This is the first workshop of the Workshop Series on Fundamental Sciences Education that brings together researchers, educators, administrators, and students in the field of Basic Sciences Education. The aim of these workshops is to address the issues, strengths and best practices in the field, to assist the education of new generations in fundamental sciences, and to contribute to the development of education in various fields such as engineering, economics and medicine.
In this workshop, ECO Educational Institute brought together several academicians from mathematics and mathematics education departments in higher education and secondary and high school mathematics teachers. The first day of the workshop was devoted to the discussion of current issues in the discipline, and on the second day, best practices and policy recommendations were suggested. Each session was followed by a Q&A Session, where the other speakers had the chance to ask questions, discuss the topic, and provide valuable input.
The workshop started with the opening speech of President of ECOEI Prof. Dr. M. Akif Kireçci, who highlighted the important role of fundamental sciences in education, and economic development. His speech was followed by the opening speech of Prof. Dr. Ahmet Arıkan from Gazi University, Faculty of Education, Department of Mathematics and Science Education. The first session held by Prof. Dr. Ahmet Arikan and Ömer Faruk Çetinkaya from Altındağ Hacı Bayram Veli Sports High School provided a critical approach to the exam-based teaching in mathematics: “Is our way of teaching mathematics exam-centered? To what extent are concepts used to answer the questions asked in central exams? Are inquiring questions that require mathematical proofs being asked?”. In the second session, Assoc. Dr. Nazan Sezen Yüksel from Hacettepe University held her presentation titled “New generation questions and the cognitive burden they place on students”.In the third sesson held by Assoc. Dr. Burçak Boz Yaman from Muğla Sıtkı Koçman University and Gülşad Köse from Ayşe Gülsevim-Ali Rüştü Kaynak Anatolian High School in Muğla, the speakers discussed the role of high school mathematics teachers' subject matter and teaching skills in secondary school students' journey from concrete to abstract. In the fourth session, Prof. Dr. Berna Cantürk Günhan from Dokuz Eylül University and Behiye Dinçer Aksoy from Kafaca Kaplancık Secondary School in Muğla talked about the problems experienced while teaching and learning mathematical concepts in secondary school classes. The last session was titled "The place and importance of visualization in mathematics education" by Dr. Handan Demircioğlu from Sivas Cumhuriyet University and Sabiha Kartalcı from Sivas Science and Art Centre (BİLSEM). This presentation discussed how to effectively use visual materials in lessons and textbooks.
The second day of the workshop on 25 November 2022 started with the presentation titled “Visualization in mathematics education in the context of nonverbal proofs and origami” held by Dr. Handan Demircioğlu from Sivas Cumhuriyet University and Sabiha Kartalcı from Sivas Science and Art Centre (BİLSEM). Then, Assoc. Dr. Nazan Sezen Yüksel from Hacettepe University together with Tuğçem Eroğlu from Ankara Mamak Science and Art Center (BİLSEM) discussed “Python applications of divisibility rules and proof”, “Algorithmic thinking: Which numbers are prime numbers?” and “Mathematics and Art: Escher and Symmetry groups”. In the third session, Gülşad Köse from Ayşe Gülsevim-Ali Rüştü Kaynak Anatolian High School together with Assoc. Dr. Burçak Boz Yaman from Muğla Sıtkı Koçman University shared her personal journey in teaching mathematics in her speech titled “A high school teacher's journey of conceptual self-development in algebra”. The fourth session of the day with the topic “Learning the concepts of algebra and geometry through coding in secondary school classes” was presented by Prof.Dr. Dr. Berna Cantürk Günhan from Dokuz Eylul University and Behiye Dinçer Aksoy from Kafaca Kaplancık Secondary School in Muğla. Lastly, Prof. Dr. Ahmet Arıkan, Gazi University talked about “Using Voice Assistants” in mathematics lessons, in which prospects for robot mathematics teachers and teacher competencies of the future were discussed.
The findings of the workshop will be documented by the research team consisting of Selami Ercan from Gazi University, Dr. Hatice Aydan Kaplan from Gazi University, and Dr. Emine Nur Ünveren Bilgiç from Düzce University. The findings will be published in the form of a report in Turkish and English.
