Lower Secondary School Teacher Training in Natural Science

The study aims to prepare teachers of elementary schools of general education in the field of Natural Sciences (combined with two subjects) as a part of the Man and Nature educational field, with the transition to the Man and Society educational area defined in the Framework Education Program for Basic Education. The study therefore provides students with integrated knowledge and skills come from the field of Natural History and its didactics, from pedagogical and psychological disciplines with the support of current research findings, the skills of reflection of the teaching process at the corresponding types and levels of schools, the self-reflection skills as a teacher and the acceptance of moral obligations and ethics teaching.

In the Master's degree the students are trained as part of the study program Teaching for Primary Schools, Teaching for secondary schools usually involves a combination of two fields (eg Primary School Teacher Education and Primary School Teacher Training).

The graduate of the Master's Degree Program of Primary School Teaching is fully qualified to practice the profession of natural science teacher at elementary schools and at the lower level of multi-year grammar schools. In addition, he is qualified to work in out-of-school (eg leisure-time) institutions. She is ready to establish her professional behavior on well structured knowledge and skills in the field of natural science. The effectiveness of his / her professional conduct is conditioned by his / her didactic knowledge of the content of natural science education at elementary schools and broader pedagogical and psychological knowledge and skills (knowledge of the broader backgrounds of education and training, knowledge of educational and educational practices, knowledge of education and training actors, etc.).

By studying the subsequent master's degree, the graduate will acquire the necessary competences that will enable him to think critically about the use of pedagogical and psychological knowledge in the practice of a primary or secondary school teacher. The graduate is fully qualified to practice the profession of teacher. He is ready to base his professional actions on well-structured knowledge and skills from his approval fields (content knowledge). The effectiveness of his professional conduct is conditioned by his field-didactic (didactic knowledge of the content) and broader general pedagogical and psychological knowledge and skills (knowledge of the broader foundations of education and training, knowledge of educational and training procedures, knowledge of the actors of education and training, etc.). The study develops analytical and comparative skills that enable understanding of the diverse pedagogical reality and the use of specialized, pedagogical and psychological publications for the planning, implementation and reflection of educational activities. Develops communicative skills important for communication and cooperation with pupils/clients, colleagues at the workplace, parents of pupils/clients and experts from practice. A significant benefit of the study is the development of self-reflective skills, which provide space for the development of attitudes towards oneself, towards individuals being educated and towards the profession: perception of the responsibility of the teaching profession, acceptance of the moral obligations of the helping profession and its ethics. The study emphasizes the principle of interdisciplinarity (linking some pedagogical and psychological subjects); the principle of sequence and gradation of topics and subjects, from more general to more specific. The concept is further characterized by the interweaving of theory and practice.

After successfully completing his/her studies the graduate is able to:

• to prepare graduates for the profession of natural sciences (biology) professors in elementary schools and in corresponding years of multi-year grammar schools;
• develop professional skills and gain knowledge of geological and biological and related disciplines that graduates will use in their teaching practice, in doctoral studies;
• develop knowledge and skills in science and practice;
• to develop the basic attitudes and values of graduates in order to become active, responsible and independent members of their professional biological group and society;
• to acquire knowledge and skills in schools, laboratories (eg microscopy, experiments) and in the field.
• the graduate is provided with general pedagogical knowledge that goes beyond his apprenticeship fields and is mainly related to the ability to convey appropriately educational content, to classroom management and to support the learning process.
• the student comprehends basic professional terminology and information sources of pedagogical and school psychology in describing, analyzing, interpreting and evaluating typical teaching situations
• of the collected information is used in the individualization and differentiation of teaching and setting of support measures and in the creation of an individual educational plan
• absolvent describes and explain individually specific learning processes on a specific example from his portfolio
• the graduate reflects the experience of his own pedagogical practice in the professional community and deliberately uses reflection and self-reflection as a tool of professional learning
• explains and reflects the principles of inclusive education at the level of culture, politics and practice of the school

By studying the master's degree, the graduate will acquire the necessary competencies that will allow him to work as a teacher according to § 20 of Act No. 563/2004 Coll., On Teaching Staff, as amended. In addition, he is qualified to work in out-of-school (eg leisure-time) institutions. He is ready to base his professional conduct on well-structured knowledge and skills from his approbation fields (content knowledge).

