Humans carry mental models concerning the behaviors, looks, and operation of products, tools, and items used in their daily lives. When these items do not fit a user's conceptual model confusion and inefficiency occur. There are four basic types of mental models based on interactive activities: 1) instructing, 2) conversing, 3) manipulating and navigating, and 4) exploring and browsing. This thesis will focus on the conversing conceptual model and its application to communications between human-agent teams to best fit a user's mental model for that communication. A non-anthropomorphic framework does not exist for use in military applications such as; target detection, nuclear, biological, and chemical agent detection, and explosive ordinance disposal. As agents become increasingly autonomous and complex in the currently military working environment an effective and un-confusing non-anthropomorphic meta-language framework must be explored and developed to fulfill the need for human-agent communications. The meta-language framework may consist of visual and audio cues as pose, motion, color, and non-speech sounds. This thesis will attempt to identify and evaluate a non-anthropomorphic framework of communications between human-human, human-agents, and agent-agent teams that will maximize the effectiveness of the communications in terms of efficiency and interpretation.

<p>This thesis describes initial language extensions to the Modelica language to define a more general language called PDEModelica, with built-in support for modeling with partial differential equations (PDEs). Modelica® is a standardized modeling language for objectoriented, equation-based modeling. It also supports component-based modeling where existing components with modified parameters can be combined into new models. The aim of the language presented in this thesis is to maintain the advantages of Modelica and also add partial differential equation support.</p><p>Partial differential equations can be defined using a coefficient-based approach, where a predefined PDE is modified by changing its coefficient values. Language operators to directly express PDEs in the language are also discussed. Furthermore, domain geometry description is handled and language extensions to describe geometries are presented. Boundary conditions, required for a complete PDE problem definition, are also handled.</p><p>A prototype implementation is described as well. The prototype includes a translator written in the relational meta-language, RML, and interfaces to external software such as mesh generators and PDE solvers, which are needed to solve PDE problems. Finally, a few examples modeled with PDEModelica and solved using the prototype are presented.</p> / Report code: LiU-Tek-Lic-2002:63.

Performing computational experiments on mathematical models instead of building and testing physical prototypes can drastically reduce the develop cost for complex systems such as automobiles, aircraft, and powerplants. In the past three decades, a new category of equation-based modeling languages has appeared that is based on acausal and object-oriented modeling principles, enabling good reuse of models.  However, the modeling languages within this category have grown to be large and complex, where the specifications of the language's semantics are informally defined, typically described in natural languages. The lack of a formal semantics makes these languages hard to interpret unambiguously and to reason about. This thesis concerns the problem of designing the semantics of such equation-based modeling languages in a way that allows formal reasoning and increased correctness. The work is presented in two parts. In the first part we study the state-of-the-art modeling language Modelica.  We analyze the concepts of types in Modelica and conclude that there are two kinds of type concepts: class types and object types. Moreover, a concept called structural constraint delta is proposed, which is used for isolating the faults of an over- or under-determined model. In the second part, we introduce a new research language called the Modeling Kernel Language (MKL). By introducing the concept of higher-order acausal models (HOAMs), we show that it is possible to create expressive modeling libraries in a manner analogous to Modelica, but using a small and simple language concept. In contrast to the current state-of-the-art modeling languages, the semantics of how to use the models, including meta operations on models, are also specified in MKL libraries. This enables extensible formal executable specifications where important language features are expressed through libraries rather than by adding completely new language constructs. MKL is a statically typed language based on a typed lambda calculus. We define the core of the language formally using operational semantics and prove type safety.  An MKL interpreter is implemented and verified in comparison with a Modelica environment.

