This thesis can be described in various terms. It is a translation of Vygotsky's theory of scientific concepts, in reality a theory of development, into a theory of mathematics teaching and learning. It is a theorisation, and development, of connectionist pedagogy in mathematics (a relatively underdeveloped, yet exemplary, amalgam of various reform/progressive /meaningful approaches to teaching). And, it is an investigation of the elements and processes involved in mathematical concept development, and the mediating role which classroom tasks can play. Alongside this, these understandings are embedded within a wider understanding of society, schooling, mathematics and mathematics teaching which help explain the current dominant practice in the classroom, and in doing so add to the understandings already described. In sum, the thesis therefore represents the beginnings of a systematic Marxist perspective of mathematics education which can cohere analysis at the multiple levels of society, schooling, classroom teaching and learning, and individual concept development. As such it is also, as should always be the case with Marxist perspectives, a guide to action for critical mathematics educators. The thesis begins with context, motivation and strategy, an overview of relevant literature, and an explanation of the methodology and methods used within. The relationship between Vygotsky's theory of concept development and connectionist teaching is then outlined and developed. The wider societal perspective follows, with an emphasis on generalised commodity production as the key shaper of schools and classrooms. Both of these themes are then developed in relation to the example of vocational mathematics, both providing evidence of the existence and nature of scientific activity and concepts, and connecting their absence to the obstacles related in the previous section. The thesis continues by exploring a pedagogical development based on Vygotsky's theory, looking at the explicit problematising of generalisation, and analysing classroom dialogue in relation to this. In the other direction, a theoretical development is then made, following an illustration of the pedagogical and theoretical framework through the development of a particular concept. Finally, conclusions are drawn and future work outlined.

Prior to the advent of the new democratic political dispensation in 1994, South African education had laboured under racially motivated discriminatory practices of active exclusion of the majority of learners. The authoritarian system located educational problems in the perceived deficiencies of the learner rather than in the repressive, top-down, non-participative, unreflective and uninclusive practices of the prevailing educational orthodoxy of the time. After 1994, the broader reconceptualisation of South African education sought to redress the imbalances of the past by creating equal opportunities for all learners, irrespective of race or creed. However, the difficult conundrum was how such a complex systemic change could be driven by teachers who had not only been trained in a heavily segregated educational system but formed part of it. Therefore, the aim of the thesis was to determine how teachers conceptualised inclusive teaching, explore the teaching practices that were believed to be effective in promoting inclusion in the South African secondary classrooms, and determine how they could be developed. The two-dimensional research study firstly took the form of a qualitative collaborative action research project conducted with a team of fifteen teachers at a single South African secondary school. The project was non-positivistic, critical, emancipatory and allowed the participants jointly to define the constructs of inclusive education, inclusive teaching and inclusive class; to identify practices of inclusion through observation; to adopt other practices in their classes; to determine the effect of such practices on inclusive teaching and learning; and finally to draw conclusions about the specific practices that were clearly effective in the context of their school. Secondly, an inductive analytical framework was used by the researcher to determine the theoretical contribution the study would make to the notion of developing inclusive teaching practices and determining the way this could be achieved within the South African school context. Data were collected through a series of meetings, participant observations, focus-group interviews, and one-on-one semi-structured interviews during the action-research stages of planning, action and reflection. Limitations were the teacher-researchers' lack of experience in conducting research and the limited time the research team had to complete the research tasks. The findings indicate that, at the time of the research, the conceptualisations of inclusive teaching and inclusive pedagogy were varied and continued to be influenced by the former special-needs education system. Moreover, the findings show that, while the inclusive practices identified by the teachers in this study are popular in the international literature, they need to be contextualised in and made relevant to the South African situation. However, it is clear that the teachers' experience of participating in the action-research process had raised their awareness of the importance of inclusive teaching, promoted a sense of emancipation, and held out the prospect of successful and possibly lasting change. These findings clearly imply that the reconceptualisation of inclusive pedagogy should always take place within a specific context, and that South African teachers in particular should form communities of inquiry to reflect on and develop their inclusive practices. The study has captured the essence of inclusion within the South African school context and has identified areas that need further research, for example the impact of different cultural beliefs on both teachers and learners in relation to inclusion. In conclusion, the study has demonstrated the unique contribution of action research in promoting continuous reflection, revision and intervention as indispensable procedures in the process of improving inclusive teaching and learning.

