Even before the deadly earthquake in October, 2005, inspiring stu-dents to learn was no easy task for schoolteachers in Pakistan's re-mote and rugged Azad, Jammu, and Kashmir (AJK) region. Pupils never seemed interested in getting past rote learning or embracing mathematical and scientific concepts.

After the destruction that resulted when the earthquake struck the foothills of AJK, the United States built a new school for teachers and students in the town of Gunchattar as part of its infrastructure reconstruction program, but also gave the teaching staff new skills to fundamentally change the way their students looked at learning.

A new teacher training program supported by the U.S. Agency for In-ternational Development (USAID) introduced a new active-learning methodology to help teachers observe students' behavior, analyze their unique learning needs and potential, and understand their individual differences.

"In the training workshop I discovered how to bring students' hidden talents out and evoke their curiosity," Shafique Khan, a teacher at Gunchattar Boys' School, said. "I also learned that different students learn in different ways related to their personalities and interests."

After the training, Shafique observed how some students learned more effectively by creating mental pictures of different concepts, especially in science. Taking a new approach, he encouraged them to learn different conceptual models by drawing and labeling them.

Elated over his students' overwhelming response, Shafique proposed that his students participate in a science competition against schools in a neighboring district.

His school showcased their science projects in front of a large audi-ence and won first prize. At this success, the students were so enthused that they immediately started preparing for an upcoming district level competition.

"Since Mr. Khan changed his way of teaching, we have a totally new attitude about school," said Muhammad Abid, a seventh grader at the school. "He takes care of our individual needs and encourages us. Now I want to become a scientist."