Stars and STEM Stories
Remote Nepalese Schools Receive Early Childhood Development Trainings Using GLOBE Protocols on Atmosphere
Environmental Camps for Conservation Awareness (ECCA) organized two Early Childhood Development (ECD) trainings for teachers and school stakeholders of five remote Nepalese schools in Malu village, Tamakoshi Rural Municipality, Dolakha, and 14 remote schools of Lothar and Korak villages, Rapti Municipality in Chitawan in November 2023. Two teams visited the villages. Many of these schools have no electricity or phone networks.
The trainings focused on teaching practices, development of ECD materials for primary students, and practicing science activities based on GLOBE Protocols -- mainly on Atmosphere protocols such as cloud observation and temperature. ECCA has also provided support by supplying cloud charts and thermometers to schools where data will be displayed in classrooms along with cloud names and temperature. GLOBE activities nurture “knowing-doing science” among students and even for many teachers. There was also other content discussed about ECD and WASH ("water, sanitation, and hygiene") management in schools.
In many schools in Nepal, science education is not common practice -- especially in rural schools. Learning, doing, and practicing science activities are important skills that require motivation. Although many science students are succeeding in their degrees, they are not used to doing hands-on activities which can create discomfort while teaching. To address this issue, ECCA has initiated small scientific activities on climate learning using GLOBE Protocols with students and teachers. This approach allows students to learn science with fun activities; ECCA believes in knowing, doing, and sustaining these practices.
By introducing GLOBE activities to small grades, ECCA aims to generate interest in science that will continue into upper grades. Creating science interest in younger students is important for that interest to continue into older grade levels; this realization is important among teachers. ECCA believes that teachers should know science and do science together with small children. The GLOBE Program is a perfect tool to ignite and enhance interest in doing science.
Images courtesy Yogendra Chitrakar, GLOBE Nepal Country Coordinator and Executive Director of ECCA Nepal.