Made available in DSpace on 2015-05-14T12:40:08Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 arquivototal.pdf: 331049 bytes, checksum: fdea5fa1b6a755fedcd2a8b5cafb2a6b (MD5) Previous issue date: 2007-05-21 / Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior - CAPES / This work proposes a reading of Paulo Leminski´s poetry departing form the idea of capricho e relaxo and articulating semiotic consciousness and lirism., humour and meta-language. The analysis is made based on the melopoeia, phanopoeia, and logopoeia, categories developed by Ezra Pound, the entrangement (ostranenie) concept (Victor Chklovski) and the sound identity concept (Roman Jacobson). The context in which the poems are inserted is the new rising of the verse after the explicit dialogue between Leminski s poetry and the Concrete Poetry Movement in Brazil. In that sense, Leminski s diction, rooted on what we call condensation craftsmanship , it conciliates formal strictness and unruliness, the consciousness of the materiality of signs and colloquial language. Key words: meta-language, semiotic consciousness, colloquial language. / Esta dissertação faz uma leitura da poesia de Paulo Leminski a partir da idéia de capricho e relaxo , articulando consciência semiótica e lirismo, humor e metalinguagem. A análise é realizada apoiando-se nas categorias de melopéia, fanopéia e logopéia desenvolvidas por Ezra Pound, além dos conceitos de estranhamento (Vítor Chklóvski) e identidade sonora (Roman Jakobson). O contexto em que se insere os poemas é o da retomada do verso após o diálogo mais explícito da produção leminskiana com a Poesia Concreta. Neste sentido, a dicção de Leminski, radicada em artesanato de condensação, concilia rigor formal e desregramento, consciência da materialidade dos signos e linguagem coloquial.

Notre étude porte sur l’observation de connaissances linguistiques et métalinguistiques chez les adultes francophones apprenant l’Espagnol Langue Étrangère (ELE). Ces connaissances constituent la compétence grammaticale que les apprenants construisent au fur et à mesure qu’ils s’approprient la L2.Dans le but d’observer ces connaissances au stade intermédiaire d’apprentissage — c’est-à-dire au niveau seuil (B1) établi par le Cadre Commun de Référence pour les Langues (Conseil de l’Europe, 2001) —, nous avons procédé à une étude expérimentale auprès de 30 adultes francophones. Notre démarche comporte 2 tâches d’expérimentation : une tâche de décision et une tâche de production orale. La tâche de décision repose sur un test de jugement de grammaticalité : on demande aux participants d’évaluer, dans un temps limité, un corpus des phrases (exposées les unes après les autres, à la fois à l’écrit et à l’oral) dont certaines contenaient une erreur. Le corpus de phrases présenté à nouveau sur papier, on demande ensuite aux participants de donner un jugement définitif (sans mesure de temps de réponse), à partir duquel, s’ils jugent une phrase incorrecte, ils doivent indiquer où se situe l’erreur et l’expliquer. Quant à la tâche de production orale, il a été demandé aux participants de produire un discours descriptif et narratif en L2 espagnol à l’aide d’un stimulus visuel (bande dessinée). Les résultats de nos tâches expérimentales nous ont permis de recueillir des données sur le temps de réponse, sur la capacité de jugement de phrases, sur le type de discours employé pour expliquer l’erreur et sur les structures syntaxiques utilisées spontanément en production orale.Ces données sont analysées et discutées en vue de fournir des pistes sur la capacité des adultes francophones apprenant l’ELE à détecter des erreurs en langue cible et à en expliciter les règles transgressées ; sur les problèmes qu’ils retrouvent dans leur appropriation du système grammatical de l’espagnol ; et sur les connaissances dont ils se servent pour analyser et produire les structures de la langue objet. En outre, les résultats obtenus nous permettent à notre tour d’envisager autrement l’apprentissage de la grammaire de l’espagnol et d’avancer la perspective d’un modèle d’enseignement adapté aux capacités métacognitives et métalinguistiques de l’apprenant francophone. / The framework of our study is focused on the assessment of linguistic and metalinguistic knowledge of francophone adults learning Spanish as a foreign language. This knowledge constitutes the basis of grammatical competence built by learners as they develop skills in the target language.Our aim is the observation of linguistic and metalinguistic knowledge used by francophone adult learners of Spanish as a second language (L2). Thus, we designed and directed an experimental study to 30 French-speakers with a threshold-level in Spanish, based on the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (Council of Europe, 2001). Our approach consisted of two experimental tasks: A decision making task and a task of oral production. The first task was conducted with a grammaticality judgement test in which participants had to evaluate, in a limited response time, a corpus of 36 sentences (presented one after the other, at both written and oral). The second task was conducted with the definitive confirmation of judgments about the corpus. Participants were thus asked to give a final judgement about the correctness of sentences (without measuring response time). If they judged a sentence as incorrect, they have to specify the error and explain it. As for the oral production task, the participants were asked to produce a descriptive and narrative speech in Spanish by using visual stimuli (a comic strip). The results achieved allowed us to collect data on the response time, on the sentences judgment ability, on the type of speech used to explain the error and on syntactical structures used spontaneously in oral speech. Those data were analyzed and discussed with the aim of providing insights on the capacity of francophone adults learning Spanish as a foreign language for detecting and explaining errors in the target language; on their difficulties in acquiring the Spanish grammatical system; and on their knowledge to analyze and produce structures in target language.The results enabled us to reconsider the learning of Spanish grammar otherwise with a view to teaching models adapted to the metacognitive and metalinguistic skills of francophone learners.

