This work examines the inclusion of degraded, functionally devalued land (slo. Funkcionalno razvrednotena območja) as a teaching topic in geography lessons. The thesis is divided into a theoretical review of collected sources and literature, and a practical part that summarizes the results and findings following the implementation of lessons on the chosen topic in selected schools. In the theoretical part, land is first defined as a non-renewable natural resource, and the concepts of degraded and functionally devalued areas are explained. The relevance of such land is emphasized in the context of sustainable spatial development, along with a brief overview of the development of monitoring these areas in Slovenia. An analysis of curricula as well as textbooks and workbooks showed that the chosen topic is not directly addressed in school literature. However, existing goals related to sustainable development and responsible land use provide suitable entry points for its inclusion. In preparing the practical part, lessons on the chosen topic were prepared, and subsequently carried out in practice at selected schools. Student surveys regarding their awareness of the topic were conducted before and after the presentation. The results demonstrated that students gained a better understanding of the significance of land as a finite resource and expressed greater appreciation for active learning approaches, particularly fieldwork. Teachers' feedback further confirmed the potential of the topic in geography, although acknowledging that despite a growing awareness of the topic, it has so far been rarely integrated into practice due to time constraints and the lack of explicit lesson plans regarding the said topic in existing curricula. The thesis concludes that the integration of the chosen topic into geography lessons contributes to shaping students' responsible attitude toward space and strengthens their understanding of the connection between sustainable development and spatial planning.
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