Acompanha : Telefone celular: possibilidades de mediação pedagógica no espaço educativo / Na atualidade, existem diversos fatores que sugerem a necessidade de a escola rever as suas práticas de ensino: a rapidez com que as tecnologias de informação e comunicação – TIC – se alastram pela sociedade e, em especial, a utilização crescente do telefone celular por faixas etárias em idade escolar; o poder de convergência dessas TIC integrando recursos tecnológicos que podem ser utilizados como recursos didáticos; o fato de os estudantes atuais crescerem em um mundo tecnológico e apresentarem os seus padrões de pensamento funcionando de acordo com essa realidade; etc. Em contrapartida, observam-se: educadores, alheios à apropriação de TIC, apresentando, em muitos casos, resistência a elas; um descompasso entre como os sujeitos utilizam o celular, por exemplo, dentro e fora da escola; educadores, escolas, secretarias estaduais de educação posicionando-se contrários ao seu uso; projetos de lei e leis que regulamentam o seu uso no espaço educativo; etc. Por esses aspectos controversos investigou-se o uso do telefone celular como um recurso didático mediador em práticas do ensino de Física. Para tanto, desenvolveu-se uma pesquisa aplicada, com abordagem predominantemente qualitativa, de caráter exploratório quanto aos objetivos, e, participante quanto aos procedimentos técnicos adotados. Também foi utilizada a pesquisa documental e bibliográfica. Em seu desenvolvimento, inicialmente, via e-mail, foram coletados dados por meio de um questionário de múltipla escolha aplicados a professores de escolas particulares da Região Sul do Brasil, para identificar a realidade pesquisada e elaborar práticas de ensino possíveis de serem aplicadas na amostra estudada. As práticas construídas foram aplicadas em oficinas nas cidades de Ponta Grossa e Curitiba, estado do Paraná. Durante a aplicação, a coleta de dados ocorreu por meio de notas de campo do pesquisador, de gravação de sons e de um bate-papo ocorrido no msn messenger e de registros fotográficos. A análise dos dados foi realizada por triangulação. Os resultados mostraram a necessidade de se intensificarem cursos de formação continuada de professores e a produção de literatura nacional (artigos, dissertações, teses e livros) que explorem a temática do celular e suas funcionalidades em espaços educativos como recursos didáticos mediadores nas práticas do ensino de Física. Um livro foi organizado como produto final desta dissertação desenvolvida junto ao mestrado profissional do Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ensino de Ciência e Tecnologia da UTFPR, Campus Ponta Grossa–PR, estado do Paraná. / Currently, there are several factors that suggest the need for the school to review their teaching practices: 1) the speed with which information and communication technologies - ICT are spread throughout society and in particular the increasing use of mobile phone by groups in school age;2) the scope and power of integrating ICT convergence of these technological resources, that can be used as teaching resources; 3) the fact that nowadays students grow up in a technological world and make their thought patterns operating in accordance with this reality, etc... In contrast, there are educators unrelated to the appropriation of ICT, presenting, in many cases, resistance to them. There is a incongruity between how individuals use mobile phones, for example, inside and outside the school. There are also educators, schools, public educational departments claiming to be against mobile phones usage; bills and laws regulating their use in educational space, etc... For these controversial aspects we have investigated whether cell phone use as a teaching resource practices mediator in Physics teaching. For this purpose, we developed an applied research with qualitative and exploratory approach about the objectives, adopting participant and the technical procedures. A documental and bibliographical research was taken. First of all, data were collected by e-mail, through a multiple choice questionnaire applied to private school teachers in southern Brazil, to identify the researched reality and develop teaching practices likely to be applied in the studied corpus. Then, such practices were applied in workshops located in Curitiba and Ponta Grossa cities, in Paraná state. During the application, data was collected by the researcher's field notes. Then, we recorded chats about the workshops from an instant message software (msn messenger), and we took photographic records. Data analysis was performed by triangulation. The results showed the need to enhance continuing education courses for teachers and the production of national academic literature, such as articles, dissertations, theses and books that explore the theme of the cell phone and its functionality in educational spaces as an educational resource mediator in the practices of teaching Physics. A book as well was organized as a final product of this work developed by the Professional Master's Program from the Graduate School of Science and Technology (UTFPR), in Ponta Grossa Campus, in Paraná state.

