A Educação em Engenharia pode ser definida como o ambiente de inserção da educação superior em engenharia com abordagem sistêmica, visando aprimorar a atividade docente, pois se discute tanto a formação do engenheiro, quanto o saber-fazer dos professores. O objetivo desse trabalho foi verificar que mudanças um processo de reforma curricular pode exercer no modelo de ensino do curso. O método de pesquisa foi um estudo de caso único em um curso de engenharia. Na coleta de dados foram realizados o levantamento dos fatores desencadeadores do processo de mudança, a descrição do processo de reforma curricular e a realização de entrevistas com o corpo docente. Na análise dos dados, utilizou-se o software NVivo® para a organização das falas dos professores e a técnica da análise de conteúdo. Os resultados mostraram que o objetivo geral dessa dissertação foi cumprido: a utilização do instrumento de mapeamento (blueprint) para fazer a síntese do processo mostrou-se eficiente; houve sensibilização dos professores, embora não a ponto de fazerem mudanças significativas nas suas práticas; e foram citados novas práticas de avaliação dos alunos e jogos em sala de aula como exemplos de alterações. Outro resultado relevante foi a proposição de diretrizes para futuras reformas curriculares na engenharia e a necessidade de se fazer novos ciclos de ação dentro do processo de mudança já iniciado no curso. Estas diretrizes devem ser validadas junto aos envolvidos, no futuro. / Engineering Education can be defined as the insertion of higher education environment in engineering with systemic approach, aiming to enhance the teaching activity, since there is a discussion not only about the formation of the engineer, but also about the know-how of teachers. The objective of this work was to verify what changes a process of curriculum reform can exert on the teaching model of the course. The research method was a unique case study in an engineering course. In data collection was carried out the survey of the factors that triggered the process of change, the description of the process of curriculum reform and the realization of interviews with faculty. In data analysis, a software was used for the organization of teachers’lines and, after, also the technique of content analysis. The results showed that the overall objective of this dissertation has been fulfilled: the use of a mapping instrument (blueprint) to make the summary of the process proved to be efficient; teachers were sensitised with the proposal, although not enough to make significant changes in their practices; and new practices for the evaluation of students and classroom games were cited as examples of changes. Another important result was the proposal of guidelines for future engineering curriculum reforms and the need to make new cycles of action within the process of change already started in the course. These guidelines must be validated by the involved in the future.

The coursework requirements for an undergraduate music education degree in the U.S. have remained relatively unchanged since its inception in the early twentieth-century. In light of the changing milieu of the twenty-first century music learner, some scholars and researchers have suggested redesigning particular components of the music education degree. A few universities in the U.S. have reacted by implementing changes to their undergraduate music education curricula. Preliminary data and reviews of literature revealed that limited investigations into these programs existed. The purpose of this research was to investigate two established music education degree programs in the U.S. where the faculty had redesigned their curricula, while extracting similarities and differences among them. Furthermore, this study was designed to investigate the impact of these curricular changes on students and faculty. Qualitative data were collected through interviews and observations. Lewin’s (1947) Change Theory was used as the framework guiding the investigation. Data analyses and a cross-case synthesis suggested the redesigns took two to four years, which included removing courses in the general music study areas. There were four main themes extracted from these data: (1) faculty-directed process, (2) tension, (3) impetus, and (4) outcomes. These themes illuminated the challenges associated with the work and the influence of the redesign on student dispositions, experiences, musicianship, and future careers. Implications for the field of music education and suggestions for future research are provided in conclusion.

