The National Centre for Educational Development in Qatar University’s (QU) College of Education in collaboration with the Centre for Educational Research and Development (CERD), Palestinian Ministry of Education organised the ‘International Virtual Conference 2023: New Trends in Teaching and Learning Science and Mathematics’ on January 3-4.
The conference aimed to provide opportunities for researchers to present visions and successful experiences for the development of science and mathematics teaching and learning, and employ international studies in directing educational decision-making and supporting education reform activities. The conference was attended by QU’s College of Education dean Dr Hessa H al-Thani; Undersecretary of the Palestinian Ministry of Education Dr Mohamed Awad; CERD director general Dr Mohamed Matar; and founder and executive director of STEM.org, Andrew Raupp, in addition to prominent educational researchers and academics from different countries.
In a statement on the occasion, Dr Hessa al-Thani said: “This conference provides a genuine picture of the reality of learning and teaching in educational institutions, and reveals the challenges they face and paves the way to overcome them.
“This conference is characterised by presenting a set of significant research papers that present successful experiences for disciplines’ integration, enriching the education process, such as studying the relationship of technology, art and artificial intelligence to learning and the extent to which they are employed in the classroom.”
She pointed out the importance of linking science to students’ lives and expressed confidence that the conference will open horizons for scientific meetings and successful and advanced educational practices that contribute to the research vision that transcends the boundaries of space and time and constitutes a pioneering step in modernising the systems of teaching and learning mathematics and science.
Dr Awad said: “This virtual conference comes within the framework of partnership and co-operation between the Ministry of Education in Palestine, represented by the Centre for Educational Research and Development and Qatar University, to achieve integration in the educational field and to serve and enhance the development and improvement of education systems, especially in the field of mathematics and science, which constitute the basis for the rest of the other sciences.”
Raupp explained that STEM is a specialised programme in the study of science, technology, engineering and mathematics that provides a more effective and impactful educational method for the students. Teaching and learning mathematics and science has been a topic of paramount importance in Arab and international educational contexts. Approaches to teaching these two subjects have become numerous and varied in light of their association with the professional disciplines required in the labor market and in response to the requirements of education and learning in the 21st century.
