A disciplina Química Analítica Qualitativa (QAQ), no contexto do Departamento de Química (DQ) da Faculdade de Filosofia, Ciências e Letras de Ribeirão Preto (FFCLRP), passou ao longo dos anos por uma redução de sua carga horária, que era de 11 horas semanais (1990) para 6 horas semanais (2001). Com a limitação na carga horária de QAQ, alguns grupos analíticos (grupos IV e V Metais Pesados), foram aos poucos, deixando de ser abordados no curso de Licenciatura e Bacharelado em Química, ofertados pelo DQ. Devido à importância destes metais na atualidade, acreditamos que não poderiam ser suprimidos do currículo do nosso curso. Desta forma, elaborou-se uma AOE sobre os grupos analíticos IV e V, que haviam sido retirados da marcha analítica e nesta dissertação o objetivo foi investigar a potencialidade da Atividade Orientadora de Ensino (AOE) como estratégia de ensino-aprendizagem em QAQ. A fundamentação teórica deste trabalho pautou-se nos estudos de Vygotsky sobre atividade e consciência e também na Teoria da Atividade proposta por Leontiev. Participaram da AOE 23 alunos da Licenciatura em Química, regularmente matriculados na disciplina de QAQ, que é oferecida no terceiro semestre do curso. A AOE foi desenvolvida no 1o Semestre de 2013 e incluiu três encontros previamente acordados e inseridos no cronograma da disciplina. Os dois primeiros encontros foram desenvolvidos em duas aulas simples de 1h40, para a discussão teórica acerca do tema central - metais pesados - e consequente método de identificação e separação dos mesmos. Nestes, os alunos desenvolveram uma proposta de rota de separação, pautados em uma notícia acerca da utilização de metais em batons e brilhos labiais. O terceiro encontro foi desenvolvido no laboratório didático experimental, em uma aula dupla de 3h30, na qual os alunos colocaram em prática a rota proposta, ao manipularem uma amostra fictícia dos cosméticos. Os encontros foram vídeos gravados, transcritos e posteriormente analisados a partir do método dialético. A metodologia de pesquisa adotada foi a pesquisa participante. A AOE como metodologia de ensino propiciou a interação entre os alunos da disciplina e o professor/pesquisador. Mobilizou os alunos a buscarem informações que pudessem solucionar os problemas relativos aos metais pesados, bem como articular as mesmas estabelecendo nexos entre elas e assim, conceber os conceitos envolvidos. No momento de discussão, pôde-se notar o favorecimento de nexos relacionados à: toxicidade dos metais e seus efeitos no corpo humano; bioacumulação e biomagnificação, saúde do homem, efeito das ações do homem no meio ambiente, impacto do conhecimento científico na sociedade e ambiente, proposta de identificação e separação, entre outros. Os momentos de fala externa para o grupo favoreceram que os alunos organizassem seu pensamento e sua compreensão dos conceitos. Esta AOE foi inserida na matriz curricular na disciplina e contribuiu para a avaliação dos alunos, que receberam uma nota na forma de Prática como Componente Curricular, item exigido no projeto político pedagógico do curso de Licenciatura em Química. / The Qualitative Analytical Chemistry discipline (QAC), in the context of the Chemistry Department (CD) of the Faculdade de Filosofia, Ciências e Letras de Ribeirão Preto-FFCLRP (School of Philosophy, Sciences and Letters of Ribeirão Preto), passed over the years by a reduction of its workload, which used to be 11 hours per week (1990) to 6 hours per week (2001). By limiting the workload of QAC, some analytical groups (groups IV and V - Heavy Metals), were gradually ceasing to be covered in the Chemistry Graduation Course, offered by CD. Due to the importance of these metals at present, we believe that they could not be removed from the curriculum of our course. Thus, a Teaching Guiding Activity (TGA) about the analytical groups IV and V, which had been removed from the analytical procedures, has been elaborated and the objective in this dissertation was to investigate the potential of TGA as a teaching-learning strategy in QAC. The theoretical referential of this work was based on the studies of Vygotsky about activity and consciousness and also on the Activity Theory proposed by Leontiev. It was attended by 23 students of the Chemistry Graduation Course, regularly enrolled in the discipline of QAC, which is offered in the third semester of the course. The TGA was developed in the first semester of 2013, and included three meetings previously agreed into the schedule of the discipline. The two initial meetings were developed in two simple classes of 1h40 to the theoretical discussion concerning the central subject - heavy metals - and consequent separation and identification method of the aforementioned metals. In these meetings, the students developed a proposal for separation, guided by a piece of news about the use of metals in lipsticks and lip gloss. The third meeting was developed in the experimental teaching laboratory, in a double lesson of 3h30, in which the students put into practice the proposed route, by manipulating a fictitious sample of cosmetics. The meetings were recorded, transcribed and later analyzed from the dialectical method. The research methodology used was the participatory research. The TGA as teaching methodology provided the interaction between students of the discipline and the teacher/researcher. It also mobilized the students to search for information that would solve the problems related to heavy metals, as well as articulating such information, fomenting links among them and thus, conceive the concepts involved. At the moment of the discussion, it could be noticed the favoring of links related to: toxicity of metals and its effects in the human body; bioaccumulation and biomagnification, men\'s health, effect of human actions on the environment, impact of scientific knowledge in society and environment, the proposed identification and separation, among others. The moments of external speaking for the group, favored the students to organize their thinking and their understanding of concepts. This TGA was inserted into curriculum in the discipline and contributed to the assessment of students who received a grade in the form of Prática como Componente Curricular (\"Practical Course as Curricular Component\") item required in the political pedagogical project of the Chemistry Graduation Course.

