The purpose of this study is to investigate five teachers’ opinions on the work with individualization with focus on above-average pupils. I have issued four questions based on the purpose of this study: - How do these teachers define the theoretical concepts of individualization and above-average pupils? - How do the teachers reason about the concept of individualization with focus on the above-average pupils? - How do the teachers reason regarding the work with individualization in the Swedish language? - Do these teachers consider that there are difficulties to individualize the work so that it will challenge above-average pupils? The method used to conduct this study was a semi-structured qualitative interview with five teachers in primary school. The theory and the theoretical concepts this study is based on is: what defines the above- average pupils, the zone of proximal development, the concept of individualization and motivation and the importance of cognitive and non-cognitive abilities. The study shows that the theoretical concept of above-average pupils is hard to define and it shows a difference between how the teachers choose to define it. However, the teachers show a good understanding of the concept of individualization which they define as an approach based on each individual's level of knowledge. It also shows that the teachers are having difficulties individualizing the school assignments to challenge and stimulate the above-average pupils. The teachers mean that the main reason for this problem is the lack of resources the teachers have available.

My research investigates the making of new farmers in Chinese risk society. I argue that the socialist peasants are in the transformation into neoliberal new farmers. I define the "new farmers" as a dispositive agricultural population that embodies neoliberal ideologies and practices. The purpose of making the new farmers is to counterbalance the instabilities and risks in post-socialist China and to distribute and redistribute power, wealth and risks via new channels such as new farmers' organizations and enterprises. The new farmers are in the making by different forces to address a variety of risks fermented in post-socialist China. The new farmers are recognized by their education, knowledge of agriculture and social responsibilities; they are categorized by their participation in new farmers' organizations and enterprises; they are promoted and cultivated by the Chinese government; and they are identified and represented via mass media. The individualization of the new farmers serves as a governing tool that turns systemically produced risks into individual risks. It also serves as a normalization strategy that the new farmers build their lives in a do-it-yourself way. Their individualized decisions and choices result in their normalization or marginalization in the making of new farmers in Chinese risk society.

There is no further training in management in teacher education programs, which can create uncertainty among teachers in terms of management. According to the curriculum, the teacher should base it on a democratic approach, but how does it look in real life? The purpose has been to investigate how practicing teachers perceived management and their own leadership style, whether they made conscious choices and if so, whether they then had any purpose in their leadership style. Teachers' views of a good leader and how much influence students have on the teaching, enter into these issues. The survey is based on a qualitative research approach, based on interviews with four active teachers. Although observations were made they did not play any major role in this investigation. They did however provide me with an important context for the interviews conducted. The theoretical basis is drawn from Christer Stensmos books Leadership styles in the classroom and Classroom management. From these books, I have picked out what’s relevant for my essay and summarized it. The democratic and the authoritarian leader, six different leadership styles and their effect on the five dimensions of tasks Mr. Stensmo have written about, has been the foundation of this essay. These five dimensions are: control, motivation, grouping, individualization and planning. I have come to the conclusion that the interviewed teachers believed that their management has an important significance in the classroom, but the teachers, however, may be insecure in their leadership style. The majority of the teachers interviewed had not made conscious choices of leadership styles. One conclusion that has been drawn is that teachers can work with leadership issues, without being fully aware of them.

ADHD (attention deficit hyperactivity disorder) is a phenomena that is much talked about in both schools and in communities. Today, there is a conflict surrounding the diagnosis ADHD. A part of the conflict takes part between the sociologist Eva Kärfve and Christopher Gillberg, professor in child- and teenage psychology. The roots of this conflict surrounds the much debated line of what is seen as normal and “too” different, basically how many children that actually should have the diagnosis. The purpose with this study is to show five different views of the diagnosis ADHD, using five teachers. To make this study possible, five informants have participated and shared their view on the diagnosis ADHD as well as their experience with the diagnosis. The informants work at a school in the municipality of Huddinge. The school has students from the 6th to the 9th grade, one preparation class, on special school class and one study group for students with concentration difficulties. The study is based on a method of study which focuses on interpretation of the empirical material. The result of this study is that the informants were of the opinion that medication was a big advantage with the diagnosis, so that the students could work in a school environment. Though there were separate opinions on whether or not the medication should be used and to what degree. The result was that certain informants thought that there were many tricks in the physical environment that could be useful, before adding medication to the equation. The informants thought that one big disadvantage with the diagnosis were that the students were very careful with not sharing the information about the diagnosis to other students. The informants believe that students with the diagnosis ADHD could get some form of “label” on them from their classmates and the teachers.   Keywords: ADHD, medication, diagnosis, normality, stigma, individualization Nyckelord: ADHD, medicinering, diagnos, normalitet, stigmatisering, individualisering

