In the first blog I posted about my experiences as an AIF fellow, I posed the question of how to make math fun for students. At first, it seemed like an impossible task, but over the course of the past five months it has been proven – time and time again – that even with math, students can learn to enjoy it.
What matters is how you approach the subject.
This very same question can be asked of all STEM subjects. How do we make science, technology, engineering, and mathematics accessible and engaging to ALL students, and not just those with a supposed aptitude for it?
This is the exact problem that Vikram A Sarabhai Community Science Centre (VASCSC) in Ahmedabad has been tackling for years – 57 to be exact.
Founded and established by Dr. Vikram Sarabhai in 1966, this science centre aims to “nurture young minds and direct them towards scientific thinking with methods and techniques which make the process of enquiry and learning a fun filled, enjoyable and lasting experience.” The core philosophy of VASCSC is to take students “out of the rigid framework of textbooks”1 and encourage them to think, explore, and create.
“There are two hurdles we see today in education: the first being access, and the second being quality,” says Director Dilip Surkar. “We need to create a pull effect with making the learning process interesting, rather than having to push children to schools.”
With access to quality education being the leading vision of VASCSC, and through the encouragement of my senior fellow and Director of VASCSC, Dilip Surkar, I decided to apply for AIF Fellowship’s Professional Development Grant and pay a visit to the Centre to see what I could learn. Most importantly, I wanted to take my learnings back into my own project and determine how I could fit it into my development of the Merasi school’s math curriculum back in Jaisalmer.
Immediately upon arrival, I was overwhelmed. Past the reception, visitors are greeted by an indoor plant sanctuary at the center of the hall, with signs surrounding it explaining different scientific processes, including how plants use nitrogen and the water cycle. Along the walls are different activities open to the public to try out – ranging from math puzzles to physics demonstrations. All around are laboratories filled with students attempting various experiments and learning by doing.
VASCSC offers a wide range of laboratories for students to choose from, including: Chemistry, biology, astronomy, model rocketry, mathematics, computers, electronics and physics, design thinking, and emerging technology. They also host a library filled with over 15,000 books1 for each of these subjects, as well as a science shop with Teaching Learning Materials (TLMs) that are designed, tested, and created in-house by the centre’s own subject matter experts. TLMs are made with activity-based and visual learning in mind, finding ways to engage students in ways that breech the normal standards for school curriculum. The subject matter experts are also placed inside each laboratory as leaders who guide students in their learning experiences.
With so many places to start, I decided the best way to learn more about VASCSC as an organization was to observe them in action – which meant visiting as many laboratories as possible and observing how these teachers use hands-on, interactive teaching methods and how their students respond to this method.
Observing VASCSC in Action
Since “Electronics” was the first session of the day, I made my way to the laboratory with my pen and paper ready. The lesson of the day included teaching students how to make quiz boards, which are made using the basic electronics concept and incorporating materials such as thin boards, wires and wire cutters, and 9V batteries.
The first thing I noticed during my observation was how engaged the students were during the lesson. Not only did they pay attention and follow the step-by-step instructions of the teacher, but each interaction turned into more of a conversation rather than a lecture. Students asked questions, helped each other, and even challenged the teacher at times.
A similar phenomenon occurred in the “Model Rocketry” laboratory. During my visit, the students were learning various methods and materials that could be used to make rocket fuel. They were given base ratios of different chemicals from the teachers, but were then encouraged and given the space to experiment with different ratios and create the mixtures themselves before testing their flammability and duration of the reaction.
In the “Mathematics” laboratory – where I spent a large portion of my time – the teachers emphasized creativity, which is a skill not often associated with mathematics. Not only did they give students hands-on activities to learn and understand mathematical concepts, but they did so in a way that also incorporated creative ways of thinking (e.g., combining string art and parabolic curves).
The “Biology” laboratory gave students a choice when it came to which activities they started with, and actively encouraged them to participate. Whether it be solving a puzzle about fish and finding ways to relate it to oceanic pollution, or conducting experiments in order to visually observe the different phases of the water cycle, the teachers would ask students questions that made them think critically about their answers.
With each laboratory I visited, it became more and more clear to me that not only did the students love coming to class each day – but the teachers, too.
“We didn’t get these types of activities when I was in school,” says one Biology teacher. “In a way, we have the opportunity to be kids again.”
When asked how they come up with these different activities for students, one educator’s response was startling: “We decide activities by testing them in the classroom and seeing whether they are successful.”
