var textForPages = ["","","Book of Proceedings                                                Curriculum and Teaching                              in Physical Education and Geography:                    interdisciplinary and international perspectives                                                                rd                                                         nd                                                       22  to 23  June 2018, Brno                                                  Hana Svobodová, Petr Vlček (eds.)                                                                                         Masaryk University                                                                      Brno 2018","All rights reserved. No part of this e-book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any          means  without  prior  written  permission  of  copyright  administrator  which  can be  contacted  at           Masaryk University Press, Žerotínovo náměstí 9, 601 77 Brno.              Reviewers:          Assoc. prof. dr. Antonín Věžník, CSc.          Assist. prof. Jaroslav Vrbas, Ph.D.            All papers have been peer-reviewed.                           © 2018 Masarykova univerzita           ISBN 978-80-210-9075-0 (online : pdf)          https://doi.org/10.5817/CZ.MUNI.P210-9075-2018","Organisers of the conference                           Department of Geography,                         Faculty of Education,                         Masaryk University, Brno, Czech Republic                         Department of Physical and Health Education,                         Faculty of Education,                         Masaryk University, Brno, Czech Republic           Scientific committee          Assoc. prof. dr. Iva Blažević, PhD., Faculty of Educational Sciences, University Juraj          Dobrila of Pula, Pula, Croatia          Assoc.  prof.  dr.  Eduard  Hofmann,  CSc.,  Department  of  Geography,  Faculty          of Education, MU, Brno, Czechia          Assoc.  prof.  dr.  Jaromír  Kolejka,  CSc.,  Department  of  Geography,  Faculty          of Education, MU, Brno, Czechia          Assoc. prof. dr. Vladislav Mužík, CSc., Department of Physical and Health Education,          Faculty of Education, MU, Brno, Czechia          Assist.  prof.  Vilko  Petrić,  Ph.D.,  Department  for  Teaching  Methods  in  Subjects          of Instruction  in  the  Field  of  Natural  and  Social  Sciences,  Faculty  of  Teacher          Education University of Rijeka, Croatia          Assoc. prof. dr. Tatjana Resnik Planinc, Department of Geography, Faculty of Arts,          University of Ljubljana, Slovenia          Assoc.  prof.  dr.  Vesna  Štemberger,  University  of  Ljubljana,  Faculty  of  Education,          Dept. Of Primary Teacher Education, Slovenia          Assist. prof.  Jaroslav  Vrbas,  Ph.D., Department of Physical and Health Education,          Faculty of Education, MU, Brno, Czechia          Assoc. prof. Søren Witzel Clausen, Geography, Department of Teacher Education,          VIA University College, Denmark           Organizing committee          Mgr.  Radek  Durna,  Department  of  Geography,  Faculty  of  Education,  MU,  Brno,          Czechia          Assist. prof. Hana Svobodová, Department of Geography, Faculty of Education, MU,          Brno, Czechia          Assist.  prof.  Petr  Vlček,  Department  of  Physical  and  Health  Education,  Faculty          of Education, MU, Brno, Czechia                                           3","Content              INTERGRATING GEOGRAPHY AND PHYSICAL EDUCATION THROUGH            MOUNTAIN-ORIENTED EDUCATION – FORMAL INTEGRATION OF MOE            INTO GEOGRAPHY SCHOOL CURRICULA AND GEOGRAPHY TEXTBOOKS            IN SLOVENIAN PRIMARY SCHOOLS ...................................................................................... 5            Mojca Ilc Klun             CROSS-CURRICULAR INTEGRATION OF GEOGRAPHY AND PHYSICAL            EDUCATION IN THE CASE OF MOUNTAIN-ORIENTED EDUCATION ................................... 15            Tatjana Resnik Planinc             ARE CZECH STUDENTS OF TEACHER TRAINING PREPARED FOR            INTERDISCIPLINARY TEACHING? ....................................................................................... 27            Hana Svobodová, Eduard Hofmann             ELEMENTARY EDUCATION CURRICULA IN THE CZECH REPUBLIC            AND THE REPUBLIC OF SLOVENIA – PHYSICAL EDUCATION AND            GEOGRAPHY INTEGRATION ............................................................................................... 39            Petr Vlček, Hana Svobodová, Tatjana Resnik Planinc             EFFECTIVENESS OF THE SWIMMING EDUCATION OF CHILDREN            WITH AUTISM SPECTRUM DISORDER ................................................................................ 61            Kristýna Hubená, Jan Carboch, Vladimír Süss, Irena Čechovská             THE SITUATION AND PERSPECTIVES OF THE BODY MASS INDEX            DEVELOPMENT IN PRESCHOOL-AGED CHILDREN .............................................................. 68            Isabella Matić, Vilko Petrić, Iva Blažević, Vesna Štemberger             THE PREVALENCE AND DIFFERENCES IN THE PHYSICAL ACTIVITY            LEVEL IN PRESCHOOL-AGED CHILDREN ............................................................................. 77            Sara Jakšić, Vilko Petrić, Vesna Štemberger, Iva Blažević                                             4","Intergrating Geography and Physical Education through Mountain-            oriented Education – Formal integration of MOE into Geography            school curricula and Geography textbooks in Slovenian primary                                        schools                                       Mojca Ilc Klun              University of Ljubljana, Faculty of Arts, Department of Geography, Aškerčeva 2, 1000                                     Ljubljana, Slovenia           Abstract          Paper  presents  results  of  two  research  studies  regarding  formal  integration  of          mountain-oriented  education  into  Geography  school  curricula  and  Geography          textbooks for primary schools. First study focuses on quantitative and qualitative          analysis  of  Geography  school  curricula  for  primary  schools,  within  which  we          searched for references, learning objectives, competencies and teaching methods,          which are connected to mountain-oriented education. The second study focuses on          analysis of Geography textbooks for primary schools, where we analyzed text and          photographs,  which  are  connected  to  mountain-oriented  education.  The  paper          presents  important  findings  of  how  mountain-oriented  education  is  currently          presented within Geography lessons in Slovenian primary schools.          Key words: mountain-oriented education, outdoor education, Slovenia, curriculum,          textbooks, Geography, Physical Education          Introduction          Mountain-oriented  education  is  an  education  where  teachers  can  effectively          combine  two  school  subjects  –  Geography  and  Physical  Education.  In  Slovenian          primary school education both subjects are compulsory – Physical Education from          grade 1 and Geography from grade 6.  Each school subject has its own curricula,          where learning objectives, learning content, competences and teaching methods          are  defined.  In  Slovenian  educational  system  school  curricula  for  each  school          subject  are  obligatory  documents  for  every  educator,  therefore  teacher  has  to          teach according to the learning objectives written in the curriculum. Nevertheless,          curriculum  is  also  a  basis  for  school  textbooks  authors,  who  compose  their          textbooks  according  to  the  learning  objectives  and  competences  written  in  the          curriculum. But on the other hand, authors can include into their school textbooks          also some learning contents which are not defined in the curriculum. There are two                                           5","reasons for that choice. First, authors think that the content, which they choose to          include into their textbook, is important for pupils to get some wider perspective of          the school subject or specific topic. And secondly it is important to mention that in          Slovenia  the  last  renovation  of  school  curricula  for  all  school  subjects  happened          during the period 2008–2011, which means that nowadays some school curricula in          Slovenia  are  10  years  old.  Because  some  textbook  authors  want  to  include  into          their textbook also new findings of the science and take into account the didactic          principle  of  actualization,  authors  include  into  their  textbooks  some  up-to  date          topics, which are not defined in school subject curricula. Through analyzes of both          type of pedagogical documents, curriculum and textbooks, we can get a very good          perspective  of:  1)  which  topics  are  taught  in  each  grade  and  2)  which  learning          objectives  and  competences  pupils  will  achieve  and  develop  at  the  end  of  each          grade.          When  thinking  of  formal  school  education,  most  people  connect  school  to          classroom teaching and learning, while less of them connect school also to outdoor                                                                   th          education.  Nevertheless,  outdoor  education  set  up  its  basis  in  19   century  it                                                                             th          became  more  official  part  of  formal  school  education  in  the  second  half  of  20          century. In Slovenia, outdoor education has an important part of  primary school          education since 1960s. In 1962 Jože Beslič suggested, that “children in the fourth          grade  should  get  a  10  days  swimming  course  and  children  from  the  fifth  grade          should obtain a one week skiing course” (Burnik, Mrak, 2010, p. 13).  That means          that  in  Slovenia  in  the  1960s  primary  school  outdoor  education  was  focused  on          teaching  pupils  two  basic  sport  activities,  swimming  and  skiing,  which  are          connected  also  to  natural  characteristics  of  Slovenian  (back  then  Yugoslavian)          landscape – Adriatic Sea and mountains. But it took 30 years till outdoor education          in Slovenia was formally recognized. In November 1992 the government of Slovenia          passed  the  Law  for  establishing  so-called  CŠOD  centers  (Centers  for  School  and          Outdoor Education in Slovenia), which main purpose was the outdoor education. In          1996 the Law for primary school was passed where the outdoor education became          part  of  extended  primary  school  program.  In  2001  the  final  concept  of  outdoor          education was accepted and 10 years later, in 2011, the Law for primary schools,          where the outdoor education is the obligatory part of primary school education in          Slovenia  was  passed  (CŠOD,  2018).  Nowadays,  primary  schools  in  Slovenia  are          obliged  to  organized  at  least  two  outdoor  education  activities  per  school  year          (Burnik, Mrak, 2010).          One  part  of  outdoor  education  is  also  mountain-oriented  education,  which  is          education about mountains and with mountains. The main purposes for setting the          basis for mountain-oriented education are:                                             6","1)  many parts of the world are mountainous;          2)  in  some  countries  mountains  became  part  of  national/local  symbols  and             identity;          3)  through mountain-oriented education we can promote and keep natural and             cultural mountain heritage;          4)  through  mountain-oriented  education  we  can  teach  youth  about  sustainable             development because mountain regions are more sensitive;          5)  through  mountain-oriented  education  we  can  promote  outdoor  (sport)             activities for children and youth, which improve health;          6)  since formal education has been too deeply involved into indoor teaching and             promoting  sitting  methods  of  learning/teaching  and  since  the  nowadays             computer-oriented lifestyle, the majority of young people do not have sports             active lifestyle;          7)  because of nowadays computer-oriented lifestyle young people do not develop             mountain-oriented competences (being able to hike independently, being able             to valuate mountain environment, being able to recognize safe mountain paths             etc).          When presenting Slovenia to foreigners, the first association is “Slovenia is a small          European country, which lies on a sunny side of the Alps”. Mountains, especially          Alps, have played an important role in lifestyle, history, political decisions etc. in          Slovenia. Nevertheless, Alps are also part of national symbols. For example, Triglav,          which is the the highest mountain in Slovenia, is part of the coat of arms in the flag          of the Republic of Slovenia and it is also the name of numerous Slovenian public          and private companies and organizations in Slovenia and abroad. Even though Alps          are limited mostly to the north-eastern and central-northern part of Slovenia, “the          alpine landscape is one of the prevailing stereotypes for Slovenia” (Burnik, Mrak,          2010,  p.  16)  and  mountaineering  “also  contributed  to  developing  Slovenian          national  identity”  (Burnik,  Mrak,  2010,  p.  16).  But  on  the  other  hand,  while  in          Slovenia  mountains,  especially  Alps,  have  been  important  part  of  local/regional          identity, the question how deeply mountain-oriented education is part of Slovenian          formal  education  arise.  One  of  the  aims  of  the  INTERREG  Alpine  Space  project          YOUrALPS (2016–2019) is also to research how mountain-oriented/Alpine-oriented                                                                    1          education is presented in different European countries, also in Slovenia .            1           The INTERREG Alpine Space project YOUrALPS started in 2016. It connects 12 project partners from 5           Alpine countries and is funded by European Regional Development Fund. The main aim of the project           is to develop Alpine school model.                                           7","Methodological approaches          To  answer  the  question  “How  mountain-oriented  education  is  presented  in          Geography primary school subject in Slovenia?”, two studies were obtained. The          first study focuses on quantitative and qualitative analyzes of Geography primary          school curricula. In Slovenia Geography primary school curricula was published in          2011.  To  get  in-depth  perspective  on  how  topics  related  to  mountain-oriented          education are presented in the curriculum  we conducted two types of analyzes.          The first one was quantitative, within which we counted the number of references,          which  are  connected  to  mountain-oriented  education  (see  Table  1),  while  the          second was qualitative analyzes. Within that type of analyze we were interested in          the  content  of  operational  learning  objectives  and  competences,  written  in  the          curriculum,  which  are  connected  to  mountain-oriented  education.  That  analyzes          shows  us  what,  regarding  to  mountain-oriented  education,  pupils  have  to  learn,          know or be able to do at the end of each grade at primary school. Through both          studies  we  can  get  a  wider  perspective  on  how  mountain-oriented  education  is          presented in Geography lessons in primary schools in Slovenia. We have to stress          that  one  of  the  important  teaching  methods,  which  are  defined  in  Geography          primary school curricula, are also excursions and fieldwork, which can be defined as          one  part  of  outdoor  education  (mountain-oriented)  activities,  which  can  also          effectively combine two school subjects – Geography and Physical Education.          Table 1: References, connected to mountain-oriented education                                       References                                              to move in           mountain       mountaineering                          health                                               nature                                                              to move (being            highlands          Alps           excursion                                                              physically active)                                            fieldwork/field              hill             trip                             orientation                                                 trip                             outdoor           hike/hiking   learning/outdoor      walking            health                            education            Physical     mountain-oriented           Education        education           As written in the introduction, curriculum is the basic and obligatory document for          each  teacher,  who  has  to  design  his/her  lessons  according  to  the  operational          objectives  and  competences,  written  in  the  curriculum.  When  teaching,  every          teacher in Slovenia uses textbook, which helps him/her to teach school subject and                                            8","which helps pupils to better understand learning content. In Slovenia each teacher          has  a  right  to  choose  textbook  for  his/her  school  subject.  There  are  three  main          publishers who publish Geography textbooks – Rokus-Klett, Modrijan Založba and          Mladinska Knjiga Založba. Within the research we analyzed 12 textbooks, which are          currently available for Geography lessons in primary schools (see Table 2).          With the combination of results from both types of analyzes we can get in-depth          information how mountain-oriented education is presented in Geography primary          school curricula in Slovenia and if that presentation encourages young people to be          physically active.          Table 2: List of analyzed Geography textbooks          Author                Title/Publisher         Year of publishing/pages          Helena Verdev         Raziskujem Zemljo       2016/55 p.                                6/Rokus Klett          Eneja Baloh, Bojan    Geografija 6/Mladinska   2016/79 p.          Lenart                Knjiga Založba          Jurij Senegačnik      Moja prva geografija    2012/64 p.                                6/Modrijan Založba          Helena Verdev         Raziskujem stari svet   2015/103 p.                                7/Rokus Klett          Eneja Baloh, Bojan    Geografija 7/Mladinska   2015/96 p.          Lenart, Milivoj Stankovič   Knjiga Založba          Jurij Senegačnik      Geografija Evrope in    2010/130 p.                                Azije/Modrijan Založba          Helena Verdev         Raziskujem novi svet    2015/87 p.                                8/Rokus Klett          Eneja Baloh, Bojan    Geografija 8/Mladinska   2015/87 p.          Lenart, Milivoj Stankovič   Knjiga Založba          Karmen Kolenc-Kolnik,   Geografija Afrike in   2010/115 p.          Ana Vovk Korže, Marta   Novega sveta/Modrijan          Otič, Jurij Senegačnik   Založba          Helena Verdev         Raziskujem Slovenijo    2015/103 p.                                9/Rokus Klett          Eneja Baloh, Bojan    Geografija 9            2016/101 p.          Lenart, Milivoj Stankovič          Jurij Senegačnik      Geografija Slovenije    2012/137 p.                                               9","Results          Results from Geography primary school curriculum analyzes          As explained in methodological approaches we analyzed Geography primary school          curriculum with two different types of analyzes – quantitative and qualitative. The          quantitative analyzes shows that in Geography curriculum in total 89 references,          which are directly or indirectly connected to mountain-oriented education appear          (Table 3). Most often presented references are: excursion (20), Alps (15), fieldwork          (14) and orientation (12). From those, three are part of so-called active methods of          learning – excursion, fieldwork and orientation.                                                                   2          Table 3: Results from quantitative analyzes of Geography curriculum          References                        GEOGRAPHY  primary school          Grade                     6        7       8        9      G    Total                                  C   LO   C   LO   C   LO   C   LO           mountain                -    -   -   1   -    1   -   -    -       2          highlands               -    -   -   1   -    -   -   -    -       1          hill                    -    -   -   -   -    -   3   -    -       3          hike/hiking             -    -   -   -   -    -   -   -    1       1          mountaineering          -    -   -   -   -    -   -   -    -       0          Alps                    -    -   -   -   -    -   7   8    -      15          trip                    -    -   -   -   -    -   -   -    1       1          outdoor                 -    -   -   -   -    -   -   -    2       2          learning/outdoor          education          to move in nature       -   4    -   -   -    -   -   -    -       4          excursion               1   4    -   1   -    -   -   1   13      20          filedwork/filed trip    -   3    -   -   -    -   -   1   10      14          walking                 -    -   -   -   -    -   -   -    -       0          health                  -   1    -   -   -    -   -   -    6       7          To move                 -   4    -   -   -    -   -   -    1       5          (being phisically active)          orientation             3   2    -   -   -    -   -   -    7      12          Physical Education      -    -   -   -   -    -   -   -    2       2          mountain-oriented          education          TOTAL                   4   18   -   3   -    1   10  10   43     89           2            C=curriculum; LO=learning objectives; G=general                                           10","Quantitative analyzes of Geography primary school curriculum showed, that active          methods of learning and teaching (excursion, fieldwork) are presented in primary          school  Geography  lessons.  The  analyzes  also  showed  that  in  the  curriculum  the          reference “outdoor learning/education” is mentioned twice, but on the other hand          there is no “mountain-oriented education” reference in the curriculum. Instead of          that  phrase,  some  other  references  appear,  which  can  be  directly  or  indirectly          connected  to  mountain-oriented  education-mountain,  highlands,  hill,  hike,  Alps,          trip, to move in nature, health, to move (being physically active).          To  get  more  in-depth  information  to  what  learning  content  above  mentioned          references  refer  to,  we  conducted  qualitative  analyzes  of  the  curriculum.  The          results showed that references: mountain, highlands, hill and Alps are according to          the geography primary school curriculum mainly part of indoor education, when          pupils have to obtain the knowledge of terminology. None of the four mentioned          references are part of active outdoor teaching/learning methods. But on the other          hand, the qualitative analyzes showed that during the Geography lessons, there are          lots of opportunities for outdoor education, since excursions and fieldwork are part          of  primary  school  Geography  lessons.  Nevertheless  that  quantitative  analyzes          showed, that the reference “outdoor learning/education” is mentioned only twice,          there  are  many  learning  objectives/contents,  where  outdoor  education  can  take          place during primary school Geography lessons. Qualitative analyzes showed that          excursions  and  fieldworks  have  an  important  part  of  primary  school  Geography          lessons.  There  are  two  very  important  learning  objectives,  written  in  the          curriculum, which directly refer to the importance of active outdoor education:          “Within the framework of the regular curriculum, the teacher often recognizes and          conducts field works and excursions” (Geography curriculum, 2011, p. 31).          “…  learning  objectives  of  Geography  can  be  realized  during  all-day  or  short          excursions…” (ibidem, p. 32).          Which means, that teacher can organize his/her Geography lessons as fieldworks if          pupils  can,  during  the  fieldwork,  achieve  learning  objectives,  written  in  the          curriculum.  But  nevertheless,  at  least  one  interdisciplinary  excursion,  as  active          teaching method, has to be organized per school year.          The  qualitative  analyzes  of  the  curriculum  also  showed  that  Geography  primary          school subject tries to encourage pupils for active lifestyle: there is one reference          for “hike” and “trip”, where pupils have to plan their hike or trip, four references          for “moving in the nature” and five for “moving – being physically active”. All four          references refer to pyisically active learning methods. And those can be combined          to the subject Physical Education.                                             11","Results of Geography textbook analyzes          As explained in the introduction curriculum is the obligatory pedagogical document          for  every  teacher,  who  organizes  and  plans  his/her  lessons  according  to  the          learning  objectives,  written  in  the  curriculum.  Almost  every  teacher  uses  also          textbook  for  his/her  lesson,  but  they  are  not  obligatory.  The  content  of  the          textbook is prescribed by the curriculum, but the authors or publishers can include          into their textbook some additional learning content, which we explained in the          introduction.          In the following we present the results of the textbook analyzes, within which we          analyzed 12 textbooks for primary school Geography (see Table 4). In general, the          textbook  analyzes  showed  that  only  in  grade  9  there  is  text  about  mountain-          oriented  education.  That  is  because  the  Alps  region  is  part  of  the  obligatory          learning content in grade 9, which is prescribed by the Geography primary school          curriculum. But at the same time, we have to stress, that in the text there is a lack          of encouraging pupils for mountaineering and sport active lifestyle.  