Syftet med den här studien är att undersöka hur utomhusundervisning kan ge eleverna möjligheter att föra och följa resonemang i matematik. Studien har två frågeställningar, den ena är vilka typer av matematiska resonemang ges eleverna möjlighet att föra och följa vid utomhusmatematik? Den andra frågeställningen är hur tänker lärarna när det gäller möjligheter för eleverna att föra och följa matematiska resonemang? För att uppnå syftet och besvara frågeställningarna genomförs två observationer av utomhusundervisning samt intervju med lärarna som bedrev undervisningen.   För att kategorisera vilka typer av resonemang eleverna använder utformas ett observationsschema som tar stöd av Lithners ramverk, som även är studiens teori. Detta ramverk förklarar att det finns två huvudtyper, imitativa och kreativa resonemang, där de dessutom finns olika undergrupper. Resultatet visar att eleverna får möjlighet att föra och följa båda kreativa (CMR) och imitativa resonemang (IR) i utomhusundervisning. På grund av uppgifternas utformning förekommer det mest IR i observationerna. Lärarna är medvetna om vad resonemangsförmågan innebär och denna insikt kan hjälpa eleverna att utveckla sin resonemangsförmåga. Utomhusmiljön blir dessutom ett gott inslag i matematikundervisning. Genom att arbeta ute får eleverna använda fler sinnen och arbeta mer kreativt. Detta kan i sin tur skapa motivation samtidigt som eleverna får gripa för att begripa.

Feedback, Trainingsplan und individuelle Unterschiede zwischen Lernern sind drei Faktoren die den motorischen Fertigkeitserwerb beeinflussen und wurden in der vorliegenden Dissertation untersucht. Ein besonderer Fokus lag auf den zugrundeliegenden Gehirnprozessen von Feedbackverarbeitung und Handlungsvorbereitung, die mittels ereigniskorrelierter Potenziale (EKPs) untersucht wurden. 120 Teilnehmer trainierten auf virtuelle Zielscheiben zu werfen und wurden in einer Folgesitzung auf Abruf und Transfer getestet. Der Trainingsplan verursachte entweder hohe contextual interference (CI) (randomisiert) oder niedrige CI (geblockt). In einer anschließenden Onlinestudie, bearbeiteten 80% der Teilnehmer eine Untermenge der Raven advanced progressive matrices, die schlussfolgerndes Denken (SD) erfassen. Unter hoher CI hängt besseres SD mit größerem Zuwachs im Training und höherer Performanz in Abruf und Transfer zusammen. Ähnliche Effekte von SD im späten Trainingsverlauf unter niedriger CI lassen darauf schließen, dass Variabilität eine notwendige Voraussetzung für positive Effekte von SD ist. Wir folgern, dass CI das Ausmaß an Praxisvariabilität über den Trainingsverlauf beeinflusst und darüber moduliert, ob Regeln abstrahiert werden (Studie 1). Diese Interpretation wird durch differenzielle Lerneffekte auf EKPs in der Vorbereitungsphase gestützt. Hohe CI führt zu einer stärkeren Abnahme von aufmerksamkeits- und kontrollbezogenen EKPs während der Vorbereitungsphase. Die CNV Amplitude, als Maß motorischer Vorbereitungsaktivität nimmt zu, wenn die Anforderungen in Training und Abruf gleich sind, wie bei niedriger CI. Das spricht für zwei parallele Mechanismen motorischen Lernens, die gemeinsam zur CNV Amplitude beitragen (Studie 2). Wir zeigten außerdem, dass sich graduelle Verarbeitung positiven Performanz-Feedbacks in der Variation der Amplitude der Reward Positivity widerspiegelt (Studie 3). / Feedback, training schedule and individual differences between learners influence the acquisition of motor skills and were investigated in the present thesis. A special focus was on brain processes underlying feedback processing and motor preparation, investigated using event related potentials (ERPs). 120 participants trained to throw at virtual targets and were tested for retention and transfer. Training schedule was manipulated with half of the participants practicing under high contextual interference (CI) (randomized training) and the other half under low CI (blocked training). In a follow-up online study, 80% of the participants completed a subset of the Raven advanced progressive matrices, testing reasoning ability. Under high CI, participants’ reasoning ability was related to higher performance increase during training and higher subsequent performance in retention and transfer. Similar effects in late stages of low CI training indicate, that variability is a necessary prerequisite for beneficial effects of reasoning ability. We conclude, that CI affects the amount of variability of practice across the course of training and the abstraction of rules (Study 1). Differential learning effects on ERPs in the preparatory phase foster this interpretation. High CI shows a larger decline in attention- and control-related ERPs than low CI. CNV amplitude, as a measure of motor preparatory activity, increases with learning only, when attention demands of training and retention are similar, as in low CI training. This points to two parallel mechanisms in motor learning, with a cognitive and a motor processor, mutually contributing to CNV amplitude (Study 2). In the framework of the “reinforcement learning theory of the error related negativity”, we showed, that positive performance feedback is processed gradually and that this processing is reflected in varying amplitudes of reward positivity (Study 3). Together these results provide new insights on motor learning.

