Teachers for teachers: European integration through teachers’ training
After the successful symposium entitled “The position of physics in secondary schools in the region” held in Aleksinac, Serbia in 2013, a similar, but much larger meeting was recently held at the same venue. The symposium “Experiments in high school physics teaching” (21-23 February 2014) was organized by the Agricultural School “Sumatovac”, the Gymnasium and Technical School “Prota Stevan Dimitrijevic” and the Union of physics teachers of Aleksinac in cooperation with Physical Society Nis. The general sponsor of the symposium was the Municipal Assembly of Aleksinac. There were 115 participants from FYR Macedonia, Montenegro, Republic of Srpska – Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Slovenia, Bulgaria, Serbia, Germany and Hong Kong.
The Symposium was opened by local authorities Nenad Stankovic and Slavoljub Velickovic and the representative of partners from Nis Dragoljub Dimitrijevic. Teachers from 7 countries in the region could follow lectures and presentations on a wide range of modern physics, experimental techniques, tools and pedagogical innovation, as well as to present their experiences and best practices in school’s experiments. Short presentations were given by M. Babic (Republic of Srpska – Bosnia and Herzegovina), S. Ivkovic and J. Milisavljević (Belgrade, Serbia).
Goran Djordjevic (University of Nis, Serbia) welcomed all participants on behalf of the EPS Executive Committee and as vice-president of Balkan Physical Union. He gave a lecture “Nobel Prize in Physics for 2013 – experimental techniques in the background of Higg’s boson discovery”. Information on the forthcoming projects partially prepared by the EPS Committee of European Integration chaired by him and an invitation to all teachers to join its actions were delivered.
There was a round table, moderated by S. Radulovic, professor of physics from Aleksinac, dedicated to the importance of the experiment in high-school physics teaching. The Organizing Committee of the Symposium prepared a competition for the best small home experiment. Eleven experiments were selected out of 30 applications received and the top 3 were awarded prizes. An exhibition of teaching aids and books was held, with the presence of several companies from Berlin, Hamburg, Belgrade and Novi Sad.
The main programme was led by Prof. J. Dojcilović (Faculty of Physics Belgrade), Prof. D. Nikezic (Faculty of Sciences Kragujevac), Academician T. Pavlovic and Prof. Lj. Nesic (Faculty of Sciences Nis), Prof. N. Novakovic (State University of Novi Pazar), Prof. B. Vujicic (University of Novi Sad), Prof. M. Scepanovic and Prof. M. Vučeljić (University of Podgorica, Montenegro).
All participants found the symposium very well organized and look forward to its third edition.