Nevertheless,          pictures  in  the  textbooks  are  more  encouraging  and  connect  mountain-oriented          education with Physical Education through different sport or touristic activities in          the  mountains,  especially  in  the  Alps.  The  analyzes  also  showed  that  in  the          textbooks mountains are presented in a positive way – with beautiful views they          can arise positive emotions. The most pictures, which connect mountain-oriented          education with Physical Education are presented in grade 9, mainly because of the          obligatory  learning  content  about  the  Alps.  In  total,  Geography  textbooks  from          Rokus Klett include 57 pictures from grade 6 to 9, which we can connect to outdoor          and  mountain-oriented  education,  Geography  textbooks  from  Mladinska  Knjiga          Založba 87 pictures and Geography textbook from Modrijan založba 79. Majority of          them  represent  natural  (mountains,  hills,  vegetation,  animals,  etc.)  and  cultural          (alpine houses, mountain architecture etc.) aspects of the mountains, while less of          them  promote  different  outdoor  and  mountain  sport  activities  (hiking,          mountaineering, biking, skiing etc.).                                                          12","Table 5: Results of Geography textbook analyzes                                          Text (outdoor       Pictures (outdoor                                       education/mountain-  education/mountain-          Grade    Title of the textbook                                        oriented education)   related education)                                             YES/NO            YES (No.)/NO                                                 3            6    Raziskujem Zemljo 6           NO                 YES (16)                                                 4            6    Geografija 6                  NO                 YES (13)                                                 5            6    Moja prva geografija          NO                 YES (9)            7    Raziskujem stari svet 7       NO                 YES (15)            7    Geografija 7                  NO                 YES (26)                 Geografija Evrope in            7                                  NO                 YES (23)                 Azije            8    Raziskujem novi svet 8        NO                 YES (3)            8    Geografija 8                  NO                 YES (19)                 Geografija Afrike in            8                                  NO                 YES (10)                 Novega sveta            9    Raziskujem Slovenijo 9        YES                YES (23)            9    Geografija 9                  YES                YES (29)            9    Geografija Slovenije          YES                Yes (37)           Findings and conclusions           Analyzes  of  Geography  primary  school  curriculum  and  Geography  textbooks          showed  that  outdoor  education  and  mountain-oriented  education  are  parts  of          primary  school  subject  Geography.  With  analyzes  we  showed  that  outdoor          education  is  within  Geography  subject  in  primary  school  organized  as          interdisciplinary excursions and fieldworks, while it is also, in some way, promoted          in geography textbooks with the learning content, especially by pictures. While on          the  other  hand,  active  mountain-oriented  education,  which  would  promote          mountaineering and different sport activities in the mountains, is so far not part of          Geography  primary  school  curricula.  But  nevertheless  Geography  textbooks          analyzes showed that mountain-oriented education is presented also in Geography          textbooks,  mostly  by  pictures,  which  promote  different  sport  activities  in  the          mountains.             3           Exception: the terms hill, hills, mountain, mountains, orientation are explained.          4           Exception: the terms hill, hills, mountain, mountains, orientation are explained.          5           Exception: the terms hill, hills, mountain, mountains, orientation are explained.                                           13","References          Baloh,  E.,  Lenart,  B.  (2016).  Geografija  6.  Ljubljana,  Slovenija:  Mladinska  Knjiga          Založba.          Baloh,  E.,  Lenart,  B.,  Stankovič,  M.  (2015).  Geografija  7.  Ljubljana,          Slovenija: Mladinska Knjiga Založba.          Baloh,  E.,  Lenart,  B.,  Stankovič,  M.  (2015).  Geografija  8.  Ljubljana,          Slovenija: Mladinska Knjiga Založba.          Baloh,  E.,  Lenart,  B.,  Stankovič,  M.  (2015).  Geografija  9.  Ljubljana,          Slovenija: Mladinska Knjiga Založba.          Burnik,  S.,  Mrak,  I.  (2010).  Mountaneering  as  an  Important  Part  of  Outdoor          Education.  Encountering,  experiencing  and  Exploring  Nature  in  Education,          Encountering,  Experiencing  and  Exploring  Nature  in  Education,  10th  conference’s          collection of papers (pp. 13–25), Rateče – Planica, Slovenia : CŠOD Ljubljana.          CŠOD. (2018). Retrieved from https://www.csod.si/          Geography Curriculum, 2011. Učni načrt za geografijo (osnovna šola). Ministrstvo          RS za šolstvo in šport. Ljubljana, Slovenija: Zavod RS za šolstvo.          Kolenc Kolnik, K., Vovk Korže, A., Otič, M., Senegačnik, J. (2010). Geografija Afrike in          Novega sveta. Ljubljana, Slovenija: Modrijan Založba.          Senegačnik.  J.  (2012).  Moja  prva  geografija  6.  Ljubljana,  Slovenija:  Modrijan          Založba.          Senegačnik.  J.  (2010).  Geografija  Evrope  in  Azije.  Ljubljana,  Slovenija:  Modrijan          Založba.          Senegačnik, J. (2012). Geografija Slovenije. Ljubljana, Slovenija: Modrijan Založba.          Verdev, H. (2016). Raziskujem Zemljo 6. Ljubljana, Slovenija: Rokus Klett.          Verdev, H. (2015). Raziskujem stari svet 7. Ljubljana, Slovenija: Rokus Klett.          Verdev, H. (2015). Raziskujem novi svet 8. Ljubljana, Slovenija: Rokus Klett.          Verdev, H. (2015). Raziskujem Slovenijo 9. Ljubljana, Slovenija: Rokus Klett.                                                       14","Cross-curricular integration of geography and physical education in                        the case of mountain-oriented education                                    Tatjana Resnik Planinc                     University of Ljubljana, Faculty of Arts, Department of Geography           Abstract          Many years ago, Jacobs  (1989) defined cross-curricular instruction as a conscious          effort to apply knowledge, principles, and/or values to  more than  one academic          discipline simultaneously. Today we know that when students see the connections          between individual subject areas, the material becomes more relevant. There are          many ways in which to integrate different subjects or content into a constructive          holistic unit.          The  author  presents  an  approach  to  mountain-oriented  education  that  includes          contributions from geography and physical education. Through the presentation of          YOUrALPS  (Educating  Youth  for  the  Alps:  (re)connecting  Youth  and  Mountain          heritage for an inspiring future in the Alps) project results, the author discusses a          cross-curricular  approach  in  the  school  activities  of  both  subjects  when  dealing          with key issues viewed from different disciplinary perspectives.          The author provides an educational vision through a proposal for effective teaching          that  aims  to  enable  more  successful  learning  and  achievement  by  students.  The          proposal is based on cross-curricular investigations of the geography and physical          education  curricula  (objectives,  abilities,  skills  and  competencies  connected  with          the mountain-oriented topics of each discipline) and is enhanced with suggestions          for  integration  either  in  indoor  or  outdoor  activities.  A  survey  of  teachers  who          attended  the  Summer  School  on  Mountain-Oriented  Education  (Slovenia,  2017)          reveals that this type of integration requires – in addition to extensive planning and          cooperation among teachers – a high degree of teacher commitment, which works          well so long as there is high enthusiasm for the project.          Key words: cross-curricular integration, geography, physical education, mountain-          oriented education                                                 15","Introduction          Interdisciplinary  integration  is  becoming  an  increasingly  important  part  of  the          educational process and is an important instructional approach, helping to provide          students with lasting and above all practical knowledge. It can partially lighten the          load  of  curricula,  while  also  enhancing  the  experiential  aspect  of  activity  days          (Vlček et al., 2016). Various terms appear in the professional literature (Georgescu,          2000;  Lake,  1994):  cross-curriculum  approaches,  cross-disciplinary  approaches,          cross-curriculum  objectives  and  issues,  integrated  curriculum,  interdisciplinary          teaching, interdisciplinary curriculum, thematic teaching, synergistic teaching, skills          across  the  curriculum,  and  others.  The  definitions  of  these  terms  are  not          completely  unambiguous,  as  some  authors  (Georgescu,  2000)  distinguish  inter-          subject  (linking  subjects  from  the  official  curriculum)  and  interdepartmental          integration  (which  means,  in  particular,  the  interweaving  of  objectives  and          contents of different fields, such as learning to learn, education for democratic life          and  respect  for  human  rights,  lifelong  learning,  health  education,  environmental          education,  communication  skills,  education  for  peace  and  tolerance,  social  skills,          etc.,  with  the  objectives  and  content  of  official  subjects),  as  well  as  linking  with          extra-curricular activities of children.          One of the most comprehensive definitions was given by Shoemaker (1989, p. 2),          who defined  cross-curricular  connections as  “…an education that is organized as          the intersection of the contents of different objects; it combines different views of          the curriculum into a semantic link so that it can focus on broad areas of learning.          Learning  and  teaching  are  dealt  with  in  a  comprehensive  way  that  involves  the          student's  body,  thoughts,  feelings,  past  experiences,  intuition;  all  this  helps  the          student to discover the interactive real world.”          Cross-curricular planning is based on integration of subject areas. In this type of          planning, teachers first find those goals that are common to the subjects. They then          record  the  remaining  objectives  of  each  subject.  Cross-curricular  planning  is          demanding for the teacher, because it requires a good knowledge of the curricula          for all subjects, discernment and breadth, and must be based on the psychosocial          development  of  the  child  and  build  on  the  student's  prior  knowledge.  Teachers          who are not provided with adequate in-service or time to thoughtfully develop an          integrated curriculum may go to an unstructured, “a little of everything” approach          (Jacobs, 1989).          The  findings  support  the  positive  effects  of  curriculum  integration  (Lake,  1994).          Lipson summarizes the following findings: an integrated curriculum helps students          apply skills; an integrated knowledge base leads to faster retrieval of information;          multiple  perspectives  lead  to  a  more  integrated  knowledge  base;  an  integrated                                            16","curriculum  encourages  depth  and  breadth  in  learning;  it  promotes  positive          attitudes  in  students;  and  it  provides  for  more  quality  time  for  curriculum          exploration (Lipson et al., 1993).          In  many  countries,  interdisciplinary  integration  is  frequently  mentioned  in          programme documents, while practice shows that it is insufficiently implemented          in  schools.  For  example,  in  Slovenia  curricula  include  a  specific  chapter  on          interdisciplinary  integration  that  directs  individual  subject  teachers  on  teaching          subjects  that  can  be  interconnected  and  defining  which  teaching  material  from          other subjects can complement their own subjects. Accordingly, in primary schools          geographic  and  sports  subject  matter  is  incorporated  into  various  curricula,  and          certainly  interdisciplinary  integration  serves  as  an  important  basis  for  improving          the quality of teaching in both subject areas. The study of landscapes, landscape          processes  and  phenomena  is  inextricably  linked  to  physical  activity,  and  good          physical fitness often forms the basis for quality fieldwork. Likewise, a number of          outdoor  sports  activities  are  inextricably  linked  to  environmental  conditions,  as          well as being dependent on them, such that it is necessary for participants to have          a basic knowledge of geographical features of the place  where a certain activity          takes place. In addition, many outdoor sporting activities (hiking, mountaineering,          running, skiing, ski touring, climbing, sailing etc.) benefit from knowing and being          able  to  interpret  landscapes  in  a  variety  of  ways,  such  that  the  appreciation  of          place is elevated, and the basic activity (in this case physical activity) is enriched (Ilc          Klun et al., 2016).           The main aim of this paper is to present ways for integrating geography teaching          and physical education in the field of mountain-oriented education (MOE), which          follows the principles of education for sustainable development and environmental          education. It emphasizes the interrelationships of mountain regions in general, and          the  Alps  in  particular,  with  society.  MOE  is  about  enabling  Alpine  youth  to  face          present  and  future  global  challenges  by  means  of  capacity,  competence  and          resilience building on the basis of the rich cultural and natural heritage of the Alps.          Participation, action-orientation, self-determination, lifelong learning, identification          with the Alpine environment as well as the integration of formal and non-formal          education  are  the  main  principles  which  support  the  transformation  of  the          education  system  and  at  the  same  time  of  the  whole  Alpine  Space  towards          sustainability.  Unfortunately,  there  is  little  awareness  of  the  values  and          opportunities offered by the natural and cultural heritage of the Alps among young          generations. Therefore projects such as YOUrALPS (Educating youth for the Alps:          (re)connecting  Youth  and  Mountain  heritage  for  an  inspiring  future  in  the  Alps)          take  up  the  challenge  to  bring  together  young  people  with  the  Alps.  Thirteen          project partners from six Alpine countries work together to give structure to the                                           17","field of mountain-oriented education and incorporate the values and knowledge of          mountains and the Alps more fully in practices into educational curricula as well          (YOUrALPS, 2017).          Methodology          The research was done in three steps following the objectives set. Quantitative and          qualitative  analyses  scrutinized  the  institutional/formal  level  (using  Slovenian          curricula as an example), the implementation level (teachers’ work and attitudes –          international  survey),  and,  most  importantly,  the  possibilities  of  cross-curricular          integration in mountain-oriented education.          Results          Curricula Analysis          We identified several opportunities in the curricula to draw connections between          Physical  Education  and  geographic  subject  matter,  incorporated  in  the  subjects          Learning About the Environment, Social Studies and Geography. In particular, it can          be  seen  that  the  two  groups  of  subjects  most  closely  interconnect  when  active          teaching approaches and methods are used, but nevertheless we cannot ignore the          theoretical  content,  such  as  knowledge  of  orienteering,  concern  for  the          preservation  and  appreciation  of  natural  and  cultural  heritage,  care  for  the          environment and one's own health. Geography teachers can include sports content          in all forms of teaching, including in class (classroom lessons, project days/activity          days), as well as in the field (class excursions, fieldwork, sports days) and the same          applies  for  teachers  of  physical  education.  The  overall  objectives  of  physical          education  comprise  proper  movement  efficiency  and  the  creation  of  a  healthy          lifestyle;  the  acquisition  of  skills  that  enable  participation  in  various  sports          activities; understanding the usefulness of regular exercise and physical education,          and their role in providing quality free time and the creation of positive patterns of          behaviour.  Through  its  objectives,  contents  and  methods  of  work  physical          education contributes to the harmonious development of the young person. It aims          to educate and teach him/her about the importance of a healthy lifestyle (Ilc Klun          et al., 2016).          Regarding mountain-oriented content there are, with the exception of curricula, no          official documents on MOE implementation in formal education in Slovenia, while          cross-curricular  planning  is  usually  used  in  schools  when  planning  project  weeks          and carrying out activities of natural, cultural, and technical days (Novak, 2005).          The  geography  curriculum  highlights  not  only  active  teaching  methods  and          approaches, but also the role of geography in the maintenance and enhancement          of  students'  physical  skills  and  abilities.  Among  the  operational  objectives  for                                            18","compulsory  geographic  education,  starting  in  grade  six,  and  outlined  in  the          geography curriculum, it is stated that students “exercise in a healthy and effective          way in nature while undertaking field work and excursions” (Učni načrt. Program          osnovna šola. Geografija, 2011, p. 8) in order to “orientate themselves using a map          and  move  through  the  landscape”  (ibid.),  and  that  through  geography  lessons          “[students]  get  to  know  the  natural  and  cultural  heritage  of  Slovenia  and  the          importance of exercise in nature” (ibid.). Knowledge  standards in the curriculum          also state that students “care for their own health and healthy surroundings” (ibid.,          p. 22), emphasizing that geography teachers should encourage students to engage          in active learning not just as part of school lessons but also when students study          and learn independently.                                     Photo  1:  The  rocky  model  of  Mount  Triglav  as  an  object  for  interpretation          of mountains (Photo: M. Ogrin)           In the curriculum for physical education quite a lot of content can be found that          sensibly  and  relevantly  interconnects  with  the  subjects  Learning  About  the          Environment, Social Studies and Geography. Particularly noticeable is the material          dealing with Slovenian folk traditions as well as content linked to hiking. In primary          school  (6–15  years  old)  every  year  each  student  must  participate  in  five  sports          days, two of which include hiking. The subject matter for sports days that include                                            19","hiking  tends  to  focus  on  environmental  characteristics  of  the  hiking  venue,          including its geographical, historical and natural features, and includes hiking and          orienteering  using  a  compass  and  map  (Učni  načrt.  Program  osnovna  šola.          Geografija, 2011). The knowledge standards which students are expected to reach          by  the  end  of  each  three-year  cycle  also  list  connections  to  geographic  content,          specifically,  that  students  at  the  end  of  the  first  stage  should  be  able  to  “move          along  a  marked  trail”  (ibid.,  p.  32).  In  the  second  three-year  cycle,  knowledge          standards  state  “[students  are]  able  to  determine  cardinal  directions…  act  in          accordance with the principles of environmental protection” (ibid., p. 34), and in          the  third  cycle,  “know  how  to  orientate  oneself  with  a  map…  is  aware  of          conservation  problems  and  actions  that  preserve  natural  and  cultural  heritage”          (ibid., pp. 36–37).          Regarding mountain-oriented objectives, they are mostly included into geography          curricula for primary and secondary schools. Of the mountainous regions all around          the world (e.g. Rocky Mountains, Appalachian Mountains, Andes, Himalayas, Urals          etc.), the Alps, being a part of Slovenian territory, are most frequently mentioned.          Although the main emphasis is on knowledge concerning the physical and human-          geographical  elements  of  Alpine  landscapes,  the  importance  of  fieldwork  in          geography teaching and the  resulting didactic principle of direct observation are          also emphasized.          Teachers’ opinions, attitudes and preferences          We  chose  a  qualitative  method  of  gathering  data  through  a  questionnaire.  The          questionnaire  included  18  questions  of  different  types:  11  closed  and  7  open          questions.  The  survey  was  carried  out  in  August  2017.  An  online  questionnaire          (1KA) was completed by 34 participants of the Alpine summer school organized in          the frame of the YOUrALPS project. The respondents were mostly (90%) teachers in          primary and secondary schools. A total of 22 women and 12 men were from the          following countries: Slovenia (8), Austria (5), Germany (4), France (7) and Italy (10).          14 respondents (41%) were aged 45 to 54, 11 (32%) 34 to 44, 6 (18%) 55 to 64, 2          were 25 to 34 years and only one respondent was younger than 25 years. 77% of          respondents had a Bachelor of Science or higher degree.          According  to  the  respondents  the  most  usable  knowledge,  ideas,  methods  etc.          gained  through  the  summer  school,  aimed  at  integrating  different  school          topics/subjects for the purposes of mountain education, were the following: 1) to          be  able  to  understand  the  difference  between  information,  interpretation  and          experimental learning; 2) to fully embrace the importance of outdoor learning and          fieldwork; 3) to understand and feel how important experience, cooperation and          motivation were; 4) to embrace the importance of networking among colleagues                                            20","and group work management. When teachers experienced the theory themselves          through  outdoor  learning  and  fieldwork,  they  realized  how  important  the          suggested  approaches  might  be  for  their  students  no  matter  which  country  or          school system they come from.          The respondents were convinced that it was very important  for young people to          explore different territories and experiment with their elements, thereby enabling          them to experiment and use the professional skills acquired during the course of          studies. Through a cross-curricular approach in formal and non-formal education,          we can encourage them to expand their mental borders. The survey revealed that          this type of integration required – apart from extensive planning and cooperation          among teachers – a high degree of teacher commitment, which worked well when          there was high enthusiasm for the project.          Cross-curricular integration and mountain–oriented education          Our  research  shows  that  within  different  learning  approaches  and  methods,          physical  education  teachers  and  geography  teachers  can  effectively  integrate          geographic and physical education subject matter in general as well as in the field          of mountain-oriented education. Table 1 presents a few options that can be used          for the cross-curricular integration.          Table  1:  Options  for  the  cross-curricular  integration  of  geography  and  physical          education through the MOE perspective          WHAT?      HOW?          Class      In  line  with  interdisciplinary  integration  of  geographic  content  and          lessons    physical education, teachers can prepare some simple physical/sports                     activities in the course of regular lessons in the classroom. Thus, for                     example,  when  learning  about  Alpine  region(s)  students  may  learn                     traditional  dances  of  certain  countries,  teachers  may  also  organize                     orienteering  exercises  using  QR  codes  on  the  school  grounds.                     Furthermore, the content in both courses also interconnects when it                     comes  to  attaining  theoretical  knowledge  –  learning  about  cultural                     and natural heritage, caring for the environment, taking care of one’s                     own  health  etc.  Sporting  performance  of  a  region  or  country  can                     often  be  talked  about  in  geographical  terms  (for  example,  most                     mountaineers  tend  to  come  from  Alpine  or  mountainous  regions,                     Scandinavian  and  Alpine  nations  traditionally  have  good  skiers,                     Canadians are good hockey players).           Class      Teachers may plan a class excursion allowing students to acquire and          excursion   consolidate geographical knowledge, while students on the excursion                     will also engage in a lot of physical activity/sporting activities (hiking                                           21","in  hills  offering  good  views  and  potential  for  orientation;  the  bus                     should wait at a stop a bit further away so that students walk for a                     longer  period  and  simultaneously  meet  the  objectives  of  physical                     education,  for  example,  building  up  endurance;  at  specific  stops                     teachers can initiate a  variety of physical/active  sports and games).                     