Research exists about secondary school Response to Intervention (RTI) models, but little is known about the concerns of middle and high school teachers who are working together to implement RTI practices as a shared responsibility. The extensive body of documentation on RTI at the elementary level has not helped educators develop systematic RTI implementation practices across all levels (Ehren, 2013). The purpose of this quantitative study was to determine whether there were differences in practice concerns, if any among middle school and high school teachers' RTI practice concerns when measured by the Impact Stage of the Stages of Concern Questionnaire (SoCQ). The theory of planned behavior informed the framework for this research. A Snowball Sampling strategy was used to recruit a total of 31 general education teachers from a Northeastern USA County. Data from teacher's SoCQ were analyzed using ANOVA to investigate the differences in concerns, if any between middle school teachers in Grades 6-8 and high school teachers in Grades 9-12 about RTI practices. The results indicated no differences between 6-8 and 9-12 grade teacher concerns for all questions. Findings from this research may reinforce the importance of discussions about sharing RTI practice concerns between middle and high school teachers. Such conversations may foster more collaborative teacher working relationships which may lead to better implementation of the RTI initiative across grade levels for improved student learning outcomes.

Abstract This study analyzes an attempt at integration of a pre-school class, a leisure-time center and an elementary school in Sweden. The integration was organized in the form of Vertical Track which implies a successive development of groups comprising children between six and twelve years old, pre-school teachers, recreation pedagogues, and schoolteachers. The integration was prompted by state governed reforms such as the 1992 law allowing six-year olds to start compulsory school. The study is based on cultural-historical activity theory and was carried out as participant observation and action research. The study addresses the question of the potentials and alternative goals for change and development of the present school pedagogy and classroom practice that integration implies. Special attention has been paid to what tools might potentially mediate in processes of integration. A research and educational program, the 5thD, was jointly created between researchers and teachers and located in a Vertical Track. The capacity of this complex tool as a mediator in the multicultural Vertical Track structure was explored. It is argued that the Vertical Track as an instantiation of the integration reform represents an arena for potential expansive transformation. However, in order for integration to have an impact on the pedagogical practice in schools, teacher interactions need to be mediated by communicative and conceptual tools. It is suggested that the 5thD program is an example of such tools. Keywords: Integration, pre-school teacher, recreation pedagogue, schoolteacher, contradiction, expansive learning, mediation, and tool. / <p>Framlagd vid Helsingfors universitet, pedagogiska institutionen.</p>

Although information and communication technology (ICT) has gradually become a standard teaching technology in schools in many countries and regions like Hong Kong, the implementation of ICT in teaching and learning in schools still fails to meet high government and public expectations. This study was an investigation into the potential of peer support to enhance professional development of ICT integration for secondary school teachers in Hong Kong. The study utilized peer support as a social approach to professional development and employed action research to examine the experiences of ten secondary school teachers who worked in five peer support groups for sixteen months. A peer support model was introduced to the participants who then applied these principles in their own contexts. Data on participants' reflections and evaluations of the peer support process was collected through individual interviews and peer-group conferences. Each participant was interviewed at the beginning, middle and end of the research period and each peer group was interviewed at the end of the project. By employing a grounded theory approach, themes related to the participants' experiences of peer support for ICT integration and the impact of peer support as a means of professional development were generated from the data. The study's findings indicate that the participants responded positively to peer support as a means of professional development. Peer support was successful in: increasing professional interactions; broadening perspectives of ICT; increasing reflection; and providing personal and emotional support. From an analysis of the study's findings, in conjunction with a review of the appropriate literature, a teacher professional development model for ICT integration has been developed that may be helpful in furthering the goal of successful ICT integration. This model focuses on the importance of intrinsic motivation rather than extrinsic incentives and is based on a developmental process in which individual teachers determine their own practice through peer support enhanced critical reflection that continually expands their personal context of ICT integration.

