This field study investigates the dissemination of an innovation through a descriptive analysis of the Structured Experiences for Use in the Classroom Project. Part I serves as an introduction to the field study and provides information about the role of the author in the Project, data collection methods and terminology used in the study. Part II provides a description of the operation of the Project and an analysis of the network of users of the innovation as well as some case studies of the users. Part III considers the operation of the Structured Experiences for Use in the Classroom Project in the light of the theory of the dissemination of innovations. This part also includes some conclusions about the theory and practice of the dissemination of innovations and raises implications for future practice and policy making. The Project team on the Structured Experiences for Use in the Classroom Project established a network of users of the innovation in order to further disseminate structured experiences and receive feedback on their use. The difficulties and the advantages of this approach are documented in the case studies in Part II. The conclusions from this field study raise questions and seek to indicate some directions in the areas of; the funding of projects, the styles of dissemination, the use of networks and the adoption of innovations.

In the last few decades, there has been growing attention to situated or distributed perspectives on learning and cognition. The purpose of this study was to examine science learning in classroom settings through the lens of distributed cognition. A particular focus of this study was on the public space of interaction that includes participants' interactions with each other and with artefacts in the environment. / Focusing on the event of student experiment design, two science lessons were videotaped in this study, in which a class of Grade-seven participants was asked to investigate the scientific theme of gravity by designing parachutes and pendulums. The video-stimulated post-lesson interviews with both teacher and student provided complementary data in order to understand their practice in these lessons. / The analysis of two science lessons reveals the different functions of language, gestures, and material objects and their relative significance in the process of student meaning making and knowledge construction. It shows that (1) the language of science is best understood as an artefact employed by the participants to achieve mutual understanding; (2) gestures and other forms of non-verbal acts build the connections between the conceptual and the physical worlds, and provided perceptual resources that foregrounded the salient aspects of their environment; and (3) material objects helped the students to understand each other by disambiguating references to objects, but (4) material objects constrained student sense-making. The analysis also demonstrated that (5) the learning activity was enacted through the participants' deployment of a range of artefacts, and (6) the manipulation of conceptual artefacts was interdependent of the manipulation of material objects. / Building on the theoretical framework of distributed cognition, this study was able to document the students' learning processes by investigating classroom interactions in great detail. The findings and techniques resulting from this study will help teachers and researchers to achieve a better understanding of science learning in classrooms and the role of artefacts in this learning and assist them to improve the learning environments.

<p>This study aims to connect problem-based learning with the problematic aspects during English lessons in school. In this way, suggestions for solutions to these problems could be generated. The study took place at an upper secondary school located in the middle regions of Sweden. In this school six unstructured observations were done during the English lessons in order to locate the problematic aspects. The students who participated in this study were in the ages of sixteen to eighteen years old. The theoretical framework was based on literature on problem-based learning and learning in general. The essential features of problem-based learning have been summarized and connected with the problematic aspects and classroom activities from the observations. In this way, it has been possible to come up with suggestions for solutions to some problems, such as unwillingness to speak and lack of motivation among students. The conclusions in this essay are that the problematic aspects dealt with features, such as unwillingness to speak as well as that the students did not understand the learning materials and that the teacher was not supportive. The solutions for these problems dealt mostly with triggering motivation by presenting problem-solving tasks, working with interaction and metacognition and planning the tasks in accordance with the students’ zone of proximal development. Furthermore, the teacher should work as a guide in the classroom to help the students along the way. The students should also receive positive and constructive feedback from the teacher, which will improve the learning among the students.</p>

<p>Att vara lärare innebär många saker men framför allt handlar det om att kunna leda människor. Lärares ledarskap påverkar elevernas lärande och utveckling. Det övergripande syftet med detta arbete är att försöka ta reda på vad elever anser om lärares ledarskap och då främst vilka ledaregenskaper som kännetecknar en bra respektive dålig lärare.</p><p>Arbetet består av en litteraturstudie samt en empirisk studie i form av kvalitativa intervjuer med åtta elever i åldrarna 9 respektive 15 år.</p><p>I min undersökning har jag kommit fram till att elever uppskattar ett ledarskap som är grundat på förtroende, tydlighet, struktur och ödmjukhet. Detta skapas genom tydliga regler och konsekvenser, ömsesidig respekt, ett inspirerande och variationsrikt arbetssätt samt genom att ha kul tillsammans. Det är även mycket viktigt att man som lärare har förmåga att lösa och hantera konflikter på ett professionellt sätt enligt eleverna.</p>

