This interview is part of the focus issue entitled "The Role of Textbooks in Teaching and Learning Processes", which aims to investigate the advantages and disadvantages of using a textbook, as well ...as ways of adapting textbooks that provide teachers with an opportunity to personalise teaching material and enable students to be more actively involved in the learning process. The interview was conducted online (exchanging emails back and forth between Ljubljana, Slovenia and Santa Barbara, California, USA) in February 2021.
Teaching about biodiversity and its conservation could be an effective way to teach the importance of different species and human dependence on ecological support systems. This study compares the ...effectiveness of a digital and a paper-based dichotomous identification key for teaching pre-service teachers about plant species diversity. Twenty-four Slovenian teachers in pre-service training used a digital version of the key on tablet computers and twenty-nine used a paper-based version to identify woody species in the garden near their university faculty. Both keys contained the same species, identical photographs and the same sequence of steps to identify the species. The accuracy and time taken to identify the five species were measured. The participants also completed a questionnaire about the usability of the identification key. Overall, both versions of the key were equally good for determining species names. The digital version of the key was found to be more time-effective than the paper version only when multiple identification steps were required to identify species. The results confirm that those who scored better on the identification tasks have a better general opinion about the usability of the key; especially students using digital version of the key. Implications for teachers using or creating identification keys are discussed in the conclusion.
The consumer behaviour of Slovenian pre-service teachers for the December holidays and their personal views about sustainable consumption were studied. A total of 130 students of the University of ...Ljubljana’s Faculty of Education took part in the study. The sample consisted of 11 male and 116 female students, while 3 students did not report their gender. The survey was conducted in January 2020. The results show that 95.4% of the respondents received gifts during their childhood on Saint Nicholas Day, 60.0% at Christmas and 23.1% when celebrating the New Year. Almost 13% of the respondents received gifts three times in December during their childhood. In December 2019, 54.6% of them gave gifts for Saint Nicholas Day, 65.2% at Christmas and 10.8% for the New Year. Christmas has therefore become the most common gift-giving time in December. Students most often give their loved ones sweets, clothes and shoes, and cosmetics. The majority of the respondents spend less than 50% of their monthly income on gifts for the December holidays. In terms of sustainability, the respondents described their consumer behaviour as follows: (1) giving or receiving things they really need, (2) giving or receiving gifts and wrappings made of recyclable material, (3) giving or receiving nonmaterial gifts, (4) reducing the number of gifts, (5) giving for charity, or (6) not giving gifts at all.
Learning the basics of human anatomy is challenging for schoolchildren due to its three-dimensional nature and complexity as a system. This study created educational materials for learning about and ...teaching the human circulatory system based on augmented reality (AR) technology and a structure–behavior–function (SBF) model, including 2D/3D animations, a game, and a video to complement the current 2D representations in school textbooks. To evaluate the effectiveness of the materials developed, an instructional activity was carried out among fifty-one seventh- and eighth-grade students from a school in central Slovenia. A pretest, posttest, and delayed posttest for the instructional activity tested students’ knowledge, and their acceptance of the AR technology was explored through a questionnaire. The results showed significant improvements in students’ understanding of the basic anatomy and physiology of the human heart and circulatory system and the effects of adrenaline on the human circulatory system. Students expressed moderate enthusiasm for AR technology, showing the greatest level of acceptance of AR technology making learning more interesting and fun, improving learning, and making it easy to use. Although students showing more knowledge on the pretest expressed higher acceptance of AR technology, the gain in knowledge after an instructional activity was equally beneficial for all participants. The study indicates a beneficial effect of applying 3D animation, videos, and AR technology to understand dynamic and complex biological phenomena.
Peptides released on frogs’ skin in a stress situation represent their only weapon against micro-organisms and predators. Every species and even population of frog possesses its own peptidome being ...appropriate for their habitat. Skin peptides are considered potential pharmaceuticals, while the whole peptidome may be treated as a taxonomic characteristic of each particular population. Continuing the studies on frog peptides, here we report the peptidome composition of the Central Slovenian agile frog Rana dalmatina population. The detection and top-down de novo sequencing of the corresponding peptides was conducted exclusively by tandem mass spectrometry without using any chemical derivatization procedures. Collision-induced dissociation (CID), higher energy collision-induced dissociation (HCD), electron transfer dissociation (ETD) and combined MS3 method EThcD with stepwise increase of HCD energy were used for that purpose. MS/MS revealed the whole sequence of the detected peptides including differentiation between isomeric Leu/Ile, and the sequence portion hidden in the disulfide cycle. The array of the discovered peptide families (brevinins 1 and 2, melittin-related peptides (MRPs), temporins and bradykinin-related peptides (BRPs)) is quite similar to that of R. temporaria. Since the genome of this frog remains unknown, the obtained results were compared with the recently published transcriptome of R. dalmatina.
Introduction
This research aims to explore the integration of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) within teacher education programs, focusing on the Faculty of Education at Okayama University, Japan ...and the University of Ljubljana, Slovenia.
Methods
We employed a qualitative content analysis of the syllabi (n = 2,079 from Okayama University; n = 504 from University of Ljubljana) and combined it with insights from semi-structured interviews.
Results
The analysis illuminated a strong emphasis on Quality Education (SDG 4) in both institutions. However, certain SDGs, like Climate Action (SDG 13), were less represented, marking potential areas for enhancement. Differences were also identified in the distribution of SDGs-related content between compulsory and elective courses, indicating institutional priorities. Interview reflections emphasized the pivotal role of educators in realizing SDGs and highlighted the necessity of collaboration to achieve these global objectives.
Discussion
The insights from interviews and syllabi content analysis underscore the urgency to bridge the identified gaps in SDG coverage. Disparities in emphasis between the two Education for Sustainable Development (ESD)-committed universities were noted, suggesting the importance of fostering strategy exchange and partnerships across institutions.
Conclusion
Enhancing the alignment of teacher education programs with SDGs requires collective efforts. By addressing the gaps and promoting effective collaboration, these programs can achieve greater relevance and efficacy in promoting the SDGs.
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