This thesis examines the views of A.C.T. primary school teachers about their work to build a picture of the culture of primary school teacher work of primary schools in the Australian Capital Territory. I define teaching culture to mean the behaviour, work practices, beliefs and possible habits teachers display in their efforts to perform the task of teaching. This description of teaching is possibly similar to what some authors describe as the 'sociology' of teaching (e.g. Barton and Walker, 1981). It is also a reflection of Deal's suggestion that culture describes 'the way things are done around here1 (Deal, 1985:605). In this case the study builds a picture of primary school teacher perceptions of the way things are, the culture of primary school teacher work, in the A.C.T. primary teaching system. The study has been designed to identify key workplace issues which preoccupy A.C.T. primary school teachers now and what they perceive to be the significant issues of the future, that is by the year 2005. The Delphi methodology was chosen to be the means to gather and refine information and perceptions from teachers its ability to clarify and refine issues and because the Delphi has amongst its advantages anonymity for participants and the use of experts in the data gathering. The study found that a high proportion of teachers feel stressed about attending meetings, yet wanting at the same time a say in the running of their school. Other results were that teachers considered they are poorly supported by the wider community and that a significant reward of the job was the interaction with the children. Teachers also believe that instructional methods will be radically different by 2005. The study aims to provide current information about the culture of primary school teacher work to teachers themselves and to present to interested authorities and institutions, such as the Department of Education and Training and The University of Canberra or the Australian Catholic University, recommendations for further research and practice to assist in policy design regarding the work teachers do. Some recommendations to the Department of Education and Training include: · the culture of primary school teacher work should be actively promoted to inform the community of the complexity of teacher work and to attract quality applicants to the profession; · that classroom teachers are resourced, at comparable levels to Public Servants or Departmental officers, with equipment such as computers and furniture; · that consideration be given to providing more inservice opportunities for teachers to pursue during stand-down (school holiday) time. Recommendations made to teacher-training institutions include: · regular research and reviews of teacher-training programs, with particular emphasis placed on beginning teacher needs and competencies and to highlighting areas newly recruited and experienced teachers consider require more training; · the design of comprehensive upgrading programs catering for the needs of newly appointed and experienced teachers.

<p>Attityder i samhället till personer som har funktionsnedsättning är ofta negativa. Det finns både lärarstuderande och verksamma lärare som har dyslexi, denna undersöknings syfte är att belysa lärares attityder till kollegor som har dyslexi. Även erfarenheter samt upplevd kunskap om dyslexi ska belysas. Använder enkät av likertskaletyp som datainsamlingsmetod för en deskriptiv surveyundersökning som riktar sig till kommunala grundskollärare i en kommun. Urvalet omfattar fem skolor med 62 respondenter. Ett 50 -procentigt bortfall innebär att resultaten bygger på 31 svarande. Data bearbetas i Excel och resultaten visar större upplevd kunskap än erfarenhet. Respondenternas indexerade värde för erfarenhet och kunskap motsvarar hälften av den möjliga skalan. Resultaten visar mycket positiv attityd till kollegor som har dyslexi och tenderar att öka ju närmare arbetsrelationen är. En tredjedel har haft tidigare kontakt med kollegor som har dyslexi men inget samband finns mellan högt värde på erfarenhet och kunskap och höga attitydpoäng. Resultaten överensstämmer inte med litteraturen där interaktion och information anses viktigt för positiva attityder. Dessa positiva attityder och att så många träffat en kollega som har dyslexi överraskar, eftersom litteraturen påstår att det finns negativa attityder till funktionsnedsättning och att möten sällan sker mellan personer som har funktionsnedsättning och andra på arbetsmarknaden. Undersökningen säger inget om respondenternas handlande eller beteende i autentiska situationer.</p>

<p>Språket är en viktig del i matematikundervisningen. Forskning visar att språket är betydelsefullt för utvecklingen av ny kunskap och man har också kunnat se ett samband mellan språklig och matematisk förmåga. Undersökningar har dock visat att det ökade fokus på kommunikation och samspel inom matematikundervisningen som aktuell läroplan och kursplan förordar inte helt har slagit igenom inom skolan. För att ta reda på lärares syn på språkets betydelse i matematikundervisningen och även få en aktuell bild av undervisningssituationen ur ett språkligt perspektiv har en kvalitativ intervjuundersökning genomförts bland sex mellanstadielärare i en svensk kommun.</p><p>Undersökningen visar att samtliga intervjuade lärare anser att språket är viktigt i matematikundervisningen. Däremot skiljer det sig åt när det gäller vilken betydelse de anser att det har. Enskilt arbete utgör här, liksom i tidigare undersökningar, den största delen av undervisningen, även om hälften av lärarna aktivt arbetar med matematiska samtal eleverna emellan. En av de slutsatser som dras av undersökningen är att om kursplanens mål gällande en kommunikativ förmåga ska kunna uppnås, måste eleverna regelbundet få skriva, samtala och diskutera kring matematiska frågor.</p> / <p>Language is an important part of mathematics education. Research shows that language is significant for knowledge development and that there is a connection between linguistic and mathematical ability. Investigations have shown, though, that the increased focus on communication and pupil interaction within the mathematics education, recommended in the curriculum and syllabus, have not yet reached the desired effect. In order to find out about teachers’ views on the significance of language in mathematics education, and also to get an update of the current educational situation from a linguistic perspective, a qualitative investigation has been made among six primary-school teachers.</p><p>The investigation shows that all teachers interviewed believe language to be important in mathematics education. They do, however, differ in their opinions of where the significance lies. The main part of mathematics lessons is, as noted in previous investigations, used for individual schoolwork, even though half the group of teachers actively practise mathematical communication amongst the pupils. One of the conclusions that can be drawn from this investigation is that if the syllabus’ objective about communicative ability is to be achieved, the pupils must be allowed to write and discuss mathematical issues on a regular basis.</p>

