Water Ways

Voices
Water Ways

August 2004 [Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia]

SEED brings together scientists, teachers and students for an intensive hands-on workshop on Malaysia’s most precious resource.

Students gather water samples, run a series of tests and, at the end of the workshop, present their discoveries and ideas about ways to improve the quality of this precious resource

Schlumberger Excellence In Educational Development has long offered young people a tangible opportunity to participate in the economic and social advantages afforded by access to new knowledge and technologies. Building on this, Schlumberger launched its SEED Water Project in 2004 to coincide with the United Nations International Year of Freshwater. And just as the United Nations has chosen to extend its focus on this precious resource, SEED has expanded the Water Project’s scope while refining its aims of enabling students at disadvantaged schools in developing countries to develop awareness, attitudes and skills essential to helping maintain and improve the quality of local water sources.

Building on recent workshops in Egypt, a team of volunteer scientists and staff convened in August in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia for workshops held at the Sekolah Menegah Kebangsaan Pandan Indah and the Methodist Boys School in Sentul. There, volunteers and staff implemented a groundbreaking teaching strategy SEED has dubbed “Learning While Doing,” in which students and teachers utilize a variety of software applications, robotic control, electronics, and water quality tests to design personalized projects. These projects reflect the participants’ knowledge of the unique water issues facing their local communities.

Isabelle and Philippe Pelletier-Tardy first initiated the Learning While Doing projects, building on Seymour Papert’s theory of “constructionism.” A professor and founder of The Future of Learning Group at MIT, Papert asserts that students become active learners by adopting a hands-on approach especially when a project is personally meaningful.

And in Malaysia, issues of water quality are indeed personally relevant. Malaysia is a country that depends heavily on its freshwater fish catch and aquaculture, where diligent husbandry of water resources is essential. Water is also sold to nearby Singapore, making it an important Malaysian commodity as well. But as the SEED team’s efforts show: There is no commodity more valuable than the next generation of leaders and problem solvers…

WATER WAYS WORKSHOPS: