NATURAL SCIENCE EDUCATION HISTORY: RELEVANCE ASPECT

Abstract

In the latter years education in Lithuania has been analysed in various aspects. However, it is obvious that almost all research works are focused on analysis of nowadays problems, sometimes not escaping certain prognostic elements (future education insight). This is certainly a good thing. However, concentrating attention only to present, the experience is forgotten which Lithuanian teachers, researchers accumulated earlier. It can be safely stated, that natural education experience in Lithuania is abundant, however very poorly investigated. Since 1995 only a few reports devoted to natural science education history questions have been presented in annually held national practical conferences „Natural Science Education at a General School“. Over that period totally 442 articles on various natural science education questions were published. Only 8 articles (1, 8 %) deal with historical natural science education aspects. Comprehensive school natural science teachers could devote more attention to these questions as well. Quite a big help could provide history teachers. As it is known, many comprehensive schools have ethnographical or school history museums. It is probable, that valuable material on natural science education history might be found in these museums. Such material must be systematized and publicized. Pupils might be included into such an activity applying project or other activity forms. Experience about natural science subject teaching / learning at different levels and types accumulated over a long period of time in Lithuanian educational institutions should be systematized, stored, analysed. It is without doubt, that this experience is unique, because Lithuanian education system was influenced by various didactic trends. Finally, over the last two decades various “imported” ideas and experiences have been admired too much forgetting at the same time about the own one. After all, the ideas which were checked over a long period of time and remained, practical experience, teaching / learning approaches and technologies become didactics classic.