Papers

Date: 2014.10.17

Posted by Hristo Kolev (Bulgaria)

Message: The paper overviews several case studies of successful educational initiatives and projects whose main objective is to improve the quality of teaching and promoting chemistry, as science in the contemporary world.
The authors point out the necessities of science education in Poland. The focus is on several key competencies: reading - the ability to understand, use and process texts on chemistry content, the ability to search, select and critically analyze the gathered information, the ability of mathematical reasoning, scientific thinking understood as the ability to use scientific knowledge in order to identify and solve problems, and make conclusions based on empirical observations concerning nature. These activities are sure to develop the skills needed for anyone to perceive a career in science.
It is believed that it is an extremely good practice to engage the industry in the science education. It looks as if there are mechanisms in the country that would allow for companies that need qualified experts to reach out to students and show them a successful career path. This is an effective motivational tool that is missing in many countries but should exist in each and every.
There is a part devoted to online materials and resources. Surely with today`s computer age many students will find it useful and fruitful to use internet based data. More and more students turn to the internet in search of interesting topics, visual aids and videos of demonstrations that could never be shown in the school laboratory.
Experimental demonstrations are another important aspect of science education. A hands on approach is guaranteed to inspire, educate and improve the students in their understanding of nature. A project that initiated experimental practices in schools is a great achievement for the country. It is even mentioned that there are science shows organized that would show the spectacular and beautiful nature of science to audience of all ages.

Date: 2014.04.03

Posted by Ömer Faruk ŞEN (Turkey)

Message: In this article, the authors pay attention how to get young people to be aware of chemistry experiments performed in school are not only scientific knowledge but a part of their daily life. Also, the writer mention the projects which focus on increasing interest of young people about chemistry and potentials of scientific career development. The projects have also online portal to get gather experiences for the new initiative. In these portals, both teachers and students can access a variety of task regarding chemistry. Online portal can be a successful way to increase effectiveness of educational program for teachers and students.

Date: 2014.03.27

Posted by John Koutelekos (Greece)

Message: This is a well-written and nicely-organized paper that provides the interested reader with a concise overview of the Polish situation regarding different types of initiatives for rendering chemistry a more popular choice career among young students.
The sections I especially enjoyed reading are the following: The “Introduction” section in which the authors do make a concrete overview of the priorities of teaching chemistry in Polish schools by also giving emphasis on the specificity of the Polish context (special emphasis on practical skills which are ready to use and implement, relatively small expenditure on the technical infrastructure on teaching).
The section on “Online materials” provides a good overview of a constantly enriched database which is fully compatible with the Polish Central Examination Commission. In my opinion, this is an important aspect, since the students (who are often very concentrated in how well they will perform in the school exams) can find a motive to effectively utilize the material.
The presentation and short discussion on the potential advantages of innovative online teaching (section 3.1) is also quite interesting since in my opinion more research and testing should be done on the validation of the effectiveness of the e-learning platforms.
Section 3.2 which discusses the importance of language training for chemistry teachers and students brings out an important issue. It is greatly encouraging that European countries give more increased attention to the issue of foreign language training, which is something that could help not only the diffusion of chemistry knowledge but also the mutual understanding between different peoples.
The reference to the initiatives taken up by the chemical industries is also worth noting. In our country (Greece) this is an issue which is often discussed but mostly on a theoretical basis and unfortunately so far there exist very few successful examples of practical implementation of educational collaborations between industry and the school system.
Finally, this paper brings out the relevance and significance of the “Chemistry is all Around Network” project with issues related with science education in the European context.