Ever wondered how to generate light without access to electricity or create an improvised thermometer from using just ordinary materials you find at home?
Well a new challenge designed to encourage school children to create exciting scientific experiments is sweeping across Ghana. And you can help promote innovative thinking by picking your winning experiment, your best junior scientist of Ghana, your favourite teacher and help them win prizes.
The GH4STEM Junior Experimenters of Science (JUNEOS) Challenge is the brainchild of edutech platform WeGo Innovate, which works in partnership with GhScientific, Ghana Association of Science Teachers (GAST), Ghana STEM Network, and The Exploratory.
Teaching and learning
The GH4STEM campaign brings education stakeholders together across sectors to demystify the teaching and learning of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM).
“The ultimate goal is to make practical STEM teaching and learning the norm at all education levels in Ghana through different fun, innovative, educational activities such as the JUNEOS Challenge,” said WeGo Innovate Founder Charles Agbemashior.
“In the past year, WeGo Innovate and its partners filmed 100 junior high students, 65% of which are girls, in 100 schools across the country, as they carry out STEM experiments using some basic materials they readily find in their environments to explain numerous scientific phenomena. These materials range from basic things like pencils, bulbs, potatoes, sand, water and wood to fruits, dyes, and flowers.
“The featured schools are spread across all the regions of Ghana (previously 10) as we aim to show a true reflection of the love young boys and girls in Ghana have for STEM despite poor access to resources in many schools.”
The Initiative also spotlight STEM teachers in these basic schools in teacher articles (see example here), where they share their journeys and how they are able to promote practical STEM teaching and learning in their classrooms.
Fun with science
The GH4STEM JUNEOS Challenge is supported by voice of GH4STEM broadcaster and actress, Naa Ashorkor Mensah-Doku. It aired on 1 June 2020 and will screen on GNTV Junior every Monday from 4.30 to 5.30pm GMT, repeating on Wednesdays and Saturdays at 3.30pm to 4.30pm GMT and 6.00pm to 7.00pm GMT, respectively.
Members of the public can watch the reality STEM series and vote on www.wegoinnovate.org for their favourite experiments every week. These votes will help select the top three experiments from each of the ten regions of Ghana. Expert judges will score the 30 regional finalists based on the national curriculum and on critical thinking, innovation, and collaboration.
TV viewing
Catch the first episode, featuring schools from the Eastern Region on WeGo Innovate’s Facebook page. Weekly episodes feature of on WeGo Innovate’s Facebook and Youtube platforms every Tuesday at 4.30 pm GMT.
And try out some of these experiments with your daughters, sons, nieces, nephews, brothers and sisters, tag @Wegoinnovate on their social media platforms.
Read more about the JUNEOS Challenge here.
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