DELSU Expert, Professor Ajaja, Advocates Inquiry Approach To Science Teaching

By Ben Nwanne

An expert in Science Education at the Delta State University, Abraka (DELSU), Professor Patrick Ajaja has taken a critical look at the methods of teaching Science in Nigeria and emerged with the verdict that “all Science Curricula should adopt inquiry approach as the only method for teaching their contents.

His preference for the inquiry approach is anchored on the fact that “students are able to ask scientific questions; plan and conduct investigations; use appropriate tools, techniques and educational technologies; think critically and logically about the relationship between evidence and explanations; construct and analyze alternative explanations and communicate scientific investigations and explanations”.

Professor Ajaja was speaking on Thursday at the 99th in the series of Inaugural Lectures of the University under the title “Teacher by Accident but made Impact in Changing the Horizon in Science teaching: A Trajectory of Science Teaching for 21st Century”.

Where he dissected the Science Education Scene in Nigeria and concluded that it was beset by many challenges which inhibit the growth of Science Education in the Country. According to him, “many things are wrong which make it impossible to adopt most innovative methods for teaching Science in Nigeria Schools. Apart from the poor state of infrastructure, materials and equipment which have negatively influenced Science teaching, the science teachers themselves are not well positioned to teach Science effectively arising from their very poor training in teacher training institutions.”

ALSO READ: Notorious Motorbike Snatchers Apprehended In Ogun

Professor Ajaja, citing the National Science Education Standards (National Research Council, 1996), noted that learning of Science was an active process.

His words: “Learning Science is something that students do, not something that is done to them… doing science requires students to be involved in both the physical and mental processes collectively known as scientific inquiry.”

Professor Ajaja, who is Director, Centre for Excellence in Teaching and Learning at the University, traced Science Education to the Colonial era when in 1909, the Government of the Day established King’s College, Lagos, the First Government School which had the capacity to teach Science.

Others followed with Queen’s College, Lagos (1927) Federal Government College, Ibadan and Umuahia in 1929 respectively.
Not one to settle for the old ways of teaching science, Professor Ajaja identified 50 innovative teaching methods in science which he derived through a review of materials and articles from the Wikipedia. Some of them, according to him, included hands-on learning, story telling, role playing, thinking map, embodied learning, multi-media approach, ICT enabled learning, Science station, Peer-to-Peer teaching, among others.

In order to enhance science and teaching, Professor Ajaja, a former Head of Department of Science Education, is of the opinion that all current teachers should be retrained through workshops on how to apply the new strategies for teaching each of the School Sciences, while they should be encouraged to form Science subject teachers Associations to enable them to have collaborators/ cooperators for the purpose of improving on their teaching.

He has also recommended that government should pay Science allowances to Science teachers to motivate them to organize extra lessons for practicals at no cost to students, while the Inspectorate division of the Ministry of Education should be strengthened to monitor instructions.

Speaking at the occasion where he decorated the Inaugural Lecturer with the University Most Distinguished Medal, the Vice-Chancellor, Professor Andy Egwunyenga praised Professor Ajaja for supervising over 40 Ph.D candidates, adding that he had made wonderful, remarkable and profound contributions to the University.

“He has projected the image of the University positively”, he stated.

Adding: “We are very proud of Professor Ajaja.”

The top University Administrator observed that the presentation of an inaugural lecture was a celebration of scholarship, a cherished University tradition and significant milestone in the life of an academic, comparable to the emergence of the big masquerade in the market place.