Gamtamokslinis ugdymas / Natural Science Education

4

Authors: Iwona Maciejowska

Exploring the laws of nature is a fascinating field of study for any child. Unfortunately when growing up, this spontaneous curiosity of the world is replaced by the necessity to memorize many facts, names, and terms which are in many cases abstract or concern the microscopic level that is not seen with the naked eye. Even though it is widely encouraged to reject encyclopaedic study and to focus on problem-solving, in many schools the former model of education is still prevalent. As a result, students are able to discuss a plant taxonomy in detail, but they are not able to recognize trees in the park, they can recite the physical properties of many substances, but they cannot individually forecast whether, in the event of fire, it is better to crawl or jump from chair to chair, they know chemical names of hydrocarbons but cannot see that it is not appropriate to keep milk products in a plastic bottle used for mineral water. It is one of the problems that require constant efforts to be taken by chemistry didactic theoreticians and its practitioners as well. The second important problem is the lack of subject integration in countries where different fields of science (chemistry, biology, earth sciences) are not taught as one subject. In our chemistry lessons we teach students that oxygen does not dilute in water (oxygen collection from thermal decomposition of KMnO4 above water) and in our biology lessons we discuss the adaptation of organisms to breath oxygen diluted in water (gills). In our physics lessons we warn against touching electrical devices with wet hands, because water is a electrical conductor, and in our chemistry lessons students learn that water does not conduct electricity, contrary to electrolyte solutions. This is why it is necessary to work closely in inter-disciplinary teams. I think that everyone will contribute to taking up collective research topics, developing didactical materials for teachers, allowing knowledge integration and the application of scholastic knowledge to everyday life and also developing problem-solving skills. GU/NSE provides the possibility to present works that are highly theoretical as well as works that are more practical to a wider group of recipients. Now the only thing left to be done is to draw conclusions from the first ones and solutions from the second ones into educational practice.

13-20

Authors: Vincentas Lamanauskas

A human being as biosocial essence is tightly interrelated with nature and society. In the history of relations between human and nature it appeared in different forms and levels – a human being as a child, brother and the lord of it. Qualitatively new relations between the human being and nature must be established in the 21st century. Ecological problems, the expiration of natural resources, urbanization and other major aspects of modern life require a new approach to the relations between the human being and nature. The levels of relations between the human being and nature have always remained different: first, as a child of nature (a primitive man or a child glorifying nature), then as a brother of nature (little understanding nature and communicating with it) and finally, the human being as the lord of nature (trying to rule and change nature). In the 19th and 20th centuries the latter attitude was clearly reflected by natural science positivism, Marxism, technocratic utilitarianism and many other conceptions that preach the use of nature, the reconstruction of natural environment, consumerism with nature. In the 20th century the development of countries overmuch polarized towards technical, manufacturing and consumables enlargement determined a global ecological crisis. Modern science is actively looking for effective ways to solve ecological problems. The scores of the current ecological situation are being revealed. One of the most important reasons of the current situation is the factor that modern human beings have lost spiritual relations with environment. Mainly, the ecological crisis is being described as the crisis of the human itself including his consciousness, thinking, cultural environment and moral. The tendency that is prevailing today shows nature being qualified as a technocratic, urban, pragmatic value, a technological object which is employed in the process of progress. The following propositions can be specified: • Effective natural science education require conformable psychological substantiation; • Interaction with Nature varies and is specific within different periods of life; • The mission of the teacher is to wisely manage a developing process of “true” interaction with nature; • At all levels of the system of natural science education /aspects of the content of education and practical activity/ must continuously be accomplished the comprehension of the unity of living and inanimate nature; • Formation of the personal responsibility of young generation for future our planet /state of environment/- one of the priority tasks in the sphere science and technology education; • The content of science and technology education must include the analysis of reasons and consequences of contradictions in the system "nature-man- society". All our relations with nature turn out to be problematic. Formation of harmonic relations between nature and mankind becomes an important goal. It is obvious that in any activity one cannot exclusively rely on knowledge and mind, because these are not absolute values. It is understood that we cannot become the rulers over nature. A sphere of natural science developing is very wide, complicated and diversed, thus it requires a new point of view and common efforts of professionals from various areas. Rising global problems are general trouble all of us because there isn't any problem isolated from one another. The solution of them is possible when problems are being thoroughnessly analysed closely linking its interpendention.

32-37

Authors: Małgorzata Krzeczkowska

A need to combine school knowledge with everyday life knowledge, skill of understanding of natural world already exists during lessons of science nature at elementary school. To show to pupils, which information, news, skills are particularly important, useful and indispensable for far education, revision lessons be led. Teachers know that these lessons play an important role in process of teaching. All exercises should have definite content-related and didactic value. Taking into account the natural children’s knowledge, the amazing curiosity of world, spontaneity, passion for asking, teachers should prepare exercises in a proper way. Child’s creative abilities from literary, artistic, theatrical ones and its actual knowledge should be also used to prepare some selected activities.

