RETHINKING THE ROLE OF RESEARCH PROJECT AS USEFUL METHOD IN GEOGRAPHY TRAINING

Geography didactic faces new challenges related to demand for quality and efficiency of geography training. Contemporary “modern” didactic focuses attention on the development of cognitive abilities of pupils by solving problems and problematic cases; students’ stimulation to acquire independently knowledge, skills and competencies; widespread application of problematic and research approach. The topicality of these issues is closely interrelated with the variety of methods applied in geography education. And if we want geography training to be in sync with up-to-date changes in the society and to meet pupils’ needs than the role of the research project as a method used in geography training is substantial. The art of conducting and presenting project has its own specifics and offers a lot of opportunities to master the training process and achieve different educational goals. The main aims of the current paper are: to explore and describe in brief the project as geography training method; to present its essence and distinctive features; to define the position of the project in geography training with a view to improve its quality and effectiveness.