Observation as the main method of environmental education for preschool children

Observation as the main method of environmental education for preschool children

Observation as the main method of environmental education

Teaching methods are ways of joint activities between the teacher and children, during which the formation of knowledge, abilities and skills, as well as attitude towards the surrounding nature, is carried out. In the process of environmental education in a preschool institution, teaching methods such as visual, practical, and verbal are used. Visual methods include observation, looking at paintings, demonstrating models, movies, filmstrips, etc. Visual methods most fully correspond to the possibilities of cognitive activity of preschool children and allow them to form vivid, concrete ideas about nature. Among the various methods of environmental education of preschoolers, an important place should be given to observation. Its essence lies in the sensory knowledge of natural objects, in their knowledge through various forms of perception - visual, auditory, tactile, kinesthetic, olfactory, etc.

Observation is a specially organized by the teacher, purposeful, more or less long-term and systematic, active perception by children of objects and natural phenomena. The purpose of observation can be the assimilation of various knowledge - establishing the properties and qualities, structure and external structure of objects, the reasons for the change and development of objects (plants, animals), seasonal phenomena. To successfully achieve the goal, the teacher thinks through and uses special techniques that organize the active perception of children: asks questions, offers to examine, compare objects with each other, establish connections between individual objects and natural phenomena. The meaning of observations. The observation method in environmental education of preschool children is the main one. The need and significance of its use are associated, first of all, with the nature of the knowledge available to preschool children. The main stock of knowledge accumulated by a child in preschool age is ideas, i.e. images of previously perceived objects and phenomena. The more specific and vivid the idea, the easier it is for the child to use it in practical and cognitive activities. And this requires frequent direct meetings with nature, observation of its objects and phenomena. Observation allows children to show nature in natural conditions in all its diversity, in the simplest, clearly presented relationships. Many connections and relationships of natural phenomena are accessible to direct observation and visible. Knowledge of connections and relationships forms the elements of a materialistic worldview of nature. The systematic use of observation in the process of environmental education teaches children to notice its features and leads to the development of observation, and therefore, the solution of one of the most important tasks of mental education. Observation of nature is also an inexhaustible source of aesthetic impressions and emotional impact on children. The inclusion of various senses in the process of observation ensures the completeness and specificity of the knowledge being formed. Observation must be accompanied by precise speech from the teacher and children so that the acquired knowledge is assimilated. Since observation requires concentrated voluntary attention, the teacher must regulate it in time, volume and content. There are the following classifications of observations: 1. types of observations according to the nature of cognitive tasks; 2. types of observations by duration; 3. types of observations by number of children. Types of observations according to the nature of cognitive tasks. 1. Analyzing or recognizing observations. The purpose of these observations is to form in children ideas about the diversity of plants and animals, objects of inanimate nature, to recognize the characteristics of certain objects, their properties, characteristics, and qualities. 2. Observation of the growth and development of plants and animals, as well as changes in inanimate nature. The purpose of these observations is to generate knowledge about the stages of growth and development of plants and animals, seasonal changes in nature. 3. Recreative observations. The purpose of these observations is to develop the ability to establish (recreate) a whole phenomenon or natural object based on its individual characteristics (parts). For example, to determine by color whether a fruit is ripe or unripe, by a fallen seed, which tree it belongs to, by the trail - which animal has passed, etc. Types of observations by duration: 1. short-term; 2. long-lasting. Types of observations by number of children: 1. frontal; 2. group; 3. individual. General requirements for organizing surveillance. Each type of observation requires a kind of guidance from the teacher. At the same time, there are general requirements for conducting all types of observations: 1. The purpose and task of the observation must be set clearly and specifically. In all cases, the task should be educational in nature, force the child to think, remember, and look for an answer to the question posed. 2. For each observation, the teacher needs to select a small circle of knowledge. Children's ideas about natural objects are formed gradually, as a result of repeated encounters with them. Each observation should give children new knowledge, gradually expanding and deepening their initial ideas. 3. The organization of observations should be systematic, which will ensure their interconnection. As a result, children will form a complete, deep understanding of the surrounding nature. 4. Observation should contribute to the development of children’s mental and speech activity. Activation of mental activity is achieved by a variety of techniques: setting a specific and accessible observation task, using survey actions as a method of observation, drawing on children's experience, pronouncing the results of observation, comparing one object with another, presenting questions of varying degrees of complexity. 5. Observation should arouse children’s interest in nature, the desire to learn as much as possible about it. 6. The knowledge acquired by children during the observation process should be consolidated, clarified, generalized and systematized using other methods and forms of work. These methods can be a teacher telling a story, reading a book about nature, drawing and modeling, keeping nature calendars, talking about what they saw. 7. As a result of each observation, children should form an idea or an elementary concept about a particular object or natural phenomenon. 