During the last week, within the project
activities planned for the Mobile Counseling Center, the dentist of the health center
Olivera Loncar realized 3 workshops for parents and children called
“Screening of teeth and oral hygiene” in 3 facilities of PI
“Poletarac”. The aim of these workshops was for the dentist to do
dental screening in children and point out the importance of proper oral
hygiene.
One workshop was held in the
facility:
“Carolija” in Deronje
05/11/2021
“Duga” in Backi
Brestovac 05/13/2021
“Maslacak”
in Bogojevo on May 19, 2021.
Educational workshops are designed
to be attended by both parents and children. As part of the workshops, the
dentist educated parents and present family members about the eruption and loss
of deciduous teeth, as well as the eruption of sixes. After the workshops,
flyers were distributed to parents.
The workshops were attended by 49
parents and family members: 34 female family members and 15 males with their
children.
Odzaci Health Center is one of the
partners in the project implemented by PI “Poletarac” from Odzaci.
The Ministry of
Education, Science and Technological Development has organized an online
meeting “Intersectoral cooperation in the interest of all children”
within the Inclusive Early Childhood Education and Care project. The conference
gathered more than 150 representatives of local governments at one place.
The results achieved
so far in the framework of the grant program were presented by Zrenjanin, Sabac,
Merosina, Leskovac and Odzaci. State Secretary Anamarija Vicek and Gordana
Kosanovic, Advisor to the Cabinet of Minister, spoke about the results and the
future plans representing the Ministry of Education, Science and Technological
Development.
During a year and a half of realization of the local projects a total of 48 new rooms for educational purposes have been adapted and equipped, over 2500 children are either included in the preschool system through a half-day/all-day program or a flexible program (2-3 days a week), while over 2300 parents participated in the workshops on parenting, early development, outings, sports. In addition, 8 vehicles for transport of children and mobile teams have been procured, cooperation between 159 partner institutions at the local level has been strengthened, and about 900 male members from sensitive group families have participated together with children in the workshops, educations organized by the center for social work and local health centers, and sports activities.
An online conference
organized by the Ministry of Education, Science and Technological Development
and the Inclusive Early Childhood Education and Care project entitled
“Support to Preschool Institutions in Building Quality
Practices-Experiences, Open Opportunities, Partnerships” was held on May
20, and was attended by more than 300 participants.
The aim of the
conference is to promote activities to improve the quality of preschool
institutions through the second component of this Project from the perspective
of employees and to provide recommendations for future processes related to
open opportunities and partnerships as a basis for work improvement.
“The support
provided to the preschool institution for the purpose of quality implementation
of the new program concept was developed through the improvement of
professional development of employees in the preschool system and through the
improvement of the evaluation of the quality of preschool education system in
order to support the well-being and overall development of children.” Assistant Minister for Preschool and Primary
Education Milan Pasicstated.
Nikolina Skundric, a
teacher from the preschool institution “Radosno detinjstvo” from Novi
Sad, presented the thoughts and experiences of practitioners on the support
program, while Jelena Paic, pedagogue of the preschool institution
“Rakovica” presented changes in practice from the perspective of
leaders and mentors. Gordana Djordjevic, pedagogue of the preschool institution
“Sima Milosevic” from Zemun, presented strategies for initiating changes
in the culture and structure of the preschool institution, while Stanisa Cabarkapa,
a pedagogue from the preschool institution “Bambi”, Sabac, showed the
changes in the space of the kindergarten. The educator, Biljana Majstorovic
from the preschool institution “Lane” from Aleksinac, presented the
possibilities provided by the realization of projects and introduced the participants
to one of the projects she realizes with children called “Journey into
space”. Dina Sukler Wiesike from the preschool institution “Radosno
detinjstvo” in Novi Sad said something more about the parent’s perspective
on the possibilities provided by the implementation of the new Preschool
Curriculum Framework;
The director of the
preschool institution “Moje detinjstvo” from Cacak, Suzana Simeunovic,
presented how the active participation of the director affects the common
professional vision of the preschool institution.
