Over the past few years many changes have taken place in the content and presentation of teacher education programmes in South Africa due to the paradigm shift from teaching to learning. As a result, the primary learning environment for undergraduate students, the fairly passive lecture-discussion format where teacher educators talk and most students listen, is contrary to almost every principle of an optimal student learning setting. The current view in teacher education is that teacher educators should create learner-centred and learner-controlled environments where student learning and success determine the boundary. The idea of focusing on learning rather than teaching requires that teacher educators rethink their role and the role of students in the teaching and learning process. When focussing on learning rather than teaching, teacher educators must challenge their basic assumptions about how people learn and what the roles of teacher educators should be. It may be necessary to unlearn previously acquired teaching habits, and rethink the role of assessment and feedback in learning. Meaningful, formative assessment can play a key role in shifting to a learner-centred approach because it provides important information to both students and teacher educators at all stages of the learning process. To achieve this, it is essential that teacher educators do not simply add assessment as an extra to an existing, non-interactive scheme of work, but that they integrate assessment effectively and efficiently with their instruction. This requires a major shift in how assessment is planned and integrated and a working framework for integrating assessment with instruction can be most valuable to teacher educators. The purpose of this study was to: Determine the nature and scope of ESL teacher educators' tasks, within a Faculty of Education Sciences, at a tertiary institution. Determine the extent to which ESL teacher educators are implementing a learner-centred approach to teaching and learning. Identify the factors, if any, that impede the transition to a learner-centred approach to teaching and learning. Provide recommendations to facilitate the implementation of a learner-centred approach to teaching and learning. Determine how, when and how often ESL teacher educators are currently conducting assessment. Identify possible shortcomings of the existing assessment system of ESL teacher educators. Provide a framework for implementing assessment within a learner-centred approach to teaching and learning. A one-shot cross-sectional survey design was used in this study. The participants included all the teacher educators (N=5) within the Subject Group English in the Faculty of Education Sciences .at the Potchefstroom University. Three data collection techniques were used in this study, namely a questionnaire, semi-structured interviews and classroom observations. The purpose was to triangulate the data in order to get as complete a picture as possible of the extent to which the teacher educators' teaching and learning ~racticesre flected a focus on learner-centredness. The results of the study can be summarised as follows: Descriptive statistics (means and percentages) were used to analyse the data. The data collected during the interviews were reported as narratives. The results indicated that the teacher educators in this study spent a significant percentage of their time on preparation for class meetings and assessment. Each teacher educator taught for the full twelve weeks of each semester and, therefore, did not have one week free of teaching the entire year. Although the teacher educators embraced some learner-centred methods such as group work and interactive class discussions, they still assumed most of the responsibility for the learning processes and classroom behaviour of the students. They mainly focused on what to present in the contact sessions and spent time organizing presentations of information rather than developing materials to facilitate learning. The teacher educators often reverted to more familiar, traditional approaches and emphasized the following issues as affecting the effective and efficient transition to learner-centredness: curriculum coverage and lack of time, lack of proper training, size of student groups, other teacher educators' cynical attitudes and students' attitudes towards learning. The teacher educators made use of a variety of assessment methods and assessed students continuously, but these assessments were not used for promoting student learning, but rather for grading purposes. Students received traditional feedback such as grades, marks and scores, but they seldom received feedback on what they did wrong and how they could rectify it. Overall, it was assessment of learning and not assessment for learning. A major factor impeding the implementation of a learner-centred assessment approach was the demand formative assessment methods placed on the professional time of the teacher educators. In order to utilise time effectively and integrate assessment with the instructional design, teacher educators expressed the need for a workable framework to assist them in planning their assessment practices. / Thesis (M.Ed.)--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2004.

