Take a leaf out of Tabichi’s book
PETER Tabichi (pic), a Maths and Physics teacher from a remote village in Kenya, was chosen as winner of the Varkey Foundation Global Teacher Prize 2019, which is worth US$1mil, out of 10,000 teachers from almost 180 countries.
A teacher at the Keriko Mixed Day Secondary School in Pwani village, Nakuru, he contributes 80% of his pay to support his students who could not afford uniforms or books. He also persuades the local community to recognise the value of education by visiting families whose children are at risk of dropping out of school. He tries to change the minds of parents who expect their daughters to get married at an early age by encouraging them to keep the girls in school.
Besides his generosity and education advocacy, what is amazing about him is the creative teaching and science communication he applies in his daily work, which has uplifted the school’s reputation for scientific achievement.
About 95% of students in Pwani live in poverty, and about one-third are either orphans or have only one parent. Despite this difficult environment, Tabichi managed to create a pathway to pursue scientific excellence among his community.
His students won an award from the Royal Society of Chemistry for a project that generates electricity from plants, and qualified for the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair 2019 to be held in Phoenix, Arizona in May this year.
Tabichi not only encourages active participation in science lessons but also develops the spirit of teamwork among children. He introduced a talent nurturing club while expanding an existing science club, and doubled the enrolment of science students within three years.
Under his mentorship, students from Pwani won first prize in the public school category of Kenya’s Science and Engineering Fair last year for a device that enables blind and deaf people to measure objects.
As a trained science communicator, I personally think Tabichi’s approach in science learning is exemplary of creative science teaching, as he develops curiosity and desire among the students to find out more about science even out of the classroom or school. This method could replace the traditional classroom way of learning, where students tend to be spoonfed by teachers who provide all the information and facts.
Tabichi’s students are led to discover and learn science spontaneously and naturally, as they construct knowledge using materials and equipment familiar to them. They are exposed to daily problems or occurrences that arouse their curiosity towards natural phenomena, stimulating them to discover the answers or solutions as they move through the process of scientific investigations.
Meanwhile, in a progressive and prosperous country like Malaysia, the number of students taking Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) in secondary schools has been declining over the years. This downward trend will impact on tertiary education where there are currently 11,000 places in various STEMrelated fields which would not be filled. This will affect the output of engineers, scientists, doctors and other STEM-related professions to support new emerging jobs and the fast-growing digital industry in Malaysia.
According to Malaysian Science Academy chief executive officer Hazami Habib, what is more worrying is that parents are giving the wrong signals on Science and Mathematics, thus killing their children’s interest in these subjects. Parents are advising their children to take “easier” subjects to score as many As as possible in SPM.
There is a need not only to change the perception among parents that it is harder to score in science subjects but also to make students realise that science can be fun. Measures must be taken to convince the public, especially parents, about the importance of STEM subjects. Parents can help to shape the attitudes of their children and adolescents of the next generation, which will then assist the policy makers to better structure programmes that may bridge the gap between society at large and science.
It is time to move away from the traditional classroom environment where students generally work alone and their activities are based mainly on textbooks and workbook materials.
Science teachers must stimulate and provide chances for students to convey their opinion, and to practise scientific reasoning through the social contexts. By empowering students to be active and critical, teachers will create a better understanding of the words that are spoken, written and read.
Subsequently, learning has to take place beyond the walls of the classroom, and society is the venue for intellectual development. This is why we need awareness of science and technology as an instrument for the public, especially parents, to recognise the contribution of science and technology in the standard of living and also to understand the past, present and future relationship between science, technology and economic prosperity.
The people’s scientific knowledge is not only based on their abilities to master the science or to churn out facts, but it is also about how much they can understand key ideas and how they came about, and evaluate the status of scientific and technological knowledge and its significance for their personal, social and economic life. This can be accomplished through exposure to various programmes or activities geared towards raising their awareness and appreciation of science and technology.
NOOR ASMALIZA ROMLEE Kuala Lumpur