Ecological Education by Means of Literature at School

The relevance of the article is due to the urgent need to improve the ecological education of schoolchildren in connection with active human intervention in nature and causing irreparable harm to it. Now it has become obvious that the knowledge gained by students in the study of natural sciences is not enough to foster a sense of responsibility for the state of nature. This deficiency can be filled with fiction, which clearly reflects the interaction of man and nature in different epochs of the development of society. However, in the existing methods and technologies for studying literature at school, insufficient attention is paid to the formation of the ecological culture of students. The work on environmental education in the study of works of art is carried out irregularly, the methodology of conducting a lesson, taking into account environmental education, needs further development. The purpose of the article is to form a respectful attitude towards nature and awareness of its indispensability for humans as an environment in students by means of fiction. The research is based on the concept of humanistic pedagogy, ecological and value-orientational approaches. The main research methods were the theoretical method, the axiomatization method, and the modification method. Based on the work done, it has been established that fiction containing ecological material contributes to the awareness of students of the inextricable connection between man and nature, reveals the beauty of the natural environment, evokes a sense of responsibility for its condition, awakens a protest against the predatory attitude towards it. It has been proved that ecological education by means of literature should be carried out along with moral, patriotic, aesthetic education, relying on the methodology of studying a work of art, using methods and techniques that are most appropriate to the material being studied. Among them, both traditional ones - the word of the teacher, conversation, independent work, creative reading, the heuristic method - which have been tested by many years of pedagogical practice, and new ones - the design-research method, the method of concepts. It has been determined that an indispensable condition for the successful ecological education of students, along with the use of the means of school subjects, is their involvement in active practical ecological activity.

Towards new Dimensions of Environmental Education at “P. Kr. Yavorov” Secondary School – the First Eco-school in Varna and the Region

Today we all live in an extremely dynamic world which provokes a variety of challenges related not only to health but also to education and social isolation. It appears that many young people are motivated and ambitious to shape their own future gaining experience and confidence during the school years. Many of their ideas have a creative and rational potential which triggers socially useful initiatives and projects on regional, national or international level. Participation in eco projects, volunteering and supporting social causes combines studying and practical activities and, thus, raises the quality of education and breaks its traditional character. And when innovation is also included, the result is predetermined and winning. Using an integrated system for ecological management, “Peyo Yavorov” Secondary School has encouraged students, teachers and parents to participate in eco initiatives for more than 20 years. This enriches their knowledge and improves the environment. Focusing on the ecological education ensures better understanding of the environmental problems with their local and global impact. Different approaches are used for developing key competences which creates later an active, healthy and environmental-friendly behavior. Activities in the eco field have proved to be effective as means of raising sensitivity and responsibility aiming at the change of one’s attitude – towards themselves, the others and the environment.

Role of folk culture in ecological education

At the present stage, the topic of environmental research is actively developing in all areas of human activity, and becomes a cornerstone in their formation and development. The following concepts are widely accepted: ecological nurture, the issue of ecology in science and art, ecological education, ecology of culture, ecology of human behavior, ecological safety of the environment, etc. The conservation and development of environmental criteria seems to be a factor in the sustainable development of all processes of human activity in the context of globalization and internationalization. The issues of preserving the identity and ecology of culture are of particular importance. In this article, using the Kazakh language as an example, are given the words that reflect the essence of the cultural ecology of the people. According to the opinion of the authors, the study of a foreign language must begin with words that reveal spiritual life, ideology, worldview, beliefs, a strong connection that unites the outdated, living and future generations of the people into one great historical living whole. It is proposed to adopt a comprehensive method of learning a foreign language through the study of the entire culture of the people.

The Future Biology Teachers Training for the Implementation of Sustainable Development Ideas in Ecological Education

The article presents the results of the experimental study targeted at the scientific substantiation and experimental verification of the methodology of the future biology teachers’ ecological competence development. It is grounded and proved that ecological education resulting in ecological competence is an integral part of education for sustainable development. In order to integrate sustainable development education into the future biology teachers’ training, the methodology for the ecological competence development has been suggested. The methodology involves the environmentalization of the educational content and the use of a modular object-oriented dynamic learning environment. A pedagogical experiment was conducted in order to determine the effectiveness of the methodology of future biology teachers training for the implementation of sustainable development ideas in ecological education. Four hundred and twenty-seven students participated in the experimental study. Control and experimental groups of students were allocated for conducting the experiment. In experimental groups the author’s methodology was implemented. The experimental data were processed using mathematical statistics. As a result of the generalization of the results of the study, it was found that in the experimental groups, the percentage of students with high and medium levels of ecological competence increased, and with low levels – decreased compared to the control groups. This testifies to the effectiveness of the future biology teachers’ ecological competence development.

