Interdisciplinarity Environmental Education 2
Regarding the advantages offered by the development of interdisciplinarity, which are also taken from J. Fiallo, the importance of this process was analyzed since it eliminates the boundaries between disciplines, enables the increase of motivation in students, as well as an interrelation between the concepts that are developed, and the definitions with which the student operates, also allowing the systematization of skills and educating a logical, reflective and integrative thinking while arousing the interest of teachers and fostering better working relationships between them.
The excursion is selected as the form of organization to be analyzed in this conference based on the potential it presents in the development of interdisciplinarity, and the level of complexity it possesses based on the development of its stages in its use in secondary education.
The educational excursion provides us with the opportunity to develop a form of organization common to Biology and Geography which, based on its interdisciplinary nature, allows for the understanding of the complexity of objective reality and thus the possibility of being able to comprehensively solve any of the complex problems that it poses.
It is important that when analyzing each of the elements that characterize the excursion, the teacher establishes the corresponding relationships with the characteristics that this form of organization presents in the teaching and learning process of Geography.
It should be mentioned that this is a type of teaching activity that takes place outside the classroom, under the direction of the teacher, and that its implementation allows for the observation of the relationship of organisms in their environment. This highlights the interdisciplinary nature inherent in the subject, since we cannot observe the elements of nature in isolation, but rather in the evident interrelation that exists between them. It is necessary to direct the students' attention to the unity that constitutes nature and its transformations into concrete forms.
Another characteristic element that warrants attention is the broad potential it presents for environmental education, a curricular strategy that should be addressed from all disciplines, especially those related to Natural Sciences. In this sense, it should be clear in the analysis that the Biology teacher has in the field trip a useful tool that should not be overlooked, in the development of students' emotions, aesthetic feelings, love and interest in the knowledge of nature, as well as its protection. For this, the teacher should consider, among other aspects, the use of developmental methods that lead to reflection, research, and exploration of the environment.
These methods used should prepare students for their orientation in the field and to observe, differentiate and establish relationships between the phenomena that occur in nature, based on the relationships established between the biotic, abiotic and socioeconomic elements in the geographical environment.
In terms of their structure, the similarities are remarkable, as we can appreciate coincidences in the stages they include, the time they consume, and the events that take place during their completion.
Regarding the stages involved in preparing a field trip, it is crucial to emphasize the importance of meticulously structuring the plan and its place within the overall organizational framework. Both within the unit and the program, the relationship between the trip's content and the lesson should be established, and its corresponding didactic functions should be clearly defined. It is advisable to develop a system of questions that can only be answered during the trip and to distribute the observation and data collection tasks accordingly.
At this stage, the teacher should gather information about the location where the activity will take place, from a geographical, social, historical, and economic perspective; examine the terrain if it is a nature excursion; locate objects and work areas; specify the route to follow in the area; and determine where the different stops will be made for supplementary explanations, observations, and collections.
It is vitally important that the teacher ensures adequate motivation and prior guidance for their students to allow for the correct development of this.
Special attention should be paid to the ways in which the results are presented, which should conclude with a general conversation, thus promoting a comprehensive evaluation of the teaching and learning process.
Excursions can be of different types depending on the objective, the content, and the available conditions.
It is important that at this time, the Didactics professor also illustrates with an example of a teaching excursion that can be carried out in secondary education and in this way strengthen the work of the main integrating discipline both in the development of work practice and in the investigative aspect.
This is demonstrated through the following stages:
In the preparation stage for the excursion:
The teacher must take into account all the aspects discussed above, and specifically:
To intentionally promote interdisciplinary relationships as a determining aspect in the study of biodiversity.
Pay attention to the interests, needs, experiences and backgrounds of students that allow their active and transformative participation.
To promote cognitive independence and the student's leading role in the study process.
The second stage is the development of the excursion, which can include end-of-year trips:
The following elements will be taken into account:
- Physical-geographical characterization of the area.
- Assessment of species representativeness.
- Socio-historical, cultural and economic characterization of the park.
- Evaluation and projection of conservation actions.
- Third stage: Evaluation and control
As a conclusion to the field trip, the teacher will lead a discussion where students will share their ideas about the relationship between the characteristics of the observed organisms and their geographical environment, as well as the measures we should take for their protection and conservation. The sketches they created will be presented during the discussion.
Based on the presentation of the prepared reports, a quantitative and qualitative evaluation will be conducted.