Acompanha : Telefone celular: possibilidades de mediação pedagógica no espaço educativo / Na atualidade, existem diversos fatores que sugerem a necessidade de a escola rever as suas práticas de ensino: a rapidez com que as tecnologias de informação e comunicação – TIC – se alastram pela sociedade e, em especial, a utilização crescente do telefone celular por faixas etárias em idade escolar; o poder de convergência dessas TIC integrando recursos tecnológicos que podem ser utilizados como recursos didáticos; o fato de os estudantes atuais crescerem em um mundo tecnológico e apresentarem os seus padrões de pensamento funcionando de acordo com essa realidade; etc. Em contrapartida, observam-se: educadores, alheios à apropriação de TIC, apresentando, em muitos casos, resistência a elas; um descompasso entre como os sujeitos utilizam o celular, por exemplo, dentro e fora da escola; educadores, escolas, secretarias estaduais de educação posicionando-se contrários ao seu uso; projetos de lei e leis que regulamentam o seu uso no espaço educativo; etc. Por esses aspectos controversos investigou-se o uso do telefone celular como um recurso didático mediador em práticas do ensino de Física. Para tanto, desenvolveu-se uma pesquisa aplicada, com abordagem predominantemente qualitativa, de caráter exploratório quanto aos objetivos, e, participante quanto aos procedimentos técnicos adotados. Também foi utilizada a pesquisa documental e bibliográfica. Em seu desenvolvimento, inicialmente, via e-mail, foram coletados dados por meio de um questionário de múltipla escolha aplicados a professores de escolas particulares da Região Sul do Brasil, para identificar a realidade pesquisada e elaborar práticas de ensino possíveis de serem aplicadas na amostra estudada. As práticas construídas foram aplicadas em oficinas nas cidades de Ponta Grossa e Curitiba, estado do Paraná. Durante a aplicação, a coleta de dados ocorreu por meio de notas de campo do pesquisador, de gravação de sons e de um bate-papo ocorrido no msn messenger e de registros fotográficos. A análise dos dados foi realizada por triangulação. Os resultados mostraram a necessidade de se intensificarem cursos de formação continuada de professores e a produção de literatura nacional (artigos, dissertações, teses e livros) que explorem a temática do celular e suas funcionalidades em espaços educativos como recursos didáticos mediadores nas práticas do ensino de Física. Um livro foi organizado como produto final desta dissertação desenvolvida junto ao mestrado profissional do Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ensino de Ciência e Tecnologia da UTFPR, Campus Ponta Grossa–PR, estado do Paraná. / Currently, there are several factors that suggest the need for the school to review their teaching practices: 1) the speed with which information and communication technologies - ICT are spread throughout society and in particular the increasing use of mobile phone by groups in school age;2) the scope and power of integrating ICT convergence of these technological resources, that can be used as teaching resources; 3) the fact that nowadays students grow up in a technological world and make their thought patterns operating in accordance with this reality, etc... In contrast, there are educators unrelated to the appropriation of ICT, presenting, in many cases, resistance to them. There is a incongruity between how individuals use mobile phones, for example, inside and outside the school. There are also educators, schools, public educational departments claiming to be against mobile phones usage; bills and laws regulating their use in educational space, etc... For these controversial aspects we have investigated whether cell phone use as a teaching resource practices mediator in Physics teaching. For this purpose, we developed an applied research with qualitative and exploratory approach about the objectives, adopting participant and the technical procedures. A documental and bibliographical research was taken. First of all, data were collected by e-mail, through a multiple choice questionnaire applied to private school teachers in southern Brazil, to identify the researched reality and develop teaching practices likely to be applied in the studied corpus. Then, such practices were applied in workshops located in Curitiba and Ponta Grossa cities, in Paraná state. During the application, data was collected by the researcher's field notes. Then, we recorded chats about the workshops from an instant message software (msn messenger), and we took photographic records. Data analysis was performed by triangulation. The results showed the need to enhance continuing education courses for teachers and the production of national academic literature, such as articles, dissertations, theses and books that explore the theme of the cell phone and its functionality in educational spaces as an educational resource mediator in the practices of teaching Physics. A book as well was organized as a final product of this work developed by the Professional Master's Program from the Graduate School of Science and Technology (UTFPR), in Ponta Grossa Campus, in Paraná state.