On excursions to particular mountainous/Alpine regions students can                     be introduced to and learn traditional dances, manners and customs                     that involve physical activity. In this way, students also  learn about                     the cultural heritage of an area/region/landscape.          Fieldwork   Teachers   can   organize   fieldwork   that   takes   place   in                     a mountainous/hilly/Alpine  region  and  includes  active  learning                     methods  (orientation  during  a  treasure  hunt,  involving  various                     physical/sports activities; taking various measurements  – wind, path                     of the Sun, rainfall etc.).          Project    During  these  days  students  and  teachers  can  present  varied          days,      geographic  content  (e.g.  Alpine  landscape,  alpine/mountainous          activity   geographical   phenomena),   which   teachers   connect   with          days,      physical/sports activities (climbing, mountaineering, mountain-biking,          sports     walking, skiing, cross-county skiing, skating etc.). There is also a strong          days       focus on raising awareness about conservation of nature, landscape                     features  and  different  ways  of  orientating  oneself  on  maps  and  in                     nature.          Source: Ilc Klun et al., 2016; Resnik Planinc \& Ilc Klun, 2016; Fridl \& Resnik Planinc,          2016.          Discussion          Factors  that  need  to  be  considered  in  an  integrated  curriculum  are  as  follows:          common  definitions  of  terms  (such  as  theme,  strand,  or  outcome);  available          resources; flexibility in scheduling; support services; subjects and concepts that will          be integrated; links between integration and broader outcomes; curricular scope          and sequence; how evaluation will occur; parent and community support; themes          that promote the transfer of learning and connections and team planning time that          is used to exchange information about content, students, special areas of teacher          expertise, and teaching methods (Gehrke, 1991; Jacobs, 1989; Lipson et al., 1993;          MacIver, 1990).          It is important that teachers avoid themes of convenience that have no meaningful,          larger concepts when they select themes. While an individual teacher may or may          not have expertise in each content area, members of teacher  teams are able to          work together to find connections that cut across single content areas (Lipson et                                           22","al.,  1993).  Themes  that  promote  the  linking  of  concepts  and  lead  to  deeper          understanding are more effective. A theme is more than a series of activities; it is          a way to facilitate student learning and understanding of conceptual connections.          Activities that are arbitrarily connected are not helpful (Brophy \& Alleman, 1991).          Thus, an integrated curriculum is a means, not the end result. Poorly designed units          do not achieve this end of deeper understanding and thorough learning. Each of          these elements needs to be considered as teachers look at curriculum integration.          It is necessary for each school to determine the best procedure to meet the needs          of the particular student body. A secondary school may face different constraints          than  an  elementary  school  (Lake,  2014).  Cross-curricular  planning  should  not  be          based solely on content links in the function of motivation, upgrading, and linking          existing knowledge with new, but also and above all within planned activities of          learners through which they achieve so-called process or lifelong knowledge (Bevc,          2005, pp. 50–59).          Accordingly, we would like to propose some recommendations which are based on          the curricula for  geography (Učni načrt. Program osnovna šola. Geografija, 2011;          Učni  načrt.  Program  gimnazija…  Geografija…,  2008),  since  these  go  furthest  in          terms of including objectives linked to mountain-oriented education. We suggest          that teachers addressing themes related to mountains start by talking about the          role  of  mountains  in  our  daily  lives.  Following  this  they  should  make  sure  to          continually  motivate  students  and  foster  a  positive  attitude  towards          mountains/Alps and sustainable development. To this end, teachers can refer to          the recommended activities which facilitate the achievement of goals relating to          the  development  of  positive  attitudes  towards  mountains/Alps.  Teachers  are          encouraged  to  individualize  and  differentiate  approaches  based  on  the  specific          characteristics of individual students. When introducing certain social topics, social          sensitivity  on  the  part  of  teachers  can  be  important.  Students  should  gather          information  about  mountains/Alps  using  all  their  senses,  while  teachers  should          take  into  account  their  different  cognitive  abilities.  They  should  be  given  the          opportunity  to  participate  in  various  projects,  research  activities  etc.  We          recommend that teachers forge interdisciplinary or cross-curricular links and use          information  and  communication  technologies  to  facilitate  the  work  of  both          students and teachers.          It is advisable to focus on personal experience and take into account experiences          and ideas that students have encountered and developed in and away from school.          Their ideas and experiences could be a starting point in lesson planning. Lessons          should  be  organized  so  that  students  can  discover  new  knowledge  and  skills          through concrete activities carried out in a way they can relate to. Teachers should          also encourage them to reflect on how they learned something. Students should                                           23","develop  attitudes  and  values,  learn  effective  problem-solving  strategies  and          communications  capabilities  as  well  as  how  to  critically  gather  and  assess          information.  Teachers  should  put  great  emphasis  on  interconnectedness  and          interaction between the individual elements.          Teachers should devote special to helping students obtain and master social skills          and abilities (e.g. taking responsibility, teamwork, understanding and respect for          diversity, care for oneself and others, developing habits that help individuals live in          a  community,  development  of  decision-making  capacity  and  ability  to  express          opinions, emotional self-control) and help them to develop core values and critical          thinking (e.g. posing questions, engaging them in research, defining concepts and          problems,  investigating  the  evidence  for  a  specific  thesis,  analysing  assumptions          and attitudes about individual conclusions, allowing  for  different interpretations,          facilitating openness, etc.) attention (Učni načrt. Program osnovna šola. Geografija,          2011; Učni načrt. Program gimnazija… Geografija…, 2008). It is essential to avoid          emotional closure and excessive simplification.          Conclusion          Students should learn that people through their everyday decisions and behaviours          influence  the  natural  and  social  environment.  A  deeper  understanding  of  our          relationship with the environment and having more detailed knowledge about the          effects our actions have on the environment are essential for students’ futures and          for the future of society. Evaluations of everyday practices and decisions of people          within  the  school  community,  hometown,  home  municipality,  Slovenia  and          elsewhere  should  also  include  an  evaluation  from  the  perspective  of          mountains/Alps and sustainable development.          Lake (2014) believes that movement from a traditional, subject-specific curriculum          to an integrated curriculum should not happen in one sudden sweep, since schools          find more  success when they make gradual changes, making sure that everyone          involved  feels  a  sense  of  ownership  of  and  commitment  to  the  changes.  Being          more  and  more  involved  in  integration,  teachers  find  that  they  see  connections          that they had not seen initially. “As teachers see these connections and develop          learning experiences and assessments built around the connections, students also          understand them” (Lake, 2014, p. 13). This understanding leads to learning that is          more  successful,  complex,  permanent  and  sustainable.  Consequently,  we  will          educate the individual to be capable of critical judgment of impacts and of critical          argumentation of the future consequences of today’s actions, habits, and lifestyles.                                                24","References          Arzenšek, K., Deutsch, S., Košpenda, V., Kumer, V., Laco, J., Lamut, N., Lazar, J., \&          Širec, A. (2011). Medpredmetno povezovanje kot strategija za kakovostno učenje          učencev v osnovni šoli. Vodenje v vzgoji in izobraževanju, 9(1), pp. 33–58. Retrieved          from http://www.dlib.si          Bevc, V. (2008). Medpredmetno načrtovanje. Fleksibilni predmetnik – pot do večje          avtonomije,  strokovne  odgovornosti  in  kakovosti  vzgojno-izobraževalnega  dela:          zbornik prispevkov (ed. Nolimal, F.). Ljubljana, Zavod Republike Slovenije za šolstvo          (pp. 183–189).          Brophy,  J.,  \&  Alleman,  J.  (1991).  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(1989). »Integrative Education: A Curriculum for the Twenty-          First Century.« OSSC Bulletin, v. 33, no. 2.          Učni načrt. Program gimnazija: splošna, klasična, ekonomska gimnazija. Geografija.          Obvezni  predmet,  matura.  (Curriculum:  Gymnasium  program:  general,  classical,          economics  gymnasium.  Geography.  Required  subject,  matura).  (2008).  Ljubljana,          Ministrstvo za šolstvo in šport, National Education Institute.          Učni načrt. Program osnovna šola. Geografija (Curriculum: Primary school program.          Geography). (2011). Ljubljana, Ministrstvo za šolstvo in šport, National Education          Institute.          Učni  načrt.  Program  osnovna  šola.  Športna  vzgoja  (Curriculum:  Primary  school          program.  Physical  Education).  (2011).  Ljubljana,  Ministrstvo  za  šolstvo  in  šport,          National Education Institute.          Vlček,  P.,  Resnik  Planinc,  T.,  Svobodová,  H.,  \&  Witzel  Clausen,  S.  (eds).  (2016).          Integrating physical education and geography: a case study of the Czech Republic,          Slovenia  and  Denmark.  Physical  education  and  health  education,  vol.  2.  Brno,          Masarykova univerzita.           Acknowledgement          This paper was supported by the Interreg Alpine Space project YOUrALPS.                                                      26","Are Czech students of teacher training prepared for interdisciplinary                                       teaching?                               Hana Svobodová, Eduard Hofmann            Department of Geography, Faculty of Education, Masaryk university, Brno, Czech Republic           Abstract          In  accordance  with  the  changes  in  the  Czech  curricular  documents,  there  is          increasing pressure to strengthen cross-curricular links. While the problematics of          cross-curricular cooperation began to be solved abroad in the 1980s and is actually          implemented in a number of countries, in the Czech environment it has been the          topic  of  professional  discussions  of  the  last  few  years  and  its  implementation  is          hindered by a number of barriers. At the same time, there is a lack of research in          the  Czech  environment  to  capture  the  implementation  of  cross-curricular          education or its comparison  in an international context. Klein and Newell (1998,          p. 3) consider the interdisciplinary approach as “a process of answering questions,          solving  problems  or  topics  that  are  too  broad  or  complex  to  be  appropriately          addressed by a single discipline”, notwithstanding that “interdisciplinary studies are          based  on  disciplinary  perspectives  and  integrate  their  knowledge  through  the          development  of  a  more  complex  perspective”.  Since  interdisciplinarity  remains          often an underestimated concept in the Czech environment, the first partial aim of          the  paper  is  to  introduce  the  possibility  of  integration  of  partial  geographic  and          other professional disciplines through the topic of “movement”.          In  order  for  the  interdisciplinary  cooperation  to  be  more  applied  by  teachers  at          schools, their training needs to be taken already in the course of study. In order to          determine whether future teachers are able to implement this form of teaching, an          investigation has been carried out with students of the follow-up master’s studies          for  primary  and  secondary  school  teachers  by  a  method  of  free  writing  on  pre-          assigned questions. Due to the qualitative nature of the students’ answers, their          answers were coded and subsequently analyzed. The second part of the paper is to          evaluate the results of the  survey  with the  students in  which they  express their          opinion on the preparation for the cross-curricular education.          Key  words:  interdisciplinary  cooperation,  transdisciplinary  cooperation,          geographical thinking, student, free writing                                            27","Introduction          In  keeping  with  changes  to  Czech  curricular  documents,  by  which  we  mean,  for          example, the classification of subjects into educational fields or the integration of          so-called  cross-cutting  topics,  ever  increasing  pressure  is  being  placed  on  the          strengthening of interdisciplinary relationships (Hofmann, Vodová 2017). Abroad,          the issue of interdisciplinary cooperation has been tackled since the 1970s and 80s          (see Hayes Jacobs 1989; Fairbairn \& Fulton 2000; Tabulawa 2017) and is actually          applied in a number of countries (e.g. Australia, Botswana, Denmark, etc.). Hayes          Jacobs (1989, p. 8) describes it as “…a knowledge view and curriculum approach          that consciously applies methodology and language from more than one discipline          to  combine  a  central  theme,  topic,  issue,  problem,  or  work.”  In  the  Czech          environment,  interdisciplinary  cooperation  has  been  the  subject  of  expert          discussions (Podroužek 2002; Hejnová 2011; Slavík, Janík, Najvar \& Knecht 2017)          for  the  past  several  years,  including  the  implementation  of  several  examples  of          integrated  teaching  projects  (Hofmann  2003;  Hofmann  et  al.  2011)  and  projects          with  this  theme  (Svatoňová,  Hofmann  et  al.  2012),  while  it  also  occurs  in  the          didactics of individual subjects (Janás 1985), but its comprehensive realisation and          implementation into the curricula of primary and secondary schools continues to          hit a number of barriers.          Interdisciplinary relationships have been and are grounded most in the teaching of          lower  primary  school  pupils,  where  pupils  learn  the  foundations  of  natural  and          social sciences in the subjects of basic science, national history and natural science.          The current curriculum puts these subjects into a wider educational field entitled          “Humans and Their World”. The curriculum in the Czech Republic in the form of          Framework  Educational  Programmes  has  also  set  strengthening  interdisciplinary          relationships at upper primary schools and secondary schools as one of its aims.          This  is  manifested  in  the  fact  that  individual  subjects  are  grouped  together  into          educational fields, where “Humans and Nature” comprises the subjects of physics,          chemistry  and  geography,  while  the  field  “Humans  and  Society”  combines  the          subjects of civic education and history. While at lower primary schools, integration          also manifests itself in textbook creation, where basic science, natural science and          national history textbooks comprise knowledge of both natural and social sciences,          Czech textbooks for upper primary schools and secondary schools remain single-          subject. The only exceptions are textbooks from the publisher FRAUS (published in          2005),  which  issues  a  range  of  thematic  exercise  books  where  interdisciplinary          relationships can be applied. The topics of these textbooks are: Energy, Water, Soil,          Weather  and  Climate,  and  Information  Technology.  As  part  of  the  project          “Integrated Natural Science” (Svatoňová, Hofmann et al. 2012), thematic textbooks                                           28","were  created  for  teaching  at  primary  schools  in  the  South  Moravian  Region,          examining topics devoted to “Humans and Their Contemporary Lives”. These are:          “We  Travel  by  Car”,  “The  Household  –  A  Small  World”,  “The  Town  and  the          Countryside”, “The Tailor Makes the Man” and “Robinson Crusoe Today”. No such          textbooks  or  thematic  exercise  books  exist  in  the  Czech  Republic  for  secondary          schools.          Aims and Methods          As  yet,  the  Czech  environment  lacks  research  into  the  implementation  of          interdisciplinary  teaching  or  a  comparison  of  such  teaching  in  an  international          context.  Klein  \&  Newell  (1998,  p.  3)  define  an  interdisciplinary  as  “a  process  of          answering a question, solving a problem, or addressing a topic which is too broad          or complex to be dealt with adequately by a single discipline”, regardless of the fact          that “interdisciplinary studies draw on disciplinary perspectives and integrates their          insights  through  construction  of  a  more  comprehensive  perspective”.  Since          interdisciplinarity often remains an undervalued concept in the Czech environment,          the  first partial objective of the paper is to present possibilities for integrating          partial geographical disciplines and other expert disciplines through the topic of          “exercise” both in a direct and indirect form.          In order for interdisciplinary cooperation to be more applied by school teachers,          professional training is essential as part of their university studies, ideally including          model implementation at a primary school. To determine whether future teachers          are capable of implementing this form of teaching, 24 students on a master’s study          course for teaching at upper primary schools participated in research conducted by          way of free writing to pre-set questions. The free writing method is a brainstorming          method where, for several minutes, respondents write down anything that occurs          to them on the particular topic in full sentences. The aim is to write down as many          ideas, opinions, experiences etc. as possible. It is especially used in the evocative          stage, where pupils/students realise what they already know about the discussed               6          topic.  Due to the qualitative nature of the students' answers, their answers were          coded and subsequently analysed and interpreted. The second partial aim of the          paper, therefore, is to evaluate the results of the research with the students, in          which they express their opinion on preparation for interdisciplinary teaching.                 6            Free writing. Framework Educational Programmes methodological portal. URL           http://wiki.rvp.cz/Knihovna/1.Pedagogick%C3%BD_lexikon/V/Voln%C3%A9_psan%C3%AD [3. 6. 2018]                                           29","Results          Exercise as a Possible Theme for Integrating PE and Geography          Given its complexity and overlap into other fields, geography is often criticised for          “robbing” other scientific branches. We believe that this is not the case and that          today the contrary is true. Geography is an intelligent borrower and “integrator” of          science subjects in particular, but also of history, civic studies, physical education          and  other  subjects.  Above  all,  geographers  have  to  know  what  to  look  for  from          other branches and what extent of knowledge and skills is needed from  them in          order to achieve optimal solutions to problems which exist in the real landscape.                                     Fig. 1: Position of geography in the system of natural sciences          Source: Kolejka, 2008           According to the concept of authors Slavík, Janík, Najvar \& Knecht (2017), teaching          can be divided between branch (disciplinary), inter-subject (interdisciplinary) if we          consider the cooperation of two subjects, and transdisciplinary in the event that          a teaching strategy exceeds  even interdisciplinary dimensions.  Transdisciplinarity          connotes a research strategy that crosses many disciplinary boundaries to create          a holistic approach. It applies to research efforts focused on problems that cross          the  boundaries  of  two  or  more  disciplines.  The  transdisciplinary  concept  of          fieldwork  can  be  identified  with  the  concept  of  integrated  teaching,  which                                           30","constitutes  an  “interconnected”  model,  ideally  linked  to  disciplinary  and          interdisciplinary  activities.  Podroužek  (2002)  adds  that  integrated  teaching          interconnects content from the curricula of various subjects in a single thematic          educational unit aiming to provide comprehensive knowledge which is useful for          practical life.                     Fig. 2: Separating Teaching from Disciplinary to Inter- and Transdisciplinary          Source: the author in accordance with Slavík, Janík, Najvar \& Knecht (2017)           In the case of geography lessons, part of which should ideally take place in the field          (fieldwork), Dyment \& Potter (2015) or Potter \& Dyment (2016) ask themselves the          following  questions:  “Is  outdoor  education  a  discipline?  Can  ‘nature’  alone  be          enough of a worldview or paradigm to warrant outdoor education being a stand-          alone discipline?” According to these authors outdoor education as a prospective          discipline  is  the  role,  power  and  potential  of  the  natural  environment  and  the          relationships  between  humans  and  nature  that  stand  to  be  formed.  These          questions can also be asked about geography education itself. We can approach          geography education, including fieldwork, as an independent discipline with regard          to  its  methodology.  Its  content,  however,  exceeds  the  bounds  of  a  separate          discipline  (see  above),  and  so  we  can  speak  about  an  interdisciplinary  teaching          concept. This concept of interdisciplinarity can be applied to geography fieldwork          with  a  dominant  focus  on  one  school  subject  (in  this  case  geography)  with  the          support of exercise, which is always part of fieldwork in an unstructured form.          Integration  with  physical  education  (exercise)  can  be  primarily  implemented  by          means  of  outdoor  (field)  activities,  which  are  common  to  both  of  them.  Mutual          relationships  between  geography  and  physical  education  may  be  direct  and          indirect.          Among direct relationships we can include activities where exercise or geographical          skills  are  consciously  included  in  geography  or  PE.  For  instance,  in  geography          lessons we can apply a faster walking pace or running when moving in the field. In          PE,  we  can  also  move  around  following  a  map  or  a  compass.  Above  all,  it  is                                             31","important  that  this  exercise  is  not  a  priority  for  the  particular  activity  and  that          students do not always even realise it.          Indirect relationships include, for example, practising various skills which will serve          as exercise or for practising geography knowledge and skills later. From the point of          view  of  geography,  this  may  include  choosing  a  suitable  place  for  an  exercise          course,  by  which  we  mean  selecting  a  place  for  various  exercise  activities.          Preparation  of  maps  for  orientation  in  the  field  (e.g.  maps  for  orienteering,          handling  a  GPS  station  etc.).  As  regards  PE,  this  will  include,  for  example,  the          development of various physical skills, primarily different types of trekking.          The significance of fieldwork is described, for example, by Bierle \& Singletary (2008)          or Farmer et al.  (2007). Dechano \& Shelley (2004) present examples of applying          sporting activities in geography lessons, while possibilities for using physical games          in  geography  education  are  summarised  by  Buriánková  (2008).  Their  work  is          followed up by Posejpal (2012), who also ascertained an extent and specific form of          integration  of  physical  education  with  geography  topics  in  Czech  primary  and          secondary  schools.  Various  forms  of  geography  fieldwork,  primarily  concern          collecting  data  from  field  research.  This  is  carried  out  in  various  places,  where          students use different kinds  of exercise depending on the kind of landscape and          data which they are collecting.          Exercise as a Possible Theme for Transdisciplinarity          As an indirect element, exercise may be introduced between geography and other          sciences  or  humanities.  Exercise  can  be  a  unifying  element  of  the  thematic          integration of the field itself – see fig. 3, or also individual subjects – see fig. 4.                                                                   