Ett arbete om hur textbaserade problemlösningsuppgifter inom delmomentet area framställs i två matematikböcker. Syftet med arbetet är att skapa en djupare förståelse om läromedlen möjliggör ett lärande för eleverna. Metoden för arbetet är en kvalitativ innehållsanalys som präglas av Taflins (2007) beskrivningar av uppgifter och hennes sju kriterier för att ett problem ska anses vara ett rikt problem. Vidare används även opportunities to learn (OTL) för att undersöka lärandet med frågor. Teorin som formar arbetet är variationsteorin där lärandeobjektet, kritiska aspekter och variationsmönster är övergripande teman. Genom att använda en kvalitativ innehållsanalys tillsammans med variationsteorin och OTL ges möjligheter att enklare urskilja teman, mönster och begrepp i matematikböckerna. Fynden som gjorts i matematikböckerna visar att det finns flera textuppgifter som uppfyller samtliga av Taflins (2007) sju kriterier för rika problem och blir sålunda textbaserade problemlösningsuppgifter. Dessa framställs på olika sätt då de har olika lärandeobjekt, kritiska aspekter och variationsmönster. Olika teman påverkar även elevernas möjligheter till lärande då olika uppgifter fokuserar på olika saker. Slutligen påverkas elevernas lärande av mängden uppgifter och instruktioner i läromedlen. Instruktionerna ger eleverna information om vad de ska arbeta med men det är eleven själv som behöver sin problemlösningsförmåga, förståelse och sina kunskaper samt erfarenheter för att kunna lösa uppgifterna och skapa sig ett individuellt lärande.

Der Ansatz des Konnektivismus und die rasante Verbreitung von Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) haben eine anhaltende Debatte um die Chancen, Schwierigkeiten und Perspektiven offener Lernnetzwerke in der Hochschulbildung ausgelöst. Die Diskussion reicht dabei vom befürchteten Verlust des Einflusses der Dozierenden als Gewährleister einer kritischen und vielseitigen Auseinandersetzung mit Themen und Lerninhalten, über die lernerseitigen Voraussetzungen für eine erfolgreiche und gewinnbringende Beteiligung an konnektivistischen Kursangeboten, bis hin zur Frage, inwiefern offenes, vernetztes Lernen im institutionell verfestigten Rahmen der Hochschule überhaupt realisiert werden kann. Verlässliche Daten über konnektivistisch ausgerichtete MOOC-Angebote (sogenannte cMOOCs) mit vorrangig studentischer Beteiligung gibt es kaum, da diese im deutschsprachigen Raum bisher vor allem in non-formalen Settings bzw. im Weiterbildungsbereich angeboten und genutzt wurden. Dieser Beitrag stellt zentrale Ergebnisse der Durchführung und Evaluation eines cMOOC mit hauptsächlich studentischen Teilnehmenden vor, der im Sommersemester 2013 und Wintersemester 2013/14 in Kooperation zwischen drei deutschen Universitäten (Dresden, Chemnitz, Siegen) durchgeführt wurde. Der Fokus liegt auf der Frage, in welchem Ausmaß offenes, vernetztes Lernen im Rahmen eines Hochschulkurses ermöglicht werden kann und Lernergebnisse sich identifizieren lassen. Hierzu erfolgt eine Kombination quantitativer und qualitativer Evaluationsdaten.

