The aim of the study is to investigate the effects of using a worksheet to analyze the relief of a small territory, represented on a thematic map. The study involved 16 fourth-grade students. The activity consisted of three stages: in the first stage, a pre-test was applied; in the second stage, students individually analyzed the relief on a hypsometric map and solved the tasks in a worksheet based on this map; in the third stage, a post-test was applied. The results show that students, after the formative intervention, have a greater volume of knowledge about the relief of the commune in which they live. Analyzing the relief represented on the hypsometric map and solving the tasks in the worksheet by students determined positive effects on the volume of knowledge about the relief.
The Romanian socialism spanned over a long period (1948-1989), transforming and shaping the education system so as to accommodate and promote communist ideology. Drawing on expert advice from several didactics of geography published during socialist Romania, on how to use propaganda information in geography classes, I employed discourse analysis to show that this process of ideologizing education was a conscious endeavour of didactics of geography authors. One of their aims was to enable geography teachers to construct discursively and visually the socialist nation and socialist patriotism during geography classes. Moreover, propaganda, according to the analysed sources, considered Geography of Romania classes as the main means to present socialist achievements to students and further introduce political messages to them.
This interpretive study explores the level of satisfaction of primary school students in relation to an observation activity of environmental components (natural plant materials and their representations in photographs and drawings), conducted in a school setting. The research employed a quantitative approach, applying a quasi-experimental research design. A specific questionnaire, composed of ten items, was developed to evaluate different dimensions of satisfaction with the learning activity. Participants were 153 second-grade students (aged 8-9), equally distributed into three experimental groups. Each student was tasked with observing a coniferous tree (spruce), using different materials: natural plant materials (experimental group A), photographs (experimental group B), and drawings of the plant (experimental group C). Results indicate that the use of natural plant materials generated the highest level of satisfaction, highlighting their attractiveness and clarity, as well as increased personal involvement from the students. Additionally, activities based on photographs and drawings were appreciated, but recorded lower scores and a greater variation in students’ perceptions, suggesting that these types of materials may require additional adaptations to improve clarity and attractiveness. The study underscores the importance of using natural materials in observation activities of environmental components, as these have a significant impact on student engagement and perception of the activity’s usefulness. It also highlights the need to optimize static representations to stimulate students’ interest and understanding in the learning process.
This study highlights the importance and effects of developing geographical thinking through the conception and creation of a 2D representation of an ideal city plan. The aim is to identify and correct possible gaps in students’ understanding of urban space, plans, and maps, and to validate their prior knowledge, which will serve as the foundation for connecting new information, concepts, or procedures. A total of 79 students, aged 16-17, of both genders, from three 10th-grade classes at “Al. Papiu Ilarian” National College in Târgu-Mureș, participated in the study. In order to achieve the research objectives, students were engaged in a project-based learning activity. They went through several stages, with the current study detailing the stage focused on creating the ideal city plans (2D representations). The study emphasizes the necessity of involving students in practical experiences to foster the development of critical thinking and scientific skills.
The first part of the article outlines the place of industry in Romania’s official curriculum, starting with early education, continuing through primary education in subjects such as Mathematics and Environmental Exploration, Science, and Geography, and ending with secondary school Geography. The second part of this article suggests learning activities aimed at raising students’ awareness of errors in 8th-grade geography textbooks and developing both transversal skills (researching, analyzing, interpreting, and evaluating data, as well as investigating) and geography-specific competencies.
The purpose of this study is to investigate primary school teachers' perceptions regarding the frequency of using educational platforms, digital applications, and videos for teaching science and geography. Data collection was carried out through a questionnaire survey in which 107 primary school teachers voluntarily participated. The analysis included: the frequency with which teachers use videos in science lessons, from various sources; the frequency of students using digital games and videos from various sources; the frequency of teachers creating/editing videos; the frequency of teachers using educational platforms and applications in science lessons; and the frequency of students using digital applications. The results show that primary school teachers use videos in science and geography lessons, most frequently using video clips, and that they rarely create, edit, or adapt videos using digital applications. Primary school teachers consider that students frequently use digital games and quite rarely use digital applications.
