Thesis (Ed.D.)--Boston University / PLEASE NOTE: Boston University Libraries did not receive an Authorization To Manage form for this thesis or dissertation. It is therefore not openly accessible, though it may be available by request. If you are the author or principal advisor of this work and would like to request open access for it, please contact us at open-help@bu.edu. Thank you. / 2031-01-01

MSc., Faculty of Science, University of the Witwatersrand, 2011 / As science teachers, one of our objectives is to find new and effective teaching strategies to represent scientific concepts in a simplified and uncomplicated way to our learners. This study seeks to examine the merits of using visualisation as a means of representing science in a less complex way for learners as they come to terms with some of the conceptual difficulties that they experience. One of the challenges this study aims to highlight is the multilingual environment that physical sciences educators must teach within where learners experience conceptual difficulties as well as learning difficulties as a result of language. This study is set against the backdrop of a typical South African township school where learners learn science in a second language. A sample of 31 learners and their science teacher participated in the research. The use of a visual representation in the form of a series of pictures representing various scenarios of objects colliding was used by the teacher to consolidate the learner’s existing knowledge of the concept of conservation of linear momentum. The results obtained from the questionnaires and interviews indicate that the majority of the learners could have benefitted from the pictures. The pictures served as a means of remediating some of the conceptual difficulties that they had experienced in relation to the vector nature of the motion of the colliding objects, in particular. The study could not conclusively ascertain whether the use of visual representation can specifically help second language learners in overcoming their learning difficulties as a result of the language of instruction. Despite this outcome, the results of the study did indicate that the learners had benefitted from the visual representations. Some of the learners had expressed that the pictures had visually brought to life the practical scenarios that they would have otherwise experienced only through the verbal and written mode of instruction. The study recommends that visualisation in science education can play a significant role in helping learners with conceptual difficulties not just as a result of the language of instruction but also as a result of the general complexities of science that are abstract to even first language learners.

This study focused on teachers’ views on the role of context in Mathematical Literacy. The study falls within a constructivist framework. The research method used was a case study involving two teachers. The data for the study was collected from teachers through semi-structured interviews and was collected from learners through mathematical literacy tasks. In the analysis of the research data, five issues are identified and discussed: They are concerned with (a) the balance between content and context, (b) the relation between context and access to mathematics, (c) links between context and interest, (d) context and language and (e) context as a barrier in mathematics. The study concludes that real life context is very important and useful in teaching and learning mathematics. However, teachers need be careful in selecting context because inappropriate context can become a barrier to learning. The report concludes with recommendations for classroom practice, teacher education and further research.

A Dissertation submitted to the Faculty of Education, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, for the degree of Master of Education. / Three-dimensional visualisation is an important skill in chemistry but one in which many students experience difficulty. The main aims of this research were to identify the nature, extent and particularly the reasons for university students' difficulties in three-dimensional thinking and to devise teaching strategies for overcoming them. The research was restricted to the simpler aspects of three-dimensional thinking; it dealt only with rotation and reflection of simple molecules. The component steps required for the solution of three-dimensional problems were identified, and students' competence in these steps was tested. Pretest results showed that the students initially had poor visuaIisation skills. The main reasons for their difficulties were identified to be: (a) inability to visualise the three-dimensional structures of molecules, using the depth cues; (b) lack of precise understanding of the meaning of the phrases used in the questions (such as rotation about the X-axis; reflection in the XY plane); (c) inability to visualise the orientation of the axes and planes and of the positions of the atoms after an operation. A ninety minute remedial instruction programme on those aspects which caused difficulty was found to be enough, as shown by an analysis of covariance, to improve the students' visualisation skills very significantly (p < 0,01). / AC 2018

