In the 2000s, when teaching was mostly done within the four walls of the classroom with chalk on a blackboard and videotapes were largely associated with the entertainment industry, a now-retired teacher, Mrs Aduke Odewumi, took an unusual path to make biology easier for students to understand.

Driven by her passion to help students excel in biology, she recorded key biology topics into songs, turning learning into a fun-filled exercise that students could easily remember.

Mrs Odewumi hails from Osi-Ekiti in Ekiti State. Teaching was almost inherited, as both her parents were teachers, and education formed a central part of her upbringing long before she stepped into a classroom herself.

She studied biology education at the College of Education, Ikere-Ekiti, before proceeding to the University of Ilorin, where she also earned a master’s degree in educational technology.

Teaching career

Mrs Odewumi enjoyed a distinguished teaching career in Oyo State before retiring from the civil service in 2006/2007 and continuing her educational service as a school principal in Lagos.

How ‘Biology Singspiration’ was made

Biology Singspiration was recorded at a studio in Bodija, Ibadan. It featured topics such as Fermentation, which used a popular reggae beat, alongside lessons on Inhalation and Exhalation, Blood, Xylem and Phloem, and Aerobic and Anaerobic Respiration.

Beyond the rhythm and easy-to-follow method employed in the tracks, the project went through a meticulous vetting process by professionals before its release.

Speaking with one of her children, Oludolapo, she recalled the careful steps her mother took before recording the songs.

“Before she released the album, she sent the content to senior colleagues for vetting. She followed due process meticulously. I remember one day, as a child, she asked me to visit one of her senior colleagues, who was also a senior WAEC examiner, to review the content before she took it to the studio. She was that meticulous,” she said.

Oludolapo added that during the launch of the album, her mother received commendations, while copies of the project were distributed at various quiz competitions for secondary school students across Ibadan and some other states in Nigeria.

Today, the Biology Singspiration album is available on YouTube, making it accessible to a wider audience beyond the classroom. Also, interested learners, teachers and parents can easily search and access it online.

The way forward for biology teaching in Nigeria

Speaking on ways to improve biology teaching and learning in Nigeria, Mrs Odewumi stressed the need for teachers to adopt engaging and practical methods in the classroom.

According to her, biology teachers should look for “the easiest, catchy, and captivating methods” that help students achieve results quickly while sustaining their interest in the subject.

Citing Prof Akinpelu Biodun’s book, Required Teaching Skills for an Information Age, she noted that teaching must be pleasurable and engaging for learners.

“So, when we employ multimedia like music and animation, it will help the students greatly. Also, teachers need to improve on themselves. They need to learn more. They should go to the internet and improve upon themselves,” Mrs Odewumi noted.

“Teachers should show animated videos to students, especially on difficult concepts like the respiratory system. These and many more will definitely improve the teaching and learning of biology.”

She also advised biology teachers to avoid turning lessons into “history classes” by focusing on salient examination points relevant to students.

Life after retirement

Beyond teaching biology and serving as a principal, Mrs Odewumi also served for many years as a WAEC examiner.

Now retired for more than seven years alongside her husband, Venerable Oladimeji Odewumi, she devotes much of her time to church activities and women’s ministry through the Mothers’ Union while still seeking better ways to improve the learning process of biology in Nigeria. The union is blessed with four children.

Beyond academics, she is also a child evangelist trained by the Children Evangelism Ministry (CEM) in Ibadan.