In this essay I introduce and analyse Lärobok i lettiska (with an adaptation in English called A Course in Modern Latvian) from 1980 by Valentine Lasmane and LETTISKA för universitetsbruk I (Latvian for University Students I, my translation) from 1993 by Aija Priedīte.  My aim is to find out the author’s intention and examine how it is carried out. This involves vocabulary, grammar, possible influences by certain methods in language teaching, and exercises. As the books were written several decades ago, the question of their relevance today is also worth investigating.  In her work, Priedīte contrasts Latvian to Swedish, which also is a clear characteristic of the book. The vocabulary is translated into Swedish, and Swedish is used to explain the grammar. This is typical of the grammar-translation method. The vocabulary consists of about 770 words, plus over 400 items in thematic lists. There is emphasis on grammar in a way that is suitable for the university level. However, I conclude that this material requires teacher-led instruction and more varied exercises to be effective for the learner.  Valentine Lasmane’s Lärobok i lettiska is more focused on language skills than academic knowledge, although the description of Latvian grammar is also wide-ranging. It is intended for two years’ study. In it, Swedish is used in about the same way as in Priedīte’s book. The texts are about a Latvian family living in Uppsala and describe everyday life in the family, at work, in school, and so on. The vocabulary comprises some 1 700 words, plus about 500 thematic items. Some exercises are drills, but there are also other types of exercises. There is a grammar index and Swedish-Latvian and Latvian-Swedish word lists. I conclude that talented and diligent students should be able to study this course on their own, though it would be desirable to have oral contacts with Latvian speakers.  The two works I have studied are in many ways similar to each other, for example in their way of using Swedish. There are also differences. LETTISKA för universitetsbruk I is a more academic work, much focused on grammar, whereas Lärobok i lettiska has both grammar and a more practical view. I conclude that both books can still be used in teaching and learning Latvian thanks to their contents of everyday life situations.

Master´s thesis is focused on educational materials for children visitors of Technical Museum of Brno. Supporting materials are divided into two categories. Materials in the form of a printed guide for parents with children, folding worksheets and worksheets for school groups accompanied by a teacher. Educational tool for school groups are color-divided into three age groups for elementary schools. Supplementary materials are methodological sheets for teachers.

Tools for teaching and learning- A study of how some teachers of English and History perceive the role of different educational materials with regard to their own teaching and pupils’ learningThe main purpose of this qualitative study is to investigate and analyse how teachers of English and History at two compulsory schools in the south of Sweden perceive the role of different educational materials, with regard to their own teaching and pupils’ learning. To obtain a deeper understanding of the complex user-process that educational materials are a part of, frame factor theory serves as a tool that facilitates the interpretation and understanding of the collected data. The theory, which consists of different divisions, describes factors that control and interfere with education.Our results are based on a qualitative method where thirteen surveys initially were answered by teachers of English and History, eight teachers were then also interviewed about their perception of educational materials in relation to their own teaching and pupils’ learning.The main result of our study is that socio-cultural factors have the clearest effect on teachers’ selection of educational materials, such as pupils’ background and previous experiences.

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This diploma thesis has aimed to elaborate a nature trail in the area of Klánovice Forest, which is the part of a nature park Klánovice - Čihadla in the eastern part of Prague and to complete the trail with electronic educational materials. The nature trail itself will consist of tagg stops enabling visitors to download texts and materials into their cell phones or tablets. The texts of the stops are supplemented with educational presentations, school work sheets and field work sheets. The content of the stops and related teaching materials have been prepared in accordance with systematic teaching of natural history and biology at primary schools and lower grades of grammar schools. The thesis also contains the results of a questionnaire survey of pupils' attitudes towards the use of modern technology at class; 213 questionnaires have been evaluated in total in the years 2008, 2009, 2011 and 2013. The last part of the thesis and appendices contain own texts of stops and related educational materials. In spring 2014 this trail will be realized and educational materials will become a part of the texts on the individual stops and will be available to wide public. Key words: Klánovice Forest, field trip, nature trail, electronic educational materials

