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Thesis (M.A.)--University of Wisconsin, 1973. / Title from title screen (viewed Nov. 15, 2007). Includes bibliographical references (leaves 151-155). Online version of the print original.

Thesis (M.A.)--University of Wisconsin, 1973. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 151-155).

In Australian schools in the late nineties approximately one quarter of all students are from a language background other than English. Although many of these students are fluent in English in informal conversational contexts, there is evidence that such students are not always able to control the more academic registers of English associated with school learning and literacy. A major challenge for teachers is therefore to integrate subject learning with English language learning, and to find ways to support the language development of students concurrent with the construction of curriculum knowledge. This study addresses that challenge. Drawing on data from two classrooms of nine and ten year olds in the curriculum area of science, the study explores how the discourse of the classroom can be enabling of language development. It does not attempt to make claims about what might be common to all classrooms, but rather points to those practices which are shown to be supportive of second language learning. The aim therefore is not to suggest what is common to all classroom discourse but what its potential can be for second language development. The study takes as a basic principle the notion that language development interacts dynamically with the socio-cultural context in which it occurs, and cannot be fully understood without taking account of this context. Although the analysis draws on systemic functional linguistics it does not purport to be a study 'in' linguistics, but rather, through a theorisation of practice, seeks to contribute to a theorisation of second language pedagogy in the mainstream classroom. To this end, the analysis is also informed by a neo-Vygotskian approach to learning and teaching, by second language acquisition (SLA) research, and by critically conceived notions of minority education. A number of conclusions are drawn from the study. First, it shows how, through a process of recontextualisation of student talk, the teachers jointly construct with the students aspects of the science register. It concludes that when teachers encourage the dialogic function of discourse to develop, (that is, when knowledge is seen as co-constructed between teacher and learners, rather than transmitted from teacher to learners), this also leads to the kind of teacher-student talk which is most enabling of second language development. The study demonstrates that even apparently minor changes in interactional patterns can have quite major effects on the progress of the discourse as a whole, and can make the difference between discourse which is likely to constrain or facilitate language development and learning. The thesis also shows how the discourse incorporates a range of interactional patterns, each of which tend to be used for distinct pedagogical purposes, and thus how the role of the teachers correspondingly changes at different phases of the teaching and learning cycle. The study concludes that a reconceptualisation of pedagogy is required which foregrounds the relationship between teaching and learning and the nature of teacher mediation in the teaching and learning process. The study identifies other significant factors for language development in the classrooms examined: the language knowledge of the teachers, the explicitness of the discourse, (including explicitness about language and about the social aspects of participating in the class), the sequence of teaching and learning activities, and the importance of the intertextual links, the 'dynamic' context, which were the result of this sequence. Finally, the study points to the value of approaching SLA research and pedagogy with a model of language which goes beyond a description of its phonology, morphology and syntax, one which allows for the study of discourse and for the study of language development in terms of socio-linguistic competence, and for the value of a socio-cultural and classroom-based approach to research into second language learning and pedagogy.

In Australian schools in the late nineties approximately one quarter of all students are from a language background other than English. Although many of these students are fluent in English in informal conversational contexts, there is evidence that such students are not always able to control the more academic registers of English associated with school learning and literacy. A major challenge for teachers is therefore to integrate subject learning with English language learning, and to find ways to support the language development of students concurrent with the construction of curriculum knowledge. This study addresses that challenge. Drawing on data from two classrooms of nine and ten year olds in the curriculum area of science, the study explores how the discourse of the classroom can be enabling of language development. It does not attempt to make claims about what might be common to all classrooms, but rather points to those practices which are shown to be supportive of second language learning. The aim therefore is not to suggest what is common to all classroom discourse but what its potential can be for second language development. The study takes as a basic principle the notion that language development interacts dynamically with the socio-cultural context in which it occurs, and cannot be fully understood without taking account of this context. Although the analysis draws on systemic functional linguistics it does not purport to be a study 'in' linguistics, but rather, through a theorisation of practice, seeks to contribute to a theorisation of second language pedagogy in the mainstream classroom. To this end, the analysis is also informed by a neo-Vygotskian approach to learning and teaching, by second language acquisition (SLA) research, and by critically conceived notions of minority education. A number of conclusions are drawn from the study. First, it shows how, through a process of recontextualisation of student talk, the teachers jointly construct with the students aspects of the science register. It concludes that when teachers encourage the dialogic function of discourse to develop, (that is, when knowledge is seen as co-constructed between teacher and learners, rather than transmitted from teacher to learners), this also leads to the kind of teacher-student talk which is most enabling of second language development. The study demonstrates that even apparently minor changes in interactional patterns can have quite major effects on the progress of the discourse as a whole, and can make the difference between discourse which is likely to constrain or facilitate language development and learning. The thesis also shows how the discourse incorporates a range of interactional patterns, each of which tend to be used for distinct pedagogical purposes, and thus how the role of the teachers correspondingly changes at different phases of the teaching and learning cycle. The study concludes that a reconceptualisation of pedagogy is required which foregrounds the relationship between teaching and learning and the nature of teacher mediation in the teaching and learning process. The study identifies other significant factors for language development in the classrooms examined: the language knowledge of the teachers, the explicitness of the discourse, (including explicitness about language and about the social aspects of participating in the class), the sequence of teaching and learning activities, and the importance of the intertextual links, the 'dynamic' context, which were the result of this sequence. Finally, the study points to the value of approaching SLA research and pedagogy with a model of language which goes beyond a description of its phonology, morphology and syntax, one which allows for the study of discourse and for the study of language development in terms of socio-linguistic competence, and for the value of a socio-cultural and classroom-based approach to research into second language learning and pedagogy.

