Educational Program “Thunderbolt Hunt»: An Analysis with the “Experimental-Genetic Method”

This paper attempts to transfer L.S. Vygotsky’s experimental-genetic method in Science Education and, furthermore, into non-formal settings. The nature of Science Education in early school grades as well as the flexibility and the need to some extent of incorporating arts in Science Education indicate that experimental-genetic method may be applied as a useful tool of analysis which will provide in-depth insights about the learning process. The method was applied to the data, collected from the implementation of the educational program «Thunderbolt hunt» at the Archaeological Museum of Ioannina, Greece. Unlike many other courses, this educational program is based on the museums’ exhibits and introduces concepts of science as well as cultivates scientific method. In this paper a meta-analysis of the implementation of the program to a first grade of a public primary school is presented. The data analysis shows explicitly the relation between the formation of the concept of air and the social relations and interactions between the students. The combination of transcending the misconceptions about air, conducting experiments and trying to adapt a new way of working result in a lot of contradictions while at the same time give space for reflection which altogether create «the dramatic character of the organized interaction».

This paper attempts to transfer experimental-genetic method and more specifically the approach of O. Rubtsova and H. Daniels (2016) in the field of science education considering the incorporation of drama and arts in science education. In the paper «The Concept of Drama in Vygotsky’s Theory: Application in Research», the authors interpret Vygotsky’s general genetic law of development considering the cultural-historical context in which the theory was developed, in light of the strong influence of Vygotsky’s theatrical background on his ideas and the terminology he used.

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