Digitaliseringen i svensk skola har genomgått en snabb utveckling de senaste åren och användningen av digitala läromedel är något som blir allt mer vanligt i skolan. Syftet med studien är därför att bidra med kunskap om uppfattningar som lärare i årskurs 1–6 har om digitala läromedels roll i matematik. Syftet ska besvaras genom följande frågor: Vilka möjligheter och svårigheter uppfattar lärare med användning av digitala läromedel i matematik? På vilka sätt uppfattar lärare elevers lärande när de arbetar med digitala läromedel i matematik och på vilka sätt uppfattar lärare skillnaden, om det finns några, mellan analoga och digitala läromedel i matematik?   Studien tar sin utgångspunkt i uppfattningsbegreppet där uppfattningar är i fokus. I arbetet har fem lärare intervjuats för att ta reda på deras uppfattning om digitala läromedel. Materialet har transkriberats och analyserats för att kunna presentera ett korrekt resultat. Resultatet visar att lärares uppfattningar om digitala läromedel kan delas in i två kategorier. En kategori där digitala läromedel ses som ett komplement till analoga läromedel och en kategori där digitala läromedel ses som likvärda analoga läromedel. Lärarna uppfattar också att elever kan arbeta med alla områden inom matematik med digitala läromedel. Möjligheter som lärarna ser med digitala läromedel är att de ger snabb feedback, de motiverar elever och de är självrättande. Svårigheter som lärare uppfattar är att vissa moment är svårare att genomföra digitalt, elever kan göra annat och det kan förekomma buggar i de digitala läromedlen. / The digitalization of Swedish schools has developed over the recent years and the use of digital educational materials is more common today. The aim of this study is therefore to increase our understanding of teachers’ conceptions about digital educational materials in mathematics. This will be done by means of four questions: which opportunities and difficulties do teachers perceive with the use of digital educational materials in mathematics? How do teachers perceive pupils’ learning when they work with digital educational materials in mathematics and how do teachers perceive the difference, if there is one, between analogue and digital educational materials in mathematics?   The study is based on conceptions and they are in focus. When collecting different conceptions semi-structured interviews were used and five teachers have been interviewed to find out their conceptions about digital educational materials. The material has been transcribed and analyzed, in order to present a correct result. The result shows that teachers’ conceptions of digital educational material can be divided into two categories; that digital educational materials are a complement to analogue educational materials and that digital educational materials are equivalent analogue educational materials. Opportunities that teachers see with digital educational materials are that they provide quick feedback and they motivate pupils. Difficulties that teachers perceive are that certain parts are more difficult to do digital and there might be bugs in the digital educational materials.