This thesis describes initial language extensions to the Modelica language to define a more general language called PDEModelica, with built-in support for modeling with partial differential equations (PDEs). Modelica® is a standardized modeling language for objectoriented, equation-based modeling. It also supports component-based modeling where existing components with modified parameters can be combined into new models. The aim of the language presented in this thesis is to maintain the advantages of Modelica and also add partial differential equation support. Partial differential equations can be defined using a coefficient-based approach, where a predefined PDE is modified by changing its coefficient values. Language operators to directly express PDEs in the language are also discussed. Furthermore, domain geometry description is handled and language extensions to describe geometries are presented. Boundary conditions, required for a complete PDE problem definition, are also handled. A prototype implementation is described as well. The prototype includes a translator written in the relational meta-language, RML, and interfaces to external software such as mesh generators and PDE solvers, which are needed to solve PDE problems. Finally, a few examples modeled with PDEModelica and solved using the prototype are presented. / <p>Report code: LiU-Tek-Lic-2002:63.</p>

The research examines pedagogical approaches to work on interpreting expressions in a developed educational organisation. The essay contains two analyses: A re-analysis of a previous study (study 1) where two art educators in a museum art program were interviewed and a new empirical study with two art educators from Levande Verkstad (study 2). In study 1 it became apparent that conversations about images are not an isolated activity that take place at a specific instance in the art-process. Five different teaching moments for interpreting expressions were identified. These teaching moments, together with the didactic basic questions of why and how, created the analys-model used in the study. Previous studies shows a gap in knowledge on aesthetic learning processes when it comes to interpreting expression. Research shows that both teachers and students find activities of interpreting expression difficult. The theory section shows links between experience, reflection and learning by linking theories from Dewey and Dreyfus and Dreyfus. Theories concerning multiliteracy, text interpretation and literacy learning are tested against the activity interpreting expression in order to clarify the research question. The interviews show that the educators have well-thought-out and locally known methods and a local meta-language for teaching the ability to interpret expression.  The educators use expression as a didactic tool by among other things treat artifacts as narrative and by avoiding describing artifacts in the terms "fine" or "ugly". For the educators in the study, the expression also becomes a didactic goal since the purpose of the teaching design is to find a personal expression of ones own / Studien undersöker pedagogers förhållningssätt kring arbete med att tolka uttryck i en kvalificerad pedagogisk verksamhet. Uppsatsen innehåller två analyser: En re-analys av en tidigare opublicerad studie (studie 1) där två konstpedagoger i en bildpedagogisk museiverksamhet intervjuades samt en ny empirisk undersökning där två bildpedagoger från Levande Verkstad intervjuades (studie 2). I studie 1 framkom att samtal om bilder inte är en isolerad aktivitet som sker vid ett avgränsat tillfälle i skaparprocessen. Fem olika undervisningsmoment för att tolka uttryck kunde identifieras. Dessa undervisningsmoment, tillsammans med de didaktiska grundfrågorna varför och hur, skapade den analysmodell som används i studien. Tidigare forskning visar på ett glapp i forskning kring estetiska lärprocesser när det gäller tolka uttryck. Den forskning som finns visar att både lärare och elever tycker att tolka uttryck är svårt. Teoriavsnittet visar på samband mellan erfarenhet, reflektion och lärande genom att knyta samman teorier från Dewey samt Dreyfus och Dreyfus. Teorier kring multiliteracy, texttolkning och läsinlärning provas mot aktiviteten ”tolka uttryck” i syfte att klargöra forskningsfrågan. Intervjuerna i empirin visar att pedagogerna har genomtänkta och lokalt kända metoder och ett lokalt metaspråk för att arbeta med att utveckla förmågan att tolka uttryck. Pedagogerna använder uttrycket som didaktiskt verktyg bland annat genom att se artefakter som berättande och genom att undvika att beskriva artefakter i termerna ”fint” eller ”fult”. För pedagogerna i studien blir uttrycket också ett didaktiskt mål då syftet med undervisningsdesignen är att hitta ett eget personligt uttryck.