If the activity is deemed successful (based on student participation, engagement, and experiences), it is included within the yearly curriculum. If it’s not, then teachers will work on improving and changing it for the next year. In that moment, I felt a huge sense of camaraderie and familiarity between myself and these teachers – and also a sense of relief in knowing that many other teachers are also learners.
The job of a teacher is also that of an experimenter: to go all in, feet first, without knowing whether something will work, but with the tenacity and willpower to keep trying again and again until you succeed. This is what I have been attempting to do in Merasi school, and it is what so many teachers across the globe continue to do each and every day.
Spreading STEM through Teacher Training & Community Science Centres
Though VASCSC is largely established and well-known throughout Ahmedabad and Gujarat, its vision has spread throughout several different states of India. There are two ways that VASCSC has accomplished this: 1) conducting teacher training and 2) establishing community science activity centres in rural areas.
In terms of teacher training, VASCSC sends its subject matter experts to various government schools in different states (e.g., Rajasthan, Delhi, Odisha, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh) to present VASCSC’s philosophy on learner-centered education. The training focuses on ‘Hands-on approaches in Science & Mathematics Education’ for capacity building of teachers. It “aims to equip the teachers with skills and knowledge needed to teach Science & Mathematics more effectively, using learner-centered innovative approaches.”2
With its Science Shop and innovative TLMs available to all, many schools in other states also place orders for math and science kits to set up in their own classrooms. While I was there, VASCSC was preparing to send over 100 sets of the STEM TLM kits to two different states.
Their newest and perhaps most vital program has been helping schools throughout Gujarat to establish community science activity centres, which then act as a local hub for other schools and students in the surrounding communities.
The most crucial part? It is upon request by each community, and no cost is incurred by them, as they are supported by WAAH Foundation.
VASCSC provides all the materials and training – it is the school and teachers’ responsibility to provide the physical space for the centre to be set up and the time commitment towards running it. Each science activity centre is “equipped with TLMs like models, teaching aids, large and small interactive exhibits, kits for performing experiments and demonstrations, equipment, and much more.”2
This program is the key to VASCSC’s core vision of making quality STEM education more accessible to students and teachers. With 10 centres already existing within the state of Gujarat, VASCSC’s goal is to expand to 100 centres over the next 2-3 years.
The Success of VASCSC
Since the center was established over 57 years ago, it has reached a certain level of success not only within Ahmedabad and Gujarat, but throughout India. The centre has received several prestigious awards and recognition for its work, including:
- ‘National Award for Best Efforts in Science Popularization Among Children” from the Department of Science and Technology, NCSTC, Government of India (1994)
- ‘National Award for Outstanding Efforts in Science and Technology Communication” from the Department of Science and Technology, NCSTC, Government of India (2008)
- The ‘Times of India Social Impact Award’ for Education (2011)
VASCSC projects and programmes are also supported by several government agencies and CSR partners including Oracle, IBM India, KHS Machinery, Vestas Wind Technology India, ISRO, Schlumberger, American India Foundation, HCL Foundation, Systronics India, Vovantis Laboratories, Kostwein India, Truetzschler India and WAAH Foundation.1
But the success of VASCSC is not seen just through its awards or partnerships. It’s seen mostly through its passionate staff and students.
“Most students are returning students,” says one resource person. “They come back every year, especially for the summer programming. It’s very successful. Students choose to come here during their month off of school.”
And not only are the students learning, but they are taking what they learn back home to share with their parents and siblings as well. At the end of each class, students are given worksheets containing information that they can take home with them
Key Takeaways
There are many things that can be said about my time visiting VASCSC. Everywhere I looked, I saw and spoke with people from all over India who carried the same vision and hope. I saw classrooms that were run with passion and care, and students who not only had fun, but actively learned and retained new information.
My initial hope of taking away everything I learned and sharing it with my own community has turned into reality, and we have become even more focused on how we can make the classroom more engaging for our students.
I learned many things during my short visit – but the most important thing I learned is that activity-based learning is the future. VASCSC is more than just a local community science centre. It is a pioneer paving the way and creating the roadmap for other organizations to follow its lead.
Sources:
1Information sheet provided by VASCSC
2VASCSC. “Core Programmes.” Vikram A Sarabhai Community Science Centre. Accessed April 1, 2023. https://vascsc.org/core-programmes/.
