Geographic Information Systems (GIS) has since it originated been making its wayinto different types of industries and higher education. However, one of the purposes regarding the teaching of geography in the upper secondary school in Swedenis to let students visualize and analyze spatial data by using GIS-tools. Previous research states that a broader implementation of GIS in the teaching of geography canbring opportunities such as new and more fun ways of teaching at the same time asstudents learn and develop essential knowledge for the future. Research howeverstates that there are constraints connected to the implementation of GIS in k-12 education and one of these originates from the idea that students and teachers potentially lack knowledge and have an overall negative attitude towards GIS. The implementation of GIS-tools which are adapted to fit the purpose of education at the desired level are therefore regarding to previous research a potential way of dealingwith this issue. This study aims to examine which requirements are to be included ina GIS-application from a teacher’s perspective to enhance usability and ease of use ofsuch tools. A prototype of a GIS-tool is going to be developed and evaluated together with this study to help determine the requirements to be expected from upper secondary school teachers regarding usability and ease of use.The research strategy chosen for this study is Design science. Semi-structured interviews have been conducted together with upper secondary school teachers at twodifferent occasions in this study. The first sets of interviews were conducted for collecting initial requirements for the prototype and the second sets of interviews wereconducted to evaluate the prototype. A theoretical framework has been used for thisstudy, both for supporting in creating questions for the interviews and for supporting in conducting two sets of deductive thematic analysis on the data collected. Thechosen theoretical framework for this study is The Technology Acceptance Model 3(TAM3), which fits the aim of this study as it has been able to assist in analysingtraits regarding perceived usefulness and perceived ease of use regarding a system.This study has developed a set of desired functional and non-functional requirementsfor GIS-applications intended to be used for the teaching of geography at the uppersecondary school level in Sweden. The result of this study also brings knowledgeabout other potential constraints regarding GIS-applications and its implementationin an educational setting; these regard the lack of student’s general computer skills,subject related knowledge, and resources. / Geografiska informationssystem (GIS) har under en längre tid varit en framväxandedel inom olika industrier och utbildning på högre nivå. Användning av tekniska redskap som GIS för att visualisera och analysera geografiska data ska enligt Skolverket iSverige ingå som ett syfte i geografiundervisning på gymnasial nivå. GIS som en delav grund- och gymnasieskolan har påvisats ha möjligheter att skapa roliga och moderna aktiviteter inom undervisning samtidigt som elever utvecklar goda kunskaperinför framtiden. Tidigare forskning har dock kommit fram till att GIS har svårigheteratt implementeras som en del av grund- och gymnasieskolans utbildning. Kunskapoch attityd gentemot GIS har påvisats bristande hos lärare och elever och verktyg anpassade för utbildning på lägre nivå är något tidigare forskning menar kan vara enmöjlig väg till förbättring. Syftet med studien är att undersöka vilka designkrav geografilärare ställer på en GIS-applikation för att underlätta användning av GIS som ettverktyg i deras undervisning. Detta genom att utveckla och utvärdera en prototypsom ämnas kunna fastställa krav relaterat till vad geografilärare anser att ett GISverktyg ska innefatta i form av användbara och användarvänliga egenskaper.Design science-metodologin har använts som vald forskningsstrategi för denna studie.Semistrukturerade intervjuer har genomförts med geografilärare på gymnasienivåfrån diverse skolor i Sverige, detta för både kravinsamling och utvärdering av studiens utvecklade prototyp. Ett teoretiskt ramverk har använts som stöd för skapandetav intervjufrågor och vid genomförandet av den deduktiva tematiska analysen idenna studie. Det teoretiska ramverket är The Technology Acceptance Model 3 (TAM3),vilket har passat denna studie då det har agerat som ett stöd för att analysera egenskaper relaterade till uppfattad användbarhet och uppfattad användarvänlighet förnågot system.Studien resulterade i att funktionella och icke-funktionella krav framställdes vilkageografilärare ställer på en GIS-applikation för att användas i undervisning inom geografiämnet. Resultatet lyfter även omkringliggande problematik gällande GISapplikationer med faktorer relaterade till bristande datorvana hos elever, ämneskunskap, samt resurser.

As a full-time Professor of Mathematics Education, as well as a part-time eighth grade (13 and 14 year olds) mathematics teacher, I have the opportunity to experience the teaching profession from “both sides of the fence.” My university courses are enhanced by my work in the field, while my eighth graders’ learning is strengthened by educational principles studied at the university. In this paper (and presentation), I will explain this partnership and the benefits to both audiences.

The major aims of this paper are to: present the background of the mathematics education problem in the Stamford Public School (SPS) district which is common is most U.S cities; explain the need for change in mathematics education; describe the process to systemically transform both the curriculum and instruction of mathematics thereby ensuring that each and every students is prepared for the 21st century, for higher education, and for success in a global society; and provide ways to measure these changes. The K-12 mathematics education reform model presented can be replicated in other cities and for other academic areas.