The purpose of the study is to explore relationships among elementary school students&amp / #8217 / gender, relevant prior knowledge, meaningful learning orientation, reasoning ability, self-efficacy, locus of control, attitudes toward science and achievement in genetics in learning cycle and traditional classrooms. The study was conducted on 213 8th grade students from eight classes of two public elementary schools in Ankara in 2005-2006 Spring-semester. Students in the experimental group (N=104) received learning cycle instruction that helps students acquire conceptual understanding of scientific concepts, and the students in the control group (N=109) received traditional instruction. The students were given Genetics Achievement Test as a pre-test before and as a post-test after the instruction. Students were also given Learning Approach Questionnaire that measures students&amp / #8217 / learning orientations and Test of Logical Thinking that determines students&amp / #8217 / reasoning abilities. Students&amp / #8217 / levels of self-efficacy, locus of control and their attitudes toward science also were measured. One-way ANOVA analysis revealed that learning cycle instruction improved students&amp / #8217 / achievement in genetics compared to traditional instruction. Stepwise multiple regression analysis revealed that in learning cycle classrooms, the main predictors of achievement in genetics were students&amp / #8217 / meaningful learning orientation (49.6%) and their attitudes toward science (11.8%). In traditional classrooms, students&amp / #8217 / attitudes toward science (44%) and reasoning ability (9.8%) were the main predictors of achievement while remaining 5.7% of the variance explained by relevant prior knowledge, locus of control and meaningful learning orientation. This study revealed that different variables may be important for 8th grade students&amp / #8217 / genetics achievement in learning cycle and traditional classes.

This study aimed to investigate the relationships among high school students&rsquo / relevant prior knowledge, meaningful learning orientation, reasoning ability, self-efficacy, locus of control, attitudes toward biology and achievement in human circulatory system in learning cycle and traditional classrooms. This study was conducted with 2 teachers and 4 classes and total of 60 11th grade students in the private high schools at &Uuml / mitk&ouml / y district of Ankara in the fall semester of 2008-2009 academic years. One class of each teacher was assigned as experimental group and treated with 5E learning cycle instruction and other class was assigned as control group and treated with traditional instruction. At the beginning of the study, both teachers were trained for how to implement 5E learning cycle instruction in the classrooms. The Human Circulatory System Achievement Test was applied twice as pre-test and after treatment period as a post-test to both experimental and control groups. Learning Approach Questionnaire was used to measure students&rsquo / approach to learning and Test of Logical Thinking was used to measure reasoning abilitiy of students. Students&rsquo / levels of self-efficacy, locus of control and their attitudes toward biology also were measured. The data obtained from the administration of post-test were analyzed by using ANOVA. The statistical result indicates that learning cycle instruction improved students&rsquo / achievement in human circulatory system compared to traditional instruction. Stepwise multiple regression analysis revealed that in learning cycle classrooms, the main predictors of achievement in human circulatory system were students&rsquo / reasoning ability (45.8%) and their prior knowledge (15.9%). In traditional classrooms, students&rsquo / meaningful learning orientation (40%) and locus of control (9.8%) were the main predictors of achievement. This study indicated that different variables may be significant for 11th grade students&rsquo / human circulatory system achievement in learning cycle and traditional classes.