THE FORMATION AND USAGE OF THOUGHT PATTERNS WITHIN THE CONTEXT OF TEACHING NATURAL SCIENCES AND TECHNOLOGY

V Diplomskem delu z naslovom »Nastanek in uporaba miselnih vzorcev v kontekstu poučevanja predmeta naravoslovje in tehnika« smo proučili stališča učiteljev in učencev do miselnih vzorcev ter njihovo uporabo v pedagoškem procesu, natančneje pri predmetu naravoslovje in tehnika v drugem triletju devetletne osnovne šole. Predmet naravoslovje in tehnika je kompleksen predmet, saj je nadgradnja predmeta spoznavanje okolja in se v višjih razredih še nadgrajuje. Ker je zelo raznolik in pester, omogoča, da so tudi miselni vzorci raznoliki in pestri. Uporaba miselnih vzorcev pri naravoslovju in tehniki je priporočljiva in smiselna, kajti učna snov sčasoma postaja obsežnejša, miselni vzorci pa učencem omogočajo lažje učenje in učinkovitejšo zapomnitev nove snovi. Hkrati jih navaja na tak način dela, da jim postane bolj praktičen in se zaradi izkušenj za uporabo miselnih vzorcev odločajo tudi kasneje v življenju. Uporabo miselnih vzorcev predmet omogoča v vseh etapah učnega procesa. V teoretičnem delu je opisano, kaj so miselni vzorci, kakšen je potek njihovega nastajanja in na kaj vse moramo biti pozorni pri izdelavi, da dobimo čim bolj kakovosten in uporabnejši miselni vzorec. Prav tako je opisano, kako lahko miselne vzorce uporabljamo pri pouku in kako jih uvajamo ter približamo učencem. Omenjene so vse prednosti v primerjavi z ustaljenimi zapiski ter vse koristi tako učenja kot tudi poučevanja z njihovo pomočjo. Opredeljen pa je tudi sam predmet naravoslovje in tehnika. V empiričnem delu naloge smo s pomočjo anonimnega anketnega vprašalnika pri učiteljih proučili vlogo starosti oziroma trajanja delovne dobe na uporabo miselnih vzorcev pri pouku, pri učencih pa vlogo spola pri uporabi miselnih vzorcev za učenje. Prav tako smo proučili pomen oziroma vlogo lokacije šole (mestna ali primestna) na rabo miselnih vzorcev pri pouku in vpliv učiteljev na učence na tem področju. Rezultati so pokazali, da v odgovorih učiteljev na zastavljena vprašanja glede na trajanje njihove delovne dobe ni opaziti večjih razlik. Prav tako ni razlik v odgovorih glede na lokacijo šole (mestna ali primestna), na kateri anketirani učitelji poučujejo. Razliko je bilo opaziti le v pogostosti uporabe miselnih vzorcev in njihovem načinu uporabe. Tudi v odgovorih po vprašanjih učencem glede na spol in lokacijo šole ne obstajajo velike razlike. Nekoliko več razlik je opaziti le v poznavanju miselnih vzorcev in v motiviranosti za njihovo uporabo.The diploma thesis entitled »The Formation and Usage of Thought Patterns within the Context of Teaching Natural Sciences and Technology« analyses the teachers\u27 and pupils\u27 standpoint regarding thought patterns and their use in the teaching process, especially focusing on natural sciences and technology class during the second three-year cycle of primary school. The subject natural sciences and technology is complex since it can be defined as an upgrade of environmental education and becomes even more demanding towards the end of primary school. As it is diverse and varied, the thought patterns tend to be marked by those characteristics as well. Their use in natural sciences and technology class is recommended and reasonable as the school curriculum is becoming more extensive. Such patterns, however, facilitate the study process and pupils are more likely to remember the newly acquired information. Simultaneously, it accustoms them to this kind of studying, they experience it to be more practical and therefore decide to use thought patterns in the future. The mentioned subject encourages their use in each phase of the learning process. The theoretical part includes a definition of thought patterns, their origins and factors that have to be taken into consideration in order to create the most qualitative and useful one. Provided are descriptions regarding their use in class, how they should be initiated, brought closer to the pupils. Moreover, the mentioned part discusses the advantages of thought patterns in comparison with the standard method of taking notes and states all benefits in the studying and teaching process. Also included is a definition of natural sciences and technology. The empirical part is based on an anonymous questionnaire to determine whether a teacher’s age or years of service influence the use of thought patterns in class or if a pupil’s gender is relevant for their use during the study process. Furthermore, we have analyzed whether a school’s location (urban or rural) influences the use of thought patterns in class and the extent of a teacher’s impact on pupils within the mentioned area. The results have proven that the answers regarding a teacher’s years of service and a school’s location (urban or rural) did not show any significant differences, while one could be observed when discussing the frequency of thought patterns and the way of using them. There are no significant deviations among the answers regarding a pupil’s gender or a school’s location, nevertheless, some appeared when they were asked questions about their knowledge of thought patterns and motivation to use them