The International Research Group on Physics Teaching / Groupe International de Recherche sur l'Enseignement de la Physique (GIREP) Malta Webinar 2021, entitled ‘Physics Teacher Education - What matters?', was successfully held between 10 and 12 November 2021. This event was the second collaboration between the University of Malta and GIREP, following last year’s webinar.
The Local Organising Committee composed of three academics from the University of Malta, namely Dr Charles Bonello, Dr Anthony Galea and Dr Joan Borg Marks, worked with board members of GIREP to organise the GIREP Malta Webinar 2021. The webinar attracted a lot of interest with more than 100 registered participants from all over the world (up to 20 different nationalities).
The Deputy Dean of the Faculty of Science, Dr Fiona Sammut, and the Dean of the Faculty of Education, Dr Colin Calleja, participated in the introduction to the webinar, each providing a welcome address to participants. A number of keynote speeches were delivered. Two of these were presented by Prof. Andre’ Xuereb – Head of the Physics Department, Faculty of Science and from Prof. Suzanne Gatt – a professor in Primary Science and Environmental Education at the Faculty of Education. Other speakers included Prof Federico Corni from the Free University of Bozen-Bolzano, Prof. Gesche Pospiech from the Technische Universitat Dresden and Prof. Stamatis Vokos from California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo (Cal Poly).
Moreover, the webinar provided the opportunity for a number of working groups to be held. These helped participants to actively interact. During these working groups, participants shared short presentations and discussed the topics presented. This synergy shall lead to publications of papers by the presenters and position papers written by the leaders of the working groups.
The GIREP Webinar 2021 was supported by the Faculty of Education and the Faculty of Science. It is hoped that this initiative will lead to further collaborations between UM and GIREP in the future.
Moreover, the webinar provided the opportunity for a number of working groups to be held. These helped participants to actively interact. During these working groups, participants shared short presentations and discussed the topics presented. This synergy shall lead to publications of papers by the presenters and position papers written by the leaders of the working groups.
The GIREP Webinar 2021 was supported by the Faculty of Education and the Faculty of Science. It is hoped that this initiative will lead to further collaborations between UM and GIREP in the future.