Conscientious Discourse is an engagement where participants express their ideas truthfully, but also simultaneously focus on listening and responding to others. Facilitating and participating in conscientious classroom discourse is challenging. We present an approach — reinfrastructuring classroom discourse — by offering students and instructors more information in the initial moments of discourse through a system we developed, ThoughtSwap. This approach emphasizes focused, punctuated moments of attention to one's own and other people's ideas. 49%-100% of students participated in the initial entry of ideas over the course of the semester in 25 classes with nine instructors. The study showed that ThoughtSwap had operational success in that, on the average, instructors used ThoughtSwap once every other week during the semester. Furthermore, student participation rate ranged from 49% to 100%. This work further presents 1) the ways instructors adapted and adopted ThoughtSwap, and 2) the pedagogical goals and challenges they report using the tool. / Doctor of Philosophy / Facilitating and participating in classroom discourse is difficult. The process becomes even more challenging with the goal of inviting what we call Conscientious Discourse, where the participants not only share their ideas but also engage in both self-examination and reflection of other people's ideas. We present an approach — reinfrastructuring classroom discourse — by offering students and instructors more information in the initial moments of discourse through using a system we developed, ThoughtSwap. ThoughtSwap is not the mechanism by which discussion takes place, but instead changes the informational conditions under which synchronous discussions are held. In response to an instructor prompt, students contribute initial written thoughts under conditions of ``contained anonymity". Additionally, instructors may ask students to represent and respond to ``swapped" thoughts, contributed by other people present in the class. These actions created moments of focused encounter in which class members can contemplate their own ideas in relationship to other peoples' ideas as they begin actual discussion. ThoughtSwap use was studied in the context of university instruction by 9 instructors in 25 classes over the course of 6 semesters, to further their teaching goals. The study showed that ThoughtSwap seemed to have operational success in that, on the average, instructors used ThoughtSwap once every other week during the semester that did not contain guest speakers, tests, or holidays. Furthermore, student participation rate ranged from 49% to 100%. Instructors participated in focus groups and articulated their plans, goals, concerns and experiences. In this work I further present and discuss 1) the ways instructors adapted and adopted ThoughtSwap, and 2) the pedagogical goals and challenges they report using the tool. Secondary kinds of results that may also inform future work relate to student-level demographic and attitudinal data, and the design and creation of a system variant that attempted to respond to Covid. Most importantly, ThoughtSwap offers instructors and students an opportunity to deepen the chances for learning in the instructional environment.

This study investigates how 4 newly admitted Chinese international graduate students participate in classroom discussions at a Canadian university. This qualitative research provides rich descriptions of their backgrounds and classroom participation, as well as their voices related to their classroom experiences. Framed by Language Socialization Theory, the study examines the classroom contexts where the students are socialized, particularly the social relations in the classroom that influence the 4 students’ participation. The study also investigates the role of the 4 students’ agency in the negotiation of access and participation in classroom discussions, as well as their identity formation in classroom communities. The findings of this research highlight the co-constructed and bi-directional nature of language socialization. The 4 students’ classroom experiences are not only shaped by their educational, cultural and social backgrounds, but are also jointly constructed by local contextual factors in Western classrooms. Pedagogical implications are also discussed.

This study investigates how 4 newly admitted Chinese international graduate students participate in classroom discussions at a Canadian university. This qualitative research provides rich descriptions of their backgrounds and classroom participation, as well as their voices related to their classroom experiences. Framed by Language Socialization Theory, the study examines the classroom contexts where the students are socialized, particularly the social relations in the classroom that influence the 4 students’ participation. The study also investigates the role of the 4 students’ agency in the negotiation of access and participation in classroom discussions, as well as their identity formation in classroom communities. The findings of this research highlight the co-constructed and bi-directional nature of language socialization. The 4 students’ classroom experiences are not only shaped by their educational, cultural and social backgrounds, but are also jointly constructed by local contextual factors in Western classrooms. Pedagogical implications are also discussed.

