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Abstract: As the climate crisis escalates, educators find themselves frequently having to engage with this issue in a classroom context. A significant contribution that educators, especially language teachers, can make is connected to communicating about environmental questions and helping learners develop the critical skills and competences to engage with such questions fully. In this contribution, we present a series of tasks drawing upon the medium of stories – both fiction and non-fiction, for younger and older learners – which are designed to develop a number of key competences: enhance vocabulary in English relating to climate issues; develop awareness of the key themes regarding these issues; increase learners' critical thinking (regarding the use of language specifically) concerning information available on climate change and related issues.
Keywords: climate fiction, communicating climate crisis, stories in the classroom, didactics, language teaching
Published in DKUM: 26.08.2025; Views: 0; Downloads: 9
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Abstract: Prispevek obravnava koncept trajnostne destinacijske komunikacije kot ključni element sodobnega turizma. V ospredje postavlja vlogo komunikacije pri spodbujanju trajnostnega vedenja, gradnji zaupanja ter ustvarjanju dolgoročnega odnosa med destinacijo, obiskovalci in lokalno skupnostjo. Avtorji opozarjajo, da zgolj uporaba pojma trajnostnost ni zadostna – ključna je njegova verodostojna, strateška in vključujoča komunikacija. Prispevek izpostavlja deset načel učinkovitega trajnostnega komuniciranja po Baumgartnerju in Hadornu (2022), ki jih ponazori s študijo primera trajnostne pobude Zelena planica 2023. Analiza te pobude potrjuje, da so lahko tudi kompleksni dogodki, kakršno je bilo svetovno prvenstvo v nordijskem smučanju leta 2023 v Planici, uspešno zasnovani v duhu trajnostnih vrednot, če so komunikacijsko premišljeni. Avtorji zaključujejo, da je trajnostna komunikacija temelj za odgovoren, vključujoč in dolgoročno konkurenčen turizem.
Keywords: trajnostnost, trajnostni turizem, destinacijska komunikacija, odgovorno komuniciranje, zelena Planica
Published in DKUM: 26.08.2025; Views: 0; Downloads: 7
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Abstract: Gifted students in primary school constitute an extremely heterogeneous group, so it is important that teachers pay close attention to students who stand out in terms of their abilities. This Master's thesis consists of two parts. The theoretical part, based on literature, defines who gifted students are and explains how they are identified in elementary schools. Moreover, the differences between individualization, differentiation and personalization of lessons are described and possible approaches to working with gifted students in English language classes presented. The empirical part is divided into two sections. First, a survey among English language teachers in primary schools was carried out, followed by a semi-structured interview with teachers at Podravje primary schools. This led us to draw conclusions that supported our hypotheses. We found that excellent grades are not the primary criterion for identifying giftedness; rather, teachers pay attention to student’s rich and extended vocabulary and their ability to acquire certain language elements more quickly. For gifted students, vocabulary development is not solely the result of watching English-language films or playing computer games. Similarly, teachers do not notice significant differences between genders but recognise the importance of adapting the work for gifted students. Teaching in schools is not the responsibility of a single teacher, but a collaborative effort, something that also proves important when working with gifted students.
Keywords: gifted students, English lessons, identification of gifted students, teaching gifted students
Published in DKUM: 08.07.2025; Views: 0; Downloads: 6
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Abstract: Using storybooks as a teaching tool has proved an effective teaching and learning technique that aids in developing and enhancing vocabulary, promotes reading and comprehension skills and even fosters social skills in learners with different needs and abilities. Developing and enhancing key social skills is all the more important for learners diagnosed with autism. Autistic learners experience deficits in social interaction and communication, struggle with fear of the unknown, have constant need for sameness, and might encounter sensory hypo- and hypersensitivities. Promoting social skills has been shown to significantly alleviate social difficulties in children with autism, and one of the successful social skills teaching and intervention methods for learners diagnosed with autism is – according to Amy Bohlander et al. and other researchers in the field – storybook reading. The theoretical part of the thesis aims at presenting key features of autistic behavior correlated with the neuroimaging findings on the irregular functioning of certain parts of the autistic brain; addressing effective inclusion strategies for teaching (young) autistic learners enrolled in general education settings, and discussing the characteristics that constitute a potentially appropriate storybook for use with young autistic learners in inclusive story reading lessons. The empirical part provides a descriptive analysis of ten storybooks, which offer a step-by-step guidance on how to cope with (a) socially challenging situation(s) and were not specifically adapted for learners with autism. The results of the storybook analysis have shown that the storybooks are mainly appropriate for promoting social skills in young autistic learners, whereby the number of storybooks classified as fully appropriate equals the number of partially appropriate items. However, to ensure a quality inclusive story reading experience that allows for effective, autism-friendly social skills teaching, the teacher or story reader needs to consider meeting the adaptation requirements for each storybook, irrespective of its classification, and identify the autistic individual´s unique set of weaknesses, enhanced abilities and (anti-)social behavior patterns prior to selecting a storybook for a group story reading.
Keywords: autism, inclusive education, social skills teaching, storybooks, story reading
Published in DKUM: 16.11.2023; Views: 492; Downloads: 37
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Abstract: The master’s thesis explores the north-Croatian teachers’ readiness for teaching online. With technology slowly, but steadily, taking over everyday actions, it was only a matter of time when it would take over education. With March 2020 and the COVID-19 pandemic, technology was the safest way of conducting lessons and was instantaneously implemented into education. This master’s thesis aims to determine how English teachers in the three northernmost Croatian counties managed the new challenge. Specifically, it tests factors that influenced their e-readiness through 7 hypotheses. The research is based on questionnaire results – the questionnaire was sent to 86 primary schools, 30 secondary schools and 11 private language schools in Međimurje county, Varaždin county and Koprivnica-Križevci county via email with a request to forward it to their English teachers. Analysing responses with quantitative research methods, the study showed that factors such as age, gender and professional development influence teachers’ e-readiness, while there were no differences among the three counties. Furthermore, the results revealed that the teachers generally feel ready for conducting online lessons, although Gay’s questionnaire on Carribean teachers’ online teaching readiness proved otherwise. Interestingly, some of the teachers did have online teaching experience prior to the pandemic, which along with organized professional development offered to them, helped them feel ready to teach online. Ultimately, teachers are better prepared to teach online than they were prior to the pandemic; however, there is still a lot of room for improvement.
Keywords: Keywords: Croatian English teachers, online education, technical readiness, lifestyle readiness, pedagogical readiness, questionnaire by Glenda H. E. Gay
Published in DKUM: 03.12.2021; Views: 833; Downloads: 62
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