Challenges & Opportunities for Outreach
with PhET simulations in Uganda
Sam McKagan & Laurel Mayhew
JILA, University of Colorado
For more info, go to:
http://phet.colorado.edu/teacher_ideas/workshop_uganda.php
Background - Uganda
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Former British colony, independence in 1962
Idi Amin – dictator 1971-1979
Yoweri Museveni (M7) – president 1986-present
Most effective response to AIDS in Africa
Malaria is endemic throughout Uganda
A lot of corruption in government
Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) instigating civil war in
Northwest since 1987 (ceasefire for last two years)
Karamojong raiding villages for cattle in Northeast
Massive floods in Teso Region last spring
1.3 million people in IDP camps (+0.5 million returned)
Most of Uganda now peaceful, many indigenous efforts
towards development, economy is improving.
Background – Pilgrim, Inc.
• Indigenous non-profit humanitarian organization
• Founded in 2001 by Calvin Echodu to aid those
affected by civil war.
• Current Activities in Teso Region include:
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Emergency food relief
Resettlement of IDPs
Trauma counseling
Medical center
Biodiesel & sustainable rural technologies program
Malaria eradication program
Beacon of Hope College – secondary school for
children from IDP camps
– Teso University
Background - PhET
• Suite of interactive simulations for
teaching and learning physics available
free online or on CD.
• Ideal for schools in developing countries
where schools have little or no lab
equipment but computers are becoming
more prevalent.
• PhET team has given many workshops for
high school teachers in U.S. and Canada.
• http://phet.colorado.edu
Opportunities
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PhET free and easy to distribute on CDs
Teachers immediately see value of sims
Teachers open to learning about interactive engagement
National exams emphasize laboratory content, but many
schools have no equipment
Computers getting cheaper and easier to get
Effective and well-connected indigenous charity
organization (runs secondary school and starting
university)
Strong interest and action towards development from
local charities, government officials, and citizens
Students enthusiastic about science and disciplined
Challenges
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Many schools have little or no computer access
Even fewer have internet or projectors
Power is unreliable or nonexistent
Laptops likely to get stolen
Many teachers have little or no computer skills
Many teachers very weak in physics content
Lecture methods unquestioned
Teachers want to be seen as authorities, uncomfortable
admitting they don’t know
• Being taught by a white person with a weird accent can
be overwhelming
New
Original Plan
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• Two 2-day workshops for 30 teachers* each in
Soroti, including teachers from Beacon of Hope
• One 2-day workshop for 30 teachers* in Kampala
• Set up Skype connection with Laurel for outreach
project for JILA. …Plans to do this later.
• Donation of computers from Pilgrim
• Visit from Soroti District Education Officer
• Visit to King’s College, Budo
• Connection with Makerere University, Kampala
*With access to computers in their schools!
Workshop Outline
• Intro to Inquiry-Based Teaching (interactive lecture with
colored cards)
• Intro to PhET Simulations (interactive lecture with colored
cards)
• Free exploration of sims (small groups)
• Circuits Tutorial (small groups) – O level
• Photoelectric Effect homework (small groups) – A level
Extra stuff added:
• Photoelectric Effect lecture (interactive with colored cards)
• Motion activity from Knight workbook
• Lots of speeches and ceremonies
• Prayers
• Power outages
Outcomes of this work
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Teachers in workshop learned a lot of physics
Teachers were inspired by sims (and my visit)
Some teachers will use sims with their students
Some teachers will use sims to learn physics
Head of science department at Beacon of Hope inspired
to institute inquiry-based teaching
Beacon of Hope (and maybe King’s College) will serve
as a test site for sim use and resource for other schools
Beacon of Hope will eventually get internet and be able
to work with Laurel
District Education Officer interested in spreading word
about sims throughout district
Makerere University is reforming labs and will likely start
using sims
Caveats
• Some teachers do not have sufficient computer skills to
install or use sims
• Lack of technical resources makes use of sims difficult
• Teachers may not have internalized ideas of inquirybased teaching well enough to use sims effectively
• Teachers still lacking in basic content knowledge
• Teachers in rural areas do not have anyone they can
consult when problems arise
• Ugandans like to make grand speeches – unclear how
much follow-through will result from these speeches
Acknowledgments
This work could not have been done without a great team:
Dorothy Echodu who invited me to give these workshops,
Eleazar Edward who organized them, Patrick Hamya,
Silas Dembe, and Dano McKagan who helped set up the
technical infrastructure, and Calvin Echodu and Anthony
Esenu who oversaw everything. Thanks also to Deborah
for organizing the visit to King’s College, Budo, Danielle
Harlow for helpful advice on teaching in Africa, Laurel
Mayhew for being on call for outreach, and the PhET
team for making all of this possible. Most importantly, I’d
like to thank all the teachers who participated in the
workshops for their enthusiasm and willingness to learn.
This work was funded by the Hewlett Foundation and
Pilgrim, Inc.