The Food Chain and Causality in the Science Program of the Türkiye Century Education Model: An Activity Design Based on an Out-of-School Learning Environment
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.64782/istlj.317656-78Keywords:
Science Education, Türkiye Century Education Model, Environmental Education, Out-of-school LearningHighlights
- An original activity design compatible with the TCEM Science Curriculum has been pres
- 7th grade food chain learning outcomes have been structured in an out-of-school learn
- Students' ability to establish causal relationships and holistic perspectives has bee
- Ecological systems thinking and sustainability awareness have been focused on.
- An example worksheet that transforms theoretical knowledge into action has been devel
- The role of out-of-school education in addressing misconceptions has been discussed.
Abstract
This study aims to design a sample out-of-school learning activity in line with the learning outcome “FB.7.7.1.1. Being able to structure the relationships between living things in the food chain” in the seventh-grade “Sustainable Living and Recycling” unit of the Turkish Century Education Model (TCEM) Science curriculum. Developed based on document analysis and instructional design principles from qualitative research approaches, this study is fully aligned with the skill-based structure and "Holistic Personality Development" vision of the TCEM. The activity design is pedagogically divided into three main stages: In the “Pre-Activity” stage, the goal is to assess students' readiness levels and identify potential misconceptions about the food chain (such as linearity) through diagnostic questions. In the “During the Activity” stage, students are enabled to make direct observations in an out-of-school learning environment (forest, park, botanical garden, etc.) and discover causal relationships between living things in situ, acting as "System Explorers". In the "Post-Activity" phase, the aim was to synthesize the obtained data within the framework of the Systems Thinking Hierarchy and achieve conceptual integrity. This designed model is expected to contribute to students' understanding of the food chain not as a static and linear schema, but as a harmonious whole where each part is interdependent, and to develop ecological ethical awareness accordingly. In conclusion, this study serves as a practical and comprehensive guide on how the field skills (observation, prediction, data interpretation) envisioned by the TCEM can be concretized in out-of-school learning environments and how scientific knowledge can be transformed into wisdom-based action.
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