Full thesis Submitted in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree Master in Education in the Faculty of Education and Social Sciences at the CAPE PENINSULA UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY 2014 / This study investigates the quality of Grade R teachers’ subject knowledge of Visual Perceptual Skills (VPS). This knowledge includes their competence in visual-training design, which they need in order to give their learners access to early reading. Literature reviewed covers areas pertaining to the knowledge specialization required by Grade R teachers in order to impart VPS to young learners in the pre-reading or pre-alphabetic phase. These areas are: Visual Perception (VP), cognitive development, early reading, teacher knowledge and the Grade R policy framework. The mainly qualitative data collected over a period of ten months was derived from various potential or actual sources of teacher subject knowledge of VP. The most important source was the existing knowledge base of the four Grade R teachers in the sample. The connections between the data provided a picture of the accuracy and explicitness of the VP conceptual-content in the sources. For the Grade R teachers to be competent in visual training design, they would need suitable subject knowledge capacitation in VP. The findings revealed that training undergone by most Grade R teachers is VP deficient; the Grade R curriculum is VP vague; teacher training requires more infusion of Grade R curriculum; the regional Grade R diagnostic test is VP rich, albeit semi-concrete and not concrete in the assessment activities’ learning levels; finally, the Grade R teachers in the sample are highly motivated, and they are hungry for professional development. Key words: subject knowledge; Visual Perceptual Skills (VPS)/Visual Perception (VP); visual-training design; pre-reading/pre-alphabetic phase; professional development.

Thesis (MTech (Education))--Cape Peninsula University of Technology, 2006 / The study focuses on the identification and development of teaching strategies and the factors that impact on the strategies when supporting learners with learning difficulties in mainstream Foundation Phase classes. The study was carried out by interviewing a focus group of Foundation Phase teachers from public schools in the Cape Metropolitan area. The findings from the focus group discussion was verified and amplified by responses from Heads of Department, Foundation Phase within the same area. The research methodology was that of a two-stepped investigation. Firstly, a focus group discussion was conducted using an open ended question framework with the intent of exploring how mainstream Foundation Phase teachers develop teaching strategies and what factors impact on these strategies when supporting learners with learning difficulties. The data collected was analyzed and a qualitative questionnaire compiled for Heads of Department: Foundation Phase to verify and amplify the data collected during the focus group. The study indicated that past and recent teacher training does not equip teachers with the necessary skills to support learners with learning difficulties in mainstream classes. The study also found that current workload levels inhibited further self study. The research findings contributed to the fund of knowledge with regard to the training of Foundation Phase teachers to support all learners, regardless of the degree of learning difficulty, in mainstream classes in public schools.

The purpose of this study was to examine the lived experience of reflection and document how a holistic approach to teacher reflection contributes to teachers' understanding of, and improvement in their pedagogical practice. The investigation asked how classroom observations, when followed by a reflective dialogue, impact pedagogical practice. The particular focus included how teachers make sense of observational data during a post-observation, reflective dialogue; how teachers reflect on classroom observational data; and how the holistic reflection experience impacts teachers' pedagogical practice. Three research questions guided this study. How do teachers make sense of observational data during a post observation reflective dialogue? How do teachers reflect on classroom observational data? How might the holistic reflection experience impact teachers' pedagogical practice? Findings from this study provide implications for incorporating the practice of teacher reflection and reflective dialogue as professional development and for educational research.

No description available.

This dissertation qualitatively explores 55 Thai 4th grade students, a teacher, and 7 community members from a low-income public school in Bangkok, Thailand in order to develop a design framework for creating school-based maker experiences that are culturally relevant to lower income Thai students. Co-teaching and co designing a two-year design-based research project named, “Little Builders,” I worked with a local science teacher to engage the students in a constructionist learning experience that involved designing and building social innovations to solve problems in their community. I propose the Culturally Relevant Constructionist Design framework as a way to (1) create constructionist learning experiences that align with students’ values and goals, and (2) engage important people in the students’ lives, such as teachers and community members, in the process of making. Designing the learning experience for Thai students from 2017-2019, I draw from the life and work of the late King Bhumibol of Thailand. For 70 years, King Bhumibol was a unifying figure in Thailand and widely admired as “The Developer King” (Nicholas & Dominic, 2011) as he dedicated his life to creating inventions for the good of the country. Students “followed in the King’s footsteps” by making inventions to better their community in the midst of a nation-wide mourning period after the King’s death in 2016. This dissertation builds upon the literature from constructionism, sociocultural views of learning and identity development, community-centered making, and culturally relevant pedagogy. Little Builders provided opportunities for students, teachers, and community members to build projects and relationships. They learned about making while also learning more about each other and about how to support one another. During the Little Builders project, teachers and community members explicitly expressed new appreciation and awareness of students’ skills and strengths, gradually moving away from deficit narratives. Similarly, the students saw themselves as someone who could create and invent while helping others.