This position paper outlines the important role of academia in shaping the orthotics and prosthetics (O&P) profession and preparing for its future. In the United States, most healthcare professions including O&P are under intense pressure to provide cost effective treatments and quantifiable health outcomes. Pivotal changes are needed in the way O&P services are provided to remain competitive. This will require the integration of new technologies and data driven processes that have the potential to streamline workflows, reduce errors and inform new methods of clinical care and device manufacturing. Academia can lead this change, starting with a restructuring in academic program curricula that will enable the next generation of professionals to cope with multiple demands such as the provision of services for an increasing number of patients by a relatively small workforce of certified practitioners delivering these services at a reduced cost, with the expectation of significant, meaningful, and measurable value. Key curricular changes will require replacing traditional labor-intensive and inefficient fabrication methods with the integration of newer technologies (i.e., digital shape capture, digital modeling/rectification and additive manufacturing). Improving manufacturing efficiencies will allow greater curricular emphasis on clinical training and education - an area that has traditionally been underemphasized. Providing more curricular emphasis on holistic patient care approaches that utilize systematic and evidence-based methods in patient assessment, treatment planning, dosage of O&P technology use, and measurement of patient outcomes is imminent. Strengthening O&P professionals' clinical decision-making skills and decreasing labor-intensive technical fabrication aspects of the curriculum will be critical in moving toward a digital and technology-centric practice model that will enable future practitioners to adapt and survive.

The purpose of this qualitative case study is threefold: (1) to examine the implementation of current Life Sciences curriculum in a selected primary school from the perspectives of teachers, students and administrators / (2) to investigate the degree to which teachers&rsquo / , students&rsquo / and administrators&rsquo / perceptions were embedded in the classroom practices / and (3) to identify whether the implementation of the curriculum was conducive to principles of constructivist pedagogy. An elementary school was chosen as a single case in an outer district of Ankara. The participants of the study were the school administrator and 2 co-administrators, 4 classroom teachers and 87 students from different 2nd and 3rd grades classrooms. The data were collected through document analysis, observations in the Life Sciences classes, semi-structured interview with administrators, stimulated recall interview with teachers, and creative drama with students. Content analysis was used to analyze the data. The findings indicated that the suggested Life Sciences Curriculum was conducive to the principles of constructivist pedagogy in terms of its content / teaching and learning processes / instructional methods / assessment methods / and teachers&rsquo / and students&rsquo / roles. However, the acquisitions of the LSC were not conducive to the constructivist approach. The findings on the teachers&rsquo / , students&rsquo / and administrators&rsquo / perceptions about the Life Sciences curriculum indicated that in Life Sciences lessons the teachers seemed to have a role of knowledge transmitter to a group of passive students. According to the findings, the most frequently used teaching methods were lecturing, question-answer and demonstration through using textbooks, workbooks, and white boards. In addition, the most frequently used assessment methods were essay and oral exams, classroom observations and self-assessment. Overall it can be concluded from the findings that although the suggested Life Sciences curriculum was prepared in line with the principles of constructivist pedagogy, the way it was implemented had some deficiencies regarding the actualization of goals suggested by a constructivist curriculum.

This study investigates physical education (PE) teachers careers and professional development in the context of Taiwanese junior high schools (pupils aged 12-14), where a national educational reform the Grade 1-9 Curriculum was launched in 2001. In particular, from teachers perspectives, this study addresses questions about (1) how and why selected Taiwanese PE teachers engage in professional learning over their careers; (2) the impact of the introduction of a new curriculum and policies; (3) ways in which professional learning could be supported more effectively. Eight case study PE teachers, who simultaneously worked as local coordinators, were invited as participants. Life history method was followed by data analysis using constructivist grounded theory to generate findings at three levels: individual life histories, cross-case themes and a theoretical framework. In addition, the process of data analysis, both manually and using a popular software package, is critically compared. The findings suggest that teachers beliefs about professional development were closely connected to their individual career histories, and these were influenced by a set of personal and contextual factors in relation to their professional lives. Moreover, despite a major government curriculum reform, the implementation of the new curriculum resulted in very little change to these teachers practices, because: (1) the curriculum guidelines were very flexible and were difficult for teachers to fully understand; and (2) there was a lack of evaluation of, or accountability for, teachers practices. This study suggests that the Taiwanese government s aspirations for radical changes to teachers practice (both teaching and learning) are more likely to be realised by ensuring that policies and the new curriculum are based on a more realistic understanding of teachers lives and careers.

