ACTIVE LEARNING: A student performing an experiment holds her audience’s attention at the Science and Maths exhibition held at the Chennai Corporation Middle School on Triplicane High Road on Tuesday.

 

Chennai: Learning by doing is set to become the norm for students of classes VI, VII and VIII of Chennai Corporation schools.

In June 2007, the Corporation introduced ‘concept labs for Maths and Science’ in middle school classrooms in the Basin Bridge and Ice House zones. Owing to the encouraging response from students, the programme is to be extended to the other eight zones in the city.

The programme is run in association with non-governmental organisation AID India, which trains teachers to use simple experiments to help children learn better. Each classroom is equipped with a few laboratory kits comprising materials used in every day life. A bar of soap, some string, bits of paper, coins, a tumbler and paper cups were some of the materials in the kit.

Mayor M. Subramanian on Tuesday visited the Maths and Science exhibition organised by students of 13 Corporation schools from Ice House zone. “The children were able to explain difficult concepts… Concepts that even adults may find it difficult to understand,” he said.

B.J. Mohamed Saleem, a class VII student of Corporation Middle School, Krishnampet, jumped up with excitement to talk about atmospheric pressure and vacuum using a plastic bag as his only teaching aid. His classmates performed simple experiments to show how sound travelled or how surface tension worked.

The programme has been introduced in 31 schools for 3,565 students as on date, said Additional Commissioner (Education) Kakarla Usha. Teachers are trained to teach concepts using the experiments. All Corporation schools would be encouraged to take up the programme for their middle school sections from the next academic year.