8. In the process of observation, it is necessary to remember about cultivating an emotionally positive and competent attitude towards nature as a whole. Preparing for observation. The teacher must: – determine the place of observation in the system of upcoming work; – content of knowledge, skills and abilities in accordance with the program; – choose an object for observation (plant, animal, inanimate object), which should be interesting for children and at the same time accessible to perception; - think over the organization of children - how to place them so that the object is clearly visible to everyone, so that you can freely approach it and act with it (feed, play, etc.); – prepare all the items necessary during observation (thermometer, magnifying glass, bowls of food, water for observing animals, etc.). Guide observations in different age groups. Younger age. When thinking through the organization and management of children’s observations, the teacher needs to take into account the characteristics of mental processes and the level of cognitive activity of children. It is known that the attention of young children is attracted by bright, moving objects. Therefore, it is better to organize the first observations of animals rather than plants. At this age, children do not yet know how to keep the goal set for them, accurately follow the plan proposed to them, or summarize the observation. The volume of generated ideas is quite limited. In this regard, at the beginning of observation, the main task of the teacher is to attract the children’s attention to the object. You can use a variety of surprise gaming techniques. For example, unexpectedly bring an animal to the group, or you can interest the kids with the help of puppet theater characters and funny toys. Then an examination of the object is organized. Considering that children’s attention is primarily attracted by the actions of the animal, the teacher uses various techniques to encourage it to engage in active behavior (feeding, playing), and then draws the children’s attention to how the animal eats and looks at what sounds it makes. The teacher asks the children questions, encouraging them to name this or that action. In this regard, examination techniques are of great importance. Examination of objects helps to identify their sensory attributes. For example, in order for kids to know what kind of fur a kitten has, they are asked to gently stroke it and determine whether it is fluffy or smooth. The teacher also uses imitation of movements and sounds. For example, he invites children to fold their palms and move them like a fish with its tail, meow like a kitten, etc. In the second half of the year, comparison can be used during observation in the younger group. The teacher selects two animals or plants and offers to compare them. You can compare a living object with the image in the picture. The main task of comparison is to establish signs of difference between one object and another. Kids will see that animals and plants differ from each other in size, color, pattern of movement, etc. Questions asked of young children should be of a reproductive nature, i.e. When teaching children, the teacher clearly poses the question, directing their attention to signs, for example: “Who?, What?, What color?, Look at the sparrow and dove: which one is bigger?” From the age of three, individual search actions can be included in observation. For example, while feeding a kitten, offer it different food: meat, fish, vegetables - and after observing, ask the children what the kitten likes to eat most. At the end of the observation, in order to enhance the emotional impression of children from communicating with animals or plants, it is advisable to sing them a song, read a poem related to the topic of observation, or play a game where the corresponding character acts. Observations of animals and plants in younger groups should be carried out repeatedly. It is useful to repeat them both with the whole group and with small subgroups and even individually. It is very good if observations are associated with play or visual activity. Average age. Pupils in the middle group already have some stock of specific ideas about nature. Looking at surrounding objects, they are able to perceive them in detail. However, independent observation at this age is still imperfect. Children cannot identify characteristic features of difference or see common features in several objects. Pupils in the middle group gradually learn to accept the observation task set by the teacher. And if this task coincides with practical activity, then it is perceived quite easily, for example: “The hamster will live with us, we will learn to care for it.” During observation, children listen to the teacher’s questions and, following the plan given by him, examine the object. As a result of observation, with targeted guidance, each of them can create a holistic image of the observed object and give its verbal description. The increased perception capabilities of five-year-old children make it possible to complicate the content of observation. Children are taught to consider not only animals, but also plants, and they can offer both one and two objects at the same time. Now, during observation, each child (or a small group of 2-3 people) receives an object (or several) for individual consideration. This is the so-called observation using handouts. Starting from the middle group, long-term observation of the development and growth of animals and plants is organized. The scope of ideas that are formed during observation in the middle group also expands significantly. Children continue to be introduced to the appearance features of some plants and animals, the components and characteristic features of each of them are highlighted. By watching animals, children also learn about how they move, what they eat, and where they live. Gradually, preschoolers begin to understand some connections and relationships between natural objects. On this basis, it becomes possible to develop knowledge about some adaptations of animals and plants to the environment. Observation in the middle group begins with the teacher setting a cognitive task, which often coincides with practical activity, for example: “We will look at a sparrow and we will draw it.” During observation, the teacher uses various techniques to help him focus the children’s attention on the features of appearance and on establishing the necessary connections and relationships. One important technique is asking questions to children. For children of middle preschool age, they are not only reproductive in nature, i.e. questions aimed at clarifying knowledge about the main parts of objects and their features: Who is this? What color is the fur? What shape is the body? Questions are asked aimed at children establishing elementary connections and relationships between natural objects, so-called search questions, for example: why does the telescope fish swim slowly, and the guppy swim quickly? Why does a hamster climb ladders so deftly? Particular attention should be paid to developing in children the ability to talk about the results of observation. To this end, the