Gamtamokslinis ugdymas / Natural Science Education

5-14

Authors: Martin Bílek, Antonín Slabý

For the first pilot research in the scope of the project Learning from graphical presentation in science education (GAČR 406/02/1165) there has been chosen investigation of the role of non-verbal elements of didactic tests. For solving of this task there was used comparison of the results of pupils of basic school performing two variants of the test with the same content and different form of formulation and arrangement of items (verbal form and form comprising visual information (pictures and graphs). In the contribution there are described starting points of the project, the interpretation obtained, experimental data from the point of view of typology of picture material as a part of didactic tests and mainly the point of view and the attitude of the students of chemistry teaching to the influence of graphical elements to the fruitfulness of students in didactic tests.

27-34

Authors: Laimutė Bobrova, Milda Gudinavičienė

The article concisely describes the situation that is unfavourable and dangerous to our children: they are racketed, beaten and abused. They live in the state of permanent stress due to home, friends, assessment and interrelations – due to all life that befalls them. Therefore, the project „ECO–DOH: Animate World and I“ aims that during the most receptive age of their life children are surrounded by the beauty of animate nature, learn to feel its impact, communicate with it and love it. The world ecological education experience and our own long lasting pedagogical experience enabled us to perceive the essential requirement of the current period: to ecologize the man’s life. Therefore, the main idea of the project is to teach to live in harmony with the world of nature, to promote respect to life – to its any manifestation. The motto of the project activity is to teach to live permanently seeking improvement, to prioritize human and spiritual and not material values. Interrelations have to be based on the following rule: behave with others the way you would like others to behave with you. Considering the modern life reality and the principles of humanistic pedagogy and psychology, project activities become directed to the orientated strategy of individual ecological activeness. This means that the main idea of the activities of the project “ECO–DOH: Animate World and I” (project is being implemented since 1998) is treated in the new way: the project centres on learning to live in harmony with the world of nature, including animate nature. It is expected that the project philosophy based on close contact with nature will provide its members with vitality, high level of physical, psychological and spiritual health.

39-46

Authors: Rita Makarskaitė-Petkevičienė, Violeta Varnagirienė

In the article the teacher’s book of the alternative set of nature study teaching and learning aids “Raktas” for the first formers is presented. The last-mentioned is open enough because it is oriented towards all the four functions of teacher’s book: 1) scientific and general information; 2) the material to improve the qualification; 3) the help for the process of teaching and for the lesson; 4) the help to evaluate pupils’ achievements. The authors present the clear structure of the teacher’s book. For the evidence, two lesson schemes are given that consist of three levels: stimulation, meaning perception and contemplation. The set is prepared according to the methodology of international project “The training of critical thinking reading and writing”.

51-57

Authors: Zhana Tsabkala

This article has been summarized experience of the students' preparation to self-education based on the research activity. It is shown that the research work organization promotes to develop the self-education students abilities and skills. It is established that students make ready to self-education on the stipulation that teacher to give them a free hand in collective, work mode and task complication choice.

5-10

Authors: Martin Bílek, Antonín Slabý

In the article we are presenting present state and new possibilities for chemistry in primary science curriculum development in the Czech republic with orientation towards ecological and environ-mental aspects. The new curricular reform is the most important field of the education reform in Czech Republic.

20-26

Authors: Vincentas Lamanauskas, Janis Gedrovics

In this article we analysed some tendencies of modern natural science education development in Lithuania and Latvia. This is a comparative research. The authors state, that in the past fifteen years, the Baltic States, including Latvia and Lithuania, experienced considerable changes in the educational system. Natural science education development has also experienced essential reforms. Also we indicate some differences among Lithuanian and Latvian pupils.

