Date: Mar 6–7, 2015 Place: Society House, Sri Aurobindo Society, Puducherry
Full Report of the Workshop (PDF ~ 3MB)
A two-day workshop for science teachers aimed at equipping teachers with methods and means to handle science subjects with ease and with a captivating manner was organized by Pondicherry Science Forum (PSF) in collaboration with Sri Aurobindo Society, Puducherry, on 6th & 7th of March 2015, with the following objective:
1. To expose teachers to innovative science experiments through which they can make their classrooms interesting and captivating.
2. To introduce scientific concepts using no cost, low cost innovative experiments.
3. To give hands on training to teacher trainees on basic scientific concepts.
About 45 participant teachers from Puducherry as well as Tamil Nadu participated in this workshop.
The workshop was conducted by Dr Samar Bagchi who was the Director of Science Museums of Eastern India retiring in 1991. Since retirement he had conducted more than 250 science teachers’ workshop throughout India from Doon School to slum schools. His slogan is “Where there is no laboratory how science can be learnt by doing with low cost no cost materials.” He is well known all over India for a program that he did in the National Doordarshan from 1983 to 1988 called ‘Quest’, an innovative science quiz program for which he got the National Award from DST, Govt. of India.The workshop started with a brief formal inaugural function at 10:30 am on the 6th of March at the Society House building of Sri Aurobindo Society. Mr Raghunath introduced Dr Samar Bagchi and briefed the background of the workshop and how the workshop is more relevant in times where children are doing not so well in science subjects due to systemic problems with the curriculum for science as well as problems in the pedagogy. This was followed by Self Introduction by the participants. Later General Secretary of Pondicherry Science Forum, Ms Hemavathi gave an introduction to the workshop. Mr Murugavel, Secretary, PSF, coordinated the workshop well.
Outcome
The two day workshop for science teachers was an appropriate step towards equipping teachers with methods and means to handle science subjects with ease in a captivating manner. As science always relates to doing and demonstration of the concepts, and as laboratories are always difficult to set up and even more difficult to maintain, Dr Samar Bagchi’s mode of training using no cost, low cost science experimentation offered a meaningful alternative to formal training and the typical training approach of State Training Centres or DIETS etc.Feedback Session
The feedback session conducted on the second day brought out the opinion of the participants and all of them without fail appreciated the mode of the workshop and the participatory manner in which the sessions were held. They all agreed to take the experiments to maximum number of students possible.
Valedictory Session
The valedictory session was held at 4 pm on the 7th of March 2015. This was attended by Mr R Dakshinamurthy, Ms A Hemavathi, Mr Raghunath, Mr Segar, Mr VIjayamurthy, Mr Ramesh et al. from PSF, and Shri Shivakumar from Sri Aurobindo Society. Mr Dakshinamurthy presented a memento to Dr Samar Bagchi. A few participants expressed their feedback and Dr Samar Bagchi also expressed his happiness in the way the workshop was held, the ambience the venue provided to the workshop. Shri Shivakumar said that the workshop was extremely good and reminded the participants that along with the methodical approach to science, teachers also need the refining of their observatory skills, accuracy and precision as well.Ms Hemavathi, General Secretary of PSF, gave the Vote of thanks and the workshop came to an end by 5:00 pm.