New Perspectives in Science Education

The Raman Chair for Science and Education (RCSE), an integral part of IGNOU's School of Science (SOS), at IGNOU was established to promote mathematics and science education.  The RCSE signed an MOU with Intel for the program “Empowering Educators to Innovate” in 2011.  The principle aim of this program was to conduct capacity building workshops for School Principals and Teachers using the relevant Technology Tools.

 Intel® Teach and IGNOU had partnered in this unique program which is aimed at equipping educators with relevant tools to hone their pedagogic approaches in a transformed learning environment with technology to enhance math and science competencies of students. The program was launched on March 15, 2011 at HRDD Conference Room, Gangtok, Sikkim, India.

The program was not limited to only  provide teachers with the pedagogical and technical skills needed to integrate technology into their classroom teaching. It also intended to closely work with the network of trained teachers to ensure implementation in the classrooms of the techniques learnt during the trainings and also the Master Trainers must return to their school and train the other science and math teachers in their school in the cascade model. The teachers with their subject knowledge when empowered with the ICT tools would surely innovate for the teaching-learning processes of the learners which would enhance student learning. This programme was intended to revive the enthusiasm in the teachers by empowering them to innovate. In this paper the author would like to share her experience for this teaching traing programe for science teachers in which she was the coordinator.