32","Fig. 3: Movement as an integrative theme in geography teaching          Source: Hofmann \& Vodová 2017, adapted by Svobodová, 2018                                                33","Chemistry: Particle   Physics: Moving bodies  Geography: Movement  Biology: Movement               movement     in a gravitational field  of lithospheric plates   of animals            Fig. 4: Movement as a (horizontal) integrative theme in the teaching of science          and humanities          Source: authors           A  barrier  to  horizontal  integration  however,  is  the  Framework  Education          Programme, which is divided into individual fields where it is relatively difficult to          find an integration element. Furthermore, the curricula studied in individual years          of various subjects (science/humanities) often do not correspond. It is difficult, for          example, to combine the origins of life on Earth, a subject studied in earlier years of          biology  and  geography  with  physics,  which  is  first  taught  in  the  7th  year,  and          chemistry,  which  is  taught  from  the  8th  year,  cannot  be  involved  from  the          beginning.  Integration  is  therefore  prevented  by  a  “pigeonholed”  Framework          Education Programme. A particular barrier to vertical integration is the fact that the          curricula  of  lower  and  upper  primary  schools,  and  often  even  the  curricula  of          individual subjects, do not follow-on from one another to a great extent.          Training of Future Teachers in Implementing Interdisciplinary Education          Students in teacher training for upper primary school for various combinations of          subjects  were  asked  three  questions  concerning  the  topic  of  interdisciplinary          cooperation.  The  first  question  ascertained  whether  students  are  prepared  for          implementing  interdisciplinary  education.  How  does  potential  training  take          place?  Only  6  students  stated  that  students  are  prepared  for  interdisciplinary          teaching. Some of them then stated that interconnection is automatic for students          combining geography and biology, because certain topics such as fauna, flora, soil          or climate merge within biogeography, ecology and even geology. Another student          saw a connection between geography and history, as well between geography and          chemistry or physics. Only one student revealed interdisciplinary teaching within          the subject of “Integrated Fieldwork” which the students had taken less than a year          before. The remaining 16 students stated that they are not sufficiently prepared for          interdisciplinary teaching.          The second question asked the students to specify barriers to the implementation          of interdisciplinary cooperation in teaching. Students of teacher training for upper          secondary schools particularly saw the following as barriers to the implementation          of interdisciplinary cooperation/teaching at pedagogical faculties: non-cooperation          between  individual  faculties  (8  responses),  where  in  the  case  of  some  study                                           34","combinations,  students  even  found  cooperation  hard  to  imagine  (for  example          interconnecting geography and Czech language). Another significant obstacle is the          scope and content of the curriculum which “must be passed on” and its excessive          depth and expertise. There is no time left for interdisciplinarity (4 responses). Time          demands  for  implementation  (2  responses),  insufficient  preparation,  or          unwillingness of teachers were also perceived as barriers.          The final question aimed to find out whether students think that interdisciplinary          cooperation ought to be used in teaching more. In 17 cases, students answered in          the  affirmative  and  commented  on  their  answer  further.  Students  in  teacher          training for upper primary school see the following in particular as incentives for          including  interdisciplinary  teaching  in  both  teacher  training  and  primary  school          education:          A) Support for Pupils’ Thinking in Context          “life  isn’t  just  a  single  field,  it’s  important  that  part  of  education  takes  and          interdisciplinary direction”          “interdisciplinary cooperation is extremely important… pupils receive information in          context and are able to connect knowledge from multiple fields”          “the interconnection of subjects and use of interdisciplinary relationships is key in          today’s education system… information and awareness are often so isolated that          pupils  cannot  think  in  context  and  apply  their  skills,  awareness  and  knowledge          outside a given subject”          “pupils have to think about things and combine various matters and information”          “we live in an interconnected world where knowledge from one field is not enough.          Everything has to be perceived in context”          “a general overview and thinking in context which does not close them in a “box”          defined by their own field”          “thinking in a wider context… it is good to make these overlaps because students          remember better if facts fit into some sort of continuity in context and can look at          an issue in general”          “components which, if we put them together, work together in a certain manner…          pupils should know that everything is connected in some way and why that is… and          this can teach them understanding in context”          “the  overwhelming  majority  of  teaching  focuses  on  learning  facts,  dates  and          terminology,  rather  than  at  least  partially  explaining  relationships,  causes  and          effects etc.”                                             35","B)  The  power  of  cooperation,  or  the  joint  education  of  teachers  from  multiple          branches  (known  as  team  teaching)  and  the  strength  of  geography  as  an          “interconnector” of other subjects          “geography is so specific and draws on many other various fields, to which it gives          continuity thanks to their position where they cross paths within it naturally, even          without  interdisciplinary  relationships…  geography  interconnects  the  majority  of          school subjects and can be interconnected with virtually all primary school subjects”          “in geography, you touch on every field at least partially… (pupils) are taken deeper          into a given issue and can better understand the cause and effect”          “when  pupils  encounter information  a  number  of  times  and  from  multiple          teachers… “The more often pupils hear something, the better they remember it”          “there is strength in cooperation”          Conclusion          The  issue  of  exercise  can  serve  as  a  topic  for  both  the  horizontal  and  vertical          integration  of  subjects.  We  can  transfer  exercise  to  physical  activities  which  are          reflected in the pressure to lead a healthy lifestyle which all school subjects should          cross-sectionally encourage (Hayes Jacobs 1989:16, Bugge \& von Seelen, 2017:21).          Unfortunately,  the  Czech  education  system  is  not  fully  prepared  for  integration,          whether in terms of the training of future teachers, or support for these by way of          curricular  documents.  The  Czech  educational  system  focuses  more  on  individual          branches  which  have  been  atomised  due  to  deepening  knowledge  and  are          relatively  difficult  to  integrate  in  the  contemporary  age.  One  of  the  ways  of          integration, which is currently most frequently used, is project education. In this          case, teachers should be aware of the overlap and replenishment of thematic units          and  take  this  fact  into  account  when  compiling  thematic  plans  and  study          programmes.          Another  path  is  quality  teacher  training,  while  a  third  path  is  offered  by  team          teaching.  This,  however,  hits  the  barrier  of  teachers’  capacities  and  the          impossibility  of  paying  two  or  more  equal  teachers  for  one  lesson.  Good-quality          integrated  textbooks  also  offer  a  possible  path  to  integration.  A  possible  model          could  be  textbooks  produced  in  France  (Hachette  Book  Group)  which  integrate          education  of  geography  and  history.  Although  these  stand  as  separate  subjects,          they cover a partial curriculum together, a fact which is supported by the uniform          graphics of the textbooks. In addition, cartography skills are applied when working          with historical maps in history lessons. In the same way, civic education or science          subjects can be integrated naturally.                                             36","The  preparation  of  future  teachers  for  interdisciplinary  cooperation  is  also  not          ideal.  Didactics  of  individual  subjects  are  taught,  but  today’s  university  study          programmes do not have space for integration. The aim  of pedagogical faculties          should be to prepare students for the future role of qualified and open teachers.          Teachers who are able to communicate with their colleagues and to participate in          the creation of a joint curriculum which aims to teach pupils primarily to think in          context. Partial integration only takes place in the training of future lower primary          school teachers, where teachers act as natural integrators. In the training of upper          primary  school  teachers,  we  encounter  the  already  mentioned  pigeonholing  of          branches. It appears that, if the Czech education system does not receive a new          impetus for innovation, e.g. through a prepared revision of Framework Education          Programmes,  the  issue  of  integration  is  likely  to  remain  merely  the  subject  of          expert discussions.          References          Bierle, S., \& Singletary, T. J. (2008). Environmental education and related fields in          Idaho secondary schools. The Journal of Environmental Education, 39(3), 19–31.          Bugge,  A.,  \&  von  Seelen  Hansen,  J.  (2017).  Fysisk  aktivitet  og  faglig          præstation. Unge Paedagoger, 2017(1), 20–26.          Buriánková, M. (2008). Využití pohybových her v geografickém a environmentálním          vzdělávání.  Diplomová  práce.  Praha:  Univerzita  Karlova,  Přírodovědecká  fakulta,          87 p.          Dechano, L. 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Acknowledgement          This  work  was  supported  by  a  Faculty  of  Education  Grant  “Application  of  cross-          curricular cooperation in outdoor education”, MUNI/A/1190/2017.                                                 38","Elementary Education curricula in the Czech Republic and the                Republic of Slovenia – Physical Education and Geography                                      integration                              1               1                   2                     Petr Vlček  , Hana Svobodová  , Tatjana Resnik Planinc                          1                          Faculty of Education MU, Brno, The Czech Republic                  2                   Tatjana Resnik Planinc, Faculty of Arts, University of Ljubljana, Slovenia           Abstract          This  paper  aims  to  address  the  lack  of  international  knowledge  and  research  in          interdisciplinary teaching and curriculum development, especially when it comes to          the  subjects  of  Physical  Education  and  Geography.  The  authors  analyse  and          compare  elementary school curricular documents from two countries, the Czech          Republic  and  the  Republic  of  Slovenia,  to  reveal  how  integration  of  Physical          Education and Geography is embedded at the policy level in the selected countries.          Key  words:  cross-curricular  integration,  Czech  Republic,  Republic  of  Slovenia,          geography, physical education          Introduction          In the pedagogical and didactic fields, interdisciplinary cooperation is one of the          main  topics  that  both  professionals  and  teacher-practitioners  discuss  and  write          about. This means that interdisciplinary cooperation is increasingly making its way          into  schools.  Hayes  Jacobs  (1989)  describes  it  as  “…a  knowledge  view  and          curriculum  approach  that  consciously  applies  methodology  and  language  from          more  than  one  discipline  to  combine  a  central  theme,  topic,  issue,  problem,  or          work”.  As  the  debates  about  interdisciplinary  cooperation  can  differ  in  different          countries  according  to  actual  settings  of  school  curricula,  the  following  text          presents  views  and  ideas  of  Czech  and  Slovene  authors  contributing  to  the          discussion.          Even though many teachers, teacher educators, curriculum developers, and some          politicians see interdisciplinarity as an important issue, there is a lack of knowledge          and research concerning the international comparison of curricular documents and          outcomes, especially when it comes to the subjects of PE and Geography.                                              39","Aims of the study          The aim of this international study focuses on an analysis of the Czech and Slovene          elementary  school  curricular  documents  (ISCED  1,  2)  for  PE  and  Geography  and          a comparison of the interdisciplinary cooperation between the two subjects in the          analysed curricula.          Methodology          This  study  is  based  on  comparative  research  in  educational  sciences  (Noah  \&          Eckstein, 1969; Bray \& Thomas, 1995; Manzon, 2011) and in physical education and          sport  (Brandl-Bredenbeck,  2005;  Howell,  Howell,  Toohey  \&  Toohey,  1979).  The          selection of the countries was motivated by their membership to the international          network  C.A.L.M.A.Z,  but  also  by  differences  between  the  countries  (different          historical and cultural traditions, state systems, economic development, language,          geographical  indications  etc.)  and  similarities  –  both  countries  have  recently          introduced  changes  in  schooling  involving  a  modernization  of  the  curriculum,          including PE and Geography.          As regards the selection of research methods, the structure of the curriculum as          described by Keeves \& Adams, (1997) was taken into consideration. The authors          describe three forms – intended, implemented and achieved curriculum. As for the          intended  curriculum  the  core  of  the  study  was  based  on  an  analysis  of  the          curricular programmes for PE and Geography and a comparison of the outcomes.          The research methodology builds on the classic comparative research methodology          proposed  by  Bereday  (1964),  which  comprises  the  following  steps  –  description,          interpretation, juxtaposition and comparison.          Results          Description          Curriculum documents analysis          Since the curriculum documents differed in number and length, those sections in          the documents that related directly to PE and Geography were identified.          The  following  documents  which  constituted  the  set  of  primary  sources  were          compared:          The Czech Republic:                Framework  Educational  Programme  for  Elementary  Education  (FEP  EE,                 2016).                Educational  Standards  for  Elementary  Education  –  Physical  Education.                 (2013).                Educational Standards for Elementary Education – Geography. (2013).                                           40","The Republic of Slovenia:                Učni  načrt  Družba,  2011.  Republika  Slovenija,  Ministrstvo  za  šolstvo  in                 šport,  Zavod  RS  za  šolstvo,  Ljubljana  (Social  Studies  Curriculum/Primary                 School)                Učni načrt Geografija, 2011. Republika Slovenija, Ministrstvo za šolstvo in                 šport,  Zavod  RS  za  šolstvo,  Ljubljana  (Geography  Curriculum/Primary                 School)                Učni  načrt  Spoznavanje  okolja,  2011.  Republika  Slovenija,  Ministrstvo  za                 šolstvo  in  šport,  Zavod  RS  za  šolstvo,  Ljubljana  (Learning  about  the                 Environment Curriculum/Primary School)                Učni  načrt  Športna  vzgoja,  2011.  Republika  Slovenija,  Ministrstvo  za                 šolstvo  in  šport,  Zavod  RS  za  šolstvo,  Ljubljana  (Physical  Education                 Curriculum)          In  order  to  determine  which  learning  content  from  PE  and  geographical  subject          matter  can  connect,  interact  and  complement  each  other,  we  performed  an          analysis  of  the  Sloven  (Učni  načrt…,  2011)  and  Czech  (FEP  EE,  2016)  curricula          documents.  We  analysed  the  operational  and  overall  learning  objectives,  along          with knowledge standards and didactic recommendations, in order to determine in          which areas teachers can better integrate subject matter. As there is not enough          space in the magazine paper, we present only an example of the juxtaposition of          operational objectives and content for interdisciplinary connection between PE and          Geography.                                                                   41","Table  1:  Operational  objectives  and  content  for  interdisciplinary  connection  of          sport – geography in the subjects Physical Education – Geography, Grades 6 to 9                          THEMATIC       OPERATIONAL            THEMATIC       MODULE         LEARNING        COURSE MATERIAL  FOR                                                                         7             MODULE           GEOGRAPHY      PHYSICAL      OBJECTIVES FOR     PHYSICAL EDUCATION                         EDUCATION        GEOGRAPHY          ORIENTEERING               AND                    Orientate oneself and            SURVEYING                  move through the           THE EARTHS                 environment using a   The pace of walking,             SURFACE                  compass and a map.            (GRADE 6)                                       replacement of lost                                                                fluids and                                        Visit at least one                                                           thermoregulation. The                                      natural geographical   effects of walking on the                                       unit of Slovenia (an    human body.                                        interdisciplinary     Environmental                                          excursion);                                                          protection, concern for                                        Learn about the                                                            the conservation of                                          beauty and                           HIKING     geographical diversity   natural and cultural           LET'S USE THE               of Slovenia through   heritage. Safety in the                                                           mountains. Providing          KNOWLEDGE: A                   excursions and                                                           first aid for abrasions,              CLASS                        fieldwork;                                                             wounds, blisters,            EXURSION                    Learn about the    contusions (swelling)            (GRADE 6)                    values and the      and insect bites,                                       uniqueness of the    protection against                                      Slovenian landscapes,                                                            insects. Emergency                                       develop a love and                                                           responses. Navigating                                      respect for Slovenian    with a map.                                       natural and cultural                                      heritage and a sense                                         of belonging to                                           Slovenia.               7            Operational objectives for the subjects Learning the Environment and PE are defined in different ways,           thus cross-curricular connections are found by comparing the objectives of Learning the Environment           with  PE’s  learning  material  OR  operational  objectives.  Where  connections  were  determined  using           operational objectives, it is expressly indicated.                                           42","Describe efforts and            SUBALPINE                                       measures taken to             REGIONS                                      conserve natural and            (GRADE 9)                                        cultural heritage.                                      Describe efforts and              ALPINE                                       measures taken to             REGIONS            (GRADE 9)                 conserve natural and                                        cultural heritage.                                       Using the Postojna                                      Cave as an example,          DINARIC KARST               students present the             REGION                   efforts and measures            (GRADE 9)                  taken to conserve                                       natural and cultural                                           heritage.           Source:  Učni  načrt  Geografija  (Geography  Curriculum)  2011;  Učni  načrt  Športna          vzgoja (Physical Education Curriculum) 2011           Questionnaire survey          The  data  collection  gained  from  the  analysis  of  curriculum  documents  were          complemented  with questionnaire surveys of  experts in  PE and Geography from          both  countries.  Two  experts  from  each  nation  agreed  to  participate  in  the  data          collection – one expert for PE and one for Geography. All of them are academics          (mainly  associate  or  assistant  professors)  at  quality  universities.  All  respondents          received a general information letter (e-mail) and the following qualitative semi-          structured, open-ended questionnaire. Their task was to describe the situation of                                                                             8          PE  and  Geography  in  their  country,  with  a  particular  focus  on  ISCED  1  and  2 ,          according to the questions shown in table 2.          Interpretation          The  goal  of  this  phase  of  comparative  research  is  to  thoroughly  describe  the          material  and  understand  the  connections to the research problem; for example,          Holmes  (1981,  p.  61;  see  also  Noah  \&  Eckstein,  1969)  asserts  that  a  valuable             8            The authors had a text delivery deadline on June 2016. The first papers varied somewhat in quality            and structure. We decided that the answers had to undergo careful revision and comparison with            the content of the descriptive chapters. The main goal was to guarantee comparability between            statements from different countries.                                            43","descriptive study is prepared with a clear problem in mind, which allows for the          collection of relevant data and subsequently for comparison. Thus, we compared          chosen contextual factors, namely the specifics of the school systems in the Czech          Republic  and  the  Republic  of  Slovenia  using  codes  taken  from  existing  research          (deductive  coding)  as  well  as  new  codes  (inductive  coding)  which  we  present  in          Vlček´s, Planinc´s, Svobodová´s, Witzel  Clausen´s  et al. (2016)  monograph before          we started to analyse and compare curricular documents in detail.          As Hendl (2008, p. 223) observes, “a qualitative analysis aims at a systematic, non-          numerical data organization whose goal is to reveal topics, patterns, characteristics          and  relations”.  The  purpose  of  a  qualitative  analysis  is  not  to  identify  the          distribution of a phenomenon, but to adduce convincing evidence for its existence          and its particular structuring. Hence, the analytical tools used in this research did          not  rely  on  quantification,  but  on  creating  semantic  categories  and  their          description, employing primary and secondary content analysis.          Juxtaposition          Table 2: Juxtaposition of the questionnaire survey                                    PHYSICAL EDUCATION                     Czech Republic                        Slovenia                 PE            Geography            PE            Geography                               Structure of the educational system                 What is the compulsory age for children to attend school in your country?                         6–15                               6–15              How many compulsory classes shall be held for one week at certain school levels?                               Grades 1–3:      Grades 1–3: 3     Grades 1–3:                              “Prvouka” 2–3     classes / week,   Environmental                            hrs/week, Grades 4–                studies, 3 hrs/week,          All grades: 2 classes /               Grades 4–6: 3                week         5: “Vlastivěda” 1–2   classes / week,   Grades 4–5: Social                            hrs/week, Grades 6–  Grades 7–9: 2   studies: 2 hrs/week,                            9: Geography: 2-2-2-  classes / week   Grade 6: Geography                                1 hrs/week                         1 hr/week              For which of these school levels do you have specific curriculum in your country?                                               