This mixed methods dissertation study explored how secondary school educators in specific K-12 competition programs recruited and deployed STEM professional volunteers. The study explored which practices were viewed as most important, and how practices related to constructivist pedagogy, all from the viewpoint of educators. The non-positivist approach sought new knowledge without pursuing generalized results. Review of the literature uncovered extensive anecdotal information about current practices, and suggested that large investments are made in engaging volunteers. One National Science Foundation-sponsored study was identified, and its recommendations for a sustained research agenda were advanced. Three study phases were performed, one to explore practices and operationalize definitions, a second to rate practice's importance and their relation to pedagogy, and a third to seek explanations. Educators preferred recruiting local, meaning recruiting parents and former students, versus from industry or other employers. Most educators preferred volunteers with mentoring skills, and placing them in direct contact with students, versus deploying volunteers to help with behind-the-scenes tasks supporting the educator. Relationships were identified between the highest-rated practices and constructivism in programs. In STEM professional volunteers, educators see affordances, in the same way a classroom tool opens affordances. A model is proposed which shows educators considering practicality, pedagogy, knowledge and skills, and rapport when accessing the affordances opened by STEM professional volunteers. Benefits are maximized when programs align with strong industry clusters in the community.

The major aims of this paper are to: present the background of the mathematics education problem in the Stamford Public School (SPS) district which is common is most U.S cities; explain the need for change in mathematics education; describe the process to systemically transform both the curriculum and instruction of mathematics thereby ensuring that each and every students is prepared for the 21st century, for higher education, and for success in a global society; and provide ways to measure these changes. The K-12 mathematics education reform model presented can be replicated in other cities and for other academic areas.

Recent research have been focusing on supporting teachers in the classroom. Such support has been shown to benefit from the development and employment of teacher-facing analytic dashboards to help them to make fast and effective decisions in regard to the in-class student learning activities. The evolving interest in this field has facilitated the emergence of the Teaching Analytics area of practice and research. However, current research efforts have indicated that the use of such dashboards usually adds another layer to the already dynamic and complex situation for teachers, which can divert their attention and can often be experienced as a disturbing factor in the class. Therefore, it is highly important to examine how such teacher-facing dashboards can be improved from the user experience perspective, in a way that would allow teachers to grasp student learning activities easily and with good perceived usability. The aim of this study is to understand how we can better design teacher-facing dashboards to more adequately support K-12 teachers in their decisions that would provide relevant in-time and student support. The study applies Nielsen's three-round iterative design approach to understand the existing usability problems and further develop the dashboard, originally designed by the company. In order to investigate users’ perceived attitude towards the redesigned dashboard, the final prototype has been evaluated through a Technology Acceptance Model questionnaire and semi-structured interviews with nine participants. As a result, the redesigned teacher-faced dashboard was proven to have a high potential to support teachers’ decisions. The efficiency of the Technology Acceptance Model was verified and put into general context on how tools for teachers should be designed for the usage in the classroom. Additionally, some major challenges for teachers with using external tools during class were discovered and are discussed in the context of a newly designed dashboard. / Befintlig forskning stödjer lärare i klassrummet genom att utveckla analytiska visualiseringsverktyg (a.k.a. dashboards) som lärare kan använda för att fatta snabba och effektiva beslut med avseende på elevernas läraktiviteter. Det växande intresset för detta område har lett till framväxten av Teaching Analytics-fältet inom praktik och forskning. Forskning har dock visat att användandet av dessa verktyg vanligtvis lägger till ytterligare ett lager till den redan dynamiska och komplexa situationen för lärare, vilket kan avleda deras uppmärksamhet och ofta fungera som en störande faktor i klassrummet. Därför är det mycket viktigt att undersöka hur sådana visualiseringsverktyg för lärare kan förbättras ur användarperspektiv, på ett sätt som skulle göra det möjligt för lärare att förstå elevernas läraktiviteter enkelt och med god upplevd användbarhet. Syftet med denna studie är att förbättra användargränssnittet för ett befintligt, så att det på ett mer adekvat sätt kan stödja lärare i sina beslut och erbjuda relevant stöd till eleverna. Studien tillämpar Nielsens tre-rundors iterativa designmetod för att förstå de befintliga användbarhetsproblemen och vidareutveckla en existerande dashboard, ursprungligen utvecklad av företaget. För att undersöka användarnas inställning till det omdesignade verktyget har den slutliga prototypen utvärderats genom ett frågeformulär och semistrukturerade intervjuer med nio deltagare. Resultat visar att det omdesignade de verktyget har en stor potential för att stödja lärarnas beslut i klassrummet. Effektiviteten för Teknik Acceptant Modellen (TAM) verifieras och sattes i allmän kontext för hur olika verktyg för lärare bör utformas för användning i klassrummet. Dessutom diskuteras lärarnas stora utmaningar med att använda externa verktyg under lektioner i samband med ny verktyget.