M.Ed. (Media Studies) / Despite the availability I variety and virtually limitless properties of the different types of educational materials and equipment, it would appear that there are still many teachers who are opposed to the use of educational media. For the purposes of this study it was necessary to investigate the reasons why teachers do not use educational materials and equipment during their lessons. A literature study was done to investigate the factors which could contribute to resistance I the areas where resistance could appear and resistance of teachers to the use of media in their classrooms. An empirical study was conducted into the possible reasons for resistance to media usage at East Rand high schools. Research yielded the following results: The majority of teachers are willing to discuss media related matters with colleagues and superiors. Teachers are willing to experiment with a variety of media. The majority are willing to change their methods and use the ideas of others in their own classrooms.

M.Ed. (Media Studies) / Curricular media use can be considered as the utilisation of media by a subject-teacher. This implies the selection and integration of media in the tuition study procedure in order to form an integral part of the total teaching-learning procedure. The problem identified in this study is that no research has been done on the Witwatersrand to establish the position of curricular media use in primary schools in the senior primary phase. The objective of this study is to attempt to establish the position of curricular media in the senior primary school phase on the Witwatersrand. This study will essentially be undertaken on the basis of literature and empirical research. In chapter one the context in which the study will be done is set, after which the problem and purpose of the study will be mentioned. In chapter two a study of the literature is undertaken with the focus on curricular media use in the senior primary school phase. Chapter three devotes attention to an exposition of the method of the empirical investigation, the use of this research instrument and the interpretation of the data obtained from the questionnaire. In chapter four a resume is given of the findings in an attempt to consolidate and a few recommendations regarding curricular media use are made. Within the context of the set target and on the grounds of the findings in chapter two and three, the following conclusions are made: It would appear that the position of and attitude towards curricular media use are reasonably positive. Not all of the respondents received tuition in curricular media use during their training as teachers and this is a field that calls for improvement. In-service training is given at schools but not on a regular basis. Teachers are not fully informed on curricular media use and media selection and they are aware of the features of the various educational media but their choice of media in the implementation of curricular media use contradicts their replies. Lack of funds is an important factor. Most of the schools do not have a budget for each subject for curricular media. There is a need for guidelines for the implementation of curricular media use in the senior primary school phase. The following recommendations are made: Primary schools need guidelines on how curricular media use can be implemented. In-service training must be given on a quarterly basis. In-service training must include curricular media use, media selection and media features make provision for this. Teacher training must also Funds must be made available by management for the purchase of curricular media. Further research can be done to establish guidelines for the implementation of curricular media use in the different subjects in the senior primary phase. A comparative study can be done to establish the difference (s) between scholars receiving education through curricular media use and those who do not. Herewith the research into the status of curricular media use in the senior primary school phase within the context of the set aim is provisionally completed.

