<div> <div> <div> <p>Outreach initiatives are typically framed as informal learning environments that provide an opportunity to increase the participants’ interest in science. Research on chemistry outreach has primarily focused on designing and implementing demonstrations for outreach. Recent studies indicate student organizations are at the forefront of chemistry outreach, describing their outreach practices and facilitators’ conceptual understanding of demonstrations. Although leadership has been linked to success of groups and organizations, the leadership structure of student organizations is an understudied aspect of chemistry outreach. Here, we conceptualize student organizations participating in chemistry outreach as a community of practice (CoP) with the goal of expanding the chemistry education community’s knowledge of this CoP. Specifically, we aim to characterize leadership styles within the student organization in the context of an outreach event; and, to explore how factors related to diversity and inclusion play a role in boundary processes of the student organization as a CoP. Using a case study approach, we collected multiple sources of data, including the organization’s outreach practices, an assessment of leadership style, observations, and semi-structured interviews. Results indicate leaders of the student organization, particularly those in charge of planning outreach events, displayed behaviors associated with the transactional and laissez-faire leadership styles more frequently than behaviors associated with the transformational leadership style. This study also suggested students’ prior experiences related to gender, race/ethnicity, education and other outreach events play a role in their reasons for doing chemistry outreach, how they contribute to planning of events and how they interact with the audience of outreach events. As a long-term outcome for this study, the results can be used by national organizations to inform the development of new workshops for leadership training, with the purpose of teaching practices to leaders that can bring success to their chapter or local group. </p> </div> </div> </div>

By learning and developing continuously in practice, many teachers are trying to improve their teaching. In order to support this process, schools promote models of professional development (PD). Previous studies point out the educational system of Cuba as especially successful in the PD of their teachers. To understand why their model is successful, the author of this study visited and participated in the field for three months observing and speaking with Cuban teachers. What is their model of PD and what are its opportunities and constraints? The study was conducted with an ethnographic approach, with field visits at foreign language departments of a university and an upper secondary school. Observations of different activities were made. Interviews and conversations took place with actors in the field. Much PD appeared to originate from collaboration, so this became the focus of the study. Wenger’s concept of learning in communities of practice formed a theoretical basis. To understand aspects of collaborative learning, Engeström’s theory of learning by expanding was also applied. The PD model is regulated and controlled from a top-down perspective, but at the same time ensures much time and space for continuous learning together in communities and gives teachers a meta-language to talk about development. Much learning in the communities is based on less experienced teachers learning from more experienced or from methodologists. These teacher communities may be interpreted as professional learning autonomies where individual and collective change and creativity is seen, sometimes even in conflict with other ideas in the educational system. This study also indicates that teacher PD is very intertwined in a context with a fine balance between opportunities and constraints. This high level of complexity implies that selecting and transferring separate success factors into other contexts may be difficult.

Urban planning research and practice provides forceful evidence that urban place-making processes should not be driven by experts and planning professionals alone: they should also build on the experiential knowledge and values of lay citizens. Experience shows that the construction of the green, compact, and healthy city fostered by sustainable development policies requires considering how places are used and valued by all relevant stakeholders. SoftGIS is a form of web-based Public Participation Geographic Information Systems (PPGIS) that provides both a method and tools for mapping the values that people attach to places and for integrating these in professional urban planning practice. This report focuses on three softGIS tools: Mapita’s Maptionnaire, Spacescape’s Bästa Platsen, and SKL’s Geopanelen. Five case studies from Finland and Sweden are analysed so as to discuss some of the main substantive issues surrounding the uptake of softGIS applications urban planning practice and decision-making, particularly in the context of urban densification measures. In so doing, the extent to which softGIS can support dialogue between lay citizens and planning professionals is assessed, with a focus on urban ecosystem services in green areas. It is demonstrated that the potential of softGIS to help broaden communities of practice in urban planning hinges on a conducive institutional context for public participation and dialogue. Furthermore, it is argued that the use of softGIS tools is optimised when it is integrated in a comprehensive multifunctional toolbox that combines both physical and digital forms of public participation.

