This study has examined how the attainment of theoretical frameworks may create the conditions for and support subsequent learning of related material. In this regard, it has investigated a particular conception of Vygotsky‟s proposal that learning only occurs in the zone of proximal development, which he defined as the gap between what can be performed independently and what can be achieved with assistance. Specifically, it used a multi-pronged, mixed method research approach to probe the relationship between the actual level of development, as reflected by an ability to do proportional reasoning, and potential development, which was measured as the ability to perform certain strategic procedural operations in the molecular biosciences which were underpinned by proportionality. This four phase study which was carried out on a class of 106 second year students registered for Basic Molecular Biosciences II in the School of Molecular and Cell Biology, at the University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa, initially measured proportional reasoning ability by posing a generative question requiring proportional reasoning to the class during a lecture and established that only 49% of the students who participated were able to answer the question. It could be shown statistically that these students were more adept at answering a contextual question based on proportion than those who had answered the generative question incorrectly, which suggested that actual development created the conditions for future learning. A paper and pencil test developed from Fleener (1993) which claimed to measure the hierarchical development of proportional reasoning ability was administered to the class and was used to select two groups for comparative purposes. The first group (group one) was comprised of the 23 students who scored 50 % or less, and the control group (group two) consisted of the 15 students who scored 100 %. Using these two groups, it was shown that the control group performed better than group one on specific questions underpinned by proportion which had been included in pre-laboratory tests and in summative assessments. Moreover, the control group‟s general performance in the course, as assessed by their marks in the examination at the end of the first semester, was substantially better than that of group one (67 % as opposed to a 51% average mark). These results were supported by findings where conceptual development of proportion had been judged from student‟s informal written accounts of the concept. Drawing on biological evidence, it was concluded that the actual level produces the structures necessary for further development. The second phase of the study utilized two focus groups constituted from students who iv had been randomly selected from the two groups compared in phase one of the research. Facilitated guided informal discussions probed which of factors like play and leisure activities, early childhood enrichment, schooling, mathematical ability and practices, instruction in proportional reasoning, and parental involvement, might have augmented the development of proportional reasoning ability. In phase three, the factors which emerged from the discussions were interrogated in a specially designed questionnaire which was administered to a sub-set of students who were concurrently registered for Basic Molecular Biosciences II and Biochemistry and Cell Biology II. Statistical analysis of the questionnaire which occurred in phase four of the research led to the conclusion that enrichment in early childhood, and having learnt proportion at school were the two factors that contributed most to attainment of the actual level of development which would enable subsequent learning of more elaborate procedural knowledge constructs based on the concept of proportion. These results supported the view that mediation results in internalisation of the embedded knowledge which can be drawn on for further learning in that domain. Therefore, in the final analysis of the research, it was concluded that actual levels of development create conditions for potential development as conceived by Vygotsky‟s zone of proximal development.

This thesis can be described in various terms. It is a translation of Vygotsky's theory of scientific concepts, in reality a theory of development, into a theory of mathematics teaching and learning. It is a theorisation, and development, of connectionist pedagogy in mathematics (a relatively underdeveloped, yet exemplary, amalgam of various reform/progressive /meaningful approaches to teaching). And, it is an investigation of the elements and processes involved in mathematical concept development, and the mediating role which classroom tasks can play. Alongside this, these understandings are embedded within a wider understanding of society, schooling, mathematics and mathematics teaching which help explain the current dominant practice in the classroom, and in doing so add to the understandings already described. In sum, the thesis therefore represents the beginnings of a systematic Marxist perspective of mathematics education which can cohere analysis at the multiple levels of society, schooling, classroom teaching and learning, and individual concept development. As such it is also, as should always be the case with Marxist perspectives, a guide to action for critical mathematics educators. The thesis begins with context, motivation and strategy, an overview of relevant literature, and an explanation of the methodology and methods used within. The relationship between Vygotsky's theory of concept development and connectionist teaching is then outlined and developed. The wider societal perspective follows, with an emphasis on generalised commodity production as the key shaper of schools and classrooms. Both of these themes are then developed in relation to the example of vocational mathematics, both providing evidence of the existence and nature of scientific activity and concepts, and connecting their absence to the obstacles related in the previous section. The thesis continues by exploring a pedagogical development based on Vygotsky's theory, looking at the explicit problematising of generalisation, and analysing classroom dialogue in relation to this. In the other direction, a theoretical development is then made, following an illustration of the pedagogical and theoretical framework through the development of a particular concept. Finally, conclusions are drawn and future work outlined.