teacher thinks through techniques that activate children’s speech: asks the same question in different versions to different children, suggests pronouncing difficult and new words in chorus, chooses the most accurate designation of a feature from two or three proposed by the teacher, etc. Children are taught to compare objects based on differences and similarities. In the middle group, they begin to use stories from children’s personal experiences. For example, a teacher asks a child to remember what color the bark of a birch tree is, how he helps take care of the pets (plants) he has at home, etc. This technique contributes to the emergence of interest in observation, the desire to share experienced impressions, and the formation of generalized ideas about animals. During observation in the middle group, it is recommended to use artistic words - these are riddles, songs, nursery rhymes, poems related to the content of the lesson. The teacher can invite the children to remember the poems they know and read them to their peers. Pupils of the middle group begin to master simple ways of caring for plants and animals, therefore, during observation, the teacher can ask them to perform simple labor actions. Children need to form a clear idea of ​​the observed object, knowledge of some ways to care for it, and a caring attitude. Therefore, when completing the observation, you should use questions to find out how the children acquired knowledge. Questions need to be formulated in such a way that they are interesting to the children and lead to a generalization of the knowledge gained. For example: “Tell me how we will take care of the rabbit” or “How will you recognize a bullfinch if you see it on the street?” The result of observation can also be the practical activities of children: reflection of the observed object in a drawing, caring for it in a corner of nature, older age. At older preschool age, children are able not only to accept a cognitive task set by an adult, but also to independently set it during a variety of activities: play, work, and visual arts. Quite often, independent task setting in older preschool age is also associated with cognitive activity and the emergence of questions and contradictions during its course. The surveillance is becoming more and more systematic. Children can draw up a simple observation plan themselves and act in accordance with it. The children's perception becomes more dismembered (differentiated). Under the guidance of the teacher, preschoolers identify in objects characteristics that are characteristic and significant for their entire group. On this basis, it is possible to form a generalization. It is also characteristic of observation that children can examine an object not in isolation, but in the system of its connections with the outside world: place and habitat, adaptation to the environment. In the older group, the teacher introduces children to new objects that can be observed in the immediate environment, and to those that live in other climatic zones. Children continue to be introduced to the appearance features and lifestyle of animals (movement, nutrition, habitat, seasonal adaptations, protection from enemies, growth and development). At the same time, an important task that the teacher solves is to establish connections between the appearance of the animal, its lifestyle and habitat. The formation of more complex knowledge in children of senior preschool age requires the teacher to both complicate the organization’s methodology and conduct observation. Observation begins by setting a cognitive task for children, for example: “Today we will look at parrots to learn how to care for them.” Then the teacher offers to talk about the appearance of a natural object, and you can use models. He asks additional questions only in case of difficulties. Search questions aimed at establishing connections and relationships are widely used: why does a parrot have a short, strong, hook-shaped beak? What kind of food can a parrot eat? Why does a parrot easily climb the walls of its cage? When organizing observation, it is necessary to strive to ensure that the children’s examination actions are conscious. To this end, survey activities are used to verify impressions obtained during observation. The teacher, with the help of questions, encourages children to understand the method of acquiring knowledge: how did you find out about this? Check it out. Labor activities are widely used to ensure the development of skills and abilities in caring for plants and animals. It is necessary to use riddles, poems, and interesting stories in the observation process, as all this helps to expand the knowledge of preschoolers. The main tendency in the cognitive activity of children in the seventh year of life is the desire for generalization. This is explained by the fact that the children’s ability to see significant signs in objects and natural phenomena has increased. Observation becomes more independent. The teacher’s task is to form generalized elementary concepts in the process of observation, to lead children to understand increasingly complex patterns that exist in nature, and to foster independence. When organizing observations with children of this age, the teacher selects material that contributes to the systematization and generalization of knowledge, helping to see significant signs in objects and natural phenomena. Based on the identification of these essential, general features, children form elementary concepts: “animals”, “plants”, “living”, “non-living”, “winter”, “summer”, etc. The teacher helps students see the general patterns between the habitat and the appearance of plants and animals, between the conditions of existence and their needs, way of life.

Definition

Observation is a set of actions of an object that participates in the process itself, without requiring the intervention of the observer. The purpose of observation is to identify certain factors that dissipate in the subjects during the experiment.

Observation is a research method.

First of all, it is worth considering the advantages and disadvantages of this method.

• Advantages: it is possible to identify the preservation of the experiment in natural conditions, the use of various means to identify the most accurate results.
• Disadvantages include subjectivity, waste of time, as well as the periodic inability of the researcher himself to take part in the experiment and correct the behavior of the subjects.

Examples include observations such as “Mystery Shopping” or other social experiments.

We can conclude that observation is a research method that allows one to evaluate the behavior of subjects and is aimed at identifying any factor occurring in the natural habitat of a person or animal.

Observation in psychology and sociology is distinguished by classifications and types. Let's look at the observation technique and the observation method itself in psychology.