Dr. Connie Chow is the founder and director of “The Exploratory”, a NGO which is dedicated to STEM education for the young learners of Ghana. The mission statement of “The Exploratory” is as follows:
Our Mission
We empower educators and inspire students to be curious, courageous and community-minded, by making their experience of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) relevant, joyful, collaborative and equitable.
STEM + LOVE = A Better World for Everyone!
Invest in STEM literate and caring leaders and citizens
Dr. Chow has recently acquired 10 RACHEL Plus devices to help in The Exploratory’s goal of STEM teaching in Ghana.
The Exploratory Website
The Approach of “The Exploratory” combined with RACHEL Plus will mean success for STEM education in Ghana!
The very first time I saw the webpage of “The Exploratory” I was very impressed. I also knew that RACHEL Plus and “The Exploratory” were meant to be together. This can easily be seen by reading the “Approach” of “The Exploratory” on its homepage:
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1. Transforming Learning
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Clubs encourage exploration and play; connect science, engineering and technology to the real world; and cultivate curiosity, courage and community.
2. Transforming Teaching
Workshops empower teachers to design gender-responsive, engaging learning experiences, and to expand their repertoire of hands-on learning materials.
3. Connecting Resources
STEM kits, learning resource libraries and tinkering spaces connect schools with materials, learners with local experts, and rural communities with the world.
A huge chunk of the goals mentioned in bullet points 2 and 3 can be covered by using RACHEL Plus devices in the learning environment. RACHEL Plus is the learning resource library mentioned in Bullet point 3. It is also a STEM kit, to some extent. Bullet point 2 focuses on transforming teaching, and “The Exploratory” has got it right by training its teachers and facilitators through workshops and training sessions. Training the teachers to use resources like RACHEL will in turn transform the learning experience, which is the focus of bullet point 1.
Ghana is in a unique position at this time to take advantage to STEM education. Firstly, Ghana has recently become the first Sub Saharan African country outside of South Africa to acquire a substantial radio telescope for astronomy. Secondly, on July 7th of this year Ghana had its first satellite launched into space. These two events will help to create an environment with many highly motivated learners of STEM education (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math).