Innovative Teaching Systems in Teaching about Nature and Society at the Level of Initial Education

Abstract

In contrast to classical teaching, innovative teaching about nature and society is based on innovative teaching systems and innovative didactic-methodical systems by which teaching is planned, implemented, and evaluated in reverse design. The goal of this conducted research is to identify teachers' assessments of their familiarity with innovative teaching systems and of their participation in the nature and society lessons that they implement. The research was based on the assumptions that teachers estimate that innovative teaching systems are important for the effective implementation of teaching content in teaching about nature and society, but that they use them insufficiently in teaching about nature and society for various reasons: it takes a lot of time to prepare the lesson, insufficient professional training, lack of material resources, children's lack of interest in work, etc. To determine this, in the first half of the 2022/2023 school year, on a sample of 109 teachers employed in primary schools in the area of Zlatibor district (Serbia), the research presented in this paper was conducted. Data collected by Scaler – IEC-CNS and processed with descriptive statistics showed that teachers estimate that they are insufficiently familiar with innovative teaching systems and that they apply them insufficiently in teaching about nature and society. It was also determined that the most common reasons for the insufficient application of innovative teaching systems in teaching about nature and society are lack of time, insufficient professional training, lack of material resources, and insufficient training of teachers. Based on the obtained results, research conclusions and pedagogical implications are given. It is necessary to train teachers for familiarization with innovative teaching systems and planning, implementation, and evaluation of innovative teaching according to innovative didactic-methodical teaching systems in reverse design by attending training programs and acquiring knowledge through independent self-education.