Incorporating indigenous science and technology (1st) into school science teaching

This study was designed to find out whether incorporating indigenous science and technology could bring in meaningful classroom teaching-learning strategies. The study involved 120 students, 50 from Loyola High School in Dar es Salaam and 70 from St Marian Girls High School of Bagamoyo in Coast region. Within the schools it also involved 4 teachers, two from each school. The lessons used in the study, were developed from the materials adopted from unpublished paper by Prof O-saki of the Faculty of Education, University of Dar Es Salaam. To meet the objectives of the study the following instruments were used: questionnaire, classroom observation checklist and interview. The findings of the study reveals that incorporating indigenous science and technology into school science teaching can actually enlight the lessons. Furthermore, the findings indicate that the best approach to teaching using indigenous science and technology (1ST) is the constructivism approach. For such approach the findings also reveals that role playing, debates, mock talk shows, theatrical si lts, quizzes and class room discussions supplemented by audio and video tapes would make the teaching learning strategy using 1ST more meaningful. Following the research findings, the researcher recommends that the curriculum should be reviewed to allow introduction of indigenous science and technology or else a parallel curriculum reflecting the indigenous science and technology only should be innovated alongside the existing curriculum.