This project is a study to determine if a group of middle school students can improve their problem solving ability by means of curriculum of nonroutine problems that was presented over a six month period.

This thesis explores the need for a professional writing track in the Master of Arts in English composition program at California State UnIversity, San Bernardino. The current English literature, English composition, and TESL (Teaching English as a Second Language) tracks are discussed as well as the certificate in professional writing currently available.

Au XXIe siècle, les images sont partout. Les avancées technologiques rendent aujourd’hui la fabrication et la distribution des images accessibles à tous, et le temps passé devant les écrans ne cesse de croitre. Pourtant, malgré cette omniprésence, le besoin d’une éducation à l’image n’est pas encore ressenti. Alors que le cheminement scolaire veille à l’enseignement écrit, l’éducation visuelle semble être oubliée, notamment par le système d’éducation québécois. Face à ce problème, j’ai voulu explorer les capacités du cinéma comme outil dans l’enseignement de la littératie visuelle dans un mémoire de recherche-création. Ainsi, dans la première section, les concepts de littératie visuelle et de pensée critique sont définis et analysés, et leur place au sein du système d’éducation est examinée. La deuxième section traite du cinéma, notamment en tant que langage enseignable. La troisième partie couvre, sous divers angles, l’influence des images chez les spectateurs. La quatrième section offre quant à elle une réflexion sur la représentation des genres et son action sur les spectateurs du point de vue des goûts et du rapport aux genres. Enfin, la dernière section présente l’exercice pédagogique à la base de la création accompagnant ce mémoire. Cette création documentaire permet d’observer le processus d’apprentissage de participants dans leur processus d’exercice pédagogique et le développement d’une littératie visuelle. La double mise en abyme offre une opportunité de réfléchir à la capacité du cinéma comme moteur d’apprentissage face aux images. / In the 21st century, images are everywhere. Technological advances have made the production and distribution of visual media accessible to everyone; the time spent in front of screens keeps increasing. Yet, despite this ubiquity, the need for a visual education has not been felt. While the Quebec education system focuses on written language, the visual language seems to have been left apart. In light of this problem, this research-creation thesis intends to explore the potential of cinema to be a relevant tool for visual literacy. In the first section, I offer a definition and an analysis of the concepts of visual literacy and critical thinking, and examine their place in the Quebec education system. The second section covers how cinema can be considered as a teachable language. In the third section, I show different ways in which images can influence viewers. The fourth section reflects on how those influences affect the tastes and opinions regarding gender. As for the last section, it is a description of the pedagogical exercise created for this study. This written part is completed by a creation. My documentary film brings further reflections on visual literacy and how it can be acquired by the participants of the pedagogical exercise. This mise en abyme allows the viewer to look at how cinema can be a vector of learning in the face of visual media.

The theoretical part of the diploma thesis summarizes basic facts related to the global climate change and provides up-to-date knowledge on the issue of genetically modified plants more resistant to stress factors of environment, including specific examples of strategies regarding preparation of genetically modified plants resistant particularly to abiotic stress. Although genetically modified plants and global climate changes belong to very important and current issue which public and foremost young generation should be sufficiently aware of, contemporary biology books and high school framework educational program pay to the issue very little attention. Therefore, the goal of this thesis is not only to summarize the basic facts and current knowledge regarding this issue but mainly to handle the issue in didactic level in the form of activating learning tasks. There were 28 learning tasks created in the thesis that gradually in unconventional way familiarize students with the issue of genetically modified plants and with the impacts of climate changes. Students must actively acquire information from accompanying materials to address the tasks properly, think critically over them, utilizing acquired knowledge and experience from the past to some extent. Fourteen tasks were chosen from the file created which...

En la siguiente investigación, el objetivo ha sido comprobar si la metodología llamada gamificación, junto a tecnologías de la información (TIC), puede ayudar a los estudiantes de primaria a desarrollar el pensamiento crítico. Actualmente, por motivos de salubridad contra el COVID-19, los colegios han cerrado sus puertas y se han enfocado en promover una educación a distancia. El método de educación ha dado un salto abrupto y ha demostrado que el profesorado no está preparado para brindar una educación a distancia de calidad. Por este motivo, se busca también comprobar si la gamificación junto a las TIC pueden ser una opción al momento de brindar o proporcionar actividades a distancia. / In the following investigation, the objective has been to check whether the methodology called gamification, together with information technologies (ICT), can help elementary students develop critical thinking. Currently, for health reasons against COVID-19, schools have closed their doors and focused on promoting distance education. The method of education has taken an abrupt leap and has shown that teachers are not prepared to provide quality distance education. For this reason, it is also sought to check if gamification together with ICTs can be an option when offering or providing remote activities. / Trabajo de investigación