45-50

Authors: Daina Možeika, Dagnija Cēdere

It can be observed that student’s interest in chemistry has a tendency to decrease in the schools of Latvia. As information technologies in the world develop possibilities to use computer and Internet in everyday life are increasing. Internet is becoming an integral part of daily life not only for adults, but also for school children. It should be mentioned, that appropriate information technology equipment is lacking in many natural science classrooms of schools in Latvia. Schools are trying to solve these situations by equipping chemistry classrooms with at least one computer and projector. Therefore, teachers have a chance to obtain skills for working with IT. The use of Internet and IT is stimulating factor to raise students’ interest in chemistry, therefore a method was developed which is based on enhancing students’ interest in chemistry by using Internet and IT at home. Under students’ extracurricular activities students search for information about a chemistry topic in Internet and prepare a presentation on it. Student’s attention and thoughts are concentrated on chemistry at full scale. The obtained information, impressions and memories are long term and enable to maintain interest in students. The students’ finished work is evoking interest in chemistry and a motivated attitude is formed against the subject, accomplished work and mainly against oneself. The method takes into consideration individual personal traits and expressions of students. Since the self-dependant work of students is fulfilling educational and developmental function it is also recommended to be used for teaching other school subjects.

4

Authors: Vincentas Lamanauskas

QUALITY OF NATURAL SCIENCE EDUCATION OF YOUNG GENERATION - THE PRIORITY DIRECTION OF MODERN EDUCATION Scientists and practicians need to understand that the higher natural-science education, aims not only to train experts in the field of natural sciences – biology, geology, geography, physics, astronomy, chemistry, mathematics, etc., but to provide to all university graduates an adequate education in the particular field of knowledge.

17-26

Authors: Vincentas Lamanauskas, Margarita Vilkonienė, Rytis Vilkonis

The problematics of Information and Communication Technologies is undoubtedly important area in modern education. The world rapidly changes and technical potentiality is constantly growing. The digital revolution is making life easier for people in both directions work and leisure time. A question if we can support an idea that modern ICT helps with the educational process is not explicit? Obviously, ICT improvement leads to applying them in different areas of our life. On the one hand, the educational environment of ICT implementation plays a major role. Possessing modern ICT cannot be the only factor as in order to improve the educational process we need to know the ways of using them i.e. it should not be a matter of fashion. On the other hand, ICT (audiovisual, computer, interactive etc.) themselves are the objects of thorough investigations. So, an international scientific project ARiSE could be the best example (http://www.arise-project.org). Seven institutions from five European countries including Germany, Lithuania, the Czech Republic, Romania and Malta are the participants of the event. The coordinator of the project is Fraunhofer-Institut IAIS (Fraunhofer Institut Intelligente Analyse – und Informationssysteme, Sankt Augustin, Germany) (http://www.iais.fraunhofer.de/). The main objective of the ARiSE Project is to test the pedagogical effectiveness of introducing augmented reality (AR) into the classroom and creating remote collaboration between classes around AR display systems. Also, the important task is to develop a pedagogical reasoning of the given augmented reality technology in school environments.In this article the first conceptual ideas on this question are presented.

35-39

Authors: Laima Railienė

The majority of Lithuanian and foreign scientists of education analyse the structure and stages of education process, factors which cause this process. Many of them have developed the models of teaching process which are based on their research work and educational working experience. Teaching process is related to the methods used in education, the form of education and its vicissitudes. The how teaching process will be modelled and will be used methods of education and self-training, what will be the cooperation among students in gaining geographical knowledge, what influence in gaining that knowledge will make the factors of the environment, the more effective teaching process and self-training will be, the geographical competence will be gained by students easier. The article will focus on the modelling of teaching process during the lesson, the relation between the teaching process and the method of teaching.

46-51

Authors: Natalya Demeshkant

The formation of harmonic relations between nature and a society implies upbringing of the community members as well as adoption of the behavior patterns with emphasis on a modern ecological outlook. Therefore we have introduced methods of exploration and promotion of different levels of the student’s ecological outlook. The experiment included seminars, discussions, surveys, and ecological education of both students and instructors of the Ukrainian Agricultural Universities.

60-69

Authors: Elena Vasilevskaya

Ways of laboratory synthesis of solid inorganic substances by analogy to the processes in the nature are considered. Techniques of synthesis of inorganic compounds in gels as a result of reactions with the counter or unilateral diffusion, sold in conditions of school chemical laboratory are resulted. It is shown, that the offered techniques can be used at the organization of design activity of pupils, and also at carrying out of the integrated lessons. The contents of lessons in chemistry-geography on a theme "Mineralization and structure of minerals" and in chemistry-biology on a theme "Crystallization of inorganic salts in alive organisms" is considered. It is shown, that modeling of natural processes serves in laboratory conditions means of formation of representations about material unity of the world surrounding us.