Fifteen professionals in a variety of environmental occupations in the United States were interviewed in a structured, open-ended format. Job profiles were developed from the interviews. The philosophy of these environmental professionals is expressed in their own words and offers insights into influences upon career choice, professional training and personal fulfillment. In addition, environmental related career activity guides were developed to help students and their parents and teachers gain an awareness of the occupations available in this field.

Thesis (MEd)--Stellenbosch University, 2013. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: This research study investigated the use of a practical activities-based approach to Physical Sciences teaching using TRAC equipment to address learner conceptual difficulties in Electricity and Magnetism (E&M). TRAC uses practical activities based on the school curriculum to complement the theory through the utilisation of data logging equipment linked to a computer. The participants in this study were a group of black Grade 11 learners (n=47) from a township school in the province of the Western Cape, South Africa. Their ages range from 16 to 21, with isiXhosa the home language of most of them. A mixed methods approach was utilized to gather the research data. Quantitative data was collected, using pre- and post-testing of learners to determine their conceptual difficulties in E&M, as well as to measure the effect of the practical activities-based approach in addressing learner conceptual difficulties in E&M. Null hypotheses were formulated for the six concepts and t-tests were used to find any statistically significant difference between the pre- and post-test. Qualitative data was obtained from the learner transcripts, as well as from the questionnaires and observation schedules. The results indicated significant improvements in learner understanding of the concepts in five out of the six tests as well as reducing commonly held misconceptions in E&M. It is recommended that careful scaffolding should be done during a practical activity in order for learners to make the connection between the domains of observables and ideas. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Hierdie navorsingstudie het die gebruik van ‘n praktiese aktiwiteitsgebaseerde benadering tot Fisiese Wetenskappe onderrig met behulp van TRAC apparaat ondersoek. Die doel was om leerders se konseptuele haakplekke in Elektrisiteit en Magnitisme (E&M) aan te spreek. TRAC maak gebruik van ‘data logging’ apparaat om die teorie deur middel van praktiese aktiwiteite wat op die skoolkurriulum gebaseer is, te komplementeer. Die deelnemers in die studie was ‘n groep swart Graad-11 leerders (n=47) uit ‘n swart woongebied in die Westelike Provinsie, Suid Afrika. Hulle ouderdomme strek van 16 tot 21 met isiXhosa as die huistaal vir die meerderheid van hulle. ‘n Gemengde metode benadering was gebruik om die navorsingsdata te versamel. Kwantitatiewe data was deur ‘n voor- en natoets van die leerders versamel om hulle konseptuele haakplekke in E&M te bepaal. Die effek van die praktiese aktiwiteitsgebaseerde benadering om die leerders se konseptuele haakplekke in E&M aan te spreek was ook gemeet. Nul hipotese was vir die ses konsepte geformuleer en t-toetse was gebruik om statisties-beduidende verskille tussen die voor- en natoets te bepaal. Kwalitatiewe data was van die leerders se oorgeskryfde onderhoude sowel as vraelyste en observasieskedules verkry. Die resultate toon ‘n beduidende verbetering in leerders se begrip van die konsepte in vyf van die ses toetse sowel as ‘n afname in algemene wanbegrippe in E&M. Dit word aanbeveel dat versigtige opbouing gedurende die praktiese aktiwiteit gedoen moet word sodat die leerders ‘n verband tussen die domein van waarneembares en idees kan maak.