本研究旨在以活動理論為分析架構，探究家長參與研究者自編「家長手作方案」課程的過程中，學習社群的變化以及產生矛盾現象之原因，最後提供解決方式，做為日後親職教育課程之參考。 本研究以台灣北部某私立幼兒園四位家長為研究對象，採行動研究方法。歷經三個月共九次課程之實驗。根據活動理論中的七個組成要素，包含主體（subject）、目標（object）、社群（community）、工具（tools）、規則（rules）、分工（division of labor）以及結果展現（outcome），分析「幼兒親職教育方案」在活動系統中展現與實施之歷程，以及過程中所遇到之矛盾現象。 本研究資料蒐集透過課程觀察記錄、實際課程運作情況、LINE網路社群對話紀錄以及訪談資料，並採用MAXQDA軟體進行分析，透過持續進行資料與概念的比較，找出核心概念，最後總結出研究的結果。經過資料蒐集、分析與詮釋，研究發現如下: 一、「家長手作方案」活動系統各要素環環相扣、相互交織，能系統性解 決活動進行中的矛盾現象，讓課程得以順利進行、有效落實親職教 育。 二、「家長手作方案」對家長學習之影響，包含家長手作特性、親子互動 模式以及家長在學習過程中自我的轉變等變化，透過本方案有效改變 家長落實親職教育之態度。 三、親職教育的新角度-以學習社群介入親職教育，不僅增加成員間的凝 聚力與認同感，更有效提升成員的學習成效。 四、透過網路學習社群的輔助，與教學虛實合一，能促進家長的交流與課 外聯繫，提升家長的學習效能。 透過活動理論發現，以學習社群方式進行親職教育，有助於提升家長親職效能、情緒抒發與經驗分享；運用網路學習社群的輔助，建立成員間更深厚的凝聚力與認同感，彼此鼓勵與支持，在教育孩子路上攜手結伴同行。 / Using activity theory as a structure, the purpose of this study was to investigate the change and the reasons of conflicts occur during the parents engaged in the “hands-on project” curriculums developed by researcher. The solutions were provided as references for future parental education curriculum development. Participants are four parents of a private kindergarten in northern Taiwan. This research is an action research. Within three months, there are total nine times of courses. According to activity theory, there are seven elements including subject, object, community, tools, rules, division of labor and outcome. Using these elements, this study analyze the presentation, process and problems showed during “early childhood parental education program”. The data included observation of the classroom when the courses were given, the conversation record on an instant messenger called “Line”, and the record of interview. With MAXQDA as an analysis tool, the data were compared over and over until the main concepts were clear enough. The results showed that: 1.The elements in “early childhood parental education program” were linked with others so that it could solve the contradiction during the activities systematically. 2.The influences of “early childhood parental education program” included the change of parents’ handwork habits, the model parents interact with their child and the self-development during the learning process. Through this project, the attitudes of parents toward childhood parental education have been changed. 3.This new way –learning community in parental education— not only gains the members’ sense of identification to the group but helps them learn more efficiently. 4.With the web-based learning community after school can promote the interaction between parents, also facilitate the learning efficiency of parents. Overall, through activity theory and using learning community in parental education could raise parents’ parental efficiency, release their emotion and share experiences with each other in the group. With web-based learning community can gather the group members and construct their sense of recognition to the group. Thus, the group members can help with each other and conquer difficulty in the process of education.