• Teacher of the second level of primary school

Practice forms a coherent system of successive subjects. In the follow-up Master's programs these are subjects of Teaching Practice 1 (1st term, 2 credits), Teaching Practice 2 (2nd term, 2 credits) Teaching Practice 3 (3rd termr, 2 credits), followed by the subject Seminar on Teaching practice (1st and 2nd term, after 2 credits). Students enroll during the study Seminary on teaching practice in twice (in the first and second terms). The aim of the teaching practice is to acquire the professional competencies necessary in the daily work of the teacher, to get acquainted with the roles in which the teacher enters his / her work, to realize his / her own professional needs and to gradually take responsibility for the planning, implementation and evaluation of the teaching.Practices are designed as a comprehensive and grading system with an emphasis on the connection with theory and on reflection and self-reflection of the student in the role of teacher. The goal of teaching internships is the acquisition of professional competencies necessary for the daily work of a teacher, familiarization with the roles a teacher enters into during his work, awareness of his own professional needs and gradual assumption of responsibility for planning, implementation and evaluation of teaching. During practice, the student gets a real idea of what the daily work of a teacher entails. Practice forms a comprehensive system of interconnected subjects. In subsequent master's programs, the subjects are teaching practice 1 (1st semester), teaching practice 2 (2nd semester) and teaching practice 3 (3rd semester). In total, these practices amount to 280 hours (dual-field study), which is followed by a seminar on teaching practice. Students enroll in the teaching practice seminar twice during their studies (in the first and second semesters). The goal of reflection is to provide students with space to share and reflect on experiences from their own teaching practice and to help them deepen reflective and self-reflective skills. The practice system is regularly evaluated, both by using closed and open questions, by students and accompanying teachers. Reflective seminars are also evaluated.

The standard scope of the diploma thesis is at least 117,000 characters including spaces, title sheet, content, index, list of literature and annotations, which is about 65 standard pages. The diploma thesis has the character of independent research. Students work in the field or in the lab, and in terms of the overview of the topic, students can work with already published texts and data available to analyze the issue. They should demonstrate the ability to critically work with expert texts, process the concepts and theories found in them, and find relevant answers to the given question. The diploma thesis, apart from the theoretical and practical part, contains a didactic application, which should be verified in practice (in pupils of the 2nd grade of elementary school). Instructions for state final examinations and elaboration of the bachelor's / diploma thesis are regulated by Dean's Decree No. 1/2010, effective from December 1, 2014 On state final examinations for students of the Pedagogical Faculty of Masaryk University

The final work of the student demonstrates the ability to apply the knowledge and skills acquired during the course of study in working on a specific professional-pedagogical problem. The type of final thesis corresponds to the content and level of the given degree of study. The student chooses from the following types of works: a) theoretical-applied, b) theoretical-empirical (research), c) theoretical. The types of work and recommendations for their implementation are further guided by the APA manual. The length of the final thesis ranges from 117,000 to 200,000 characters, including gaps, i.e. 65-80 standard pages.

The standards for the implementation of the final theses at different departments are in accordance with the Dean's Instructions No. 1/2015 on implementation of the final work (Bachelor's, Master’s, post-graduate non-PhD and final works for Life-long Education) in the version effective from 1.11.2015.

The thesis follows the following goals based on the profile of the graduate of the Faculty of Education of MU. Students:

demonstrate an awareness of the current issues of their field of study, they can clearly and comprehensibly define the topic of the final thesis and its objectives, describe the initial state of knowledge and propose appropriate methods of achieving their stated goals;

work with appropriate primary and secondary sources of information, cite them according to a valid standard (APA) and in accordance with the ethics of academic work ;

through the creation of their own text they demonstrate stylistic competence, and the ability to create an academic text;

demonstrate the ability to ask questions and solve problems, to formulate new ideas and conclusions that bring at least some new knowledge about the phenomenon being studied, or enrich the methodological (in the area of research) or methodical (in the area of education) procedures in relation to clearly defined target groups (pupils at primary and secondary school, groups with specific educational needs, etc.).

A graduate of the master's degree program in nce in Natural Sciences may, after fulfilling the conditions of admission, continue in any follow-up doctoral study.