36-41

Authors: Rita Makarskaitė-Petkevičienė, Violeta Varnagirienė

Primary forms of reformed school of general education in Lithuania had a possibility to choose only one course of country study teaching until now. Present education is based on the principles of democracy, so it’s necessary to look for the alternative because teachers, pupils and their parents have a right to choose the content of education according to their needs and interests. Moreover, it is inspired by actively changed environment, regulations of society, long-lasted teachers’ discussions in seminars and conferences, articles in press. Teachers can best confirm the value of present course books of country study teaching and their use for the process of education. 684 primary teachers participated in the scientific research in 2002. The aim of it was to ascertain if the course books of country study correspond the needs of participators of the process of education, if the alternative is necessary and what it has to be. The research indicated that for 76,6 percent of teachers present course books are only partly suitable. They would like to choose the alternative if it would be possible. It is important to mention that Lithuania is one of the few Europe countries, which didn’t have the alternative set of country study teaching aids. The alternative set of country study teaching aids “Key” for the natural science and social literacy education for the first formers consists of: Course book (part I, part II); Workbook (part I, part II); Teacher’s book. Course book corresponds the aims and didactic principles of the Curriculum of Primary Education. It will help for pupils accomplish the requirements of natural science and social education that are gave in the Curriculum and achieve the certain level of the competences from Standards of Primary Education. Course book extends to interest the small readers. Its content consists of 5 characters: 4 children and uncle whose name is Juozas. Egle and Laurynas are the first formers from the city school. Aiste and Ignas live and study in the village. All of them are lively, interesting and clever, all of them have the serious point of view to the learning. They are also different. Children differ from each other in their interests, features of character, home environment, etc. New piece of information and new topics are presented during these characters. Uncle Juozas is an older person. He is the symbol of wisdom and life experience. He is in best relations with children. Preparing “Key” the principle of seasons is regarded, so we offer lessons of investigation for every part of the year. We also considered teachers’ needs for the alternative course book: evident link of course book and workbook, we offer more information from the field of natural sciences, more colorful and various tasks that incites positive emotions, critical thinking, pupils’ communication and parents’ participation in the process of education. All the tasks foster the abilities of nature research, teach to evaluate learned, understood and invented knowledge. There are two workbooks in the set. One part of tasks are access for the pupils’ individual work, others should be done in groups or discussing with desk-mate. Some tasks should be done with parents or other adults. Some tasks are given to use knowledge that pupils already have or to confirm new information, some educates pupils’ thinking, esthetic taste and practices creativeness, regulations of values. Doing the activities the most important thing should be child’s activeness, his/her frame for the work, responsibility for the final result. The numbers of tasks are given according to the topics. It means that teachers have a possibility to choose tasks that seems to be more expedient, more interesting and more attractive to their pupils. Some tasks will be useful organizing individual or differentiated work in a class. Teacher’s book gives not only practical advices and creative ideas but also theoretical material that protect teachers from the didactic mistakes. There is also a material that could be easily retelled for the pupils according to their level. Lesson schemes will help to prepare for the lessons easily and will make them more variable. The wide range of methods of evaluation will give an opportunity to evaluate teachers themselves and pupils. We hope that the alternative set of country study teaching aids “Key” will be interesting for everyone. We would like to see teachers and pupils not only as users but also as active participators of pedagogical experiment, researchers and evaluators. Only both-side communication will help to achieve the best results.

47-55

Authors: Rytis Vilkonis, Margarita Vilkonienė

The World varies, the society varies, the sight at education varies. In a consequence the process of education varies also. As shows a number of researches in Lithuania and abroad, changes in the field of natural science education are connected with such problems as prevalence of a social component, especially in the integrated primary natural science education, so prevalence of verbal methods in educational process, a uncooperative altitude of pupils to the subjects, realizing programs of natural-science education. It is connected with insufficient natural science literacy of a primary school teachers, with not sufficient understanding of the philosophy of the new concept of education, with the lack of the methodical information for independent development of the professional competence in sphere of primary natural science education. How the methodical information by teachers are especially well perceived in the form of examples of educational practice, the authors show to the reader the personal understanding of a modern primary natural-science education leaning on an example of the personal educational practice at one of the basic schools Siauliai.

62-65

Authors: Elena Gorodishenina

Selective approach to the teaching process is aimed at satisfying cognitive requirements of various groups of pupils and adapting if to their needs. Humanitarian, math and natural science subjects, are believed to be predominant of the middle and high grades of a secondary school. Consequently, these three types of subjects are taught at the educational establishment «BSU Lyceum». Analyzing some peculiarities of cognitive process in learning chemistry both in profile and non-profile groups the author points out that teaching chemistry at different levels requires special approach to the choice of content, form and methods. It is also stressed that chemistry should be regarded as a part of world’s culture and one of the sourced of creation activities. The author says about a lesson in one of the philological classes which was held in the Belarusian Art Museum. The topic of the lesson was as follows «Natural resources of hydrocarbons. Oil and ways of its processing». The article also contains pupils’ reviews and conclusions.

