Abstract:

Open days are organised annually by various institutions, including scientific ones. These days offer the general public an insight into their work and promote science. These events are often attended by school groups. It is important that such activities are made accessible to pupils, as this is the only way they can gain an insight into the work of scientists and the possible links to everyday life. To organise a visit to a scientific institution with pupils appropriately, teachers also need to consider what the institution offers, whether it is suitable for their group of pupils and what the visit itself can contribute. It is also very welcome that they take part in such activities in advance, as this is the only way they can familiarise pupils with the aims of the visit and point them towards activities that they think would be suitable for them. In order to provide some experience of the latter for pre-service primary school teachers teaching pupils aged 6 to 10, a such visit of scientific institution was organized with pre-service primary school teachers as part of the Natural Visits course. After the visit, we asked the pre-service primary school teachers to evaluate the visit to the institution. The data was collected using an online questionnaire. The results of the survey show that the pre-service teachers rated the visit to the institution as partly interesting and that they would recommend a visit to the centre to gifted pupils who are particularly interested in the fields of technology, physics and telecommunications. The negative aspects of the open day, such as the large crowds, were also emphasised. Some pre-service teachers saw no added value of the visit for their pupils due to their own lack of interest in the subject area, although as teachers they should overcome this perception. Some pre-service teachers also pointed out that the open day had piqued their curiosity by searching for online resources on the content of the activities, which is also a goal they want to achieve with their future pupils.

Keywords:

Natural visits, primary school, pre-service teachers, opinions.