Språket är en viktig del i matematikundervisningen. Forskning visar att språket är betydelsefullt för utvecklingen av ny kunskap och man har också kunnat se ett samband mellan språklig och matematisk förmåga. Undersökningar har dock visat att det ökade fokus på kommunikation och samspel inom matematikundervisningen som aktuell läroplan och kursplan förordar inte helt har slagit igenom inom skolan. För att ta reda på lärares syn på språkets betydelse i matematikundervisningen och även få en aktuell bild av undervisningssituationen ur ett språkligt perspektiv har en kvalitativ intervjuundersökning genomförts bland sex mellanstadielärare i en svensk kommun. Undersökningen visar att samtliga intervjuade lärare anser att språket är viktigt i matematikundervisningen. Däremot skiljer det sig åt när det gäller vilken betydelse de anser att det har. Enskilt arbete utgör här, liksom i tidigare undersökningar, den största delen av undervisningen, även om hälften av lärarna aktivt arbetar med matematiska samtal eleverna emellan. En av de slutsatser som dras av undersökningen är att om kursplanens mål gällande en kommunikativ förmåga ska kunna uppnås, måste eleverna regelbundet få skriva, samtala och diskutera kring matematiska frågor. / Language is an important part of mathematics education. Research shows that language is significant for knowledge development and that there is a connection between linguistic and mathematical ability. Investigations have shown, though, that the increased focus on communication and pupil interaction within the mathematics education, recommended in the curriculum and syllabus, have not yet reached the desired effect. In order to find out about teachers’ views on the significance of language in mathematics education, and also to get an update of the current educational situation from a linguistic perspective, a qualitative investigation has been made among six primary-school teachers. The investigation shows that all teachers interviewed believe language to be important in mathematics education. They do, however, differ in their opinions of where the significance lies. The main part of mathematics lessons is, as noted in previous investigations, used for individual schoolwork, even though half the group of teachers actively practise mathematical communication amongst the pupils. One of the conclusions that can be drawn from this investigation is that if the syllabus’ objective about communicative ability is to be achieved, the pupils must be allowed to write and discuss mathematical issues on a regular basis.

Attityder i samhället till personer som har funktionsnedsättning är ofta negativa. Det finns både lärarstuderande och verksamma lärare som har dyslexi, denna undersöknings syfte är att belysa lärares attityder till kollegor som har dyslexi. Även erfarenheter samt upplevd kunskap om dyslexi ska belysas. Använder enkät av likertskaletyp som datainsamlingsmetod för en deskriptiv surveyundersökning som riktar sig till kommunala grundskollärare i en kommun. Urvalet omfattar fem skolor med 62 respondenter. Ett 50 -procentigt bortfall innebär att resultaten bygger på 31 svarande. Data bearbetas i Excel och resultaten visar större upplevd kunskap än erfarenhet. Respondenternas indexerade värde för erfarenhet och kunskap motsvarar hälften av den möjliga skalan. Resultaten visar mycket positiv attityd till kollegor som har dyslexi och tenderar att öka ju närmare arbetsrelationen är. En tredjedel har haft tidigare kontakt med kollegor som har dyslexi men inget samband finns mellan högt värde på erfarenhet och kunskap och höga attitydpoäng. Resultaten överensstämmer inte med litteraturen där interaktion och information anses viktigt för positiva attityder. Dessa positiva attityder och att så många träffat en kollega som har dyslexi överraskar, eftersom litteraturen påstår att det finns negativa attityder till funktionsnedsättning och att möten sällan sker mellan personer som har funktionsnedsättning och andra på arbetsmarknaden. Undersökningen säger inget om respondenternas handlande eller beteende i autentiska situationer.

