TY - JOUR
T1 - Service Learning Science Camps Among Tribals as a Tool for Capacity Building Among Students - A Step Toward Inclusive Chemistry Education
AU - Augusthian, Priya Dharshini
AU - Lipin, Raju
AU - Jonathan, D. Reuben
AU - Solomon, Rajadurai Vijay
AU - Wilson, Paul
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2022 The Authors. Published by American Chemical Society and Division of Chemical Education, Inc.
PY - 2022/4/12
Y1 - 2022/4/12
N2 - The tribal communities in South India, especially those in the Wayanad region in the proximity of Kerala state, have low literacy rates and occupy a socio-culturally marginalized status among various demographic clusters in India. The pedagogies employed through mainstream schooling do not appeal to the students in the tribal community, resulting in high dropout rates. Therefore, Madras Christian College, Chennai, has identified tribal communities as an underrepresented group in Indian science education proposing to engage them through "Service Learning Science Camps". Herein we document our activities as formative assessment through teaching chemistry to tribal school children and consolidate the experiences gained by both the student volunteers and tribal students for prospective research. The program enabled the student mentors to explore their leadership skills while administering the science camps. In addition to this, the camps created a pleasurable environment for learning chemistry for the tribal children and increased their inclination toward science. This exercise helps students to change their perception toward tribals and bridge the gap between them by providing a welcoming and supportive environment for pleasurable learning. We propose these camps as a model to reach out and popularize chemistry among the overlooked communities, simultaneously nurturing the minds of college students toward creating an inclusive future.
AB - The tribal communities in South India, especially those in the Wayanad region in the proximity of Kerala state, have low literacy rates and occupy a socio-culturally marginalized status among various demographic clusters in India. The pedagogies employed through mainstream schooling do not appeal to the students in the tribal community, resulting in high dropout rates. Therefore, Madras Christian College, Chennai, has identified tribal communities as an underrepresented group in Indian science education proposing to engage them through "Service Learning Science Camps". Herein we document our activities as formative assessment through teaching chemistry to tribal school children and consolidate the experiences gained by both the student volunteers and tribal students for prospective research. The program enabled the student mentors to explore their leadership skills while administering the science camps. In addition to this, the camps created a pleasurable environment for learning chemistry for the tribal children and increased their inclination toward science. This exercise helps students to change their perception toward tribals and bridge the gap between them by providing a welcoming and supportive environment for pleasurable learning. We propose these camps as a model to reach out and popularize chemistry among the overlooked communities, simultaneously nurturing the minds of college students toward creating an inclusive future.
KW - General Public
KW - High School/Introductory Chemistry
KW - Minorities in Chemistry
KW - Public Understanding/Outreach
KW - Student-Centered Learning
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85126589124&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1021/acs.jchemed.1c01242
DO - 10.1021/acs.jchemed.1c01242
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:85126589124
SN - 0021-9584
VL - 99
SP - 1700
EP - 1707
JO - Journal of Chemical Education
JF - Journal of Chemical Education
IS - 4
ER -