IMPROVING THE METHODOLOGY OF USING EDUCATIONAL SITUATIONS IN FORMING A CONSCIOUS ATTITUDE TOWARD NATURE IN SCHOOLCHILDREN

This article examines ways of refining the methodology by which educational situations are applied to cultivate an environmentally conscious outlook among school students. Drawing on an analysis of pedagogical theory and classroom practice, the paper argues that a deliberately constructed situation — one that places the learner before a value-laden ecological choice — activates the emotional, cognitive, and behavioural components of ecological culture far more effectively than the transmission of ready-made environmental facts. The author proposes a staged model for designing such situations, describes the didactic conditions under which they operate most productively, and reports the outcomes of experimental work conducted in general secondary schools. The findings indicate that systematic use of problem-based, game-based, and reflective educational situations produces a measurable shift in pupils' motives, judgements, and everyday behaviour with respect to the natural environment.