Lesya Ukrainka Volyn National University and the Department of Social Services for Families, Children, and Youth at the Lutsk City Council invite children to study mathematics and computer science at the Center of Mutual Support for Internally Displaced Persons.
The close cooperation between the University (including FITM) and the City Council administration is based on the desire of teachers and students to provide comprehensive assistance to children who found refuge in Lutsk, having left their war-torn homes. First, the dean of the faculty Svitlana Yatsiuk, together with the students, brought to the center the food aid collected by the students and teaching staff of the faculty. After a talk with the head of the department, Lina Halan, Svitlana Mykolaivna came up with the idea of organizing a school for young mathematicians and a school for young IT-professionals which would provide children with the professional assistance in learning such difficult but extremely interesting sciences.
Educational and developmental classes for children affected by the war are held on a regular basis every Tuesday and Thursday. Teachers and students of the Faculty of Information Technology and Mathematics work with children at the address: 18, Sobornosti Avenue (the third floor of the Registry Office).
On Tuesdays, children attend a school for young mathematicians. At the meeting on April 19, teachers of the Department of Theory of Functions and Methods of Teaching Mathematics and students spent time together with children solving a math quest, painting Easter eggs, and even performed traditional songs 'haivky'.
On April 26, an experienced university teacher Oksana Antoniuk and Daria Matsiuk, a student of the Matem-42.O group, who works as a teacher of mathematics and computer science at the Lutsk Secondary School No15 of the Lutsk City Council, conducted an unforgettable quest for children. Mathematical tasks were multi-stepped. At each stage, the children received a score for the correct answer. The first stage was a warm-up, where minor logical problems were suggested to solve.
Oksana Petrivna conducted the quest's second stage with drawings and logical questions. In the third stage, the children were given the tasks related to the modern technologies. In the fourth stage, the students worked with the Shi-Chao-Tu square, which fascinated children a lot. They competed to find new silhouettes and figures. The fifth step was devoted to deciphering the encrypted words of the famous scientist Galileo Galilei: "Mathematics is the language in which the book of nature is written".
Children's eyes radiated interest in each task and an unbridled desire to solve them. And after the quest, everyone received a reward for their efforts. In addition, there was a ‘delicious’ break during hard mental work.
On May 3, the regular class of mathematics was prepared and conducted by enthusiastic members of the Students Council: Alla Hetman (Matem – 31), Iryna Apanasenko, Uliana Nykoniuk, Vladyslav Zhuk (the fourth-year students). The children solved examples, logical problems, and mathematical puzzles. Their souls were inspired by love of mathematics.
Every Thursday, a school for young IT-specialists is held. On April 21, Nina Padalko guided children on the path of IT development, a kind of an excursion into the past of computers that aroused great interest in children and encouraged a lot of questions and lively conversation.
Yana Dmytruk, Andrii Stupin', and Nazarii Verbetskyi acquainted children with the effective techniques of some computer-development games. As usual, friendship won, and the group enjoyed eating tasty delicious things brought.
On April 29, a young and talented teacher Yurii Knysh and a student of the Matem-41 group Nina Dmytruk, who has already tried herself as a teacher at the Boholiuby Lyceum No30 of the Lutsk City Council, conducted lessons and a master class with children affected by war.
The teacher brought to class as many as 4 laptops that he borrowed from his friends for such a noble cause. Lina Viktorivna provided a projector. The children refreshed their basic knowledge of the school course of computer science about algorithms and their application in programming. During the master class, the game project was implemented in the Scratch environment. The reward for the painstaking work was a bright smile on the children's faces during the game that they created by themselves.
Maksym, Andrii, and Dmytro from Pokrovsk were especially active in all classes. Polinka from Rubizhne struck everybody with fairly interesting questions, Angelinka and David from Chernihiv showed interest in the history of IT technologies, Karinka from Kharkiv region admired the melody of our native Ukrainian language, Serhiyko and Marynka from Kyiv region wished to play on the tablet with students after class, Valeria from Zaporizhia inquired about the following classes.
Teachers and students of the faculty of Information Technology and Mathematics are looking forward to new meetings, because to see the joy in the suffering eyes of children is today the best award for all FITM members and every member of Lesya's family.
Nina PADALKO,
Vice Dean of the Faculty of Information Technology and Mathematics
