M.Ed.

As a result of two years working with the pre-service primary teachers in a College in Fiji I became aware of the difficulty many of the students were having understanding the primary school mathematics they would be required to teach. During that time I had attempted to help them overcome the difficulties by using different teaching approaches and activities but was far from satisfied with my efforts. Hence I decided to make a concerted effort to help the students by planning, implementing and partially evaluating a mathematics education unit, known as the Teaching Program for the first semester of their course. This work formed the basis of my study. For the Teaching Program I chose a constructivist teaching approach with number sense as the underlying theme. To examine the aspects of the Program I used my observations and those of the students especially ones reported in their mathematics journals. To evaluate the effectiveness of the Teaching Program I collected and analysed quantitative data from traditional testing of the class of forty students as well as data from case studies of six of the pre-service teachers in the class. To determine what features of the Teaching Program were linked to positive changes my main source of data was the case studies, especially entries from their journal writings. The findings suggested that a significant development of the cognitive aspects of the students’ number sense did occur during the time of the Teaching Program but not as much as was hoped for. As a result of the analysis of the data I came to a greater realisation of the importance of the non-cognitive aspects of number sense and the necessity for a greater consideration of them in the development of a Program. I also realise now that a major development that did occur was in my understanding of the knowledge and learning of mathematics. My ideas of a teaching paradigm of social constructivism had not guided me sufficiently to incorporate activities and procedures to develop the non-cognitive aspects. I suggest that a paradigm which extends the theory of social constructivism to give greater consideration of these aspects of learning in general, and hence numeracy and number sense in particular, was needed. As a result of this study, my introduction to the theory of enactivism appears to be giving me some direction in this search at this stage.

The actuality of the problem. The subject on educational dimensions of self-help of primary teachers in Utena region is topical in social, scientific theoretical and practical regard. As it is noted in the guideline of education of Lithuania, Lithuania like all the Europe is taking a step to the age of Knowledge full of new challenges. “The globalization, burst of information. The fast change, the solution of society – are the challenges, which raise a claim for the individual, society and the system that develops them” (Guideline of education. 2003–2012 m. project). The authoress does the survey of educational dimensions of self-development (methods, forms, motives, sources, means, levels and trends, role) of primary teachers of Utena region in this work trying to clear what are the dimensions of self-help of primary teachers in Utena region. 204 primary teachers participated in the survey. The survey was done in December 2005, in January – February 2006. The questionnaire was filled in all schools of Utena region, where are primary classes by the teachers who worked the last 5 years in primary forms. The most important methods of self-development of primary teachers of Utena region are the following: self-education, self-estimation and self-control. Many see these most important motives of self-help: sense of duty, search of purpose of life and improving the professional activity. As the most acceptable form of self-help... [to full text]

There exists a general consensus in the science education literature around the goal of enhancing students. and teachers. views of nature of science (NOS). An emerging area of research in science education explores NOS and argumentation, and the aim of this study was to explore the effectiveness of a science content course incorporating explicit NOS and argumentation instruction on preservice primary teachers. views of NOS. A constructivist perspective guided the study, and the research strategy employed was case study research. Five preservice primary teachers were selected for intensive investigation in the study, which incorporated explicit NOS and argumentation instruction, and utilised scientific and socioscientific contexts for argumentation to provide opportunities for participants to apply their NOS understandings to their arguments. Four primary sources of data were used to provide evidence for the interpretations, recommendations, and implications that emerged from the study. These data sources included questionnaires and surveys, interviews, audio- and video-taped class sessions, and written artefacts. Data analysis involved the formation of various assertions that informed the major findings of the study, and a variety of validity and ethical protocols were considered during the analysis to ensure the findings and interpretations emerging from the data were valid. Results indicated that the science content course was effective in enabling four of the five participants. views of NOS to be changed. All of the participants expressed predominantly limited views of the majority of the examined NOS aspects at the commencement of the study. Many positive changes were evident at the end of the study with four of the five participants expressing partially informed and/or informed views of the majority of the examined NOS aspects. A critical analysis of the effectiveness of the various course components designed to facilitate the development of participants‟ views of NOS in the study, led to the identification of three factors that mediated the development of participants‟ NOS views: (a) contextual factors (including context of argumentation, and mode of argumentation), (b) task-specific factors (including argumentation scaffolds, epistemological probes, and consideration of alternative data and explanations), and (c) personal factors (including perceived previous knowledge about NOS, appreciation of the importance and utility value of NOS, and durability and persistence of pre-existing beliefs). A consideration of the above factors informs recommendations for future studies that seek to incorporate explicit NOS and argumentation instruction as a context for learning about NOS.

