Globe Telecom, The Mind Museum make teaching science more fun

Globe Telecom and The Mind Museum have joined hands to bring the wonder of science to select public schools across the country through Science Wonder Workshops that are guaranteed to make classroom learning more fun, interactive, and interesting.

“We wanted to show that science is not just a mere subject in school, but it is a way of looking and understanding the world. We hope that from the program’s activities, we can help the teachers gain a deeper appreciation and understanding of science and its relevance to everyday life. Understanding content will enable the teachers themselves to think up even more innovative ways to teach science. With the support of Globe, The Mind Museum will continue to spread the wonder of science as we conduct more workshops like this around the Philippines,” said Maria Isabel Garcia, Curator of The Mind Museum.

Fernando Esguerra, Director for Globe Citizenship said: “We are excited to be part of this roadshow that combines hands-on learning experiences with research and problem-solving opportunities so as to inspire our teachers to help the students build critical skills as well as instill in them the joy of learning.” The partnership with The Mind Museum is in line with Globe Telecom’s commitment to provide Filipinos with 21st century learning and education through Information and Communications Technology with the end goal of creating a digital nation for a #WonderfulPH.”

The one-day workshop emphasizes the essential role of student participation, especially through experiments in teaching science. The teachers get a chance to practice doing hands-on science demonstrations which can be performed with readily available materials. They are guided in this by the Mind Movers, The Mind Museum’s resident scientists, who also give tips on how to make their demonstrations more engaging and interactive. At the end of the program, the teachers work together in groups to use the skills they have learned in putting on a short science show.

With the pilot workshop in General Santos City having received overwhelmingly positive feedback from teachers who were inspired and energized by the lessons, The Mind Museum and Globe decided to introduce the workshop to other public schools in the country which are also recipients of the Global Filipino Schools (GFS) Program. GFS is a long-term educational initiative of Globe that seeks to transform selected public schools into centers of ICT excellence and innovative teaching methods.

“We really learned a lot. The activities demonstrated through the use of the Mind Museum app are very useful in our learning-teaching process. The app also has K-12 topics that would very much help us in providing illustrations to our students. May you continue to extend help to science teachers like us to that we will become more knowledgeable and motivated to inspire students to love science. You made us realize that science is cool,” said Geraldine Toledo of New Society National High School.

Toledo’s comment was echoed by Shirly Kali of Lagao 2nd Barrio Elementary School who said: “Through this workshop and the Mind Museum mobile app I now have more experiments to engage the students. I also gained more knowledge about science and I discovered that a science museum exists already in our country. Learning will be more interesting for the kids, I could easily check on the mobile app for D-I-Y Experiments to show to my class right away. I will impart to my pupils what I have learned from this workshop. I am very lucky to have this kind of seminar here in Gensan.”

The Mind Museum mobile app, another science tool introduced during the workshop, can be downloaded for free from Google Play and the App Store. The app contains guides to all experiments in the workshop as well as daily cool science thoughts to encourage curiosity.

The Mind Museum app also gives teachers, students, and anyone interested in learning, access to over 250 museum exhibits anytime and anywhere. It deals with a wide array of topics and questions especially relevant to those who do not have the time, means, or opportunity to visit the museum. It is the first educational museum app in the country and promises a rich multimedia experience to anyone who downloads it.

For instance, even while cooped up inside the classrooms, teachers can still bring their students on a virtual tour of the museum using the Exhibit Guide. This feature provides a map highlighting the exhibits in each gallery and information about them including quick access to exclusive content. The app also sparks curiosity with some mind-starting questions on various K-12 topics which educators and students can take advantage of.