The purpose of this study is to identify the effects of individual use of a worksheet in analyzing the network of flowing waters in a territory represented on a map and partially known by the students. 16 fourth grade students participated in the study. In the activity, three stages were completed: in the first stage, the students solved a pre-test with 10 True-False items about the flowing waters of the studied territory; in the second stage they solved the tasks in a worksheet based on the analysis of flowing waters represented on the map; in the third stage the students solved a post-test similar to the one in the first stage. The results show that the students, after analyzing the map with the help of the worksheet, in the formative intervention, have a greater volume of knowledge about the running waters of the commune where they live, which proves the effectiveness of this worksheet
This study highlights the effectiveness of the observation sheet in directly analyzing urban facilities, identifying gaps, and assessing students' knowledge about urban space (the medieval city of Târgu Mureș and its surroundings), as well as the effects of direct observation on the elements identified by students within the urban space. The study involved 79 students aged 16-17, from both genders, across three 10th-grade classes from the "Al. Papiu Ilarian" National College in Târgu-Mureș. To achieve the research objectives, the students participated in a project-based learning activity. The study's results show that field applications and the observation sheet served as an effective tool for identifying gaps and assessing students' knowledge about urban space.
The study presents the design and implementation of team teaching in high school geography classes and analyzes the students' opinions regarding this type of teaching approach. The didactic activity was carried out in the 9th grade, at the Earth's Atmosphere learning unit. The participants in this activity were high school students, a geography teacher and a physics teacher. The research findings highlight the advantages and challenges of team teaching and suggest ways to improve this approach.
In this study, the positive aspects that active participation in the Erasmus+ project "Different but together" has on students are highlighted. In the project initiated and coordinated by the Technological High School "Gheorghe Şincai" from Târgu Mureș (Romania), high schools from Italy, Greece, the Czech Republic and Turkey participated as partners. The activities carried out and the impact of international activities on the students were briefly analyzed. Data collected through the observation method and with the help of three tools (Erasmus Journal, questionnaires applied after each mobility, mini-essays on the Erasmus experience) were analyzed. The analysis of the results highlighted the overall positive impact of these project, which cover a broad plan, ranging from students' personal and intellectual growth to the development of active European citizenship skills.
This study highlights the necessity and effects of using worksheets to identify and correct potential gaps, to validate prior knowledge that will be related to new information, concepts, or procedures, as well as the use of portfolios for gathering, selecting, and structuring information to be utilized in later stages. The study involved 79 students aged 16-17, of both genders, from three 10th-grade classes at "Al. Papiu Ilarian" National College in Târgu-Mureș. To achieve the research objectives, students were engaged in a project-based learning activity. The students went through several stages, with the current study detailing the documentation phase. The necessity of involving students in practical experiences for the development of critical thinking and scientific skills is emphasized.
This study explores the importance of scientific observation in primary education, highlighting how the use of observation sheets can facilitate the acquisition of knowledge and the development of students' observation skills. In the research, 153 second-grade students were divided into three experimental groups, each group observing a woody plant (spruce) using different materials: plant material, photographs, and drawings. The results show that direct observation leads to a more accurate identification of plant characteristics compared to observing substitutes or external representations (photographs, drawings). The study emphasizes the importance and effectiveness of observation sheets in achieving learning objectives and the necessity of engaging students in hands-on experiences to develop scientific thinking and skills.
In this study, we aim to analyze the effects of discovery-based learning through film viewing on students' knowledge about a specific animal species and its habitat. The following hypothesis is tested: students' knowledge about animals and their environment is greater as a result of discovering information through watching videos. The study involved 20 fourth-grade students. In the first phase, a pre-test with 20 items was administered to assess initial knowledge about the topic. In the next phase, students watched videos at home about the studied subject. In the final phase, a post-test similar to the pre-test was conducted at school, and students discussed with the teacher other information they discovered through watching the films. The results confirm that discovery-based learning, facilitated by film viewing, is an effective strategy for stimulating students' interest and facilitating the acquisition of new knowledge.
The purpose of the study is to investigate the effects on students' analytical thinking of a learning activity based on the analysis of flowing waters, represented on a hypsometric map. 20 students from the 8th grade participated in the study. The experimental design included three stages: in the first stage in which the students were asked to analyze flowing waters based on a map; in the second stage the students analyzed, in groups, the flowing waters represented on a hypsometric map using a worksheet; in the third stage the students solved the task received in the first stage. The results show that the students, after the formative intervention, have a higher level of competence in analyzing flowing waters on the hypsometric map and that the worksheet determined the increase in the level of competence and contributed to the development of analytical thinking.
