Consultations for educators and parents on environmental education

Consultations for educators and parents on environmental education

Consultation for educators on the topic:

“Characteristics of the main methods, techniques and means for the formation of environmental education in children of senior preschool age”

Prepared by the teacher

Salatskaya T.G.

In the formation of the ecological culture of a preschool child, an important role is played by the local history approach, which involves a comprehensive study of the nature of the native land and promotes a deeper understanding of the relationships within it, as well as between nature and society.

A comprehensive study of the nature of the native land consists of excursions, targeted walks and routes into nature, visits to the local history museum, as well as work in the local history corner, which is located in the playroom.

During excursions and walks, preschoolers collect certain material that allows them to better study their locality, their region, their region. This material, as well as information about the history, nature of the native land, minerals, water resources, flora and natural world, is contained in the local history corner. The practical activities of children, as one of the conditions for the formation of an ecological culture, are successfully carried out in environmental work, as well as in the vegetable garden and flower beds.

The next condition for the formation of the ecological culture of preschoolers is the personality of the teacher, the characteristics of which are made up of the generalized requirements imposed by the modern level of the educational system. The identification of a creative dominant in professional activity, as indicated by the research of A.S. Samborenko, Sh.A.Amonashvili, B.T. Likhachev and others, is one of the most pressing issues of modern pedagogy.

Creativity in the pedagogical activity of a preschool teacher is determined by the very specifics of the educational process, the conditions of its course, and the emergence of many unplanned situations that require immediate resolution. The teacher must creatively master and implement an educational system based on humane and personal pedagogy. He must sincerely love and be devoted to each child, feel responsible for his fate, and strive to understand each child.

The main function of a teacher is to manage the processes of learning, education, development, and formation. The teacher is called upon not to teach, but to direct teaching, not to educate, but to lead the processes of education.

A teacher is always an active creative person. His task is to position the student for pedagogical influence. The pedagogical position should be delicate and unnoticeable.

The teacher is the main figure in the pedagogical process and the decisive factor in environmental education. Three aspects of his personality determine the final result of his activities - the formation of an ecological culture. Understanding of environmental problems and the causes that give rise to them, a sense of civic responsibility for the current situation, desire and effective readiness to change it.

Professionalism and pedagogical skill: mastery of environmental education methods, understanding of the goals and objectives of environmental education, systematic implementation of a specific technology in the practice of working with children, creative search for its improvement.

General orientation and practice of a new humanistic model of education: creating a favorable atmosphere for children in kindergarten, taking care of physical and mental health, using personality-oriented methods of education.

The further strengthening of interest in nature, the development of moral and aesthetic feelings, which predetermine an active and effective position towards natural objects, depend on the educator, his focused and systematic work.

When forming an ecological culture, a complex of methodological tools and techniques is needed that, when studying nature and any communication with it, would leave a deep imprint in the child’s memory and would certainly influence feelings and consciousness.

Among the various methods of teaching and upbringing, of which there are a huge number, the following methods are considered the most effective for developing the ecological culture of preschoolers: observation. Prominent Russian psychologist S.L. Rubinshnein considers observation as the result of meaningful perception, during which the development of mental activity occurs.

Observations are a special form of knowledge of the world around children of senior preschool age. During preschool childhood, the child discovers the natural world. Supporting the natural interest of preschoolers in all living things, the teacher leads children from acquaintance with nature to understanding it, creates a desire to care for plants and animals, cultivates the foundations of ecological culture, curiosity, and the ability to admire the beauty of the natural world. And the leading significance of this method is due to the fact that in the process of observation:

. The main content of preschoolers is formed - ideas about objects and phenomena of the surrounding world;

.The method meets the cognitive capabilities of preschool children;

. Acts as an independent method. It is often combined with other methods or included in them as a technique, precedes many productive activities, etc. depending on the nature of the cognitive tasks in teaching, observations of different types are used;

. Recognizing nature, during which knowledge is formed about the properties and qualities of objects and phenomena (size, structure, shape, color, etc.), as well as about the connections of the observed object with others;

. For changing and transforming objects. This type of observation provides knowledge about processes, about objects of the surrounding world in their dynamics, interactions of a reproductive nature, when the state of an object is established based on individual characteristics, and the picture of the entire phenomenon is determined in part.

