East Asian countries have achieved high levels of mathematics competency. This study investigated classroom activities of East Asian countries based on the idea that different learning experiences lead to gaps in academic outcomes. The main purposes of this study were: (1) to identify the features of classroom activities in the four East Asian countries of Chinese Taipei, Hong Kong, Japan, and South Korea and the two non-Asian countries of Hungary and England, (2) to determine whether or not there are predominant features of classroom activities shared in East Asia, and (3) to verify whether or not the perceptions of classroom activities between teachers and students are consistent with each other. The data was gathered from the Student Questionnaire and the Teacher Questionnaire in TIMSS 2007. Descriptive statistics and Pearson's chi-square tests were employed to examine classroom activities in the six countries. The results indicated that, compared to traditional mathematics activities, the activities related to reform mathematics were not more likely to be deemphasized in each East Asian country. Also, with respect to reformed mathematics activities, all East Asian countries did not necessarily emphasize them less than the two non-Asian countries. Furthermore, in the frequencies of all ten activities, statistically significant differences existed between all six countries as well as within the East Asian countries. Lastly, it was found that in numerous instances, there were differences in perceptions of classroom activities between teachers and students within a country. Based on the findings, this study suggested not to regard educational practice in East Asia as traditional and to over-simplify it by the label 'East Asian style.' However, further studies are needed on various aspects of classroom practice, except for classroom activities, in East Asia. In addition, this study argued that both the views of students and teachers should be considered together in the study for educational practice. Moreover, it is suggested that future studies investigate the relationships of discrepancies between teachers and students with students' learning and achievement.

The focus of this project is on the use of the reader-response orientation in the development of a poetry unit for grade seven. The reader-response orientation is a literary theory which suggests that the meaning of any literary work is the result of the interaction between the text and the reader. In this project, the emphasis is on providing a bridge between this theory and the practice of teaching poetry. To implement the reader-response orientation into teaching practices, it is important for teachers to understand how theory affects classroom activities. If the theory behind the reader-response orientation is understood, then teachers may be better able to change their teaching approaches. In the classroom, reader-response activities involve students in ways that encourage interest and personal response to poetry. Understanding the reader-response critical theory can help teachers plan their poetry lessons and develop more effective teaching practices. This project begins with a survey of the literature of the reader-response criticism and provides a summary of the theory. The link between theory and practice is demonstrated with a review of a current curriculum project that uses the reader-response orientation. Chapter Five is a poetry unit, for grade seven, designed to embody the reader-response theory in actual classroom practices. In my conclusion I briefly highlight some concerns and give suggestions for further research direction. / Thesis / Master of Arts in Teaching (MAT)

Title: Experiments for Interactive Physics Laboratory: experiments and theory Author: RNDr. Zdeněk Šabatka Department: Department of Physics Education Supervisor: doc. RNDr. Leoš Dvořák, CSc. Supervisor's e-mail address: DvorakL@plk.mff.cuni.cz Abstract: The present doctoral thesis is concerned with practical work of students in physics education. More specifically, it focuses on preparation and implementation of practical seminars for high school students in the Interactive Physics Laboratory at Faculty of Mathematics and Physics, Charles University in Prague. The thesis describes practical work as one of the teaching methods with a focus on its goals, effectiveness and different types of assignment. Furthermore, the concept of the Interactive Physics Laboratory based also on Czech teachers' opinions gained from a small-scale survey is described. The main part of the thesis consists of activities organized into four topics suitable for the Interactive Physics Laboratory. The topics were processed both theoretically and experimentally and all prepared activities were tested on high school students. The current thesis describes the outcomes of two surveys that concentrated on students' and teachers' opinions. Data were collected using questionnaires. One survey focused on students' subjective experience with...

This paper aims to investigate to what extent creative writing promotes motivation for EFL learners to write. A report published by the National Assessment Project (NAFS) commissioned by The Swedish National Agency for Education evaluated the national tests in English for Swedish students during 2018/2019, documenting that the Swedish students obtained the lowest English scores on writing. This result corresponds with the national test scores in English from earlier years. According to The Swedish National Agency for Education (Skolverket, 2019) motivation is a necessary component for L2 learning, and teachers are expected to play a fundamental role in creating student motivation. However, research within the area of motivation indicates that the understanding of motivation in L2 learning is limited. Likewise, the research indicates a need for the understanding of motivation to be both revised and subject to further research, both to understand the nature of motivation and to define tools on how to push motivation in L2 writing. One such tool could be creative writing (CW). Thus, to understand to what extent CW can motivate EFL learners to write, we explore recent studies that examine how different implementations of CW activities and CW courses can motivate students to write within a school context. In the study, we argue that CW motivates EFL learners to produce text. CW seems to facilitate relevance for the student and empower writing activities that consider the student’s self-interest as well as bring new life to the student’s understanding of writing. The insights of this study hold pedagogical values for L2 writing in the EFL classroom.

Reality and fantasy fiction have often been seen as opposites. Fantasy fiction is many times seen as childish, with escapism as its sole purpose. However, is this actually the case?  The aim of this paper is to make the connection between fantasy fiction and reality clearer since we believe that fantasy fiction could reflect the problems in our everyday life and in a way help us see the issues in our world through a new perspective. The connections will be made possible through research from previous scholars, critical perspectives of psychoanalysis and the guidelines of the Swedish National Agency of Education.  Due to the new 2021 syllabus for English in upper secondary school, the topic of this paper is highly relevant as the syllabi calls for students to discuss both ethical and existential questions, as well as reading fiction. Since there is a belief that fantasy fiction can be read and understood as a genre reflecting our reality and our everyday problems, fantasy fiction could assist in discussions about for instance race, discrimination, and sexuality. Since the topic of this paper is highly relevant in connection to the new syllabi, we will therefore write this following literature review and demonstrate how fantasy fiction reflects our reality and how it can be used in the English classroom.

