SCHOOL AND LESSONS BEYOND ITS BOUNDARIES: SCHOOL YEAR EXPERIENCES OF PRE-SERVICE PRIMARY SCHOOL TEACHERS

Abstract

The study examined the school experiences of pre-service primary school teachers (N - 39) about learning in non-traditional educational environments/settings. Based on the autobiographical memory paradigm. This is important in studies, because later, based on the experience of students, knowledge and understanding of educational environments and their use in teaching natural sciences in primary school is expanded and deepened. A two-part task was assigned to the participants: Students were asked to: 1) recall their school and draw a picture of it; 2) recall lessons they learned outside of the classroom, such as in a yard, park, or other educational setting, and provide a brief description of those experiences. After analysing their memories, the participants were able to choose which form - child, young person or adult, woman or man - they would give to the school in order to best reflect the culture of the time and to express the feelings of the former students. The drawing was asked to be accompanied by a short comment to ensure that it was correctly understood by the group mates. The survey shows that students are more likely to share positive than negative experiences of their school years. Pre-service teachers benefit from looking back on their school years as they consider how to modify the educational process to fit the needs of diverse students and consider the role of a teacher, which includes being an investigator of students' learning and not being frightened of innovation or change. Keywords: autobiographical memory, educational environments, pre-service teachers, outdoor learning.