AK NPC: Training science club practitioners at West Coast schools

To date 12 brand new Science Teaching and Learning Centres have been built at five primary and seven secondary West Coast schools

The members of Advancing Knowledge Non-Profit Company (AK NPC) have been involved in the development of science and science education on the West Coast for a number of years. 

In 2012 the first science competition was arranged at Steynville Secondary in Piketberg, where science clubs from 20 schools (including primary and secondary schools) participated. In the years 2018, 2022 and 2023 the members of AK NPC held STEMI Roadshows at schools of the West Coast Education District as part of National Science Week, during which time science shows, science exhibitions and science club activities were held for learners. 

Science teachers were continuously encouraged to develop science clubs at their schools. The last two STEMI Roadshows were conducted in partnership with Arcelor Mittal Science Centre as part of their support to the region. In 2022 Advancing Knowledge, in collaboration with Arcelor Mittal Science Centre and West Coast Education District of WCED, held SACE-endorsed natural sciences training sessions for Intermediate and Senior Phase teachers. 

Professor Shaheed Hartley, Director of Advancing Knowledge NPC together with Garden Cities Archway Foundation and Western Cape Education Department have to date constructed a total of 12 brand new Science Teaching and Learning Centres (laboratories) at five primary and seven secondary West Coast schools.

In 2024 Advancing Knowledge Non-Profit Company (AK NPC) was approached by a number of West Coast principals and science teachers for assistance with developing science clubs at their schools, and  developing a science competition for their science clubs in the region. This stems from the members of  AK NPC’s long-standing involvement in establishing science clubs at schools in the Western and Eastern Cape and its annual science competitions in Cape Winelands, Overberg and Central Education Districts. 

After a number of deliberations, the members of AK NPC responded to this call and interested schools were invited to attend AK NPC training sessions for science club practitioners on 23 and 24 August 2024 at Arcelor Mittal Science Centre premises. 

This was an opportunity for science and other interested teachers to participate in training on how to establish a science club from scratch and/or to renew, reinvigorate and advance existing initiatives in this regard. Teachers were taught how to start with elementary science experiments, investigations, exhibitions and activities and to expand on it in terms of the level of complication, difficulty and complexity. 

During the training emphasis was laid on safety and the use of elementary everyday products to illustrate science concepts, principles and procedures. The idea of the training was for teachers to translate the gained knowledge and skills to their learners in a science club at their schools and to eventually participate in a science competition for West Coast schools.

The science club practitioner training by AK NPC was supported by Garden Cities Archway Foundation and was offered in partnership with Arcelor Mittal Science Centre in Saldanha. A total of 33 teachers from 20 schools and members of the Arcelor Mittal Science Centre attended the training and took part in the hands-on interactive sessions. The training started with Prof Hartley presenting the work that Advancing Knowledge NPC has done in developing science clubs and science competitions in the Western Cape. Teachers were provided guidelines on setting up a science club at their schools and how to sustain the science activities conducted in the science club. Safety precautions and procedures when working with science activities were especially emphasised.

Teachers were divided into three groups to attend the three different sessions represented by science activities in physics, chemistry and technology. The training programme was alternated over the two days to allow everyone to attend the different sessions. In each session teachers were faced with demonstrations of interesting activities by experienced facilitators and then allowed hands-on participation in the activities ready-made to be transferred into their science clubs. 

The three sessions were led by the lead facilitators Mark Ogilvie (York Road Primary) in physics, Robert Solomon (CPUT) in technology and Professor Shaheed Hartley (AK NPC) in chemistry. They were supported by co-facilitators and experienced science club practitioners Danie Burger (AK NPC), Gert Marero (Ashton High), Analida Malies (Dagbreek Primary), Evelyn Johnson (Bonnievale Primary), Joanne Lindeboom (Oker Primary), Abigail Joseph (Langeberg High), Devon Espin and Recobin Conradie (Ashbury Primary), Saadiqah Fraden and Michaela Willoughby (AK NPC interns) and Melissa Petersen (AK NPC project coordinator). 

The facilitators were mostly from schools in the Cape Winelands Education District with established science clubs and could therefore share their experiences with the new science club practitioners of how they started and the challenges they faced. In many instances they could take the new practitioners by the hand and show them elementary science activities with which they started and how they continued to build on such foundations. 

These facilitators will be preparing the learners in their science clubs for the Cape Winelands Science Club Competition that will take place on 19 September 2024 at the Cape Winelands Education District office in Worcester.

Evaluation and conclusion

The final session on Saturday afternoon was presented by Dr Gillian Arendse from iThemba Labs, who showed teachers how to put together a series of physics and technology activities into a science show that had all teachers “oohing and aahing” while cheering and applauding the flow and simple outcomes that challenged their scientific knowledge and understanding. As usual, the sessions were rounded off on a high by controlled experiments resulting in loud bangs, huge explosions and a spectrum of coloured flames as Gert Marero and colleagues took teachers to areas of greater possibility as they developed their science clubs. 

The following are examples of teachers’ perceptions of science club training as expressed in their evaluation forms:

• This was definitely the best “workshop/training” that I have ever attended. Love the practical aspects. Cant wait to take it to school.
• All presentations were lekker and lively. The fact that we could participate ourselves “het leer lekker gemaak”.
• This was my first time attending such a training. So I learnt a lot.
• The training went beyond my initial expectations. I loved that we could do the experiments ourselves. I teach grade 4 and will definitely start there with these experiments.
• The training showed me that it does not have to be a complicated process. You can start with simple things that are still interesting.
• The science club training definitely added value to my development as a science club practitioner. Before I was a but hesitant and uncertain but this training have given me new found confidence/enthusiasm for building my science club.
• The training challenged my knowledge and skills to such an extent that I will be practicing it at school with my learners eg balancing the coke can, making a model with the CD
• The different experiments triggered a whole new world and made me even more enthusiastic to start the science club.
• The training made me think and rethink the way I do things. Some of the experiments like the hot air balloon was something that was so simple but can be used in different ways.
• The science activities have taught me how to relate most content into real-life and how everything is connected as a whole. For example music and science and math may be taught all at once.

Organisations and corporates that want to contribute and partner in this initiative to empower and capacitate science club practitioners to build a critical mass of future STEM students emanating from rural schools are encouraged to make contact with the Director of AK NPC, Professor Shaheed Hartley (shartley@skatt.co.za).