Submitted by Jorge Silva (jorgelmsilva@ufrrj.br) on 2018-05-10T20:16:39Z No. of bitstreams: 1 2015 - Mario Sergio Mangabeira Junior.pdf: 1722764 bytes, checksum: dcf20c9a9ec66fbd796c6b3d57e36bca (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2018-05-10T20:16:39Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 2015 - Mario Sergio Mangabeira Junior.pdf: 1722764 bytes, checksum: dcf20c9a9ec66fbd796c6b3d57e36bca (MD5) Previous issue date: 2015-07-17 / CAPES / This study aims to present a discussion about compound sentences and how they are taught, as well as about text production in a metasyntactic approach. It was discovered that most students who start the 6th grade of elementary school produce juxtaposed simple sentences or compound sentences using the prototypical connective "and". The fact that subordinate and coordinative constructions are not used is considered to be the reason why it is impossible to produce coherent and cohesive texts, as writing requires. In this conjuncture, the Dissertation proposes, through the action-research methodology (TRIPP, 2005), intervention sessions in a group of public school 6th graders in the municipality of Rio de Janeiro. The students carried out activities which aim to help them improve the production of infra-sentential and sentential structures when it comes clause articulation. Such activities have been prepared from the meta-linguistic and metasyntactic perspective in order to develop student-reflective awareness of the language, its structure and its uses (GOMBERT, 1992,2003; CORREA, 2004) as well as the processes used to learn and evaluate process, metacognitively speaking (FLAVELL, 1979). From the analysis of pre- and post-tests applied at the beginning and end of the study, the results showed a relative improvement in the students ?writing performance with regard to constructions that establish logical-discursive relations of adversity, cause, completion and purpose. It pointed out to the need for expansion of the investigation proposed by the research to disseminate more pieces of evidences to support the relationship between metasyntactic awareness and better performance in the production of texts in relation to their microstructure. / O presente trabalho tem por objetivo apresentar uma discuss?o sobre o per?odo composto, seu ensino e a produ??o textual em uma abordagem metassint?tica. Verificou-se que a maioria dos alunos que chegam ao 6? ano do Ensino Fundamental produz per?odos simples justapostos ou per?odos compostos que utilizam o conectivo protot?pico ?e?. Considera-se que o fato da n?o utiliza??o de constru??es subordinativas e coordenativas impossibilita a produ??o textos coerentes e coesos, como a modalidade escrita exige. Diante desse panorama, a Disserta??o prop?e, atrav?s da metodologia da pesquisa-a??o (TRIPP, 2005), sess?es de interven??o para um grupo de alunos de 6? ano de escola p?blica do munic?pio do Rio de Janeiro. Os discentes realizaram atividades que procuram ajud?-los no aprimoramento da produ??o de estruturas infra-sentenciais e sentenciais no que tange a articula??es de ora??es. Tais atividades foram elaboradas a partir da perspectiva metalingu?stica e metassint?tica no intuito de desenvolver, no aluno, a consci?ncia reflexiva em rela??o ? l?ngua, sua estrutura e seus usos (GOMBERT, 1992,2003; CORR?A, 2004) bem como os processos utilizados para aprender e avaliar o processo, na perspectiva metacognitiva (FLAVELL, 1979). A partir da an?lise do pr? e p?s-teste aplicados no in?cio e no fim da pesquisa, os resultados mostraram uma relativa melhora no desempenho da produ??o escrita dos alunos no que se refere ?s constru??es que estabelecem rela??es l?gico-discursivas de adversidade, causa, conclus?o e finalidade. ? apontada a necessidade de amplia??o das investiga??es propostas pela pesquisa para a difus?o de mais evid?ncias que comprovem a rela??o entre a consci?ncia metassint?tica e um melhor desempenho na produ??o de textos, no que se refere a sua microestrutura.