CONSIDERING THE ROLE OF BOTANIC GARDENS AND ARBOTETUM FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF ECOLOGICAL EDUCATION

Today, the question of the need for environmental education is of particular importance. It is necessary to restore harmonious ties between man and nature, and this is possible only in contact with the natural environment itself. The irrational use of natural resources, the progressing economic activity of man, which does not take into account the laws of the development of natural systems, lead to a change in natural processes, a violation of the balance of the biosphere. Analysis of various approaches to educational activities in the field of environmental culture revealed the importance of specially protected natural areas in environmental education. They have unique benefits for biodiversity education by providing visual illustrations of the diversity of natural ecosystems.

Periodicals readership as a source of scientific research in the scope of ecological education history in the postmodern culture

The purpose of the article is to explain the methodological aspects of the source space in the 21st century exemplified by periodicals as the basis of historical research in the scope of ecological education in the Second Republic of Poland (1918-1939). In this context this article presents a scheme of the features of postmodern culture (the second half of the 20th century and the first decades of the 21st century) and examples of a dozen periodicals, which constitute a source basis for scientific research in the scope of educational history (both specific/ environmental and dedicated to the youth and children).

Immersive technologies in project activities as an innovative vector of biology and ecology teaching methods

The key goal of modern biological and ecological education is the process of forming a natural scientific worldview based on the biological picture of the world and, in particular, the formation of biological (ecological) thinking based on a systematic approach. This contributes to the formation of a personality capable of independently building a trajectory of personal development, subject to mastering key competencies. An innovative approach to the formation of a biological picture of the world, from the authors’ point of view, is the use of immersive technologies in the educational process in biology and ecology. The article discusses the implementation of new teaching aids and technologies, especially virtual and augmented reality, 3D images in the biological and ecological education of school students, and the problems of a comprehensive study of the influence of VR and AR technologies on students in the context of project activities. It proposes several approaches to the training of teachers and instructors who can effectively organize an immersive educational process, build flexible scenarios for the inclusion of these technologies in project activities. The examples of students’ project work on the basics of genetics in virtual laboratories using virtual and augmented reality technologies are examined. In particular, an innovative approach to teaching the foundations of heredity is revealed in accordance with the challenges of our time, taking into account social demand, allowing to provide a personality-oriented approach to learning, variability of the process, increase the effectiveness of the material being studied, and adapt participants to the conditions of passing the mandatory standard. At the diagnostic stage of the study, it was revealed that the heredity basics module in the school biology course is a complex topic. This served as the basis for starting the development of the author’s methodological construct, which is based on cultural, historical and problem approaches. When designing a construct, the material on the basics of heredity is divided into semantic modules – didactic units, the structure of which assumes the presence of a motivating task, a problem situation and work in a virtual training ground. The approbation of the innovative module for the study of the molecular foundations of genetics by school students shows that for its implementation into the practice of general and additional education, it is necessary to update the material base, to conduct both real and virtual genetic experiments, as well as to improve the qualifications of teaching staff.

The use of games as a method in teaching the basics of chemical toxicology as part of the ecological education of schoolchildren

In today’s modern technogenic world, forming an ecological consciousness, perception and thinking among schoolchildren is a vital task. Knowledge of chemical toxicology is essential for students of all ages to help protect and maintain a healthy environment. Given that toxicology is characterized by an increased level of complexity, the purpose of this work was to develop and apply gaming methods in teaching the basics of chemical toxicology as part of environmental education of schoolchildren. We developed and implemented a training lesson for schoolchildren called “Fascinating phytotoxicology” for secondary school students, which consists of several stages. At the first stage, when using explanatory and illustrative methods in teaching, students received theoretical knowledge of phytotoxicology; at the second stage, students enhanced their knowledge in a playful way by solving situational problems composed by us, guessing riddles and answering intriguing questions; at the third stage, a survey was conducted among schoolchildren to identify the students’ level of interest in the topic and how much of the material was assimilated. The survey showed that the implementation of this gaming teaching method allowed students to learn complex material better, increased the activity and interest of students, and also contributed to the formation of an ecological awareness and environmental responsibility.