Secondary abstract: |
The master's thesis titled With Pupils at the Grade Level Along the Hillsides of Haloze Through Exploration and Play as a Part of the Learning Path consists of three parts: the theoretical, the empirical, and the practical part. The thesis further divides these three parts into interconnected sections. The theoretical part includes a pedagogical-didactic unit, which gives a detailed introduction to the subject of Environmental Studies, an overview of the course objectives, and knowledge standards. Furthermore, the thesis focuses on the modern approach to learning through experiential learning, as it enables more active participation of students and a better understanding of educational content. In this part, the thesis also presents the process of outdoor learning, its advantages, didactic approaches, and organizational possibilities. Special emphasis is placed on the learning trail as a teaching method. The theoretical part includes a geographical unit, which describes the implementation of our natural learning environment, where the activities would take place. In this way, the theoretical foundations for the planning and implementation of the practical part of the thesis were established. The empirical part illustrates the findings of the research, in which we tried to find out how well the students understand the concept of "learning outside the classroom", what their experience with it were, and what level of value is attributed to this concept. The research used a sample of 177 students at the Cirkulane-Zavrč Elementary School. Students in grades one through nine took part in the research. The students answered questions related to the frequency of outdoor learning, their personal experience, interest, and attitude toward this kind of learning. Results show that students are mostly familiar with the concept of "outdoor learning" and associate it with learning in nature, outdoors, or outside the traditional classroom environment. A large proportion of students expressed a desire for this type of teaching to be implemented more frequently, as it provides a more dynamic and interesting learning environment for the students. Based on the data obtained, the thesis concludes that teaching outside the classroom is an important supplement to traditional teaching and has great potential in developing comprehensive knowledge and competencies of students. In the practical part, a learning path through the Cirkulane Municipality was carried out with the third-grade students of the Cirkulane-Zavrč Elementary School. The learning path was thoroughly designed based on a detailed educational preparation, which included precisely defined goals and activities for each station on the path. After implementation, each station was evaluated, assessed, and appraised in terms of pedagogical suitability, student activity, and opportunities for content enhancement. |