In the preschool period, there is some great emphasis mostly on early literacy of children and developing pre-reading skills. Preschool children should be taught chemical contents appropriately because knowing some of the basic chemical conceptions in preschool period is necessary also for the children. In the curriculum for kindergartens, the field of learning about nature is emphasized. The field directs teachers into the research of basic findings of the human, nature and natural phenomena. Teachers, thus, aim there the activities in general and superficial knowledge of certain contents from the field of natural sciences. In the process, they forget that mandatory part of natural sciences is chemistry also. Without the chemistry (with the help of physics and biology), there would be no natural sciences. Therefore, it is appropriate to present chemistry, its basics, basic conceptions, and its significance for our lives, to the children. By research and discovering chemical contents, the children form basic knowledge on the topic how nature works, what are the components of the environment we live in, and why things are such as we see them. Thus, they acquire different and more profound world view, view of nature and interactions within it.
In the master’s thesis, various approaches to teaching chemistry are defined theoretically in a professional manner. The significance of chemical contents in preschool period is emphasized, as well as the role of the teacher in presenting chemical contents. The development of conceptions in preschool period is defined. On the basis of the theoretical analysis of professional literature, various views, approaches, and methods of educational work in the field of chemistry in preschool period are presented in the master’s thesis. On the described basis, the research will be performed. The basic research question of the master’s thesis is whether educational approaches and forms of work which demand child’s active participation enable better knowing of chemical conceptions in children in preschool period, opposite to the ex-cathedra work. In the process, the time impact on the preservation of newly constructed knowledge and the influence of age of the children on the understanding of the chemical conceptions are researched.
On the basis of the acquired results, the model of educational work is prepared. It includes directives for teaching the chemical conceptions on the preschool level. On the basis of the model, the teachers enable children not only knowing different chemical conceptions but also their understanding and the appropriate use in other situations. Thus, firm foundations in the field of chemistry are assured to the children. This is the basis for further development of chemical knowledge and knowledge of natural sciences.
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