In this project I investigate university students orientations to learning statistics. The students who participated in my research were studying statistics as a compulsory component of their psychology course. My central thesis is that learning develops in the relationship between the thinking, feeling and acting person and the social, institutional and cultural contexts surrounding him or her. How students orient themselves or position themselves to learn statistics is reflected in their engagement with the learning task and their activities. These activities determine the quality of their learning and emerging knowledge. To understand student learning I draw on the powerful theories of Vygotsky (1962, 1978) and Leontev (1978, 1981). In particular, I extend and apply Leontev's construct of activity (Leontev, 1981). This suggests that individuals act in accordance with their purposes and needs which are shaped by and reflect histories and resources, both personal and cultural. My investigation consists of two studies. Study One is a qualitative exploration of the orientations to learning statistics of five older students. These students sought help with statistics at the Mathematics Learning Centre where I work. My case studies of these students are inseparable from my efforts to help them learn statistics. Study Two is grounded in Study One. The main source of data for this broader study is a survey which was completed by 279 psychology students studying statistics. In keeping with the theoretical framework, my methodology involves a holistic analysis of students and the milieu in which they act. My findings suggest relationships among students affective appraisals; their conceptions of statistics; their approaches to learning it; their evaluations and the outcomes of their actions. In Study One the relationships emerged from the students' descriptions. In Study Two I quantified the ways in which variables related to each other. Structure for the data was provided by means of correlations, factor analysis and cluster analysis. For this study I also interviewed students and teachers of statistics. My data support the systemic view of teaching and learning in context afforded by my theoretical perspective. Learning statistics involves the whole person (Semenov, 1978) and is inseparable from the arena of his or her actions. The goal of statistics education is surely to enable students to develop useful, meaningful knowledge. My findings suggest that for many of the participants in my project this goal was not being met. Most of these students reported their reluctance to learn statistics and described adopting primarily surface approaches to learning it. A range of conceptions of the subject was expressed, but for many of the students statistical meaning was evidently reduced to performance on assessment tasks. Such orientations to learning statistics may lead to it becoming irrelevant and inert information. For a few students, however, the experience of learning statistics led to self development and enhanced perspectives on the world in which we live. My project indicates the diversity of students' experiences. It raises issues as to why we teach statistics today and how the teaching and learning of statistics is being supported at university. //REFERENCES Leontev, A. N. (1978). Activity, Consciousness, and Personality. (M. J. Hall, Trans.). Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey: Prentice-Hall. Leontev, A. N. (1981). The problem of activity in psychology. In J. V. Wertsch (Ed.), The Concept of Activity in Soviet Psychology, (pp. 37-71). New York: M. E. Sharpe. Semenov, N. (1978). An empirical psychological study of thought processes in creative problem-solving from the perspective of the theory of activity. Soviet Psychology, 16(1), 3-46. Vygotsky, L. S. (1962). Thought and Language. Cambridge, Massachusetts: The M.I.T. Press. Vygotsky, L. S. (1978). Mind in Society. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.

Social constructivism, known as Vygotskian theory, has been implicated in improving spoken language skills of upper-secondary school students. This qualitative study aims to investigate the perspectives of students regarding the teachers’ use of humour in ESL lessons both in Italy and Sweden. A secondary aspect of the study was to assess the use of humour in second language acquisition related to language learning and communicative competence based on dialogism and interaction. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 20 participants (5 males and 5 females from each of the respective countries). After analysis using phenomenography, results indicate that humorous dialogic instruction and interaction, as well as non-verbal forms of humour such as gesticulation and facial expression, have the possibility to dramatically increase the focus and interest in lesson content which facilitates better communicative understanding of English. Immediacy is perceived to improve feelings of well-being and harmony within the classroom. Humour and openness are considered important and necessary factors in improving motivation and self-belief during oral tasks as facilitated an effective, communicative learning climate. The study also proposes that there are four factors (teacher, student, subject and task) which affect learning processes, and moderation of humour, the fifth factor, acts as a scaffold to assist in stretching students’ knowledge within the ZPD.

