Contribution of Science Teacher Candidates to the Science Festival
Within the scope of the Community Service Practices (CSP) course conducted at Bursa Uludağ University Faculty of Education, a Science Festival was organized on June 3, 2025, with the participation of prospective teachers. Students of the Science Education Program also contributed to the festival with the social responsibility projects they carried out.
At the festival, where CSP projects and activities conducted throughout the semester were presented, three groups under the guidance of Prof. Dr. Zehra Özdilek from the Department of Science Education participated with their projects titled “A Touch to Animals with Paws,” “World Environment Day,” and “A Village School Meeting Science.” These projects were carried out in cooperation with BUÜ Youth Office.
The student group led by Assoc. Prof. Dr. Dilek Zeren Özer showcased the projects they implemented during the semester as part of the CSP course: “Health Literacy,” “Consume Consciously, Live Healthy,” “Vaccine Hesitancy,” “One Cap, One Transformation,” and “Evaluation of 21st Century Skills in Out-of-School Learning Environments through Activities.” Project stakeholders such as TEV Hayri Tokaman Vocational and Technical Anatolian High School and the Alptemoçin-Bekler Education and Industrial Development Foundation collaborated in these social responsibility projects within the scope of the course.
Under the guidance of Prof. Dr. Ahmet Kılınç, the project “A Story Day Activity in the Pediatrics Department” was carried out, during which teacher candidates shared the stories they had created with children receiving treatment in the Pediatrics Department of Bursa Uludağ University Faculty of Medicine, providing support to both children and their families.
As part of the course, prospective science teachers collaborated with different institutions to design various activity areas, including science-related practices, interactive materials, student-centered activities, and studies focused on different literacies. The projects aimed to support students in combining their subject knowledge with community-oriented applications.
The event provided a learning environment that enhanced not only the teaching skills of prospective teachers but also their competencies in collaboration, social responsibility, planning, and event management. The partnerships maintained with public institutions, local administrations, and non-governmental organizations also enabled teacher candidates to gain valuable institutional collaboration experience.
This event, held within the scope of the Community Service Practices course, serves as an exemplary practice that allows teacher candidates to apply their educational experiences in a societal context from an interdisciplinary perspective.