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A don at the Bamidele Olumilua University of Education, Science and Technology, Ikere Ekiti, Ekiti State, Prof. Adebisi Awodun, has advocated the simplification of the teaching of science and technology subjects in schools to enhance students’ interest and performance.
Awodun, a Professor of Physics Education, who said “the development of any nation can often be measured by its advancement in science and technology,” canvassed the modification of the present conventional methods of teaching so-called “difficult” science subjects.
The don spoke in Ikere Ekiti on Thursday while delivering an inaugural lecture titled ‘Refocusing Physics pedagogies: Blueprint to potent corollaries.’
Making a case for simplifying the teaching of the subjects, especially Physics, Awodun said, “Science and technology now drive contemporary society. Science has become so essential that no nation—whether developed or developing—can afford to neglect its teaching in schools if it wishes to achieve socio-economic progress.”
Awodun said Physics is the most utilised basic science subject in most technology and technology-related professions, including health, agriculture, water, energy and information technology.
He said, “Physics has a wide range of practical applications across fields such as engineering, technology, medicine and anatomy. It equips us with the tools to better understand the world around us, thereby contributing meaningfully to both individual understanding and national progress.”
The professor, who lamented that the abstract and mathematically demanding nature of Physics remains a challenge to students’ understanding, canvassed activity-based and outdoor teaching approaches.
According to him, findings have shown that the commonly used conventional method of instruction in formal schools is less potent and less effective than the outdoor teaching approach in improving secondary school students’ performance in Physics.
As such, he said, “The conventional method in use at present by Physics teachers should either be improved upon, modified or replaced with an activity-based teaching approach, as appropriate.
“Physics teachers should be encouraged to adopt the outdoor teaching approach in order to demystify Physics, simplify its perceived abstract nature for improved learning outcomes and stimulate students’ interest in the subject for enhanced academic performance.”
Awodun urged the government to support the outdoor teaching approach with appropriate policies and legislation “to facilitate its adoption in secondary schools nationwide, as is the practice in California and other places.
“All public and private secondary schools should be required to provide adequate space within their premises to accommodate outdoor education whenever the need arises.”
The don lamented that in Nigeria, despite the enormous role Physics plays in national development and the efforts of government to provide necessary science equipment in schools, examination results in the subject conducted by the West African Examinations Council and the National Examinations Council have not been satisfactory.
He said, “In particular, reports on WAEC results of the Senior School Certificate Examination in Ekiti State over the years have often revealed low performance by students in Physics. A fluctuating trend was observed in students’ performance in the subject in the past six years, from 2019 to 2024, in the May/June WASSCE.”
