Dina El Shanti and Sahar Nassar
Launch Partnerships for Science
Dina El Shanti and Sahar Nassar
Launch Partnerships for Science
Dina El Shanti and Sahar Nassar
Launch Partnerships for Science
Dina El Shanti and Sahar Nassar from Tal Al-Rabee’ Secondary Girls’ High School noticed a lack of student motivation towards science subjects. They attributed this to the school’s focus on theoretical teaching methods that don’t match modern learning approaches. They also identified a lack of access to experimental materials and equipment as a key factor. After taking part in Acting As An Innovator Round I, Dina and Sahar began embracing an innovative mindset. They learned to view challenges as chances to think creatively and come up with solutions to improve their educational setting.
To enhance students’ interest in the scientific content, Dina and Sahar opted to introduce hands-on activities to the science classes, beginning with the 9th grade as a trial. They specifically concentrated on incorporating practical elements into the chemistry lessons due to its numerous experiments and real-world applications. Despite the school lacking the necessary resources and equipment for chemistry experiments, Dina and Sahar reached out to their local community. By establishing a learning network within the community, they utilized local resources to enhance the learning experiences for their students.
By reaching out to governmental offices like the Education Directorate of North Gaza and educational institutions such as the Islamic University of Gaza and Faisal Ibn Fahd Secondary School, the teachers received significant support for their project. These partners supplied the teachers with various chemicals and laboratory equipment, allowing them to conduct experiments on-site. Dina and Sahar utilized technology to conduct virtual experiments and simulations, addressing the challenge of limited chemical resources in Gaza. The project included group assignments focusing on practical scientific concepts like building a telescope model, creating a solar cooker model, cultivating plants in the school garden, and studying their characteristics. The teachers organized these activities in groups to enhance the students’ teamwork and collaboration skills. Furthermore, each session included reporting and reflections to ensure the students grasped the material deeply.
Through their project “Partnership for Science,” Dina and Sahar successfully enhanced students’ interest in science and their capacity to explore and generate learning chances independently. They set a positive example and showed the students and teachers at their school the impact of being resourceful and innovative with limited resources.
The AAAI program aims to train 400 teachers from public, private, and UNRWA schools in the West Bank and Gaza over 3 years. The first round involved 24 teachers from different parts of Palestine. Forming 12 teams and supported by 8 mentors, the participants developed various creative projects under two main themes: the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the Integration and Application of STE(A)M Approach in Education.
Please click here for more information about Dina and Sahar and their students’ project.
For more information about the AAAI program, please click here.