No description available.

La présente recherche vise à décrire, dans le contexte universitaire toulousain, les différents usages pédagogiques des étudiants en MITIC et en vidéos, et à mieux comprendre s’il peut exister un lien favorable entre MITIC et vidéo et réussite éducative afin de pouvoir mettre les MITIC et les vidéos à contribution pour améliorer significativement les niveaux d’études universitaires des étudiants. Cette recherche est tout spécialement importante dans notre contexte où les MITIC et les vidéos font de plus en plus leur apparition en pédagogie d’enseignement supérieur et où les étudiants fréquentent les MITIC et les vidéos dans leurs pratiques plus que les enseignants. Le cadre de référence retenu pour la recherche est structuré autour des concepts de l’intégration des MITIC et vidéo en enseignement, de l’apprentissage lié aux MITIC et aux vidéos, de facteurs de la réussite éducative. Pour atteindre nos objectifs, nous avons opté pour une démarche quantitative. Nous avons mené une enquête par questionnaire auprès de 554 étudiants. Il ressort des résultats que la majorité des étudiants ont une opinion en général positive sur l’apport des MITIC et des vidéos pour l’enseignement et l’apprentissage actif. D’où, un avis en général favorable sur le lien entre l’usage des MITIC et des vidéos et la réussite éducative. La conséquence logique de ces résultats est qu’il existe un lien significatif entre MITIC et vidéos et réussite éducative en contexte universitaire toulousain. / The objective of this research is to describe, in the context of university in Toulouse, the different educational uses of students in MIICT, in videos, and to better understand whether there can be a positive relationship between MIICT, video and educational success in order to be able to put the MIICT and video to contribute to improve significantly the levels of academic study of students. This research is especially important in our context where the appearance MIICT and the videos are more and more in pedagogy of higher education and where students are attending to the MIICT and videos in their practices more than teachers. The research framework is therefore structured around the concepts of the integration of MIITC and video in teaching and learning with MIICT, and factors of the educational success.To achieve our objectives, we used a quantitative approach. We administered a survey questionnaire to 554 students. It is clear from the results that, in general, the majority of students have an agreement in general positive of the contribution of MIICT and videos for teaching and active learning. Hence, an agreement, in general, favorable of the link between the use of MIICT and videos and educational success. The logical consequence of these results is that there is a significant relationship between MIICT/videos and educational success in university of Toulouse II. / يهدف البحث الحالي إلى وصف مختلف الاستخدامات التعليمية للطلاب في الإعلام والصور وتكنولوجيا المعلومات والاتصالات mitic والفيديو، ضمن سياق جامعة تولوز 2، وإلى فهم أفضل ما إذا كان هناك صلة مواتية بين mitic والفيديو والنجاح التعليميّ، وذلك من أجل إمكانية وضع الـ mitic والفيديو للمساهمة في تحسين مستويات النجاح الدراسيّ الجامعيّ بشكل أكبر. يكتسب هذا البحث أهمية خاصة في سياق الدراسة حيث تظهر الـ mitic والفيديو بصورة متزايدة في طرق التّعليم الجامعيّ وحيث أنّ الطلاب يميلون بشكل ملحوظ لاستخدام أدوات التكنولوجيا في تطبيقاتهم وأنشطتهم التّعليمية بشكل أكتر من الأساتذة. يتمحّور إطار البحث حول مفاهيم دمج الـ mitic والفيديو في التدريس، والتّعليم ذات الصلة بتكنولوجيا الإعلام والمعلومات والاتصالات والفيديو، وعوامل النجاح التعليميّ. ولتحقيق أهدافنا، اتّبعنا المنهج الكميّ. حيث أجرينا استبيان ل 554 طالب جامعي. وتظهر النتائج أنّ غالبية الطلاب لديهم اتفاق إيجابي بالعموم حول مساهمة تكنولوجيا الإعلام والصور والاتصالات والمعلومات والفيديو من أجل تعلّم فعّال. هذا الاتفاق مواتٍ بالعموم للربط بين استخدام الـ mitic والفيديو وبين النجاح التعليميّ للطلبة. النتيجة المنطقية لهذه النتائج هي أنّ هناك علاقة كبيرة بين استخدام الـ mitic والفيديو وبين النجاح التعليميّ في سياق جامعة تولوز2.

