Abstract:Considering recent weather events in Serbia (especially the floods in 2014), a need has arisen for research that would help in identifying extreme weather phenomena. Therefore, the aim of this paper is to determine the thresholds above which intense precipitation can be considered as extreme precipitation events in Serbia. In this study, we determined the frequency of precipitation occurring at an intensity above the threshold of an extreme phenomenon , as well as the frequency of precipitation occurring at or above the absolute daily maximum in the reference period . The study sample included daily rainfall observations from 28 stations from the national meteorological network in Serbia. Applying a decile method, all the stations recording precipitation above the threshold of dangerous phenomena on the same day are classified into the corresponding decile. The threshold value was determined as the average value of the extreme annual precipitation in the analyzed period. The cases that are due to the high prevalence listed in the last decile are considered extreme. The results showed that the critical number of observation points above which an event is considered extreme precipitation event is 6.21, and a warning of the danger could be ensured only in the case of neighboring stations in the network. The threshold of extreme precipitation events for the individual stations ranges up to 130 mm. The obtained results might be used to mitigate the effects of extreme precipitation events in Serbia in the future.

The aim of this research was to examine the effects of a new platform for raising the pre-service chemistry and geography teachers' awareness of cooperation possibilities associated with the planning relevant interdisciplinary lesson. The research featured the participation of 16 students of the Faculty of Chemistry and 28 students of the Faculty of Geography of Belgrade University. Two workshops were conducted within the research. During the first workshop the participants worked in small groups on the tasks which served to strengthen their awareness on the relevant science education. The second workshop comprised the jointly planning the interdisciplinary lessons in groups with members of the pre-service teachers of both subjects. The participants' lesson plans contain goals that can be classified as those relevant for the individual and those relevant for society. Half of the lesson plans contained formulations of goals that can be assessed as relevant for certain professions. The activities planned for the attainment of the stated goals support an interdisciplinary approach, encompass the concepts envisaged by the chemistry and geography curricula, and the activities specific to these two subjects.

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(1) Background: Education for sustainable development emphasizes the need to train future teachers to apply effective approaches to ensure the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals defined by the 2030 Agenda. (2) Methods: The research aim was to determine empirical data to introduce an outdoor science teaching approach with peer tutoring to teacher candidates through its impact on their performance, i.e., achievement, perceived mental effort, and opinion on the applied approach. The applied approach represents the integration of physics and geography through the elective course homeland geography at the Faculty of Teacher Education in Belgrade. Students performed outdoor measurements of physical quantities in created tasks. The tasks aimed to engage students’ spatial thinking and critical observation skills, whereas the use of verbal skills and content presentation skills was encouraged through peer tutoring. (3) Results: The research results showed a positive impact of an outdoor science teaching approach with peer tutoring on students’ achievement. Additionally, we found that perceived mental effort decreases with the use of this approach. Lower mental effort indicated more space in working memory, which can be used for processing new information. Therefore, obtained results indicated that the applied teaching approach is suitable for students. (4) Conclusions: The obtained results should incentivize other faculties that train future teachers to apply an outdoor teaching approach with peer tutoring. As a result of preparing future teachers in a way that promotes awareness of sustainable development and the local environment, it can be expected that young people will be more interested in solving these important issues because they will see them in their environment and be connected to them.

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