M.Ed. / Many countries all over the world are currently looking for better ways of educating their people and organising their education so that they can compete internationally. The rapid technological developments of the twentieth century have placed education systems under extreme pressure as they try to adapt and incorporate these changes in an effort to produce more creative, effective and adaptable people (Ramphele, 2000:3). The question that remains to be answered is how nations of the world can improve the effectiveness of their various schooling systems. Instructional technology can improve teaching by upgrading the quality of classroom instruction and raising the productivity of the individual teacher. A variety of educational materials and media can be introduced into the conventional classroom environment, including demonstration objects such as flip charts, pictures, photographs, booklets, as well as electronic systems such as films, video players and tapes, slides, transparencies, and audio cassettes, all with the intentions of improving teaching and learning (Val, Rust, & Dalin,1990:281-282). From the background and problem statement, it is imperative to indicate that the study aims: To investigate the extent to which rural further education and training institutions in the Hlanganani area of the Northern Province are equipped with resources and educational media. To investigate the use of educational media and other resources in the schools. The perceptions of educators in the use of media are also going to be interrogated. From the study, the relationships between experience, subject and media use are also going to be interrogated.

The purpose of this study is to investigate the role of physical manipulatives in the teaching and learning of measurement in Grade 8. The study focuses on how the use of physical manipulatives promotes learners' mathematical proficiency in relation to the five strands of Kilpatrick, Swafford and Findell (2001). The basis of the research is a case study in the interpretive paradigm involving 18 out of a cohort of 270 Grade 8 learners in the school where I teach. The data was collected using a range of methods including: (i) baseline assessment tasks, first piloted using 7 Grade 8 learners and then given to the target group; (ii) an intervention programme with intervention tasks; (iii) a post-intervention task; (iv) observations during the intervention; and (v) individual interviews. The results of the baseline assessment and the post-intervention tasks were analysed both quantitatively and qualitatively. My research findings indicate an overall improvement of the performance after learners engaged in using physical manipulatives. The average mark of the learners in the baseline assessment task was 23% and after the intervention programme the average mark was 31 %. The responses from the learners interviewed showed that they were motivated and that the use of physical manipulatives assisted them in understanding the concepts of measurement, in particular surface area and volume. The results of my study thus reveal that the use of physical manipulatives in teaching and learning mathematics has a positive role to play in learners' understanding of surface area and volume at the Grade 8 level. The fmdings of this case study support other research regarding the importance of using physical manipulatives in teaching and learning mathematics. They align with other findings that assert that manipulatives are essential mediating tools in the development of the conceptual and procedural understanding of mathematical concepts, clarifying and helping learners to visualize abstract mathematical concepts.

This study aimed to investigate the role played by the Teachers’ Resource Centre (TRC) in Namibia in helping schools to provide quality education. The TRC concept began in Britain in the 1960s, where it was introduced as a means of supporting the professional development of teachers and giving them access to a range of educational resources. From the 1970s, the concept was promoted further afield as an effective strategy for dealing with teachers’ needs. TRCs emerged in Namibia in the 1980s under the auspices of the then Department of Education of the South African government. By 1989, only four TRCs were in existence, namely, Katutura, Tsumeb, Otjiwarongo and Rundu, plus one in the whites-only training college in Windhoek. In September 1991, the Ministry of Education and Culture (MEC) in Namibia produced a five-year plan that led to the diversification of the TRC network in Namibia. Yet, despite the now widespread existence of TRCs, little is known of whether and to what extent their services are helping teachers to provide quality education. This constitutes a gap in the literature that this study hopes in part to fill. The study was conducted using a case study approach in three schools in the Kavango region of Namibia. It made use of questionnaires, interviews, focus group discussions and data analysis to gather and interpret data. The study’s finding is that TRCs are indeed beneficial to schools in their vicinity, despite their current limited capacities. However, TRCs should be better able to redress the poor quality of education in many schools due to a lack of resources, de-motivated teachers and other factors. This study therefore recommends that enough funds be made available for the TRCs to acquire the resources they need adequately to support quality educational processes. Furthermore, the study found that it is imperative for individuals in TRCs and schools to learn how to facilitate relevant transformation in their organisations’ efficiency and effectiveness. Thus the study recommends a transformational leadership approach as most appropriate for managing learning and bringing about successful change in these organisations. The significance of this research is that it sheds some light on the effectiveness of TRCs as a strategy for supporting teachers in the delivery of quality teaching. It also suggests potential areas in which stakeholders might usefully cooperate in their endeavours to realise quality education.

