Sapana’s love for science and a strong passion for teaching made her an inspiration for many students to love the subject.

Edward Keller says, “Science of today is the technology of tomorrow.” This story is also about a science teacher Ms. Sapana Soni from Durg, Chhattisgarh who has changed the way science is studied. She is a national teacher awardee of the year 2020. Mrs. Sapana Soni has made science and the use of it very colloquial.

SOURCE OF INSPIRATION

“I feel that my son has inspired me to incorporate technology in a government school,” says Mrs. Sapana Soni when asked about how she got the idea of including technology in teaching students. She felt the need for technology when her son used to share stories of his school and she noticed that those tools were missing in her schools. It was a euphoria moment and she knew that she must do something.

SCIENCE IS TO MAKE YOUR LIFE EASY, NOT CRAZY

Sapana’s love for science and a strong passion for teaching made her an inspiration for many students to love the subject. Her journey as a teacher has been successful because the encouragement that she has infused in the students for the subject is reflected when they happily opt for science: physics and chemistry without the fear of failure which was not the case earlier. The impact that this change brought in was impeccable in many ways. The interest of students towards science in general and specifically physics got increased and hence increasing the enrolment of students in the science stream. Major improvements were witnessed in their result. Both co-curricular activities and academics have seen huge participation in science.

LEARNING BY DOING

As a science teacher, her focus was always to encourage students to inculcate a positive attitude towards the subject and for this, she had worked towards practical learning. She has established a club that goes with the name “Antariksh Science Club” This club was initiated in the year 2012 where students from every stream, class 9 to 12 are welcome to participate in the daily activities. The activities of the cub are regulated by the students, and the teachers are there to guide and support them. This club organized various events and activities like awareness programs, science quizzes, real-life learning, etc. Here the students are encouraged to make working models of the textbook concept that has been taught in class. Because of this club, students get the chance to reflect their ideas through working models and they successfully understand the concept and apply it in practical life.

ENCOURAGING PARTICIPATION

She encouraged her students to participate in events and activities, such as Jawaharlal Nehru Science Exhibition, Western India Science Fair, National children Science Congress and many more. Her goal has always been utilizing summer vacations to explore their creativity through workshops. These workshops help students channelize their clarity of concepts in creating something tangible that could be used as a learning medium. As Mrs. Sapana Soni Ji says “In my tenure of 10 years I have seen that this has helped them perform exceptionally and participate in state and national level activities. It is a proud moment when they represent Chhattisgarh.”

ADDING SPICE OF TECHNOLOGY IN SCIENCE LEARNING

There are some complex concepts in science such as Nuclear Physics, nuclear energy, dynamo to name a few which with the help of technology and animated video is easy to understand. To fulfil this need she started the initiative of gathering funds and installing computers in school in 2013. As she says that without everyone’s support this wouldn’t have been possible. Everyone including teachers, principal, SMBC members, Sarpanch came forward to support the initiative. In 2014, a smart class was established in the school. Her efforts got coverage in newspaper and won her praises around the state for these innovations. Her innovations are not only limited to school and events but also field visits.

SCIENCE CORNER

We are all familiar with the term ‘learning corner’ but ever heard of ‘science corner’? As the popular quote says ‘Necessity is the mother of all invention’ when Mrs. Sapana Soni couldn’t find a 1500 sq. feet hall for organizing a hall dedicated to science model, she turned a small area of a science laboratory into a science corner. The science corner is an area where students during their free time can come and work on the working models. This is also a place where all the working models are displayed for the students to see and learn. A government grant of Rs one lakh was utilized to build this corner.

SOCIAL SCIENCE IS A PART OF SCIENCE

She is also promoting social awareness through the tool of science. For this, she encourages her students to participate in the event, one such event is National Children Science Congress. This platform has enabled us to formulate and bring together the concept of science and social norms. This platform is unique as it helps the students to ideate solutions to societal problems like Agricultural innovation, sickle cell anaemia, plastic management, etc. The latter topic was done in collaboration with the villagers by creating awareness around that topic and encouraging waste management. “I feel that if the benefits of the studies are not reaped by the society then the education goes waste,” says Mrs. Sapana Soni when asked about her inclusive behaviour of students in the Public works department. She believes and very strongly feels that every student who passes out of school should learn the subject rather than read it.

E- CONTENT FOR SCIENCE

When asked about her plan for future activities she said that she would like to complete the task of e-content development that she started in 2013. There was a time when students from the Hindi medium did not have access to chapters of class 10 science and that is when she started with the task. In 2014, she adopted the chapters, tried incorporating the videos and pictures for a clear understanding. The task is still in the process; hence she wants to complete developing e-content and e-videos for class 10th and 12th physics.

A TEACHER MUST LOVE HER SUBJECT

The story of Mrs. Sapana Soni is one of a kind which teaches not only to teach the subject but rather to develop a love for subject. The story is a motivation for every other individual out there to focus on what your goals are, never stop believing and loving it. Her passion for the subject droves her to become a successful personality, coupled with her empathetic attitude towards others. She is an exemplary teacher who breathes science and loves her profession.

We congratulate Ms. Sapana Soni  who is working for the society and its future leaders. SarkariSchool.in salutes the creators of India’s tomorrow Ms. Sapana Soni, her efforts and dedication.

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