Thesis advisor: Rebecca Lowenhaupt / This qualitative case study examined the organizational learning mechanisms used by school and district leaders to support professional learning within the context of curriculum reform. Elements of organizational learning theory provided a conceptual framework through which the researcher explored how teachers learned and how district leaders supported their learning about a district-wide curriculum reform. Data were collected through document review and semi-structured interviews with eighteen professionals from an urban district in the Northeast. Findings showed that (a) the district implemented an integrated system of organizational learning mechanisms to support teacher/instructional coach learning relevant to curriculum reform efforts, (b) teachers and coaches perceived these learning mechanisms to be effective in supporting their learning and (c) teachers and coaches demonstrated varying levels of understanding regarding the district’s curriculum reform priorities. Recommendations included: (a) enhancements to school and district strategic planning documents, (b) connecting principals closely to the teaching and learning operations of the district and (c) implementing feedback mechanisms to monitor individual interpretations of district priorities. / Thesis (EdD) — Boston College, 2016. / Submitted to: Boston College. Lynch School of Education. / Discipline: Educational Leadership and Higher Education.

A partir da Lei de Diretrizes e Bases da Educação Brasileira (LDBEN) do ano de 1996, iniciou-se a produção de diversos documentos, tanto de orientações como de definições em torno da organização de conteúdos, ou ainda, sobre as ideias geradoras dessas bases. Surgem daí os Parâmetros, Diretrizes e Orientações Curriculares Nacionais que, juntamente com as inovações educacionais, o desenvolvimento científico, econômico e social, ou mesmo influenciados pela opção política, subsidiam os processos das reformas ou mudanças curriculares produzidas nos estados. Esta pesquisa trata de compreendermos e discutirmos como se estabelecem as relações de (in)compreensões dos professores de Matemática que dela participaram e que atuam na rede de ensino da Secretaria de Estado da Educação de São Paulo: o engajamento dos professores; os elementos facilitadores e dificultadores percebidos por eles nesse processo, e as possibilidades de resistências na prática da sala de aula. Para tanto, produzimos e aplicamos questionários e entrevistas a dois grupos de professores, em três regiões do Estado de São Paulo. Elaboramos, dessa forma, três eixos principais que nortearam nossa pesquisa: o currículo, a competência e a prática docente. Sobre o currículo, pesquisamos suas concepções, as teorias que o influenciam e as pesquisas em Educação e Educação Matemática que fomentam a produção desses documentos. A competência é elemento inovador nos documentos curriculares; ela invade os currículos, porém, produz pluralidade em seu significado. Quanto à formação dos professores, destacamos tanto o conhecimento profissional destes como a resistência elaborada nos seus discursos. / The 1996 Lei de Diretrizes e Bases da Educação Brasileira (LDBEN) [Brazilian Education Bases and Guidelines Law] paved the way for the production of various strands of literature, involving both guidelines and definitions on the organisation of content and even on the ideas to have generated these bases. The National Curriculum Parameters, Directives and Guidelines soon followed, and, along with innovations in education, scientific, economic and social development and influences from political decisions, have come to subsidise the procedures for curricular reforms or changes produced across each state. This study aims to understand and discuss how (mis)understanding(s) are established on the part of mathematics teachers in the São Paulo state education network by considering teachers engagement, elements which they believe facilitate or complicate the process and practical possibilities for the generation of counterarguments in the classroom. We therefore produced and carried out questionnaires and interviews with two groups of teachers in three regions in the state of São Paulo. This allowed us to develop three strands of focus for our study: the curriculum, teaching competence and teaching practice. In terms of the curriculum, we researched the concepts behind it, the theories to have influenced it and the research into Education and Mathematics Education to have fed the production of the literature. Competence is an innovative element in literature on curricula; it dominates curricula, and yet there is plurality inherent to its meaning. In terms of teacher training, we highlight both professional knowledge and the counterarguments developed in the teachers discourse.

