On March 27, as part of the Research-to-Education Festival entitled The Week of Pedagogical Training, Physics Teachers’ Day was held at Saratov State University. 153 teachers from all over Saratov Region gathered in Bldg. 8. The teaching staff of the Institute of Physics spoke about the achievements of SSU scientists, held master classes, and introduced teachers to scientific laboratories.
The guests were greeted by Vice-rector for Research and Digital Development Alexei Koronovskii, Head of Priority Projects and Programmes, SSU, Elena Yelina, and Deputy Director for Academic Affairs Asel Adilova.
The plenary session was opened by Head of Priority Projects and Programme, SSU, Elena Yelina. ‘For the eleventh time, we have been organizing the Week of Pedagogical Training festival. It has become the hallmark of our university. This is a unique platform where gather students – teachers-to-be, university teaching staff, teachers, and principals. We hold discussion platforms, master classes, and organise an olympiad in pedagogy for students. For the twentieth year, the SSU has hosted the professional skills competition, Step into the Profession. This year, for the first time, we have organised Physics Teachers’ Day at Saratov State University. Why physics teachers? Firstly, there is an acute shortage of physics teachers in our region. Secondly, we understand the need to increase the popularity of scientific, technical, and engineering professions. We would like our communication not to end today, but to continue cooperation between the schools of our region and Saratov State University.’
Valerii Anikin, Chair of the Department of General, Theoretical, and Computer Physics, told the audience about the history of physics and mathematics education at SSU. He noted that, this year, there is to be published the sixth volume of the Essays on the History of Physics and Mathematics Education at Saratov State University.
Valerii Tuchin, Chair of the Department of Optics and Biophotonics at the Institute of Physics, Corresponding Member of the Russian Academy of Sciences, made a report on biophotonics as a new science in the service of humankind. He spoke about the use of optical clearing for the diagnosis and treatment of cancer and infectious diseases
Olga Glukhova, Chair of the Department of Radiotechnology and Electrodynamics, introduced the participants to the KVAZAR digital platform, a multiprocessor software package for molecular modelling. The complex is designed to solve a wide range of issues in biophysics, medicine, and nanoelectronics. Recently, with the help of KVAZAR, the SSU scientists have developed a digital prototype of a nanoscale electric current source.
‘It is very nice to see physics teachers at our university. Our future is in your hands. The university can prepare highly qualified engineering and teaching staff, but we need the “material”, so we are very pleased to welcome your students,’ Olga Glukhova noted.
Director of the Institute of Physics Sergei Venig focused on the high-quality training of students at Saratov State University. ‘You teach the best subject that is taught at school, because it is physics that forms the diverse, complex thinking necessary for any type of activity,’ he addressed the teachers.
Chair of the Department of Dynamic Modelling and Biomedical Engineering Anatolii Karavayev shared digital tools that can be used to solve engineering problems in the project activities of schoolchildren. He marked that a school search task should be new and relevant, be solvable, and also interesting to the school students, the heads, and the jury of the competitions. The moderator of the plenary session, Deputy Director of the Institute of Physics, SSU, Asel Adilova invited teachers and students to participate in the Window to Science conference of schoolchildren.
Alexei Savin, Chair of the Department of Modern Methods of Teaching Physics at the D.I. Trubetskov Lyceum of Applied Sciences, shared the peculiarities of completing tasks with a detailed answer to the Unified State Exam in physics. He recalled the structure of the second part of the Unified State Exam, gave examples of the tasks, analysed the common mistakes that schoolchildren make when solving, and also shared useful resources for preparing for the exam.
At the end of the plenary session, the teachers went to a series of master classes, where the university teaching staff presented teachers with relevant approaches to conducting physics lessons at school.
At the master class on digital technologies in a school research project, the participants found out the new approaches and methods of using online tools for project activities of schoolchildren.
The master class on laboratory work on biophotonics for schoolchildren was devoted to the experimental work in the course of modern physics. The teachers conducted experiments that can be carried out in the future in the classrooms. Together with the staff of the laboratory of optics and biophotonics, the teachers enlightened the fibres of chicken muscle tissue using glycerine.
At the master class on SFE and how to solve a task and not lose points, the teachers discussed what eleventh graders should pay attention to when writing detailed answers for the physics exam in 2024. Four SFE tasks suggest that students should not only present the final result of calculations, but also demonstrate the entire course of solving the tasks.
The teachers saw how physical devices worked at the master class on physics in medicine. The teachers saw the work of medical devices for analysing blood circulation and blood pressure and thermal imaging equipment for studying thermal fields.
At the master class on molecular physics, modelling is easy together with the KVAZAR digital platform, the teachers learned about the new platforms for visual demonstration of physical processes. Guided by the staff of the Department of Radiotechnology and Electrodynamics, the teachers modelled molecular structures using a unique software by themselves and computing complex of the KVAZAR digital platform.
At the end of Physics Teachers’ Day, the university guests visited the Laboratory of Biomedical Photoacoustics, the Rubezh-SSU Student Design Agency, the Semiconductor Electronics raining Laboratory, the Department of Nonlinear Physics, the Magnetic Metamaterials Laboratory, technological fabs, the Forensic Materials Science Training Laboratory, the Department of Electronics, Vibrations, and Waves, as well as a collection of physical devices and lecture demonstrations.
Each teacher received a certificate of participation.
Vladimir Kulakov, a physics teacher at the secondary school in the village of Rovnoye, noted that thanks to Physics Teachers’ Day, he learned about the latest innovations in engineering. ‘I have found out about a lot of new things in methodical training of high school students for exams, which is a very important component of training in our time, since we must prepare enrolees for admission to universities for the further advancement of scientific thought.’
‘For a physics teacher who works in Saratov Region, such an event is one of the few events where you can learn about current trends in physics and physical education. It was useful to hear comments on the design of the second part of the Unified State Exam in physics from Alexei Savin. The report of Valerii Tuchin, the luminary of biophotonics, was interesting. It is amazing how he presents such a complex science in such a simple and understandable way. Everything we learned today was interesting and useful. I express my gratitude to the organisers of this event,’ Natalia Grigoryeva, a physics teacher at Gymnasium No. 3, said.
