How should science teaching change?
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Graduates are more than their degrees
There鈥檚 a restlessness in South Africa right now. 鈥淪ociety is sizzling,鈥 is the way Wits lecturer Kgothatso 鈥淜ayG鈥 Nhlengetwa (BSc 2008, BSc Hons 2009) puts it. 鈥淲hat are we doing about it?鈥 she asked at a recent Science Faculty symposium on transformation in science teaching.
KayG is an exceptional person, arguably an embodiment of transformation herself: a young black female geologist. But transformation is not just about the number of people representing certain categories, she says. It is about understanding people.
鈥淭ransformation includes the numbers but is not limited to them,鈥 she says. 鈥淚t also includes mindsets, attitudes and the social environment. And these more qualitative aspects also need to be brought to the fore in the debate. People are complex and thus transformation is intrinsically complex.鈥
It is important to think about the purpose and result of transformation. Where are we going and why? 鈥淭he purpose speaks directly to the result, what we measure and how we implement strategies.鈥
KayG is a PhD candidate in Mining Geology, a Canon Collins scholar and an associate lecturer in the School of Geosciences at Wits. Speaking about transformation in science teaching, she says it is critical to work within an 第一吃瓜网 context. 鈥淏y using more contextual resources we open up a gateway for innovative 第一吃瓜网 solutions for 第一吃瓜网 problems in varied sectors.鈥
She received a Department of Science and Technology Women in Science Fellowship in 2014 for her research work on .
Transformation in science: what does it mean?
鈥淭ransformation鈥 is a concept with many different meanings.
Sharing his personal view at the Science Faculty symposium, the Dean, Professor Helder Marques, first spoke about the nature of science. 鈥淚t is reliable, consistent and non-arbitrary. It creates a picture of the world that is accurate, quantitative, logical and comprehensible. Its strength is its predictive power,鈥 he said.
Things do change in science, of course. Theories change when the facts don鈥檛 fit them. And science takes place in a changing world, where its findings can be denied or distorted, and its proponents harassed. Think of the 鈥渂rain drain鈥 of academics from South Africa during the apartheid years.
But what transformation means to Prof Marques is 鈥渃hange with a purpose: change in structures, practices and procedures to make a quality education accessible to all. It means empowering students with what they need to work.
鈥淵ou cannot compromise on standards. Wits students must be equipped for any scientific endeavour in the world, and prepared for the next industrial revolution.鈥
South Africa鈥檚 school system is not preparing students for university-level science and the financial obstacles to producing increasing numbers of top-quality science graduates are enormous.
But in Prof Marques鈥 view, 鈥渢ransformation is about a state of mind鈥.
Portrait of a Wits science graduate
A product of the Science Faculty, he said, should:
- Understand the philosophy of science
- Be a critical thinker
- Be competitive in a changing world
We need appropriate ways to get students to that place:
- A supportive and empathetic environment in which people feel at home
- A welcoming and caring attitude
- Willingness to listen
- Responsiveness so as to gain the trust of students
- Catering for classes containing students with different levels of skill
- A restructured curriculum (perhaps emphasising skills rather than content) so that students leave having attained high standards.
Prof Marques obtained his science and teaching degrees at Wits and has received two of the University鈥檚 most prestigious awards: the Vice-Chancellor鈥檚 Teaching Award (1992) and the Vice-Chancellor鈥檚 Research Award (1989).
What do you remember about learning science at Wits? Let us know.
A chemical reaction among students
Wits alumni Prof Shane Durbach and Dr Paul Franklyn spoke about the Research Assistantship Programme (RAP) for chemistry students. This gives students hands-on laboratory experience working with more senior researchers.
What would you do if your laboratory experiment didn鈥檛 work? This question 鈥 and not social or educational background 鈥 is the best predictor of success in the programme. And beyond: up to 80% of the RAP participants go on to postgraduate chemistry studies.
The students themselves say that RAP makes them feel that they matter, exposes them to the reality of work in chemistry, gives them practical skills, gives them a sense of purpose and a vision of their possible future, and shows them what impact they can make as chemists.
Transformation is happening in chemistry teaching but it鈥檚 not a change in the syllabus or the curriculum 鈥 it鈥檚 a change inside the students.
The Chemistry Department would like to track what becomes of its graduates 鈥 so do stay in touch!