Gamtamokslinis ugdymas / Natural Science Education

55

Authors: Editorial Board

Cover page, GU/NSE, Vol. 15, No. 2, 2018

58-60

Authors: Eleonora Melnik

Scientific interests of the author of this article are natural science and humanitarian knowledge integration referring to systematic attitude toward younger students’ education in the environment sphere. Therefore, a prepared methodological book “Integrated education in a primary school: theory and practice” was a part of the author’s research. The author pays attention to the younger students’ preparation level. A rather wide ICT usage is accentuated in the education process. On the other hand, the students’ achievement level in the senior forms tends to decrease. Therefore, it is important to ascertain, why such tendency is observed, what reasons determine that. Thus, it is interesting to find out, what main teaching methods teachers use in the education process in different countries. For example, what are the ways of realisation of interdisciplinary and internal relations; is their integration carried out as a process; Does knowledge continuity/succession exist teaching students in various secondary school levels and much more?

72-80

Authors: Laima Railienė

In Lithuanian general education schools, the main attention has to be drawn to a student in the students’ teaching/learning process, to his personality development. The student himself has to be an active teaching/learning process participant but not a passive listener in the lesson. Not only subject or general competencies, positive emotions are acquired when students actively take part in the lesson, do a particular task but also students are made to involve critical thinking into their activity. Not so few other general education subjects taught at school are integrated into geography subject teaching/learning programme. Learning geography, students very often have to use their history, biology, chemistry, physics, natural science and other subject knowledge. Every student’s individual abilities are also of quite a big importance learning geography. Seeking for the students to easier acquire the provided knowledge, learn to learn independently during geography lessons, be able to apply this knowledge in practice, it is important to concentrate students’ attention and activity, to encourage their creativity. It is very important for the students to learn to work individually and in a group. The most important thing is not only to acquire knowledge and general competencies but also learn to learn! Geography subject teaching is inseparable from information and communication technologies (ICT), which diversify geography teaching a lot. Using them, one can assign for the students to do practical tasks, their knowledge from geography subject can be checked. Also, it is very important that the use of ICT in the lesson allows students to acquire more self-confidence, because very often students carry out such tasks independently. Independent work task assignment in the lesson is very useful for those, who have less abilities. They need more time for carrying out the tasks. The tasks carried out independently during geography lessons, allow students to acquire geography knowledge and general competencies under favourable conditions, at a favourable pace of learning. Considering that not equal ability students take part in the lesson, it is important to model the lesson so, that all students successfully realise themselves in it, acquire the maximum knowledge and abilities. For that, it is necessary to individualise and differentiate the tasks for the students. The tasks have to be selected both for higher and lower ability students. Teaching geography, a few student individualisation and differentiation application methods are possible. It depends on whether a new teaching topic is given in the lesson, whether it is a revision, knowledge generalisation lesson. Individualised and differentiated tasks can be applied during the whole geography lesson. Students can be given individualised and differentiated tasks, doing concrete tasks, for example, during students’ independent work task. It is important to share the experience about the application of individualised and differentiated independent students’ work methods and tasks in the geography lesson, to reveal the importance of this method, seeking students’ geography subject and general competencies, taking into account students’ individual possibilities. In the article, geography lesson of this kind is given in the 6th form on the topic “Weather description”.

90

Authors: Editorial Board

End page, Vol. 15, No. 2, 2018, GU/NSE

1

Authors: Editorial Board

Cover page, Vol. 15, No. 1

4-6

Authors: Violeta Šlekienė

STEAM activities, STEAM formal and non-formal education, STEAM programs, STEAM schools, STEAM field, STEAM open access centers and others are often used terms in the society and in the education society in particular. STEAM education is an interdisciplinary approach to learning where rigorous academic concepts are coupled with real world lessons as students apply science, technology, engineering, and mathematics in contexts that make connections between school, community, work, and the global enterprise enabling the development of STEAM literacy and with it the ability to compete in the new economy. STEAM education emphasizes art and technical creativity as interdisciplinary access, combining it with a rational combination with the peculiarities of individual subjects. Most countries declare STEAM education as a priority of their national education system. All countries link STEAM education reform with primary and secondary schools. Taking into account today's trends and future insights, education and training play a very important role. After all, it is important that Lithuania took a challenge - by 2025 teacher is a prestigious profession. The country lacks a new generation of teachers, teachers with a different approach to teaching and learning. In the near future there should be new specialties that will expand and change the field of the teacher's work, adapting it to contemporary realities. In the future, education will become more personalized; students will be offered personalized training programs. Much attention will be paid to increasing the efficiency of mental activity: there will be programs for improving memory, reading speed, increasing concentration, etc. Integrated access to STEAM subjects creates the conditions for the formation of such a human thinking, that allows a complex understanding of the world, making responsible decisions, and foreseeing further paths. Everyone agrees that integrated access brings benefits to all stakeholders.

18-30

Authors: Violeta Šlekienė, Vincentas Lamanauskas

One of the most important goals of natural science education is the formation of holistic understanding of nature phenomena. This is guaranteed by an integrated science education access. It is important to keep in mind that all natural sciences share similar methodological principles, common concepts, the need to solve practical problems, etc. The formation of a holistic understanding of the natural sciences requires the application of the principles of systematization of knowledge and the realization of interdisciplinary relations. This article presents an integrated access to the analysis of light and color perception in the context of general education of natural sciences. The implementation of interdisciplinary physics, biology, healthy lifestyle and computer technology relations is is being discussed by analyzing the phenomenon of light and color perception. The graph-tree method is used to reveal an integrated access of light and color perception. For this purpose, the structure of content in the basic and secondary education general programs is analyzed, the content itself is discussed, the interdependence of the structural components of the content, contact points are determined. In this way, the links between the content of different subjects are revealed, cross-curricular relationships are observed, the required knowledge of different subjects is described, the main components of the process are highlighted and aspects of the process development are foreseen. The graph-tree of light and color perception is created. To sum up, the importance of color perception is emphasized. The possibility to test your color vision on the web is introduced. A series of color blindness tests available online are presented. These tests allow checking your personal type of color vision deficiency and the severity of it. Testing color vision and discussing their results is suggested by collaborating with IT and science teachers.

38-51

Authors: Demet Şener Çanlı, Özlem Afacan

Teaching with the nature of science activities is essential in a science course considering the characteristics of the nature of science. The aim of this research was to design alternative activities that can guide teachers to teach the nature of science in a better way, and 7th grade middle school students to develop their views on the nature of science. In this research, four different activities of “The mystery candle in the box”, “Following the trail”, “The mystery in the box”, and “Colorful lights” were developed at the middle school level. The developed activities were evaluated by 2 field experts, and necessary arrangements were made according to their statements. Criteria for choosing activities are that whether they are appropriate for the middle school level and for teachers use comfortably, for a use in the duration of the course and for the science curriculum. With the developed activities, middle school students were asked to focus on the difference between observation and inference, the role of scientists' imagination and creativity in the creation of scientific knowledge, and tentativeness of scientific knowledge.