Mad Science of Manitoba

Gabriel Markiw, Director

For over 15 years, elementary students throughout Winnipeg have enjoyed Mad Science Afterschool Science clubs in many of their schools. Mad Science offers eight week programming consisting of one hour workshops once a week at the schools. To date, our programming has proven very popular with that age group.

Who would have thought that kids would love to stay an hour after school to do science? And pay a registration fee.

Our programming pretty much adheres to the Manitoba Elementary Schools Science Curriculum but really stresses a hands-on approach. The instructors are pretty animated and the style of instruction follows the Inquiry Based approach, i.e. while there are manuals for each workshop, we do not use text books but encourage the students to ask questions and otherwise engage orally. In fact, we often use the science model to explain the experiments.

Ancillary benefits of this approach have been that the students learn that it’s OK to be wrong and it takes the shyness away. Teachers often comment they can tell who in their classroom has taken Mad Science because when they ask a question, ‘Guess whose hands are the first to go up?’

Mad Science has grown at such a rate that one of our biggest problems is finding enough instructors for the demand while keeping a high quality of instruction. Our instructors vary in experience but all have considerable experience working with groups of children. Backgrounds include: university students from science dept., students in education dept., retired school teachers, retired principals. We’ve even had a few PHD graduates instruct at Mad Science because, as one said, ‘ I want to have some fun before I get serious about working in my field.’ Also, a bit different, but the Inquiry Based approach has attracted ‘kids’ entertainers’ and drama students. (Often science is not their forte but they sure know how to hold a child’s attention!)

We can give our candidates the science through our training sessions plus there are manuals and the Internet. What we are looking for is experience working with students in an educational environment.

In essence, we’re trying to attract qualified people who want to keep a hand in front line education; it is one hour of ‘fun’ each day in our club atmosphere.

We pay $23.75 per one hour workshop to start with regular raises for each 8 week session.

To apply, please email: msman@mts.net. Inquiries tel. 204-775-7959. n

TEACHERS FOR TEACHERS

INTRO – Dave Bennet, Rotary Member, Neepawa

From October 16 to November 24, 2015, a Vocational Training Team (VTT) from Manitoba and Saskatchewan participated in a Rotary International Mentorship program in Ethiopia. The team consisted of eight retired teachers and one public health nurse. They worked as resource personnel and mentors with teachers in schools in Bahir Dar. The following is from the reports of two of the participants, both of whom are RTAM members.

Linda Johnstone (from her report)

On Monday, I began my mentorship at Dilchibo as it was Grades 5 – 8. Since my expertise is in High School, this seemed to be the best fit as the other two schools were K - 4. There were still some questions regarding legal documentation, but we were accepted and I attended several classes to orient myself to the school. The Math and Science in Grades 7 & 8 were taught in English but all other subjects were still taught in Amharic (the local language) except, of course, for English classes. As English and Social Studies are my subjects, I aligned myself with the Grade 6 English teacher, who was most accepting of me. As well, I attended some Geography and History/ Civics classes in Amharic at all levels (5 - 8). Even though I didn’t understand the language, the teachers said parts in English and I did get a feel for the atmosphere in those classrooms.

The education system in Ethiopia is very structured compared to ours and the teachers are restricted as to what and when they can teach. As there are virtually no resources, including extra paper, coloured pencils, scissors, etc., it makes any kind of creative activity very difficult. Even though we took a lot of these supplies with us and bought more as needed, it still did not allow for much creativity. The other issue is class size. While Canada is trying to make K - 4 classes 20 or less, these schools had over 50 in most classes with one kindergarten of 61! Not only is this difficult for teaching but also for discipline. In that regard, the teachers still use sticks as switches to hit the children if they misbehave. This is very difficult for us from North America to accept as we did away with corporal punishment many years ago as an ineffective means to discipline. According to the Director of Education, this practice is illegal however, it is still being used. Not all the teachers used it but the class also had a monitor who was responsible for control if the teacher left the room or was marking books or reading tests and they had no difficulty wielding their power over the other students. Also, if the teacher was sick or away for the day, there were no substitute teachers, the class just stayed in their classroom for that subject and created havoc. No other teacher on break seemed to intervene or