Thesis (PhD) -- University of Western Sydney, 2004. / "A thesis submitted to the University of Western Sydney in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy." Bibliography.

The combination of literature and technology provides a powerful scenario for learning and it is made a reality through the use of electronic storybook software. This study concentrates on the everyday decisions made by teachers concerning why, how and in what way learning occurs in their classroom. Three case studies show how primary teachers engaged in action research to introduce electronic storybooks into their classrooms, monitoring changes in pedagogy, organisation and management. It is confirmed that teachers can integrate electronic storybooks into their classroom practices to create enjoyable and productive learning experiences. A range of pedagogical approaches was used and the introduction of electronic storybooks had a positive effect on student motivation, enthusiasm and achievement of learning goals, and resulted in changes in the physical composition of the classroom and the way learning was structured. The teachers received confirmation of their own ability to integrate technology into teaching and learning. The results of this study have direct implications for teaching practices and reinforce the need for teachers to develop confidence and competence as technology users / Master of Education (Hons)

This study investigates the development of a community of learners by observing the changes in teachers' and children's participation in four Year 3 / 4 classrooms. The study also explores the teachers' and children's perspectives of learning and teaching and the impact of these on the development of a community of learners. Factors enabling and constraining this developmental process are also identified. These research foci respond to a synthesis of research revealing the importance of teachers and children learning together in cohesive learning communities (Alton-Lee, 2003); a sociocultural approach that is uncommon in New Zealand primary classrooms.Sociocultural theory also informs the generation, analysis and presentation of data. Participant observations, sustained conversations and interviews with the teachers and target children were used to generate data across three cycles of collaborative action research over one school year. Analyses of these data were made by observing the teachers' and the children's transformation of participation through Rogoff's (2003) personal, interpersonal and institutional lenses. The results of this analysis process are presented according to the lens through which the transformation was observed.The findings showed a community of learners as comprising reciprocal connections across cognitive, social, emotional, spiritual and physical dimensions. Transformations of the teachers' and the children's participation in these five reciprocal connections were observed as evidence that a community of learners was developing. These new forms of participation in the classroom shaped, and were shaped by, new identities as learners and teachers, new perspectives about learning and teaching, as well as new culturally authorised values and practices for learning together. Multiple factors constrained the development of a community of learners. The most pervasive constraint was the persistence of teachers' and children's traditional perspectives that prevented understanding of the reciprocity and responsivity of shared activity. A range of factors also enabled the development of a community of learners. The opportunity for professional dialogu in this collaborative action research most enabled the teachers' to develop a community of learners in the classroom: the opportunity for guided participation with teachers and peers in shared classroom activity most enabled the children to learn together.These findings reveal the demanding, complex and mutually constituting nature of developing a community of learners in a primary classroom. The transformation of participation observed in this study provides evidence of the positive contributions sociocultural theory can make to both teachers' and to children's learning. Implications based on these findings are considered for teachers, children, researchers and education providers who together share responsibility for developing and sustaining a community of learners as accepted instructional practice in primary classrooms.

