Gamtamokslinis ugdymas / Natural Science Education

4

Authors: Martin Bílek

Integrated instruction, integration in education, education from the point of integrated view – these and other topics are being discussed together with creating curricula and have influenced school education in numerous countries. They are connected either to the pursuit of finding undifferentiated view on the nature, or to the reduction of lessons in curricula in the framework of Ministry of Education economical measures.

16-23

Authors: Jūratė Česnavičienė, Vida Gudžinskienė

The aim of this work was to investigate peculiarities of the life style of younger teenagers, main factors influencing their life style, and integration of the content of health promotion into educational system. This paper deals with education of 5th–8th form school learners in the field of health promotion. The analysis of health promotion in lessons of different subjects taught in secondary schools is presented. The research was conducted in 2003–2006 in various secondary schools all over Lithuania. The method of anonymous questionnaire was applied. The research involved school learners of 5th, 6th, 7th and 8th forms: 545 boys and 731 girls. The total sample of school learners involved in the research was 1276. According to the opinion of teenagers, their life style is mostly influenced by the life style of their parents and family. The biggest attention to the health promotion is paid during lessons of natural sciences, physical culture and technologies. Most frequently school learners study problems of healthy nourishment, communication and interaction, drug and smoking prevention. More than a third of the respondents indicated absence of issues related to the mental health, stress management, sexual compulsion and tooth care. More than half of the school learners indicated lack of discussions related with prevention of heart diseases, cancer, and allergies. Most frequently, health promotion–related problems are integrated into all disciplines thought at school. Applying this model, teachers of all subjects are responsible for implementation of the programme and school learners can promptly get answers to relevant questions. However, the main imperfection of this method is difficulties in co-ordination of the programme implementation. There frequently occur cases when the same topic (e.g., healthy nourishment) is analysed during the lessons of several subjects (e. g., biology, technology, foreign language), whereas some important problems, requiring special knowledge of a teacher (e. g., stress management, sexual education) are usually neglected. Successful implementation of the health promotion programme can be achieved employing an integrated educational model and a specially appointed person can administer co-ordination of teachers of different study subjects.

31-39

Authors: Hanna Gulinska

The key to teach effectively and efficiently is to combine various elements of representation and visualization, work interactively and make connections between the learner’s emotions, images and sensations. A good example of how these principles are applied to teaching is a Polish chemistry coursebook Ciekawa Chemia (The Absorbing Chemistry). The coursebook includes a set of CDs which contain multimedia lessons supported with animations, simulations of processes and chemical phenomena, dynamic and three-dimensional models of elements and compounds, tests and tasks aimed at solving problems as well as film sequences presenting for instance chemical experiments. Thanks to these films, the learner can see particular elements of a given experiment in detail, analyse interrelations between them and memorize how the experiment is carried out as the films can be played repeatedly. Such a way of presenting chemical experiments can help both those teachers and learners who, for various reasons, cannot carry out certain experiments themselves, as well as those seeking inspiration for carrying out new experiments, and most of all those looking for proper didactic tools to explain difficult questions. It seems worth mentioning that the experiments presented on the CDs can be carried out safely and economically. Their visualizations allow to create images of experiments in the learner’s mind which, though cannot replace carrying out experiments in reality but may well constitute a valuable educational tool.

54-61

Authors: Janis Butins

The rapid progress of science and technologies continuously influences our living conditions. It makes us to change ourselves. The new problems which require new solutions appear. Along with the growth of information amount there is a necessity to develop teaching and learning process using different teaching methods and forms. Ecological problems and problems which deal with nature protection grow and it requires the teaching and learning process to be connected with natural processes even more. To know the nature better, students need to be more in natural environment. That is why I offer to pay attention to those teaching forms which have a direct contact with nature, for example, paths of information. With a help of information paths students are able to learn to know the nature, historical and cultural facts and values, they develop their social skills. Information paths make students’ health better and promote a positive attitude towards nature and humankind. There are several cognitive trails described (in the park, school yard, school corridor and classroom, in a natural mildness in a city territory, in a suburb). To know the cognitive trail as a method practically eight cognitive trails were made and gone through together with pupils. They were: a cognitive trail of the right bank of the Daugava called „Daugava Stream”, a dendrologic cognitive trail „City Path” made by the social organization „Green Crow”, a cognitive trail in the classroom called „Variety of Buds”, a cognitive trail in the classroom „Kinds of Roots”, a cognitive trail in the classroom called „Sprout Conversions”, a cognitive trail in the corridor called „Kinds of Boles and Leaves”, a cognitive trail in the school yard called „School Yard”, a cognitive trail in mildness of Riga city called „Vakarbulli”. Each of these cognitive trails were different in their location and theme. Such difference has been chosen to carry out a more detailed study and to try out more teaching methods during the research. Cognitive interest of pupils is developed by cognitive trails. The mental outlook is broadened, pupils learn to observe things in connections and interactions, they strengthen their theoretical knowledge by practice. A cognitive trail is not an end in itself, but its aim is to help to acquire knowledge in school subjects better, to develop skills. The advantage of a cognitive trail is that a direct perception is used. During the work in cognitive trails it was possible to notice students being positive towards each other. All students participated and were active in work, although it was known that some of them did not like biology as a subject and it was not interesting for them. It is possible to conclude that the use of new and interesting teaching methods helps to develop an interest in learning. The information path does not just give new information but it is enjoyable for students, it makes them feel enthusiastic and it creates positive emotions in the learning process. It could be called ‘a short way towards the understanding of nature in people’s mind and hearts’.