There is only one   Environmental              2 curricula:                             Elementary school   curriculum for PE,   Studies Curriculum           Elementary school   Grades 1–5      covering all nine   (Grades 1–3)              Grades 1–5                      years of elementary                             Elementary school                    Social Studies           Elementary school   Grades 6–9     school. It is divided   Curriculum              Grades 6–9                       into three parts:   (Grades 4–5)                                              Elementary school:                                           44","Grades 1–3,      Geography                                              Elementary school:   Curriculum (Grades                                                 Grades 4– 6,        6–9)                                              Elementary school:                                                 Grades 7– 9               What is the current political situation of the subject at school in your country?                                                                  As a subject            Long tradition.                                                               Geography is rather            Discourse about    “Stealing” of                    well positioned in          launching third class   geography                     the school system           a week. Academic   curriculum by other   Nowadays in a   although there are            discussion about     subjects        rather good     sometimes the            changing health   (environmental      position.      aspirations to             oriented goals   education, biology,              combine geography            toward physical   civics, history, … ).             content with some               literacy.                                                                 other subjects.           Have there been any educational reforms done in the last 5 years or are there any going to                                   be the following years?                         2004                             2007–2008                         Which are the most urgent problems of the subject?                              Descriptiveness,                      Beside          Congruence (fidelity)           of curricula levels.   encyclopaedic   Implementation of   implementation of           Low acceptance of   learning, lack of   the modern     the modern             new curricula.   practical use –   educational trends   educational trends,                                 fidelity.                     no urgent problems.             Formal issues of the curriculum (asked for both elementary and secondary school)                                What is the name of the subject?                            Prvouka – vlastivěda                  Grades 1–3:                                – zeměpis                        “Spoznavanje                            (Elementary studies                     okolja”                              – Geography –                      (Environmental                            Geography), Grades                      studies)            Physical (body)   1–3: “Prvouka”   Physical education   Grades 4–5:              education     (Elementary studies),                                                                   “Družba”                               Grades 4–5:                       (Social studies)                               “Vlastivěda”                            (Geography), Grades                   Grades 6–9:                              6–9: “Zeměpis”                      “Geografija”                               (Geography)                        (Geography)                        When did the current core curriculum enter into force?                                           45","2004                               2011                       Who is responsible for the elaboration of the curriculum?             National Institute for Education led by   Ministry of Education, Science and Sport             Ministry of Education, Youth and Sport            How centralized or decentralized is your curriculum? (e.g. national level, regional level,                                       school level,…)            Decentralized: The Framework Education            Programme (national level) → The School   Centralized on national level.                   Education Programme            What is the structure of the main curriculum and what are the main thematic chapters?                              For Geography 9                            thematic units (3 of   Grades 1–3: ABC of                               them contain    athletics, ABC of                               geography):    gymnastics, natural   Grade 6: Planet                               Grades 1–5:     movements, ball      Earth          1) Health enhancing   thematic unit “Man   games, dance   Grade 7: Regional              activities.     and his world”,    games, outdoor   Geography of                                                  activities,    Europe and Asia           2) Skills enhancing   Grades 6–9:     swimming.              activities.   thematic unit “Man                  Grade 8: Regional                            and nature” contains   Grades 4–9:   Geography of Africa,              3) Activities                   athletics, gymnastic   Australia and           enhancing physical   “Planet Earth,   with rhythmic   Oceania, America           activities learning.   Regional geography                               of continents,    gymnastics,    and Polar regions                             Geography of the   dancing, volleyball,   Grade 9: Geography                             Czech Republic and   football, handball,   of Slovenia                            general physical and   basketball, outdoor                             human geography      activities.                             and cartography”            What is/are the key concept(s) that your curriculum is referring to? (e.g. for PE: physical           literacy, fundamental movement skills, health education, sports education. For Geography:                    place, local-global perspectives, interaction of man and nature, …).          PE was embedded in                     The overall          the educational area                 objectives of PE in   Geography helps to            related to health                    elementary                            Recent unsuccessful                acquire knowledge,            promotion. The     attempts to     program: Proper   abilities and skills,           Current concept of                 movement efficiency                               understand                      which can help them            Czech PE is not   processes in nature.   and the creation of   to understand the          accepted unievrsally                 a healthy lifestyle.                                                                  environment.            by the teachers.                   The acquisition of            According to the                   skills that enable                                           46","latest educational                   participation in          programmes a wide                     various sports           variety of physical                    activities.          activities concerning               Understanding the            especially health                   usefulness of          goals should be used                regular exercise and            in the PE classes.                PE, and their role in                                               providing quality                                                  free time.                                                 The  creation  of                                                 positive                                                 patterns   of                                                 behaviour.                       Is the curriculum rather content based or outcome based?               Both content and outcome-based    More content than outcome based          Does the curriculum define any standards? If yes, in what sense? (you can show an example)             Standards are formulated in a form of           expected outcomes; expected outcomes are   Standards are formulated in a form of            developed into indicators. There are also   expected outcomes.           separate standards defined for all subjects.           Is there any quality control system monitoring the implementation of the provisions of the                     curriculum? If yes, who is responsible and how is it organized?                                                 Teachers are obliged to follow the            Czech school inspection should monitor   curriculum of the subject they teach. The           teaching at schools and implementation of   headmasters can (whenever they decide so)            curricula. Though, implementation of the   participate during their lessons and check             curriculum is not monitored in reality.   their materials. All that can be checked by                                                       school inspectors.           In how far is it possible to detect any difference between the prescribed curriculum and the                              curriculum implemented in the field?                              Teachers do not   Teacher is obliged to follow the curriculum           A low congruence                    and to fulfil all its written goals. Teachers             between the    understand the goals   should present a written preparation for             projected and   of the reforms or do   each lesson. Through lessons preparations,           realised curricula,   not want to   written and oral exams’ results of teacher’s            which presents a   implement them   students, results of final exams on national           significant problem   because it is easier to   level the implementation can be checked.                             teach in old, used             for the quality                               ways than to            evaluation of the   implement new   In reality by PE   The prescribed               subject.                        teachers a lot of   curriculum is                                 things.                                              written goals aren’t                                           47","realized, which is an   implemented in the                                              important problem      field                                              for the quality of PE.                     Objectives, content and assessment issues of the curriculum                    Which are the main general objectives defined in the curriculum?                                               PE is directed to                                              pupils' primal needs                               Geographical    for exercise and   Knowledge and                            thinking about man   play, personalized   understanding of                               and nature,     development of   space, natural and          General objectives of   environment, use of   movement and   socio-economic            PE in CZR are all   energy… –     functional abilities,   systems on Earth,            concerned with   exploration of facts,   acquisition of the   processes in home             health issues.   processes and their   many and various   region, the country                              context, using   motor skills and   and the world in                             various methods of   sports knowledge   terms of temporal                                cognition.    and emotional and    changes.                                              rational perception                                                 of the sport.            Do the following development areas appear in some way or another in the curriculum?             For example, for PE: forming physically literate individuals; educating children to lead              physically active lifestyle; developing the knowledge for health-conscious lifestyle;            developing self-knowledge, self-esteem and cooperative attitude; forming responsible                       behaviour; developing problem-solving, critical thinking.           For example, for Geography: Developing of: action competence, citizenship (local-global),           critical thinking, problem-solving competence, organize practical work (e.g. experiments or                                fieldwork, aesthetic awareness)           Yes, the dominant                                   Action competence,            ones: educating   Competence to learn,              citizenship, critical            children to lead   competence to solve              thinking, problem-            physically active   problems,           Yes        solving competence,           lifestyle; developing   critical/geographical       organizing practical           the knowledge for    thinking.                        work, aesthetic            health-conscious                                      awareness.               lifestyle.                Which activities, contents, appear in the curricula content and which are the                                      dominant ones?                               No dominant        Athletics,    Geography focuses          Physical education in   activities, there are   Gymnastic, Dancing,   on understanding          the curricula – health   several balanced   Natural Movements,   the world,               issues,                             topics. Geography   Ball Games,    understanding the                                           48","reality is different.   should explain   Mountaineering,   dynamic                              processes in the   Swimming,       interactions of                            world in general, but   Gymnastic with   elements that                               reality is that    Rhythmic      compose it, and in                            geography describes   Gymnastics,   recognition of its                                the world.    Volleyball, Football,   continuous                                                  Handball,     development and                                              Basketball. There is   transformation. The                                                no dominant    educational mission                                              activity; all activities   of the geography is                                                 are equal.     the acquisition of                                                               knowledge, thinking                                                                skills and practical                                                               skills, the formation                                                                 of attitudes and                                                                    values.           Is there any kind of central (governmental) assessment on any class level? If yes, in which                                 class level, what is its purpose?                                               The National Assessment of Knowledge              It is proposed to launch centralised                evaluation in Grades 5 and 9.   (NAK) at the end of Periods 2 and 3, i.e. for                                               pupils from years 6 and 9, is compulsory.            Is there a summative assessment, evaluating students at different moments during the           school year and at the end of the year? If yes, on what elements is the assessment based?                                (e.g. knowledge; skill, attitude, …)                       The school determines marking – testing is done during school year                       In the middle and at the end of the school year students get report card                        with written assessment (lower grades) or marks                                                                 Assessment at                                                 At different                                              moments during the   different moments                                                                during the school                            Testing during school   school year it is          There are universally   year by the teacher.   regarded as the   year. It is regarded           agreed criteria; PE                                      as the                             The knowledge is   determination of the          assessment is seldom                                 determination of the                             assessed. No other   achievement of              formalised.                                        achievement of                               assessment.       objectives;       objectives;                                               achievements are   achievements are                                                  assessed.                                                                   assessed.                                                 49","Comparison          Comparison of the PE and geography curriculum – countries experts’ answers          Currently both subjects are in a strong position within the basic education system          in both countries. Nevertheless, there are problems in implementing the current          curricula  for  both  PE  and  Geography.  In  PE  in  the  Czech  Republic,  it  is  the  low          congruence (fidelity) between curricula levels (for example between the goals and          educational content) as well as low acceptance by teachers of the new curricula. In          Slovenia,  there  is  a  problem  in  implementing  modern  educational  trends.  In          Geography,  the  issues  are  less  significant  –  excessive  descriptiveness,          encyclopaedic learning and lack of practical use.          Differences  were  identified  in  how  the  curricula  (both  PE  and  Geography)  were          developed – at the national level in Slovenia but at both national and school level in          the  Czech  Republic.  There  were  also  differences  in  how  implementation  of  the          curricula was quality assured – by compulsory external exams in Slovenia but not in          the Czech Republic, although compulsory testing is currently being debated. The          curricula  also  differed  in  their  educational  approach  –  whether  it  was  more          oriented towards content or to outcomes.          In the detailed comparison of the PE curriculum, similarities were observed in the          time allocated to PE, in how the PE curriculum changed during primary education,          and in the curricula content regarding landscape specifics. However, the concepts          underpinning the PE curriculum differed. The Czech curriculum is primarily health          oriented whereas in Slovenia the curricula were more movement oriented.          In comparing the Geography curricula, differences were found in what the subject          was called in the different school years, and the term “geography” does not appear          in  any  of  the  curricula  until  the  higher  primary  grades.  We  found  similarities  in          subject matter which overlaps with subjects such as Civics, Biology and History. The          key concepts underpinning Geography also differ: in the  Czech Republic there is          a focus  on  understanding  processes  in  nature;  in  Slovenia,  the  focus  is  on          understanding the environment through knowledge, abilities and skills. However,          the main objectives of the Geography curricula are very similar in both countries          and  all  the  curricula  seek  to  develop  certain  competences,  particularly  action          competences, critical thinking and problem-solving competences.          Integrating PE and Geography in the Czech curricula          Czech  pupils  have  Geography  and  PE  lessons  throughout  all  the  nine  years  of          compulsory education. Thus, the greatest opportunities for integration of the PE          and Geography curricula can be found in the primary school curricula.                                             50","From the point of view of the Geography curriculum, the integration of Geography          and PE can especially be found in the thematic area of Field geographic education,          practice and application (educational area Man and Nature) and its subject matter          as follows:                field  exercises  in  and  observations  of  the  local  landscape,  geographical                 excursions – orientation points, phenomena, aids and devices; standpoint,                 determining cardinal and intercardinal points, navigation using a map and                 an azimuth, estimating the distances and heights of objects in the field;                 simple  panoramic  sketches  of  the  landscape,  layout  plans,  schematic                 sketches of a route axis, evaluation of natural phenomena and indicators;                preservation  of  life  when  life  and  health  are  endangered  –  natural                 disasters; measures, conduct and behaviour when a dangerous situation                 occurs, namely natural disasters in model situations.          For this thematic area, the FEP EE (2016, p. 79–80) defines the following expected          outcomes:          The pupil shall:                master the basics of practical topography and orientation in the field;                apply  practical  methods  in  the  field  when  observing,  depicting  and                 assessing the landscape;                observe  fundamental  rules  for  the  safety  of  activity  and  sleeping  in  the                 open.          This  thematic  area,  as  well  as  the  area  Geographic  information,  data  sources,          cartography  and  topography  (FEP,  2016,  p.  75),  pervade  the  whole  geography          course at the upper primary school level and provide opportunities for integration          of geographic subject matter with PE.          From  the  perspective  of  the  PE  curriculum,  opportunities  for  integration  can          primarily be found in the thematic area of Activities affecting the level of physical          skills. For this thematic area, FEP EE (2016, p. 97) defines following subject matter:                hiking and sleeping in nature – movement to the field and proper conduct                 in transport vehicles, walking in the field, camping, nature preservation.          Another relevant factor is the subject matter of PE: swimming, skiing, ice skating,          snowboarding  or  other  movement  activities  from  the  educational  area  Activities          affecting  the  level  of  physical  skills  (FEP  EE,  2016,  p.  97–98)  depending  on  the          conditions of the school and the interests of their pupils. From the geographic point          of view these activities can be used to learn orientation, description of land reliefs,          assessment  of  tourism  development  or  other  geographical  characteristics  during                                           51","outdoor physical activities. It is also reasonable to assume that the integration of          physical  education  and  geography,  especially  within  field  lessons,  may  further          develop the content of thematic area of Activities affecting health (FEP EE, 2016,          p. 97) in the following ways:                hygiene during physical education – hygiene concerning exercise activities                 and  the  exercise  environment,  suitable  clothing  and  footwear  for                 movement activities;                safety during movement activities – organisation and safety of the exercise                 space,  safety  in  changing  rooms  and  washrooms,  safe  preparation  and                 storage  of  gym  apparatus,  equipment  and  aids,  first  aid under  physical-                 education conditions.          Further opportunities for combining PE and the Geography curricula can be found          in the Cross-Curricular Subjects. Cross-curricular subjects in the FEP EE (125–136)          examine current problems of the contemporary world. PE and the Geography have          become a significant and indispensable part of elementary education in the Czech          Republic. They represent an important formative element of elementary education,          create the opportunities for individual engagement as well as cooperation between          pupils, and contribute to the development of the pupil’s character, primarily in the          area of attitudes and values.          All the descriptions of all the cross-curricular subjects have a similar structure. First,          they  contain  the  Characteristics  of  the  Cross-Curricular  Subject,  where  the          significance and position of the cross-curricular subject in elementary education are          emphasised  and  followed  by  a  specification  of  the  relationship  of  the  cross-          curricular subject to the educational areas. Second, they contain the Contribution          of the Cross-Curricular Subject to the Development of the Pupil’s Character both in          the area of knowledge, skills and abilities and in the area of attitudes and values.          Cross-curricular subjects are a compulsory part of elementary education. All cross-          curricular subjects included in the FEP EE must be incorporated by the school in the          education at both Stages 1 and 2. Not all cross-curricular subjects, however, need          to  be  represented  at  each  form.  It  is  the  school’s  responsibility  to  offer  all  the          thematic areas contained in the individual cross-curricular subjects to pupils in the          course  of  elementary  education.  However,  the  extent  and  manner  of  their          implementation is determined by the school when they develop their SEPs. Cross-          curricular subjects may be used as an integrated part of the educational content of          a subject or in the form of independent subjects, projects, seminars, courses etc.          The following cross-curricular subjects are included in the FEP EE: Moral, Character          and Social Education; Civic Education for Democracy; Education towards Thinking in          European and Global Contexts; Multicultural Education; Environmental Education;                                           52","Media Education. The most suitable subject for combining PE and Geography is in          Environmental Education which often takes place outside the classroom.           Integrating PE and Geography in the Slovene curricula          Recently,  “interdisciplinarity”,  meaning  the  integration,  complementarity  and          interconnectedness of content from different subjects, has gained prominence in          the  Slovenian  school  system;  there  is  a  specific  chapter  on  interdisciplinary          connections  in  curricula  to  provide  teachers  with  guidance  as  to  which  content          from other subjects they could use to complement the teaching of their own.          In  primary  education,  physical  education  and  geographic  subject  matter  are  in          different  curricula.  During  Grades  1  to  5,  geographic  subject  matter  is  taught  as          part  of  ´Learning  the  Environment´  (in  Grades  1  to  3)  and  “Social  Studies”  (in          Grades 4 to 5). Geography as a specialist subject starts in Grade 6.          