6

Authors: Andris Broks

Congratulations to all of you! You have started new practical research journal in natural science domain of modern education. It seems to become an event not only for Lithuania’s teachers, but also for your colleagues in many neighbor countries – your journal marks new stage of regional cooperation between active school teachers and those working in teacher education at universities. Following methodology of systemic approach “Natural Science Education” is going to join development of modern educational content and technologies, pre-service and in-service teacher education, real needs of life and corresponding educational standards, and what is the most remarkable – theory and practice with special accent on practical testing and implementation of modern theoretical proposals in real school practice. It may become experimental educational school laboratory journal, where main persons are theoretically clever and practically active teachers working on their master degree thesis or experienced practitioners who valuate their life-long findings and report them to coming new generation of educationalists. This all together will help us to keep and develop high value natural science education standards both in theory and practice. It is one of our main tasks for nearest future to resist expansion of unscientific world outlook and behavior, as well as to develop s c i e n t i f i c understanding of things and processes in our modern world. Sciences are developed by people for people along with the need to take special care of many artificial phenomena in this world today because of tremendous progress of sciences and technologies... We need to concentrate our best natural science education resources in our region to keep definite order in our living material medium At the same time we need success in our schools when providing our pupils with appropriate natural science and technique education. “Natural Science Education” will help us to solve these problems. Good luck to all of us and let us try to keep in definite order and at definite level this very important for real practice journal!

11-25

Authors: Vincentas Lamanauskas

Natural science education is an integral phenomenon that requires a systemic approach and assessment. Therefore, most of the issues should be discussed in a broad context of general natural science education. However, two inconsistent moments can be mentioned: • the correlation between research and practice is weak. First, teachers’ competence level in the field of educational research is rather low; second, partnership with the researchers’ community remains unexpanded; the teacher is, first of all, a subject of pupils’ training for life and their integration into society (socialization) who is responsible for high quality education and better results. Therefore, there are a few bitter reproaches about problematic research of educological natural science education that might be irrelevant in terms of teachers’ work experience; • the correlation between a higher school lecturer and comprehensive school and educational practice in general, is very weak in most of the cases; a mission of the scientist is knowledge about scientific educational reality. From this point of view, teaching natural sciences at higher school seems to be rather complicated when educating the teachers of this profile. Often teaching science subjects at higher school is limited by “dry” academicism, a didactic cover is thin. The “real” naturalists hypothetically renounce the educologists working in the field of natural science education. The latter frequently feel being misunderstood by the “real” pedagogues – didacticists. In this article some main methodological trends of scientific studies in the sphere of natural science education are discussed. Main purpose of a study was to analyzed main trends, to display their content and specific character. Main methods of study – analysis of scientific literature, comparative and systemic analysis, the method of interpretations. Such main scientific trends of studies were analyzed: • studies of natural science and technological literacy; • studies of the motivations of the acquisition of knowledge about nature and studies of practical activity on questions of science research. • studies of human being relations with nature • studies of the integration of social and natural science knowledge (integrated education). • studies of questions of training the teachers of natural science disciplines and diagnostics of the quality of preparation on the basis of competencies. • studies of the problems of natural science education in the primary school and questions of the natural science education (literacy) of the teachers of primary forms etc. Therefore, natural science education is not the only subject of discussions today. It is more frequently examined in a very broad context which is natural science – technological – noosspheric education. The professionals of natural science education accept personal responsibility for the creation and extension of natural science education which is supposed to be a primary duty and obligation. Consequently, training of the comprehensive school teachers of natural sciences and the permanent development of natural science competence are very important features from this point of view. School cannot effectively work without the teachers and education managers of suitable qualification. The final idea of the author in this article – studies in the sphere of natural science education in Lithuania must be carried out at the higher methodological level also in the wider problematic field.

35-39

Authors: Natalija Kaupienė

In article it is spoken about insufficient ecological education in training courses of natural scientific disciplines. The offer to teachers was made to create educational modules of programs “Ecology in my school subject”. The purpose of modules–programs is to study consistently local environmental problems and methods of their solving by means of different sciences. The author considers creation of such a program particularly for Klaipeda. Shi allocates the following environmental problems of a seaport: the local biota has been inoculated by non–indigenous species, contamination of water of the sea and Curonian Lagoon with oil and its products, influence of fertilizers on development of phytoplankton, periodic lack of oxygen in waters of Curonian Lagoon and in the deep layers of the Baltic sea, poisoning influence of heavy metals and poisonous substances on alive organisms of the sea and a coastal zone, destroying influence of hurricanes on the sea coast. In the article the project of creation of the module is offered only, it can be changed. It is expected to study chemical, physical and biochemical properties of water, concretise the influence of poison on alive organisms through the food chain. His expected the formation of bottom sedimentation, to study underwater hydrothermal processes, cycles of introversions of chemical elements and their dynamic dependence on different factors, biological and chemical situation in a zone of a sea gate. Methods of protection of the nature, methods of liquidation of ecological disasters, valuation of their cost and safety will be considered more widely. To take the pupils interest in module the author is going to use available visual aids, organize practical work, determine physical properties of water, saltiness and find the quantity of oxygen in water, look into the methods of investigation of biogenic materials. There is a Maritime Museum in Klaipeda. Visits to this museum, short expeditions to the objects of nature can become the appropriate factors to rise pupils motivation. The author expects informational consultative assistance of the appropriate institutions.

