Ramallah 2, December 2009

Second grade students of Hebron’s Al-Azhar School gathered around Dima Halawane, coordinator of Al-Quds University Science Museum in Abu Dis.  The students listened intently as she told them a fascinating story that illustrated the properties of a magnet.  Following the story, students eagerly experimented with magnetic attraction using concepts gleaned from Halawane’s story.  The enthusiasm for the activities was strong and energy was in the air.

Halawane said that she tries to deliver the idea of magnetic properties through storytelling in order for young students to absorb scientific information in an unexpected and appealing way.

Rana Zughayer, teacher at Al-Azhar School who accompanied the students, said that she noticed how interested and engaged students were during the museum visit.

Student Obadah Al-Karaky, age 7, expressed his appreciation for the visit, as he and his classmates had the opportunity to explore scientific ideas. His classmate Wa’d Tahboob, age 7, noted that the magnet story was her favorite part of the trip to the Science Museum.

Al-Azhar School is one of 57 public and private schools participating in the Model Schools Network (MSN) program.  The MSN program is implemented by AMIDEAST and funded by United States Agency for International Development (USAID).

The MSN Program seeks to introduce a student-centered, contemporary approach to teaching and learning that integrates child development at the physical, cognitive, psychological, and social levels. The focus is on improving the quality of teaching and learning in the areas of English, science, and mathematics. 

As part of its Community Outreach Department, MSN provides a wide variety of programming to participating schools.  Visits to the Al-Quds University Science and Math Museums are part of the MSN program.  Al-Quds University has partnered with the MSN program to assist and support the visits by the students, teachers, and other school community members.  

Over the next two years, all participating MSN schools will be provided with a museum trip for grades 1-3.  Four thousand students from participating private schools involved in MSN have visited the museums since 2008.  Public school students will begin their visits during the second half of the 2009-2010 school year.

Jihad Abu-Kbash , coordinator of the Math Museum at Al-Quds University, said that the aim of the visits for young students is to present science and math concepts in ways that support school curriculum.  By using a hands-on approach with engaging materials and activities, young students can gain a real understanding of mathematical rules while having fun.   He mentioned the positive feedback he has received from the visiting students.

“Visiting students show their enthusiasm and interact with the materials,” he said.

Director of the Science Museum at Al-Quds University, Tahsin El-Mograby, PhD, said that research from similar institutions worldwide has shown that visits have a positive effect on student learning outcomes.  The museums focus on non-traditional methods to promote innovation, collaboration, and self-discovery.   El-Mograby pointed out that the positive social and leadership training that these centers offer is simply not possible in classrooms.

El-Mograby considered the partnership between Al-Quds University and AMIDEAST in museum visits to be important, since it has opened the door for the university to assist more schools.  The partnership with MSN has allowed a great number of students to visit the museum.  It has also allowed the museum to work more closely in facilitating visits of young students to museums, especially in training docents to lead activities at the exhibits. 

El-Mograby added that the most important aspect of the visit is its impact on the students’ futures. 

“We do care about feedback of visitors, particularly of students.   From this feedback, we try to improve and enhance the museum experience for students.  We know that learning in this experiential way has a long term positive influence on individuals,” he added.