Thesis (MEd) -- Macquarie University, Australian Centre for Educational Studies, School of Education, 2008. / Bibliography: leaves 86-89. / Introduction -- Literature review -- The challenge program -- Methodology -- Analysis of questionnaire data -- Analysis of interviews -- Discussion of results. / This study investigates the effects of a week long challenge program on adolescents' social skills and in particular social competence. Current research has shown that there can be positive outcomes for participants attending outdoor education programs, however little is known about the nature and causes of such effects for short term programs. -- Thirty six students attending schools in the Sutherland Shire, south of Sydney were nominated by teachers to attend the week long program and subsequent follow-up sessions. The Life Effectiveness Questionnaire H-1 (Neill, Marsh & Richards, 2003) was completed pre and post program and again six months later. This was used to quantify any change that occurred in the eight constructs measured by the questionnaire deemed to constitute "life effectiveness' in the post program period. -- A cohort of students (n=100) was interviewed immediately after the program and six months later. The questioning sought to determine if participants observed changes in their own social skills and those of others. Interviwees were also asked to identify specific activities that they felt were of general benefit and assisted in the development of personal social skills. The instructor and supervising teacher who attended the same program were asked to identify changes in participants and significant events that may have contributed to participants' reported changes. -- Results from the questionnaire showed significant gains in the constructs of Social Competence and Time Management. These however declined over the sixth month period after the program. It appears that the effect of short term outdoor education programs on Life Effectiveness is short lived. In contrast, the qualitative data collected from interviews showed that participants had observed changes in their social skills and attributed these to the challenge and group activities within the program. Participants reported that these benefits were long lasting. -- The findings of this study demonstrate the positive benefits of short term outdoor education programs and the need to further investigate the post program experience. / Mode of access: World Wide Web. / viii, 94 leaves ill

published_or_final_version / abstract / toc / Education / Master / Master of Education

The introduction of the National Curriculum statement (NCS) in Further Education and Training (FET) phase in 2005 had a great impact on classroom practice, resulting in a shift to Outcomes Based Education (OBE). The Physical Sciences curriculum created challenges for Physical Science teachers. The Learning Outcome (LO)-1 recommends that scientific inquiry and inquiry based practical work be taught in Physical Sciences lessons. However, much remains to be understood regarding teachers’ pedagogical content knowledge (PCK) in inquiry based practical work. This study explored the conception of practical work by Grade 11 Physical Sciences teachers within the NCS curriculum. Using the PCK as a theoretical lens, the study explored how the Physical Sciences teachers used practical work in their teaching. Furthermore, the exploration sought to ascertain whether there was any relationship between teachers’ perceptions of the purpose of practical work and their use of practical work. The data was collected by interviewing two Grade 11 Physical Sciences teachers and also by conducting some classroom observations involving practical work to ascertain teachers’ actual practice. The sample was drawn from two high schools at Empangeni District, in Northern KwaZulu-Natal. The findings revealed that teachers value using practical work in teaching of Physical Sciences. Qualitative data analysis enables recommendation to be made for the improvement of the use of inquiry-based practical work in the teaching of Physical Sciences. Both teachers held the view that the most important aim of practical work was to promote conceptual understanding. During their teaching, both teachers use practical work to verify theory through non-inquiry practical instructional practices and strategies. However, there were limiting factors which do not provide opportunities for teachers to engage learners in inquirybased practical work. Amongst the factors that were reported by the teachers as limiting their use of inquiry-oriented practical work are limitations of resources, time constraints, large classes and pressure to complete the prescribed curriculum. It is recommended that curriculum developers through the use of subject education specialist (SES), facilitate teachers’ transformation from expository to inquiry instruction. More discussions on how to design and conduct inquiry-based practical work are recommended. / Thesis (M.Ed.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Edgewood, 2011.

