SCIENCE EDUCATION OF PRE-SERVICE PRIMARY SCHOOL TEACHERS: EXPERIENCES IN NATURE EXPLORATION

Learners, both schoolchildren and students, are not "blank slates." They bring their own knowledge, experiences, perspectives, attitudes, and questions into the educational process. In science lessons, as in other subjects, the focus should be on active engagement (construction), rather than instructions (instruction). The task of the lecturer or teacher is to create more learning opportunities (Labudde, 2010; Helmke, 2012). In the article, the construction of a study episode is presented, showing how pre-service primary school teachers acquire didactic knowledge and are introduced to teaching and learning methods through the analysis of the topic “Birds“. The three-stage Critical Thinking for Reading and Writing framework is employed. The article focuses on the first stage – activation – and the third stage – reflection. Students were asked to: 1) identify a special bird and justify why it was chosen; 2) recount a brief episode from their school years during which something was being learned about birds. After completing the activities in the second stage, students engaged in a three-step reflection (the I level, the WE level, and the conclusion level) to analyse and reflect on their learning process. The experiences of the students (N = 29) were analysed using the content analysis method. The results revealed that students identified 17 unique birds, with the owl and the stork receiving the most attention. From their school years, students most vividly recalled educational activities related to birds, including birdwatching, making bird feeders, and feeding birds during winter. Following reflection on both the activities and the learning process, key subcategories were identified: at the I level – the acquisition of new knowledge; at the WE level – the benefits of working in pairs; and at the conclusion level – a vision for professional practice in schools. Keywords: critical thinking, experience, future primary school teachers, reflection, teaching and learning