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Microscience Learning And Teaching Materials: Towards New Trends In Chemistry, Physics and Biology Teaching

The microscience learning and teaching materials was introduced to Kenyan schools by offering teacher training workshops and donation of the microscience kits to schools. The project was designed to meet the high demand for sciences by utilizing more intensely and more rationally the limited available resources to improve science education in Kenya.

The teaching and of basic sciences, biology, chemistry and physics in Kenya is faced with the following problems:

• lack of learning materials, books, equipment, refurbishing consumables and laboratory space;
• shortage of science teachers;
• inadequate training of teachers;
• lack of support for teachers;
• poor motivation of teachers and students;
• professional isolation;
• language barriers-inability to express scientific concepts in local languages;
• compact curricula whose planning does not allow enough time for science;
• lack of comparative competitiveness within a region/world;
• suppression of innovation/creativity by the syllabus due to over emphasis on passing examination;
• lack of financial resources for science subjects;
• inadequate and inappropriate allocation of resources by principals of schools to science teaching;
• unfavourable students/staff ration in some schools;
• emphasis of rote learning/recall over evaluation/conceptualization.

Microscience offers

• reduced costs to schools and parents,
• does not require built laboratories,
• running water or electricity to conduct laboratory practicals.
• It is friendly to the environment and gives the students the opportunity to have hands-on learning experience,
• laboratory practicals take short time to complete,
• students have chance to do exercises at school or at home and concepts are easily understood.

A class of 40 students require only US$ 164 for chemicals and microkits per year compared to a normal cost of US$2784.
To construct a laboratory costs between US$ 63,291 for schools near a major road and US$ 189,873 for schools far from highways. To supply such laboratory costs between US$ 6329 and 18,987.

Examples of the microchemistry kits are shown in the figures. Microphysics kit uses the same principle for electricity, magnetism, semiconductors etc.