Abstract
Geology is a science with a highly interdisciplinary character. Thus, in education it is ideal to provide education in a form integrated with the other branches of natural sciences under the subject of Science or Natural Sciences. However, most European countries prefer separate teaching of the individual educational fields and subsume geology within one of them, most frequently biology or geography. The submitted study discusses the potential advantages and disadvantages of various strategies of allocation of geological topics in education. A comparative method is used to evaluate and analyse curricular documents in the Czech Republic, Estonia, Slovenia and Poland at the lower secondary educational level. The comparison is focused on the scope and incorporation of selected educational content of geology into individual educational subjects, and on the recommended teaching methods suitable for interpreting geological subject matter. On the basis of this knowledge from abroad, individual subjects are selected for the “best practice” and subsequently proposed for implementation under the conditions in the Czech Republic. This seeks to make geology more familiar and attractive for students at the lower secondary level of education.
Highlights
The natural sciences traditionally include the fields of Biology, Chemistry, Physics, Geography and Geology
The Czech Republic, Estonia, Slovenia and Poland are countries where the natural sciences at the lower secondary educational level are divided into individual subjects
While an above-average amount of information is provided to students according to the Czech curriculum, there is a lack of interconnection of the individual subject areas and scientific fields
Summary
The natural sciences traditionally include the fields of Biology, Chemistry, Physics, Geography and Geology. It follows from an analysis performed by Hejnová (2011) that the introduction of integrated teaching of the natural sciences in Czech schools is prevented by pre-school teacher training This unfortunate situation is intensified by the lack of a long-term tradition of an integrated approach to teaching and the related lack of confidence of Czech professionals, teachers and the general public towards this form of education. The Czech Republic, Estonia, Slovenia and Poland are countries where the natural sciences at the lower secondary educational level are divided into individual subjects. These are countries of the former eastern bloc that have undergone relatively fundamental reform of their educational systems in the last few years. Can the selected tactics of these countries be applied to the Czech educational system? which particular approach could contribute to making the teaching of geology more effective and attractive?
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