The HIV and AIDS prevalence in Kenya is still high and remains a major health concern despite the Kenyan government’s initiatives to create awareness about the epidemic through inclusion of the HIV and AIDS programme in schools. This is because the provision of sexuality, HIV and AIDS education in schools is not effective. Teachers face various challenges in the effective delivery of the subject due to their discomfort related to these sensitive topics. Therefore, learners are left inadequately supported by the teachers. With an immense variety of conflicting information about sexuality availed to young people through the social media and also through their peers, young people are left at risk of exploring their sexualities with inadequate and wrong information, thus exposing them to HIV infections. Since schools have been identified as ideal sites for the effective delivery of sexuality, HIV and AIDS education, teachers are expected to teach the learners using a variety of pedagogical strategies in order to achieve efficacy in the delivery of this subject, hence the need to explore teaching styles that could provide a safe space for the effective delivery of sexuality, HIV and AIDS education. This study sought to explore teachers’ experiences of using participatory visual methods in teaching sexuality education within the HIV and AIDS education programme in selected Kenyan secondary schools, in order to understand how such methods could affect the teaching of Sexuality education. This study employed a phenomenological research design, interpretivist paradigm and a participatory methodology. Memory accounts, reflective journals and focus group discussions were used for data generation with nine secondary school teachers, from three purposively selected schools in Kenya. Vygotsky’s socio-cultural theory underpinned the study. The findings revealed that teachers are uncomfortable teaching sexuality education because of fear of leading learners astray, fear of victimization and sexualization, and fear of misleading and hurting learners because of lack of knowledge. This resulted in teachers feeling guilty due to ineffective delivery of Sexuality education. The findings also revealed that participatory visual methods were effective for use by the teachers and the learners in the classroom to navigate issues around sexuality, HIV and AIDS. This was because they are learner-centred, thus making learners producers of knowledge while at the same time encouraging optimism in teaching and learning. This study thus recommends pre-service teacher training on participatory methods of teaching. Educational institutions should also arrange for workshops to train in-service teachers on comprehensive sexuality, HIV and AIDS education and how to tackle it in their classrooms. Moreover, curriculum developers should make sexuality, HIV and AIDS education a compulsory subject to give it equal status with other examinable subjects, for it to be taken seriously. It is only through concerted efforts from everyone that Kenya can reach its target of Zero new HIV infections.

M.Ed. / Reading forms the basis of the literacy of an individual and also plays a significant part in his everyday activities. This fact forms the basis for this study. The child with a reading problem, will find it very difficult to realize his full potential. There is therefore need for concern that so many children develop reading problems during the transitional-period between the junior primary and senior primary phase in school. A large percentage of pupils in this transitional phase show significant signs of poor or insufficient rhythm which further accentuates the reading problem. As reading plays such an important part in the daily functioning of mankind, it is the absolute inalienable right of every child that a great diversity of means should be sought to rectify (or improve) this problem. To get to grips with this issue (or problem) a psychological and didactical study of literature on rhythm and reading has been followed. These phenomena were described against the background of the human environment to try and ascertain the relation between rhythm- and reading problems. In the light of the above mentioned literature study it was decided that empirical research of the problem was necessary. The aim was to ascertain whether a self-designed programme of rhythmical exercises by the writer could bring about a noticeable improvement in the reading level (word recognition, speed, reading of prose) of std. 2-pupils. In the event of such an improvement a further objective was to make specific recommendations for the incorporation of such a programme in the class-situation. An at random selection was made of 42 std. 2-pupils from 8 Afrikaans speaking schools. A reading test of three different sections, namely a formal graded reading test, a test to ascertain reading speed and an informal test for prose reading were used. Teachers were asked to identify pupils with reading problems. Further information was gleaned from the cumulative record cards of such pupils.

No description available.