As discussões atuais sobre alfabetização científica indicam um consenso de que ela é um processo que ocorre por toda a vida do indivíduo em vários espaços de educação. Os museus cumprem um importante papel na educação dos indivíduos fora do ambiente escolar e ao longo da vida. Estas instituições oferecem uma série de atividades educativas com a intenção de aproximar e melhorar a percepção pública sobre ciência. Dentre estas atividades, está a produção e utilização de materiais educativos. O objetivo geral desta pesquisa é: investigar como/se os materiais utilizados nas diversas ações educacionais e culturais realizadas pelos museus contribuem para o processo de alfabetização científica do público. O trabalho foi realizado no Parque Zoológico Municipal Quinzinho de Barros, Sorocaba, SP analisando 27 materiais produzidos pela instituição e a interação de um deles com o público escolar visitante. Os materiais consistem em objetos tridimensionais (animais e plantas conservadas, modelos e réplicas). Para a coleta e análise dos dados utilizamos metodologia qualitativa e quantitativa com diversos procedimentos que nos permitiram triangular os dados para conferir maior credibilidade à pesquisa. Para a análise dos dados utilizamos a ferramenta teórico-metodológica desenvolvida por Cerati (2014), Rocha (2016) e Oliveira (2016), que propuseram indicadores e atributos para avaliar processos e produtos desenvolvidos em museus. Os resultados revelaram que, sob o ponto de vista da intenção da produção dos materiais educativos, eles contribuem para a alfabetização científica com a identificação de todos os indicadores (científico, interface social, institucional e estético/afetivo/cognitivo), assim como 11 dos 16 atributos de alfabetização científica. A interação do público com 1 dos materiais (mochila de curiosidades) mostrou a presença de 2 indicadores e 4 atributos. Concluímos que os materiais contribuem para a alfabetização científica do público, mas que estes poderiam incluir a abordagem de aspectos relacionados com a relevância da instituição, do pesquisador e da própria ciência, atributos pouco identificados durante a análise. / Current discussions about scientific literacy have shown a consensus that this is a continuous process that occurs during individuals lifetime, in different education facilities. Museums play an important role in education out of school environment and along life. Such institutions provide a number of educative activities aiming to approach and to improve awareness about science. Among them is the production and use of educational materials. The general objective of this research is to investigate how/if these materials used in the various museums educational and cultural actions contribute to the process of public scientific literacy. This research was conducted in Parque Zoológico Municipal Quinzinho de Barros, located in the city of Sorocaba, São Paulo state. Twentyseven materials produced by this institution were analyzed, particularly the interaction between one of these materials and the visiting students audience. These materials consisted of tridimensional objects - specimens of preserved animals and plants, models and casts. For data collection and analysis we used quantitative and qualitative methodology, combining different procedures for data triangulation. We used a theoretical-methodological instrument developed by Cerati (2014), Rocha (2016), and Oliveira (2016), who proposed indicators and attributes to evaluate processes and products developed by museums. Our results have shown that, considering the intention of educative materials producing, they contribute for scientific literacy, considering the recognition of all indicators (scientific, social interface, institutional, and aesthetic/affective/cognitive), as weel as 11 of the 16 attributes of scientific literacy. The interaction between the audience with one of the materials (named curiosities bag) has showed the presence of 2 indicators and 4 attributes. Our conclusion is that these materials contribute for the audience scientific literacy, but on aspects like institution, researcher and science relevance - which appear very discreetly in the analysis - could receive more attention during their development.

As discussões atuais sobre alfabetização científica indicam um consenso de que ela é um processo que ocorre por toda a vida do indivíduo em vários espaços de educação. Os museus cumprem um importante papel na educação dos indivíduos fora do ambiente escolar e ao longo da vida. Estas instituições oferecem uma série de atividades educativas com a intenção de aproximar e melhorar a percepção pública sobre ciência. Dentre estas atividades, está a produção e utilização de materiais educativos. O objetivo geral desta pesquisa é: investigar como/se os materiais utilizados nas diversas ações educacionais e culturais realizadas pelos museus contribuem para o processo de alfabetização científica do público. O trabalho foi realizado no Parque Zoológico Municipal Quinzinho de Barros, Sorocaba, SP analisando 27 materiais produzidos pela instituição e a interação de um deles com o público escolar visitante. Os materiais consistem em objetos tridimensionais (animais e plantas conservadas, modelos e réplicas). Para a coleta e análise dos dados utilizamos metodologia qualitativa e quantitativa com diversos procedimentos que nos permitiram triangular os dados para conferir maior credibilidade à pesquisa. Para a análise dos dados utilizamos a ferramenta teórico-metodológica desenvolvida por Cerati (2014), Rocha (2016) e Oliveira (2016), que propuseram indicadores e atributos para avaliar processos e produtos desenvolvidos em museus. Os resultados revelaram que, sob o ponto de vista da intenção da produção dos materiais educativos, eles contribuem para a alfabetização científica com a identificação de todos os indicadores (científico, interface social, institucional e estético/afetivo/cognitivo), assim como 11 dos 16 atributos de alfabetização científica. A interação do público com 1 dos materiais (mochila de curiosidades) mostrou a presença de 2 indicadores e 4 atributos. Concluímos que os materiais contribuem para a alfabetização científica do público, mas que estes poderiam incluir a abordagem de aspectos relacionados com a relevância da instituição, do pesquisador e da própria ciência, atributos pouco identificados durante a análise. / Current discussions about scientific literacy have shown a consensus that this is a continuous process that occurs during individuals lifetime, in different education facilities. Museums play an important role in education out of school environment and along life. Such institutions provide a number of educative activities aiming to approach and to improve awareness about science. Among them is the production and use of educational materials. The general objective of this research is to investigate how/if these materials used in the various museums educational and cultural actions contribute to the process of public scientific literacy. This research was conducted in Parque Zoológico Municipal Quinzinho de Barros, located in the city of Sorocaba, São Paulo state. Twentyseven materials produced by this institution were analyzed, particularly the interaction between one of these materials and the visiting students audience. These materials consisted of tridimensional objects - specimens of preserved animals and plants, models and casts. For data collection and analysis we used quantitative and qualitative methodology, combining different procedures for data triangulation. We used a theoretical-methodological instrument developed by Cerati (2014), Rocha (2016), and Oliveira (2016), who proposed indicators and attributes to evaluate processes and products developed by museums. Our results have shown that, considering the intention of educative materials producing, they contribute for scientific literacy, considering the recognition of all indicators (scientific, social interface, institutional, and aesthetic/affective/cognitive), as weel as 11 of the 16 attributes of scientific literacy. The interaction between the audience with one of the materials (named curiosities bag) has showed the presence of 2 indicators and 4 attributes. Our conclusion is that these materials contribute for the audience scientific literacy, but on aspects like institution, researcher and science relevance - which appear very discreetly in the analysis - could receive more attention during their development.