This study investigates the teaching and learning of mathematics in four rural schools in the Eastern Cape Province of South Africa. The study is set against the backdrop of Curriculum 2005 (C2005) - an outcome based curriculum reform initiative that has been introduced to all South African schools. The objective of the study is to investigate the teaching and learning practices of four rural teachers of mathematics in this complex reform milieu. The following broad research question guides this study: "How do teachers interpret and implement the new mathematics curriculum in terms of a political perspective (how teachers and learners are connected to the curriculum); a socio cultural perspective (what adjustments the teacher makes to accommodate the learners' circumstances); and a practical perspective (how the teacher implements the goals of C2001?" The South African situation provides a unique and particularly challenging context for teaching and learning and curriculum reform. It is understood that schools differ - and therefore curriculum issues cannot be solved through general pronouncements but rather viewed from a multiplicity of perspectives. In this thesis, I examine the teaching and learning of mathematics in four rural classrooms in the Eastern Cape. By way of honouring the contextual complexity of the situation, 1 have adopted a multiple perspectives approach to analysing what goes on in these four classrooms. I use a political perspective to help understand how power operates in the curriculum process. / I employ a socio cultural perspective to examine how the curriculum process attends to the local circumstances of teachers and learners. A practical perspective is used to examine how the curriculum is implemented in a technical sense. This constructivist interpretive study employs the techniques of case study and narrative inquiry to study the curriculum practices of four teachers. Multiple methods - including interviews, participant observation and video recording - were used to gather data. Narrative accounts of the teaching and learning of mathematics were constructed and then analysed using the three perspectives. The study concludes that the curriculum can be interpreted at different levels formal, perceived, operational and experiential - and each level can be analysed in terms of the political, socio cultural and practical. Bringing these three perspectives together is a challenging, but necessary task in order to understand and act upon the complexities of educational reform in rural South African classrooms.

This project examines the impact of standards-based and curriculum reforms on the role of materials in educational systems in the United Kingdom, the United States of America, and Australia. The project focused on identifying activities undertaken by publishing companies and in educational systems to develop, select and use materials in the context of standards-based and curriculum reforms by investigating: (1) research literature about the publishing industry, the policies controlling the adoption of materials, and the patterns influencing the use of materials in schools in the United States; (2) the perceptions of educational publishers about the impact of these reforms on the new materials developed by their companies to meet the needs of schools in implementing these reforms; (3) the impact of national curriculum reforms in the United Kingdom on the materials� marketplace; (4) the impact of the national standards movement in the United States on the materials� marketplace; (5) the impact of state standards in the United States on various aspects relating to materials designed to support these reforms; (6) the impact of national curriculum collaboration in Australia on the materials� marketplace; and (7) the impact of state and territory curricula in Australia on various aspects relating to materials designed to support these reforms. The report concludes by applying categories defined in a typology to classify various activities relating to the development, selection and use of materials identified in educational publishing and educational systems in the United Kingdom, the United States and Australia. Samples and questionnaires relating to surveys and a bibliography are appended.

Current reform in mathematics teaching and learning is rooted in a changing vision of school mathematics, one that includes constructivist learning, student-centered pedagogy, and the use of worthwhile tasks (National Council of Teachers of Mathematics, 1989, 1991, 2000). This changing vision not only challenges teachers’ beliefs about mathematics instruction but their philosophies of mathematics as well (Dossey, 1992). This study investigates the processes that four teachers’ go through as they implement a new task-based mathematics curriculum while exploring their personal philosophies of mathematics. The participants were part of a graduate-level course that examined, through the writings of Davis and Hersh (1981), Lakatos (1976), Polya (1945/1973), and others, a humanist/fallibilist philosophy of mathematics. These participants shared, through reflective writings and interviews, their struggles to, first, define mathematics and its purpose in society and in schools, and second, to reconcile their views of mathematics with their instructional practices. The study took place as the participants, two classroom teachers and two instructional coaches, engaged in the initial implementation of a reform mathematics curriculum, a reform based in social constructivist learning theories. Using narrative analysis, this study focuses on the unique mathematical stories of four experienced educators. Each of the participants initially expressed a traditional, a priori view of mathematics, seeing mathematics as right/wrong, black/white, a subject outside of human construction. The participants’ expressed views of mathematics changed as they attempted to align their personal philosophies of mathematics with their (changing) classroom practices. They shared their personal struggles to redefine themselves as mathematics teachers through a process of experimentation, reflection, and adaptation. This process was echoed in their changing philosophies of mathematics. These participants came to see mathematics as fluid and a human construct; they also came to see their philosophies of mathematics as fluid and ever-changing, a process more than a product.