Over a period of twenty months a mathematics teacher educator uses narrative inquiry, a form of story-telling, to investigate her professional practice in working alongside pre-service primary teachers. Two main themes emerge in this research. The first of these centres around the use of mathematical investigations as a vehicle for supporting pre-service primary teachers to consider what the learning and teaching of mathematics may entail. As part of this process the author personally undertook several mathematical investigations. This resulted in significant learning about previously unrecognised personal beliefs about the nature and learning of mathematics. These beliefs were discovered to include ideas that 'real' mathematicians solve problems quickly, do so on their own and do not get stuck. Surprisingly, all of these subconscious assumptions were contrary to what the author espoused in the classroom. A consequence of this learning included some changed beliefs and teaching practices. One such change has been moving from a conception of mathematics as a separate body of 'correct' mathematical ideas, and where the emphasis when doing mathematics was on attaining the correct answer, to now viewing mathematics as a sense-making activity involving discovering, doing and communicating in situations involving numbers, patterns, shape and space. Thus, mathematics is now perceived to primarily be found in the 'doing' rather than existing as a predetermined body of knowledge. As such one's interpretations of a mathematical problem are important to consider. Changes in teaching include using mathematical investigations as a teaching approach with the belief that students can effectively learn mathematical ideas using this approach; an acceptance that this may involve periods of being 'stuck' and that this does not mean that the teacher needs to immediately support the students in becoming 'unstuck'; more in-depth interactions, including questioning, to support this mathematical learning; and an acceptance that mathematics can be learned by people working in a collaborative manner. The second theme encountered in this narrative inquiry involves the exploration of narrative as a powerful means with which to pursue professional development. Narrative inquiry, including a mention of differing forms of narrative writing, is described. Issues also considered include the place of reflection in narrative; the notion of multiple perspectives that are encountered in qualitative research such as this; issues of validity and authenticity; a consideration of what the products of narrative research might be and who may benefit from such research; a brief mention of collaboration; and the place of emotion in qualitative research. The concept of change occurring within a narrative inquiry is not seen to imply an initial deficit position. Rather the research process is regarded as the building of a narrative layer that supports and grows alongside the writer's life as it occurs (Brown Jones, 2001). Thus there is not a seeking of perfection or an ideal, but a greater awareness of one's professional practice. The results of narrative research therefore, are not definitive statements or generalisations about an aspect of that which is being researched (e.g., Winkler, 2003). As such, a definitive statement about how to be a teacher of pre-service students learning mathematics is not offered. Rather, a story is shared that may connect with the stories of the reader.

The aim with this thesis was to study how primary school teachers perceive their mission in working with inclusive education. The aim was also to study their thoughts and experience of the Special education support. To conduct the inquiry twelve primary school teachers from two different communities in Sweden were asked to give their views of inclusive education. The central issues was how the primary school teachers interprets the concept of inclusion, the opportunities and obstacles they perceived and how the Special education support was formed in the work with inclusion in their schools. The result shows that the majority part of the primary teachers interprets the concept as a spatial or social inclusion. The result also shows that primary teachers are familiar with the values given by national curriculum but to perceive all students as an asset in their daily educational work the primary teachers expressed a feeling of uncertainty. The Special education support was described as compensatory where the students mainly get help to catch up, often in a small group or individually. The conclusion is that the Special education mainly works traditionally and few teachers question the approach. The word inclusion was understood differently by the primary teachers and they perceived inclusion more like an obstacle than as an opportunity. A major reason is the requirement of high effectiveness and fear of not suffice for all students. / Syftet med denna studie var att få kunskap om hur grundskollärare ser på och uppfattar sitt uppdrag att arbeta med en inkluderande skolverksamhet. Syftet var också att undersöka deras tankar kring och erfarenhet av det specialpedagogiska stödet i detta arbete. För att genomföra studien har tolv grundskollärare i årskurserna 1-6 från två olika kommuner i Sverige genom kvalitativa intervjuer fått ge sin syn på verksamheten. Intervjuerna har utgått ifrån forskningsfrågorna hur grundskollärare tolkar begreppet inkludering, vilka möjligheter och hinder lärarna kan se med ett inkluderande arbetssätt och hur lärarna ser på det specialpedagogiska stödet vid inkludering. Resultaten visar på att de flesta lärare tolkar begreppet inkludering som placeringsorienterad, en fysisk placering, och/eller individorienterad, när enskild elev behöver stöd. Våra resultat visar också på att lärare är väl förtrogna med den värdegrundstanke som genomsyrar skolans styrdokument, men när det gäller att se alla elever som en tillgång i klassrummet och möta dem där de är, beskriver de en känsla av otillräcklighet. Det specialpedagogiska stödet beskrivs som kompensatoriskt, där eleven får stöd i att hinna ikapp övriga elever, oftast enskilt eller i liten grupp utanför ordinarie undervisningslokal. Slutsatsen blir att den specialpedagogiska verksamheten främst arbetar traditionellt och få lärare förändrar det arbetssättet. Ordet inkludering uppfattas olika av lärarna och inkludering ses mer som ett hinder än som en möjlighet. En stor anledning till det är kravet på hög måluppfyllelse och rädsla för att inte räcka till för alla elever.

