Teachers identified with <strong>the</strong> notion <strong>of</strong> a community <strong>of</strong> practice for science teachers where
knowledge, skills and experiences can be shared. All five principals that took part in <strong>the</strong> process and
agreed that <strong>the</strong> priorities listed for <strong>the</strong>ir schools represented an accurate reflection <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> needs
identified by <strong>the</strong>m. They requested that <strong>the</strong>ir school and especially <strong>the</strong> head <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> science
departments be assisted with raising funds or writing fundraising proposals to assist with addressing
<strong>the</strong> needs <strong>of</strong> highlighted. Figure 2 represents <strong>the</strong> 5 priority needs identified by members <strong>of</strong> each <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong>
five schools in <strong>the</strong> pilot project.
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