The  PE  curriculum  in  primary  schools  highlights  possible  interdisciplinary          connections  with  Slovenian  Language,  Learning  the  Environment,  Music,  Natural          Sciences  (and  Techniques),  Home  Economics,  Social  Studies,  Geography,  Biology,          Chemistry,  Physics,  Arts,  as  well  as  Civics  and  Ethics.  Hence,  PE  can  also  be          integrated with practically all the subjects taught in primary school. Furthermore, it          can be integrated with material that is not formally part of any specific subject in          the  program,  for  example  Health  Education,  Environmental  Studies,  Traffic          Education,  Cultural  Studies  and  Information,  Communications  and  Technology          (ICT).          Although teachers most often integrate geographic content with History, Natural          Sciences, and Civics and Ethics, our analysis of the curricula reveals many possible          connections between PE and geographic content. In particular, it can be seen that          they most closely interconnect when active teaching approaches and methods are          used.  Nevertheless,  we  cannot  ignore  theoretical  content  such  as  knowledge  of          orienteering, concern for the preservation and appreciation of natural and cultural          heritage, care for the environment and one's own health.          Interdisciplinary  integration  with  PE  is  also  emphasized  in  curricula  program          documents.  For  example,  the  Geography  curriculum  “(Učni  načrt  Geografija          (Geography  Curriculum)  2011,  p.  5)  emphasises  that  geography  as  a  subject          promotes”  responsible  and  active  protection  of  one's  own  health,  and  in          Geography  lessons  students  develop  values  that  contribute  to  “ensuring  the          maintenance… of one's own health”.          The  Geography  curriculum  (p.  35)  specifically  notes  that  cross-curricular  class          excursions and fieldwork provide a “good example for developing procedural and                                           53","transferable lifelong knowledge, common to all school subjects, and allow students          to acquire new knowledge that they master and develop, as well as apply, such          that it takes on an important dimension in how they understand their homeland”.          The  curriculum  actually  requires  planned  excursion  every  year  “to  at  least  one          geographic region in Slovenia, so that over four years students encounter different          natural and human geographic regions”.          The PE curriculum (Učni načrt Športna vzgoja (Physical Education Curriculum) 2011)          also  has  content  that  sensibly  and  relevantly  interconnects  with  the  geography          based  subjects  Learning  the  Environment,  Social  Studies  and  Geography.          Particularly noticeable is the material dealing with Slovenian folk traditions as well          as content linked to hiking. Every year each student must participate in five sports          days, two of which include hiking. The subject matter for sports days that include          hiking  tends  to  focus  on  environmental  characteristics  of  the  hiking  venue,          including its geographical, historical and natural features, and includes hiking and          orienteering using a compass and map.          The  PE  knowledge  standards  (Učni  načrt  Športna  vzgoja,  (Physical  Education          Curriculum) 2011, p. 3–35) also connect to geographic content: at the end of the          first period students should be able to “move along a marked trail”; at the end of          the  second  period,  “[students  are]  able  to  determine  cardinal  directions…  act  in          accordance  with  the  principles  of  environmental  protection”;  at  the  end  of  the          third period, the student should “know how to orientate oneself with a map… is          aware  of  conservation  problems  and  actions  that  preserve  natural  and  cultural          heritage”.          Comparison of integrating PE and Geography curricula in the selected countries          Integration of elementary school subjects is emphasized to varying extent in all the          analysed  curricula  documents  and  there  are  considerable  opportunities  for          integration  of  the  Geography  and  PE  curricula.  Interdisciplinary  integration  is          frequently  mentioned  in  program  documents  in  both  countries,  and  curricula          include  specific  chapters  on  interdisciplinary  integration.  One  of  the  priorities  of          the  Czech  FEPs  is  the  rigorous  use  of  interdisciplinary  links  and  integration  of          individual  subjects.  Fieldwork,  which  is  an  integral  part  of  many  subjects  in  the          Czech  curricula,  is  a  beneficial  teaching  method  to  achieve  interdisciplinary  links          and  leads  to  the  cooperation  and  collaboration  of  teachers  from  different          educational  areas.  In  relation  to  the  fieldwork,  it  is  up  to  the  teachers  which          specific activities are included in the school education program. Both short-term          and  long-term  outdoor  excursions  provide  opportunities  for  fieldwork.  In  the          context  of  physical  education  in  the  Czech  Republic,  this  includes,  for  example,          outdoor excursions such as camping and summer and winter training courses.  In                                            54","Slovenia  interdisciplinary  integration  is  also  becoming  an  important  part  of  the          educational process and it is an important didactic approach which contributes in          providing students with lasting knowledge and, above all, practical knowledge. It          can  partially  lighten  the  load  of  curricula,  whilst  also  enhancing  the  experiential          aspect of activity days. We identified in the curricula several opportunities to draw          connections between PE and geographic subject matter in the subjects, Learning          the Environment, Social Studies and Geography. In particular, it can be seen that          the two subjects most closely interconnect when active teaching approaches and          methods are utilised, but nevertheless we cannot ignore the theoretical content,          such as knowledge of orienteering, concern for the preservation and appreciation          of natural and cultural heritage, care for the environment and one's own health.          The  Czech  educational  system  calculates  with  fieldwork  in  the  framework  of          education programs starting right from the first grade of primary school especially          in the educational area “Man and his world,” where the foundations of natural and          social  sciences  are  laid.  It  is  recommended  to  use  places  where  children  go  to          school and where they live as much as possible. Other elements such as practical          observations and simple measurements in the landscape are then included in the          geographical  and  natural  history  basis,  for  example  monitoring  weather,          phenological  observations.  Pupils  also  learn  to  record  entries  in  field  diaries,          sketches, herbarium etc. Pupils also experience trips outside of school in physical          education  and  health  education.  Fieldwork  is  firmly  anchored  in  the  individual          educational  areas  of  the  FEP  BE  (The  Framework  Education  Programme  for          Elementary Education) for the 2nd grade of primary school and in the FEP G (The          Framework Education Programme for Secondary Eduacation). The specific thematic          unit, which directly relates to fieldwork is anchored in the FEP BE in the educational          area  “Man  and  Nature”  in  two  subjects  –  geography  –  “Geographic  Fieldwork,          Practice  and  Applications”  and  in  natural  history  “Practical  Understanding  of          Nature.” In the FEP G, outcomes of fieldwork in geography in the thematic area          “Geographic Information and Field Instruction” are expected. In biology, fieldwork          is not dedicated to any thematic whole or any expected output. Fieldwork may also          find a wide application in physical education and health education. In the context          of physical education, this includes, for example, nature stays,  camping, summer          and  winter  training  courses,  etc.  In  all  of  these  activities,  either  consciously  or          “automatically” a lot of knowledge from other subjects, such as orientation on the          map,  identifying  poisonous  plants  or  fungi,  protection  from  adverse  weather          conditions etc. are used. At the gymnasium, it is once again about purposeful and          safe behavior during physical activities in an unfamiliar environment etc. The new          Education Act put teachers from Czech primary and secondary schools into a new          situation  –  transforming  the  Framework  education  program  to  the  level  of                                           55","a Scholastic education program. One of the priorities of the Framework education          program is the rigorous use of interdisciplinary links and integration of individual          subjects.  Fieldwork,  which  is  an  integral  part  of  many  subjects,  is  a  beneficial          teaching  form  for  the  fulfillment  of  interdisciplinary  links  and  leads  to  the          cooperation  and  collaboration  of  teachers  from  different  educational  areas.  The          school  level  consists  of  school  education  programs  (SEPs),  according  to  which          education at individual schools is carried out. In relation to the fieldwork, it is up to          the teachers which activities are transferred to the  School educational program.          Both short-term and long-term school in nature courses provide a large space for          fieldwork. In the context of physical education, this includes, for example, nature          stays,  camping,  summer  and  winter  training  courses,  etc.  One  could  therefore          conclude  that  the  conditions  for  the  application  of  fieldwork  in  the  Czech          educational curriculum are sufficient. Fieldwork is included in the  system largely          based on historical perspective, but it is not supported and justified by any research          and it has a “historic” character at most schools and thus an outdated character.          Within different teaching approaches and methods class teachers, PE teachers and          geography teachers effectively intertwine geographic and PE subject matter. Below          are just a few examples of how interdisciplinary integration of geographic and PE          subject matter can be achieved:             Class  excursion:  Geography  teachers  may  plan  a  class  excursion  allowing              students  to  acquire  and  consolidate  geographical  knowledge  whilst              simultaneously  meeting  the  objectives  of  PE,  for  example,  by  building  up              endurance,  by  engaging  in  physical  activity  or  sporting  activities.  Teachers              could  include  hiking  in  hills  that  offers  good  views  and  the  potential  for              orientation, organising for the bus to wait at a stop a bit further away so that              students walk for a longer period; initiating a variety of physical/active sports              and games at specific stops). On excursions to particular regions students can              be  introduced  to  and  learn  traditional  dances,  manners  and  customs  that              involve  physical  activity.  In  this  way,  students  also  learn  about  the  cultural              heritage of an area/region/landscape.             Fieldwork: Teachers can organise fieldwork that takes place in the immediate              vicinity of the school and includes active learning methods (orientation during              a  treasure  hunt,  various  physical/sports  activities;  measurement  –  of  wind,              path of the Sun, rainfall etc.).             Class lessons: In line with interdisciplinary integration of geographic content              and  PE  teachers  can  prepare  some  simple  physical/sports  activities  in  the              course of regular lessons in the classroom. Thus, for example, when learning              about different countries students may learn their traditional dances. Another                                           56","9              possibility if for teachers organise orienteering exercises using QR  codes on              the school grounds. The theoretical knowledge content in both courses also              interconnects – when learning about cultural and natural heritage, caring for              the environment, taking care of one’s own health etc. Geographic content can              also  be  integrated  into  PE  lessons  carried  out  in  the  gym,  for  example,  on              outdoor playgrounds, or in the immediate vicinity of the school, for example,              an orienteering race. Another possibility is when students assist in setting up              the  gym  and  need  to  manoeuvre  gymnastics  equipment  and  props  into              position based on charts which map out the gym layout and the positions of              the  equipment.  Since  each  chart  has  a  legend  students  learn  to  orientate              themselves on paper and in space, along with learning how to read a map and              a legend.             Project  days,  activity  days:  During  project  days  students  and  teachers  can              present varied geographic content, for example, distant regions of the world              and geographical phenomena such as volcanism, earthquakes, which teachers              interconnect  with  physical/sports  activities  such  as  creative  movement  and              dance,  role  play  and  showcasing  the  most  interesting  sports  from  different              countries.             Sports days: In every year two sports days are reserved for hiking. These have              a strong focus on raising the awareness of conservation of nature, landscape              features  of  the  hiking  venue  and  different  ways  of  orientating  oneself  on              maps and in nature.             A minute for health: In all subjects, students should break up long periods of              sitting  down  with  a  minute  of  physical  activity,  during  which  they  perform              some movement  exercises  with the windows open. To  effectively carry out              such exercises, geography and sports teachers absolutely need to cooperate.          Interdisciplinary  cooperation  initiatives  are  aimed  at  transforming  it  from          a sporadic (occasional) or random approach to a systematic or planned one, and          above all, towards connecting subjects. The main purpose of the interdisciplinary          approach  is  to  overcome  the  fragmentation  of  knowledge  and  provide  students          with lasting and useful knowledge and skills. According to Cone, Werner and Cone          (2009,  p.  2)  “education  can  be  seen  as  a  process  of  change  that  continues          throughout a lifetime”. The type of learning experience  we have  while in  school          underpins  how  we  integrate  everything  we  learn,  as  well  as  how  we  transfer          knowledge and skills from one experience to another. These authors also claim that          the foundation of interdisciplinary education is our innate need to make meaning           9            A machine-readable code consisting of an array of black and white squares, typically used for storing           URLs or other information for reading by the camera on a smartphone.                                           57","from discrete pieces of understanding. In 1989 Hayes Jacobs said that “there is no          longer  as  much  discussion  among  educators  about  whether  to  blend  the  subject          areas, as about when, to what degree, and how best to do it” (Drake \& Burns, 2004,          p. 1–2).          Discussion and Conclusion          The question examined in this research was the extent of the PE and Geography          curricula integration in the elementary school systems in Czech Republic and the          Republic of Slovenia., both the intended curricula and the realised.           At the policy level (curricula  analysis), interdisciplinary integration of  elementary          school subjects is viewed as being very important in both countries. It underpins          the  elementary  school  curricula  in  the  Czech  Republic  through  the  thematic          structure  and,  in  Slovenia,  it  is  emphasized  through  specific  chapters  and/or          sections of the curricula highlighting interdisciplinary integration.          Our analysis also showed that there are considerable opportunities for integration          of  the  Geography  and  PE  course  content.  In  particular,  fieldwork,  which  is  an          integral  part  of  the  curricula  for  many  subjects,  can  be  used  to  achieve          interdisciplinary links. Both short-term and long-term outdoor excursions such as          hiking,  camping  and  summer  and  winter  training  courses,  provide  many          opportunities for fieldwork that integrates PE and Geography.          Our analysis also showed that there are considerable opportunities for integration          of  the  Geography  and  PE  course  content.  In  particular,  fieldwork,  which  is  an          integral  part  of  the  curricula  for  many  subjects,  can  be  used  to  achieve          interdisciplinary links. Both short-term and long-term outdoor excursions such as          hiking,  camping  and  summer  and  winter  training  courses,  provide  many          opportunities for fieldwork that integrates PE and Geography.          Nevertheless, for various reasons (see Vlček et al., 2016) it is absolutely critical that          further  research  and  teacher  training  in  interdisciplinary  integration  will  be          undertaken.          Such research projects are currently underway at the Masaryk University (project          of  Czech  Science  Foundation,  “Fieldwork  as  a  powerful  learning  strategy  –    16-          00695S”.)  and  the  Faculty  of  Education  of  the  University  of  Ljubljana  has          established  a  course  in  Interdisciplinary  Integration.  Furthermore,  in-service          training and summer schools are urgently needed to train teachers in integrated          teaching and provide practical experience. Otherwise the goal of interdisciplarity          which can provide a basis for life-long integrated learning will not be achieved.                                               58","References          Bereday, G. Z. (1964). Comparative method in education. New York: Holt, Rinehart          and Winston.          Brandl-Bredenbeck, H. P. (2005). Comparative physical education – Why, what and          how? In  U.  Pühse  \&  M.  Gerber.  International  comparison  of  physical  education:          Concepts, problems, prospects. (pp. 19–31). Oxford: Meyer \& Meyer Sport.          Bray,  M.,  \&  Thomas,  R.  M.  (1995).  Levels  of  comparison  in  educational  studies:          Different  insights  from  different  literatures  and  the  value  of  multilevel          analyses. 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Vlček, P., Planinc, T., Svobodová, H., Witzel Clausen, S. et al.  Integrating Physical          Education  and  Geography  -  Case  Study  of  the  Czech  Republic,  Slovenia  and          Denmark.  Brno:  Masaryk  University,  2016.  167  s.  Physical  education  and  Health          education, sv. 2. ISBN 978-80-210-8518-3. doi:10.5817/CZ.MUNIM210-8519-2016.           Acknowledgement          This  work  was  supported  by  a  Faculty  of  Education  Grant  (“Curriculum  Research          Physical Education and Health Education”, MUNI/A/0877/2017).          This  work  was  supported  by  a  Czech  Science  Foundation,  project  16-00695S          Fieldwork as a powerful learning strategy solved 2016–2018.                                                60","Effectiveness of the swimming education of children with autism                                   spectrum disorder                                           1                                                       2                                                                      1                               1                  Kristýna Hubená , Jan Carboch , Vladimír Süss , Irena Čechovská                       1                        Charles University, Faculty of Physical Education and Sport                                 2                                  Non-academical environment           Abstract          Introduction  (basis):  Like  the  common  population,  also  children  with  autism          spectrum disorders (ASD) should be swimming literate – they should be equipped          with  such  skills  to  be  able  to  safely  handle  the  aquatic  environment  and          consequently to be able to make use of the swimming locomotion as of a lifelong          motional  activity  for  maintaining  their  health.  Regarding  the  content  of  the          swimming education for children with ASD, it is based on the preparatory and on          the elementary swimming education programmes. However, it is distinguished by          many specialities (suitable  material conditions, use of specific  methods, teacher-          pupil interaction) – all this must be considered while creating such programmes.          Aim:  Applying  structured  learning  on  the  concept  of  common  preparatory  and          elementary swimming education for children with autism spectrum disorders.          Methods: Five probands (boys) aged 6–10 years took part in this study. medical          diagnosis: Asperger syndrome, infantile autism, atypical autism. The interventional          programme lasted for 10 months (school year 2016/2017) and it was divided into          two  blocks  (1st  and  2nd  term).  Each  block  (term)  consisted  of  18  lessons  once          a week. Each lesson was 30 minutes long. In the first lessons, an entry diagnostic          was performed by the help of Štochl Scale of swimming skills assessment. At the          end of the first block, an output diagnostic was performed by using the same scale.          The 3rd assessment took place at the end of the 2nd block. The final assessment of          the  interventional  programme  took  place  three  months  after  the  third          measurement at the end of the 2nd block (in September 2017).          Results: From the assessment of the results of the scale by the help of the sign test          all  probands  have  experienced  an  overal  improvement  in  all  swimming  skills          between the measurements 1 and 2, 3 and 4, 1 and 4.          Discussion: According to the above presented results of this study, it can be said          that structured learning was a well-chosen technique for the swimming education                                           61","of children with ASD. Thanks to the structuralisation, the children have obtained          basic  swimming  skills  and  they  have  built  up  a  solid  ground  for  a  training  of          swimming  styles.  We  consider  the  achieved  results  for  very  valuable  for  other          swimming education of children with ASD.          Key words: swimming education, autism spectrum disorder          Introduction          Like the common population, also children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD)          should be swimming literate – they should be equipped with such skills to be able          to safely handle the aquatic environment and consequently to be able to make use          of the swimming locomotion as of a lifelong motional activity for maintaining their          health. Regarding the content of the swimming education for children with ASD, it          is  based  on  the  preparatory  and  on  the  elementary  swimming  education          programmes.  However,  it  is  distinguished  by  many  specialities  (suitable  material          conditions,  use  of  specific  methods,  teacher-pupil  interaction)  –  all  this  must  be          considered while creating such programmes.          Autism  spectrum  disorders  belong  into  the  category  of  Pervasive  developmental          disorders which means that the mental development of a child is deeply affected in          various  areas  (Šporclová,  2007).  Those  are  the  severest  disorders  in  children's          mental  development.  Nowadays,  together  with  mental  disorders,  psychical          development  affections  and  some  behavioral  and  emotional  disorders,  autism          spectrum disorder counts to the neurodevelopmental disorders (Jelínková, 2008).          In most cases, persons  with ASD are not capable of an independent life even in          adult  age  and  thus  are  often  a  huge  psychical  burden  for  the  whole  family.          According  to  the  International  Classification  of  Diseases  (ICD-10)  of  the  World          Health  Organization,  following  disorders  fall  into  the  category  of  Pervasive          developmental  disorders:  Infantile  autism,  Atypical  autism,  Rett  syndrome,          Asperger syndrome, Other pervasive disorders, Pervasive developmental disorder          not otherwise specifik. In most cases, infantile autism, atypical autism and Asperger          syndrome are diagnosed.          Specifics of children with PAS          According  to  Thórová  (2016),  the  education  and  training of  children  with  ASD  is          particularly based on the principles of structured learning. “Structuralisation means          an introduction of clear rules, transparency in the activities order and an unique          arrangement of the environment where a person with ASD is situated. This specific          approach  partly  compensates  this  complicated  handicap  that  ASD  douptless          happens to be ” (Thórová, 2016, 402).                                              62","“The goal of the education is the most possible development of prospective skills          and abilities of the client” (Jelínková, 2008, 72). Individuals should feel subjective          happiness as much as possible and they should be as much as possible independent          and  should  have  a  maximum  of  personal  freedom.  The  swimming  education  for          people with ASD should also be based on these principles. According to Čadilová,          Žampachová (2008), Jelínková (2008), Thórová (2016), following principles should          be  used  while  creating  educational  programmes  for  individuals  with  ASD:          individualisation, structuralisation, visualisation and motivation.          