Locations˝Putujuća Petlja˝ Caravan at the First Gymnasium of Kragujevac
Programming, Robotics, and Moravac
November 6, 2024
Ksenija Živanić, student of First Gymnasium of Kragujevac
With a tradition spanning 191 years, First Gymnasium of Kragujevac, a school of national importance, is the first destination on the map of the ‘Putujuća Petlja’ caravan. The students and teachers at this school, who regularly achieve top honours in competitions in Serbia and beyond, are replacing traditional Saturday classes with workshops.
<em>Marko Bogićević</em>
The last Saturday of October was dedicated to Petlja's workshops for IT teachers and students interested in programming and information and communication technology (ICT). They were joined by students from the Second Gymnasium, as well as the First and Second Technical Schools, accompanied by their teachers and teachers from other schools in Kragujevac.
Marko Bogićević, a third-year student, has already gained international recognition. He is a member of the ‘Lego Musketeers’ team from the First Gymnasium of Kragujevac, which won first place in the engineering excellence category at a robotics competition held in Florida in June. The ‘Lego Musketeers’ created an interactive platform for learning the basic steps of the Moravac, one of the oldest traditional Serbian dances. Marko attended Petlja’s workshop to enhance his knowledge, saying, “Ever since I was a child, I wanted to do something related to computers, and in high school, the special IT program caught my attention. When I enrolled, it opened doors to many opportunities, and that's how I started my journey in IT”.
<em>Vanja Petrović</em>
“I see myself as an electrical engineer”, says Vanja Petrović, a senior from the special mathematics department at the First Gymnasium of Kragujevac. “3D modelling can help us create visual representations, making explanations easier without using gestures or drawings. I find it quite fascinating, and I wouldn't come across this kind of knowledge elsewhere”. She and her friend Ksenija Živanić are challenging the stereotypes that girls do not excel in IT and science (STEM) fields. When asked if she could envision a future without technology, she replies, “I can imagine it could happen, but the probability is extremely low, below one percent”.
<em>Mina Vasić</em> and <em>Emilija Belojić</em>
Mina Vasić and Emilija Belojić have just started their studies at the First Technical School and are already engaging in extracurricular activities. “Of course, we are interested in learning as much as possible to broaden our horizons”, says Mina, adding that it’s fascinating to explore new topics they haven’t encountered before. Emilija echoes her sentiment and adds another layer of motivation: “To acquire new knowledge and connect with people who share our interests”.
During the student workshop, "Putujuća Petlja" delves into 3D modelling, computer graphics, and JavaScript programming, while teachers are introduced to the “AI Assistant in Teaching”.
<em>Miloš Milosavljević</em>
“Our goal is to encourage critical thinking among students, with artificial intelligence serving as a supplementary tool”, says Miloš Milosavljević, a teacher at the First Gymnasium of Kragujevac and “Radoje Domanović” elementary school. “Much like how calculators and computers revolutionized engineering through AutoCAD and Mechanical Desktop, AI enhances efficiency and accelerates workflows without diminishing the user’s creativity or intelligence”, he explains. In addition to encouraging children to master IT skills, Petlja's educational resources also motivate teachers to guide children in using technology and critically approaching it.
“When we talk about motivated and talented children, they definitely see Petlja as a place with resources for competition preparation and where they can engage in things they love and are interested in,” says Milan Simić, director of the Petlja Foundation, emphasizing the importance of interactive learning instead of passive reading. “While not everyone needs to become a programmer or follow the path provided by Petlja, developing an algorithmic way of thinking is beneficial in all areas of life. Programming helps to cultivate strong problem-solving skills by allowing you to see immediate results and assess the accuracy, as well as quality of your solutions”.
At First Gymnasium of Kragujevac, IT teacher Katarina Veljković has been dispelling the fear of modern technologies, including AI, across generations. She reflects on the early days when IT classes were limited to specific departments, compared to now, when education begins in the first grade of primary school. We meet her on the way to the Maker’s Lab classroom, where her Lego team is waiting. "It's completely different now. The tools students use to learn programming, develop critical thinking, and solve various problems have evolved. We have made significant progress, and I believe our educational system, particularly in computer science and IT, keeps pace with global trends. We are not falling behind in terms of curriculum. We revise the educational materials every other year to stay aligned with our students' needs. While they are adept with technology, they are not yet sufficiently literate”, she says.
The ‘Putujuća Petlja’ caravan is one of the activities within the project “Building the Critical Computer Skills for the Future Ready Workforce“, implemented by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in partnership with the Ministry of Education and the Petlja Foundation, with the support of the Government of the Republic of Serbia. By March 2025, it will visit nine more cities in Serbia.
