Learners’ InteractIon wIth nature: some educatIonaL Issues

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Learners’ InteractIon wIth nature: some educatIonaL Issues

Journal Title: Problems of Education in the 21st Century - Year 2009, Vol 17, Issue 11

Abstract

Theoretic and empiric research conducted by a number of scientists has indicated that a well-grounded content of teaching and a purposefully planed process of natural science education create opportunities for pupils to better understand an environment, to perceive themselves as active members of the ever-changing world and to take responsibility for the future of our planet. Though there have been plenty of local ecology crises throughout the history of mankind, today we can clearly face a new global ecology crisis approaching. It requires a new organization of the evolutionary process of the world that is the basis for the renovation of the correlation among Human Being, Nature and Society.� The necessity of creating a new morality and ethics under new conditions was raised in the past century. It should have been based on qualitatively new relations between Human Being and Nature. Hence, it could be affirmed that natural science education is a very auspicious field of individual self-expression. On the other hand, investigations have revealed that the problem of natural science education exists. Frequently the pupils’ knowledge about nature is shallow, insufficient and ineffective at different age range. Moreover, the reaction of behaviour to the same stimulus highly differ (a child can be aggressive, sadistic, pragmatic, practical, cognitive, aesthetic, ethic and indifferent) even in an equivalent situation (for example, children have noticed a creeping beetle on the path). The following propositions could be specified: • effective natural science education does not require conformable psychological substantiation; • the interaction with nature varies and remains specific within the various periods of life; • the mission of the teacher is to wisely manage an evolutionary process of the “real” interaction with nature/particularly in primary school; • an important task of the education system is the framing of the world concept on the basis of the contemporary natural science world view (natural science concept of the world). The holistic concept of natural phenomena is a solid core of all levels and stages of the education system. • all levels of natural science education system (the aspects of teaching content and practical activities) have to guarantee the continuity of formulation the concept of animate and inanimate nature as the whole system; • individual responsibility of the young generation for the future of our planet is the essential (prior) task of natural science education; • there is a lack of research intended for the interaction with nature in different periods of ontogenesis in Lithuania.� Finally, I want to point out some actual moments. A child faces nature very early, and therefore s/he needs to acknowledge it. We should help children to know it, to make them engaged in the environment they live, to approve their close interaction with natural phenomena and to explain the complexity of natural objects from earliest childhood. After all, it is not enough to say „I love nature“. S/he has to admire, feel and confess it. The better a man perceives nature, the stronger becomes his/her correlation with the environment. The man turns into individuality. A human personality cannot progress if isolated from an animate environment. This cohesion should be fostered on the basis of peace from the early days.

Authors and Affiliations

Vincentas Lamanauskas

Keywords

correlation with nature interaction with nature natural science education

EP ID EP34751
DOI -
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