Dissertation submitted to the Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science in Medicine Johannesburg, 2000 / During the academic year of 1997/98, two randomised groups of second year medical students at Universidade Eduardo Mondlane in Maputo learned gross anatomy of the limbs and the trunk by different teaching approaches. One group (A) dissected the thorax for 5 weeks according to an experimental programme, while the other (group B) worked on the same topic in the traditional way at UEM, which excluded dissection. The groups learned the abdomen by reversing the methods. For the study of the limbs, all the students learned the upper limbs by using the traditional approach while the lower limbs were dissected. Study guides were supplied to the Experimental Group and each of the practical classes started with a ten-minute preparatory tutorial when the structures to be studied were discussed. The same amount of time and the same background were given to both groups. At the end of the semester all students were examined by written and practical tests. The mean differences in the tests were statistically significant (p<0.001) only in the case of the practical test on the anatomy of the limbs, favouring the Experimental Group. Pre-questionnaires and post-questionnaires were completed before and after the experimentation. The combination of lectures, tutorials and dissection was the most preferred teaching approach. The students’ comments indicated that they felt that dissection enhanced the learning despite the short time devoted to it. On the other hand, students felt that dissection can enhance other skills which will be very useful later in pathology and surgery, for example in a way not possible to achieve by means of tutorials, or even prosections. Therefore, these results suggest that dissection could be a useful complementary teaching approach in addition to lectures and tutorials in Anatomy at UEM / IT2017

This study focused on the need for an increased understanding of the experiences of preservice elementary educators and their respective abilities to define culture, identity, and the politics of representation in a technologically centered world by responding to culturally challenging and politically laden images and media. The experience under study focused on pre-service elementary educators enrolled in an arts methods class and understanding their abilities to perceive, process, and respond to visual media on a blog. Throughout this process, I assessed the individual's understanding of multicultural concerns as it related to the Internet, museum, and online discussions, with implications for teaching and learning in art and museum education. I utilized Anderson and Milbrandt's (2005) analytic critical model with Banks' (1991) value-inquiry model in order to assess students' abilities to critically analyze challenging material while investigating blogging and asynchronous methods of communication as a strategy for addressing these issues. In this study, I reveal how students negotiated, shared, and constructed multiple aspects of their identities in order to understand their roles in addressing diversity in their future classrooms. Students completed a curriculum designed to help them describe, analyze, interpret, and judge material that highlights aspects of their classmates' cultural identities. Students first created a personal blog that revealed their cultural identity, posted and responded to a classroom communal blog that reflected material that challenged an aspect of their cultural identity, and then responded to online surveys that revealed various aspects of their cultural identity while reflecting on the meanings they generated throughout this study. What I found was that students developed a greater awareness of their personal value systems as a student, friend, and/or family member. They focused on the beliefs they thought they needed in order to address culturally challenging material in their future classrooms. This study also helped students understand the process of transformation: where they came from, where they are presently, and how they see their beliefs impacting the type of learning environment they will create for their students in the future. / A Dissertation submitted to the Department of Art Education in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy. / Degree Awarded: Fall Semester, 2007. / Date of Defense: September 19, 2007. / Gender, Culture, Media, Virtual Space, Arts Methods, Museum Education / Includes bibliographical references. / Tom Anderson, Professor Directing Dissertation; Susan Wood, Outside Committee Member; Pat Villeneuve, Committee Member; Penny Orr, Committee Member.

This study investigated the Education Department of the Los Angeles Philharmonic Association (LAPA) and its education programs. Document analysis, interviews, site observations, and a "Student Concert Enjoyment" survey were conducted to research the details, design, implementation, and outcome of the programs. Program participants' letters and teacher feedback were analyzed to understand participants' opinions regarding the education programs. Cost-utility analysis for the Symphonies for Schools program (SFS) and the School Partners Program was performed to calculate the ratios between program expense and produced utility. Results indicate that, with the support of the various departments at the LAPA, the LAPA's volunteer committees, musicians, partners, and contracted experts, the Education Department attempt to fulfill the objective of the LAPA's mission by offering a wide array of engaging educational opportunities to adults, students, educators, and families. Collaboration with other arts organizations in the Los Angeles area diversifies the program types and reaches new audiences. Through practical experience, the Education Department has learned that adults are less inclined to attend more academic program. This study has also confirmed the importance of pre-concert preparation for students' positive concert experiences. The newest and most extensive program, the highly praised School Partners Program, offers educators and parents practical workshops to encourage shared responsibility in the task of music education; however, participants identified a need for better communication among artist teachers, schools, and the Education Department. The results of cost-utility analysis indicate that the intensive design of the School Partners Program is less cost-effective than the one-time SFS program, which takes place in a much larger setting. Although this result is important, decision makers must also carefully consider other organizational, political, and resource consequences. This study's conclusions indicate that an articulated educational mission will facilitate the Education Department's internal program development, management, and evaluation; inter departmental collaboration; and external communication. The pedagogic effects of the programs will also increase with the adoption of a multi-year curriculum and a long-term programming plan. Concurrently, the LAPA must plan future programs based on the state of arts education in the community. / A Dissertation submitted to the Department of Art Education in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy. / Degree Awarded: Spring Semester, 2004. / Date of Defense: March 23, 2004. / Audience Development, Education Program Evaluation, Culture Management, Non-School Music Education, Arts Management, Arts Administration / Includes bibliographical references. / Sally E. McRorie, Professor Directing Dissertation; William J. Byrnes, Outside Committee Member; George T. Riordan, Committee Member; Marcia L. Rosal, Committee Member; Jack A. Taylor, Committee Member.