In this study, the effects of an explicit reflective intervention on Swaziland elementary preservice teachers’ understanding of the Nature of Science (NOS) were investigated. The factors that had an impact on the development of participants’ NOS views were also investigated. The intervention made use of de-contextualized and contextualized activities as well as historical narratives as contexts for reflecting about the empirical, creative, subjective as well as the tentative NOS. The intervention included a discussion of the relationships and differences between observations and inferences as well as scientific laws and theories in the context of the aforementioned learning activities. Participants were 24 elementary pre-service teachers enrolled for their final year of their three year teacher development programme. An adapted version of the Views of Nature of Science Questionnaire-Form C (VNOS-C) was used in conjunction with individual interviews, to assess the participants’ understanding of NOS at the beginning and conclusion of the intervention. At the end of the programme, data from interviews, concept maps and reflective journals of seven participants were analysed to ascertain their perceptions of the elements of the course and other factors that had an impact on their development of more informed NOS views. These participants were selected on the basis of their differential gains in NOS understanding. The data that was analysed using both qualitative and quantitative techniques revealed that the intervention brought about significant gains in some participants’ understanding of NOS. Information obtained from the document analysis of journals and concept maps as well as exit interviews of the selected group revealed that the pre-service teachers’ development of more informed views was mediated by motivational and cognitive factors. These were the participants’ perception of the value of teaching and learning NOS, their views about teaching and learning science, and their ability to engage deeply with the NOS concepts as well as their epistemic beliefs. The explicit reflective attention to NOS as well as metacognitive strategies was reported by most of the selected participants as responsible for changes in their NOS views. / Dissertation (MEd)--University of Pretoria, 2013. / gm2014 / Science, Mathematics and Technology Education / unrestricted

In a digitalized world, learners from the 21st century prefer game-like lessons instead of traditional methods that are preferred by teachers according to previous studies. Creating a fun and engaging environment in the classroom is not an easy task for the teachers. In this study, primary school teachers’ attitudes toward game-based learning are investigated together with the challenges and barriers they encounter when using digital games when teaching English as a second language in a Swedish classroom. A mixed method was used in this study. 30 teachers participated in the online survey and three pre-service teachersfrom public and private primary schools participated in the semi-structured interview in Sweden. The results of this study agree with the findings of previous studies. Teachers are generally very positive to implementing digital games into English language learning and admit the positive effect digital games contribute to the students’ engagement and motivation of learning English. However, due to the challenges teachers encounter with digital games, such as lack of time, knowledge, suitable games, and costs, teachers find it difficult to implement digital game-based learning in their English language teaching.