The aim of this thesis is to acquaint readers with the functional ways of the development of reading literacy of pupils in primary school, and to find out how and with what results these way can be aquired from the position of primary school teacher and pupils. The theoretical part is focused on reading literacy, its components, the stages and the factors that influce its development. It defines concepts of reading, reading comprehension, and related reading skills and strategies. It deals with the development of reading literacy at school. It describes pupils of the primary school and key competences of the primary school teacher. The thesis also describes which components of reading literacy can be developed among pupils and what the appropriate projects in the Czech Republic are. The final chapter focuses on the methods that support the development of reading literacy among pupils, especially the RWCT (Reading and Writing for Critical Thinking) program and their inclusion during lessons. The aim of the practical part of this thesis is to find out the answer to these research questions: How to effectively develop reading literacy of pupils at primary school? How and with what results can the teacher of primary school acquire functional ways of the development of reading literacy? The practical...

The following master's thesis deals with the issue of media literacy in relation to elderly population. The theoretical basis of this work contains of the theory of media literacy and media education, which is regarded to as a tool for cultivating media literacy. In addition to media education, the work also presents other ways to acquire media competencies, which are so needed in today's information society. After the introduction of theoretical approaches to media literacy, there is also a description of selected methods applied to determine the level of media literacy. The next part includes a description of media literacy in relation to senior citizens who form a very specific group in this area. As part of my own research survey, the level of media literacy in a group of 12 senior citizens is mapped on the basis of a proposed tool for determining the level of media literacy, which is based on the presented theoretical approaches. Qualitative research includes a detailed analysis of data, which were collected through interviews with the target group and which were supplemented by practical exercises. Media literacy research focuses on the area of knowledge, abilities and skills, and patterns of media use. According to the collected and analyzed data, a description of all respondents is...

This study discuss two phenomenones. The first phenomenon is photosynthesis; this process played a key role in the emergence of life and is necessary to maintain a various life on our Earth. Photosynthesis enables plants to use a bottomless supply of solar energy to produce organic substance and release oxygen. The second phenomenon is critical thinking; the ability to sort and evaluate new information and form "your" own opinion indispensable ability for modern human. In a theoretical part of the study is dealt with term critical thinking, teaching methods of critical thinking and photosynthesis of biological and didactic point of view. In a practical part of the study is dealt with compilation and verification materials for thematic unit of photosynthesis, which would lead to the development of critical thinking of high school pupils (students). Furthermore in the practical part is a questionnaire survey, which is evaluated existing using of methods of critical thinking at biology teachers at high schools and is analyzed their teaching methods to the topic of photosynthesis. In the study is dealt with processing the topic of photosynthesis in selected high school textbooks.

This thesis discusses source criticism from a critical perspective which encompasses its challenges, demands and possibilities for teaching practice. The questions guiding the core of this research are the following:1) What differentiates people’s activities in the process of evaluating sources? 2) What characterizes an effective practice in critical evaluation of sources? 3) Which criteria, factors and strategies might be important to consider in order to have a successful source critical methodology that promotes the improvement of critical thinking when analysing information and news?The studied materials include data from one survey and 54 semi-structured interviews. The interviews, analysed by using a methodology based on Grounded Theory, led to the development of a concept, critical source criticism (CSC), which define a broad perspective for the analysis of sources, and a related theoretical model (the CSC-model) aimed to be used for didactical purposes. The outcomes from this research suggest that different forms and levels of knowledge in history and social studies (in theory and practice), have a critical impact on the way we interact with information. The results also suggest that the combinations of theories and methodologies, alongside an emphasis on pluralism and multiperspectivity, can turn source criticism into an effective practice to achieve several educational goals. Subsequently, these results, are considered in the development of the proposed model in this thesis. The CSC-model developed in this study could be suitable for the analysis of information such as news, in planning of source-critical based teaching and in source critical discussions. I argue that this methodological structure, can be applied to facilitate the development of critical thinking, as well as other skills and abilities essential for democratic participation. This thesis Includes summaries in Swedish and Spanish as appendices".

This thesis is focused on use of the critical thinking techniques into the courses of information education. The study describes links and relations among the critical thinking as one part of constructivist teaching and information, critical and reading literacy. A literature review of the thesis also includes description of programme for critical thinking development called "Reading and Writing for Critical Thinking". A finding and methodology section is divided into two parts. First one analyses questionnaire of the critical evaluation of information quality organized for students of Czech University of Life Sciences. Following part describes case study (method based on Yin, 2009) of application critical thinking techniques into the courses of information education in Czech University of Life Sciences. This part, due to chosen method, includes description of current state of information education in the university, its environment and influences. It also gives in detail description of "Course of information literacy for PhD students" which used critical thinking techniques from "Reading and Writing for Critical Thinking" programme. Powered by TCPDF (www.tcpdf.org)