An intervention, which targeted three- and four-year-old children's oral language, was developed for this study. The intervention was run over twice-weekly sessions, for ten weeks. Incorporating good Early Years practice, the first session in the week was a group shared storybook reading session with a puppet, where dialogic discussion took place and the children practised sequencing the story using visual prompts. The second weekly session consisted of planning, acting out and reviewing a planned pretend play episode based on the storybook which was read in that week's first session. Ninety-four children were randomly assigned to a control or treatment group and were tested at pre- and post-test on a battery of vocabulary and narrative assessments. The results of a Randomised Control Trial were positive in favour of the intervention. The most important of these results was a statistically significant effect on the receptive vocabulary of the children in the treatment group, with a large effect size, as measured by the standardised British Picture Vocabulary Scales (Dunn et al., 1997). There was also a significant effect on productive vocabulary, as measured by a Researcher-Designed Vocabulary Test (RDVT). This test was devised for the purpose of this study, testing one-word vocabulary, taken directly from the storybooks in the intervention. As this is not a norm-referenced, standardised test, caution is advisable in the interpretation of this result. A further positive effect concerned the narrative skills of the children in the treatment group, when compared to the children in a control group - the Mean Length of Utterance (MLU) score was higher in the treatment group, with a medium effect size. By examining the intervention by Randomised Control Trial, this study responds to the call from Lillard et al (2013) for more experimental research on pretend play and narrative. The acknowledgement of the role of the adult in the intervention coupled with the positive effect on the children's MLU and receptive vocabulary mean that the intervention, with further development, has the potential to be used as a Professional Development tool for supporting language development in the Early Years in the UK, in the future.

Esta Tese trata de modos de constituição de subjetividades, num programa institucional, destinado ao aperfeiçoamento pedagógico de professores universitários de diferentes áreas de atuação, na Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS). Este Programa objetiva produzir novos significados sobre ser um profissional do ensino, mediante discussões sobre formas de conceber o ensinar e o aprender em diferentes campos discursivos. Realizou-se, nesta pesquisa, uma análise do Programa, especialmente da XI Edição (2003-2004), descrevendo sua instauração e também as modalidades de trabalhos realizados com e pelos professores-alunos. Fundamentado teórica e metodologicamente em Michel Foucault, este estudo se baseia nos conceitos de discurso, prática discursiva, poder, enunciado, formação discursiva, sujeito e heterogeneidade discursiva. A análise centraliza-se na descrição dos modos de ser sujeito que se produzem com a instauração desse Programa, que, por si, já é portador de enunciados. Nas análises realizadas, desde a perspectiva do poder relacional e com base em uma perspectiva histórica, foi possível demonstrar, mediante a identificação das regras que regulavam os diferentes modos de ser sujeito, que estes transitavam em diferentes formações discursivas sobre educação no ensino superior, evidenciando embates, que remetem às resistências do poder. / This thesis is about the ways subjectivities are constructed in an institutional teacher education program for professors from different areas at the Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS in Portuguese). This program aims at constructing new meanings for being an education professional throughout discussions on how to understand teaching and learning in different discursive fields. In this work this program was analyzed, especially its 11th Edition (2003-2004), describing its establishment as well as the types of activities done with and by the teacher-students. Theoretically and methodologically based on Michel Foucault, this research builds on the concepts of discourse, discursive practice, power, statement, discursive formation, subject, and discursive heterogeneity. The analysis centers on the description of the ways of being a subject constructed in this program establishment, which are statements themselves. In the analysis done, taking into account relational power based on a historical perspective, it was possible to show that, through the identification of the rules that regulate the different ways of being subject that they were part of different discursive formations about Higher Education showing clashes that refer to power resistance.

