Exponential thinking for early understanding of the scale of the universe

In the last century, science has given us knowledge of the smallest things in the universe through to the vast distances of the visible universe. Science also gives us the ways to see the scale, with the modern technologies on which our lives depend. Education should respond to these revolutionary changes in human perception. However, for many people big and small numbers are just words with very little meaning (Resnick et al., 2017).  A good way to help us gain meaning is to find a simple way to operate with huge and tiny numbers using the powers of ten as a notational tool. There is some evidence, that young children have an intrinsic logarithmic ability (Opfer et al., 2010). To exploit these abilities, we present on results of a program that introduces large number concepts through engaging activities. We aim to make the mathematics needed for describing physical reality more intuitive, more relevant and less dependent on rote learning. This work is part of a broader project called Einstein-First that aims to introduce Einsteinian concepts throughout school education (https://www.einsteinianphysics.com). We use powers of two as a stepping stone to develop language and concepts for powers of ten.  The Powers of two program has been tested with year 3-4 students and Powers of ten with year 5-6 students. Lessons in the 8 hours programs are built around activities following four general principles: a) learning from group activities, b) using models and games to explore concepts, c) using Google searches for data gathering where appropriate, and d) learning through play-acting. We present some of the activities. One successful activity was the Powers of the Universe book, created by students. Each page is a power of ten. Numbers that describe all the known physical quantities in the Universe can be fitted in this 120-page logarithmic book, in which all quantities are expressed in SI units. The program demonstrated significant outcomes regarding understanding scale of the Universe, estimation of big and small numbers, using powers of ten as a tool for calculation and reasoning about numbers. The results of pilot trials from pre-test and post-test comparisons indicate that nearly 100% of students were able to use powers of two for describing numbers in processes such as bacteria splitting or numbers of ancestors. 78% of students preferred to use powers of ten notation over multiple zeros for big and small numbers. 98% of students widened their knowledge about the scale of the Universe. Evidence from teacher and student interviews indicates student enjoyment and appreciation of the relevance and capacity of students to extend their understanding. REFERENCES Opfer. J. E., Thompson, C. A., & Furlong, E. E. (2010). Early development of spatial-numeric associations: evidence from spatial and quantitative performance of preschooler. Developmental Science, 5, 761-771. Resnick, I., Newcombe, N., & Shipley, T. (2017). Dealing with big numbers: Representation and understanding of magnitudes Outside of Human experience. Cognitive science, 41, 1020-1041

How big is an atom? How small is a light year? Early learning powers of ten

We will present a part of the program called “Maths for Einstein’s Universe” designed for Year 3 to Year 6 students. Early learning of Powers of Ten for Primary introduces the maths of huge and tiny numbers using fun, hands-on activities suitable for all levels of understanding. The program helps children who may have been turned off traditional maths like rote learning tables and practising complex maths procedures to solve problems they see as not being relevant. Also, the program inspires students who are good at maths by extending their thinking to encompass the vast and the tiny. We do this by taking them on a mind-expanding journey where activities using powers of ten unleash their ability to know and understand the universe from the tiniest subatomic particles to the size of the entire universe

Children’s Museum within the Cultural Space of Modern Metropolis

For a long time, children’s museum remained an object of research only within pedagogical studies. Such scholars as M. Yu. Yukhnevich and B. A. Stolyarov contributed greatly to the development of museum pedagogy. In this paper children’s museum is viewed through the lens of culturological approach. We provide a comparative historical analysis of the children’s museum development and attempt to define its meaning in contemporary society. Keywords: children’s museum, museum center,  museum educational program, contemporary museum practices

SOME FEATURES OF THE TEACHING OF Jurisprudence TO MEDICAL STUDENTS

В статье рассматриваются некоторые особенности преподавания правоведения в медицинских вузах. Автор обозначает проблемы, возникающие в процессе преподавания правоведения в медицинских вузах, и предлагает пути их решенияThe article discusses some features of teaching of Jurisprudence in medical schools. The author identifies the problems that arise in the process of teaching of Jurisprudence in medical schools, and offers ways to solve the

