Teaching: Improvisation of Materials or Equipments

Science and arts teaching and learning cannot be effective without a reasonable practical component. The use of materials, apparatus or equipment is not only essential but necessary. However, due to certain circumstances or reasons such as economic recession, poor administration and calamities. The relevant materials for practical work may be lacking in a school, institution or organization.

A resourceful science and art teachers can despite the situation, make simple improvisation of relevant materials or equipments for the sake of teaching and learning science and art.

Improvisation is defined as the act of substituting for the real thing at the lesser cost and easier construction but with an almost perfect resemblance of the real thing.

 In improvisation, the substitute is normally expected to cheaper and easier to obtain nor construct than the real thing. In his regard, it is pertinent to note that a number of materials can be improvised   in s science and art depending on the degree of resourcefulness of the teacher. Although it may take considerable time. It is nonetheless a worthwhile exercise. Apparatus made as substitute of the real ones from things around us can help some science concepts and principles clearer without giving the impression that science can only be done with special foreign or imported apparatus. The diverse use of simple things will undoubtedly encourage the development of talent and ingenuity in the pupils especially when the teacher maximizes their involvement in practical activities.

A resourceful teacher willing to improvise materials will need some basic skills in for instance, simple wood work, metal work, soldering, bending, cutting or drawing glass etc. these and other skills may be acquired from professionals within or without side i.e experts, friends, local tradesmen and craftsmen or through refresher courses, workshops, seminars and conferences.

The raw materials for improvisation may be obtainable from variety of local things such as rubbish dumps, farmlands, scrap heaps and other related places. Laboratory guides, manuals and sometimes textbooks may be help in providing the relevant approaches to follow.

ADVANTAGES OF IMPROVISATION 

Improvisation:

1. Makes science more practical by providing more than one level of activity (from the teacher to the pupil to a third party). It makes non science more clear by providing materials to represent the real ones.

2. Saves: (a) cost and (b) scarce resources because it is based on local available resources at minimal cost.

3. Promotes creativity, innovation, talents and self-reliance.

4. Provides the  only substitute where the real thing is not available.

5. Dispels any strangeness or foreigners about science.

Examples of Apparatus that can be Improvised 

A burner in place of the Bunsen burner.

A simple tripod stand may be fashioned out of a tin can.

Wire gauze can be made from a simple iron wire mesh or net, from old nettings or unsuable iron sieves.

Simple spring balance: may be made from some tough wire wound into a spiral, some tin can and metre rule with a pointer and graduations using standard weight.

Other apparatus includes:

1. Tumblers as beakers provided there is no intense heating.

2. Cotton reels for pulleys.

3. Wrist watches as stopwatches and stop clocks.

4. Film sports (used) for storing lengths of wire or strings.

5. Plastic bowls in place of enameled troughs

6. Magnets from old radio loudspeakers, etc

7. Electric bulbs  as round bottom flasks

8. Electric florescent tubes as glass tubes for a number of experiments.

9. Eureka cans from soft drink cans etc.


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