Preface: DIDFYZ 2023

Abstract

Searching for more effective ways of educating the young generation in physics means not only reforming the content and methods from the point of view of us creators and teachers, but mainly understanding the object of education, i.e. a young person - a student leaving school. At the same time, social changes are reflected in the structure of society’s needs for education, in the needs of young people, their approach to their environment, to fulfilling their needs and their attitude to global issues. The ability of society to respond to these requirements is determined mainly by the state and level of education. The advancement of knowledge, social relations and the economy depends on it. The main task of educational systems is to convey new knowledge in science to young people, but also to shape their personality. In physics, this role is particularly important, because knowledge of physics determines knowledge in other areas as well. We have been dealing with the issue of the transfer of physical knowledge within the framework of physics teaching theory, or in other words physics didactics, for more than half a century. Over the past 50 years, we have marked a qualitative shift in the theory and practice of this young scientific discipline. The organizers of the DIDFYZ conferences aimed not only to participate in these changes, but to be their initiators and creators. Regular biennial meetings became a platform for the creation of new ideas in the theory of teaching physics, which gradually grew into the internationally recognized DIDFYZ conference.The idea of organizing regular international meetings of physicists who deal with education in physics arose in the seventies of the last century. The Department of Physics of the Constantine the Philosopher University in Nitra took on the organizational role of the aforementioned conference on current problems of education in physics. It first organized a conference called DIDFYZ in 1977 in Bojnice. Other conferences were held in Nitra, in Rackova dolina in the Western Tatras, and since 2019 the venue of conference is held in Terchová (Vrátna dolina) in the beautiful mountain environment of Malá Fatra National Park.The topics of the DIDFYZ conferences over the past 46 years have always had the ambition to deal with the fundamental problems of physics education. They defined urgent problems that need to be solved at a given time (introduction of new teaching technologies, new physical discoveries and the ability to interpret them, problems of worldview, new trends in experiments, personal development, development of skills).The 23rd DIDFYZ 2023 conference entitled “New approaches in physics education for generation Z” set itself the goal of reflecting the characteristics of the educated generation referred to as “Generation Z” and “Alpha” in physics education, in the content, activities and methods used in teaching physics.Our pupils can be understood as consumers of communicated physical knowledge. Our task is to think in more detail about the characteristics of the generation we are addressing when creating physical education. Identifying which generations we are addressing means at the same time knowing how to address them in order to win them over and motivate them to learn about physics. In today’s education, the generations known as “Generation Z” and “Generation Alpha” face us. The correct grasp of their education is the gateway to the successful creation of the future.The organizers and participants of the conference believe that their efforts and the results presented at the conference will not only bring new knowledge about the possibilities of improving the teaching of physics, but will also contribute to a fundamental change in the quality and level of education and, in particular, to an increase in society’s interest in the problems of education and the educational system.Ľubomír Zelenický, Ľubomíra Valovičová, and Anton Trník EditorsList of Committees, International Scientific Committee, Organizing Committee are available in this Pdf.