Realization of the interactive strategies in the process of geography education

The ongoing primary and secondary education reform in Lithuania unfolds more and more the deepest essence of education policy. We have an occasion to examine its prospect and viability. Variety of education technologies increasingly determine the quality of education, diversity of process organization and freedom of choice. Therefore in my study besides common education technology concept I examine in more detail facilities of active/interactive education technology. The problem of this study content is: How teachers of geography in Lithuania understand the notion of interactive strategies and their expression in the process of geography education, and whether it is possible to implement interactive strategies during geography lessons? Object of the study is the process of geography education, and a subject of research is interactive strategies of geography education. A purpose of the study is to investigate the expression potentiality of the educational technology, as a premise of interactive teaching, in the process of geography education. The following tasks were set seeking to serve the purpose of the study: to traverse the conception of educational technology and to introduce its theoretical grounds; to highlight contemporary educational technologies as premises of active teaching; to traverse the content of geography education in eighth form on the grounds of interactive learning strategies; to estimate sophistication of teachers in the sphere of educational technology and facilities for expression of active educational strategies in the content of geography education; to test experimentally the possibilities of implementation of specific interactive strategies during geography lessons; to formulate recommendations. The practical meaning of this study is active educational technologies were systemized and the methodology of their realization was prepared, also specific examples of interactive strategies were given. While writing this research paper I have been using the following research methods: analysis of scientific literature and documents, poll using questionnaire, descriptive, statistical data analysis. After I traversed interactive educational technologies, I came to the following conclusions: educational technologies are conceived as scientifically based models, which allow us to attain good results, while the purpose of educational technologies is to ascertain the laws of educational process, and means which determine optimal result of education. Educational technology is not a rigorous notion, and various authors propose diverse classifications of educational technologies in different literature. After I traversed interactive strategies I got the following results: preconceived impressions, mind map, patchwork, preconceived landmark, notion and definition scheme, structured records and analysis of semantic characteristic, and it is recommended to use them in the content of geography education. I was examining of teachers sophistication in the area of educational technology and the expression of active educational strategies in the content of geography education using questionnaire and it was ascertained that teachers are familiar with traditional methods of active education but they use it unsatisfactorily in the process of teaching. The results of the study allow us to take assumptions that this is determined by: poor material facilities of the schools, deficient competence of the teachers, sometimes reluctance and lack of time additionally prepare for lessons. Interactive technologies which were tested in school during experiment may be qualitatively implemented while teaching geography. These teaching strategies help to form more qualitatively practical and specific abilities of pupils, and to organize more creatively the content of geography education.Švietimo akademijaVytauto Didžiojo universiteta