Using Campus Waste Papers to Develop Instructional Materials for Teaching and Learning Selected Biology Concepts: A Waste to Wealth Approach (Paper Mache)

Abstract

The campus today is littered with varieties of waste materials, which were generated mainly from students' activities. The bulk of these wastes were solid wastes, and it is obvious that papers form a larger percentage of the waste on our campuses. These papers could include leftovers from students marked test scripts, detached textbook materials, personal notebooks, and jotters. The nation today is confronted with diverse problems, ranging from insecurities and corrupt practices to environmental degradation, among others. Environmentalists have listed improper dumping of refuse and sewage disposal contamination as one of the major factors that hinder an eco-friendly society, most importantly in schools. Paper waste generated in various units in the school is always described as sensitive documents that require proper waste management and disposal channels. Meanwhile, one of the greatest problems confronting the education sector today is the lack of adequate instructional materials to teach the students. The cost of purchasing foreign-made instructional materials is on the high side. Hence, there has been serious agitation by educational technologists to venture into improvisation as alternatives to real objects. Using campus waste paper in the form of paper Mache to make improvised teaching aids for the teaching and learning of basic biological concepts will not only be of benefit to educators but also to environmentalists who are concerned about proper waste management. Up-cycling methodology was adopted for this study, which is the process of reusing waste materials without breaking them down into their base state to create another product.