During Work Integrated Learning, pre-service mentoring helps to prepare final-year education students for the workplace. For the purpose of this study, seven pre-service teachers and their mentor teachers formed scholarly communities of practice. Selfregulated professionalism was initiated by implementing the principles of self-regulated learning using a constructivist Whole Brain® Thinking mix as epistemological grounding. Participatory action research was enriched and a Whole Brain® Participatory Action Research Design was used to contribute to the scholarship of mentoring in the education context and the new meaning-making of our current understanding of what action research entails. A baseline study was conducted ten months prior to the commencement of the Whole Brain® Participatory Action Research study. The responses from the Senior and FET Phase pre-service teachers and their mentor teachers in the two online surveys provided an information base for the participatory action research process. The rationale for using Whole Brain® Participatory Action Research was that no scholars have examined a collaborative perspective on pre-teachers, mentor teachers and a university faculty. This particular research design has never before been used in the context of pre-service teacher education. The Herrmann Brain Dominance Instrument® was initially completed by the participants and myself as the principal researcher to inform reflective practice and to create awareness of our thinking preferences. Action research was conducted by the pre-service teachers in their classroom practice and executed by the mentor teachers in their mentorship practice. I employed action research during the scholarly communities of practice sessions with the participants. Peer mentoring, Whole Brain® Mentoring and blended mentoring were innovatively introduced in the mentor teachers’ and my own mentoring practice as an essential part of the self and the we becoming agent(s) of transformation. The development of a Comprehensive Whole Brain® Mentoring Model for the education context is shared as an outcome of this study. / Thesis (PhD)--University of Pretoria, 2020. / Humanities Education / PhD / Unrestricted

The purpose of this study is to explore how education policy on information and communication technology (ICT) influences teaching and learning in South African schools. An instrumental case study applying backward mapping principles as a strategy of inquiry was used. Utilizing a social constructivist lens and guided by a theoretical framework of a socio-cultural approach to policy analysis, this exploratory qualitative research study set out to investigate how teachers in South African schools appropriate education policy on ICT. The case study included three schools from diverse socio-cultural settings, with two participating teachers at each of the identified research sites. The principal at each school and e-learning specialists (officials) at the District and Provincial Departments of Education constituted additional data sources. Data collection methods included interviews, classroom observations, field notes and document analysis. Constructivist grounded theory methods and computer assisted qualitative data analysis software (CAQDAS)were employed in the analysis of data. It was found that, teachers’ professionalism and agency are crucial in formulating and implementing a school-based e-education policy in practice. The national e-education policy currently exists as an “invisible policy” within the school context. Secondly, teachers reposition themselves as social and cultural actors of school-based policy appropriation and formulation rather than as recipients of, or reactors to the national e-Education policy. Thirdly, the lack of systemic support to teachers acted as the catalyst for the emergence of communities of practice between schools. The notion of “our” system as opposed to an imposed system prevails. Fourthly, teachers’ ignorance of the national e-Education policy indicates the need for policy development and implementation at school level and denotes a new construct to policy appropriation. I theorise that teachers’ beliefs, attitudes, professionalism and will to improve teaching and learning through the use of ICT are integral and necessary conditions for effective policy implementation. / Thesis (PhD)--University of Pretoria, 2010. / Science, Mathematics and Technology Education / unrestricted

