Young at Heart Ghana hosted Orlando Koomen and Jimmy Ketelaar, two of its longest-serving exchange fellows in a groundbreaking project targeted at the implementation of ST(R)E(A)M - STEM + Recreation + Arts. In September 2023, Orlando and Jimmy, third-year social workers from Hogeschool van Amsterdam, commenced their exchange fellowship. They were in Ghana for a five- and ten-month internship program, which ended in January and June. Their background and experience as social workers, added insightful perspectives to our efforts in creating engaging and accessible ed-tech learning opportunities especially for marginalized student populations.

One of the key student groups the fellows engaged with were students in the Koforidua School for the Deaf and Individuals with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities. Adopting ST(R)E(A)M as a pedagogical approach, Jimmy and Orlando and the team at Young At Heart Ghana, developed learning modules for engagement. The modules were designed to adapt learning  to the story-telling and game-based experiences curated on our e-learning app (Ananse The Teacher app). Modules comprised of using story-telling, digital, and physical games as channels for teaching STEM lessons.

Lessons focused on learning to count, recognizing numbers, and colour identification of counting rings. Students practiced addition, starting with simpler problems and gradually advancing to more intricate challenges.  Results from Mathematics modules showed that repetition was essential for reinforcement, and linked to retention  and internalizing concepts. The engineering lesson implemented focused on developing spatial awareness and creating stable structures. Students built towers with building blocks in pairs to withstand a rolling ball without toppling over. Initial observations highlighted sustained and heightened interest  in participation from using story-telling, physical activity, and games.

We are excited about building on the progress made and scaling the modules developed!