Biologie. Chemie. Zeměpis A journal for science teachers and science education researchers

TEACHING BIOLOGICAL INVASIONS AT ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS

Barbora Patoková, Jiří Patoka

Volume 34 (2025), issue 1 pp. 16–28 published online 23 September 2025 Czech

DOI https://doi.org/10.14712/25337556.2025.1.2

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Abstract

Biological invasions are a global problem. Invasive species are directly and indirectly introduced outside of their native range by humans. They spread out over new localities and cause huge environmental and socio-economic losses. One effective and less costly approach to confront and prevent biological invasions is through education of the public, including school children. However, the topic is usually not included in curriculum documents (not only in the Czech Republic but also in other countries). Thus, many educators avoid biological invasions in their teaching. It is therefore necessary to draw attention to the topic and introduce it into teaching according to examples of good practice with the use of various activities and projects. As part of the formulation of the European strategy for the management of biological invasions, it has already been proposed to unify the communication approach on invasive species across disciplines (including the formulation of a dedicated curriculum for schools) and to establish a centralized multilingual communication platform. This should help to raise awareness of the risks and negative impacts of invasive species, and facilitate knowledge transfer and interdisciplinary cooperation, including the involvement of educators, pupils, and students.

Keywords

invasive species · biodiversity · environmental education · curriculum · citizen science

How to cite

Patoková, B., & Patoka, J. (2025). VÝUKA NA ZÁKLADNÍCH ŠKOLÁCH ZAMĚŘENÁ NA BIOLOGICKÉ INVAZE. Biologie-Chemie-Zeměpis, 34(1), 16–28. https://doi.org/10.14712/25337556.2025.1.2

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