Recently museums have begun to feature public programming that engages new audiences, they partner with a number of diverse community organizations, and they put the focus of their efforts on education. With these new focuses they have changed from didactic institutions to places where the visitor may confirm his experience, and at times may add his own voice to the discussion. This shift in focus has been swift, and scholarship is only beginning to catch up with the values being expressed in the profession. It is my intention to offer a history of educational philosophy that is relevant and useful for museum professionals by closely examining two historical lines of thought. Progressive education provides a framework that museums can use to model their educational programming. Creating hands-on programming, and focusing on the individuality of the learner are important aspects of progressive educations that museum professionals can use for their own programming. The idea of the community school focuses on partnerships, the use of the physical building, and bringing a number of resources together in one place. This set of ideas follows the paths that museums use to receive funding and strengthen their relationships within their local community. Local history museums have begun to use these all ideas, and focusing their attention on similar work done in the past is an important step for the profession. Therefore these two concepts provide a historically relevant and important background for present day museum programming. / A Thesis submitted to the Department of American and Florida Studies in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts. / Fall Semester, 2008. / March 31, 2008. / Constructivism, Educational History, Community School, Progressive Education, Museum Education / Includes bibliographical references. / Neil Jumonville, Professor Directing Thesis; Wayne Wiegand, Committee Member; Jennifer Koslow, Committee Member.

The portrayal of Russia in Western popular culture has served various purposes, particularly between 1945 and 1991. With a few exceptions, Soviet citizens, particularly Russians, have been shown as, alternatingly, backwards peasants and cunning enemies. In the post-1991 period, this tradition of showing Russia as the enemy continued in film and television, but tapered off in favor of more seemingly relevant foes on the world stage. While film analyses focusing on the portrayal of Russia and Russians have been done, the renewal of focus on Cold War imagery in reference to Russia and the West has not been commented on. Because of the so-called Illegals Program uncovered in 2010, the attempted "reset" between the United States and the Russian Federation, increased Western media coverage of human rights issues in Russia, and many other types of exposure, including the annexation of Crimea and the conflict with Russia-backed anti-Kiev militias in eastern Ukraine, Russia has taken center-stage and is subject not only to international scrutiny, but also to rehashed prejudices and outdated knowledge of the country that stems from old antagonisms. The television programs The Americans, Archer, and Doctor Who all look at Russia and the relationship of Russia with the West through a Cold War lens. I argue that this resurgence is in response to both Cold War nostalgia and a renewal of Russia's relevance on the world stage. By analyzing these programs, it will be shown that the types of information and impressions that are being promoted by popular culture of late at once serve to provide nuance to an ordinarily one-sided and limited portrayal of Russia and its people, and at the same time reinforce old, stale images of the "Evil Empire" that only serve to prevent understanding and cooperation between the citizens of the West and of Russia. / A Thesis submitted to the Department of Modern Languages and Linguistics in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts. / Spring Semester, 2015. / April 16, 2015. / Archer, Cold War, Doctor Who, Television, The Americans / Includes bibliographical references. / Lisa Wakamiya, Professor Directing Thesis; Robert Romanchuk, Committee Member; Leigh Edwards, Committee Member.

A research report submitted to the Faculty of Science, in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science, University of the Witwatersrand. Johannesburg, October 2016. / This research study makes an attempt at intervening in the Grade6learners’ use of models and strategies in solving addition and subtraction word problems based on Realistic Mathematics Education (RME) theory. RME theory advocates for the provision of understandable contexts that learners can relate with to support them in developing models and strategies, with specific reference to the empty number line model in assisting learners to develop an understanding of the structure of number and to work flexibly in solving addition and subtraction word problems. It is in understanding the models and strategies learners are using that we can begin to understand how the learners need to be supported in order to operate at the appropriate mathematics levels for their grade. Participants in this research study, forty boys and girls doing grade six, all with a weaker mathematical background, wrote the same tests in the form of pre test, post test and the delayed post test. After writing the pre test, the learners attended a series of six intervention lessons before writing the post tests. The intervention lessons encouraged learner engagement with word problems and the development of models as representations of problem situations and strategies which represent learner’s manipulation of models in an RME-advocated approach. Learner responses were analysed aiming at the identification of models and strategies they employed, as well as the correctness and success in solving the problems. The analysis found out that mainly there have been some improvements in the repeat sittings from predominantly using the column model with a lot of incorrect answers to using the empty number line with more correct answers. I would therefore encourage the maximum participation of teamwork amongst teachers for identifying and using efficient models and strategies in order to promote performance levels in mathematics through developing an understanding of the structure of number and working flexibly in solving addition and subtraction word problems. / LG2017

