Ausserschulischer Lernort Zoo: Das Potenzial zoologischer Gärten für den Erdkundeunterricht

Outdoor learning as a component of action-oriented teaching has been an important part of the discussion on geography didactics for a long time. Neuwied Zoo is the largest zoological garden in Rhineland-Palatinate and is visited every year by many school classes from the surrounding area as part of hiking days or biology lessons. But is it also possible to conduct geography lessons in a zoo? What can be usefully dealt with in a zoo with regard to the contents and aims of geography lessons and how could concrete lesson sequences be designed in the zoo? Within the framework of this thesis, the author wants to show the potential of a visit to the zoo with regard to geographical teaching units that can be carried out and to develop concrete teaching examples for Neuwied Zoo. In chapter 2, a detailed description of outdoor learning and its classification in the didactics of geography is given. Section 3 looks at the tasks and historical development of zoological gardens and zoological education. In addition, there is a detailed presentation of the Neuwied Zoo and an analysis of potential teaching methods against the background of current geography curricula. Finally, Chapter 4 describes the development of two possible units for teaching geography at Neuwied Zoo. Section 5 shows possible development trends for the future inclusion of zoo visits in geography lessons in view of the constantly changing educational landscape and the changing role of zoological gardens.