The basics of environmental education are associated with cognitive interest in natural objects and phenomena, systematic ideas about the natural world, the ability to use knowledge about the needs of a living organism for intelligent children's activities and conscious behavior in the natural environment.

Cognitive tasks are solved by children during games, examination of materials, and experiments; in the process of observing phenomena of living and inanimate nature; during the discussion of observed phenomena, as well as in productive activities, labor and other types of children's activities.

In preschool age, the process of cognition in a child occurs in an emotional and practical way. Every preschooler is a little explorer, discovering the world with joy and surprise. The child strives to be active. That is why such types of activities as experimentation and observation are the closest and most natural for a child - a preschooler.

Experiments. When carried out, the unity of knowledge, skills and abilities of preschoolers is ensured, their independence and curiosity are nurtured, this is what determines the pedagogical value of the experiments.

Working with natural history literature, fiction and popular science literature helps preschoolers clarify and consolidate their knowledge, gradually enriching them with new concepts and ideas.

Working with schematic (symbolic) sources of knowledge (tables, diagrams, modeling). What all these methods have in common is a high level of abstraction, which, given the psychological characteristics of the thinking of preschoolers, significantly limits the possibilities of their use in preschool educational institutions, but at the same time, the formation of the rudiments of logical thinking is among the most pressing tasks of the teacher.

It is advisable to include work with subject-schematic and graphic models in children’s cognitive activities. Modeling allows us to reveal important aspects and features of natural objects and demonstrate significant ecological connections in it. On this basis, children form generalized ideas and elementary concepts about nature.

Working with visual and figurative means. The formation of various realistic ideas about nature will occur successfully if the teacher constantly uses various forms of visualization. Visual-figurative means are divided into static (pictures) and dynamic (movies, filmstrips, slides). The educational value of the paintings should be noted. Looking at a well-painted picture, children experience aesthetic pleasure and a positive emotional infusion appears. Dynamic tools make it possible to expand the volume of scientific knowledge about nature and to form complex, multifaceted natural science concepts.

Verbal methods (story, conversation). Spoken word and verbal methods are consistently used when working with preschoolers. Using them in combination with other teaching methods, you can teach a child to translate specific images into verbal knowledge, and then into other specific sign systems for reflecting natural history knowledge. Verbal methods also have an independent role. The great educational and educational significance of the conversation is determined by the fact that it develops the thinking of preschoolers. The conversation opens up great opportunities for implementing an individual approach to the child; this allows the teacher to involve weak and passive children in active participation in the work.

A game. Play activity is a natural need of a preschool child. Psychologists and teachers who strive to optimize it insist on the inclusion of games in the pedagogical process. Games serve as a means of developing creative activity, thinking, the ability to analyze situations, and formulate and solve problems. Play is an emotional activity. The effectiveness of the formation of an ecological culture largely depends on the child’s emotional attitude towards nature. The teacher’s task is to “immerse” children in their favorite activity and create a favorable background for the perception of natural content. Psychologists consider play activity as a manifestation of the child’s existing positive attitude towards this content. To form an ecological culture, the most often used are simulation role-playing games that simulate a possible real situation, as well as game-based learning situations with literary characters and didactic games.

Thus, the work of a teacher will be effective if he uses these methods in combination, both in the classroom and in unregulated environmental activities. This combination is another condition for the formation of an ecological culture in preschool children. Work in this direction should be structured so that the environmental content of classes continues in unregulated activities, complements and enriches them. Clearly organized, purposeful, unregulated activity allows the use of additional information material, expands environmental horizons and concretizes knowledge.

Paying attention to methodological developments on environmental education of preschool children, it can be noted that a preschool educational institution has much greater opportunities in creating an ecological development environment.