Over the past few years many changes have taken place in the content and presentation of teacher education programmes in South Africa due to the paradigm shift from teaching to learning. As a result, the primary learning environment for undergraduate students, the fairly passive lecture-discussion format where teacher educators talk and most students listen, is contrary to almost every principle of an optimal student learning setting. The current view in teacher education is that teacher educators should create learner-centred and learner-controlled environments where student learning and success determine the boundary. The idea of focusing on learning rather than teaching requires that teacher educators rethink their role and the role of students in the teaching and learning process. When focussing on learning rather than teaching, teacher educators must challenge their basic assumptions about how people learn and what the roles of teacher educators should be. It may be necessary to unlearn previously acquired teaching habits, and rethink the role of assessment and feedback in learning. Meaningful, formative assessment can play a key role in shifting to a learner-centred approach because it provides important information to both students and teacher educators at all stages of the learning process. To achieve this, it is essential that teacher educators do not simply add assessment as an extra to an existing, non-interactive scheme of work, but that they integrate assessment effectively and efficiently with their instruction. This requires a major shift in how assessment is planned and integrated and a working framework for integrating assessment with instruction can be most valuable to teacher educators. The purpose of this study was to: Determine the nature and scope of ESL teacher educators' tasks, within a Faculty of Education Sciences, at a tertiary institution. Determine the extent to which ESL teacher educators are implementing a learner-centred approach to teaching and learning. Identify the factors, if any, that impede the transition to a learner-centred approach to teaching and learning. Provide recommendations to facilitate the implementation of a learner-centred approach to teaching and learning. Determine how, when and how often ESL teacher educators are currently conducting assessment. Identify possible shortcomings of the existing assessment system of ESL teacher educators. Provide a framework for implementing assessment within a learner-centred approach to teaching and learning. A one-shot cross-sectional survey design was used in this study. The participants included all the teacher educators (N=5) within the Subject Group English in the Faculty of Education Sciences .at the Potchefstroom University. Three data collection techniques were used in this study, namely a questionnaire, semi-structured interviews and classroom observations. The purpose was to triangulate the data in order to get as complete a picture as possible of the extent to which the teacher educators' teaching and learning ~racticesre flected a focus on learner-centredness. The results of the study can be summarised as follows: Descriptive statistics (means and percentages) were used to analyse the data. The data collected during the interviews were reported as narratives. The results indicated that the teacher educators in this study spent a significant percentage of their time on preparation for class meetings and assessment. Each teacher educator taught for the full twelve weeks of each semester and, therefore, did not have one week free of teaching the entire year. Although the teacher educators embraced some learner-centred methods such as group work and interactive class discussions, they still assumed most of the responsibility for the learning processes and classroom behaviour of the students. They mainly focused on what to present in the contact sessions and spent time organizing presentations of information rather than developing materials to facilitate learning. The teacher educators often reverted to more familiar, traditional approaches and emphasized the following issues as affecting the effective and efficient transition to learner-centredness: curriculum coverage and lack of time, lack of proper training, size of student groups, other teacher educators' cynical attitudes and students' attitudes towards learning. The teacher educators made use of a variety of assessment methods and assessed students continuously, but these assessments were not used for promoting student learning, but rather for grading purposes. Students received traditional feedback such as grades, marks and scores, but they seldom received feedback on what they did wrong and how they could rectify it. Overall, it was assessment of learning and not assessment for learning. A major factor impeding the implementation of a learner-centred assessment approach was the demand formative assessment methods placed on the professional time of the teacher educators. In order to utilise time effectively and integrate assessment with the instructional design, teacher educators expressed the need for a workable framework to assist them in planning their assessment practices. / Thesis (M.Ed.)--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2004.

The purpose of this study was to explore the evolution of collaborative practices of PLCs as they emerge when using technology based formative assessment via iFAIT or innovative Formative Assessment with Instruction and Technology developed by the researcher using audience response systems and the online data compiler, Eduphoria!. This study used sequential explanatory mixed methods to address the problems that schools face when implementing technology based formative assessments to improve instruction and student achievement. A survey administered in September 2012 and again in December 2012 provided a measure of teacher use of formative assessments, technology use in formative assessments, and perceptions of teachers using the PLC as a mechanism of support for technology based formative assessment. Training was facilitated by the researcher as PLCs worked together to develop, administer, and interpret formative assessments. Teacher interviews were conducted, and the study ended with the administration of the December 2012 survey and open-response questions for further qualitative analysis. Quantitative data analysis was completed using ANOVAs to determine if there were significant differences of teacher groups (subject taught, grade level taught, and years of teaching experience) use of iFAIT. This data analysis also included measures of frequency and paired sample t tests between the September and December 2012 responses. Qualitative data was analyzed using hand coding, word clouds, and WordSmith Tools. The triangulation of qualitative data in the quantitative data provided a narrative to document what collaborative factors affected the use of iFAIT. For school improvement and implementation of iFAIT, the study revealed that (1) with the right technology infrastructure, on-going professional development must be offered by administrators or sought after by teachers; (2) teachers must have strong beliefs in formative assessment and the technology that supports it; (3) open lines of communication must be supported through the PLC and administration; (4) teachers must see purpose in using revealing student data to drive instruction; and (5) PLCs must have common beliefs and believe that student achievement is connected to school improvement. PLCs should discuss data, share successes, and plan instruction through extended involvement in face-to-face and online venues as communities of practice.