Swimming education          Nowadays, the awareness of the need of  swimming abilities as the skill for  safe          handling  of  aquatic  environment  is  rising.  As  already  mentioned  above,  it  is          necessary  for  individuals  to  be  swimming  literate.  This  means  that  individuals          should  be  equipped  with  such  skills  to  be  able  to  safely  handle  the  aquatic          environment and consequently to be able to make use of swimming for protection          of  their  lives  while  the  swimming  locomotion  also  becomes  a  lifelong  motional          activity  for  maintaining  their  health.  This  is  important  not  only  for  common          population but also for persons with special needs (Čechovská, 2008). Creation of          the basis for safe handling of aquatic environment and consequent training of the          swimming locomotion take place within the swimming education. The swimming          education  is  a  longlife  process  of  gaining  swimming  skills  and  of  improving  the          swimming locomotion through particular swiming styles (Čechovská, Miler, 2008).          Čechovská (2007) divides the swimming education into three phases:          1st phase – Preparatory swimming education          The goal here is the adaptation on the aquatic environment and managing of the          basic swimming  skills (swimming breathing, floatation and flowing, submergence          and orientation under the water, jumps and falls into the water, stroke movements          basics) which are necessary for swimming locomotion training.          2nd phase – Elementary swimming education          The  main  goal  here  is  the  development  of  basic  swimming  skills  and  swimming          locomotion  training  –  sports  swimming  styles.  In  particular  the  back,  crawl  and          breast stroke. The butterfly stroke is being trained after managing the prior strokes.          The training does not aim at the competitive techniques, it is much more about the          styles in their basic structures.          3rd phase – Perfectioning swimming education          In  this  phase,  swimming  skills  are  being  developed,  the  swimming  styles  are          perfectioned and another swimming style – the butterfly stroke is trained. Also the                                            63","swimming  performance  is  being  raised  by  the  help  of  straining  methods.          Lifesaving stroke basics and swimming sports are added.          Methodics           Realization  of  the  interventional  programme  took  place  in  the  school  year          2016/2017.  The  swimming  education  took  place  in  the  swimming  pool  in  the          Centre of Permanent Health (centrum trvalého zdraví) swimming pool Cordeus in          Prague 6 – Vokovice. The pool size was 12 x 3,5m and the water temperature was          30°C. The 10-months-long course was divided into two continuous parts (1st and          2nd  term).  Each  term  consisted  of  18  lessons.  The  lessons  took  place  every          Wednesday  from  2  to  3  p.m.  Each  lesson  lasted  for  30  minutes.  The  children          attended the lesson once a week. In every lesson, three children were taught by          two  swimming  teachers  and  one  assistant  who  were  all  present  in  the  water.          During the education, regular swimming aids were used as well as educational aids          for persons with special needs which were adapted for usage in the water. Children          with autism spectrum disorders took part in the study. The research set consisted          of 5 boys aged from 6 to 10 years. The boys took part in the whole 10-months-long          interventional  programme.  medical  diagnosis  of  these  probands  were  Asperger          syndrome, infantile autism, atypical autism.          In the first lessons of the 1st term (end of September 2016) an entry diagnostics          was performed by the help of Štochl Scale of swimming skills assessment (Štochl,          2002).  At  the  end  of  the  1st  term  (January  2017),  a  continuous  diagnostics  was          performed by the help of the same scale. The 3rd assessment took place at the end          of the 2nd term (June 2017). The final assessment of the interventional programme          took place three months after the third measurement (in September 2017). During          the whole interventional programme, interviews with the parents of the children          took place about the adaption of the kids on the interventional programme and in          case to adapt the programme on the needs of a particular child. In order to be able          to  perform  a  quantitative  assessment  of  the  gained  swimming  skills  of  the          probands, we used the above mentioned Štochl scale. The scale includes 7 items:          submergence of the head, floating position on the stomach, floating position on          the back, breathing out into water, jump from side, pick up of 2 objects and rolling          along  the  longitudinal  axis.  Each  item  is  rated  with  1–5  points  (1  point  =  the          exercise was not performed, 5 points = the highest level). The acquired values were          assessed with the non-parametric sign test.          Results          From the assessment of the results of the scale by the help of the sign test (Table          1),  all  probands  have  experienced  an  overal  improvement  in  all  swimming  skills          between the measurements 1 and 2, 3 and 4, 1 and 4.                                           64","Table 1: Overal significancy in single observed skills (Sign test)                                           Difference between the measurements                                           1 a 2     2 a 3    3 a 4     1 a 4           1. Submergence of the head       0,01           2. Floating on the stomach           3. Floating on the back                             0,01      0,01           4. Breathing out into water           5. Jumps from side           6. Object pick up           7. Rolling along the longitudinal axis    0,01*                        Total               0,05               0,05      0,05           *setback           A significant setback on the significancy level 0,01 has occured in the skill “rolling          along axis” between the 2nd and 3rd measurement. In other skills an improvement          has occured, yet because of the small number of probands, only the improvements          in “head submergence” and “floating on the back” can be regarded as significant in          the marked measurements.          In  the  intraindividual  comparison  an  improvement  of  the  swimming  skills  has          occured  in  case  of  two  probands  between  the  1st  and  2nd  measurement.  The          3rd proband  has  achieved  an  improvement  between  the  1st  and          2nd measurement.  The  3rd  proband  has  achieved  the  biggest  improvement          between  the  3rd  and  4th  measurement,  the  4th  proband  between  the  1st  and          4th measurement.  The  last  proband  did  not  achieve  any  statisticaly  significant          improvement in gaining the swimming skills.          Discussion          The study deals with the application of structured learning into the preparatory and          elementary  swimming  education  of  children  with  ASD.  Swimming  skills  of  five          children  (boys)  who  took  part  in  the  10-months-long  interventional  programme          were  diagnosed  with  the  Štochl  Swimming  Skills  Scale.  The  results  show  that          significant  overal  improvements  have  occured  between  the  1st  and          2nd measurement and between the 3rd and 4th measurement.          The dificulties in the study are in particular the size of the research set. However, it          was a very specific group of children. Even despite of the individualisation of the                                           65","interventional  programme,  not  all  children  were  able  to  take  part  in  the  whole          education.  The  reason  was  a  lacking  adaptation  on  the  aquatic  environment.          Despite of the slowlier progress in the motion learning, not all basic swimming skills          (head submergence, floating on the back) could be successfully learned.  For this          reason, these children were not able to adapt on the interventional programme.          Another  difficulty  was  the  material  and  organisational  support  of  the  study.          Because  of  the  fact  that  there  was  the  preparatory  and  elementary  swimming          education,  it  was  necessary  to  find  an  appropriate  swimming  pool.  This  means          a small swimming pool for learning with warm water of a temperature of at least          30° C. Because there were children with ASD, all premises of the pool (changing          rooms, toilets, staff etc.) had to be considered. There are not many such pools that          were available and would meet these criteria in Prague. For time reasons and for its          good availability by means of public transportation, we chose the above mentioned          swimming pool Cordeus in the centre of permanent health.          Beside the quantitative assessment of the swimming skills, we also focused on the          realisation  point  of  the  swimming  education  of  children  with  ASD.  It  is          characterized by multiple specifics that have to be secured while the realisation.          They are related particularly to the requirements the teachers have to deal with:          creation  of  an  individual  educational  programme  for  children  with  ASD,          preparations for every lesson, sellection of suitable teaching methods, motivation,          communication  with  the  children  during  the  lessons  and  outside  them,          communication  with  the  parrents,  material  support,  sellection  of  a  suitable          swimming  pool,  providing  the  participants  with  appropriate  swimming  aids,          providing the children with ASD with special aids for the education etc.          According to the above presented results and experiences with the realisation of          the  swimming  education  for  children  with  ASD,  it  can  be  said  that  structured          learning  was  a  well-chosen  educational  technique  for  this  study.  Thanks  to  the          structuralisation, the children have obtained basic swimming skills and they have          built up a solid ground for a training of the swimming locomotion. We consider the          achieved results for very valuable for other swimming education of children with          ASD.          Conclusions          The  swimming  education  of  children  with  ASD  is  based  on  the  didactics  of          swimming education for the common population. In many respects however, it is          much more challenging regarding the preparation and the whole organisation. The          information on this topic is rather rare so far. Therefore we hope that our practical          experience  will  help  in  creating  swimming  educational  programmes  for  persons          with ASD.                                           66","References          Čadilová, V., Žampachová, A. (2008). Strukturované učení dětí s autismem a jinými          vývojovými poruchami. 1.vyd. Praha: Portál.          Čechovská,  I.  (2007).  Plavání  dětí  s  rodiči:  výuka  kojenců,  batolat  a  předškolních          dětí:do 6 let. 2. upr. vyd. Praha: Grada Publishing.          Čechovská, I. (2008). Plavecká gramotnost. Tělesná výchova a sport mládeže, r. 74,          č. 8, s. 27–32.          Čechovská, I., Miler, T. (2008). Plavání. 2. upr. vyd. Praha: Grada Publishing.          Jelínková,  M.  (2008).  Vzdělávání  a  výchova  dětí  s  autismem.  Praha:  Pedagogická          fakulta Univerzita Karlova.          Thórová, K. (2016). Poruchy autistického spektra. Roz. a přepr. vyd. Praha: Portál.          Šporclová,  V.  Poruchy  autistického  spektra  (PAS).  Autismus  [online].  28.5.2007          [cit. 2018-05-25].  Dostupné  z:  http://www.Autismus.cz/poruchy-autistickeho-          spektra/poruchy-autistickeho-spektra-pas.html          Štochl,  J.  Škála  hodnocení  plavecké  úrovně  předškolních  dětí.  Praha:  Univerzita          Karlova, 2002. 65 s. Vedoucí práce Irena Čechovská.           Acknowledgement          This  paper  was  supported  by  the  project  GAUK  –  no.  452216  with  the  title          „Efektivita  plavecké  výuky  dětí  s  diagnózou  porucha  autistického  spektra“          (effectiveness  of  the  education  of  children  with  the  diagnosis  autism  spectrum          disorder).                                                                67","The Situation and Perspectives of the Body Mass Index                       Development in Preschool-Aged Children                               1                                                                    3                                         1                                                    2                   Isabella Matić , Vilko Petrić , Iva Blažević , Vesna Štemberger                       1                        University of Rijeka, Croatia, Faculty of Teacher Education                 2                   Juraj Dobrila University of Pula, Croatia, Faculty of Educational Sciences                        3                          University of Ljubljana, Slovenia, Faculty of Education           Abstract          The aim of the research was to determine the prevalence of the body mass index in          preschool-aged  children  and  give  a  perspective  of  its  further  development          regarding the children’s age.          The sample of examinees consisted of 71 preschool-aged children, more precisely          36 boys (43.6%) and 40 girls (56.3%) aged 4 to 7 and attending kindergartens in          Croatia. Measurements of their body height, body mass and body mass index (BMI)          were done.          The  results  indicate  that  the  body  mass  index  will  increase  by  an  average  0.1          standard deviations for each new generation of children. Boys are averagely of a          normal body weight with no significant deviations, while from their fifth year of age          girls  belong  to  the  category  of  excess  body  mass.  The  perspectives  of  the  body          mass index increase for each new generation and the average excess body weight          of  girls  from  their  fifth  year  of  age  indicates  the  possibility  of  serious  health          problems.  This  research  has  shown  that  the  body  mass  index  needs  to  be          scientifically monitored by a longitudinal research, and respectively, a multi-year          tracking  of  generations  to  provide  a  more  accurate  insight  into  the  condition  of          children,  especially  when  it  comes  to  body  mass  index,  since  then  it  would  be          possible to evaluate prevention programs.          Key words: children, body mass index, early and preschool age          Introduction          The Body Mass Index (BMI) is most commonly used for the evaluation of a person’s          state of nutrition and is accepted by the World Health Organisation as a measure          for the evaluation of obesity and its levels (Mišigoj – Duraković et al., 1999). It is          defined with regard to height and weight of a sex, and is calculated so that body                                                                          2          weight, expressed in kilograms, is divided by height in meters squared (kg/m ). As                                           68","any  other  measure,  it  has  many  flaws  because  it  depends  only  on  height  and          weight, while it does not take into consideration various levels of obesity based on          age, level of physical activity and sex, and it does not differentiate the increase in          mass in the form of body fat, lean or bone tissue. For children and adolescents, the          BMI is not a diagnostic tool. Instead, it is used to depict potential distress or health          problems.  The  children’s  body  mass  index  value  is  differently  interpreted  for                                                           2          children and adolescents, although it is calculated as kg/m , due to the fact that          there  are  changes  in  height  and  weight  which  come  with  age,  but  also  in  their          relation  to  body  fat  (CDC,  2015).  When  it  comes  to  children,  the  distribution  of          body  fat  changes  with  age,  and  is  different  for  boys  and  girls  (Whitaker  et  al.,          1997). The levels of the BMI among children and adolescents have to be expressed          in  relation  to  other  children  of  the  same  sex  and  age  and  are  calculated  as          percentiles.          Overweight is the cause of a considerable rise in health problems, both in a large          number of countries of the world, and in Croatia. It contributes to the development          of diseases linked to specific causes leading to illness and death such as heart and          coronary diseases, diabetes and some malignant diseases. The occurrence of other          chronic complications like degenerative diseases of the joints, endocrine disorders,          psychological problems, and others, is also possible. The possibility of developing          overweight increases with age. Fat (corpulence, obesity) occurs due to the excess          accumulation of fatty tissue in the body, as a result of excessive food intake and          a lower  energy  consumption  over  a  longer  period  of  time.  It  should  be  differed          from increased body weight, and it represents a health risk (Croatian Red Cross,          Ministry of Health, 2010). It is linked to a number of psychosocial problems, loss of          self-confidence and depression (Bralic et al., 2010).          All  age  groups’  dietary  habits,  especially  the  youth’s,  are  influenced  by  various          forms of social behaviour and the time spent outside their family home, as well as          by irregular meals consisting of mixed (cooked) and biologically valuable food (fruit,          vegetables,  olive  oil,  fish  and  similar)  which  form  the  base  of  a  proper  nutrition          (Croatian Red Cross, Ministry of Health, 2010). There are other factors forming the          predisposition  for  the  development  of  obesity,  like,  for  instance,  heritage,  birth          weight,  duration  of  breast-feeding,  the  age  when  complementary  food  was          introduced, various socio-economic factors like nutrition, sedentary way of life and          various habits (Gillman et al., 2001; Stettler et al., 2002; Faith et al, 2003; Whitaker,          2004; Bralic et al., 2005; Zimmerman et al, 2010). By their actions and examples,          parents  form  and  influence  their  children’s  lives,  from  birth  to  their  adulthood,          while  friends and peers’ influence is  stronger during adolescence.  From an early          age, the parents’ behaviour linked to food has an impact on the children’s body          mass. The duration of breast-feeding and the age at which solid food is introduced                                           69","greatly influence the degree of fat during the infant period. The excessive feeding          of an infant or small child can significantly contribute to a later development of fat          (Stipančić,  2004).  Moreover,  the  parents’  physical  activity  is  very  important  for          shaping  these  habits  among  children.  Preschool-aged  children  whose  parents          regularly  engage  in  physical  activities  have  a  six  times  bigger  probability  to  be          physically active themselves (Durant, 1994).          A regular nutrition and physical activity are the main factors in the promotion and          preservation of good health during one’s whole life; they are important factors for          a regular growth and development and the prevention of non-infectious chronic          diseases (Kuzman et al., 2008, 2012).          Methods          The aim of the research was to determine the body mass index condition according          to  age  groups  of  early  and  preschool-aged  children  and  to  predict  the  further          course of its development considering the children’s age.          The  sample  of  examinees  consisted  of  71  children  of  preschool  age  attending  a          kindergarten  in  Croatia.  All  examinees  were  divided  according  to  sex  and          chronological age, which means that the sample of examinees was made of 36 boys          (43.6%) and 40 girls (56.3%) aged four to seven.          The sample of variables consisted of three morphological measures: body height,          body  mass  and  the  body  mass  index  (BMI).  Body  height  was  measured  with  an          anthropometer  with  the  preciseness  of  0.1  cm.  Body  mass  was  measured  with          a decimal  balance  with  the  preciseness  of  0.1  kg.  The  body  mass  index  was          calculated based on the body height and mass, and it represents the ratio of body          mass in kilograms and the body height in meters squared (Mei et al., 2002).          To  determine  the  body  mass  index  condition,  body  height  and  body  weight          according  to  age  groups,  the  basic  descriptive  parameters  were  calculated          (arithmetic  mean  (AS)  and  standard  deviation  (SD)).  The  regression  analysis  was          used  to  determine  the  further  course  of  the  body  mass  index  development          regarding children’s age. The statistical significance (p) was tested with an error of          0.05.          Results and discussion          The basic descriptive parameters of body height, body mass and body mass index          were calculated for all examinees according to their age and sex.          Table 1 shows the basic descriptive parameters of body height for boys and girls          aged four to seven. The average value of body height for four-year-old boys was          109.06 cm (SD = 5.27), at the age of five they were 113 cm tall (SD = 4.66), at the                                            70","age of six they were 120.98 cm tall (SD = 6.90), while seven-year-old boys were          127.25 cm tall (SD = 11.52).          The average value of four-year old girls’ body height was 104.30 (SD = 4.30), at the          age of five it was 112.99 cm (SD = 4.94), at the age of six it equalled 119.19 cm (SD          = 5.52), while seven-year-old girls were 123.48 (SD = 5.29) centimetres tall.          Table 1: Basic descriptive parameters of body height for boys and girls                                      BODY HEIGHT                         BOYS                              GIRLS            AGE         AS          SD          AGE          AS         SD              4       109.06        5.27          4        104.30      4.30              5       113.56        4.66          5        112.99      4.94              6       120.98        6.90          6        119.19      5.52              7       127.25       11.52          7        123.48      5.29                                  Chart 1: Comparison of average values in the variable body height for boys and          girls           Table 2. shows the basic descriptive parameters of body mass for boys and girls          aged  four  to  seven.  The  average  value  of  body  mass  for  four-year-old  boys  was          18.56 kg (SD = 2.04), at the age of five it was 20.72 kg (SD = 2.96), at the age of six it          was 23.61 kg (SD = 5.12), while for seven-year-old boys it was 27.05 kg (SD = 3.88).                                            71","The average value of four-year old girls’ body mass was 15.93 (SD = 1.03), at the          age  of  five  it  was  21.31  kg  (SD  =  4.17),  at  the  age  of  six  it  equalled  21.32  kg          (SD = 1.96), while for seven-year-old girls it was 23.77 kg (SD = 2.85).          Table 2: Basic descriptive parameters of body mass for boys and girls                                       BODY MASS                         BOYS                              GIRLS            AGE         AS          SD          AGE          AS         SD              4        18.56        2.04          4        15.93       1.03              5        20.72        2.96          5        21.31       4.17              6        23.61        5.12          6        21.32       1.96              7        27.05        3.88          7        23.77       2.85                     30                 boys                   25                   20               kg  15                   10                    5                     0                         4.    5.   6.    7.                   boys 18,56 20,72 23,61 27,05                   girls 15,93 21,31 21,32 23,77                Chart 2: Comparison of average values in the variable body mass for boys and          girls           Table 3. shows the basic descriptive parameters of the body mass index for boys          and girls aged four to seven. The average value of the body mass  index for four-          year-old boys was 15.56 (SD = 0.71), at the age of five it equalled 16.01 (SD = 1.80),          at the age of six it was 15.96 (SD = 2.14), while for seven-year-old boys it was 16.73          (SD = 1.10).                                            72","The  average  value  of  the  body  mass  index  for  four-year-old  girls  was  15.10          (SD = 1.51), at the age of five it equalled 16.58 (SD = 2.25), at the age of six it was          15.15 (SD = 0.99), while for seven-year-old girls it was 15.60 (SD = 1.63).          Table 3: Basic descriptive parameters of body mass index for boys and girls                                          BMI                         BOYS                              GIRLS            AGE         AS          SD          AGE          AS         SD              4        15.56        0.71          4        15.10       1.51              5        16.01        1.80          5        16.58       2.25              6        15.96        2.14          6        15.15       0.99              7        16.73        1.10          7        15.60       1.63                      17                boys                  16,5                    16               ITM  15,5                    15                  14,5                    14                         4.    5.   6.    7.                   boys 15,56 16,01 15,96 16,71                   girls  15,1  16,58 15,15  15,6                                 NÁZEV OSY                Chart 3: Comparison of average values in the variable body mass index for boys          and girls.           Regression  analysis  was  used  to  determine  the  further  course  of  the  body  mass          index development regarding the children’s age. The statistical significance (p) was          tested with the error of 0.05.          The further course of the body mass index development with regard to the boys          and  girls’  age  is  shown  in  Table  4.  