Professional paper
https://doi.org/10.32633/eb.9.7
Discovery learning during the field class of Nature and Social Sciences
Ana Ćaleta
; Elementary school Trilj, Trilj
Mila Bulić
orcid.org/0000-0002-8090-897X
; Department of Teacher Education, Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, University of Split, Split, Croatia
Ines Radanović
; Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, University of Zagreb, Zagreb, Croatia
Abstract
In today's challenging times, it is important to teach students how to observe independently, solve problems, discover, deduce, critically reflect, and apply the knowledge acquired in everyday life. Discovery learning, which is based on constructivism and helps students solve given problems with or without the teacher's guidance, can be applied in classes of Nature and Social Sciences. The paper presents the application of the learning strategy of discovery learning and observing during the field class. The research was conducted in Trilj, on a sample of students in the third grade of elementary school. Students learned about geographical concepts of spatial orientation connecting them with orientation using signs in nature. Using the photos and drawings collected during the field class, the students created a photoherbarium, thus documenting their homeland’s natural heritage to systematize the knowledge. The students' observations were compared with the results of the final exams with an emphasis on checking the students' conceptual understanding. The research results show that students, by applying learning by discovering and observing nature and writing down their own observations, easily achieve the required educational outcomes in the teaching of Nature and Social Sciences.
Keywords
Nature and Social Sciences teaching; field class; spatial orientation; natural homeland heritage
Hrčak ID:
296757
URI
Publication date:
28.2.2023.
Visits: 557 *