On November 14, the 3rd National Educational Conference “20 years with EDUballs – assumed and actual effects of using educational eduballs” was held, organized by the Team Sports Games Department.
The conference was organized by the Department of Team Sports Games of the Wroclaw University of Health and Sport Sciences, the University of Warsaw, the Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznań, School Sports Association “Lower Silesia” and the Wrocław Teacher Training Center.
The conference was held under the honorary patronage of the Ministry of Education and Science, the Polish Olympic Committee, the Marshal of the Lower Silesian Voivodeship, the Mayor of Wrocław and the Polish Dyslexia Society.
The aim of the conference was to improve the professional qualifications of the participants in working with children at the preschool and early school level and with people in late adulthood, in the use of EDUball educational balls.
The conference was opened by the Rector of our University, prof. Andrzej Rokita, co-creator of EDUball educational balls. During the opening, on the occasion of the 20th anniversary of the creation of educational balls, the “EDUball” dwarf was unveiled and a new set of educational balls – Mini-Eduball – was presented.
Among the guests who took part in the conference were: MP Sławomir Piechota, Andrzej Kraśnicki – President of the Polish Olympic Committee (both are Doctors Honoris Causa of our University), Jacek Sutryk – President of the City of Wrocław, Renata Granowska – Vice-President of the City of Wrocław, Tymoteusz Myrda – Board Member of the Lower Silesian Voivodeship, Janusz Wrzal – Lower Silesian Vice-Curator of Education, Tadeusz Rzepa, PhD – co-creator of the EDUball educational balls and members of the Scientific Committee of the conference prof. Michał Bronikowski (Poznań University of Physical Education), prof. Andrzej Kosmol (J. Pilsudski University of Physical Education in Warsaw), Assoc. prof. Michał Klichowski (AMU Poznań), Assoc. prof. Rafał Godoń (University of Warsaw), Assoc. prof. Dorota Groffik (Academy of Physical Education in Katowice), prof. Tadeusz Koszczyc, prof. Andrzej Pawłucki, prof. Małgorzata Sekułowicz, prof. Krystyna Zatoń, Assoc. prof. Marta Wieczorek.
The conference was attended by teachers of early childhood education, physical education, as well as representatives of our University, including Vice-Rectors, Deans and Vice-Deans, and academic teachers, which significantly raised the importance of the event, for which we would like to thank the organizers. The conference was also attended by a representative of School Health Corporation from the USA, the distributor of BRAINball educational balls in the USA, Canada and the European Union.
On the occasion of the Jubilee of educational balls, prof. Andrzej Rokita thanked the cooperating institutions for their activities in the development of educational balls in Poland and around the world.
Words of gratitude were also expressed to schools where research projects using educational balls have been carried out over the last 20 years.
The conference consisted of three parts.
The first plenary session featured:
- prof. Andrzej Rokita – Wroclaw University of Health and Sport Sciences – Movement that teaches – EDUball/BRAINball and mini-EDUball/mini-BRAINball in early school and preschool education
- prof. Michał Bronikowski – Poznań University of Physical Education – Is teaching alone enough for success in life? Education for learning
- Assoc. prof. Michał Klichowski, – Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznań – EDUball method – a cognitive neuroscience perspective
At the end of the plenary session, participants were served an anniversary cake.
The second part was a panel discussion with the participation of: prof. Michał Broniowski (Poznań University of Physical Education), Assoc. prof. Michał Klichowski, (Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznań ), Assoc. prof. Rafał Godoń, (University of Warsaw), Elżbieta Szala, PhD (therapist – Wrocław), Tadeusz Rzepa, PhD, Daniel Dunne (School Health Corporation). The moderators of the discussion were prof. Andrzej Rokita, Ireneusz Cichy, PhD and Sara Wawrzyniak, PhD.
The conference ended with practical workshops, which took place in the Multifunctional Hall and were very popular.
Ireneusz Cichy, PhD conducted classes entitled: “I count and read with EDUball” with students of grades 2 and 3 of the Primary School of the Oleśnica Commune.
Sara Wawrzyniak, PhD conducted a workshop entitled “Educational games and activities with balls for people of all ages“, the participants of which were students of the University of the Third Age at Wroclaw University of Health and Sport Sciences.
Third workshop entitled “Mini-EDUballs: innovative teaching aid for everyone” was conducted by Agnieszka Kruszwicka, MA (Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznań) and Ireneusz Cichy, PhD.
The organizers would like to thank all the co-organizers of the conference (University of Warsaw, Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznań, Wrocław Teacher Training Center and the School Sports Association “Lower Silesia”). We would also like to thank the employees of the Facility Operation and Rental Department, the Promotion Office, the Technical Department and the irreplaceable student volunteers.
The conference was co-financed from the budget of the Lower Silesian Voivodeship Government.
See you at the next EDUball conference.
Photo report – Conference, photos by Adam Stępień
Photo report – Workshops, photos by Adam Stępień
Photo report – photos by Adam Haładaj