No description available.

On-line writing workshops provide educational spaces within which aspiring writers can learn their craft. In order to understand the dialogic mechanisms behind that learning, this thesis examines ways in which one workshop, the Internet Writing Workshop (IWW), functions as a Freireian culture circle. The exegesis identifies several key characteristics that defined Paulo Freire's concept of the culture circle. It compares these characteristics with the structure and practice of interaction within the IWW. It unpacks some of Freire's ideas about dialogue as a means of achieving critical consciousness, and compares them to current learning theory and the ways in which dialogue takes place within the IWW community. The exegesis also examines some of the political axioms behind Freire's pedagogy, and examines ways in which the IWW community might be viewed as emancipatory or liberatory. I examine these areas in light of the development of a novel, Suicide Girls. The second draft of this novel was influenced and informed by my participant-observation of the IWW. This working draft of the novel is provided as a process document to demonstrate findings made in the exegesis and is annotated to reflect relevant process and development issues.

Thesis (EdD)--University of Central Florida, Spring 2004. / Title from title screen. Includes bibliographical references.

Abstract Since 2010, the National Agency for Education has had an intention to improve teaching and learning in schools by introducing collaborative structures. In order to develop a learning school organisation, with the aim that all students are able to reach their educational goals, shared responsibility and common learning is advocated. The study focuses on a school´s implementation of teaching learning communities (TLC) based on teachers´ engagement in systematic collaborative work. The theoretical framework is based on social- culture perspectives. The aim of the study is to explore important conditions as well as success factors which can be related to a TLC work. The analyses are based on nine interviews and findings indicate that challenging factors are; the importance of leadership, a democratic collaborative structure and the teachers´ attitudes towards professional learning. The success factors indicate that a collaborative teaching learning is possible by challenging each other’s ideas and practices, a development of professional language, increased self-esteem and the improvement of teacher´s relations and new perspectives according to teaching and pupil´s learning. The study indicates that a demanding factor for a well-performing teaching learning community is based on a well-organized leadership. Leaders ought to be aware of how democratic processes might threaten collaborative work and how a successful leadership is formed.

