The poor learner outcomes in the TIMSS assessment, the SACMEQ assessment, and the Grade 9 ANAs led to this study being conducted. The purpose of the study was to explore whether Grade 9 mathematics teachers’ teaching can improve learner outcomes. This study therefore investigated the literature regarding mathematics teachers’ classroom practices with an emphasis on teachers’ Pedagogical Content Knowledge (PCK), Pedagogical Content Knowledge and Skills (PCK&S), and how these teachers used assessment outcomes to inform their teaching of mathematics. In developing learners’ conceptual understanding and higher-order thinking skills, mathematics teachers not only need subject matter knowledge, but also PCK and the skill to implement their planning efficiently during instruction. The conceptual framework for this study is based on Gess-Newsome’s (in Berry et al., 2015) Model of Teachers’ Professional Knowledge and Skills. Based on this, PCK was examined in the planning and executing of topic-specific instruction and as a skill when teaching this content to the learners for enhanced learner outcomes. The research approach was qualitative and the research design was a case study. Two Grade 9 mathematics teachers from one school were selected through purposive sampling. The data were collected using a baseline test, three classroom observations, one semi-structured interview and a formative test. Both teachers used Direct Instruction in all their lessons, but proficiently used various representations when explaining the work, and integrated the topic into other mathematical topics and real-life scenarios. The teachers admitted that they did not usually make use of baseline tests to inform their teaching due to time constraints, but found it valuable during this endeavour. The findings from the two tests showed many learners still have the same misconceptions regarding the concepts of surface area, volume and capacity; continued to make the same typical mistakes in finding formulae for surface area and volume; and still found it difficult to convert between the SI units. There was, however, significant improvement in learner outcomes, but the positive outcomes regarding all typical mistakes and learner difficulties were still below 46%. / Dissertation (MEd)--University of Pretoria, 2017. / Science, Mathematics and Technology Education / MEd / Unrestricted

Drawing on the elements and processes in language teacher cognition (Borg, 2006), this study was an investigation of how four senior high school teachers perceived the policy of conducting English classes in English, the degree to which they conducted English classes that reflect the policy, and how their educational backgrounds, professional coursework, internal factors in the class, internal factors in the school, and external factors affected their cognition and classroom practice.To investigate the above issues, an instrumental, explanatory multiple case-study was employed. The data were collected from interviews with the four English teachers, the four head teachers of the English departments, members of Tokyo Metropolitan Board of Education (TMBE), and two members of the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT). In addition, two Communication English classes and two English Expression classes the four teachers were in charge of were observed and a questionnaire was administered to the students in each class. The findings indicated that the four teachers had favorable opinions about the policy of conducting English classes in English; however, their opinions were not reflected to a large degree in two of the teachers’ classes and were reflected to a moderate degree in the other two teachers’ classes. The discrepancy between their positive opinions of the policy and their classroom practice was attributed to the influence of their educational background, professional coursework, internal factors in the class, internal factors in the school, and external factors. Major factors that prevented them from reflecting the policy were a lack of appropriate teacher training, the presence of university entrance examinations, and the grammar-focused MEXT-approved textbooks. Major factors that helped their teachers reflect the policy were their positive experiences learning English in English communicatively, study abroad experiences, the measures taken by TMBE, the presence of ALTs and their students’ positive attitudes toward learning English in English. The findings of this study suggest that improvements in pre- and in-service training to teach English in English for communicative purposes, reforms of university entrance examinations, and improvements of MEXT-approved textbooks are essential to the implementing of the policy of teaching English in English. / Teaching & Learning

This action research study examines the learning experiences of Year 8 students and their teacher as they negotiate aspects of their English classes. The study takes place in a regional Catholic co-educational secondary college in Victoria, Australia. The question of understanding the lived experience of ourselves and other is fundamental to this study, which is situated within an holistic, enactivist view of the world. From this perspective learning is a shared activity in which students participate in creating their own interpretation as they interact with others to bring forth understanding. The study focuses on classroom practice which aims to include all participants, through negotiation, in the actions that take place in the classroom. I have used a narrative approach to describe the way in which three action research cycles were implemented in the English classroom during one academic year. A variety of data gathering techniques was used and these included: classroom questionnaires, classroom meetings, journals, partnership observation and interviews. The main sources of data were the interviews that I undertook with each of the twenty five students in the class. The three action research cycles allowed both the students and me to reflect upon classroom activities and make appropriate changes as the cycles progressed. In addition, negotiating in this English class has helped me to better understand my students and, through reflection, to improve my teaching practice. Analysis of the data suggests that students experience greater commitment and motivation when they are given opportunities to be actively involved in contributing to their own learning. The data also supports research that recognises the importance of collaboration, positive relationships within the classroom, the importance of metacognitive skills and student voice. In addition, the findings point to the value of action research as a method of improving teaching practice.