No description available.

The purpose of this study is to make an examination of current educational trends as found in authoritative books and magazines and to use the traditional school of Edyth, Tahoka, Texas, and the progressive school of West Point, Tahoka, Texas, as special examples for comparison. An analysis of the different techniques used and an evaluation of the merits of each will be offered.

The research study was conducted to investigate the effectiveness of the instructional methods, particularly the lecture-discussion instructional method as a teaching and learning method at grade 7 level, in Shurugwi district, Zimbabwe. The subject taught being English language. The experimental method (quasi-experimental) used at the twenty chosen schools was the pre-test and post test group method. It was found that the lecture-discussion instructional method produced better results in more cases than the discussion method alone. It was also found that work produced by the lecture-discussion instructional method was more refined than work produced by the discussion method alone. Guided learners were more work focused than learners discussing alone without a teacher. Average and below average learners did not enjoy learning without the presence of the teacher talk. The learners, during teacher absence, seemed hesitant and confused at times. The lecture-discussion method seems to cater for all the learners and their learning styles. The importance of the teacher in the class was clearly demonstrated by the work and results produced by the learners at the twenty selected primary schools in Shurugwi district, Midlands province, Zimbabwe. All the learners that received treatment from the experiment produced better results than their control groups that did not receive the treatment. However, conclusions and generalisations can not be made because the samples used and the areas covered were too small in size. The learners studied were too few to make meaningful generalisations and conclusions for the country. Further researches should be carried out in future. / Curriculum and Instructional Studies / M. Ed. (Didactics)

A presente investigação se vincula a pesquisa contemplada pelo Projeto Observatório da Educação intitulada: Educação matemática nos anos iniciais do Ensino Fundamental: Princípios e práticas da organização do ensino\". Esta pesquisa é realizada pelo Grupo de Estudo e Pesquisa sobre Atividade Pedagógica GEPAPe/FEUSP e objetiva investigar as relações entre o desempenho escolar dos alunos, representado pelos dados do INEP, e a organização curricular de matemática nos anos iniciais do ensino fundamental. Nossa participação está voltada para a organização do ensino de matemática no contexto da ampliação do ensino fundamental para nove anos no Brasil. A promulgação da Lei de n° 11274/2006, que dispõe a duração do ensino fundamental de nove anos, conduz a relevantes questões para o cenário educacional atual, pois, além de consolidar a política de ampliação do acesso à educação às crianças de 6 anos, é importante assegurar a elas um processo educativo que respeite o tempo da infância e seja consoante à adequação tanto das condições materiais quanto da organização pedagógica, tendo em vista a formação integral da criança. Neste sentido, pretendemos caracterizar a organização do ensino de matemática no primeiro ano do ensino fundamental, a partir de três principais eixos: dos principios, das propostas e do material didático. Apresentamos, inicialmente, os princípios representados pelos documentos legais e de orientação oficial para o ensino de nove anos. As propostas serão indicadas por documentos da Secretaria Municipal de Educação que se constitui o lócus desta pesquisa e por orientações do material didático adotado pela mesma rede. Para observar aspectos da atividade pedagógica, direcionamos nosso olhar para os exercícios de matemática selecionados no material didático voltado ao primeiro ano do ensino fundamental. Esta base material nos dará subsídios para investigar como os princípios e as propostas que orientam a organização curricular no ensino de nove anos se apresentam nos conteúdos propostos no material didático, tornando legítimo, na escola, o que é legalizado pelos documentos, no percurso de efetivação do currículo. Nossos resultados indicam a não existência de um projeto de educação matemática para a infância, bem como a ausência de propostas que contemplem a educação das crianças de 6 anos no ensino fundamental. Portanto, a implantação do ensino de nove anos, vista por muitos como a esperança de um movimento de renovação curricular, se estabeleceu como síntese de um fazer pedagógico direcionado para antecipar as necessidades do mercado e do capital no âmbito de um projeto de sociedade capitalista. / The following research is part of a major research made by the Educational Observatory Project entitled: Math education in elementary school initial years: Teaching practices and principles organization. This research is developed by the Pedagogic Activities Research Group GEPAPe/FEUSP and its goal is to investigate the relations between school performance of the students, presented by INEP data, and math curriculum organization in elementary school initial years. Our participation is on organizing math teaching amplifying elementary school teaching to nine years in Brazil. The promulgation of the Law n° 11274/2006, that disposes about the continuance of nine years teaching, conducts to important questions to the present scenario, because, beyond of consolidating the amplification of access to education to 6 years old children, is import to ensure them an educational process that respects the childhood time according to the adequacy of material conditions as much as pedagogical organization, owing to the child development. In this sense, our intent is to characterize math teaching organization in the first year of elementary teaching, from three main subjects: principles, proposals and didactic materials. We present, initially, legal documents principles and official orientation to nine years education. The proposals will be indicated by the City Educational Secretary that is the data of this research and didactic material used by this same Secretary. To observe pedagogical activities aspects, our focus were in math exercises selected from the didactic materials to elementary school first grades. This base material will give us data to investigate how the principles and proposals that guides curriculum organization in nine years teaching are presented in the content proposed into the didactic material, legitimizing, into school, what is legalized by documents, in the course of realization of the curriculum. Our research results in a lack of math education project in infancy, as well as a lack of proposals that contemplates 6 years old students education in elementary school. Therefore, the implantation of nine years teaching, seen by many as curriculum renovation hope, has established as educational synthesis directed to anticipate the needs of market and capitals in a capitalist scope.