The ecological development environment includes the correct, from an ecological point of view, organization of the natural zone indoors and on the site and a subject environment with an environmental focus.

In a preschool educational institution, it is possible to create an ecological development environment as a set of means of environmental education and training, which will be one of the main conditions for the formation of an environmental culture in preschool children. Means can be defined as an environmental object or life situation intentionally included in the educational process.

A corner of nature. Its main feature and advantage is the close proximity of its inhabitants to children. This allows the teacher to use a corner of nature throughout the school year to conduct various environmental and pedagogical events and organize various activities for preschoolers. A corner of nature allows you to develop observation skills, develop work skills and abilities. A well-equipped and well-located corner of wildlife instills aesthetic taste. Its components: animals and plants.

Preschool site. The territory where observations of plants and animals in natural conditions are organized, the importance of agrotechnical measures and adult activities for improving the living conditions of plants and animals is clarified, and skills for caring for them are developed. All this helps to expand and deepen preschoolers’ knowledge about nature and allows them to transfer theoretical knowledge to practice. Components: flower garden, vegetable garden, greenhouse, mini-farm.

Ecological trail. This is a specially equipped route into nature that solves many pedagogical and psychological problems. The objects of the ecological trail include typical and exotic woody plants, a phytogarden (garden medicinal herbs), a corner of untouched nature, and a bird column. In addition to these objects, on the trail there are places intended for the activities of children and adults (Aibolit hut, a gazebo for work, a nature museum). The ecological trail is decorated with information boards, stands, and signs. It is convenient for holding various events aimed at developing the ecological culture of preschoolers.

Didactic games, models and manuals of an environmental nature. They promote the development of memory and attention, teach children to apply existing knowledge in new conditions, and are a means of diagnosing the formation of a preschooler’s ecological culture. Creating models and manuals activates children's activities.

Library of a young naturalist. It includes a selection of books and magazines of a natural history nature. This selection includes books that help expand the environmental knowledge and horizons of a preschooler. From time to time, exhibitions of books created by children are organized.

The combination of these means in an ecological developmental environment ensures the successful formation of a preschooler’s ecological culture.

MAGAZINE Preschooler.RF

Teacher Esina Marina Aleksandrovna

MBDOU kindergarten "Belochka" Tambov, Tambov region.

When a child communicates with nature, a contradiction often arises. On the one hand, they are very interested in plants and animals, they love them, on the other hand, they show cruelty and indifference. Thus, children tear off the wings of insects and tear apart earthworms. Because of a momentary whim, children break branches of trees and bushes, tear them in armfuls and then, without regret, throw away flowering plants and trample lawns. At the same time, children do not regard their actions as a manifestation of evil.

Why is this happening? This is due, first of all, to preschoolers’ ignorance of the rules of interaction with natural objects.

On their own, it is difficult for preschoolers to see, for example, the manifestation of plant life, to understand that they, like other living beings, breathe, eat, move, and reproduce.

Therefore, adults come to the child’s aid, and in kindergarten, of course, a teacher who will help the child understand all the diversity of the world around him.

I would like to share the experience of my work in this direction, namely, what I did so that interaction with nature contributed to the formation of a friendly and correct attitude towards it in a preschooler.

Firstly, she tried to be a bearer of ecological culture and, through her behavior and actions, created a model of interaction with nature, a caring attitude towards it, and demonstrated the necessity and significance of everything that happens in front of children.

Secondly, she taught children to empathize and instilled in them an emotionally positive attitude towards nature. After all, emotions play a big role in the perception of nature, its beauty and uniqueness, as well as in showing sympathy for those who are in trouble, and a child is, as it were, “charged” with our emotions. Therefore, every time, at any opportunity, I admired natural objects and phenomena, found even the most unsightly, at first glance, object of nature and admired it. For example: I was surprised at the blue sky, white clouds and bright stars, a beautiful moth and a long worm, grass breaking through the asphalt, etc. She admired the good deeds of people, felt joy from the well-being of a living being and tried to “infect” children with this. Whenever possible, she always inserted a poetic word, and a poetic word will always leave an indelible mark in the heart of a child.

