Abstract:

We know from practice that laboratory and field work is increasingly absent from biology and science classes today. It is important that students understand the content they are learning in school. It is crucial that they are able to connect theory with practice, which is achieved precisely through active forms of learning, such as field and laboratory work. During fieldwork, students strengthen their skills in resourcefulness, independence, diligence, work planning, and collaboration. When we do lab or field work in class, students are more motivated to work. Therefore, it is important that teachers prepare as many active lessons as possible in the form of laboratory and field work, because in this way students gain confidence and motivation, which in turn leads to better academic success.
The aim of the master's thesis was to conduct a biology workshop at the seaside during children's vacations in Punat with the Red Cross Maribor, Slovenia. Based on the results of the biology workshop, we wanted to check the children's interest and motivation for field work. We investigated whether the students wanted more field work than the classical lessons in the teachers' room. During the workshop, the students were given a worksheet with a questionnaire that we used to check what skills they acquired through fieldwork, what new things they learned, how often they do fieldwork and lab work in school, and whether they would like fieldwork to be done in regular classes as well. From the results of the survey, we conclude that students want more fieldwork because they are not so stressed and classes become more interesting, they socialize with their peers, and they learn something new at the same time. We found that they acquired skills through the biology workshop that they would not have acquired in the classroom.

Keywords:

Fieldwork, biological workshop, active lessons.