Detta examensarbete har sitt fokus på förskolebarnens lek och dess olika former med handdockan. Syftet med denna studie var att undersöka hur barnen intregerar med handdockan och hur de använder dem som medierande redskap. Undersökningen var utförd som en observationsstudie av barnen på en förskola i åldern 3-5 år. De resultat som framkommit pekar på att en handdockas närvaro i barnens lek kan te sig på skilda sätt. Barns möte med handdockan kan både inspirerea, utmana och försvåra leken. De lekformer som synliggjorts i denna studie visade att imitation och transformation stod i centrum. En annan upptäckt som gjordes under studien var pojkars och flickors skilda sätt att leka med handdockorna. Handdockan kan fungera som ett redskap som kan återspegla tidigare händelser och i och med detta försökte barnen få en förståelse för det som de upplevt. En handdocka kan ge barnen vissa budskap som berikar deras lekar, deras utveckling och det livslånga lärandet. För dessa barn kunde handdockan tillsammans med barnens egna erfarenheter fungera som ett medierande redskap och guida dem till en förståelse av sin omvärld. Denna studie representerar även de barn som hade vissa svårigheter att ta till sig handdockor i leken. Kanske kunde detta bero på att handdockorna inte gav dem några associationer, vare sig i den faktiska eller fiktiva omvärlden.

The aim of this thesis is to investigate how new knowledge can be developed in computer-supported social practice. Participants were selected from newly qualified secondary school teachers and student teachers at a higher education institution in Rwanda. The thesis consists of four empirical case studies, the findings of which were analysed from a sociocultural perspective. In the first study, it has been shown that novice teachers are motivated to acquire information and communication technology (ICT) and to use it in their teaching and learning. The study also reveals that they succeed in situations where school administrators grant them easy access to computers. This implies a need to develop school-based curricula and appropriate pedagogy in the area of ICT literacy, which can allow teachers to develop critical reflection vis-à-vis the new technology and enable them to cope with change in social practice. In the second study, it has been shown that, while acquiring hands-on computer skills in small task-based groups, student teachers can adopt one of the three major learning patterns: individual-led, group-led, or individual-group hybrid-led. Moreover, the study shows that the group-led framework seems to create a supportive environment for knowledge building. This may require that students receive the right kind of teacher assistance and focus on criterion-referenced reflection to regulate their learning. The findings of the third article reveal that students coping with web-based literature face a twofold reality of learning discourse rooted in their sociocultural and educational contexts: the one conveyed through the foreign languages in which they are instructed, the other whose vehicle is their native language. The study suggests an alternative way of constructing a substantial learning discourse based on dissolution of language boundaries. The fourth article shows that appropriation of ICT use can stem from learning conditions including users’ motivation and their participation in social practice. Additionally, it can stem from collaboration between active users and other students. Given this, the study suggests that active ICT users can play a role as agents of change in the implementation of the new technology. Together, the four studies show that thinking and learning with ICT can develop through the interplay of mediation, learning conditions, collaboration and critical reflection.

The aim of this study is to examine whether mini whiteboards can counteract the culture of silence that prevails in some classrooms. The focus is on seeing if the use of the mathematics didactic tool, mini whiteboard, can be used as part of activating the students to participate and contribute to a more dialogic teaching. The results are analyzed from the sociocultural perspective with a focus on mediating tools, dialogue and interaction. The results of this study show that teachers use the mini whiteboard in different ways. One method is to let students work in pairs to discuss issues together. Another method is to create a classroom where the students learn from each other. Teachers experience the mini whiteboard in different ways. They believe that it can contribute to learning but have a shared meaning. In a way, it can be used to create more dialogue and thus develop learning. Another technique is to use the tool to make the pupils more confident, which in a way develops learning. The results show an increased participation in the classes. Most students agree that the mini whiteboard is a positive tool that helps them to show their knowledge without feeling pressured. The students appreciate that the whiteboard contributes to them receiving direct feedback and can thus feel safe in further discussions.