Project Brief: - Deena Bandhu plans to design a mobile science van to take science experiments to the doorstep of neighboring schools.
- Deenabandhu aims to build 5 TLMs to explai
Project Type: Resource Centers (description)
Primary Focus: creating resources (description)

Secondary Focus: other

Area: Rural
Supporting Chapter Contact:
Silicon Valley

Status: CURRENT
Project Steward: Suhas Satheesh
Co-Steward: Atman R Parikh
Project Partner(s): Prajna N S
Project Address: Deenabandhu Trust - Science Learning
Deenabandhu Trust, PWD Colony
Behind Forest Nursery
Chamarajnagara, Karnataka 571313
Tel: 011 91 9449406494
Stewarding Chapter: Silicon Valley

This project has three components

---------------- Mobile Science Van - supported by Asha SV ---------------------
Deena Bandhu proposes to start a mobile science van, Science Chariot, through which they hope to reach out to more children and teachers. Through the Science Chariot, they are working on building scientific temperament among school teachers and school children. They plan to take science films, experiments and many interesting activities directly to the schools. In order to improve the impact of our Teacher Resource Center they intend to take science experiments to each of the government primary schools in the district through "Science Chariot". Well trained resource person will accompany the vehicle and will interact with the teachers.

------------ Science Learning Corners - supported by Asha Boston ----------------
Research and development wing of Deena Bandhu's TRC (Teacher Resource Center) has developed several innovative science working models which are pertinent to the primary school syllabus and are directly related to lessons found in the textbooks. So far the team has developed 750 small teaching-learning models (TLMs) with locally available material. These models help to understand and experience a concept of science connected to it.

In the past, there has been a lot of demand for the models and government and private school teachers have bought TLMs from the resource center. There has been a documented record of visitors to TRC which has been working as an equipment borrowing library. Often the TRC also conducts special workshops called ‘TLM preparation workshops’ where teachers are given guidance to prepare their own teaching-learning materials with locally available material.

Currently, Deena Bandhu is working with 142 rural Govt. primary schools and with very interested teachers. The project is supported by Oracle. Many of the Govt. primary schools are very poor in resources but Deena Bandhu finds that teachers have an enthusiastic attitude to conduct activity-based classroom transaction. Hence they propose to provide learning corners in five of the rural Govt. Primary schools.

These schools are located in strategic position and they will function as nodal centers for the neighboring schools to borrow some of the equipment for a demonstration in their own schools. Each such nodal school with learning corner will cater to TLM needs of five to six neighboring schools. Deena Bandhu makes it mandatory that each of these nodal schools share the resources with other schools and a team of Master Resource Persons (MRPs) will keep track of this and will coordinate this.

Deena Bandhu proposes to provide 35 very important TLMs and display furniture. These models are large models and hence the activities conducted with them can be observed by a group of 15-20 children at a time. All the models will the provided with the proper description, clarity regarding the concept it elucidates along with suitable training for the teachers to use them.

------------ Science Learning Corners - supported by Asha Silicon Valley----------------
This initiative is for 2 years, selected as part of Edu-Impact Contest 2018 by Silicon Valley. Through this initiative, Deena Bandhu will support 8 learning corners across 8 government schools in Davangere district of Karnataka, India. We hope for this initiative to be a gateway for Deena Bandhu's science learning initiatives in northern Karnataka region.