Understanding how students learn, that is, how they recognize, process, and internalize new information, is vital to any teacher’s success. Although many theories exist in this field, I have selected three strong theories to initiate a discussion that I see as suggestive of a new, cohesive theory that represents a synthesis of all three. For the purposes of this report, I have selected the theories of constructivism and social constructivism from Piaget and Vygotsky, Bronfenbrenner’s Ecological Systems theory, and Chaos theory as the basis for my proposed model. In the report, these three theories are deconstructed, and various components of each are then synthesized to suggest a comprehensive model. It is my intent that my proposed model be helpful to teachers in designing and tailoring instruction for their students. By understanding the relationships and inter-relationships of the child to the various systems that affect him/her, the teacher can better engage all students toward a successful outcome. / text

Studien har sin grund i mitt intresse för musik, rörelse och sång. Sångsamling är den situation då dessa olika element möts. Detta arbete skapades också utifrån min nyfikenhet för att veta hur pedagoger uttrycker att de arbetar med sångsamlingar, vad de ser för positiva och negativa egenskaper samt hur pedagogerna anser att barnen påverkas. För att få reda på detta valde jag att åka ut till förskolor och intervjua pedagoger om hur de ser på deras sångsamlingar. Sedan mejlade jag ett par förskoleklasser intervjufrågorna och fick svar på dessa via mejl. Resultatet utav detta blev att jag upptäckte att de flesta av dem jag intervjuade kopplade sång med glädje och gemenskap/stämning. Men också att många av pedagogerna uttrycker att de är viktigt att ha ett syfte med sångsamlingen. Jag har efter denna studie kommit fram till att pedagogerna arbetar för barnen, de vill att barnen ska ha kul och lära genom sångsamling och känna gemenskap och stämning i barngruppen, utifrån vad de uttryckt.

In this project I investigate university students orientations to learning statistics. The students who participated in my research were studying statistics as a compulsory component of their psychology course. My central thesis is that learning develops in the relationship between the thinking, feeling and acting person and the social, institutional and cultural contexts surrounding him or her. How students orient themselves or position themselves to learn statistics is reflected in their engagement with the learning task and their activities. These activities determine the quality of their learning and emerging knowledge. To understand student learning I draw on the powerful theories of Vygotsky (1962, 1978) and Leontev (1978, 1981). In particular, I extend and apply Leontev's construct of activity (Leontev, 1981). This suggests that individuals act in accordance with their purposes and needs which are shaped by and reflect histories and resources, both personal and cultural. My investigation consists of two studies. Study One is a qualitative exploration of the orientations to learning statistics of five older students. These students sought help with statistics at the Mathematics Learning Centre where I work. My case studies of these students are inseparable from my efforts to help them learn statistics. Study Two is grounded in Study One. The main source of data for this broader study is a survey which was completed by 279 psychology students studying statistics. In keeping with the theoretical framework, my methodology involves a holistic analysis of students and the milieu in which they act. My findings suggest relationships among students affective appraisals; their conceptions of statistics; their approaches to learning it; their evaluations and the outcomes of their actions. In Study One the relationships emerged from the students' descriptions. In Study Two I quantified the ways in which variables related to each other. Structure for the data was provided by means of correlations, factor analysis and cluster analysis. For this study I also interviewed students and teachers of statistics. My data support the systemic view of teaching and learning in context afforded by my theoretical perspective. Learning statistics involves the whole person (Semenov, 1978) and is inseparable from the arena of his or her actions. The goal of statistics education is surely to enable students to develop useful, meaningful knowledge. My findings suggest that for many of the participants in my project this goal was not being met. Most of these students reported their reluctance to learn statistics and described adopting primarily surface approaches to learning it. A range of conceptions of the subject was expressed, but for many of the students statistical meaning was evidently reduced to performance on assessment tasks. Such orientations to learning statistics may lead to it becoming irrelevant and inert information. For a few students, however, the experience of learning statistics led to self development and enhanced perspectives on the world in which we live. My project indicates the diversity of students' experiences. It raises issues as to why we teach statistics today and how the teaching and learning of statistics is being supported at university. //REFERENCES Leontev, A. N. (1978). Activity, Consciousness, and Personality. (M. J. Hall, Trans.). Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey: Prentice-Hall. Leontev, A. N. (1981). The problem of activity in psychology. In J. V. Wertsch (Ed.), The Concept of Activity in Soviet Psychology, (pp. 37-71). New York: M. E. Sharpe. Semenov, N. (1978). An empirical psychological study of thought processes in creative problem-solving from the perspective of the theory of activity. Soviet Psychology, 16(1), 3-46. Vygotsky, L. S. (1962). Thought and Language. Cambridge, Massachusetts: The M.I.T. Press. Vygotsky, L. S. (1978). Mind in Society. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.

