Description : The course aims at introducing basic concepts of ecology and environmental biology in order to provide students with the essential theoretical tools for designing teaching-learning activities in the context of ecology and environmental education for preschoolers. Moreover, the course aims at supporting students in developing environmentally responsible attitudes themselves, by engaging them in active discussions about contemporary environmental problems and every-day ways of dealing with these.
Outline : The course is concerned with the following topics: “Flow of energy and matter in the ecosystem”, “Organisms & their environment”, “Populations, Communities, Ecosystems”, “Humans & Environment”, “Ecological concepts & preschool education”. The course includes (a) lectures (presentation and discussion of the topics, worksheet-based discussions), and (b) labs (group-work with the aid of worksheets and technological tools like stereoscopes, microscopes or computers; group-work for hands-on/minds-on investigations; group-work in the field; group-work concerning ecological and environmental education in presschool). International students can be tutored in English and assessed with written exams at the end of the semester.