The high stakes on standardized testing in the United States of America’s education system pressures teachers to ensure every child meets minimum standards. Teachers report this pressure motivates them to focus the majority of their time on struggling students. Combined with lack of training and resources, intellectually gifted students may remain under-challenged in a regular elementary classroom. To address the problem, the researcher continued the development of an online instructional environment, which teachers may use to extend and enrich the regular language arts curriculum for intellectually gifted students. The researcher conducted a formative design experiment “to create a viable theory-driven intervention for achieving a pedagogical goal” (Reinking & Bradley, 2008, p. 12). The pedagogical goal is to develop an appropriately differentiated instructional tool for intellectually gifted third graders, which classroom teachers can easily incorporate into their literacy instruction. The purposes of this iterative design experiment are (1) to develop an instructional intervention aligned with current theory and practice; (2) to test, modify, and retest the intervention in a regular classroom while simultaneously measuring its effectiveness in achieving the literacy objectives and pedagogical goals to determine whether the intervention works; and (3) to describe the reactions of teachers and their third grade gifted students to answer why and in what context the intervention works. In iteration one, experts reviewed the intervention. Three areas of moderate concern guiding modifications at this stage were level of difficulty, engagement/enjoyability, and support in achieving objectives. Evaluations of the pre-/post-test indicated the questions were a good fit to the objectives. Matched halves were well-matched, readable, and only one minor concern of bias. There was not a statistically significant (p=0.1438) difference between the pre-test (m=19.5, s=5.44) and post-test scores (m=21.1, s=6.082) in iteration 2 with only 10 completers. These results, along with student and teacher questionnaires, guided modifications. In iteration 3 with 16 completers, there was a statistically significant difference (p=0.0026) between the pre- and post-test. The qualitative and quantitative data analyses revealed a positive affective response by both students and teachers. Particular features need further development to improve the effectiveness on achieving mastery of the skills. In conducting the study, the researcher faced a number of obstacles. This document also reports those challenges in an effort to advise researchers who wish to conduct formative design experiments within public school classrooms.

This study is about the conditions that may serve as prerequisites for the development of self-regulated learning (SRL). In the context of educational psychology, SRL is not only about the formal aspects of managing one's learning, but also the motivational and affective processes that drive learning, as well as the social and political arena which provide the context for learning. In this study, I will propose that personal, social and political factors can combine in complex ways to produce a learning situation which cannot be addressed adequately without addressing its inherent complexity. I examine some current issues in cognition and cognitive intervention and begin by drawing attention to some problematic aspects concerning children's thinking from an educational and psychological point of view. I review the sociopolitical context in which the conceptualisation and implementation of outcomes based education (OBE) and Curriculum 2005 takes place in South Africa and I also discuss some issues pertaining to the study of cognition from a more psychological point of view. I also address issues of complexity by examining how the meaning of the word has changed in response to changing paradigms in science and psychology and suggest that complexity theory is a metaphor that best fits current knowledge about cognition and problem-solving. Since this study is about the accommodation of complexity in cognitive intervention, an important feature of this study concerns a specific characteristic of complex systems, namely chaos. Chaos allows self-organisation in a complex system and is also the main reason why change in a chaotic system is non-linear and unpredictable. It is generally believed that complex systems need to be studied in an unrestricted context if one is to observe those features that lend the system its chaotic character. In the context of the present study, complexity and chaos are hypothesised to be necessary prerequisites for the development of children as self-regulated learners because they form the mechanisms by which cognitive change becomes possible. The research was carried out in two phases. In Phase One of the research, classroom observations were made and the Mediational Behaviour Observation Scale (MBOS) was especially designed for this purpose. Phase Two of the research was carried out in an intervention context by means of a design experiment. Verbatim transcriptions were made of the interaction between the researcher and the learners in nine group sessions which formed part of the design experiment. To enhance the reliability and validity of the data, re-coding and intra-coding consistencies were calculated before the data were analysed. The re-coding consistencies ensured that the subsequent analysis of patterns would enable reliable conclusions to be drawn, whereas the intra-coding consistencies helped to refine the MBOS by indicating which categories may have been flawed, poorly described or impure. As such, the examination of the intra-code consistencies could perhaps be likened to factor analysis which resulted in some codes being merged and others being rejected. These data were used to construct a revised and shortened version of the MBOS. Some of the more important results of the data-analysis on the design experiment indicated that when complexity and chaos are encouraged in cognitive intervention, some of the mediator behaviours that are most likely to be observed are (i) guidance of the way in which learners execute tasks, (ii) attempts to engage learners in group discussions, (iii) modelling or requiring learners to explore tasks systematically, (iv) positive interactions such as acknowledging responses or praising learners, (v) modelling analytical thinking and (vi) probing of learners' responses. / Dissertation (PhD(Educational Psychology))--University of Pretoria, 2003. / Educational Psychology / unrestricted

