NATURAL SCIENCE EDUCATION IN A COMPREHENSIVE SCHOOL

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Authors: Editorial Board

GAMTAMOKSLINIS UGDYMAS BENDROJO UGDYMO MOKYKLOJE – 2023 XXIX nacionalinės mokslinės-praktinės konferencijos straipsnių rinkinys, 2023 m. balandžio mėn. 28–29 d. *** NATURAL SCIENCE EDUCATION IN A COMPREHENSIVE SCHOOL – 2023 Proceedings of the Twenty-ninth National Scientific-Practical Conference, 28-29 April, 2023

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Authors: Ieva Karklelytė

Modern society emphasises the importance of engaging and involving children in the teaching/learning process and aims to make students active participants in the educational process. Both scientific and methodological literature suggests that one of the most useful methods of learning is experiential learning. The new Science Framework Programme (2022) is designed to enable primary school pupils to learn as much as possible about the world, to ask questions, to search for answers, to develop responsibility and to develop exploratory skills. The curriculum highlights the importance of inquiry in science learning, allowing pupils to experience the joy of exploring, to solve problems, to argue their choices, to find evidence and to support their conclusions. In Lithuania, more research and articles are focusing on the benefits and importance of inquiry-based education for students. In general, most articles are about the educational process, activities and student achievement, while teachers are often left out. The aim of this study is to reveal the experiences of primary school teachers in inquiry-based education in science classrooms. The survey was carried out among 62 teachers, 93.5% of the respondents work as primary school teachers in public schools. The research revealed that primary school teachers understand the importance and multiple benefits of inquiry-based education. Although teachers understand the importance of using exploratory activities in the classroom, the use of this method is relatively rare. It was observed that teachers who have recently started working as primary school teachers are the least likely to explore with their pupils. The data also revealed that the content of the "Taip" textbook is the most conducive for teachers to organise exploration activities in the classroom, while the content of the "Gilė" textbook is the least so. Teachers felt that inquiry-based education was most constrained by a lack of time, inadequate classrooms, and a lack of methodological materials and tools. A number of teachers identified one of the problems as the fact that they have to buy the tools needed for exploration out of their own finances. The experience of primary school teachers shows that there is a lack of seminars on how to organise exploration in the classroom, and that there is a need for more dissemination and funding for seminars.

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Authors: Rita Makarskaitė-Petkevičienė, Viktorija Zavackienė

As environmental issues become more relevant, more attention is paid to sustainability. Sweden's long-term experience shows that including sustainability topics in preschool education programs allows children to feel like they are masters of their planet, responsible for its future. The article shares the experience of how environmental issues were discussed in a group of four-year-old children during the month-long educational activities dedicated to Earth Day. With the help of the teacher, the children explained which human activities in nature are appropriate and which are not. They looked for evidence of such activities in the environment and shared their experiences. In Lithuanian, the spring months are named after birds. Children got to know rook, dove and cuckoo. They looked for signs of spring in the school yard. While performing a creative task, children shared their thoughts on how they can contribute to protecting the nature of the planet. In other activities, children learned about our planet, its continents and oceans. After planting vegetable and flower seeds, they watched how the plants grew and developed. The peppered "continents" allowed the children to imagine that our planet is green and beautiful when many animals breed on it. So we have to preserve it as green and we are all responsible for its future. By researching and performing practical activities, children improved initiative and perseverance, knowledge of the environment, research, and problem solving skills.

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Authors: Danguolė Savičienė

The Lithuanian coordinators of the new European eco-citizen science project "Plastic Pirates", the Lithuanian Centre for Non-formal Education for Schoolchildren, have invited the Lithuanian coordinators of the project to join the project. This project is not only internationally significant, but also has the distinction of being a citizen science project. It is a practice that is becoming increasingly popular around the world, where data can be collected by any citizen who wants to, and then the data collected is evaluated by scientists and used in real scientific research. The aim of the Plastic Pirates project is to strengthen scientific cooperation in Europe, promote citizen involvement in science, raise environmental awareness and reduce negative environmental impacts. The project has already been joined by 10 European Union countries. Through various activities and investigations, students will learn about research on the state of Europe's rivers, learn how to carry out research correctly and learn about the problem of plastic pollution in seas and oceans. One of the main activities of the "Plastic Pirates" project is research. "Assessment of the pollution of the Sventoji River" is a research activity carried out by the second grade pupils of the Verdenė Gymnasium in Visaginas and their parents. A training film based on practical activities: the Research paper. "Assessment of the pollution of the Sventoji River" in the citizen science project "Plastic Pirates": (369) Tiriamasis darbas. „Šventosios upės taršos vertinimas“ piliečių mokslo projekte „Plastiko piratai“ - YouTube In summary: - The assessment of the pollution of the Šventoji River has been carried out according to the specified methodology. - The protocol with the collected data has been forwarded to the scientists. - 290 metres were walked along the river and 37 pieces of litter were collected. - The total weight of all litter (including plastic waste) was 4,153 kg. - The total weight of all plastic waste is 1,043 kg. - The children cooperated with their parents during the survey. The hypothesis was confirmed: - We were able to carry out the study and to present the data to scientists. (Some time later, we contacted the scientists and found out that microplastic particles had been found in our sample.)

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Authors: Editorial Board

GAMTAMOKSLINIS UGDYMAS BENDROJO UGDYMO MOKYKLOJE – 2023 XXIX nacionalinės mokslinės-praktinės konferencijos straipsnių rinkinys, 2023 m. balandžio mėn. 28–29 d. *** NATURAL SCIENCE EDUCATION IN A COMPREHENSIVE SCHOOL – 2023 Proceedings of the Twenty-ninth National Scientific-Practical Conference, 28-29 April, 2023