A presente investigação se vincula a pesquisa contemplada pelo Projeto Observatório da Educação intitulada: Educação matemática nos anos iniciais do Ensino Fundamental: Princípios e práticas da organização do ensino\". Esta pesquisa é realizada pelo Grupo de Estudo e Pesquisa sobre Atividade Pedagógica GEPAPe/FEUSP e objetiva investigar as relações entre o desempenho escolar dos alunos, representado pelos dados do INEP, e a organização curricular de matemática nos anos iniciais do ensino fundamental. Nossa participação está voltada para a organização do ensino de matemática no contexto da ampliação do ensino fundamental para nove anos no Brasil. A promulgação da Lei de n° 11274/2006, que dispõe a duração do ensino fundamental de nove anos, conduz a relevantes questões para o cenário educacional atual, pois, além de consolidar a política de ampliação do acesso à educação às crianças de 6 anos, é importante assegurar a elas um processo educativo que respeite o tempo da infância e seja consoante à adequação tanto das condições materiais quanto da organização pedagógica, tendo em vista a formação integral da criança. Neste sentido, pretendemos caracterizar a organização do ensino de matemática no primeiro ano do ensino fundamental, a partir de três principais eixos: dos principios, das propostas e do material didático. Apresentamos, inicialmente, os princípios representados pelos documentos legais e de orientação oficial para o ensino de nove anos. As propostas serão indicadas por documentos da Secretaria Municipal de Educação que se constitui o lócus desta pesquisa e por orientações do material didático adotado pela mesma rede. Para observar aspectos da atividade pedagógica, direcionamos nosso olhar para os exercícios de matemática selecionados no material didático voltado ao primeiro ano do ensino fundamental. Esta base material nos dará subsídios para investigar como os princípios e as propostas que orientam a organização curricular no ensino de nove anos se apresentam nos conteúdos propostos no material didático, tornando legítimo, na escola, o que é legalizado pelos documentos, no percurso de efetivação do currículo. Nossos resultados indicam a não existência de um projeto de educação matemática para a infância, bem como a ausência de propostas que contemplem a educação das crianças de 6 anos no ensino fundamental. Portanto, a implantação do ensino de nove anos, vista por muitos como a esperança de um movimento de renovação curricular, se estabeleceu como síntese de um fazer pedagógico direcionado para antecipar as necessidades do mercado e do capital no âmbito de um projeto de sociedade capitalista. / The following research is part of a major research made by the Educational Observatory Project entitled: Math education in elementary school initial years: Teaching practices and principles organization. This research is developed by the Pedagogic Activities Research Group GEPAPe/FEUSP and its goal is to investigate the relations between school performance of the students, presented by INEP data, and math curriculum organization in elementary school initial years. Our participation is on organizing math teaching amplifying elementary school teaching to nine years in Brazil. The promulgation of the Law n° 11274/2006, that disposes about the continuance of nine years teaching, conducts to important questions to the present scenario, because, beyond of consolidating the amplification of access to education to 6 years old children, is import to ensure them an educational process that respects the childhood time according to the adequacy of material conditions as much as pedagogical organization, owing to the child development. In this sense, our intent is to characterize math teaching organization in the first year of elementary teaching, from three main subjects: principles, proposals and didactic materials. We present, initially, legal documents principles and official orientation to nine years education. The proposals will be indicated by the City Educational Secretary that is the data of this research and didactic material used by this same Secretary. To observe pedagogical activities aspects, our focus were in math exercises selected from the didactic materials to elementary school first grades. This base material will give us data to investigate how the principles and proposals that guides curriculum organization in nine years teaching are presented in the content proposed into the didactic material, legitimizing, into school, what is legalized by documents, in the course of realization of the curriculum. Our research results in a lack of math education project in infancy, as well as a lack of proposals that contemplates 6 years old students education in elementary school. Therefore, the implantation of nine years teaching, seen by many as curriculum renovation hope, has established as educational synthesis directed to anticipate the needs of market and capitals in a capitalist scope.