There is a constant change in the world of school, new curricula and syllabi are made and the view of teaching and learning is changing. The desire to improve maths teaching in Swedish schools is strong, especially by laboratory work. How is it then that several teachers in our schools are still using the traditional way of teaching mathematics, which I consider to be relying a lot on the textbook and work for an automated approach? The purpose of my study is to investigate how three different math teachers on an F-5 school in the southern Stockholm area, choose to work with mathematics and why they choose to work according to a special approach. In order to obtain the information I seek, I have chosen to use the qualitative method to get a better understanding of my results. I have both observed the teachers during mathematics lessons on multiple occasions and interviewed the three teachers individually. The theories I have chosen to support my thesis on are the socio-cultural perspective and the cognitive perspective. Based on the results of my investigation I found that teaching in general assumes a lot from the textbook. Teachers in the survey feel a sense of security, to build upon the textbook, which they consider covers much of the knowledge students should have. The teachers use the textbook as a base and complements with laboratory features and communicate mathematics. The approach they choose to use has a lot of time allocated for teaching mathematics. Time isn’t enough for all the teachers to do what they want and they are worried that students will forget the basics of mathematics. Even the large number of students in the class plays the role of the choice of working, because all students should have time to develop.

In the centre of today’s education there is the individuality of a pupil, the completeness of the education of a personality and the formation of the value-system. It is essential to look for the ways of the individual realization of these new requirements. The application and efficiency of artistical methods as the elements of individualization on purpose to plant aesthetical feelings and the delight in nature in the lessons of natural sciences are researched. The object of the research is the elements of the individualization of the aesthetical relation of the pupils with the natural environment. The aim of the research is to determine the elements of the individualization of the aesthetical relation of the pupils of the 5th and the 6th forms with the natural environment in the lessons of “The nature and the human”. The goals of the research: to reason theoretically the assumptions of the formation of the aesthetical relation with the natural environment in the educational aspect. To reveal the peculiarities of the aesthetical relation of the pupils with the natural environment. To characterize the elements of the individualization of the aesthetical relation of the pupils with the natural environment. The hypothesis of the research. The aesthetical relation of the pupils with the natural environment is being brought up-to-date if it is allowed in the educational process to observe individually and to experience aesthetically the natural environment. The methodology of the... [to full text]

Darbe atlikta teorinė ugdymo individualizavimo bendrojo lavinimo mokyklose sampratos analizė ir nustatyta, kad ugdymo turinio individualizavimo procesą lemia veiksnių kompleksas: parengta ir galiojanti įstatyminė norminė bazė, reglamentuojanti specialųjį ugdymą, visuomenės nuostatos bei galiojantys stereotipai, konkrečios ugdymo įstaigos kultūrinis ir socialinis kontekstas, specialiųjų ugdymo(si) poreikių įvertinimo, skyrimo ir organizavimo procese dalyvaujančių asmenų požiūris, žinios, gebėjimai ir tokios jų subjektyvios savybės kaip pareigingumas, atsakomybė ir pan. Iškeltos hipotezės: 1. Pedagogai, adaptuodami bendrojo ugdymo programas, susiduria su sunkumais įvertindami vaiko gebėjimus, formuluodami tikslus, turinį ir parinkdami tinkamus metodus. 2. Tikėtina, kad tinkamai struktūruota ir aiški ugdymo turinio adaptavimo strategija gali turėti teigiamos įtakos pedagogų kompetencijai individualizuoti ugdymo turinį specialiųjų ugdymosi poreikių turintiems mokiniams. Turinio (content) analizės metodu buvo atliktas tyrimas, kurio tikslas – atskleidus ir įvertinus bendrųjų programų turinio adaptavimo ugdymo praktikoje teigiamus ir neigiamus aspektus, parengti programų adaptavimo strategiją bei įvertinti jos veiksmingumą individualizuojant specialiųjų ugdymosi poreikių turinčių mokinių ugdymo turinį. Atlikta anksčiau ir naujai rengtų adaptuotų programų lyginamoji analizė. Anketinės apklausos metodu buvo norima nustatyti ir įvertinti naujai parengtos ugdymo adaptavimo strategijos... [toliau žr. visą tekstą] / In the thesis there was done theoretical analysis of conception of educational individualization at comprehensive school and it was settled that individualization process of educational content is determined by a complex of factors: prepared valid juridical normative base, regulating special training, public provisions, and effectual stereotypes, cultural and social context of a certain educational institution, attitude, knowledge, abilities and such their subjective features as dutifulness, responsibility, etc. of people, who participate in the process of estimation, designation and organization of special training needs. Interposed hypothesis: 1.Pedagogues, adapting programmes of general education, meet difficulties in assessing a child’s abilities, formulating aims, content and choosing appropriate methods. 2. It is believed that a suitably structured and clear educational content adaptation strategy may have positive influence for pedagogues’ competence to individualize educational content for schoolchildren having special educational needs. By the method of content analysis there was done a research, the aim of which was after having opened and estimated positive and negative aspects of content adaptation of general programmes in educational practice, to prepare strategy of program adaptation and estimate its effectiveness individualizing educational content for the schoolchildren having special educational needs. There was done a comparative analysis of earlier and... [to full text]