The aim of this dissertation is to describe and analyze how discourse as a theoretical and didactical concept can help in advancing knowledge about the teaching of mathematics in school. The dissertation has been written within a socio-cultural perspective where active participation and support from artefacts and mediation are viewed as important contributions to the development of understanding. Discourse analysis was used as a theoretical point of departure to grasp language use, knowledge construction and mathematical content in the teaching practises. The collection of empirical data was made up of video and audio tape recordings of the interaction of teachers and pupils in mathematics classrooms when they deal with problem-solving tasks, as well as discussions between student teachers as they engage in planning a teaching situation in mathematics. Discourse analysis was used as a tool to shed light upon how pupils learn and develop understanding of mathematics. The results of my studies demonstrate that discussions very often are located in either a mathematical or in an every-day discourse. Furthermore, the results demonstrate how change between every-day and mathematical language often takes place unknowingly. Also the results underline that a specific and precise dialogue can contribute towards teachers’ and pupils’ conscious participation in the learning process. Translated into common vocabulary such as speak, think, write, listen and read teachers and pupils would be able to interact over concepts, signs, words, symbols, situations and phenomena in every-day discourse and its mathematical counterpart. When teachers and pupils become aware of discursive boundary crossing in mathematics an understanding of mathematical phenomena can start to develop. Teachers and pupils can construct a meta-language leading to new knowledge and new learning in mathematics. / Syftet med avhandlingen är att beskriva och analysera hur diskurs som teoretiskt- didaktiskt begrepp kan bidra till att utveckla kunskap i och om matematik i skolan. Avhandlingen skrivs utifrån ett sociokulturellt perspektiv där aktivt deltagande med hjälp av artefakter och mediering är viktiga bidrag till förståelsen. För att få syn på språket, kunskapen och matematiken i matematikundervisningen används diskursanalys som teoretisk utgångspunkt och metod. Data insamlingen består av video- och ljudbandsinspelningar av lärares och elevers samtal i ett matematikklassrum då de arbetar med problemlösning och lärarstudenters samtal när de planerar en undervisningssituation i matematik. Diskusanalys har använts som ett redskap för att upptäcka hur elever lär och utvecklar sin förståelse av matematik. Resultaten visar att i mina studier befinner sig samtalet ofta antingen i en matematisk eller i en vardaglig diskurs. Växlingen mellan vardagligt och matematiskt språk sker ofta omedvetet. I avhandlingen understryks att ett specifikt och precist samtal i matematik underlättar ömsesidig förståelse och kan bidra till att lärare och elever blir delaktiga i lärandet. Med hjälp av orden tala, tänka, skriva, lyssna och läsa skulle lärare och elever kunna interagera kring begrepp, tecken, ord, symboler, situationer och företeelser i den vardagliga och den matematiska diskursen och förståelse skulle lättare kunna äga rum i matematik. Genom att lärare och elever blir medvetna om hur de passerar diskursiva gränser både i matematiken och mellan matematik och vardag kan förståelse klargöras. Lärare och elever skulle kunna utveckla ett metaspråk som leder till ny kunskap och nytt lärande inom matematiken i skolan.

Mathematical modelling problems are embedded in written, representational, and graphic text. For students to actively engage in the mathematical-modelling process, they require literacy. Of critical importance is the comprehension of the problems' text information, data, and goals. This design-research study investigated the application of top-level structuring; a literary, organisational, structuring strategy, to mathematical-modelling problems. The research documents how students' mathematical modelling was changed when two classes of Year 4 students were shown, through a series of lessons, how to apply top-level structure to two scientifically-based, mathematical-modelling problems. The methodology used a design-based research approach, which included five phases. During Phase One, consultations took place with the principal and participant teachers. As well, information on student numeracy and literacy skills was gathered from the Queensland Year 3 'Aspects of Numeracy' and 'Aspects of Literacy' tests. Phase Two was the initial implementation of top-level structure with one class of students. In Phase Three, the first mathematical-modelling problem was implemented with the two Year 4 classes. Data was collected through video and audio taping, student work samples, teacher and researcher observations, and student presentations. During Phase Four, the top-level structure strategy was implemented with the second Year 4 class. In Phase Five, the second mathematical-modelling problem was investigated by both classes, and data was again collected through video and audio taping, student work samples, teacher and researcher observations, and student presentations. The key finding was that top-level structure had a positive impact on students' mathematical modelling. Students were more focussed on mathematising, acquired key mathematical knowledge, and used high-level, mathematically-based peer questioning and responses after top-level structure instruction. This research is timely and pertinent to the needs of mathematics education today because of its recognition of the need for mathematical literacy. It reflects international concerns on the need for more research in problem solving. It is applicable to real-world problem solving because mathematical-modelling problems are focussed in real-world situations. Finally, it investigates the role literacy plays in the problem-solving process.