Abstract
Natural and social environments provide excellent opportunities for the application of integrated and constructivist approach to teaching and practicing of a variety of teaching and learning strategies. In this sense, the objective of this study was to examine how a programme of integrated learning outside the classroom “The Danube – a classroom on the water “ effects immediate short-term and long-term retention of the presented content. The survey was conducted on a sample of 120 third grade primary school pupils who were divided into the experimental (N=60) and control group (N=60). Pupils of the experimental group participated in the outdoor learning project “The Danube – a classroom on the waterâ€, whereas pupils of the control group were taught the same content in the classroom through regular teaching methods – lecturing and presentation. The results of this study demonstrate the benefits of integrated outdoor teaching in respect to knowledge retention. Thus, the necessity to increase teaching hours outside the classroom in schools in Serbia is recommended in order to improve the quality of students’ knowledge retention. Keywords: Integrated approach, constructivist approach, integrated outdoor teaching, knowledge retention.
Highlights
In a globalized society, there is a need to improve the quality of education at all levels and to adapt it to the needs of the contemporary international labor market and multicultural societies
Our results demonstrate benefits of integrated outdoor teaching in respect to knowledge retention and the necessity to increase the share of outdoor teaching and learning in schools in Serbia in order to improve the quality of students’ knowledge and create an adequate social climate for sustainable, interdisciplinary study and use of natural and social contexts as resources for teaching and learning
The results of our research indicate that the main outcome of integrated outdoor teaching in “The
Summary
There is a need to improve the quality of education at all levels and to adapt it to the needs of the contemporary international labor market and multicultural societies. In order to adapt to the new circumstances and comply with the European standards, the reform of the education system in Serbia and improvement of the quality and efficiency of education present a priority for the Serbian society (Law on the Fundamentals of the Education System, 2009; Strategy for the development of education in Serbia until 2020, 2012). In this sense, the reform process that is based on the extensive analysis of education in Serbia (Kovac-Cerovic et al, 2004; Vujicic et al, 2011; Baucal, 2012) has been conducted. Former education reforms in Serbia were mainly aimed at changing the structure and content of curricula, whereas, in recent years significant changes have been made in respect to structure and organization of the teaching process itself
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