On April 29, the second training for higher education students majoring in ‘Pre-school Education’ and ‘Primary Education’ was held at the “CNU EcoSystem” Center for Innovative Educational Technologies. The session, titled “From Virtual Idea to Real Object: Maker Pedagogy,” was organized within the framework of the REFINE project (“Rebuilding the Future: Empowering Educators and Students through Cross-border Cooperation and Invention Pedagogy” – EDUC-WIDE SEED PROJECTS – 2024).
The project team includes: Olena Budnyk, Professor of the Department of Primary Education and Educational Innovations and Director of the “CNU EcoSystem” Center; Liudmyla Matsuk, Professor and Head of the Department of Theory and Methodology of Pre-school Education; Marianna Matishak and Iryna Skomorovska, Associate Professors of the same department. Acting as speakers, they updated the students’ knowledge on invention in education, emphasizing the priority of Sustainable Development Goals in inventiveness and the methodological specifics of maker pedagogy.
As part of the presentation of innovative educational trends, Professor Olena Budnyk presented the synergy of digital technologies, specifically immersive learning, research-oriented learning, and maker pedagogy. The theme “Water Ecosystem and Its Inhabitants” included exercises such as “LEGO Metaphor: Prototyping,” “Prediction,” and “From the Virtual Depths to the Makerspace,” all aimed at developing students’ creativity and activating their inventive skills.
During the practical block, future educators used VR glasses and LEGO sets to design water ecosystem structures and creatively detailed their tasks using 3D pens. The interactive exhibition “Layout-Ecosystem” was presented based on the following criteria: creativity and originality, technical implementation and practical value, didactic purpose, and eco-concept.
In conclusion, students and faculty discussed the prospects for further educational activities within the framework of the Norwegian-Ukrainian REFINE project.