SOME IDEAS ABOUT SPECIFICITY AND METHODS OF FOSTERING VALUE-BASED RELATIONS WITH NATURE

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SOME IDEAS ABOUT SPECIFICITY AND METHODS OF FOSTERING VALUE-BASED RELATIONS WITH NATURE

Journal Title: Problems of Education in the 21st Century - Year 2009, Vol 10, Issue 1

Abstract

The interpretation of the concept ‘value’ is extremely varied and brings a historic background. Values are fostered since childhood through the process of sharing and analysing individual experience based on certain concepts such as goodness, beauty, love, etc. Rules and standards are also important for value development. All people tend to seek values and their cognition (“When Values Change”, 1999). ‘The Dictionary of Psychology’ explains that value attitudes as if determine all human works, the main patterns of behaviour, different actions or even a single act (The Dictionary of Psychology, 1993). The issues of moral values are highly relevant as they are closely related with the human upbringing, fostering of his value attitudes (The Sketches of Ethics, 1984). Secondly, modern education is in a state of global crisis partially because of the absence of a value-based design of its strategic functions (Sankar, 2004). The development of value-based attitudes is a complex process. In general, morality or moral is the most conservative aspect of inner culture, it changes slowly and gradually. However, children and teenagers have less preconceived ideas and habits than adults. Therefore, their relation with the world is in the making, they are more flexible and susceptible to outward influences (Gurevičiūtė, Galkutė, etc. 1997). J.Piaget is sure that the middle childhood (the age of 6-11 years old) is the most suitable period to foster moral issues. L. Kohlberg referring to various research points out three stages in the evolution of morality. The second stage includes children aged from 10 to 13 and is called the self-decided moral agency. The third stage represents the moral agency using all individual moral standards. This kind of morality develops or fails to develop in the period of adolescence (Kliminskienė, 1999). The tutors who attempt to develop respect for nature in the values of their pupils should know and utilize the mentioned peculiarities of the age boundaries. Primary school shares a great responsibility in this process while pupils are curious, sensitive to nature, influenced by the processes of the outward world at this age range (Atutienė, 1999). Love for nature, the importance of its protection should be instilled since childhood. Experience acquired in the family is further developed at school where value-based attitudes are continually established, a strong individual opinion about the surrounding nature is developed. These considerations presented by Kliminskienė and Kliminskas (1998), Vaitkevičius (2000), Šapokienė (1998), Gajauskaitė (1990), etc. have become extremely important having assessed the data of recent research. The survey of parents conducted by Miltenienė and Mockevičienė indicates that only 36% of the applicants indicates that they taught their children to love nature, involved children into practical tasks: to perceive the world of nature, to take care about animals, 44% of the parents admitted that they paid little attention to the above mentioned factors or agreed they did not pay any attention as they supposed their child would gain this knowledge at school. 20% of the parents stated it was not the main goal of their family. Most of the researchers agree that very often the media ignore the development of positive value-based attitudes and impose many things without any value-based orientation. Hence, in respect of nature, school is mainly responsible for the fostering the value attitudes of the pupils (Miltenienė, Mockevičienė, 1998). Since 1998, active enthusiasts have launched a project “The Animate World and Me” which involves the city pupils who have pets (Bobrova, 2000). L.Bobrova states that the curriculum of this project developing children’s care for their animals is one of the most effective pedagogic and psychologic methods that builds up mental, emotional and physical well-being of schoolchildren, enriches their free time trying to reach harmony with nature (p.10). Research carried out in Russia revealed that actually half of the primary school essays reflect a pragmatic relation with nature, ‘Nature is our greatest treasure’, ‘Forests must be protected because pencils and rulers are made of wood’, ‘Dogs are important because they guard houses’, etc. Such pragmatism of the primary schoolchildren is nothing but a result of the pragmatic content of comprehensive educational school. Children simply repeat the clichés mentioned by their teachers (Jasvin, 2000). Most probably, a similar situation can be found in Lithuanian schools (though not enough research have been carried out). In conclusion, it can be said that contemporary school is not yet ready to perceive and instil the shallowness of consumerism (Uktveris, 1997). Having reviewed the positions of various authors on the issue of the development of value-based attitudes in respect of nature in comprehensive schools, the following conclusion can be made in diagram form: Value-based attitudes and relations.

Authors and Affiliations

Lamanauskas, V

Keywords

moral values science education value-based knowledge

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