On March 21-22, the Primorsky Aquarium hosted the VIII Open School entitled “Natural Science Education: Challenges, Priorities and Innovations”. Participants came from Kaliningrad to Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk in Russia, to Hunchun in China.
Representatives of the Moskvarium and the Krokus-City Aquarium in Moscow, the Leningrad Zoo and the Ecological and Biological Center “Krestovsky Island” in Saint-Petersburg and other renowned organizations arrived at the Primorsky Aquarium. Scientists, teachers, government officials, members of non-governmental, nature conservation, cultural and educational institutions took part in the School.
Director of the Primorsky Aquarium Olga Shevchenko delivered a welcoming address and expressed hope that all the participants would enjoy the event and find the experience meaningful and productive. Students of the Central Music School-Academy of Performing Arts “Primorsky” played classical music that added a touch of solemnity and sophistication to the event’s opening.
The VIII Open School featured modern trends and methods in natural science and environmental education, in career guidance programs, project-based learning and scientific research involving children, teens and young adults, as well as innovative techniques for creating inclusive environment.
In their presentations, teachers noted that secondary school students showed increasing interest in natural science careers. Young people are getting more and more engaged in scientific research, volunteering and ecotourism.
Participants of the Open School took part in fascinating and thought-provoking tours, lab sessions and hands-on workshops. A book exhibition in the Art Gallery and photos of birds from the Land of the Leopard Nature Reserve received particular attention from the guests.
One of the components of the VIII Open School program was a ceremony awarding winners of a competition of environmental lesson plans and learning materials. Inna Kaufman (N.N. Dubinin Boarding School for Gifted Children, Vladivostok) won the first place in the “Secondary School: Middle and High School” category, the first prize in the “Supplementary Education” category was divided between Irina Korol (Razvitie Center for Teacher Development, Nakhodka) and Anzhelika Tiurina (Krokus City Aquarium, Moscow), whereas Anna Ivanova (Kindergarten No. 21, Vladivostok) became the best in the “Pre-Primary Education” category.
Summarizing the VIII Open School, many participants talked about important ideas they’d learned during sessions and workshops and their eagerness to apply them for new developments enhancing environmental education.