KZN Eskom Science Expo Science Camp

The MANCOSA School of Education’s iTEACHlab hosted the KZN Eskom Science Expo Science Camp on Saturday, 26 February 2022 at the Durban campus.

The Eskom Science Expo for Young Scientists is science fair, where students have a chance to show others their projects about their own scientific investigations.

In the science camp, students discuss their project ideas and are exposed to approaches that can be used to ensure effective project planning, designing, development and implementation.

The day began with the arrival of students and teachers from several Durban schools, including the Anton Lembede Academy, Parkhill Secondary, and Woodview Primary School, to name a few.

A total of 42 students were divided into groups at the iTEACHlab to complete activities in each of the Hubs.

In the Makerspace Hub, students got to see a live 3D printing demonstration and participated in a Lego Design Thinking challenge. In the Culture Hub, students were introduced to diverse cultures in South Africa. In particular, they were taught the importance of respecting different cultures and the importance this plays when working in culturally diverse teams. Students further participated in a drumming activity. In the Robotics and Coding Hub, learners coded an EV3 robot. They learnt how computational thinking can be applied to resolve real world problems. In the Amphitheatre Hub, learners explored how virtual reality can be used in education. They were taught how to use Virtual Reality headsets, and participated in virtual tours of various locations around the world and other planets. In the Maths Hub students played educative games related to Maths, geography and science. Students participated in an excitingly sweet Marshmallow Challenge in the Science Hub.

In this activity, learners worked in teams to build the tallest freestandingstructure that can support the weight of one marshmallow. In the Leadership Hub, teachers engaged in various discussions with hub leaders where they gained great insights on management and school leadership. Further, students were shown how to use search engines to search for specific information in the Auditorium. Learners then split in groups to discuss their project ideas. At the end of the Science Camp, each learner and teacher received an iTEACHlab gift. The MANCOSA School of Education is proud to be part of the ESKOM expo.