Project-based teaching in science subjects

Abstract

The new educational system uses a duplex curriculum model, thus offering enough room for new effective methods for developing a pupil’s key competences. This article concerns project-based education, especially in science subjects in the second stage of primary school. In the first part, we are introduced to a theoretical and historical analysis of project-based educational concepts. It highlights differences in American pragmatic, Czechoslovak reformist, and contemporary Czech pedagogies. Further, it presents the partial results of a survey which was conducted in the 2008/2009 school year. A sample of 180 primary schools participated in the survey. The main part of the survey was a questionnaire addressed to teachers of physics, chemistry, biology and geography. The most important aim was to establish common characteristics of implemented projects and teachers’ attitudes to project work. The survey is focused only on projects created by teachers or students of a school in question.
The survey concludes that 88% of schools implemented at least one project. Schools prefer short projects that last one week in total, which are implemented in one class only and within the framework of one science subject. Most of them are prepared and organized by one teacher only. The main reason is minimal communication among teachers in school and the difficult organization of the project work.