Demystifying Teaching of STEM Subjects in Malawi Secondary Schools Through Application of Information and Communication Technology

EasyChair Preprint 5729

Abstract

In this paper we propose an electronic based approach to teaching science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) subjects in secondary schools in Malawi, with community day secondary schools as principal targets. We develop electronic modules for Malawi secondary school curricula, starting with Mathematics, Physics and Computer Studies, and the modules could be equally used either online or offline. The initiative proposed herein rationalizes into two main points: a) that Malawi, as a nation, need to continue with undisrupted  provisions towards the right to education for the secondary school students, even in the presence of pandemics like COVID 19; and b) that STEM subjects and topics, which are often regarded as being difficult, and hence not well taught in a number of secondary schools in Malawi even though the curricula rate them as compulsory, needed a demystifying,  leaner-friendly, repeatable approach to their teaching. The latter point becomes even more eminent noting that most teachers who handle these STEM subjects are often not adequate in numbers and qualification, particularly in community day and rural secondary schools. The proposal herein intends to address the first point in specific short terms during pandemic occurrences and the second point in both short and long term. Demonstrative screenshots of a prototype of the proposed solution are included in the paper.

Keyphrases: Demystifying, Electronic Module, STEM, learner-friendly

@booklet{EasyChair:5729,
  author    = {Michael Zimba and Leroy Nyalugwe and Foster Lungu and Seyani Nayeja and Eliza Saizi and Noel Chitha},
  title     = {Demystifying Teaching of STEM Subjects in Malawi Secondary Schools Through Application of Information and Communication Technology},
  howpublished = {EasyChair Preprint 5729},
  year      = {EasyChair, 2021}}