The use of data to drive or inform the decision making process is gaining traction in education. In response to the data driven decision making shift, an emerging group of scholars are beginning to discuss how the data movement in education may be viewed using a critical race theory (CRT) framework. With a focus on implications for racial equity, this study explores the ways and to what degree data are valued or practically applied in the decision making process in Manitoba. Participants for this qualitative research study include ten Manitoban school superintendents. Drawing attention to the ways in which data-driven practices like all other practice in education, are not neutral acts, this study looks to contribute to the growing research area on Canadian data-driven decision making and CRT. Findings from this study indicate that school divisions in the province of Manitoba are increasingly driven by data that privileges Western or colonial ways of knowing. Some recommendations for further research include, using achievement data to resist racial oppression, exploring the dangers of Gap Talk, and looking at whether data literacy includes notions of power and privilege. / February 2017

This museum thesis project will provide an overview of kindergarten through 12th-grade (K-12) educational programs at six non-collecting art institutions within the United States, contextualized within a selected historiography of art museum education. This project is designed to aid the Virginia Commonwealth University Institute for Contemporary Art (ICA). The ICA is a non-collecting institution that will be located on VCU’s Monroe Park campus. As the ICA staff sets out to articulate a vision and scope for its K-12 education programs, it will benefit from the information offered in this thesis project, especially given that there is no existing literature specifically about K-12 programs at non-collecting museums of contemporary art.

This study examines some aspects of student performance in the 21st century skills of Information and Communication (ICT) Literacy and collaboration. In this project, extant data from the Assessment and Teaching for 21st Century Skills project (ATC21S) will be examined. ATC21S is a collaborative effort among educational agencies in six countries, universities, educational research groups, high tech innovators and the multinational corporations Cisco, Intel and Microsoft. ATC21S demonstration tasks explore the use of digital literacy and collaborative problem solving constructs in educational assessment. My research investigates evidence from cognitive laboratories and pilots administered in one of the ATC21S demonstration scenarios, a collaborative mathematics/science task called "Global Collaboration Contest: Arctic Trek." Using both quantitative and qualitative methods, I analyze student work samples. Specifically, I (i) develop a rubric as a measurement tool to evaluate the student assessment artifact "Arctic Trek Notebook" for (a) generalized patterns and (b) trends that may indicate skill development in collaborative learning in a digital environment and (ii) conduct descriptive studies among the variables of student age and student notebook characteristics. Results are intended to inform instructional leaders on estimates of student ability in virtual collaboration and to make suggestions for instructional design and professional development for online collaborative learning assessment tasks in K-12 education.

It is well documented that hetero/cisnormativity is prevalent in schools. Queerness predominantly enters schools through anti-Queerphobia work, efforts to protect and include “at risk” gender and sexually creative youth from overt violence and discrimination. ‘Normative’ conceptions about gender and sexuality, however, are not just present in overt gender policing; they lurk in how Queer (LGBTQIA2S+) people are constructed as (in)visible, ‘humourous’, and brave/excessive in and around schools. Hetero/cisnormativty – a hegemonic discourse that interlocks with colonialism, patriarchy, and neoliberalism – is at the heart of why gender and sexually expansive people are not thriving in schools. Mainstream efforts to protect and include Queer people (particularly youth) do not combat hetero/cisnormativity. By focusing solely on the ways that Queer youth are suffering in schools, these strategies absolve schools of looking deeply at how they (re)produce norms and hierarchical, non-reciprocal relationships through space, curriculum, and pedagogy that negatively impact everyone. Through a five-month critical participatory action research (CPAR) project, informed by queer and feminist frameworks, nine activist educators who formed the Queering Schools Collective, explore ways that Queerness/queerness does and can exist in schools beyond protective and assimilationist mainstream efforts. Educators Bridget, Kat, Gabby, Lauren, Max, Gayle, Reagan, Ronnie and Sarah co-researched ways to queer schools through examining the following concepts: inclusion, queerness/queering, and queering schools (space, pedagogy, and curriculum). Analyzing individual interviews, focus group meetings, and select journal entries, this thesis proposes that queering is an orientation towards desire, hope, and thriving; it rejects Queer deficiency narratives and positions queerness as non-dominant ways of being, acting, knowing, and valuing. This thesis likewise conceptualizes queering schools praxis as a flexible, situational process that engages multiple strategies concerned with disruption, reciprocity, and care. Finally, through interpreting collective members’ observations about the process, this thesis positions radical community spaces, where people can dream and strategize, as crucial for enabling queering school praxis. / Graduate