Det undersökta området för denna studie behandlar klassrumsdiskussioner kring ett matematiskt innehåll utförda av elever i två klasser i år 6 som är nivågrupperade. Dessa två grupper består övervägande av lågpresterande respektive övervägande av högpresterande elever. Denna studie är ett undervisningsförsök med syfte att undersöka hur metoden som innefattar medvetna strategier i form av ”talk-moves” fungerar i dessa klassrumsdiskussioner. Skillnader och likheter under nämnda klassrumsdiskussioner jämförs mellan nämnda grupper. Studien är begränsad till att behandla samspelet mellan elevernas prat och tankar under berörda klassrumsdiskussioner. Till största delen består metoden som används för denna studie av videoinspelningar som sedan observerades. Dessa ”talk-moves” innebär att läraren får verktyg att bjuda in samtliga elever att delta i klassrumsdiskussioner.  Läraren kan också använda dessa verktyg till att möjliggöra för eleverna att bygga sin egen kunskap. Detta innebär i sin tur en möjlighet för eleverna att komma förbi utantillinlärning. / The area of subject of this study is classroom discussions in mathematics. The purpose of the study is to investigate how the method called “talk-moves” functions in two ability grouped classes of year six. Each group consists mainly of low-level ability students and high-level ability students. During these clasroom discussions differencies and similarities are compared between these two groups. The limitation of the study consists of the connections between the students´ talk and thoughts. The main part of the method of this study are videorecordings which were later observed. The teacher is able to use “talk-moves”  as tools which are used to invite all students of the class to participate in mentioned classroom discussions. It is also possible for the teacher to use these tools to enable the students to build their own knowledge. This means in turn a possibility for the students to overcome learning by heart.

This thesis aims to describe one educational sequence in religious education.  The study shows articulations and negotiations in the religious education classroom, as well as on digital discussion forums. Two questions are the core of the explorative case study. What is communicated between teachers and students in a Re-classroom in Sweden? How does the content of the communication contribute to constructing the Re-subject in two different discussion forums: digital and analogue? The case study follows an upper secondary school class, with 18 years old students, during one teaching sequence. The theoretical foundation is based in a social-cultural perspective. Data is produced by ethnographic methods and consist of classroom observations and interviews with teachers and students. For the interpretation of speech Even’s relief theory is used concerning what is said and Michel Bakhtin’s thoughts on speech genre concerning how it is expressed and negotiated in the teaching sequence. The analysis of the different forums show that in all of them, teachers and students tend to focus on what religious persons do, their appearance, and how they are limited by their faith. The religious persons are compared to a way of living according to a secular norm that the students find more relevant and up-to-date. When speaking of religious persons the students tend to express it in a derisive and disparaging way. Negotiations on content and framework factors interrupt the actual teaching in the classroom environment whilst digital forums are self-regulating and discussions quickly return to the topic after irrelevant digressions. In the discussion part of the thesis the various discussion forums are evaluated didactically. The impact of gender and framework factors on the student-teacher discussions is also raised. An additional question that is problematized is the tension between the curriculum of the subject and the teacher’s desire to get students interested in religion as a subject, described as ‘the teacher’s dilemma’. It is discussed whether this dilemma controls the teacher’s choice of subject. / Vad talar lärare och elever om i religionskunskapsundervisningen och vilket religionskunskapsämne konstrueras i två olika samtalsmiljöer? Detta undersöker denna fallstudie, som följer en gymnasieklass i åk 3, under ett undervisningsmoment. Syftet är att beskriva och jämföra hur ämneskonstruktioner i religionskunskap artikuleras och förhandlas, av elever och lärare, i en klassrumsmiljö respektive i ett digitalt diskussionsforum. Empirin utgörs av klassrumsobservationer, digitala diskussionsinlägg och kvalitativa intervjuer med lärare och elever. Analysen visar bland annat att i alla diskussionsmiljöerna fokuserar både lärare och elever på vad troende människor gör, hur de ser ut och hur de upplevs begränsas av sin tro. Förhandlingar om innehåll, ramfaktorer och annat stoppar upp undervisningen i klassrumsmiljön medan de digitala miljöerna är självreglerande och diskussionerna återvänder snabbt till ämnesstoffet igen efter ovidkommande utvikningar. I diskussionen lyfts frågor om genus och ramfaktorers inverkan på diskussionerna. Det som undersökningen kallar lärarens dilemma lyfts och beskrivs som spänningen mellan läroplanens ämnesstoff och känslan att som lärare få eleverna intresserade av religionskunskapsundervisningen. Huruvida lärarens val av ämnesstoff styrs av det sistnämnda diskuteras och de olika diskussionsmiljöerna värderas didaktiskt. / <p>Examinator: Stolare, Martin, Docent</p><p>Centrum för de samhällsvetenskapliga ämnenas didaktik</p><p>martin.stolare@kau.se</p>