As there are virtually no resources, including extra paper, coloured pencils, scissors, etc., it makes any kind of creative activity very difficult. Even though we took a lot of these supplies with us and bought more as needed, it still did not allow for much creativity.

check on them in any way. These observations were perhaps the most enlightening as it enabled me to realize that the teachers do an excellent job considering the difficulties they face and their lack of adequate compensation.

One highlight for me was a visit to Bahir Dar University where one of the Rotaract members was a teaching professor. All the classes were in English and the students were very welcoming and interested in our thoughts. The campus itself was very beautiful and even had resident monkeys! The costs are highly subsidized as long as the students pass the entrance exams and maintain good marks.

Lynda Richard (from her report)

Working at Shum Abo Primary School was a very rewarding experience. Over the four weeks I was able to work with most of the nine staff and 300 students from nursery to grade four. In classrooms I demonstrated some teaching strategies in English and Math and provided resources to encourage more student-centered activities. Singing and games were most popular. I also had the privilege of assisting Betty Anne Arscott, a music specialist from Saskatoon, who generously provided recorders and music instruction for two classes. They even performed at our final assembly.

A unique feature of this school was the attached Dairy Farm Program sponsored by the Swiss government. The staff of five maintained the barn with ten cows and the adjacent simple kitchen which provided essential daily nutrition to the youngest students and a few of the “poorest of the poor.”

I appreciated being included with staff in lunch coffee ceremonies and conversations about educational practices in both our countries. Sometimes, we respectfully disagreed over techniques of rote learning/repetition, teaching to the workbook and using “switching” as a form of punishment.

I am most proud of creating an international connection between the grade four class in Ethiopia, and my daughter’s grade 5/6 class where she teaches at Ecole Henri- Bergeron, Winnipeg. I spoke to the Winnipeg students prior to leaving and was delighted to accept their many donations of school supplies and their printed personal letters. At Shum Abo I was able to team teach and expand students’ vocabulary by guiding them in writing their first pen pal letters. Ethiopian students delighted in also adding illustrations using their new pencils. Once home, I returned to deliver the pen pal letters and shared photos and Ethiopian “artifacts” that stayed at Ecole Henri-Bergeron to be used

to extend student learning at centers in three classrooms. My goal is that this cultural exchange between students and staff fosters international understanding and an appreciation and empathy for those living in developing countries.

It was also heartwarming to be able to work with the school director to utilize the acquired donated funds to purchase much needed teaching supplies, student materials like backpacks/books/ visual murals, money to improve the latrine and even to buy a cordless microphone for outdoor assemblies. This legacy of “gifts” from Canadian friends was much appreciated.

Social Activities:

Our Rotary leader did an excellent job organizing four tourist experiences for our group that expanded our knowledge and experiences in Ethiopia. We had a tour in Addis Ababa, a bus tour to orient us to Bahir Dar, a boat trip to the island Monasteries, a hike to the Blue Nile Falls and a tour of the unique community of Awra Amba, (weaving village). These field trips provided a much needed break from the intensity of school life, a change of scenery and a chance for our group to get to know each other better while having some fun, since that it what travelling is really all about, isn’t it?

We also had the pleasure of being invited to a Rotaract meeting held in the park on a Sunday morning. These young leaders were very welcoming and many of us formed personal connections with them that enriched our time and included tours of University and other places of work, escorted walks along the lake, dinners out, invitation to coffee at a residence and even personal assistance re a dental emergency. Two fellows became my friends and we still email regularly. It still keeps me still connected. One of the Rotaract members has now founded a chartered Rotary Club in Bahir Dar to continue important community service. n