A finalidade desta pesquisa realizada na Creche Oeste, que se localiza no campus da USP em São Paulo foi investigar, a partir do referencial de Vygotsky, como ocorre o processo de atribuição de significados sobre os seres vivos, entre crianças pequenas, quando estas participam de interações discursivas mediadas por adultos. Para isto, um grupo composto por 16 crianças de 4 anos foi acompanhado durante oito meses nas atividades relacionadas ao desenvolvimento do projeto Pequenos Animais, quando estudaram com maior profundidade as borboletas. Neste trabalho, utilizou-se metodologia qualitativa, e os registros foram feitos por meio de gravações em áudio e vídeo, durante as rodas de conversas e nos momentos de elaboração de desenhos por parte das crianças os quais puderam ser coletados para posterior análise. Constatou-se que as crianças foram negociando entre si os significados das palavras, no decorrer das próprias interações discursivas, ou seja, na medida em que brincavam com as idéias. Esta brincadeira com as idéias, essencial para o processo de significação, foi possível quando as crianças foram autorizadas e estimuladas a se expressar livremente, por meio do uso de múltiplas linguagens. Ademais, verificou-se que o acesso à ampla variedade de fontes de informação, bem como a boa qualidade destas a expressão boa qualidade diz respeito à abundância de ilustrações, legendas e textos explicativos interferiu significativamente no processo criativo das crianças, o que, por sua vez, favoreceu a atribuição de significados. Nesta investigação, concluiu-se, ainda, que as crianças, além de se apropriarem de alguns conhecimentos sobre borboletas (aspectos morfológicos dos animais, fases do ciclo de vida, diversidade de espécies, hábitos alimentares e estratégias de defesa contra predação), incorporaram, em seus desenhos, modos de representação semelhantes aos encontrados nos materiais de divulgação científica disponibilizados às crianças, merecendo destaque o formato sequencial de apresentação das fases do ciclo de vida das borboletas. / The purpose of this research, which was conducted at the Creche Oeste daycare center located on campus at USP São Paulo, was to investigate, referenced on Vygotskys work, how the process of attributing meanings to living beings occurs among young children when they participate in discursive interactions mediated by adults. To this end, a group of sixteen 4-year-olds were monitored for eight months in their activities relating to the development of the project Small Animals, during which they made an in-depth study of butterflies. This work was carried out using a qualitative methodology, with data collected through audio and video recordings during group conversations and while the children drew pictures, which were collected for subsequent analysis. It was found that the children negotiated the meanings of words among themselves during the discursive interactions, in other words, as they played with their ideas. This playing with ideas, which is essential to the process of signification, was enabled by allowing and encouraging the children to express themselves freely through the use of multiple languages. Moreover, access to a wide variety of information sources, as well as their good quality the expression good quality refers to the abundance of explanatory illustrations, captions and texts , interfered significantly in the childrens creative process, which in turn favored the attributions of meanings. It was also concluded, from this investigation, that the children not only assimilated some knowledge about butterflies (their morphological aspects, phases of their life cycle, species diversity, feeding habits and defense strategies against predation) but also incorporated into their drawings similar modes of representation as those they encountered in the scientific materials made available to them, with special emphasis on the sequential format of presentation of the phases of the life cycle of butterflies.