Thirdly, in no case should it be allowed that a child’s interaction with nature has a negative connotation.

And if an adult does not pay attention to this, children get used to dividing natural objects into beautiful and ugly, necessary and unnecessary, and build their attitude towards them accordingly. As a result, instead of accumulating positive emotions - surprise (for example, how interestingly a grasshopper has adapted to its environment), empathy (for example, a bug in trouble) - the child gains the experience of an indifferent or even heartless attitude towards objects that, in his opinion, are unpleasant.

The next point is introducing children to work.

Work activity must be regular. It is important for the teacher to introduce every child to it, since work in a corner of nature or in a kindergarten area contributes to the development of children’s powers of observation and curiosity, inquisitiveness, and arouses their interest in objects of nature and human labor.

In the process of working in nature, children develop knowledge about plants and animals (appearance, needs, methods of movement, habits, lifestyle, seasonal changes). Children learn to make connections between conditions, the way of life of an animal in nature and ways to care for it in a corner of nature.

When implementing environmental education, I tried to follow an integrated approach, which involves the interconnection of research activities, modeling, music, visual arts, physical education, games, theatrical activities, etc. It is this approach, in my opinion, that greens various types of child activities.

Working with parents.

A noticeable influence on the upbringing of a child is exerted by the way, level, quality and style of life of the family. Children are very sensitive to what they see around them. They behave like the adults around them.

Parents must realize that they cannot demand that their child follow any rule of behavior if adults themselves do not always follow it. For example, it is difficult to explain to children that they need to protect nature if the parents do not do this themselves. And the different demands made in kindergarten and at home can cause them confusion, resentment, or even aggression.

I work with parents in the form of meetings (general and group) in order to inform parents about joint work and stimulate their active participation in it. I invite them to classes, post a lot of visual material, and publish booklets on the topic of taking care of and protecting nature.

Now let's consider the question: how should this activity be organized in different age groups in order to realize its leading motive - the education of preschoolers in the principles of environmental culture - and achieve specific goals?

At early preschool age, children in joint activities are more observers than practical performers, and yet it is at this age that the pattern of interaction with nature is decisive: children hear and absorb the gentle conversation of an adult with animals and plants, calm and clear explanations about , what and how to do, they see the actions of the teacher and willingly take part in them. For example, having invited children to participate in watering indoor plants, the teacher says something like this: “Let's go to the window, look at our plants, talk to them and water them. (We went to the window.) Hello, flowers! How are you feeling? Are they not frozen or dry? (Examines the plants.) No, everything is fine - you are green and beautiful. Look how good our plants are, how nice it is to look at them! (Touches the soil in the pot.) Dry soil, but plants need water - they are alive, they cannot live without water! . " The teacher gives each child a watering can with a little water in it, waters everything himself, saying: “Ogonyok, we will pour a lot of water into your pot, drink as much as you want and continue to grow - we will admire you!” Children's participation in this joint activity consists of listening to the teacher's speech, observing his actions, holding watering cans, giving and receiving them, together filling them with water and putting them in place. The teacher takes care of the plants in front of the children and together with them - this is an example of interaction with nature. Learning as a didactic task is not in the foreground; it occurs by itself, naturally in the process of joint practical activity.

In the middle group, the teacher and children act together, although priority belongs to the adult, which is expressed in the formula: “I do - you help me, you are my assistants. We take care of our pets together!”

In older preschool age, children's independence rapidly increases, and it becomes possible for them to be on duty in a corner of nature. The adult and children change roles: the children do everything necessary themselves, and the teacher helps them (it doesn’t matter that the help at first can be very large). The teacher makes sure to note all the children’s achievements and praise them for their independence, confidence and initiative. Teachers who do everything themselves and do not give preschoolers the opportunity to observe and participate in creating normal conditions for the inhabitants of living corners, nature rooms, plots, develop in children indifference, callousness and inattention in general to life as a unique value.

These, in my opinion, are the basic conditions that are necessary for the environmental education of children.