<p>The discipline of data science has gained substantial attention recently. This is mainly attributed to the technological advancement that led to an exponential increase in computing power and has made the generation and recording of enormous amounts of data possible on an everyday basis. It has become crucial for industries to wrangle, curate, and analyze data using data science techniques to make informed decisions. Making informed decisions is complex. Therefore, a trained data science workforce is required to analyze data on a real-time basis. The increasing demand for data science professionals has caused higher education institutions to develop courses and train students starting from the undergraduate level about the data science concepts and tools.</p> <p>Despite the efforts from the institutions and national agency such as National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, it has been witnessed that there have been significant challenges in retaining and attracting students in the discipline of data science. The novice learners in data science are required to possess the skills of a programmer, a statistician, research skills, and non-technical skills such as communication and critical thinking. The undergraduate students do not possess all the required skills, which, in turn, creates a cognitive load for novice learners (Koby & Orit, 2020). Research suggests that improving the teaching and mentoring methodologies can improve retention for students from all demographic groups (Seymour, 2002). Previous studies (e.g., Hoffmann et al., 2002, Flynn, 2015; Lenning & Ebbers, 1999) have revealed that learning communities are effective in improving student retention, especially at the undergraduate level, as it helps students develop a sense of belonging, socialize, and form their own identities. Learning communities have been identified as <em>high impact practices</em> (Kuh, 2008) that helps to develop identities and sense of belonging, however to the best of our knowledge there are few studies that focus on the development of the psychosocial and cognitive skills of the students enrolled in a data science learning community.</p> <p>To meet the demand for the future workforce and help undergraduate students develop data science skills, The Data Mine (TDM) at Purdue University has undertaken an initiative in the discipline of data science. The Data Mine is an interdisciplinary living-learning community that allows students from various disciplines to enroll and learn data science skills under the guidance of competent faculty and corporate mentors. The residential nature of the learning community allows the undergraduate students to live, learn and socialize with peers of similar interests and develop a sense of belonging. The constant interaction with knowledgeable faculty and mentors in real-world projects allows novice learners to master data science skills and develop an identity. The study aims to characterize the effects of identity formation, socialization, and learning of the undergraduate students enrolled in The Data Mine and answer the following research question:</p> <p><br></p> <p><strong>Quantitative: RQ 1:</strong> What are the perceptions of students regarding their identity formation, socialization opportunities, self-belief, and academic/intellectual development in The Data Mine? </p> <p><strong>Qualitative: Guiding RQ 2:</strong> How do students’ participation in activities and interaction with peers, faculty, staff at The Data Mine contribute to becoming an experienced member of the learning community?</p> <ul> <li><strong>Sub-RQ 2(a):</strong> What are the perceived benefits and challenges of participating in The Data Mine?</li> <li><strong>Sub-RQ 2(b):</strong> How do students describe their levels of socialization and a sense of belonging within The Data Mine?</li> <li><strong>Sub-RQ 2(c):</strong> How do students’ participation and interaction in The Data Mine help them form their identity?</li> </ul> <p>To approach the above research questions, we conducted a sequential explanatory mixed method study to understand the growth journey of students in terms of socialization, sense of belonging and identity formation. The data were collected in two phases: a quantitative survey study followed by qualitative semi-structured interviews. The quantitative data was analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics, and qualitative data were analyzed using thematic analysis, followed by narrative analysis. The results of the quantitative and qualitative analysis demonstrated that learning in The Data Mine happened through interaction and socialization of the students with faculty, staff, and peers at The Data Mine. Students found multiple opportunities to learn and develop data science skills, such as working on real-world projects or working in groups. This continuous interaction with peers, faculty and staff at The Data Mine helped them to learn and develop identities. This study revealed that students did develop a data science identity, but the corporate partner TAs developed a leader identity along with the data science identity. In summary all students grew and served as mentor, guide, and role models for new incoming students.</p>

Syftet med föreliggande studie har varit att beskriva och analysera hur kulturskolelärareuppfattar och formar sitt professionella lärande och utveckling i förhållande till elevernas undervisning. I studien har fokus legat på att studera en pågående aktionsforskningsprocess i form av lärares återkommande kollegiala samtal kring tankar, handlingar och erfarenheter av undervisningen i Kulturskolan. För att uppnå syftet har jag utgått ifrån dessa frågeställningar: Hur uppfattar lärarna a) sitt deltagande i kollegiala samtal och b) tillgång tillforskares handledning i samtal kring undervisningspraktiken? Hur beskriver lärarna i det gemensamma kollegiala samtalet sina handlingar i undervisningenmed kulturskoleeleven? Hur kan kulturskolelärares delade reflektioner kring undervisnings erfarenheter bidra till professionell utveckling och lärande?Iaktionsforskningsprojektet deltog åtta kulturskolelärare och kommunens skolforskare. Socialkonstruktionism har utgjort teoretiskt ramverk där interaktioneni form av samtal och dialog (Bakhtin, 1981) i Communities of practice(Wenger, 1998) betraktas som centrala för lärande och utveckling. Resultatet visar hur ett professionellt lärande lett till utveckling genom att aktionsforskningsprojektetgett lärarna nya tankar vilket har resulterat i ett förändrat agerande i kulturskolepraktiken. På så sätt har kulturskolelärarnas identitet satts i rörelse från ett individuellt, via ett kollegialt mot ett kollektivt perspektiv på elevernas lärande och undervisning.

Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) has been stated as fundamental in regards to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals set by the UN. This exploratory research aims to contribute to getting more knowledge about how promoting and strengthening ESD in the secondary school level, particularly, through the role of teachers and the way they can be engaged, prepared and supported to deliver knowledge and experiences for effective learning experiences of their students. Specifically, this study explores the benefits of collaboration between teachers within networks in relation to ESD and its limits. Using the lens of Teaching Communities (TC) which considers the theories of Communities op Practice (CoP) and teachers Professional Learning Communities (PLC) for analyzing the data collected. Also, the opportunities of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) in this field as spaces that help in enabling collaboration are considered. The research is conducted by taking the case of the NGO Eco-Schools which provides a global program for ESD but has not formal learning communities. 10 teachers and 2 National Operators of Eco-schools were interviewed, and the main concepts mentioned were analyzed. The findings showed similarity with the characteristics and conditions of the theories used. However, the exploratory purpose of this research doesn’t have statistical validity, therefore, further research is required. Although, information and communication technology provide valuable insights for developing quantitative tools.

Past studies have indicated that teachers in the United States have limited opportunities to collaborate with peers; this limitation has been found to be particularly problematic for social studies teachers. An increasing number of educators are using the social media application Twitter to collaborate. Little research exists concerning social studies teachers' use of #edchats, a weekly recurring Twitter session. The focus of this qualitative case study was the collaboration that exists among social studies teachers participating in Twitter edchats. The theoretical framework was communities of practice. Transcripts of 10 edchat sessions in 2013 were coded with an a priori strategy, and emergent themes were triangulated with interviews from 7 of the most consistent contributors from the edchats. Emergent themes included close personal connections among participants consistent with communities of practice and a narrow focus on social studies-specific content. Findings were consistent with existing research describing a general lack of formal training on the methodology of incorporating Twitter and a general consensus among active participants that adopting new technologies was relatively easy. Results indicate the potential of #edchats as an asynchronous and synchronous form of collaboration but also illustrate the need for formal training to help educators who feel less comfortable with adopting new technologies. The project resulting from this study, a free professional development program designed to teach educators how to use Twitter, will contribute to social change by sharing the benefits of creating a collaborative environment through Twitter, thus freeing participants from the constraints of physical location and time at no significant cost.

Our understanding of how the world works is shaped through countless interactions with things in it. These interactions are our first exposure to science. Through them, we learn that heavy things are hard to push and books do not fall through tables. Our interactions are also shaped by the rules of the groups to which we belong (e.g., families, religious organizations, athletic teams). These rules lead us to accept that some things cannot or should not be done, limiting our interactions with the world. At the same time, these rules change our appreciation for what we do experience. Prior research has focused largely on the separate influences of either physical interactions or social interactions, leaving (relatively) unexplored their combined effects. In this dissertation, I describe how adults understand science related to their long-term participation in a recreational road bicycling group. The cyclists demonstrated a rich understanding of gearing and air resistance that paralleled, on a practical level, the explanations taught in school. This understanding was shaped by the cyclists’ years of physical experience interpreted in light of their individual goals for participating. For the cyclists in this study, knowing the science helped them be more efficient and faster riders. In the end, this study supports the idea that productive and valuable learning takes place in many settings and that it is important to account for the relationship between the social and physical aspects of learning when designing instructional experiences.