SOBİD Project 1st Professional Development Program

Within the scope of the SOBİD project titled "Design and Implementation of a Climate Change Teaching Module Based on the Socioscientific Issues-Based Teaching Approach," conducted under the 3501 – Career Development Program supported by TÜBİTAK, the first teacher professional development program was held in person at Bahçeşehir University on 17-21 February 2024.

On the first day of the SOBİD Project professional development program, a general introduction to the project was given, and a pre-test was administered to the teachers before the program began. An icebreaker game was played with the science and social studies teachers who attended from different districts and schools of Istanbul. After the introductions, sessions and station activities were held on climate change, basic climate concepts and mechanisms, and the effects of climate change.

On the second day of the SOBİD Project professional development program, sessions were held on the scope and rationale of environmental education and climate change education, climate literacy, and socioscientific issues-based education, and socioscientific issues-based examples were examined through group work.

On the third day of the SOBİD Project professional development program, socioscientific issues-based examples related to climate change were examined through group work, and the pedagogical approach of socioscientific issues-based education was discussed. In the last session of the day, the template of the lesson plans to be developed by the teachers was introduced.

The last two days of the SOBİD Project professional development program were devoted to module development sessions. Working in small groups with teachers from their own schools, the teachers in the project selected a topic covering the effects of climate change in Türkiye and worked as teams to develop lesson plans. At the end of both days, the teams shared their work with Project Coordinator Assoc. Prof. Dr. Nilay Öztürk and project researchers Assoc. Prof. Dr. Yasemin Özdem Yılmaz and Assist. Prof. Dr. Gaye Defne Ceyhan. Following the presentations, feedback was given to the teachers.

Throughout the project, project scholars Ayşe Gül Çelenk, Naz Fulya Çibik, and Nazmiye Ertuğrul also supported the project. The professional development program ended with plans to meet again at the project's meetings to be held at the end of February and the beginning of March.