Maths for Einstein's Universe Tools for Understanding Modern Reality

Aversion to mathematics is a recognised and widespread problem. Following a review of the literature on this subject, this paper presents an education program which has been developed to test the hypothesis that transferring attention from traditional school arithmetic to a broad range of mathematical skills relevant to modern science at an early age (ages 7-12) will improve students' attitudes to mathematics, reduce the incidence of maths anxiety and prepare students for topics normally introduced at more senior levels. The program entitled Maths for Einstein's Universe includes five modules covering extreme numbers, estimation, probability, vectors and curved space geometry taught through group activities, games and plays. The modules complement appropriate early learning of modern physical concepts from the subatomic world to cosmology. While connected to science, the program aims to provide meaning and comprehension for socially relevant topics from national budgets to pandemics and opinion polls. The program has been trialled in multiple short workshops and extended learning programs as well as training programs for school teachers. Analysis of knowledge and attitude tests and questionnaires from about 170 participants demonstrate strong student enthusiasm and positive learning outcomes in areas normally considered beyond the ability of students in this age group. Trial results were used to identify strategies for enhancing school mathematics based on creation of stronger links between mathematics and science. We summarise results of pilot trials. In the paper we present the results of learning powers of ten and vectors. In total, around 700 participants have trialled Maths Einstein's Universe with nearly 200 hours of teaching for students and teachers

Structural and logical model of contemporary global economic system

The purpose of the article is to build a structural and logical model of contemporary global economic system, forecast its development in future, and development of recommendations for maximization of advantages and minimization of negative aspects of such development. The authors focus on the problem of deepening contradictions of interests of various members of the global economic system with development of integration processes and on the problem of increase of the global economic problems with economic development of the global economic system. Methodology of conduct of the research in this work includes problem, systemic, and structural & functional analysis for determination of specifics of functioning of contemporary modern economy, as well as SWOT-analysis for determination of perspectives of its development. The authors analyze evolution and view specifics of modern stage of development of the global economic system, perform modeling of current state and tendencies of development of global economic system, and determine perspectives and compile recommendations for development of contemporary global economic system.peer-reviewe

Moterų politinės galios raiška Rusijos visuomenėje:diskursai ir strategijos

The article analyzes public discourses on political leadership of women in the post-communist Russia. Based on her sociological research the author differentiates two main strategies of female politicians and women’s organizations. The first “professional” group of activists considers women’s interests or women’s rights issues as marginal for their democratic agenda. The second “maternalistic” strategy insists on the essentialist women’s political “predestination” to be responsible only for social and family policy. The analysis of these discourses gives the understanding of the perspectives for political empowerment of Russian women in the context of democratic transition.Straipsnyje analizuojami viešieji politinio moterų vadovavimo diskursai postkomunistinėje Rusijoje. Autorė, remdamasi sociologiniu tyrimu, skiria dvi pagrindines – moterų politikių ir moterų organizatorių – strategijas. Pirmoji, „profesionali“, aktyvisčių grupė svarsto moterų interesus arba moterų teisių problemas, kaip šalutinius demokratinės darbotvarkės klausimus. Antroji, „maternalistinė“, strategija pabrėžia prigimtinę moterų politinę „lemtį“, kurios paskirtis – rūpintis socialine ir šeimos politika. Šių diskursų nagrinėjimas padeda suprasti Rusijos moterų politinės galios raiškos perspektyvas, susijusias su demokratiniais pertvarkymais

Basic Principles of Betavoltaic Elements and Prospects of their Development

The basic technical principles and means of increase in betavoltaitic elements effectiveness have been analyzed by comparing with their closest analogue – photoelectric semiconductor converters. The geometric parameters of radiation sources for these elements and their capacities have been estimated. It is shown the radiation source 63Ni foil thickness should not exceed a few micrometers, and maximum energy conversion efficiency can achieve ~ 16 %

NATIONALLY-ORIENTED APPROACH TO THE COMMUNICATIVE COMPETENCE DEVELOPMENT IN THE PROCESS OF TEACHING FOREIGN LANGUAGES

The article is devoted to the conceptualization of the possibilities of a nationally-oriented approach in the development of communicative competence, particularly of sociocultural competence, in the process of teaching foreign languages. The article dwells upon the interdependence of students' national characteristics, the degree of tolerance to ambiguity and the results of language testing. The theoretical basis are works on the methodology of teaching foreign languages related to the development of communicative competence, as well as to the concept of “tolerance to ambiguity”. The authors of the article determine the ways, means, methods of forming the proper level of tolerance to ambiguity, and therefore, a tolerant attitude to the values of the carriers of another culture. Experimental data were obtained in the course of work with groups of Chinese and Turkmen students studying Russian as a foreign language at Pskov State University, as well as with the groups of Russian-speaking school graduates who took mock  International English Language Testing System [IELTS] in St. Petersburg, Novosibirsk and Pskov. A nationally-oriented approach in teaching foreign languages should be prioritized not only at the stage of preparation for language testing, but also in the development of test materials.