In the teenager year the decisive critical period starts. A person starts to integrate everything what he knows about himself, his aptitude, faculty, social values and in the active way reaches for proficiency, successful activities. In such a period upbringing problems occur which start from the alternation of mood, permanent reactions of protest and the indifferent style of behavior. The majority of such the problems could be reduced and relieve while perceiving and fulfilling spiritual demands of teenagers. One of the training courses is the individualization of educational content. It means the teacher has to consider individual features of a student. The scientific problem of our work is individualization of the content of dramatic training; for the aim to suit younger teenagers’ spiritual demands. The object of our work is individualization of the content of dramatic training while meeting the spiritual demands of younger teenagers. The aim of our work is to find out the most successful ways of the individualization of the content of dramatic training for younger teenagers. The analysis of literature sources has proved that it is essential to individualize the content of training considering the individual peculiarities such as gender, cultural and famility distinction, emotional originality, peculiarities of age range, momentary mood, which determine the spiritual demands of younger teenagers. Artistical training meets aesthetical as well as other personal... [to full text]

The purpose of the study was to find out the importance of exercise individualization treating chronic low back pain. Methods: 32 chronic low back pain pacients, 32.12±4.83 years of age, were divided into two groups under research. The first group took part in 14 weeks general trunk muscles strengthening program. The second group patients obtained individual 14 weeks trunk muscles strengthening programs. Individual programs were made by physiotherapist in accordance with trunk muscles static and dynamic endurance characteristics which were measured and evaluated with trunk muscles capability tests. The capability of trunk muscles of all patients were measured and evaluated before and after exercise program using tests suggested by D. J Magee in year 2000. At the same time the intensity of experienced pain was evaluated using Phoenix recommendations (1999). Results: Both exercise programs significantly reduced chronic low back pain and also amplified trunk muscles static and dynamic endurance. The effect of individualized exercise treatment programs for reducing pain was significantly higher. The average intensity of pain dropped from 5.69 to 2.25 in the general exercise group, and from 5.63 to 0.94 in the individualized exercise programs group. The improvement in the individualized group was significantly higher than that in the general group, i.e. 4.69 ± 1.78 and 3.44±1.71 respectively. Other significant difference between two exercise groups was different distribution of... [to full text]

Šiame tyrime analizuojamas specialiųjų poreikių (sutrikusio intelekto) mokinių tikybos pamokų individualizavimo galimybės. Pedagogai turi būti įvaldę specialiuosius gebėjimus bei mokėti atpažinti vaikų vystymosi ypatingumus, mokėti modeliuoti specialiuosius ugdymosi poreikius, tiksliai apibūdinti vaiko problemas, mokymosi sunkumus bei sudaryti individualią programą. Visa tai kelia daug sunkumų ir todėl keliamas probleminis klausimas – kaip individualizuoti mokymą specialiųjų poreikių mokiniams tikybos pamokose? Tyrimo tikslas - išskirti mokymo individualizavimo ypatumus tikybos pamokose dirbant su sutrikusio intelekto mokiniais. Tikslui pasiekti buvo įgyvendinti šie uždaviniai:sutrikusio intelekto vaiko poreikių įvardinimas, mokymo individualizavimo ypatumų tikybos pamokose identifikavimas bei empirinio tyrimo metu mokymo individualizavimo tikybos pamokose galimybių išskyrimas. Tyrimo objektas - mokymo individualizavimas tikybos pamokoje, dalyvaujant specialiųjų poreikių (sutrikusio intelekto) vaikui. Tyrimas: dokumentų analizė, atliktas kovo- gegužės mėn. Kauno Eigulių vidurinėje mokykloje. Tyrimo rezultatai liudija, kad ugdymo turinio tikybos pamokose individualizavimą lemia daug veiksnių: atsižvelgimas į tam tikrus bendros raidos sutrikimus , integracijos pripažinimas, mokinio specialiųjų poreikių pažinimas, gebėjimas modeliuoti įvairias veiklas taikant aktyvius mokymo būdus, bendradarbiavimas su mokyklos specialistais bei šeimos nariais, gebėjimas mokyti... [toliau žr. visą tekstą] / This research discuss individualization of teaching special needs (intellect disorder) pupils in religion lessons. The pedagogues should be masters of the specials teaching abilities, developmental particularities , designing of special educational needs, informed children problems, difficulties of studying and making individualization of the content of education . It isn’t very simple, so the problematic question – ho to make individualization of teaching special needs pupils (intellect disorder)? The aim of the work was to exclude the peculiarities of individualization of teaching working with special needs pupils. This was performed by problem- solving, which are indicating the needs of special needs pupils, identifying the peculiarities of individualization of teaching and accentuating the possibilities of individualized teaching in religion lessons. The object of research is individualization of teaching in religion lessons with special needs (intellect disorder) pupils. The research: analysis of papers of secondary- school Eiguliai in Kaunas. The main conclusions of the research are telling that the individualization of the content of education in religion lessons is determined by many factors: consideration of certain disorders of general development, acceptance of integration, recognition of needs of special needs pupils, ability to model various activities applying active teaching methods, cooperation with school specialists and family members, ability to... [to full text]