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Syfte Syftet med denna studie är att bidra med insikt i hur Mellanårsprogrammets (MYP) elever i språklig sårbarhet och deras lärare upplever verbala interaktioner i klassen med elevernas kamrater i Individer och samhällen (I&amp;S), ett samhällskunskapsämne inom International Baccalaureate läroplan.  Forskningsfrågor · Hur ser MYP-lärare på den effekt kamrater har på elever i språklig sårbarhet under verbala interaktioner i klassen och hur stödjer dessa lärare elever i språklig sårbarhet under dessa interaktioner i I&amp;S?   · How do MYP students in linguistic vulnerability experience and understand verbal in-class interactions with peers in the I&amp;S classroom and how do they experience the support given to them by their teachers during these interactions?  Theoretical Framework The theoretical framework of this case study is based on the sociocultural perspective as seen in Vygotsky’s work (1987), which have been developed further by Säljö (2000) and Kozulin (2003). This perspective focuses on the understanding that individuals develop through the interaction with their environment and the people around them. The second theory used is Communicative Relational Perspective (KoRP). KoRP, a special education perspectives with three main intertwining processes; participation, communication and learning which predict whether or not a school has an inclusive or exclusive learning environment. Method In this case study two methods are used; observations and semi-structured interviews. Three I&amp;S lessons in the MYP were observed at two different IB schools. The study uses the Sheltered Instruction Observation Protocol (SIOP). Six semi-structured interviews are also conducted; three with students in linguistic vulnerability and three with their I&amp;S teachers. The data collected was analysed using a thematic approach. Each case was analysed separately before being cross-synthesized.  Results The results of the cases reveal two main themes: Peer Support vs. Peer Comparisons and Peer interactions – Expected or Scaffolded? Students in linguistic vulnerability either saw peers as beneficial or a hindrance to their success during verbal interactions such as group work, where students either felt helped by peers or inadequate in comparison to their peers. This led to increased or decreased levels of participation. Teachers found it challenging knowing how to best meet these issues.  Scaffolding the activities in a way that met the student’s individual needs and creating a safe place where students felt comfortable were found to be beneficial for effective group work. The case study also found that although the use of Sheltered Instructional Observation Protocol (SIOP) is advantageous as a tool, it is lacking aspects pertaining to social dynamics and the students’ individual needs.  Special Education Implications This case study shines a light on the importance of special educational needs teachers working more closely with subject specific teachers in order to make them more aware of the language expectations placed on their students during verbal interactions. This case study indicates that special educational needs teachers can use SIOP as a first step in starting a discussion with subject teachers about students in linguistic vulnerability and verbal interactions. SIOP can also be a hands-on tool to use when supporting subject teachers in the creation of more language and subject – based teaching. Nyckelord: klassrumsdiskussioner, Developmental Language Disorder, grupparbete, Individer och samhällen, International Baccalaureate, språklig sårbarhet, mellanstadiet, samhällskunskap, verbal interaktion

This research overview is an evaluation of knowledge and explores the impact of language linked to mathematics. This particularly in the context of conversations and discussions, on the mathematical understanding of students in the ages between ten to twelve years old. The research overview attempts to examine the role a conversation plays in a concept of learning, specifically in mathematics teaching. With this study we want to create an understanding between the relationship of a rewarding conversation and the understanding of mathematical concepts and systems. Through systematic search and analysis of scientific texts a total of 10 articles were used to gain a proper overview of the subject found through systematic searches of sources such as ERIC, EBSCO and LibSearch. The limitations set for the chosen articles were a timeframe between the years 2011 until 2023, as well as being peer-reviewed. All chosen articles and studies are written in English but originate from different places which provides a wider perspective on the subject. The results show that conversation has an essential role in students' understanding of mathematics. Through correct language that develops in mathematical conversations, a deeper understanding of the subject is created. The research overview also shows the importance of language in shaping students' mathematical knowledge, presenting it as a crucial component of their proficiency in the subject. The research overview further describes the importance of classroom conversations, the teacher's role in the classroom, and the impact of home environments on learning. An aspect related to the subject is how sociocultural thoughts about active learning in a social context reflect the present of Swedish school and its design. By delving deep into the functionality of conversation and the connection between discussion and learning, the school will be able to develop the learning offered in the classroom to better meet the students and their needs. Furthermore, our research concludes that for future educators it is a necessity to balance teacher guidance and student participation in classroom discussions.

Abstract   This study aims to investigate students' perspectives on three teaching methods within the subject of religious education at upper secondary school: factual teaching, discussions, and meetings with religious representatives. Employing a deductive approach and utilizing Robert Jackson's interpretive approach as the primary theoretical framework, the study explores students' own experiences with these methods. The theory of safe space is employed to further analyse students' perceptions of discussions and their application in secondary education. Research questions delve into how Jackson's interpretive approach can shed light on students' interpretations and how the concepts of Safe and Brave Space can elucidate students' views on discussions as a teaching method. Data are gathered through focus group interviews and analysed using thematic analysis according to Bryman. The results suggest that students' statements align with Jackson's interpretive approach, and that a blend of factual teaching, discussions, and meetings with religious representatives fosters diversity while avoiding the homogenization of religions. Moreover, the results indicate that students yearn for open discussions on contemporary issues, provided they occur in a secure environment to prevent conflicts. The didactic relevance of this study extends to all religious educators, offering insights into student perspectives regarding current teaching methods. Keywords: Religious education, The interpretive approach, Safe space, classroom discussions, teaching strategies