The purpose of this study was to determine the impact of professional development designed to enhance vocabulary instruction on four first-grade teachers’ vocabulary instructional practices. The study incorporated a formative design methodology and the collection of baseline data on current instructional practices to inform the design of the professional development and subsequent intervention. According to Nagy and Scott (2004), word knowledge encompasses aspects and stages that surpass the common acceptance of what it means to know a word, definitional knowledge, and into the incorporation of that word into a child's working vocabulary knowledge. The teacher participants were provided with vocabulary instructional strategies through professional development with the goal of improving their vocabulary instructional practice. Following the professional development, the researcher initiated an eight-week intervention including observations, group meetings, and interviews to evaluate the impact of the professional development. Findings indicated that the professional development and intervention positively impacted the vocabulary instructional practices of the four first-grade teachers. Implications for future research include the benefit of using effective practices in professional development and a formative design framework to impact the instructional practice of primary teachers. / Ph. D.

This design experiment research introduces a mathematical inquiry titled Pattern Math. The Pattern Math activities create an atmosphere where students can think mathematically, communicate mathematically and make connections between different mathematical concepts. Based on simple patterns with complex explanations, the Pattern Math activities provide students with the opportunity to develop their conceptual understanding of mathematics. Through reflections on the activities, students are able to reexamine their views of learning mathematics. This design experiment research has a narrative approach and incorporates the teaching and research technique of interactive writing. The research highlights the power of inquiry. By providing students with the opportunity to work within their zone of proximal development, the Pattern Math activities provide students with the opportunity to make mathematical discoveries and come to understand algebra and arithmetic with conceptual understanding.

This design experiment research introduces a mathematical inquiry titled Pattern Math. The Pattern Math activities create an atmosphere where students can think mathematically, communicate mathematically and make connections between different mathematical concepts. Based on simple patterns with complex explanations, the Pattern Math activities provide students with the opportunity to develop their conceptual understanding of mathematics. Through reflections on the activities, students are able to reexamine their views of learning mathematics. This design experiment research has a narrative approach and incorporates the teaching and research technique of interactive writing. The research highlights the power of inquiry. By providing students with the opportunity to work within their zone of proximal development, the Pattern Math activities provide students with the opportunity to make mathematical discoveries and come to understand algebra and arithmetic with conceptual understanding.

Using elements of design experiment research and autoethnography, this action research project investigated how viewing learning as complex participation in a community of practice characterized by mathematical inquiry impacted my teaching practice in a grade 10 Applied Mathematics class in a rural Manitoba high school. This report of the research project describes and analyzes both my attempts to change my teaching practice by drawing on theories of learning mathematics as complex participation in a community of practice and the changes that resulted from these attempts. The analysis focuses on the characteristics of a community of practice characterized by mathematical inquiry, how I attempted to foster such a community, what challenges I faced when I changed my teaching practice in this way, and how insights from this practitioner research project can inform the teaching of mathematics as well as theorizing about the learning of mathematics.

Using elements of design experiment research and autoethnography, this action research project investigated how viewing learning as complex participation in a community of practice characterized by mathematical inquiry impacted my teaching practice in a grade 10 Applied Mathematics class in a rural Manitoba high school. This report of the research project describes and analyzes both my attempts to change my teaching practice by drawing on theories of learning mathematics as complex participation in a community of practice and the changes that resulted from these attempts. The analysis focuses on the characteristics of a community of practice characterized by mathematical inquiry, how I attempted to foster such a community, what challenges I faced when I changed my teaching practice in this way, and how insights from this practitioner research project can inform the teaching of mathematics as well as theorizing about the learning of mathematics.