The purpose of this study was to identify the management demands that may be unique to science classrooms. The sample consisted of three biology teachers and three language arts teachers from two high schools located within the same school district. To establish a basic framework, two quantitative questions were addressed: (1) What is the frequency of contexts utilized in the two content areas and (2) what is the average amount of time spent in each of the contexts based on the content being presented? For each quantitative question, there are 16 null hypotheses that correspond to specific, predefined classroom contexts. In addition to the two quantitative questions, a qualitative research question was addressed: Are there specific management patterns to be emphasized based on the context and subject matter being presented? Data from classroom observations were collected and coded utilizing methods described in previous research studies. The coded data were then statistically analyzed. To address the qualitative research question, a systematic qualitative analysis was conducted across the different contexts. The results show that seatwork, group seatwork, and student presentations occurred with significantly greater (p<.05) frequency in language arts classes. In contrast, hands-on activities, non-academic activity, and dead time occurred more frequently in biology classes. In addition, in language arts classes a significantly longer average time in individual seatwork activites was evident; while in biology classes, a significantly greater average time was spent in lecture, tests, and transitions. Qualitative analysis of the data indicated that within any given classroom context, the classroom management behaviors of the teachers were consistent. In general, subject matter differences are not revealed directly in terms of management within a particular context. More importantly the instructional approaches taken within the two subject matter areas were different. The instructional approach was determined by the goals and objectives of the class and how the teacher viewed the subject matter. The instructional approach, in turn, dictated the types of contexts and each context determined the management demands. / Graduation date: 1996

Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of Nebraska-Lincoln, 2006. / Title from title screen (site viewed on Feb. 5, 2007). PDF text: 117 p. : ill. UMI publication number: AAT 3216343. Includes bibliographical references. Also available in microfilm and microfiche format.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Texas at Austin, 2006. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Georgia State University, 2005. / Typescript. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 207-219). Also available via the World Wide Web.

This study aims to connect problem-based learning with the problematic aspects during English lessons in school. In this way, suggestions for solutions to these problems could be generated. The study took place at an upper secondary school located in the middle regions of Sweden. In this school six unstructured observations were done during the English lessons in order to locate the problematic aspects. The students who participated in this study were in the ages of sixteen to eighteen years old. The theoretical framework was based on literature on problem-based learning and learning in general. The essential features of problem-based learning have been summarized and connected with the problematic aspects and classroom activities from the observations. In this way, it has been possible to come up with suggestions for solutions to some problems, such as unwillingness to speak and lack of motivation among students. The conclusions in this essay are that the problematic aspects dealt with features, such as unwillingness to speak as well as that the students did not understand the learning materials and that the teacher was not supportive. The solutions for these problems dealt mostly with triggering motivation by presenting problem-solving tasks, working with interaction and metacognition and planning the tasks in accordance with the students’ zone of proximal development. Furthermore, the teacher should work as a guide in the classroom to help the students along the way. The students should also receive positive and constructive feedback from the teacher, which will improve the learning among the students.

Att vara lärare innebär många saker men framför allt handlar det om att kunna leda människor. Lärares ledarskap påverkar elevernas lärande och utveckling. Det övergripande syftet med detta arbete är att försöka ta reda på vad elever anser om lärares ledarskap och då främst vilka ledaregenskaper som kännetecknar en bra respektive dålig lärare. Arbetet består av en litteraturstudie samt en empirisk studie i form av kvalitativa intervjuer med åtta elever i åldrarna 9 respektive 15 år. I min undersökning har jag kommit fram till att elever uppskattar ett ledarskap som är grundat på förtroende, tydlighet, struktur och ödmjukhet. Detta skapas genom tydliga regler och konsekvenser, ömsesidig respekt, ett inspirerande och variationsrikt arbetssätt samt genom att ha kul tillsammans. Det är även mycket viktigt att man som lärare har förmåga att lösa och hantera konflikter på ett professionellt sätt enligt eleverna.