The purpose of this study was to identify instructional practices that are effective for teaching boys in all-boys, independent schools in Virginia. Teachers' self-reported levels of preparedness to teach boys was also investigated. The study was a basic qualitative study that used a qualitatively designed survey to collect data regarding the instructional teaching practices used by teachers of all-boys, independent schools in Virginia. The reported data identified several instructional practices that align with prior research conducted by Reichert and Hawley (2010b). The findings of this study indicated that active movement and hands-on, interactive learning are effective instructional practices for teaching boys. Additionally, the study indicated that teachers are prepared to teach boys, and relationships built on trust and respect are important for boys to learn. / Doctor of Education / The purpose of this study was to identify instructional practices that are effective for teaching boys in all-boys, independent schools in Virginia. Teachers' self-reported levels of preparedness to teach boys was also investigated. For the purposes of this study, the term "instructional practice" refers to a specific teaching method used in a lesson, unit of study, or assigned task that is effective. The participants could deem the practice effective for a variety of reasons, either measurable or immeasurable, including but not limited to a boy's performance level, behavior, engagement, attentiveness, motivation, and/or overall quality of work. The study was a basic qualitative study that used a qualitatively designed survey to collect data regarding the instructional teaching practices used by teachers of all-boys, independent schools in Virginia. The reported data identified several instructional practices that align with prior research conducted by Reichert and Hawley (2010b). The findings of this study indicated that active movement and hands-on, interactive learning are effective instructional practices for teaching boys. Additionally, the study indicated that teachers are prepared to teach boys, and relationships built on trust and respect are important for boys to learn.

This study aims to investigate the impact of using stories in pre-school mathematics teaching in Saudi Arabia. An intervention was designed to promote interactive teaching and learning in eight classrooms across three private schools. Integral to the intervention was a series of five stories especially written by the researcher based around the same central characters; reflecting the cultural setting familiar to the children, and with a problem-solving storyline. The stories include a range of mathematical facts, skills and concepts applicable to young learners. Additional resource materials to accompany the stories were also designed and provided for the participating teachers. The researcher adopted a qualitative, constructivist, technical action research approach and three data collection tools were used: a bibliographical questionnaire for the teachers; pre- and post-interventions semi-structured interview schedules, and classroom observations. A thematic analysis of the pre- and post-intervention data was undertaken in order to monitor the impact of using the stories in the pre-school classrooms. The study considers the findings from the data in relation to both the teachers’ and the children's’ experiences pre- and post-intervention. In particular, the impact of the intervention on teachers’ subject knowledge, attitudes, confidence and classroom practice is discussed along with the impact on children’s engagement and enjoyment of mathematics; their mathematical understanding and thinking skills. The study concludes that using stories to teach mathematics had a positive impact on the quality of teaching and learning mathematics. Using the stories prompted a positive change in teacher’s and children’s attitudes and feelings towards mathematics; a greater understanding of key mathematical ideas; and an appreciation of the value and uses of mathematics in everyday life. The implications from the study highlight the importance of providing appropriate training for pre-school teachers (and elsewhere) and the pivotal role that using stories can play in ensuring high quality mathematics teaching and learning.

The main objective of the thesies is to compare a frontal teaching method and teaching by simulation. Two comparable groups of students were taught the same topic by the two methods. The topic was focused on an uneven world development. Following assumptions were set. Simulation is a more attractive teaching form, therefore it can help to raise the motivation of students. Frontal method is capable of transmitting more information. Simulation, however, can have bigger impact on students' values. The impact of simulation has a long-term impact in comparison to frontal teaching. These assumptions were confirmed by qualitative and quantitative methods.