For the first time, seminars for teachers of secondary schools named University for Teachers Seminars (UTS) were held on the basis of the Faculty of Physics and Mathematics in the fall of 2021. They also involved specialists in various fields from other faculties and institutes of Igor Sikorsky Kyiv Polytechnic Institute. The initiator of the seminars was Ph.D. in Engineering Science Olha Shtofel, who is responsible for career guidance work at the faculty. She was also supported by the university administration – the First Vice-Rector of Igor Sikorsky Kyiv Polytechnic Institute, Academician of NASU Yuriy Yakymenko; Nataliia Seminskaya, the Vice-rector of educational work, as well as the Dean of Faculty of Physics and Mathematics Volodymyr Vanin.
Such seminars were planned to be held regularly during the autumn and spring school holidays, but in 2022, due to the war, they were moved to the beginning of summer under the name "UTS Spring Summer". So this summer, an event was organized for the second time on the basis of FMF, which was also joined by the Faculty of Electronics, Y. O. Paton Educational and Research Institute of Materials Science and Welding, Faculty of Chemical Engineering, Faculty of Chemical Technology and Educational and Research Institute of Physics and Technology. In addition, experts from the professional orientation department - the Career Development Center of the Department of Educational Work, the National Ecological Centre of Ukraine, and the Center Educational Consulting were invited.
At the seminars, specialists of Igor Sikorsky Kyiv Polytechnic Institute told teachers about how to get their students interested in learning and show the importance of interdisciplinary connections. "This event is aimed at career guidance, at fulfilling the students’ potential by the subject teachers involved in the seminar. The topics of the meetings are aimed at inspiring and getting students of secondary schools interested in learning," - says the organizer of the event Olga Shtofel.
These seminars can be perceived as another successful direction of thorough cooperation between the university and secondary schools. The teachers left feedback that inspired the organizers to continue the work they had started, to look for more and more interesting topics, to involve different units and organizations in cooperation.
Recordings of all meetings are collected on the YouTube channel of the Department of General Physics and Modelling of Physical Processes of the FMF, so, teachers as well as anyone interested can view everything that happened at both events. In addition, a Telegram channel has been created, to which we invite all those who are wishing and interested: t.me/UniversityforTeachersSeminars.
"I consider one of the most important factors in the development of this cooperation to be the support of caring colleagues who spent their time preparing materials, the concernment of teachers who are eager to develop and fill their subject with more interesting materials from Igor Sikorsky Kyiv Polytechnic Institute. I sincerely thank everyone for the cooperation. And we will continue to work on the next UTS sessions, on filling our YouTube and Telegram channels with new didactic materials," Olga Shtofel concluded.