The study analyzes the impact of specific learning activities that are using student-centered methods, focusing on various aspects of Iceland. In the sixth grade, the lesson on the topic „Iceland” features an activity called "Famous Icelandic Places," based on a teaching game. In the ninth grade, an activity related to glacial relief is described, in which storytelling is combined with the use of images. In the tenth grade, a case study on the development of tourism in Iceland is presented, along with an activity regarding the Cod War, which employs the jigsaw method. These activities highlight the importance of students grasping the specificity and uniqueness of Iceland within Europe. This country provides an optimal context for students to acquire knowledge (northern lights, geysers, fumaroles, solfataras, active volcanoes, basalt columns, geothermal energy, ice caps, rifts) and specific competencies in geography. The results of the study indicate that the learning activities were effective.
Cinquain is a poetic form, or stanza, of five lines that do not rhyme, which follows some strict rules. Cinquain is also considered to be a training means, a method, a technique, an instrument used for reflection, for synthesis of all knowledge on a particular topic (a being, an object, an ensemble of objects), towards developing one’s creativity. In this research, the quintets were created by 47 university students in the last phase of a learning activity structured on the evocation-realisation of meaning-reflection model. The process of preparation and creation of quintets and the quintets created have been analysed, the conclusion being that quintets are an efficient technique in highlighting representations on a specific topic.
In this research, were analysed the visual representations made by high school students as a result of reading a cult fairy tale and creating a project entitled “Harap-Alb’s journey seen through the eyes of children” in the 10 th grade geography lessons. The projects were carried out by 26 students, who worked in pairs. The geography teacher presented them on the Google Classroom platform the structure of the project (visual and written components), tasks (forming groups, reading fairy tales, making mind maps), instructions and requirements. The aim of this activity was to identify and illustrate ways in which certain cognitive barriers can be removed and through which dynamic and creative thinking can be acquired / encouraged.
"This study investigated the effect of ecological art (eco-art) projects on preservice classroom teachers’ attitudes towards and views on environmental issues. Ecological art is an art-oriented teaching model. The study adopted a mixed embedded research design and integrated ecological art into the “Environmental Education” course. The sample consisted of 78 first-year students from the department of classroom education of Ondokuz Mayıs University in the spring semester of the 2020-2021 academic year. Data were collected using student logs and a semi-structured interview questionnaire developed by the researchers, and the Environmental Problems Attitude Scale developed by Güven (2013). We developed a 14-week project and integrated visual arts education into the “Environmental Education” course. The project aimed to raise awareness through artistic expression. Each participant chose an ecological problem. The quantitative data were analysed using the Wilcoxon test. There was a significant difference between pre-test and post-test scores (p= 0.001). The qualitative data were analysed using content analysis. The results showed that the eco-art projects had cognitive, affective, and behavioural effects on participants. In other words, the eco-art projects raised their awareness of environmental issues. Participants stated that eco-art projects should be integrated into environmental education classes because they believed that art conveyed universal messages. We can conclude that eco-art projects bring an innovative and interdisciplinary perspective to environmental education and help preservice classroom teachers develop positive attitudes and views on environmental issues."
"The aim of the research is to determine the attitude of parents of children in the lower grades of primary school towards school excursions. The theoretical part of the article presents the importance of excursions, as well as the role of parents in the entire process of organising excursions, while the second part of the article presents the results of the research. 208 parents participated, 39.9% being fathers and 60.1% being mothers. Data was collected with an instrument created for the purposes of this research and was analysed in detail and presented using a descriptive method. Parents’ attitudes are positively oriented towards excursions, noting their pedagogical significance for the development of the child’s entire personality. The role of parents in the process of preparation and organisation of the excursion is of great importance, and it is necessary that future research pays more attention to the parental function in all phases and flows of the excursion."
This research analyses the way in which the Lotus Blossom technique has been described and used worldwide, including Romania and it investigates several ways to apply it based on the geographic content. Based on analysing the way this technique was applied it has been found that it may be applied to various topics, both individually and in groups, depending on the geography teacher’s expertise, creativity, skills and employed methodology. During the organised activities, Lotus Blossom was used to highlight and develop the most relevant subtopics on a topic, this process being also applied as an activity of introducing and assessing students’ knowledge, of extracting, evaluating, selecting, and synthesising information from various sources while systematising them by visual representation (diagram or table). During an activity in which students were asked to solve a problem (“Christmas Market”), Lotus Blossom was used head-on to break down the problem into “smaller” sub-problems or tasks, to identify or discover them, and to further analyse and split them in order to be able to solve them punctually. In this case, the Lotus Blossom strategy can be compared to the Kaoru Ishikawa diagram.