This descriptive, holistic, single case study focuses on how an experienced teacher with 21 years of teaching was able to negotiate participation in a community of practice (CoP). The study applies Wenger’s (1998) Community of Practice framework as a lens through which to gain insight into the subject’s professional transformation. Wenger’s multilayered theoretical approach, including the four components of his social learning model, provides a common language to describe participation. The specific research questions that frame this inquiry are: 1) How did an experienced secondary mathematics teacher, involved in an ongoing and dual-faceted professional development project, negotiate meaningful participation in a community of practice? 2) How did the kinds of participation in which she chose to engage affect her professionally? and, 3) How did her classroom practice change? Findings from the study include: 1) Wenger’s Stages of Development (potential, coalescing, active, dispersed and memorable) for a CoP were in evidence in this teacher’s participatory experiences. 2) Internal and external factors worked in concert to support transformed practice. 3) The tension between experience and competence is an important factor when thinking about the difference between an expert and experienced teacher. 4) The case subject negotiated her participation through intellectual partnerships formed through the interaction with her Peer CoP and educational experts and researchers—an example of legitimate participation in authentic professional activities at a level quite different from most “teacher professional development” activities. The evolving shared repertoire of changed mathematical instructional practices was tangible evidence of transformative interactions. These findings indicate that a viable, robust CoP can be stimulated through external scaffolding and coordination of learning activities in combination with a joint enterprise of growth-minded professionals. The data provide insight into the professional transformation that occurred within the case teacher’s practice as she enacted the new, shared repertoire with students in her classroom. The new repertoire resulted in improved student learning not just during her active involvement in the CoP but after the community disperses, in a penultimate stage of a CoP described by Wenger (1998), suggesting that the results and transformed practice can be sustained.

This paper draws on data gathered from a large-scale, multi-year research project, Curriculum Implementation in Intermediate Mathematics (CIIM), that examines the implementation of a reform (inquiry-oriented) mathematics curriculum in Grades 7 – 10 in Ontario, Canada. To describe classroom practices and ways that teachers have been challenged and supported in implementing an inquiry-oriented approach, the data included teacher questionnaires (n =1096), focus group interviews with mathematics educators across the province, and nine case studies. While some of our data align with the research of others who show that teacher change is complex and inquiry-oriented pedagogies are slow to emerge (Frykholm, 1999; Jacobs, Hiebert, Givven, Hollingsworth, Garnier, & Wearne, 2006), we also have evidence of teachers engaged in a variety of classroom practices that involve students in inquiry-oriented mathematics learning.

This qualitative study examines the connections between teachers’ views of large-scale assessment and their classroom practice, based on a case study of Ontario teachers and the Ontario Education Quality and Accountability Office [EQAO] Grade 9 Applied Assessment of Mathematics. Large-scale assessments are a prominent aspect of the Ontario education system; given that they are also mandatory, it is imperative that their impact on teaching be documented. This study enriches the existing literature on the topic of the Grade 9 EQAO Assessment of Mathematics, and provides a more-recent portrayal of the teachers’ views of this assessment and the potential impact of these views on classroom teaching by highlighting teacher attitudes, concerns, and classroom practices.

[pt] Pesquisas na área educacional (Kleiman, 2004; Nunes, 1997; Amorim, 1997; Soares, 1998; INAF, 2005; IBGE, 2003; Collelo, 2003; Scholze, 2004; Rojo, 2005; Morais, 2005) apontam que os alunos brasileiros, de modo geral, possuem baixo grau de proficiência em leitura. As pesquisas sobre leitura/letramento giram em torno da performance do aluno, do próprio texto ou da escola sem buscar compreender as crenças dos sujeitos do processo de ensinoaprendizagem. Como cabe principalmente à escola promover a alfabetização e o letramento, desenvolvemos um estudo interdisciplinar na área de Lingüística Aplicada, inspirado por conceitos sociointeracionistas e sociocognitivos, que buscou nas colocações lexicais informação para identificar os Modelos Cognitivos Idealizados (MCIs - Lakoff, 1987) projetados discursivamente pelos professores a partir dos dados advindos das entrevistas, dos protocolos falados e dos questionários acerca do que é leitura. Esse procedimento nos permitiu discutir como esses MCIs podem influenciar a prática pedagógica e que relação possuem com a autonomia, a colaboração e o processo de inclusão social, tal como preconizado pelos PCNs. / [en] Studies in the educational field (Kleiman, 2004; Nunes, 1997; Amorim, 1997; Soares, 1998; INAF, 2005; IBGE, 2003; Collelo, 2003; Scholze, 2004; Rojo, 2005, Morais, 2005) indicate that Brazilian students have, by and large, a low level of proficiency in reading. Research concerned about reading/literacy tends to focus on the readers´ performance, on the text itself or on the role of school without paying attention to the beliefs of those who are involved in the teaching-learning process. As it falls to school to promote literacy as decoding and literacy functionally interpreted as the capacity to use language in multiple contexts, we developed an interdisciplinary study in the area of Applied Linguistics based on sociointeractive and sociocognitive principles that allowed us to seek in collocations information to identify Idealized Cognitive Models (ICMs - Lakoff, 1987) discursively projected by the teachers about the nature of the reading process. The use of questionnaires, verbal protocols and interviews made possible the discussion about how the teachers´ ICMs may influence their pedagogical practice as well as what the relationship they may have with autonomy, collaboration and social inclusion, as advocated by the PCNs.

