Anthropocene

Course: Children discover the plants in their environment

Botany – geology – agriculture

Admission requirements

STEOP, at least 100 ECTS-CP

Semester: 7

Orientation

Anthropocene

Focus

Encounters with nature

Aim

Bringing pupils closer to the direct and indirect environment in the sense of global responsibility and education for sustainable development is a core task of general studies at the primary level. The focus of this course is on the consolidation of acquired basic knowledge in the subject areas of botany, geology, and agriculture. On the basis of selected habitats, different subject didactic methods of dealing with basic questions of the human–nature relationship are developed in order to stimulate transformative learning processes in pupils.

Content

• Plants in the (in)direct environment (consolidation in the areas of biodiversity, native and non-native plant species; development from pollen to plant: different forms of seed dispersal using selected examples, plant germination)
• Adaptation of flora to seasonal change, environmental conditions, and climate change (phenology and hibernation strategies)
• Regional soil types (e.g. wet, loess, sandy soils) and their characteristics over time as well as their influence on (agricultural) cultivation
• Conventional and organic agriculture in a changing climate: Food production; national, international and global foodways; economics and mobility, consumer behaviour, regionality and regional products
• Consolidation of biological and subject didactic models for cooperative forms of learning and self-directed learning (observation and determination, experimenting and researching); demonstration experiments, project teaching, learning scenarios with a focus on the human-nature relationship; learning at primary experience sites to promote transformative learning processes
• English-language factual texts suitable for children on encounters with nature, ecological and biological contexts, and responsible behaviour towards nature