In 2018, Robert Baafi, the Founder of Novastar School, a private school located in Kasoa, a densely-populated area at the edge of Accra, contacted Dr. Heather Beem to discuss ways of enhancing science education in his school. Training his teachers and setting up a science lab that utilises
local materials were the interventions agreed upon.
"We decided to build a science lab at our school and I did some research on science labs and I read some articles that mentioned Heather Beem about her PhD work that she did. The research topic was how to teach science using everyday materials. That idea attracted me so I got in touch with Heather for her to provide our teachers the training and also will help us determine how to
set up the lab and the materials that we needed,” Robert Baafi recalled.
Robert Baafi, Founder, Novastar Academy
Prior to 2018, PEN had started working closely with the Ghana Association of Science Teachers
(GAST) to train some of its members to become Master Trainers. One of such trainers is Emmanuel Ocquaye, who was assigned to train four science teachers and the headmaster at Novastar Academy in 2018. Emmanuel Ocquaye facilitated a series of training and recollected the seeming shock on the faces of the teacher when he brought everyday materials to the workshop to conduct science experiments:
“At first, the teachers were surprised to see the kind of materials that we were bringing on
board because I think they were expecting huge things that they have known from the traditional kind of labs,” he said.
Emmanual Ocquaye (right), demonstrates how carbon dioxide can be captured via an experiment using a PET bottle, balloon, vinegar, and baking soda during the training of the teachers at Novastar.
Over the years, the science teachers were able to solidify their understanding of hands-on
approaches to teaching science and acknowledge PEN’s training as a catalyst for their transition from using rote teaching and learning methods to a more participatory and hands-on approach.
Michael Obuobi, one of the teachers trained at Novastar Academy reflects on the impact made by
the training: “Before the training, I used to teach only the theory aspects. I copied the notes on the board and let them write the same things in their notebooks. I just explained the topics and whether they understood it or not, I was just focusing on them reading what I've given them. I realized that it
wasn't that effective. But after the PEN training, I realized that the children were more involved in the lessons and then they began to have more interest in science.”
The teachers fully adopted the hands-on pedagogies in their lessons after the series of
training in 2018. On March 11, 2022, PEN received an email from Robert Baafi, the founder of the school. The email reads as follows:
Hello Heather,
Attached are our BECE results for 2021. Amazingly, everyone in the class got a “1” in
science.
The impact of the lab is incredible!
Thanks for your help.
Robert.
Jeffrey Quartey, one of the teachers PEN trained using a model of the respiratory system he created using cardboard, balloons, and straws to teach a year group of BECE candidates.
Fast forward to Nov 2023.
PEN received another email from the Robert Baafi, with an update on the 2022 and 2023 national science exam scores. The email read:
Hi Heather,
We just received the BECE results at Novastar. 15 of the 18 candidates received '1' in science, with the 3 getting '2'. For 2022, 19 of the 21 got '1', and the remaining two got '2'. So the science lab and the practical science program has a lasting impact.
Robert.
Student performance data from the BECE was collected and analysed from the first year of Novastar science teachers’ exposure to PEN’s hand-on science teacher training to 2023. The impact of hands-on learning became evident in the successive students' academic performance. From 2018 to 2023, we witnessed a gradual improvement in science grades, with a notable shift from lower scores to consistently high performance.
Notably, in 2021, all twenty-one (21) students who took the BECE scored a Grade 1 (equivalent of A+), a remarkable 100% rate of achieving the highest available score.
Forty percent (40%) of the 2021 candidates pursued science related courses in senior high school when the PEN Team followed up on the students.
By demystifying science and fostering accessibility, hands-on learning empowers all students to excel.
