Preschool Teachers’ Knowledge, Perspectives and Practices in Stem Education: An Interview Study

Early STEM education has a great potential to support children’s development in constructing their own knowledge, in designing, discussing and testing ideas and finding solutions to different problems. Significant role in achieving the goals of STEM education is played by the teacher, who scaffolds the learning process, builds a creative learning environment, provokes children with open questions and guides them to test their hypothesis as young scientists, mathematicians, engineers and technology users. Preschool teachers’ knowledge and perspectives could seriously influence their practices in STEM education and respectively, the fulfilment of STEM learning outcomes. It is very important to explore in depth teachers’ views and experiences thus to plan and provide appropriate courses for their academic preparation or continuous professional development. While reviewing some popular misconceptions for STEM education amongst teachers, this paper presents the results of pre- and post-interviews conducted with teachers from Bulgaria in the framework of the European multilateral Erasmus+ project №2018-1-TR01-KA203-059568 “STEM for Pre-schoolers and Their Families” (PARENTSTEM) (2018–2021). The overall goal of this project was to increase family involvement in the STEM education process of early childhood children specifically coming from low socio-economic status. As a part of this goal implementation, the project aimed to extend conceptual and pedagogical knowledge of early childhood teachers on STEM. In the frame of the project the preschool teachers-participants in the study were provided with three teacher trainings (two international and one national) and were additionally supported with the intellectual outputs of the project. This paper attempted to identify teachers’ preliminary knowledge, awareness and attitudes towards STEM conceptualization and pedagogy and to describe the relative influence of the project teacher trainings and activities on them. The results of the research unambiguously demonstrated the need for training of preschool teachers in terms of STEM education, outlining the main focuses to be considered when constructing STEM courses intended for preschool teachers.

“The Source of Life” in Bishop’s Basilica Of Philippopolis in the Context of Steam

The main task considered in this material is related to the restoration of the mosaic “Source of Life” in the Bishop’s Basilica of Philippopolis. Ideas for creation and use of computer models of the geometric scheme and of separate figures in the considered mosaic are presented. Technologies such as 360-degree photography, 3D printing, specialized software for creating computer models, etc. are shared to provide conditions for research work. STEAM training, especially in the context of STEAM centers and innovative schools, creates good opportunities for the widespread deployment of such resources. Most of the described educational resources are provided with free access in the Virtual Mathematics Laboratory, developed at the Institute of Mathematics and Informatics of the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences.

Crowded Probabilities in Tests for the Presence of Infection

In the presentation, problems have been addressed in perception and popular delusions in the interpretation of information related to the level of confidence / uncertainty of tests by which the presence or absence of contamination is verified. The theoretical essence of the probabilities of a false positive and false negative result, as well as the level of confidence / uncertainty of the test results and on this basis there are assumptions about the perception of such information and possible misconceptions in its interpretation by society. Assumptions made are checked on the information based on a non-reporting survey. The results obtained reveal user difficulties in rationalizing and interpreting the data provided as well as when detecting logical links characteristic of such information.

INFORMAL LINGUISTIC TOURNAMENTS

The paper is dedicated to the development of the informal linguistic tournaments of the Knowledge Workshop and their role in the preparation of students in linguistics. Problems from some tournaments and their solutions are presented.

Introduction to Computer Programming Through a System of Tasks

Computer programming is a fundamental discipline in many academic programs, especially in the fields of informatics, applied mathematics, physics, and engineering. Despite its popularity, computer programming courses does not possess a widely-accepted methodology for its structure, and because of this reason, even introductory courses highly differ in their curriculum, approach, complexity, and even technical background. In this paper we propose a methodology for introductory computer programming course structure definition that is based on the concept of notion formation through a system of tasks. The approach is intended to be applied in the context of academic education, but it is also applicable in the last years of high-school courses.

E-Learning During Covid-19 Pandemic: An Empirical Research

The COVID-19 pandemic changed our way of life, affected many industries, and had a major impact on education. The paper presents observations and analyses of the challenges raised by the short adaptation time of the learning process and the caused technical, academic, and communication difficulties. An overview of the distinctive features of e-learning during crises, with special attention to communication, feedback and pedagogical approaches in an electronic environment, has been made. Empirical research of the opinion of students and teachers about online learning was conducted. The used research methods are survey and direct observation. Special attention is paid to the results of the survey, which are presented and discussed in detail.

Augmented Reality in Online Teacher Traning for Digital Competence

The article presents an approach applied in the online training of pre-service teachers to acquire digital competence. The content of the concept of ‘digital competence’ in its sustainable and variable component is clarified. The understanding of ‘augmented reality’ to e-learning objects is presented. Two forms of ‘augmented reality’ have been proposed to visualize video information to a clarified concept. The first one is presented via a QR code for quick access and applicable for mobile learning. The other is provided by icons and is applicable to e-learning with a computer. It is believed that ‘augmented reality’ can differentiate students’ online learning according to the field-dependent and field-independent cognitive style and their preferences on the use of different digital learning devices.