Research in patient education suggests that tailored educational materials can improve patient's understanding of a treatment plan and help to achieve patient engagement and compliance. The goal of the HealthDoc Project has been the creation of automated Natural Language Generation systems for producing educational materials that are tailored to an individual patient's medical condition and personal situation. The project has so far focused on developing computational linguistic tools needed to author tailorable content from which customized versions could be generated. Also the HealthDoc model of document generation assumes the existence of previously authored textual material. Therefore, a new approach is needed to construct these materials and ensure that the relevant medical knowledge will be captured and delivered to the patient by providing a means to assist the health care professionals in directly authoring the required domain knowledge. <br /><br />We have used constructivist educational theory and knowledge-level modelling to define a new approach incorporating Patient-centric and Behaviour-modifying Educational Model (PBEM) and a knowledge-acquisition framework. Unlike traditional approaches, in which all patients are treated alike in terms of the medical information provided, our new model takes into account characteristics of individual patients. This facilitates the patient's assimilation of relevant information pertaining to her behaviour and health. As the information provided must address the various concerns of different stakeholders, and different patients have different concerns and concern intensities, a knowledge-acquisition framework was developed to provide a structure for patient knowledge acquisition. This framework includes the following components: a Strategic Model, a Concerns Model, and an Interrogation-based knowledge-acquisition Tool. The tool is intended to be used directly by health care professionals and to assist them in formulating, structuring, representing, and articulating their domain knowledge. This research work explores a new field, knowledge-level modelling, for generating patient-tailored educational materials and provides guidelines to implementing such a knowledge-acquisition tool.

Research in patient education suggests that tailored educational materials can improve patient's understanding of a treatment plan and help to achieve patient engagement and compliance. The goal of the HealthDoc Project has been the creation of automated Natural Language Generation systems for producing educational materials that are tailored to an individual patient's medical condition and personal situation. The project has so far focused on developing computational linguistic tools needed to author tailorable content from which customized versions could be generated. Also the HealthDoc model of document generation assumes the existence of previously authored textual material. Therefore, a new approach is needed to construct these materials and ensure that the relevant medical knowledge will be captured and delivered to the patient by providing a means to assist the health care professionals in directly authoring the required domain knowledge. <br /><br />We have used constructivist educational theory and knowledge-level modelling to define a new approach incorporating Patient-centric and Behaviour-modifying Educational Model (PBEM) and a knowledge-acquisition framework. Unlike traditional approaches, in which all patients are treated alike in terms of the medical information provided, our new model takes into account characteristics of individual patients. This facilitates the patient's assimilation of relevant information pertaining to her behaviour and health. As the information provided must address the various concerns of different stakeholders, and different patients have different concerns and concern intensities, a knowledge-acquisition framework was developed to provide a structure for patient knowledge acquisition. This framework includes the following components: a Strategic Model, a Concerns Model, and an Interrogation-based knowledge-acquisition Tool. The tool is intended to be used directly by health care professionals and to assist them in formulating, structuring, representing, and articulating their domain knowledge. This research work explores a new field, knowledge-level modelling, for generating patient-tailored educational materials and provides guidelines to implementing such a knowledge-acquisition tool.