This study assessed the relative effectiveness of verbal and non-verbal teaching methods in facilitating the learning of mathematics. The two treatments differed only in that nonverbal instruction did not permit oral communication or use of written words. Chalkboard instruction was characterized by complete silence in nonverbal classes. In verbal classes, new terminology was introduced by writing the terms on the board and using them thorughout the lesson. Four fourth-grade classes consisting of 88 students in one school were randomly assigned to treatment groups so that two were taught non-verbally, and two by the conventional verbal method. Two teachers were assigned one class of each type. Treatment and teacher factors were crossed in a pretest-posttest control group design. The demonstrated comparability of the two teaching methods not only points to nonverbal instruction as an alternate mode, but also seriously questions the effectiveness of conventional teacher talk in enhancing learning. Teachers with a creative bent should be encouraged to experiment with nonverbal instruction and design activities for all levels of development. The technique could be used effectively to break the routine of conventional instruction. The importance of nonverbal components should be stressed in methods courses for pre- and in-service teachers. Techniques of nonverbal instruction should be practiced in student teaching practices. / Typescript. / "August, 1973." / "Submitted to the Department of Mathematics Education in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy." / Advisor: Eugene D. Nichols, Professor Directing Dissertation. / Vita. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 141-142).

The current study examined how GeoGebra contributed to middle grade Algebra I students' conceptual understanding of functions. In order to gain a deeper understanding a case study approach was utilized. Vinner (1983), and Vinner and Dreyfus' (1989) concept definition and concept image framework was used to analyze the students' function definition. O'Callaghan's (1994) component of translating was used to analyze the students' comparison of different function representations, and his component of modeling and interpreting was used to analyze the students' use of functions to model relationships between quantities. The following results were derived from the analyses. Having more correct concept images of functions through GeoGebra could also bring about a more correct definition. The dependency upon the concept definition to verify if a given example was a function could not contribute to the concept image. In order to gain correct concept images more integration of technology into algebra instructions was crucial to explore and interact with more function models. GeoGebra was an ideal environment to perform a transition among the representations. All three cases were able to understand how the given real-world problems transformed to GeoGebra simulator and the reverse procedure. The role of instructor was very important to guide and facilitate the learning. The results indicated that verification and exploration of more functions on GeoGebra contributed to a better conceptual understanding of a function definition. The advantages of GeoGebra were obvious for the translating component. The real-world problem scenario could be better modeled and interpreted via a simulator on GeoGebra and the need for algebraic symbolic manipulations could disappear. / A Dissertation submitted to the School of Teacher Education in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy. / Fall Semester 2015. / November 10, 2015. / Algebra, Concept Image, Functions, GeoGebra, Technology / Includes bibliographical references. / Elizabeth Jakubowski, Professor Directing Dissertation; Frances Berry, University Representative; Diana Rice, Committee Member; Angela Davis, Committee Member.

"The purpose of this study was to determine what is included in the second grade curriculum of the Leon County schools at the present time, what attitudes and ideals are being encouraged and developed, what skills are being developed and what guidance is given in the classroom. It was the writer's desire to get a picture of these second grades as they are taught day by day. To get this picture she used a survey in which the teachers evaluated their own procedures and practices"--Introduction. / Typescript. / "September, 1944." / "Presented to the Graduate Committee of Florida State College for Women in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts under Plan II." / Advisor: M. R. Hinson, Professor directing paper. / Includes bibliographical references (leaf 46).