The Ministry of
Education, Science and Technological Development, within Inclusive Early
Childhood Education and Care project, is implementing project activities
related to the improvement of professional development of practitioners in the
system of preschool education. In order to improve the digital competencies of
educators, one of the project tasks entrusted to the CIP – Center for Interactive
Pedagogy is the development of the Framework of digital competencies of
educators and the Concept of application of digital technologies in preschool
institutions.
In the work on this
project task, cooperation was achieved with the organization Reggio Children,
since it is one of the leaders at the international level when it comes to the
combination of modern pedagogies and the use of digital technologies in the
educational process.
Reggio Emilia’s
approach is an educational program – a philosophy based on a holistic approach
to the child, the image of the child as a right holder, with the possibility of
development through a hundred ways of expression (100 languages) that are
inherent to all human beings, including a child who grows and learns through relationships
with others.
The support of the
Reggio Children organization was realized through the realization of 3 webinars
which were designed and realized by their pedagogues – practitioners using Zoom
platform on topics that are relevant to our practitioners and experts.
The first webinar, on
the topic: DIGITAL COMPETENCIES OF EDUCATORS FOR THE PURPOSE OF PROFESSIONAL
DEVELOPMENT, was realized on May 11, 2021, from 12:00 to 13:30. Participants,
primarily the professional public – representatives of ministry, school
administrations, ZUOV, ZVKOV,
representatives of institutes, colleges and faculties for teacher education,
UNICEF, during 90 minutes were able to get acquainted with certain principles
and values of the Reggio Educational Approach: team work and relationships
between professionals, learning as a subjective and group process of building
knowledge and skills, art center and the role of art pedagogue, then organizing
space, the process of documenting that will allow creative knowledge processes to
be visible. Participants found out about strategies for using simple digital
tools and different materials and ways to support children’s curiosity,
imagination and learning.
The second and third
webinar on the topic: EXPERIENCES OF USING DIGITAL TECHNOLOGIES IN WORKING WITH
CHILDREN, THROUGH THE PRINCIPLES AND EXAMPLES OF INSPIRATIVE REGGIO EMILIA
PRACTICE were realized on May 12, 2021, from 14:30 to 18:00, and on May 14,
2021 from 12:00 to 15:30.
The participants of
these 2 webinars on the same topic were primarily practitioners from all
preschool institutions from the territory of the Republic of Serbia,
representatives of professional associations from the preschools system but
also interested representatives of ministry, and partner institutions and organizations
on the Project.
During 3.5 hours,
webinar participants were able to learn about the use of digital technology in
the Reggio educational approach, where digital technologies are seen as an
environment that can connect knowledge and multidisciplinary research, which
supports children’s ways of learning, promoting new forms of socialization and
divisions in which each child can find ways to present themselves. In such
digital environments, children act as authors and creators of their own knowledge
and individual and collective fantasies, presenting one idea of applicable
and generative technology that can communicate with other possible worlds or
environments. Through a presentation organized as an interactive visit,
participants were introduced to the art workshops of the International Center,
with a focus on how digital culture and tools can contribute to art culture and
other ways of expression.
After the presentations, the
participants were able to ask questions that were immediately answered by the
implementers, but also to express their great satisfaction and gratitude that
they had the opportunity to attend these webinars from which everyone learned
something new.
For both webinars, realized during three days, about 200 accounts were registered, through which a significantly larger number of participants attended.
A meeting between the Minister and journalists was organized within the Inclusive
Early Childhood Education and Care project. Other representatives of the
Ministry and the Project also attended the working breakfast.
In an informal atmosphere, the Minister shared information on the
results and plans related to the implementation of the Project with the media,
highlighted the efforts of the Ministry to increase the number of places in
preschool institutions and plans to further improve the quality of preschool
education and support children and families that belong to vulnerable social
groups through cooperation at the local level.
At the end of the event, media representatives had the opportunity to get
answers to questions about the project from the Minister and other representatives
of the Ministry.