44-50

Authors: Violeta Lazarevičienė, Aušra Rašytinienė

It is essential to talk about animal welfare in schools as wide and properly as possible, because this educates young man’s unseen, respect to all forms of lives, fellow–feeling to animals, and undoubtedly preclude cruelty. The aim of the article is to introduce the guide for animal welfare education “People and animals“, that was prepared by Lithuanian animal care organization. Animal welfare educational guide “People and animals” is dedicated for comprehensive schools teachers, who are not partial to animal welfare and care. It consists of general part and program, methodical material for teachers, examples of integrated lessons and practical tasks. Tasks are easily applicable simplifying or extending them. Animal welfare education enhances the sensation of the surrounding world, respect to it, develops understanding about life’s value – highlights moral values. Animal welfare is a part of ecological education. Aim is to form responsible ecological attitude. In this article we try to clear out, how ecological education is related to the animal welfare education; discuss ecological topics, which directly affect animal welfare; link them to common educational programs and school needs. Ecological education and animal welfare education has a lot of contact points. Program material can be integrated into other subjects: languages, arts, music, nature sciences, mathematics, physical training, ecology. You can find examples in the article, represented in chart. In the article we will overlook in detail the practical application of the animal welfare educational guide in general education and informal training. In conclusions we can say: 1) embodying animal welfare programs we have to involve all the community: teachers, pupils, parents, national and public organizations, 2) collaboration between schools, other educational institutions and public organizations is the main reason to success, 3) nature study lessons in the ZOO – stops cruelty and violence against animals, 4) this teaching method develops pupil’s ecological culture, matures active interest in nature, deepen knowledge, implants respect for life and responsibility for it.

55-60

Authors: Rytis Vilkonis, Laima Railienė

School is given an important and responsible task to form the pupils’ world outlook at the present level of life and science requirements. General programmes particularly emphasize education, aimed at developing scientific thinking and cognitive abilities, based on pupils’ research activities. Because so far the pupils’ environmental research activities are nationally successfully developed only in the non–formal education system, comprising the insignificant part of children and youth, it is necessary to look for the ways to speed up the changes in formal education system. The article analyses the experience of two Lithuanian towns – Kėdainiai and Šiauliai – implementing integrated events for the country’s teachers and pupils. The organisers of both events – national integrated conference for teachers and pupils “Nature and I” in Kėdainiai and national practical conference–seminar “Natural research in the 1st – 6th grades of a secondary school” in Šiauliai – have a common objective – to make pupils’ natural science education process in formal education system more active and effective. With the aim of attaining that, pupils are encouraged to develop environmental research activities in formal education system and teachers are provided with the conditions for the development of their natural science competencies. There is a slight difference between the ways of implementing the same objective. In Kėdainiai more attention is paid to senior age pupils, and in Šiauliai – for junior age pupils (7–12 years of age). In Kėdaniai integrated conference is organised. At the conference pupils and teachers work in separate sections and present separate papers. At the same time the teachers listen to the lecture. Conference papers are edited and printed in a separate publication. In Šiauliai a practical conference – seminar for teachers and pupils is organised. Communication in the first part of the seminar takes place by Internet, and the methodical publication, consisting of the descriptions of separate school researches, is prepared. In Kėdainiai the articles are prepared by pupils, consulted by teachers; in Šiauliai – by teachers, consulted by pupils and compilers. The Šiauliai publication integrates two ideas: first, it is a methodical teaching aids that is convenient for the teacher’s use; second, the publication is written in a language that is understandable to a pupil and can be used as an additional source of information in formal natural science education process. The second part of the seminar takes the form of a conference, where pupils and teachers read combined papers, providing a broader and more colourful presentation of the performed research, answer the questions, and explain the peculiarities of research organisation. After the conference all methodical materials are announced on the Internet website and is available to all country’s teachers and pupils. Kėdainiai working group is responsible for the publication of the methodical materials on Internet.