Made available in DSpace on 2014-12-17T14:56:13Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 AlessandroVPRA_DISSERT.pdf: 1388338 bytes, checksum: 708c2ca66cf237536a1eecade53cc87d (MD5) Previous issue date: 2013-07-31 / This paper presents methodology based on Lev Vigotsky`s social interactionist theory through investigative activities, which integrates the teaching of physics to robotics, directed to students of the Physics degree course, seeking to provide further training for future teachers. The method is organized through educational robotics workshops that addresses concepts of physics through the use of low-cost educational robots along with several activities. The methodology has been presented and discussed and put into practice afterwards in workshops so that these future teachers may be able to take robotics to their classroom. Students from the last and penultimate semester of the Physics degree course of the Federal Institute of Education, Science and Technology of Rio Grande do Norte, Caic? campus participated in this project / Este trabalho tem como prop?sito apresentar uma metodologia baseada na teoria s?cio interacionista de Lev Vygotsky, atrav?s de atividades investigativas, que integra o ensino de F?sica com a rob?tica, direcionadas para alunos do curso de licenciatura em F?sica, na busca de fornecer mais uma capacita??o para os futuros professores. Organizada por meio de oficinas de rob?tica pedag?gicas que abordam conceitos de f?sica atrav?s da utiliza??o do kit did?tico de rob?tica livre proposto juntamente com atividades produzidas, a metodologia foi apresenta e discutida, e posteriormente, colocada em pr?tica nas oficinas para que esses futuros professores possam levar a rob?tica para sua sala de aula. Participaram alunos do ?ltimo e do pen?ltimo per?odo da Licenciatura em F?sica do Instituo Federal de Educa??o, Ci?ncia e Tecnologia do Rio Grande do Norte, c?mpus Caic?

A finalidade desta pesquisa realizada na Creche Oeste, que se localiza no campus da USP em São Paulo foi investigar, a partir do referencial de Vygotsky, como ocorre o processo de atribuição de significados sobre os seres vivos, entre crianças pequenas, quando estas participam de interações discursivas mediadas por adultos. Para isto, um grupo composto por 16 crianças de 4 anos foi acompanhado durante oito meses nas atividades relacionadas ao desenvolvimento do projeto Pequenos Animais, quando estudaram com maior profundidade as borboletas. Neste trabalho, utilizou-se metodologia qualitativa, e os registros foram feitos por meio de gravações em áudio e vídeo, durante as rodas de conversas e nos momentos de elaboração de desenhos por parte das crianças os quais puderam ser coletados para posterior análise. Constatou-se que as crianças foram negociando entre si os significados das palavras, no decorrer das próprias interações discursivas, ou seja, na medida em que brincavam com as idéias. Esta brincadeira com as idéias, essencial para o processo de significação, foi possível quando as crianças foram autorizadas e estimuladas a se expressar livremente, por meio do uso de múltiplas linguagens. Ademais, verificou-se que o acesso à ampla variedade de fontes de informação, bem como a boa qualidade destas a expressão boa qualidade diz respeito à abundância de ilustrações, legendas e textos explicativos interferiu significativamente no processo criativo das crianças, o que, por sua vez, favoreceu a atribuição de significados. Nesta investigação, concluiu-se, ainda, que as crianças, além de se apropriarem de alguns conhecimentos sobre borboletas (aspectos morfológicos dos animais, fases do ciclo de vida, diversidade de espécies, hábitos alimentares e estratégias de defesa contra predação), incorporaram, em seus desenhos, modos de representação semelhantes aos encontrados nos materiais de divulgação científica disponibilizados às crianças, merecendo destaque o formato sequencial de apresentação das fases do ciclo de vida das borboletas. / The purpose of this research, which was conducted at the Creche Oeste daycare center located on campus at USP São Paulo, was to investigate, referenced on Vygotskys work, how the process of attributing meanings to living beings occurs among young children when they participate in discursive interactions mediated by adults. To this end, a group of sixteen 4-year-olds were monitored for eight months in their activities relating to the development of the project Small Animals, during which they made an in-depth study of butterflies. This work was carried out using a qualitative methodology, with data collected through audio and video recordings during group conversations and while the children drew pictures, which were collected for subsequent analysis. It was found that the children negotiated the meanings of words among themselves during the discursive interactions, in other words, as they played with their ideas. This playing with ideas, which is essential to the process of signification, was enabled by allowing and encouraging the children to express themselves freely through the use of multiple languages. Moreover, access to a wide variety of information sources, as well as their good quality the expression good quality refers to the abundance of explanatory illustrations, captions and texts , interfered significantly in the childrens creative process, which in turn favored the attributions of meanings. It was also concluded, from this investigation, that the children not only assimilated some knowledge about butterflies (their morphological aspects, phases of their life cycle, species diversity, feeding habits and defense strategies against predation) but also incorporated into their drawings similar modes of representation as those they encountered in the scientific materials made available to them, with special emphasis on the sequential format of presentation of the phases of the life cycle of butterflies.