This study aims to showcase how primary school teachers for ages 7-9, view qualities of outdoor areas and how they perceive obstacles and opportunities with teaching the subject of Biology outdoors. The aim is also to contribute with knowledge of how elementary schools can make outdoor education more accessible. The data was collected by semi-structured interviews and was conducted with nine primary school teachers from four municipalities in Sweden. The thematic analysis of the interview shows that the teachers are positive towards outdoor education and its influence on pupils’ knowledge acquisition in Biology. Despite this, teachers tend to avoid using outdoor education because of the different challenges that comes with it. The results show that the teachers’ perception of the quality of outdoor areas as well as their didactic and subject knowledge, influenced their use of outdoor teaching in biology. We can use the teachers’ views on the outdoor educations’ possibilities and challenges to contribute with recommendations as to how the schools can support the use of outdoor education. This includes having enough personnel, possibilities for teachers to improve their competence in the area, outdoor classrooms and preserving outdoor areas. / Denna studie syftade till att kartlägga hur undervisande lärare i biologi för årskurs 1–3 uppfattar vilka kvalitéer grönområden bör ha, samt möjligheter och utmaningar med utomhusundervisning. Syftet med studien är även att bidra med kunskaper om vilka insatser som skolansverksamhet kan vidta, för att utveckla utomhusundervisningen i biologiämnet på lågstadiet. För att ta reda på studiens frågeställningar genomfördes en semistrukturerad intervjustudie. Nio grundskolelärare i fyra olika kommuner i Mellansverige intervjuades. Sedan utfördes en tematisk analys av de inspelade intervjuerna. Resultatet indikerar att lärarna är positivt inställda till utomhusundervisning och anser att det är gynnsamt för elevers lärande. Utmaningarna gör dock att utomhusundervisningen undviks i stor utsträckning. Kartläggningen visar att lärarnas uppfattningar om bland annat personalbrist, grönområdens kvalitet samt deras didaktiska- och ämneskunskaper påverkade deras användning av utomhusundervisning i biologi. Till följd av lärarnas synpunkter kring möjligheter och utmaningar kan studien slutligen bidra med rekommendationer till skolverksamheten för att stötta utomhusundervisning. Det innefattar att ha tillräckligt med personal, ge möjlighet till kompetensutveckling, uteklassrum samt att bevara grönområden.

Made available in DSpace on 2016-04-27T16:33:02Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Tiago Donizette da Cunha.pdf: 732208 bytes, checksum: 60db1cff9098619d9fdcd60e0beba78c (MD5) Previous issue date: 2015-07-21 / Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior / The research analyzed the role of primary teachers in the early decades of the Republic, specifically those who have taught in the Vale do Paraíba between the years 1889 to 1920, characterized by the expansion of isolated schools period, the emergence of the first school groups and the appointment and circulation teachers of these educational institutions. We chose a selection of subjects that, somehow, gained prominence in the scope of the school inspection reports and documents prepared by the directors of the school groups and those produced by teachers in disciplinary proceedings and periodical press. The main objective was to evaluate how these professionals have articulated given the particularities related to these schools in their educational, cultural, social and political aspects models, in order to track which teachers developed these understandings of the state and his own profession, their reactions bureaucratic and pedagogical norms and their views of students. As theoretical and methodological tool we highlight the contributions of Jean-François Sirinelli with its concepts of route generation and sociability as a way to analyze the intellectual (teacher) as a political actor, and experience of E.P. Thompson, in order to understand the actions and conditioned representations of these teachers that allowed them context. Thus, it was possible to assess how the hierarchical relationships with the state, and their social integration, ultimately influence the performance and careers of these teachers / A pesquisa analisou a atuação de professores primários nas primeiras décadas da República, especificamente aqueles que lecionaram no Vale do Paraíba paulista entre os anos de 1889 a 1920, período caracterizado pela ampliação de escolas isoladas, o surgimento dos primeiros grupos escolares e a nomeação e circulação de docentes nestas instituições de ensino. Optou-se por uma seleção de sujeitos que, de alguma forma, ganharam destaque no escopo dos relatórios da inspeção escolar e nos documentos elaborados pelos diretores dos grupos escolares e naqueles produzidos pelos próprios professores em processos disciplinares e na imprensa periódica. O principal objetivo foi avaliar como estes profissionais se articularam diante das particularidades relacionadas a estes modelos escolares em seus aspectos pedagógico, cultural, social e político, de forma a rastrear quais compreensões que estes docentes elaboraram do Estado e de sua própria profissão, suas reações diante das normatizações burocráticas e pedagógicas e suas visões do alunado. Como ferramenta teórico-metodológica destacam-se as contribuições de Jean- François Sirinelli com seus conceitos de itinerário, geração e sociabilidade como forma de analisar o intelectual (professor) como ator político, e de experiência de E. P. Thompson, a fim de compreender as ações e representações condicionadas destes professores que o contexto lhes permitia. Com isso, foi possível avaliar de que maneira as relações hierárquicas com o Estado, além de sua inserção social, acabaram por influenciar na atuação e na carreira destes professores