Esta Tese trata de modos de constituição de subjetividades, num programa institucional, destinado ao aperfeiçoamento pedagógico de professores universitários de diferentes áreas de atuação, na Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS). Este Programa objetiva produzir novos significados sobre ser um profissional do ensino, mediante discussões sobre formas de conceber o ensinar e o aprender em diferentes campos discursivos. Realizou-se, nesta pesquisa, uma análise do Programa, especialmente da XI Edição (2003-2004), descrevendo sua instauração e também as modalidades de trabalhos realizados com e pelos professores-alunos. Fundamentado teórica e metodologicamente em Michel Foucault, este estudo se baseia nos conceitos de discurso, prática discursiva, poder, enunciado, formação discursiva, sujeito e heterogeneidade discursiva. A análise centraliza-se na descrição dos modos de ser sujeito que se produzem com a instauração desse Programa, que, por si, já é portador de enunciados. Nas análises realizadas, desde a perspectiva do poder relacional e com base em uma perspectiva histórica, foi possível demonstrar, mediante a identificação das regras que regulavam os diferentes modos de ser sujeito, que estes transitavam em diferentes formações discursivas sobre educação no ensino superior, evidenciando embates, que remetem às resistências do poder. / This thesis is about the ways subjectivities are constructed in an institutional teacher education program for professors from different areas at the Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS in Portuguese). This program aims at constructing new meanings for being an education professional throughout discussions on how to understand teaching and learning in different discursive fields. In this work this program was analyzed, especially its 11th Edition (2003-2004), describing its establishment as well as the types of activities done with and by the teacher-students. Theoretically and methodologically based on Michel Foucault, this research builds on the concepts of discourse, discursive practice, power, statement, discursive formation, subject, and discursive heterogeneity. The analysis centers on the description of the ways of being a subject constructed in this program establishment, which are statements themselves. In the analysis done, taking into account relational power based on a historical perspective, it was possible to show that, through the identification of the rules that regulate the different ways of being subject that they were part of different discursive formations about Higher Education showing clashes that refer to power resistance.

Esta Tese trata de modos de constituição de subjetividades, num programa institucional, destinado ao aperfeiçoamento pedagógico de professores universitários de diferentes áreas de atuação, na Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS). Este Programa objetiva produzir novos significados sobre ser um profissional do ensino, mediante discussões sobre formas de conceber o ensinar e o aprender em diferentes campos discursivos. Realizou-se, nesta pesquisa, uma análise do Programa, especialmente da XI Edição (2003-2004), descrevendo sua instauração e também as modalidades de trabalhos realizados com e pelos professores-alunos. Fundamentado teórica e metodologicamente em Michel Foucault, este estudo se baseia nos conceitos de discurso, prática discursiva, poder, enunciado, formação discursiva, sujeito e heterogeneidade discursiva. A análise centraliza-se na descrição dos modos de ser sujeito que se produzem com a instauração desse Programa, que, por si, já é portador de enunciados. Nas análises realizadas, desde a perspectiva do poder relacional e com base em uma perspectiva histórica, foi possível demonstrar, mediante a identificação das regras que regulavam os diferentes modos de ser sujeito, que estes transitavam em diferentes formações discursivas sobre educação no ensino superior, evidenciando embates, que remetem às resistências do poder. / This thesis is about the ways subjectivities are constructed in an institutional teacher education program for professors from different areas at the Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS in Portuguese). This program aims at constructing new meanings for being an education professional throughout discussions on how to understand teaching and learning in different discursive fields. In this work this program was analyzed, especially its 11th Edition (2003-2004), describing its establishment as well as the types of activities done with and by the teacher-students. Theoretically and methodologically based on Michel Foucault, this research builds on the concepts of discourse, discursive practice, power, statement, discursive formation, subject, and discursive heterogeneity. The analysis centers on the description of the ways of being a subject constructed in this program establishment, which are statements themselves. In the analysis done, taking into account relational power based on a historical perspective, it was possible to show that, through the identification of the rules that regulate the different ways of being subject that they were part of different discursive formations about Higher Education showing clashes that refer to power resistance.