Experience in organization of soil science–biogeographical part of educational natural science practical work of students-geographers

Abstract

The article considers the experience of practical field training of students- geographers, defines its role in training geographers, looks at the ways of rational organization of soil science, biogeographic section of natural science educational practices in terms of training at high school stationary practice grounds. The educational natural science practice of the 1st year-students-geographers of V.N. Karazin Kharkiv National University takes place on the educational and scientific geographical grounds «Gaidary» in Zmiiv district, Kharkiv region. The location of the base allows to explore a typical structure of the Siversky Donets river valley, select a variety of elements and components to form an understanding in students of both the knowledge of the individual components of nature, and the processes of natural complexes functioning as a whole, to introduce the elements of environmental knowledge and factors of anthropogenic impact on the environment. The soil-biogeographical section of practical work focuses on acquiring skills of field research methods of soil and ecological communities by the students; planning of the routes, taking into account the conditions and landscape features of the territory; cameral treatment of the data and samples collected in the field; identification of cause-and-effect relationships of soil and vegetation development. Landscape diversity of the territory in the area of practice allows to study the soil and vegetation within the natural systems of the watershed, its slopes, gullies and gully areas of the floodplain, the first floodplain terrace during 5-6 days of soil-biogeographic section of the practical work through the daily radial routes. During the practice traditional classical techniques of field studies of soils and ecological communities (primarily tab and a description of soil profiles and geo-botanical areas) are combined with new, present-day approaches (use of GPS-navigators, GIS database, the results of filming UAV). The practice allows both to consolidate the knowledge of the course «Soil Science and Biogeography» and lay some foundations for further study in the 2 year of the subject «Landscape study», «GIS in Geography», «Cartography». In addition to the educational purpose, there is a research component of the practice. Some students later can perform diploma projects on the territories in the base area of practice, and the teachers annually conducting the practices, see the prospect in the organization of scientific studies of natural components and systems dynamics, fixing their natural and man-made changes to the identification of existing problems and the development of natural scientific methods to address them.