L’organisation fonctionnelle des entreprises impose un fonctionnement en mode projet. Ces projets sont menés par des experts de différentes spécialités et d’origine diverses. Ces équipes ont besoin d’outils pour être performant et proposer des solutions adaptées aux multiples besoins des marchés de plus en plus exigeants. Au cours de leurs réunions et activités, ils se créé une conscience de groupe qui s’enrichit à travers les interactions et s’appuie sur divers représentations externes. Cette thèse aborde l’étude des mécanismes permettant la performance des équipes de conception collaborative en réunion synchrone. Elle a essayé de démontrer les liens entre leur Système de Mémoire Transactive (TMS), leurs Activités de Conception Collaboratives (CDA) et leurs Objets désignés Ressources (RSC), et d’identifier les éléments favorisant ces liens. Nous avons dans un premier temps réalisé une enquête auprès des équipes de conception collaborative en environnement universitaire. Puis dans un second temps nous avons réalisé une expérimentation sur deux équipes en situation de conception collaborative synchrone autour du Serious Game Delta Design déployé sur une table interactive. Les résultats de cette recherche montrent que si la performance est favorisée par la TMS ou la CDA, leur lien statistique est établit, de même que le lien entre les activités de conception et les ressources mobilisées. Cependant, l’absence de lien statistique fort TMS CDA montre que les équipes ne semblent conscientes de l’utilisation des objets dans la construction de leur TMS, alors que les artefacts de la table interactive sont les plus sollicités et les activités de prise de décision semblent les plus importantes dans ces séances.Cette thèse contribue au corpus de connaissance sur l’étude des équipes de conception collaborative et mets à disposition des outils d’évaluation de la performance des équipes de conception collaboratives synchrone. / Today functional structure of enterprises requires teamwork and project mode organization. These projects are carried out by experts from different domains of expertise. Besides the teams need supporting tools in order to improve the efficiency of their design process and to propose adapted solutions to complex design problems. In the course of their meetings and collaborative activities they create group awareness through their interactions and creation of various artifacts. This thesis studies mechanisms that underlie performance of collaborative design team in synchronous meeting. In this thesis we demonstrate the links between Transactive Memory System (TMS), Collaborative Design Activities (CDA) and Objects called Resources (RSC), and identify the elements that drive these links. A survey has been used to study collaborative design teams in academic environment. Then, we performed direct observation of two teams during synchronous collaborative design meetings with a serious game Delta Design on interactive table. Results show that if performance is enhanced statistically by good TMS or CDA, and the link is demonstrate, so is the links between CDA RSC. However, the lack of statistical strong correlation between TMS and RSC seems to show that team members are not conscious of using artifacts during TMS building. While artifacts on interactive table are more solicited and decision making activities seems to be more important during their session. This thesis contributes to a better understanding of collaborative design teams and offers tools to evaluate collaborative design activities.

In this diploma thesis, I focus on the main principles of the HandJet mobile printer. This printer is mostly intended for industrial use to mark products and spaces with 2D and EAN codes. Despite the purely utilitarian function of the printer, I have decided to use it for artistic purposes. I look for its potential in application in the field of graphic design and art. I record the process as a part of the work process of a graphic designer when delivering assignments via research, sketching, and automatic drawing. The key aspect is the exploration of the possibilities of visual form. The result is a series of prints presented in the form of an installation.

Coworking („zusammen arbeiten“) ist ein Trend zur flexiblen Organisation des persönlichen Arbeitsumfelds, der speziell bei jungen Unternehmensgründern und Freiberuflern zunehmend Anklang findet. Sogenannte Coworking Spaces sind halböffentliche Räume, die Eigenschaften von Großraumraumbüro, konzentriertem Arbeitsplatz und Café verbinden. Ziel ist, mit atmosphärisch gelungenen und digital vernetzten Arbeitsmöglichkeiten besonders gute Voraussetzungen für Innovation, Begegnung und fachlichen Austausch zu schaffen.