4

Authors: Vincentas Lamanauskas

Editorial

14-23

Authors: Margarita Vilkonienė

Natural Science education is becoming one of the most important branches of the educational content in Lithuanian Comprehensive School , whereas the content of these disciplines has special importance for the development of the informational society and for the rise and nurturance of the scientific potential. It, surely, gives possibilities for students to develop their self-expression and forms positive interaction relations with nature. If we want to make Natural Science the underlying aspect of the education, it is necessary to have a few fundamental ideas helping achieve the aims. The weak fundamental principles and ideas in the educational system become situations when todays education doesn‘t supply demands of the modern life. The aim of this research is to describe the expression of the philosophical ideas in todays and future practise of Natural Science education. The research was done applying the analysis of the educational documents and the resourses of scientific information as well as comparative analysis and systematic analysis. The research showed that in the different educational stages not many topics related with the philosophical aspects of person‘s life are regulated, though at the primary educational stages (because of the subject integration) conditions are quite favourable. In the upper grades when resumptive courses of Biology, Chemistry, Physics and Geography are taught there is not much space for the philosophical aspects left . At this stage subjects are hardly realised as the integrated parts of the undivided holistic world. Such situation becomes a setback trying to educate qualitatively. That‘s why the reach to re-create united and systematic attitude to the World, to the Human in the world and to the human‘s life in the modern world becomes particularly relevant. Today the close relation between pedagogics and philosophy becomes a necessity. Discussing the Natural Sciences Education prospects, achieving sufficient natural science literacy, it‘s worth regarding to the requirements of the Natural Sciences programs and education standards and to use these philosophical trends in which the objects of interest are in some ways related with communication and information technologies: postmodernism, hermeneutics, constructionism and reconstructionism.

29-33

Authors: Rita Nekrošienė

Some facilities of education activities in south Germany botanical gardens and parks are presented in this article. Research was carried out in Munchen-Nymphenburg, Alpengarten Schachen and Augsburg botanical gardens, Munchen zoological garden, Munchen city parks (in the Museum of Man and Nature). The role of botanic gardens is as an advocate for the maintenance of biodiversity and therefore botanic gardens need to reorient their education programmes and incorporate a vision for a more socially and environmentally sustainable future. Botanic and zoo gardens can use a variety of techniques to convey these messages from guided tours, cultural activities and exhibitions to interpret signs and media such as the internet, radio, television and newspapers. Botanic gardens should develop and promote these institutions as centers for environmental education to schools and develop child-friendly policies and train staff in these policies, conduct regular audits to ensure that the gardens is 'child friendly' e. g. access points, eating areas, storage areas, activity/play areas. The subject areas covered by the Museum of Man and Nature are: the history of the earth and its forms of life, biodiversity, man’s place within the natural world, man’s role in shaping the natural world. The Museum presents an interesting and entertaining approach to natural science, in line with modern educational theory. Authentic natural objects, reproductions, models, interactive exhibits and audio-visual programs are employed to create a lively and stimulating setting. The section “Natural history playtime” successfully combines traditional and modern exhibits and appeals to young and old alike. Attractive exhibits and a convenient location make the Museum of Man and Nature a worthwhile destination for visitors of all ages. The official educational mission of this Museum “… to instruct and inform humans about themselves, their environment and about the threats to nature posed by technical civilization”.

40-45

Authors: Laimutė Salickaitė-Bunikienė, Irena Stankevičienė, Erika Pudžiuvelytė

In this article the relationship between formal and informal teaching of students is investigated in brief. The activities of an informal teaching institution, the correspondence school for young chemists „Pažinimas“ are described. Students study in this school in sessions for two years. Study camps are organized in the summer, and important environmental topics are included: permanent effects of chemical and thermic pollution on the ecosystems of lakes, genomic research, genetically modified organisms and food products, the diversity of fauna and problems created by people, radioactivity and the surroundings, the problems posed by Ignalina NS region's radioactive pollution etc.

53-58

Authors: Vincentas Lamanauskas

This article is the review of the scientific monograph entitled "Pedagogical orientation of younger school children in an environment: methodological outlines" (author – dr. Eleonora Melnik). The book consists of four chapters. In the first chapter philosophical aspects of mutual relations of the human with an environment are analysed. The system approach to understanding of the development of attitudes of the human with an environment is opened. In the second chapter of the book the interdisciplinary aspect of a problem of mutual relations of the human with an environment is analysed. In the third chapter psychological and pedagogical aspects of understanding of attitudes of the human with an environment are analysed. Composition and structure of an environment of the modern human being is presented in the fourth chapter. It is emphasized, that it is very important to create the new teaching materials developed on the basis of the author's theory of mutual relations of children with an environment. The methodological basis of construction of the pedagogical orientation of children in an environment are the leading positions of philosophy based on the dialectic unity of the human and the nature. The fourth chapter of the monograph is devoted to an environment as the scientific and pedagogical phenomenon. Here the analysis of definitions of an environment in modern sciences is very valuable, author's interpretation of different concepts is given. Despite of some critical remarks - the monograph is unequivocally useful to readers. Is worthy also that fact, that the author in every possible way aspires to embody the ideas in a school practice.