The purpose of this study was to determine the extent to which the modeling of deductive reasoning and proof-type thinking occurs in a mathematics course in which students are not explicitly preparing to write formal mathematical proofs. Algebra was chosen because it is the course that typically directly precedes a student's first formal introduction to proof in geometry in the United States. The lens through which this study aimed to examine the intended curriculum was by identifying and reviewing the modeling of proof and deductive reasoning in the most popular and widely circulated algebra textbooks throughout the United States. Textbooks have a major impact on mathematics classrooms, playing a significant role in determining a teacher's classroom practices as well as student activities. A rubric was developed to analyze the presence of reasoning and proof in algebra textbooks, and an analysis of the coverage of various topics was performed. The findings indicate that, roughly speaking, students are only exposed to justification of mathematical claims and proof-type thinking in 38% of all sections analyzed. Furthermore, only 6% of coded sections contained an actual proof or justification that offered the same ideas or reasoning as a proof. It was found that when there was some justification or proof present, the most prevalent means of convincing the reader of the truth of a concept, theorem, or procedure was through the use of specific examples. Textbooks attempting to give a series of examples to justify or convince the reader of the truth of a concept, theorem, or procedure often fell short of offering a mathematical proof because they lacked generality and/or, in some cases, the inductive step. While many textbooks stated a general rule at some point, most only used deductive reasoning within a specific example if at all. Textbooks rarely expose students to the kinds of reasoning required by mathematical proof in that they rarely expose students to reasoning about mathematics with generality. This study found a lack of sufficient evidence of instruction or modeling of proof and reasoning in secondary school algebra textbooks. This could indicate that, overall, algebra textbooks may not fulfill the proof and reasoning guidelines set forth by the NCTM Principles and Standards and the Common Core State Standards. Thus, the enacted curriculum in mathematics classrooms may also fail to address the recommendations of these influential and policy defining organizations.

This work set out to investigate two questions: 1) what is the state of qualitative understanding of magnetism at various stages of expertise? 2) What approaches to problem-solving are used across the spectrum of expertise? I studied three groups: ten novices (university students who had completed one introductory course in electricity and magnetism), ten experts-in-training (upper division and graduate students) and 11 experts (physics professors and researchers). Data collection involved structured interviews during which participants solved a series of non-standard problems in magnetism while thinking out loud. The problems were designed to test for conceptual understanding. The interviews were audio taped, transcribed, and analyzed using a grounded theory approach. None of the novices and only a few of the experts in training showed a strong understanding of inductance, magnetic energy, and magnetic pressure; and for the most part they tended not to approach problems visually. Novices frequently described gist memories of demonstrations, text book problems, and rules (heuristics). However, these fragmentary mental models were not complete enough to allow them to reason productively. Experts-in-training were able to solve problems that the novices were not able to solve, many times simply because they had greater recall of the material, and therefore more confidence in their facts. Much of their thinking was concrete, based on mentally manipulating objects. Three, however, exhibited traits of experts, albeit not consistently. The experts solved most of the problems in ways that were both effective and efficient. Part of the efficiency derived from their ability to visualize and thus reason in terms of field lines. / text

In this study I attempt to develop a rationale for the role of student writing in advancing learning in Zoology. To this end, I use the informed and insightful voices of five academics from the University of Cape Town's Department of Zoology to present a picture of the goals of the discipline, how they view the role that student writing plays in advan~ing these goals, a sense of the tensions they face in dealing with student diversity, and the promise and challenges of innovative approaches. My interest in how staff view student writing stems from a belief that staff make use of student writing in different ways, depending on their assumptions about writing. I explore these assumptions by means of interviews with members of staff, in which I ask about how they understand the pursuit of science, the qualities a scientist needs to develop, the best ways to develop these qualities in students, and the part that student writing plays in this development. What emerges in this study is the understanding that the kinds of writing we ask students to do reflect the forms of educational practice that we sustain. On the one hand, certain forms of writing may support forms of transmission pedagogy that are viewed as being at odds with progressive science education. On the other hand, if we are to develop alternative teaching approaches which are in keeping with contemporary views of science and learning, then we need to develop new genres of student writing that give expression to these goals and methods. The study concludes with suggested avenues into curriculum review that would operationalise the insights developed by this study.