Through a longitudinal study of one teacher's science teaching practice set in the context of her base school, this thesis records the effects of the structural and policy changes that have occurred in Victorian education over the past 6-7 years - the 'Kennett era'. Initially, the purpose of the study was to investigate the teacher's practice with the view to improving it. For this, an action research approach was adopted. Across the year 1998, the teacher undertook an innovative science program with two grades, documenting the approach and outcomes. Several other teachers were involved in the project and their personal observations and comments were to form part of the data. This research project was set in the context of a single primary school and case study methodology was used to document the broader situational and daily influences which affected the teacher's practice. It was apparent soon after starting the action research that there were factors which did not allow for the development of the project along the intended lines. By the end of the project, the teacher felt that the action research had been distorted - specifically there had been no opportunity for critical reflection. The collaborative nature of the project did not seem to work. The teacher started to wonder just what had gone wrong. It was only after a break from the school environment that the teacher-researcher had the opportunity to really reflect on what had been happening in her teaching practice. This reflection took into account the huge amount of data generated from the context of the school but essentially reflected on the massive number of changes that were occurring in all schools. Several issues began to emerge which directly affected teaching practice and determined whether teachers had the opportunity to be self-reflective. These issues were identified as changes in curriculum and the teaching role, increased workload, changed power relations and changed security/morale on the professional context. This thesis investigates the structural and policy changes occurring in Victorian education by reference to documentation and the lived experiences of teachers. It studies how the emerging issues affect the practices of teachers, particularly the teacher-researcher. The case study has now evolved to take in the broader context of the policy and structural changes whilst the action research has expanded to look at the ability of a teacher to be self-reflective: a meta-action research perspective. In concluding, the teacher-researcher reflects on the significance of the research in light of the recent change in state government and the increased government importance placed on science education in the primary context.

Orientador: Zeila de Brito Fabri Demartini / Tese (doutorado) - Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Faculdade de Educação / Acompanha CD Rom com anexos / Made available in DSpace on 2018-08-11T05:19:45Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Lisboa_MariaAparecidaMorais_D.pdf: 87137702 bytes, checksum: a9b7633b8563988e61a01f4bb85bf0b4 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2008 / Resumo: O estudo ¿A política dos coronéis e a difusão do Ensino Primário em Angatuba/SP (1870-1930)¿ se desenvolveu no âmbito da pesquisa histórico-sociológica e tem como objetivo analisar a estruturação e a evolução da rede pública de ensino primário no município de Angatuba/SP que esteve diretamente relacionada à atuação de famílias detentoras do poder político local durante o final do Império e o período da Primeira República (1870-1930). Nesse contexto, relacionou-se o poder político, a sociedade e a educação no processo de instalação das primeiras escolas públicas na localidade. Através da utilização da metodologia de pesquisa qualitativa nas Ciências Sociais e na Educação, a história oral aliada ao estudo das fontes escritas e imagéticas, delineou-se o eixo orientador deste trabalho, ou seja, a forma de captar, de entender as articulações e influências diretas dos poderes político e econômico que se manifestaram no espaço educacional e, conseqüentemente, evidenciar os processos de educação formal vivenciados pelos grupos sociais. A necessidade da instrução para a formação cultural das ¿famílias políticas¿, as estratégias de reprodução como forma de reconversão de capital possibilitaram tornar a Escola Normal ¿Peixoto Gomide¿, de Itapetininga/SP, importante mantenedora do expressivo capital escolar que agregaria às parentelas uma profissão de status, mantendo-se também a dominação política com base no nível local e regional. Focalizaram-se os mecanismos de reciprocidades entre os detentores do mandonismo local e regional ¿ os coronéis, a barganha do voto, um bem cujo valor era conhecido por favores e benefícios; a força do Partido Republicano Paulista (P.R.P.) e a reafirmação dos ideais republicanos na municipalidade. A importância deste estudo visa preencher a carência de estudos locais e regionais que esclareçam a busca pela escolarização básica na zona rural e urbana do interior do Estado de São Paulo e as formas de atendimento das reivindicações do município pelo Governo Estadual, mediados pela atuação de componentes do grupo local e regional / Abstract: The study ¿The colonels politics and the diffusion of the Primary Teaching in Angatuba/SP (1870-1930) has developed in the ambit of the social and historical research and has the purpose to analyse the structure and evolution of the public chain of primary teaching in Angatuba, SP which was straightly related to the performance of families owners of the local politic power during the end of the Empire and the period of the First Republic (1870-1930)¿. It has related in this context the politic power, the society and the education in the process of installation of the first public school in the settlement. Through the usage of methodology of qualitative research in social science and in education, the oral history joined to the study of image and written source sketched out the orientate axle of this work, I mean, the way of learning the joint and direct influences of the economic and politic powers that expressed in the education and the result to evidence the process of formal education lived by social groups. The necessity of education to the cultural formation of ¿politic families¿, the strategy of reproduction as a means of transformation of the capital gave the possibility of becoming the School of Education ¿Peixoto Gomide¿, Itapetininga/SP, important support of the expressive school head that would add a profession of status, also keeping the politic domination with support in the local and regional level. It has focalized the local and regional mechanism of reciprocity between the owners of power ¿ the colonels, the bargain of the vote, the Paulista Republican Faction and the reaffirmation of the republicans ideals in the local. The importance of this study aims to fulfill the lack of local and regional studies that explain the searching of basic education in rural and urban zone inland ¿State of São Paulo¿ and the means of attendance of the vindication of the city to the state government mediated by the acting of members of the local and regional grou / Doutorado / Educação, Sociedade, Politica e Cultura / Doutor em Educação