According  to  the  results  obtained  by  the          regression  analysis  it  can  be  determined  that  the  variables  age  and  body  mass                                           73","index are correlated in a statistically significant way in this sample. For both sexes          the  results  show  that  with  age  the  body  mass  index  will  also  increase  by  0.1          standard deviation.          Table 4: The influence of age on the variable body mass index (BMI)                                       2                          R           R              F (1.34)      P          BOYS                          0.13        0.12           0.84          0.04                                      Standard          VARIABLE        β                          T (34)        p                                      deviation of β          AGE             0.13        0.27           0.81          0.02                                       2                          R           R              F (1.32)      P          GIRLS                          0.15        0.11           0.67          0.03                                      Standard          VARIABLE        β                          T (32)        p                                      deviation of β          AGE             0.15        0.28           0.53          0.01          p < 0.05           Conclusion          By comparing the average value results for the variable of four to seven-year-old          boys and girls’ body height (Table 1. And Chart 1.), it can be noticed that there are          no  significant  differences  with  regard  to  sex.  The  average  value  results  in  the          variable body mass for boys and girls shows that for five-year-old girls (21.31 kg)          the  body  mass  is  higher  than  for  boys  (20.72  kg).  The  aforementioned  was  also          confirmed by the results shown in  Table 3. and Chart 3. They show the average          values of the body mass index variable for boys and girls, where variance is obvious                                                                       2          for girls aged five. The body mass index grew from the fourth (15.1 kg/m ) to the                        2                                                                          2          fifth (16.58 kg/m ) year of age, while in their sixth year a decline (15.15 kg/m ) to          a normal  body  weight  was  recorded.  The  results  varied  with  boys,  from  15.56              2                                           2          kg/m (age four), with an increase at age five to 16.01 kg/m , to decline again at age                        2                                 2          six to 15.96 kg/m , while at age seven it rose to 16.71 kg/m .          The  regression  analysis  results  show  that  the  variable  age  influences  in          a statistically significant way the results in the variable body mass index, and with          chronological  age,  there  is  a  growth  in  the  body  mass  index  of  0.1  standard          deviation. It is therefore necessary to monitor children’s growth and development,          recognise  those  individuals  who  deviate  from  the  determined  levels  of  a  child’s          nutrition  at  a  certain  age  (Šelović  and  Jureša,  2001),  and  undertake  preventive          measures in the field of physical activities and exercising, as well as in the area of          nutrition and prevention, as to withhold the early occurrence of obesity.                                            74","The perspectives of the increase in the body mass index for each next generation          and the average excess body weight for five-year-old girls indicate the possibility of          very  serious  health  problems.  It  is  known  that  today  there  are  43  million          overweight or obese children in the world who are younger than five, and since          1990  there  has  been  a  constant  growth  (Extended  international,  2017).  It  has          constantly been  emphasized  that except  for the choice of a diet,  it is  extremely          important at this age to promote physical activity and supress the sedentary way of          life.          References          Bralic I., Jovancevic M., Predavec S., J. Grguric J. (2010).  Childhood obesity – new          multidisciplinary prevention programas. Paediatr Croat 54.          Centres  for  Disease  Control  and  Prevenntion  (CDC)  (2015).  Healthy  Weight.          Preuzeto 1.8.2017.          Durant RH, (1994). The Relationship among Television Watching, Physical Activity,          and Body Composition of Young Children. Pediatrics; 94(4): 449–55.          Farkaš  D.,  Tomac  Z.,  Petric  V.  \&  Novak  D.  (2015).  Anthropometric  characteristics          and  obesity  indicators  among  preschool  children  in  an  urban  area  in  Croatia.          Graduate Journal of Sport, Exercise \& Physical Education Research, 2015, 3, 13–27          Gillman, W.M., Rifas-Shiman, S.L., Camargo, C.A., Berkey, C.S., Frazier, A.L., Rockett,          H.R.H., Field, A.E., \& Colditz, G.A. (2001) Overweight among adolescents who were          breastfed as infants. JAMA 19: 2461–2467.          https://doi.org/10.1001/jama.285.19.2461          Horvat V., Misigoj-Duraković M., Prskalo I. (2009). Body size and body composition          change trends in preschool children over a period of five years. Coll Antropol. 2009          Mar;33(1):99–103.          Kuzman  M.,  Pavić  Šimetić  I.,  Pejnović  Franelić  I.  (2008).  Ponašanje  u  vezi  sa          zdravljem u djece školske dobi 2005/2006. Djeca i mladi u društvenom okruženju.          Zagreb: Hrvatski zavod za javno zdravstvo.          Kuzman  M.,  Pavić  Šimetić  I.,  Pejnović  Franelić  I.  (2012).  Ponašanje  u  vezi  sa          zdravljem u djece školske dobi 2009/2010. Djeca i mladi u društvenom okruženju.          Zagreb: Hrvatski zavod za javno zdravstvo.          Mišigoj-Duraković,  M.  i  sur.  (1999).  Tjelesno  vježbanje  i  zdravlje.  Zagreb:  Grafos-          FFK.          Šelović A., Jureša V. (2001): Uhranjenost djece pri pregledu za upis u osnovnu školu          u Bjelovarsko-bilogorskoj županiji 2001, Pediatria Croatica; 4:159–65                                             75","Whitaker,  RC.,  Wright,  JA.,  Pepe,  MS.,  Seidel,  KD.,  Dietz,  WH.  (1997):  Predicting          obesity in young adulthood from childhood and parental obesity. The New England          Journal of Medicine, 37(13), 869–873.           WHO. Physical status: the use and interpretation of anthropometry. Report of a          WHO Expert Committee. WHO Technical Report Series 854. Geneva: World Health          Organization, 1995.          World Health Organization (WHO) (2016). Growth reference 5–19 years. BMI–for –          age  (5–19  years)  /on  line/.  Retrieved  on  1  August  2017  from:          http://www.who.int/growthref/who2007_bmi_for_age/en/          World Obesity (2015). Extended international (IOTF) body mass index cut-offs for          thinness, overweight and obesity in children. /on line/. Retrieved on 1 August 2017          from: http://www.worldobesity.org/data/cut-points-used/newchildcutoffs/          Yokoyama H, Okudaira M, Otani T, Watanabe C, Takaike  H, Miuira J, Yamada H,          Mutou  K,  Satou  A,  Uchigata  Y,  Iwamoto  Y.  (1998).  High  Incidence  of  Diabetic          Nephropathy in Early-onset Japanese NIDDM Patients: Risk Analysis. Diabetes Care;          21: 10801085.                                                                             76","The Prevalence and Differences in the Physical Activity Level in                                Preschool-Aged Children                                                         2                                                                   3                             1                                        1                    Sara Jakšić , Vilko Petrić , Vesna Štemberger , Iva Blažević                       1                        University of Rijeka, Croatia, Faculty of Teacher Education                        2                          University of Ljubljana, Slovenia, Faculty of Education                 3                   Juraj Dobrila University of Pula, Croatia, Faculty of Educational Sciences           Abstract          For a longer period of time  there has been a diminution in the level of physical          activity in the world, which means that each new generation has a lower level of          physical activity than the former generation, while results obtained for children are          especially worrisome. The level of physical activity is significantly linked to health          and has become one of the greatest challenges for scientists throughout the world.          The aim of this research was to determine the level of preschool-aged children's          physical  activity  and  define  if  there  was  a  statistically  significant  difference          according to sex.          The sample of examinees consisted of 98 children (50 boys and 48 girls) aged 2 to 7          and attending kindergartens in the city of Rijeka, Croatia. The children's physical          activity  was  evaluated  by  the  standardized  questionnaire  Health  Behaviour  for          Children  filled  in  by  their  parents.  The  percentages  of  children  belonging  to          a certain category of physical activity level were calculated, and the significance of          differences was analysed by the Chi-square test.          The  research  results  indicate  that  somewhat  more  than  55%  of  examinees  are          active one hour per week, 30% of them are active two to three hours a week, while          only 13% of them are active four to six hours a week. The results also show that          boys are statistically more significantly (p=0.01) active than girls.          This research has shown that even at the preschool age there is a serious problem          of insufficient physical activity which calls for intervention programmes. It is clear          that contemporary kinesiology in the educational system should be more directed          toward health and that movement should not only be a trend, but a way of life, i.e.          the way a certain kindergarten functions.          Key words: physical activity, nurseries, earliest stages, health                                            77","Introduction          We have been witnessing worse results in children’s physical activity, which lead to          a serious development of diseases such as overweight, various types of cancers,          bone  diseases,  diabetes,  etc.  (Currie  et  al.,  2012).  The  information  that  about          42 million of early and preschool-aged children are overweight or obese is, thus,          not surprising (World Health Organisation, 2014). For a longer period of time there          has been a diminution in the level of physical activity in  the world, which means          that  each  new  generation  has  a  lower  level  of  physical  activity  than  the  former          generation,  while  results  obtained  for  children  are  especially  worrisome  (Jurakić          and Heimer, 2012). The level of physical activity is significantly linked to health and          has  become  one  of  the  greatest  challenges  for  scientists  throughout  the  world          (Novak et al., 2014).          It  is  extremely  important  to  start  with  organised  physical  activity  as  early  as          possible,  as  to  form  a  habit  of  regular  physical  exercising  and  acquire  the  basic          motor  literacy.  Organised  physical  activities  from  the  earliest  age  can  positively          affect the general condition of the organism, the prevention of chronic diseases,          mental disorders, the mood, occurrence of obesity, and they can even influence          the development of certain genetically predetermined diseases (Capiro and Weiss,          2005).  Besides,  children’s  motor  abilities  are  directly  connected  to  the          development  of  the  central  nervous  system,  so  later  it  is  almost  impossible  to          compensate  for  the  lack  of  movement  in  early  childhood  (Pišot  and  Planinšec,          2010).          Due  to  a  lack  of  studies  done  on  the  population  of  early  and  preschool-aged          children, this research has a special significance and can become the base ground          for further ones.          The aim of this research was to determine the level of preschool-aged children's          physical  activity  and  define  if  there  was  a  statistically  significant  difference          according to sex.          Method          The sample of examinees consisted of 98 children (50 boys and 48 girls) aged 2 to 7          and attending kindergartens in the city of Rijeka, Croatia. The examinees had been          randomly  chosen,  and  later  divided  to  sub-groups  according  to  sex  and          chronological  age.  The  research  was  conducted  during  the  months  of  May  and          June, and a part of July 2017. During the aforementioned months all the children          were healthy and physically mobile.          The  sample  of  variables  was  made  by  the  standardized  questionnaire  Health          Behaviour for Children, adapted to the needs of the research about the preschool-                                            78","aged children’s level of physical activity. It was anonymous and filled in by their          parents  of  their  free  will.  Its  purpose  was  for  the  parents  to  evaluate  their          children’s physical activity based on the cognition about their free time (when they          are not in the kindergarten), including certain house chores, time spent in nature,          everyday activities, sport activities, etc.          The results of the state of their physical activities are shown in percentages, in the          form of charts and tables. The differences according to sex, i.e. the number of girls          and boys of a certain level and intensity of physical activity were calculated by the          Chi-square test. The statistical level of significance was tested with an error of p =          0.05%.          Results          Chart 1. shows the level of weekly physical activity of a mild or high intensity for          early and preschool-aged children. It can be observed that neither child is active          seven or more hours a week. Girls, almost 56% of them, have a maximum of one          hour  of  physical  activity  a  week.  There  are  33.3%  of  girls  who  belong  to  the          category of two to three hours of activity, while 11.1% of them are active four to six          hours a week at a mild to high intensity.          Regarding boys, half of them (50%) are physically active up to one hour a week.          There are 10% of them who belong to the category of half an hour, 25% of them          belong  to  the  two  to  three  hours  category,  and  15%  to  the  four  to  six  hour          category.                  60           55,6 50                 50                 40                   33,3               %  30                     25                 20     10                    11,1 15                 10    0                                0 0                  0                                       2 - 3    4 - 6                     1/2 hour  1 hour                  7 < hour                                       hour     hour                girls   0      55,6    33,3     11,1     0                boys   10       50      25       15      0                  Chart 1: Presentation of the weekly physical activity of a mild to high intensity                                            79","Table 1. shows the differences between the number of girls and boys at a certain          level  of  physical  activity.  Most  boys  and  girls  engage  in  mild  to  high  intensity          physical activity for only one hour a week, while the percentage of boys who are          physically  active  at  a  mild  or  high  intensity  is  significantly  (p  =  0.01)  higher          regarding their active time than the percentage of girls.          Table 1: The result of differences between the number of girls and boys regarding          levels of physical activity                 Chi – square          Levels of freedom         p – value                    12.06                     3                    0.01           The research results indicate that there is no child who is physically active seven or          more hours a week, that somewhat more than 55% of examinees are active one          hour a week, 30% of them are active two to three hours a week, while only 13% of          them  are  active  four  to  six  hours  a  week.  The  results  also  show  that  boys  are          statistically more significantly (p=0.00) active than girls.           Discussion          The  analysis  shows  that  there  is  no  child  in  any  of  the  groups  who  satisfies  the          recommendations of the World Health Organisation, namely 60 minutes of activity          per  day  of  a  moderate  or  high  intensity  (World  Health  Organisation,  2014).  The          results of the research Health Behaviour for School-Aged Children (2010) indicate          that in the Republic of Croatia, as early as in the first grade of high school, there are          92% of pupils having an insufficient level of physical activity, i.e. those who do not          move  for  at  least  60  minutes  a  day  at  a  mild  or  high  intensity.  The  average          prevalence of insufficiently active children amounts to 81% on the global level, and          it includes more girls (86%) and 76.3% of boys (Currie et al., 2008). The difference          in the prevalence is visible among different age groups, too. It is the highest with          the oldest ones (85%), and the lowest with the youngest ones (77%). What is surely          worrisome  during  the  inspection  of  obtained  results  is  the  obvious  problem  of          insufficient  physical  activity  of  Central  American  and  European  children.  The          differences are also visible among certain countries and it is therefore necessary to          conduct studies and assessments on the national level for every country to be able          to monitor their children and youth and give them all necessary to motivate their          engagement  into  physical  activities.  Almost  all  countries  showed  a  difference          between sexes. The prevalence of insufficient physical activity is higher with girls          than with boys, and so in line with the obtained results regarding the sex, special          attention  should  be  directed  to  the  motivation  of  girls.  According  to  the  results          obtained  by  the  HBSC,  there  is  a  noticeable  increase  in  the  prevalence  of          insufficient physical activity at becoming part of the high school system and leaving                                           80","the primary school educational system. Moreover, in the high school educational          system,  according  to  the  YRBSS  results,  the  differences  in  the  prevalence  of          insufficient activities have been determined, and they are higher at the end of high          school education than at its beginning, or at the time of enrolment in high school          programmes (Weiss and Williams, 2004; according to Jurakić and Heimer, 2012).          This research indicates that the aforementioned problem is seriously present at an          early and preschool age. Former researches indicate an exceptionally low level of          physical  activity  as  early  as  at  preschool  age  (Tomac  et  al.,  2015).  Preschool          institutions can and should support high quality children’s physical activities, since          children of an early and preschool age who attend these institutions spend most of          their time in them (Tomac et al., 2015).          Besides  an  extremely  low  level  of  physical  activity,  statistically  significant          differences regarding sex have also been obtained. As in almost all former studies          (Treuth  et  al.,  2015),  boys  are  physically  more  active  than  girls.  Boys  are  more          active by their nature and they are more prone to dynamic movements than girls.          Regardless of the child’s sex, it is important to encourage higher intensity activities          because they could affect the quality and length of life at the adult age (Hills et al.,          2007). Both girls and boys have the highest physical activity in their free time. Their          physical activities differ in type and content, and so, for instance, girls participate          less in sport activities, while boys respond less to house chores. This could certainly          be one of the reasons for such obtained results.          Physically active children are healthier and by their active way of life they influence          their healthier future (Boreham and Riddoch, 2001). It is necessary to adopt the          healthy habit of regular physical activity, offer children the possibility to engage in          them in the educational system which would motivate them and thus result in a          healthier population and more positive results of studies about the prevalence of          insufficient physical activity (Jurakić and Heimer, 2012).          A  continuous  assessment  of  physical  activities,  especially  during  childhood,  is          necessary  on  the  national,  as  well  as  global  level.  Such  assessments  enable  the          organisation of measuring the physical activity level in both educational systems          and children’s free time. This can give a contribution to the improvement of the          evaluation  strategies’  quality,  but  also  to  the  advancement  of  physical  activities          (Jurakić and Heimer, 2012).          This research’s flaws are certainly a small number of examinees and the fact that          the children’s physical activity level was subjectively evaluated by their parents. In          the  future,  a  larger  number  of  examinees,  or  more  regions,  should  be          encompassed,  while  the  physical  activity  level  should  be  evaluated  with  exact          instruments.                                           81","Conclusion          This research has shown that even at the preschool age there is a serious problem          of insufficient physical activity which calls for intervention programmes. It is clear          that contemporary kinesiology in the educational system should be more directed          toward health and that movement should not only be a trend, but a way of life, i.e.          the way a certain kindergarten functions. How to set the movement, or moving, as          a  base  for  learning  and  teaching  is  not  only  one  of  the  greatest  challenges  of          kinesiology,  but  also  a  necessity  if  children’s  health  is  to  be  preserved  and          upgraded.          References          Boreham,  C.  and  Riddoch,  C.  (2001).  The  Physical  Activity,  Fitness  and  Health  of          Children. Journal of Sports Science, 19, 915–929.          https://doi.org/10.1080/026404101317108426          Currie, C., Zanotti, C., Morgan, A., Currie, D., de Looze, M., \& Roberts, C., (2012).          Social  Determinants  of  Health  and  Wellbeing  Among  Young  People.  Health          Behaviour  in  School-Aged  Children  (HBSC)  Study:  International  Report  from  the          2009/2010 Survey (Health Policy for Children and Adolescents No. 6). Copenhagen:          WHO Regional Office for Europe.          Currie C, Nic Gabhainn S, Godeau E, Roberts C, Smith R, Currie D, Pickett W, Richter          M, Morgan A, Barnekow V. Inequalities in young people’s health. Health behaviour          in school-aged children (HBSC) study: international report from the 2005/06 survey          (Health  Policy  for  Children  and  Adolescents,  No.  5).  Copenhagen:  WHO  Regional          Office for Europe; 2008.          Hills, A.P., King, N.A., Armstrong, T.P., (2007). The Contribution of Physical Activity          and  Sedentary  Behaviours  to  the  Growth  and  Development  of  Children  and          Adolescents: Implications for Overweight and Obesity. Sports Medicine. 37(6): 533–          545. https://doi.org/10.2165/00007256-200737060-00006          Jurakić,  D.,  and  Heimer,  S.  (2012).  Prevalencija  nedovoljne  tjelesne  aktivnosti          u Hrvatskoj i svijetu. Arh Hig Rada Toksikol, 63(3), 3–12.          Kahn, E. B., Ramsey, L.T., Brownson, R.C., Heath, G.W., Howze, E.H., Powell, K.E.,          Stone, E.J., Rajab, M.W., \& Corso, P. (2002). The Effectiveness of Interventions to          Increase  Physical  Activity  (Systematic  Review).  American  Journal  of  Preventive          Medicine, 22(4S), 73–107. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0749-3797(02)00434-8          Novak, D., Petric, V., Jurakic, D., \& Rakovac, M. (2014). Trends and Future Visions of          Physical  Education:  Croatian  Challenges.  In  M-K.  Chin  \&  C.R.  Edginton  (Eds.),          Physical  education  and  health  –  Global  Perspectives  and  Best  Practice  (pp.  121–          133). Urbana, IL: Sagamore Publishing.                                           82","Pišot,  R.  and  Planinšec,  J.  (2005).  Struktura  motorike  in  razvoj  temeljnih gibalnih          kompetenc v zgodnjem otroštvu. Annales Kinesipologiae 1., 2. Koper: Univerza na          Primorskem,  Znanstveno-raziskovalno  središče,  Inštitut  za  kineziološke  raziskave,          Založba Annales.          Tomac,  Z.,  Vidranski,  T.,  and  Ciglar,  J.  (2015).  Tjelesna  aktivnost  djece  tijekom          redovnog boravka u predškolskoj ustanovi. Medica Jadertina, 45(3–4), 97–104.          Treuth,  M.S.,  Hou,  N.,  Young,  D.R.,  and  Maynard,  L.M.  (2005).  Validity  and          Reliability  of  the  Fels  Physical  Activity  Questionnaire  for  Children.  Medicine  \&          Science in Sport \& Exercise, 37(8), 488–495.          Weiss  MR,  Williams  L.  (2004).  The  Why  of  Youth  Sport  Involvement:          A Developmental  Perspective  on  Motivational  Processes.  In:  Weiss  MR,  (Eds.),          Developmental Sport and Exercise Psychology: A Lifespan Perspective. Morgantown          (pp. 223–68). Fitness Information Technology.          World Health Organizations (2014). Global Strategy on Diet, Physical Activity and          Health. Available at          www.who.int/dietphysicalactivity/factsheet_young_people/en/   Retrieved   on          29 January 2018.                                                                           83","Curriculum and Teaching in Physical Education and Geography:          interdisciplinary and international perspectives          Book of Proceedings           Edited by: RNDr. Hana Svobodová, Ph.D., PhDr. Mgr. Petr Vlček, Ph.D.           Published by Masaryk University, Žerotínovo nám. 617/9, 601 77 Brno,          Czech Republic           st          1  electronic edition, 2018          ISBN 978-80-210-9075-0",""];