ANALYSIS OF EXPERIENCE IN ENVIRONMENTAL PROJECT TEACHING USING ESSAY AS A FEEDBACK

Models of hydrogen-cars and current fuel cell topic are getting just very slowly into Slovak secondary school teaching of chemistry. The research therefore focus on different ways of suitable utilising of the model in chemistry teaching. The concept of the project teaching namely School Eko-bus with environmental issues and particular goals within which students make experiments on the hydrogen-car models was estalished. A part of the research is directed at finding answers on the following question: What means of feedback are the most suitable for verifying the results of making effort to develop specific competencies? In terms of research students´ and teachers´ questionnaires besides observation of students at practical activities, students´ taking research notes, their presentations and essays are being evaluated. The study refers to advantages and disadvantages of essay as unconventional feedback device in natural science project teaching at Slovak secondary schools. Writing thus forces students to be more active, to think autonomously as well as independently, and written formulation of their thoughts proves the quality of their thinking; moreover, it also reveals content and formal deficiencies of their thinking. For teachers these deficiencies therefore become more vivid and noticeable. In their little literary works – essays, students demonstrate critical thinking; use knowledge of general and inorganic chemistry as well as knowledge of fuel cells, and in their written ideas students defend their pro-environmental attitudes.