Thesis (M. Ed. (Science Education)) -- University of Limpopo, 2018 / This study explored the science teachers' views about the nature of science and how these views influenced their classroom. The study was conducted in three public quantile-three schools in Dimamo Circuit of Capricorn District-Limpopo Province. It was a case study with twenty participants filling the open-ended questionnaire with four teachers who were observed and interviewed. The teachers were from the FET band with teaching experience ranging between one year and thirty years. The essential research questions addressed in this study are, namely: What are science teachers’ views about the nature of science? How do the science teachers’ views about the nature of science influence their classroom practices? Data were collected all the way through open-ended questionnaires, classroom observations and semi-structured interviews. The data collected were analysed through groups of themes. The four teachers observed and interviewed were grouped as one case. It was found that most of the teachers held informed views about the nature of science from both data collected from the open-ended questionnaires and semi structured interviews. There was a group of teachers whose views about the nature of science being tentative reflected uninformed views and the majority of teachers revealing uninformed views about the difference between scientific law and scientific theory. The teachers believed that theories develop into laws. There was also a majority of teachers who believed that scientific investigation follows only one universal route. It was also found that the same teachers who reflected informed views were not able to back them in their classroom practices. The majority of those teachers reflected no informed views in their classroom as such it was impossible to tell how their views influenced their classroom practices. KEY WORDS Nature of science, Classroom practice, Scientific law, Tentative, Scientific theory

This descriptive case study investigated the effects of widespread availability of information technology in a fifth grade classroom using a constructivist paradigm. The same computer configuration that students used in the classroom was provided for them at home, along with an Internet dial-up connection. The technology was used as an adjunct to the classroom and was utilized when appropriate. In addition to general classroom observations, four students were chosen for closer study. Their progress was monitored throughout the year with respect to three emerging themes related to information technology use: self-directed learning, collaboration, and social interaction. The results of this study were organized into individual student stories with each theme explored. The results showed that the students used the available technology both in the classroom and at home. There was a natural fit between the requirements of the fifth grade class and the available tools. Students chose to utilize the available technology and derived new ways of doing so, particularly at home where they were totally self-directed. For the students in this study, learning became a two-way process. Skills students developed on their own were shared with their teachers and other classmates. / Ed. D.

This research study investigated the professional development of teachers as they integrate learning technologies into classroom practice. In particular, the study was concerned with the specific role of the learning technology coordinator in this professional development process. The views of classroom teachers were sought concerning factors in their professional development which they found useful together with the relevance of the role of the learning technology coordinator. So too, the views of the learning technology coordinators and principals were sought regarding effective professional development as teachers integrate learning technologies into classroom practice. Two processes were used to ascertain these views. Focus groups and interviews were conducted at the LaTTiCE (Learning and Teaching Technologies in Catholic Education) and Navigator schools. The Navigator and LaTTiCE school were specially funded pilot schools for the integration of learning technologies into classrooms. These technology rich schools provided detailed data from a specific group of people. A survey was also sent to randomly selected primary schools in Melbourne to see if similar responses would be gained from the general population of schools less privileged in terms of learning technologies and the associated professional development. Analysis of this data led to some important insights related to the professional development of teachers as they integrate learning technologies into classroom practice and to the specific role of the learning technology coordinator in this process. This study found that the main reason why teachers integrated learning technologies into classroom practice was to benefit their students and to improve their own skill levels. The important factors in the professional development of teachers integrating technology were that it was collaborative, embedded in practice, ongoing over time, had the support of the principal and was supported by a learning technology coordinator. This study focused on the role of the learning technology coordinator and found that the most important aspect of this role was related to the professional development of teachers and the coordination of the school’s technology program. These findings led to recommendations that priority be given to funding at a system level for a school based learning technology coordinator to be appointed in each primary school and that principals provide for this coordinator to focus on the professional development of teachers integrating technology into classroom practice.