Gamtamokslinis ugdymas / Natural Science Education

6-14

Authors: Darinka Sikosek

This study is focused on the curricular innovations of methodological subjects for acquiring of teachers competences at undergraduate education where students as prospective chemistry teachers serve as a goal group. The redesign of the curricular forms thus introduced (such as Lectures, Seminars, Didactic /Laboratory Practical Courses and Mentor work) is based on consistent consideration of topical didactic principles. Research into the optimal forms for curriculum performance focuses particularly on their organisation, methodology and evaluation. These three model parameters serve to implement student activity and autonomy, goal-oriented process learning and democratic relations to ensure realisation of the competences necessary for carrying out the teaching and learning model. The active development and acquisition of subject didactic competences is accompanied by three issues: “What? How? Why? and the following infinitives: “to preserve, to innovate and to abandon”.

23-27

Authors: Irina Barabanova

There is arising several problems doing the practical or laboratory works at school. One of them is that there are no laboratories fitted separated from classes. If the teacher wants to do practical or laboratory wok he must ask the pupils to do a part of work at home. This separates the lesson; there are no possibilities to compare properly or to generalize the results of the work. The problem can be solved connecting the lessons; also, this is not always possible because of the elements of the education process organization. My experience shows that there are possibilities to do enormous spread of independent or exploratory work properly organizing the lesson, giving a chance to generalize the work and to make conclusions. When the school got the cameras for microscopes and when all of them were connected with computer the new possibilities have been arisen for education process (1 picture). There are possibilities to show microscopic objects exploring them during the lesson when computer is connected with television. This expands the possibilities of the lesson, saves the time, the work is getting more consequent (3 picture). I am presenting the one version of the lesson using the microscopic camera, computer and television in education process. The chosen structure and the methods of the lesson permit to use productively the time in the lesson. Even if there are no laboratories still there are possibilities to do and to generalize the work. The work groups having less practical working skills are doing their work properly because the information is public. There are enough time to divide the results of the resource and to compare them among the work groups. The data of the research are straighter because the micro-preparations and measurements using for counting are equal. The counting is very comfortable, undemanding for special efforts. The disadvantage of the lesson is that the lesson can be organized only when the equipment is prepared and for this teacher must spend the time. It is easier to do the work with the salt soak than with the sugar soak and this is not mirrors exactly the features of the osmosis.

36-42

Authors: Loreta Ragulienė, Violeta Šlekienė

Analysing extra education much attention has been given to its general activities and results by various researchers. However, no research has been made on influence of extra education in natural sciences on developing schoolchildren’s knowledge acquisition so far. This article deals with extra education at junior physicists’ school “Photon”. “Photon” was founded in 1973 at Siauliai University, Faculty of Natural Sciences, Department of Physics. Every year 800–900 9th form schoolchildren from various secondary schools in Lithuania enter this Junior Physicists’ School. The studies last for four years. The pupils have to solve 60 different problems every year. The pupils send the solved problems to the "PHOTON" Council, which sends them back after the correction of mistakes together with the booklets of the correct solutions. “Photon” school is an extra educational institution, so schoolchildren continue their studies there until their needs and interests are satisfied. 17300 schoolchildren have completed their studies at “Photon” school. The aims of this article are: to present the tasks, principles and activities of extra education junior physicists’ school “Photon”; to research schoolchildren’s learning motivation and needs for extra education; to analyse the abilities of popularisation of physics and the acquisition of knowledge at this school. Methods of research: analysis of cumulate experience, survey of schoolchildren and physics teachers, systemic, comparative analysis. The research has been carried out in 2002–2007 year. 1460 young physicists school “Photon” – schoolchildren of 9th–12th forms and 180 teachers of physics from the various schools of Lithuania have been involved in the research. The received data was processed using statistical research methods. For analysis of the research data software SPSS (Statistical Package for Social Sciences) has been used. Research has showed, that „Photon“ school is a good form of deepening and expanding knowledge and raising interest in Natural sciences. The main factors defining preferential studies at “Photon” school are needs for knowledge, self – development and novelties. Those factors are directly connected with future plans, ways of overcoming difficulties and opportunities to get good results. “Photon” trainees are highly self – motivated, their need for knowledge and novelty is very strong and long – term. Leisure activities at “Photon” summer school foster positive emotions and creative favourable environment to reveal needs and aptitudes and to educate a creative personality. Schoolchildren appreciate activities there in the following way: “made new friend”, “interesting activities”, “got acquainted with famous Lithuanian scientists”. Educating factors are being stressed at “Photon” summer school. Trainees were enthusiastic experimenting in laboratories and participating in seminars. A 35 year activity of “Photon” school, active schoolchildren‘s and teachers‘ participation have revealed significance of its existence educating harmonious and creative personalities.

51-60

Authors: Olga V. Sergeyeva

The second article of the series deals with the main trends in the development of the methods to obtain nanoparticles – so called “bottom-up” and “up-bottom”. In the first case small particles are formed as a result of combination of the smaller ones (atoms as a limit), in the second – as a result of dispergation of the bulk matter. The electronic structure and the properties of the particles therewith could be different in the dependence on the way they were obtained (by means of dispergation or the atomic aggregation). Atoms and very small clusters can be stabilized by methods of cryochemistry discussed in the article. Nanoparticles formation by means of chemical and radiochemical synthesis, synthesis in the heterophase systems, providing the effective control of particle size and shape, the ways to obtain core-shell and hollow particles are considered next as well as the principles of the mechanical and chemical (redox) dispergation of the solids, leading to the ultradispersive and nanosized particles formation.