SEARCHING OF INTERDISCIPLINARY RELATIONS BY EXPLORING THE PROCESS OF PHOTOSYNTHESIS

Science education is based on knowledge of natural sciences, such as biology, chemistry, physics and astronomy. One of the main tasks of natural science education – to be able to discover the connection between the natural science subjects, and to understand the nature processes and phenomena. Interdisciplinary science education emphasizes in general programs of basic and secondary education. Educational practice and research shows that not all science subjects' teachers are equally prepared to use interdisciplinarity in their lessons. This analysis focuses on the searching of interdisciplinary links by experimentally exploring the phenomenon of photosynthesis. The process of photosynthesis was selected as one of the most important phenomena of nature, known and understandable for all students at different levels. In order to reveal and highlight the essential integration links of photosynthesis three stages research (an experimental exploring of photosynthesis, a semi-structured interview survey, graph-tree drawing) was carried out. Graph-tree of photosynthesis revealed as content of physics, chemistry and biology subjects are linked by integrative relations. Quite wide and deep interdisciplinary links of photosynthesis process was discerned: knowledge of each subject needed in order to properly understand and master the process of photosynthesis was shown; the main components of photosynthesis process were excluded and aspects of the development of the concept have been provided.