The purpose of this study was to determine if one hour of field instruction by a specialist would significantly increase fifth graders' knowledge and understanding of the concepts of ecological succession in abandoned fields at the Trumbull Area Land Laboratory in Trumbull County, Ohio.The research included the development of educational objectives and a curriculum to teach these objectives. An evaluation instrument was administered to a sampling of six classes before and after instruction. The results were analyzed to determine each question's discrimination index and difficulty level. A control group was utilized to measure the test's reliability.Data proved the test to have high reliability, but too high a degree of difficulty. A positive discrimination was shown on all items, but five were less than satisfactory. Three questions were shown to be invalid and none of the objectives were completely achieved. The conclusion reached was that the topic "Ecological Succession in Abandoned Fields" is too difficult to effectively convey in one hour to fifth graders at the level of understanding which the objectives were written.

This research was motivated by introduction of the topic of evolution in the Grade 12 curriculum in South African schools in 2008. Overseas research shows that evolution is a very controversial topic to teach, raising serious concerns for teachers. The need for appropriate professional development was urgent, but many Life Sciences had been dissatisfied with government workshops they had attended in preparation for the new curriculum. Furthermore, the teachers were sceptical about their ability to explain the theory of evolution because they did not have adequate content knowledge to teach the subject. Curriculum change theory dealing with „stages of concern‟ suggests that teachers implementing a new curriculum move through a series types of concern, and that if their initial concerns are not addressed teachers will be slow to move on to more task-related matters. This study aimed to identify the early concerns and needs of teachers who had to teach evolution for the first time in a new Life Sciences school curriculum, in order to provide crucial information for service providers who have to design appropriate support workshops. Data were gathered using seven activity-based questionnaires, from a convenience sample of two groups of teachers (n = 45 and n = 74) from various districts in Gauteng, attending 2007 and 2008 in-service training workshops on the teaching of evolution. The data were analyzed using open coding and frequency counts. The data revealed that teachers had concerns on different levels, the majority of concerns identified being „self-concerns‟ dealing with personal worries and need for information. Late concerns were less prevalent. A further analysis of self-assessed knowledge levels of teachers as well as actual levels (based on definitions of biological evolution provided by the teachers and results of an evolution quiz designed to diagnose possible misconceptions) was done. The data showed that the knowledge of most teachers was poor, and that many teachers over-estimated the adequacy of their own knowledge. This information is useful for the teachers themselves, curriculum developers and those involved in professional development.

NAVORSINGSVERSLAG voorgele ter gedeeltelike vervuiling van die vereiste vir die graad MAGISTER IN NATUURWETENSKAPPE in die FAKULTEIT NATUURWETENSKAPPE aan die UNIVERSITEIT VAN DIE WITWATERSRAND. / There is widespread concern over some of the problems encountered in the teaching of Euclidean Geometry in secondary schools and also over the fairly negative attitudes experienced by pupils towards Geometry. This piece of research was designed to improve attitudes of Std.9 pupils towards Euclidean Geometry by making use of guided discovery and the integration of the history of Mathematics into the teaching method used. The latter was done in order to humanise the subject and to make it more interesting to pupils who otherwise experience it as very rigid and abstract. Active participation of pupils in developing the Geometry was central to the method employed. The outcome of the research was positive. It showed that attitudes towards Geometry can be improved if a deliberate attempt to do so is made. The results of this research suggest guidelines by which the teaching of Euclidean Geometry in secondary schools could be improved. / AC 2018

"Although there are some subjective opinions supporting the hypothesis that geometrical and topological topics are teachable at the elementary school level there is the need for definitive research which can answer the following questions: 1. What factors relate to a student's achievement with geometrical and topological topics? 2. At what grade levels are certain topics learned with a high degree of efficiency in terms of time and expended effort? 3. Which geometrical and topological topics are appropriate at various grade levels in terms of these topics serving to clarify and simplify other types of mathematical concepts? The primary purpose of this study was to investigate some factors which might serve as predictors of pre-determined levels of success with respect to some selected topics in geometry and point set topology, when taught to fifth-, sixth- and seventh-grade pupils via a programmed text"--Introduction. / Typescript. / "August, 1963." / "Submitted to the Graduate School of Florida State University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy." / Advisor: E. D. Nichols, Professor Directing Dissertation. / Includes bibliographical references.