Much of the everyday work of teachers in pre-schools, schools and youth centers is based on experience. This study is a qualitative interview study intended to make visible the experiences of pre-school teachers in situations when children are considered to be in need of special support. I have looked at pre-school teachers’ descriptions of the kinds of situations in which a child is estimated to be in need of special support, what teachers look for in a child to identify it as a child in need of special support in a specific situation, and how the teachers define special support.   Both this study and previous research show that children’s estimated need of support depends on the situation and context the child is in. The pre-school teachers in this study identify common situations where children are estimated to be in need of special support, namely: in interaction with others, in structured situations, during changes of activities and during free play. The study found that the pre-school teachers saw all children as requiring more or less support during certain periods of time. They didn’t identify a particular, generalizable group of “special needs” children that requires special support more frequently. The pre-school teachers in this study struggled to define special support, stating that the definition depends on the individual that is in need of support and the situation in which support is seen to be necessary. Two of three informants in this study said that if special support needs a definition, they consider it to be support from outside the pre-school, such as provision of competencies the pre-school teachers do not possess, or reorganization. / Många delar av lärarnas dagliga arbete och agerande på förskola, skola och fritidshem grundar sig i erfarenhet. Denna studie är en kvalitativ intervjustudie med syfte att göra förskollärares erfarenheter av situationer där barn bedöms vara i behov av särskilt stöd mer synliga. Jag har studerat förskollärares erfarenheter av vilka situationer barn bedöms vara i behov av särskilt stöd, vilka barn som är i behov av särskilt stöd i en specifik situation och på vilket sätt definierar förskollärarna vad som är särskilt stöd.   Både denna studie och tidigare forskning visar att barns bedömda behov av stöd beror på situationen och sammanhanget barnet är i. Förskollärarna i denna studie menar att vanliga situationer där barn bedöms vara i behov av någon form av stöd är i samspelet med andra, i strukturerade situationer, i skiftet mellan aktiviteter och i den fria leken. I studien framkommer att förskollärarna anser att barn kan vara i mer eller mindre behov av någon form av stöd under en längre eller kortare tid och de kan inte säga att det är någon generaliserbar grupp barn som oftare bedöms vara i behov av särskilt stöd. Det var svårt för förskollärarna i denna studie att definiera särskilt stöd, de menar att det beror på vilken individ som är i behov av stödet och i vilken situation stödet bedöms behövas. Två av tre informanter i denna studie uttrycker att om det särskilda stödet måste definieras handlar det om stöd utifrån i form av kompetens förskollärarna inte har, omorganisation eller liknande.

Abstract The school today has an assignment to offset traditional gender patterns as well as to create opportunities for all pupils to achieve the same good results in school regardless of sex, ethnicity and conditions. The educator’s assignment is determined by governing documents, and the educator plays a role in helping the pupil find their equal role in society. This means that the educator needs to work in a way that offsets traditional gender patterns and require approaches that would benefit equal opportunities for both boys and girls to achieve good results. The purpose of the study was, through interviews, to get an idea of how primary school teachers from a gender equal perspective perceive how they see them relate to boys and girls in their teachings. The study is based on the presumptions that the pupils have but focusing on the relationship between school achievements and equality. The study brings up concepts like gender theories, equality, the biological sexes, the history of the schools development and changes in acceptance of boys and girls and the role of the governing documents to reach acceptable achievements. The collected material was processed and analyzed using literature which addresses the concepts. The result of the study shows that the teachers approach partially was shaped by their own experiences. It also occurs that the educators to some extent lacks awareness that differences in school achievement between boys and girls could be connected from a gender perspective. The study also shows that the educators feel that they are missing needed recourses, education and tools to be able to work on issues related to equality from a school perspective.  This could be part of the reasons to why the traditional gender pattern is reproduced and that gender related differences in school achievements continues. / Sammandrag Skolan har i dag ett uppdrag att motverka traditionella könsmönster samt att skapa möjligheter för alla eleverna att nå samma goda resultat i skolan oavsett kön, etnicitet eller förutsättningar. Pedagogens uppdrag vilar på styrdokumenten, där pedagogen spelar aktör i elevernas arbete med att själva skapa sig en jämställd roll i samhället. Detta innebär att pedagogen ska arbeta på ett sätt som motverkar traditionella könsmönster och kräver förhållningssätt som förutsätter att pojkar och flickor får samma möjligheter att nå goda resultat.   Syftet med studien har varit att genom samtalsintervjuer få en insyn i hur grundskollärare, utifrån ett jämställdhetsperspektiv, uppfattar att de förhåller sig till pojkar och flickor i sin undervisning. Studiens har lagts med utgångspunkt i de förutsättningar som eleverna har och med fokus på relationen mellan skolprestationer och jämställdhet.   Studien tar upp begrepp som teorier kring genus, jämställdhet, det biologiska könet, skolans historiska utvecklingar utifrån pojkar och flickors perspektiv samt styrdokumentens roll för att uppnå en godtagbar prestation. Det insamlade materialet har sedan bearbetades och analyserats utifrån litteratur som behandlar dessa begrepp.   Resultatet av studien visar att lärarnas förhållningssätt, till del, formats av den egna erfarenheten. Det framkommer även att pedagogerna delvis saknar en medvetenhet om att en skillnad i skolprestation, mellan pojkar och flickor, skulle kunna kopplas till ett könsperspektiv. Det framkom även att det ur pedagogens perspektiv saknas resurser, rätt utbildning och verktyg för att kunna arbeta med frågor kring jämställdhet utifrån ett skolperspektiv. Detta kan vara delar av skälen till att det traditionella könsmönstret reproduceras och att könsskillnaderna i skolprestationer kvarstår.