ACTION RESEARCH IN TEACHING OF GEOGRAPHY

Abstract

It is essential that teachers of geography attempt to explore the possibilities and efficiency (primarily in terms of active teaching). The application of the school geographical polygons in teaching geography and related sciences continues. There is no doubt that the geographic polygons have an important role in the development of functional knowledge of students. However, in Serbia, there are only isolated examples of several planning school geographical polygons. Оorganization of teaching in geographical equipped laboratories outdoors are particularly concerned with methodologists in the former USSR and Russia, the theoretical analysis of the role of teaching geography an "open sky", which represent a significant source of information and idea. There are examples of practical action i.e. planning geographical polygons in schoolyards. There are positive examples of equipping geographical polygons in some schools in Serbia, which certainly affects the modernization and adaptation of geography teaching contemporary needs of students.

Some schools in Serbia have in their schoolyards one or two elements that can be found on the geographic polygons (usually solar clocks and / or signposts), which can act as a good incentive for teachers of geography to encourage the implementation of the other elements of geographical polygons backyard these schools. Some of these schools are: "Banovic Strahinja" elementary school in Belgrade, "Žikica Jova nović-Hispanic" and "Andrija Rašo" elementary schools in Valjevo, "Sonja Marinkovic" elementary school in Zrenjanin and high school center in the town of Strpce in the far south of Serbia etc. One way to achieve this is to use an approach that is oriented to practical work, micro research, action research and field work. Such an approach, however, is not easy to implement because the practical part of the program at the school does not have the necessary equipment, which prevents organizing practical work and direct observation of nature.

Geographical polygon is a kind of geographical laboratory under the open-sky. The main objective of the school geographical polygon is acquiring practical skills in teaching and learning geography. The polygon can contain various instruments, especially those for the formation of the spatial pre-bet instruments used in the formation of spatial orientation skills, astronomical equipment, meteorological equipment, etc.