The world of science is a wonderful thing and is important in an ever-changing society.
Physical sciences teacher Pfarelo Mphaphuli of St Stithians Boys’ College in Sandton wants learners to experiment all the time.
Teaching at the school for more than 20 years, Mphaphuli said he had been a scientist for most of his life.
“I live, eat, play and dream science. Physical Sciences is a thinking subject. Studies reviewed have indicated that teaching higher-order thinking, like in physical sciences, fused into everyday learning, may lead to better performances and economic productivity.”
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He added that even when applying to university, taking physical sciences at the school level could help get a learner admitted to any course provided they passed well.
Mphaphuli mentioned that especially during this time, science was at the forefront of combating the coronavirus pandemic.
“We do not have to look any further than what we are experiencing at the current moment with the coronavirus. Like-minded scientists are at work all over the world trying to find the best vaccine. This is the importance of physical sciences.”
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He said the subject involved techniques of experimentation and scientific methods to study and measure various physical effects.
“It also emphasises the importance of learning scientific methods to make studies and draw conclusions about the matter, energy and their interactions.
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“One always takes data to observe trends before drawing conclusions about an experiment. A good example being the original Chinese Covid-19 and the South African or European variants of Covid-19 which mutated months later. Scientists are hard at work.”
With a passion for teaching, he emphasised that many learners left his class with wisdom and scientific knowledge to explore the world.
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“Whilst none of my past learners have been to the moon yet, there have been many boys who have been overseas after their projects won in the local Science International Expo. Many more have been awarded different awards like computers and university scholarships.”
Mphaphuli intends on growing his passion for science through his learners in the years to come.