LOUREIRO, Robson Carlos. Proposição de modelo teórico para avaliar a coesão interna de comunidades virtuais de aprendizagem (CVA) no ensino superior. 2009. 233f. Tese (Doutorado em Educação) – Universidade Federal do Ceará, Faculdade de Educação, Programa de Pós-Graduação em Educação Brasileira, Fortaleza-CE, 2009. / Submitted by Maria Josineide Góis (josineide@ufc.br) on 2012-07-13T15:07:28Z No. of bitstreams: 1 2009_Tese_RCLOUREIRO.pdf: 1559268 bytes, checksum: fcf00e9d55a3108ac7369e821962b66b (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Maria Josineide Góis(josineide@ufc.br) on 2012-07-17T14:16:58Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 2009_Tese_RCLOUREIRO.pdf: 1559268 bytes, checksum: fcf00e9d55a3108ac7369e821962b66b (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2012-07-17T14:16:58Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 2009_Tese_RCLOUREIRO.pdf: 1559268 bytes, checksum: fcf00e9d55a3108ac7369e821962b66b (MD5) Previous issue date: 2009 / This paper aims to propose a model to evaluate the internal cohesion of virtual learning communities and provide a way for interventions to improve the quality of the learning community. Based on the study of the theoretical model was developed evaluation model called "ACICVA" which was tested in a virtual learning environment in an institution of higher education. The application of the model allowed to diagnose the level of community cohesion, assessed the need and outline proposals for action to foster greater cohesion quality of potential communities. Moreover, from the application of the model came new needs and ideas that may encourage the use of learning communities as an alternative to the improvement of higher education, the possibility of integrating the model in virtual space for easy access and integration of actions evaluative institutions of learning communities. / Na última década, em relação à educação superior, o surgimento de ambientes de aprendizagem, acessíveis através da grande rede, deu suporte para a formação de comunidades virtuais. Estas comunidades que se formam em instituições são formações sociais que necessitam ser pesquisadas e compreendidas dentro da acepção da ideia que representam para a educação e para o social. Este trabalho tem como objetivo propor um modelo para avaliação da coesão interna de uma comunidade virtual de aprendizagem e, desta forma, estabelecer o nível de integração na comunidade e proporcionar um caminho para intervenções que melhorem a qualidade da comunidade de aprendizagem. A partir do estudo do referencial teórico foi desenvolvido um modelo de avaliação denominado MCICA que foi testado em um ambiente virtual de aprendizagem em uma instituição do ensino superior. O modelo MCICA foi inspirado na teoria de fluxo de Czikszentmihalyi e desenvolvido com base em extensos estudos dos teóricos que abordam as comunidades presenciais e virtuais. Assim, ainda que o modelo tenha sido desenvolvido, inicialmente, para avaliar comunidades virtuais de aprendizagem, ele pode ser usado para avaliar comunidades presenciais. Quanto à testagem do modelo, se trabalhou com base em abordagem etnometodológica e os dados foram tratados quanti-qualitativamente. A aplicação do modelo possibilitou diagnosticar o nível de coesão nas possíveis comunidades avaliadas e delinear a necessidade propostas de intervenção para favorecer a melhoria da qualidade de coesão das potenciais comunidades. Além disso, a partir da aplicação do modelo surgiram novas necessidades e ideias que podem incentivar a utilização de comunidades de aprendizagem como alternativa para a melhoria da educação superior, a possibilidade de integrar o modelo em espaço virtual para facilitar o acesso e integração de ações avaliativas institucionais das comunidades de aprendizagem. A proposta do modelo MCICA pode ser utilizada como um caminho para resolver uma parte das necessidades de avaliação das instituições que atuam através do meio virtual e que fomentam a formação de comunidades virtuais de aprendizagem, proporcionando uma leitura das interações interpessoais e a busca da melhoria da qualidade dentro destes espaços digitais e presenciais.

abstract: ABSTRACT This mixed methods study examined how a high-poverty urban school district implemented four initiatives to support special education teachers and increase student achievement. The initiatives that were implemented consisted of direct instruction teaching methods, the use of a district-approved curriculum, monitoring program fidelity with walkthroughs, and increased professional development opportunities. Quantitatively, the study compared walkthrough data and student achievement scores. The walkthrough data was collected from 52 special education teachers employed at the 19 schools making up the district while teaching reading and math. Student achievement scores were collected from the students taught by the 52 special education teachers. The walkthrough data compared the percentage of students making academic growth on district assessments with the percentage of teachers implementing the district initiatives with a high level of fidelity. Data was collected and analyzed between the first and third quarters of the 2013–2014 school year. Qualitatively, six special education teachers were interviewed to examine their thoughts on the change process and to determine their needs to be successful as they continued to implement the district initiatives. The results of the quantitative data indicated that students demonstrated growth as walkthrough scores increased in 16 out of 19 schools, specifically in the area of math. Fidelity to the initiatives increased throughout the year as teachers began to use and implement the initiatives. The results of the qualitative data indicated that special education teachers positively responded to the support they received through the Special Services ii Department and the district’s initiatives. Using grounded theory, it was determined that teachers need opportunities for collaboration, feedback, and time to practice in order to be successful. Lastly, the epilogue discusses the next steps that are being taken by the district to support all students with their learning needs. / Dissertation/Thesis / Appendix G--Contains Qualitative and Quantitative Data Used in the Study / Doctoral Dissertation Educational Administration and Supervision 2015