This thesis seeks to explore the potential of existing built fabric to change in order to meet the needs of its users. Central to this is the realisation that cities are highly dynamic environments. Momentarily appropriate, static solutions are not acceptable.This means not only adapting an existing building to fit a particular need at a particular time, but to ensure that it lends itself to future change. The building chosen for this study is the NZASM building, currently owned by Transnet, on the corner of Paul Kruger and Minnaar Streets. It was completed in 1963 on the property of the old NZASM headquarters and now serves mainly to house offices for Transnet. The building was between sixty and seventy percent occupied at the time of writing this thesis. The client is a fictional coalition of NGOs. The desired program is what will be referred to as an NGO Hub. The NGO Hub is a shared office and public interface facility. The intent is that these NGOs share resources and act within their specialties to support one another on collaborative projects. They must also be free to pursue their own projects and retain individual identity. At the same time, members of the public have a central location to visit where they can find information and the NGO best capable of serving their needs. This will lead to a far more efficient operational model for these organisations. The thesis also assumes that a scheme by Mary-Anne Da Costa, Surfaces and Services - A Public Space for Communication, Information + Discussion (2007), for Pretorius Square is feasible and that the two projects will occur simultaneously. The programmatic aim is to create a true civic square in Pretoria that will also serve as an example to other cities. This thesis will also work towards generating and reinforcing identity within the city. The reason for doing so is that we orientate ourselves by our environment. The clearer our idea of what a building/district/city is, the clearer our perception of what our relationship to it is and the better oriented we feel. / Dissertation (MArch(Prof))--University of Pretoria, 2010. / Architecture / unrestricted

As early childhood educators of young children, we recognize that children draw what they know from cultural transmissions, moving through many developmental transitions with drawing. As children’s skills developed, a PreK/Kindergarten teacher in a university laboratory school classroom with 27 children was interested in studying ways children can use drawing to enhance their learning of critical concepts within the curriculum. This paper explores her teacher research, a case study using an action research approach guided by these questions: (1) How do young children use drawing during short and long-term projects? (2) What can teachers learn from close attention to children’s representation drawing? A Drawing to Learn protocol was developed to study children’s drawings of curriculum topics like the wind, affording opportunities to use drawing to express their understanding of motion and their theories of how something works. The teacher research was organized around the Cycle of Inquiry process typically used for curriculum planning in the classroom. The curriculum planning data (observation, interpretation, questions, reflections) informed teachers’ understanding of the meaning of children’s drawings and guided teachers as to how to proceed to inquire more deeply into meaning and discovery with children. The findings of this two-semester study indicate multiple purposes and strategies for using drawings in the learning process (predict, study functions of objects, revisit and reflect, and plan).

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This study examines the relationship of student achievement in mathematics and factors purported to influence such achievement. The factors utilized in the study were selected from those contained in accountability reports issued by the state of Tennessee in 1995-96. The student achievement measures were based on four high school end-of-course mathematics tests. Student performance on these tests is examined both in terms of actual scores and value-added measures. This study organizes the available accountability measures in an Opportunity-to-Learn (OTL) framework for the purpose of determining relationships that can inform practice and give policy guidance. The study examined 65 (of 139) school systems in Tennessee in a research design of correlation and multiple regression analyses. Twenty-three independent variables were organized into three OTL categories (fiscal, educational process, and teacher quality) and an "external factors" category. Eight dependent variables represented actual and value-added results on the four tests. Results revealed a number of significant relationships; there were relatively fewer and weaker relationships involving value-added measures than actual measures of achievement. Conclusions emphasize the need for continued refinement of the accountability and research goals for the state. Specific recommendations are that the number of variables measured be increased and that the focus and specificity of the variables be increased.

Research has shown that the focus of mathematics student teaching programs is typically classroom management and non-mathematics specific teaching strategies. However, the redesigned BYU student teaching structure has proven to help facilitate a greater focus on mathematics-specific pedagogy and student mathematics during post-lesson reflection meeting conversations. This study analyzed what specific principles of NCTM’s standards of effective teaching were discussed in the reflection meetings of this redesigned structure. This study found that the student teachers extensively discussed seven of the eight principles NCTM considers to be necessary for effective mathematics teaching. Other pedagogical principles pertaining to student mathematical learning not included in NCTM’s standards of effecting teaching were also discussed, as well as the student teachers’ own understanding of mathematics. Behavior was discussed very little. This study also provides insights into how mathematics student teaching can be further restructured to assure that mathematics student teachers can leave their student teaching programs ready to implement the principles of effective teaching in their own classrooms.

This thesis develops methods of task localization, task similarity discovery, and task transfer for eventual use in a reinforcement learning task library system, which can effectively “learn to learn,” improving its performance as it encounters various tasks over the lifetime of the learning system.