Announcement

Microscopes Improve Biology Education

7,400 teachers from Jawzjan and Sari Pul receive training on microscope use.

Shibirghan, Afghanistan  | Monday, June 15, 2009

Photo: USAID/BESST

A teacher learns to use a microscope.

The majority of teachers in rural areas of Afghanistan have never seen a microscope.  Of those that have, only a small number use them in classroom exercises that improve students’ understanding of biology. Recently, Teacher Learning Circles – where teachers from neighboring schools discuss new teaching techniques – in Jawzjan and Sari Pul provinces focused on how to use microscopes, which had just been distributed to schools. 

The teachers learned the basics of microscope operation, viewing onion slices to illustrate cellular structure and examining dirty water to detect simple organisms. After the training, the teachers all said they could not wait to show their students what they had learned.  “None of us had participated before in this kind of experiment, which makes the process of teaching so interesting,” explained Ms. Safia, a teacher at Misrabad Girl’s High School in Shibirghan, Jawzjan.

A total of 7,400 teachers from Jawzjan and Sari Pul – all of the high school teachers in those two provinces – will receive training on microscope use over the coming weeks, and tens of thousands of students will benefit from their teachers’ increased capacity to teach biology.