Page 129 - e-Kongre Bildiriler Kitabı

Context And Relevance To Covid-19 In Education

The COVID-19 Pandemic has begun to change the behavior of the society and all around the
World and new habits and social behaviors have appeared. Moreover, the pandemic has effect on many

fields such as education, transportation and commerce. Therefore, it is seen that there are changes in the
materials needed and they are being prioritized in daily life. The needs in especially protective equipment

(such as face mask, face shield mask, protective suit and gloves), cleaning products (such as disinfectant,

cologne), as well as electronic devices (such as breathing apparatus, thermometer) and medical materials
(such as corona test, medicine or vaccine) have increased. In order to meet these needs, many countries

have focused on issues such as production of medical and cleaning materials, and protective equipment.

Disciplines such as technology, engineering, mathematics, science and environment are handled

holistically to produce materials that are needed. In the times of Pandemic, new/effective vaccine and
drug development studies are also ongoing, using fields such as biology, chemistry and mathematics,

which are the sub-branches of science. "Environment" should be brought to the fore in the battle against
COVID-19. There may be some ways to protect like, awareness of environment and healthy life should

be increased in individuals with science education. The products with increasing demand in times of

pandemic should be used and consumed more consciously. The materials needed in this period should
be produced environmentally friendly. In addition, there might be opportunities to take responsibility

for the management of wastes. In this way, minimal damage might be caused to the environment by
recycling or disposal of garbage. Sustainability of all these precautions can be possible with science

education.

In this article, a theoretical framework for a contemporary science education is tried to be

developed. The framework is based on a recommendation of the European Commission with the aim to
make science education and careers attractive to young people. Innovative formal and informal science

education is important in order to raise the awareness on the different aspects of encompassing science

and technology in today´s society and to address the challenges faced by young people when pursuing
careers in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM). The introduced STEM

education model is focusing on the interaction of environment and science as important elements of an
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environmental STEM education ( STEM Education). In addition, the concept of Environmental STEM
Pedagogical Content Knowledge ( STEM-PCK) is deduced for professional development of science
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teachers.

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