The purpose of this thesis was to thoroughly develop probability objectives to be used by a fifth grade teacher. These probability objectives were developed in four main units. The focus of the first unit was probability vocabulary. The second unit explored the concept of fairness as determined by the probability of winning a game. The third unit's purpose was to determine sample space using tree diagrams, lists, and the Counting Principle. Unit four was designed to help the student write theoretical and experimental probability as fractions, decimals, and percentages. Each unit was written to include detailed descriptions, definitions, and probability activities that can be used in a fifth grade classroom.

Este trabalho discute a introdução de tópicos de História e Filosofia da Ciência no ensino de Física para o segundo grau. Procurou-se dar embasamento teórico para atividades com tal temática, tanto no que diz respeito a questões metodológicas, com a análise de resultados de pesquisas em Didática das Ciências, como, também, quanto aos conteúdos histórico e filosófico. Tomando-se como tema o episódio de aperfeiçoamento da luneta no século XVII, foram elaboradas duas atividades de ensino que têm como finalidades a discussão das relações entre Ciência e Tecnologia e o papel dos referentes teóricos dos cientistas na observação e interpretação de dados. As atividades foram introduzidas em sala de aula e analisadas através de seu registro em vídeo. / The introduction of topics on history and philosophy of science in high school physics curriculum is discussed. Theoretical basis for the design of activities is presented concerning both methodological aspects, with the analysis of research on the teaching of science as, also, historical and philosophical content. Within the episode of the improvement of the telescope in the 17th century, two activities were developed, having the discussion of the relationship between science and technology and the influence of theoretical references of scientists on data observation and interpretation as themes. The activities were tried out in classroom and analysed through videotape records.

Este trabalho discute a introdução de tópicos de História e Filosofia da Ciência no ensino de Física para o segundo grau. Procurou-se dar embasamento teórico para atividades com tal temática, tanto no que diz respeito a questões metodológicas, com a análise de resultados de pesquisas em Didática das Ciências, como, também, quanto aos conteúdos histórico e filosófico. Tomando-se como tema o episódio de aperfeiçoamento da luneta no século XVII, foram elaboradas duas atividades de ensino que têm como finalidades a discussão das relações entre Ciência e Tecnologia e o papel dos referentes teóricos dos cientistas na observação e interpretação de dados. As atividades foram introduzidas em sala de aula e analisadas através de seu registro em vídeo. / The introduction of topics on history and philosophy of science in high school physics curriculum is discussed. Theoretical basis for the design of activities is presented concerning both methodological aspects, with the analysis of research on the teaching of science as, also, historical and philosophical content. Within the episode of the improvement of the telescope in the 17th century, two activities were developed, having the discussion of the relationship between science and technology and the influence of theoretical references of scientists on data observation and interpretation as themes. The activities were tried out in classroom and analysed through videotape records.

The aim of this study is to investigate how the transition into remote education in Swedish upper-secondary schools due to the COVID-19 pandemic has affected the implementation of communicative tasks during lessons in English as a foreign language, and its consequences on students’ willingness to speak. For this purpose, the following three research questions were posed: 1. In which ways have communicative classroom activities in Swedish upper-secondary schools been affected by remote education according to English as a foreign language learners? 2. According to English as a foreign language learners, in which ways have their willingness to speak English been affected by remote education in Swedish upper-secondary schools? 3. What are some aspects that have influenced English as a foreign language learners’ willingness to speak English during remote education in Swedish upper-secondary schools? A total of 128 students from different upper-secondary schools and regions in Sweden were surveyed, after which three of them were interviewed. The data were then analyzed using a univariate and content analysis method. The results of the study suggest that remote education has entailed an immense impact on the communicative classroom. All studied communicative activities decreased in amount, as did the students’ willingness to speak English. This is a consequence of aspects such as technical complications, difficulties in reading others’ body language, locational restraints, and learning objectives.

Despite the vast research on motivation and foreign language acquisition during the last decades, little is known about the motivational effects of concrete pedagogical activities in the classroom. The work of, among others, Z. Dörnyei shows that imagined reality can have positive effects on language learning outcomes. Foreign language learners with a vivid Ideal Language Self (i.e. the vision of the language user one wants to become) that is regularly maintained and activated will feel more motivated when learning a foreign language than learners with a less vivid view of themselves as future foreign language users. This semi-longitudinal intervention study investigates the effects of three specific classroom activities on the pupils’ Ideal L3 Self and their Intended Effort to continue to learn French. The study was conducted in two Swedish 9th grade classes (n= 30 and n= 15 respectively) and also includes a control class (n=14). The three activities in the experiment classes were a) to compose an Ideal L3 Self stimulating text, b) to interact in an online French-speaking forum and c) to complete a webquest. In order to find out the pupils' level of Ideal L3 Self and Intended Effort before intervention began, an introductory text, a closed-ended questionnaire and a semi-structured interview was used. Data from these three instruments were triangulated to establish a baseline level for each pupil in the three classes. After completion of each classroom activity the same questionnaire, an open-ended questionnaire and a semi-structured interview were used to tap the effects of each activity on the pupils' Ideal L3 Selves and Intended Effort. The results confirm that pupils’ Ideal L3 Self is stimulated when, on the one hand, activities reinforce positive images of the pupils’ view of themselves as future users of French and, on the other hand, when an on-line activity makes the students experience the target cultural context almost as in real life. The results also revealed the importance of including such activities as early as possible in the curriculum. For some of the learners, it was already too late in 9th grade. The findings also include a strong correlation between the learners’ Ideal French Self and their Intended Effort in French, which is another convincing argument as to why teachers should include Ideal Self-stimulating activities in their foreign language classrooms.