In this study toys were used as educative curriculum material in an intervention on the topic of energy aimed at Intermediate Phase pre-service science teachers (n= 87) registered for a BEd degree at the Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University, South Africa. The intervention consisted of, amongst other elements, lectures, assignments and toy workshops, with the latter being a key driver in the process. The choice of toys as the educative curriculum material was informed by the fact that there is a huge variety of simple, reasonably priced and easily procured toys that are suitable to demonstrate the concept of energy from both theoretical and practical perspectives. The conclusions that can be drawn from the study are that the use of toys in the preparation of pre-service primary school teachers has the potential to substantially improve their subject content knowledge (SCK), pedagogical content knowledge (PCK), and their confidence related to these two constructs with respect to their understandings of energy. The data generated also suggest that when appropriate educative curriculum materials are integrated into a topic in science-teacher education, there may be a substantial positive impact on pre-service teachers‘ confidence in both their understanding of the science content and their perceptions of their ability to teach this content. An additional finding of the study was that, despite its popularity, status and usefulness over many years, the Science Teacher Efficacy Belief Instrument (STEBI-B) shows low sensitivity to measuring changes in efficacy as a consequence of the so-called ‗ceiling effect‘. The ceiling effect is a result of initial high scores which provide little opportunity to show iii substantial positive change as a result of an appropriate intervention that is designed to improve efficacy. While this study did not directly address this lacuna in STEBI-B, it made use of an innovative descriptive statistic, ‗percentage gain of potential‘, in an attempt to describe and interpret even small changes in efficacy as measured by STEBI-B.

El proyecto WIN-KID, presenta un producto que ofrece ayudar a desarrollar las habilidades, a estimular la creatividad y el pensamiento científico para el usuario final, que son los niños. Además, resulta una manera diferente de aprender cursos de ciencias, ya que se trata de nuevas herramientas didácticas para innovar la enseña de ellos. Asimismo, se contará con una gran variedad de modelos diferentes, en un principio presentaremos los modelos de la Avioneta, la Locomotora y las Flores, posteriormente planeamos la ampliación de nuestra línea de producto. Se tiene como objetivo la creación de una serie de valores para el segmento al que estamos dirigidos, ya que los productos satisfacen las necesidades de nuestros clientes que son las familias con hijos que se encuentren en un rango de edad de 7 a 14 años que viven actualmente en la ciudad de Lima Metropolitana. Asimismo, los juguetes WIN-KID brindan ciertas soluciones para poder aliviar la mayoría de las preocupaciones como la escasa variedad de juguetes didácticos, que los videojuegos invadan a los niños, juguetes tóxicos, el cuidado del medio ambiente, entre otros. Es por ello, que se presenta al mercado una serie de juguetes didácticos funcionales hecho a base de cartón, los cuales tendrán sonidos y movimientos, y por el mismo hecho de ser armables, vendrá incorporado con un manual de instrucciones claras logrando que los niños despierten su imaginación. / The WIN-KID project presents a product that offers help to develop skills, to stimulate creativity and scientific thinking for the end user, which are children. In addition, it is a different way to learn science courses, since it is new teaching tools to innovate their teaching. Also, there will be a great variety of different models, initially we will present the models of the Light aircraft, the Locomotive and the Flowers, later we plan the expansion of our product line. The objective is to create a series of values for the segment to which we are directed, since the products meet the needs of our customers who are families with children who are in an age range of 7 to 14 years living currently in the city of Lima Metropolitana. Also, WIN-KID toys provide certain solutions to alleviate most concerns such as the limited variety of educational toys, video games invade children, toxic toys, care for the environment, among others. It is for this reason that a series of functional didactic toys made of cardboard are presented to the market, which will have sounds and movements, and for the same reason that they can be assembled, they will be incorporated with a clear instructions manual, making the children wake up your imagination. / Trabajo de investigación

Thesis (Ed. S.)--Miami University, Dept. of Educational Psychology, 2007. / Title from first page of PDF document. Includes bibliographical references (p. 30-35).

When one thinks of an architect, one usually visualizes a building; its facades, materials and spaces within. Architects, however, have shown an interest in interior and accessory design for decades. Furniture, lamps, rugs, ceramics, flatwear, and more are components that allow an architect to make a more cohesive statement about his or her architecture. / Master of Architecture

Acompanha: Praxinoscópio e zootrópio: brinquedos ópticos na relação arte-ciência / O desenvolvimento científico foi responsável por consolidar o início da ciência moderna. A presente pesquisa procurou problematizar a necessidade de aproximar Arte e Ciência reelaborando os aparelhos ópticos Zootrópio e Praxinoscópio, desenvolvendo, assim, o conhecimento artístico e o cientifico por meio de uma atividade lúdica e interdisciplinar entre Arte e Física. Para tanto foi fundamental o princípio da percepção visual e o da ilusão óptica, utilizando-se da movimentação de quadros estáticos (frame by frame). A reconstrução destes instrumentos ancorou-se nas oficinas de um Projeto de Extensão intitulado “Técnicas de Representação da Imagem: Do Renascimento à Fotografia”, dividida em duas oficinas especificas “Zootrópio: uma arte vista entre frestas luminosas” e “Praxinoscópio: o reflexo fragmentado da animação”. Os dados obtidos na pesquisa foram analisados em suas modalidades qualitativa e descritiva, tendo como fonte direta as informações mais próximas do ambiente escolar natural. Na fundamentação da pesquisa destacaram-se alguns teóricos, que abordaram fenômenos físicos presentes na vida cotidiana, como Perelman, Arnheim, Crary, Santaella, Fogliano e Lucena envolvendo as diferentes análises sobre a percepção visual e sua influência para cada observador na identificação de diferentes objetos. A narração histórica e cronológica dos primeiros inventos ópticos foram baseados em Briggs e Burgue, abordando as questões que envolvem a imagem enquanto forma de comunicação, especialmente com o advento da fotografia. A pesquisa finaliza-se com os resultados das oficinas e as observações dos alunos do curso de Licenciatura em Ciências Naturais, da Universidade Tecnológica Federal do Paraná (UTFPR) - campus Ponta Grossa. / Scientific development was responsible for consolidating the beginning of modern science. The present research sought to problematize the need to approach Art and Science by reworking the optical devices Zootrope and Praxinoscope, thus developing artistic and scientific knowledge through a playful and interdisciplinary activity between Art and Physics. For this, the principle of visual perception and optical illusion was fundamental, using frameby-frame motion. The reconstruction of these instruments was anchored in the workshops of an Extension Project entitled "Techniques of Image Representation: From the Renaissance to Photography", divided into two specific workshops "Zootrope: an art seen between luminous cracks" and "Praxinoscope: the fragmented reflection of animation ". The data obtained in the research were analyzed in their qualitative and descriptive modalities, having as direct source the information closest to the natural school environment. Some of the theorists focused on physical phenomena present in everyday life, such as Perelman, Arnheim, Crary, Santaella, Fogliano and Lucena, involving the different analyzes on visual perception and their influence for each observer in the identification of different objects. The historical and chronological narration of early optical inventions were based on Briggs and Burgue, addressing issues involving the image as a form of communication, especially with the advent of photography. The research is finished with the results of the workshops and the observations of the students of the undergraduate degree in Natural Sciences, of the Federal Technological University of Paraná (UTFPR) - Ponta Grossa campus.