When the pandemic, which has yet to end, began in 2020, the Swedish public health authority strongly recommended employees to set up work from home. Instead of meeting colleagues and coworkers face to face at the office or in-person meetings elsewhere many employees moved such meetings to a variety of digital platforms. In addition to serving as a primary means by which organizations function, these meetings foster their growth and development. Before the pandemic a variety of office meeting places, including boardrooms, lunchrooms, cubicles, hallways and water fountains served as important contexts for organizational learning. After all, places both formal and informal where information and ideas were shared, shape organizations´ shared experiences and common understandings. Teleworking moved many activities to new contexts, including digital platforms. In this study, I examined how various employees at two departments of education perceived how shifting to digital platforms affected workplace dynamics, especially on tasks that involved communication, collaboration, experiences and feedback which are all conditions for learning and in that sense contributed to prior research on the topic. The study was informed by previous research on teams that worked remotely before the pandemic. My contribution involves participants who had little or no experience of teleworking nor had they choose that structure of working. The theoretical framework deals with theories of organizational learning, including experiential learning and team learning. The study largely confirmed a number of shortcomings that teleworking may have in terms of learning conditions, such as informal and spontaneous communication and the feeling of social presence, issues that may affect problem solving and common understandings and a risk of ideas “falling between the cracks”. However, the study shows that in some cases the habit of using a digital platform contributed to creating a greater feeling of social presence between employees, especially for those who had not worked in the “same corridor” nor in close proximity to each other. In general, the study shows that the option to meet via digital platforms creates future opportunities by allowing the precise nature of specific tasks to determine the optimal contexts for collaboration. That is, digital platforms might serve as the optimal context for some task whereas in person- meeting might be preferable for others.

Organizations are living in a world today where reorganization is a prerequisite for their survival and adaption to the changes demand in the society. During this process, employees’ learning in the workplace is critical for the progress of both employees and organizations, thus organizations are required to create the proper learning opportunities that promote employees’ learning which is not as easy to implement as planning. The aim of this study is to contribute the knowledge increase about the insurance agents’ learning conditions in connection with the reorganization that caused the new tasks for the insurance agents in The Swedish Social Insurance Agency. Based on the purpose of this study, there are two questions which needs to be asked:1) What activities do managers employ to promote the insurance agents’ learning and what are the challenges that the managers may face during this process?, 2) What can promote and limit the insurance agents' learning? A qualitative case study was performed based on 12 semi-structured interviews with the managers, insurance specialists and insurance agents at Swedish Social Insurance Agency. The collected data has been analyzed through a thematic analysis base on the theoretical framework; adaptive- and developmental learning, performance-oriented and development-oriented leadership, which is built on productive- and developmental logic. The result of the study shows that managers apply activities such as planned and partially planned activities as well as spontaneous activities to promote insurance agents' learning. Depending on the perspective, the insurance agents’ learning is promoted or limited in different situations. This study demonstrates the following learning conditions for the insurance agents’ learning; 1) design of work tasks; 2) management’s support; 3) specify goals and plans; 4) supporting documents; 5) enough time and space to learn; 6) training and internal collaboration; and 7) insurance agents’ competence andcommitments. The conclusion shows that both an adaptive- and a developmental learning exists and there is a dominance of the logic of development and production. A further conclusion is that the implementation of reorganization creates an opportunity for developmental learning with focus on the development logic. Thus, the reorganization promotes the insurance agent’s developmental although the organization shows interest towards adaptive learning with the focus on the logic of production. The summary of this study shows that there is a need of balance between the both logics of leaning (development and production) along with maintaining the balance between the adaptive- and development learning in order to promote the insurance agents’ learning.

Den här studien undersöker fenomenet studiero i två sjundeklasser på en högstadieskola i Sverige. Klasserna har observerats under lektionstid vid sex tillfällen och intervjuer har gjorts med sex elever och två pedagoger. Fokus ligger på elevernas upplevelse av studiero, vilka möjligheter eleverna har att forma sin arbetsmiljö samt hur eleverna ser på sitt inflytande och delaktighet. Det jag under min fältstudie har funnit är att elever och pedagoger är samstämmiga om vad studiero är, men att den bäst förstås när den störs. Då blir även andra processer tydliga så som skapandet av normer, elevernas socialiseringsprocess och det vänliga maktutövandet. Dock verkar det som om eleverna inte är fullständigt medvetna om sina möjligheter till påverkan och inflytande i skapandet av sin arbetsmiljö. / This study examines the learning conditions in two seventh grade classes at a high school in Sweden. The classes have been observed during lessons on six occasions and interviews have been done with six students and two educators. The focus is the students' experience of learning conditions in the classroom, what opportunities the students have to shape their work environment and how the students experience their participation. What I have found during my fieldwork is that students and educators agree on what good and calm learning conditions are, but that learning conditions are best understood when it is disrupted. Then other processes also become clear, such as the creation of norms, the students' socialization process and the friendly exercise of power. However, it seems that the students are not fully aware of the opportunities given when they participate in the creation of their work environment.

The aim of this thesis is to investigate how new knowledge can be developed in computer-supported social practice. Participants were selected from newly qualified secondary school teachers and student teachers at a higher education institution in Rwanda. The thesis consists of four empirical case studies, the findings of which were analysed from a sociocultural perspective. In the first study, it has been shown that novice teachers are motivated to acquire information and communication technology (ICT) and to use it in their teaching and learning. The study also reveals that they succeed in situations where school administrators grant them easy access to computers. This implies a need to develop school-based curricula and appropriate pedagogy in the area of ICT literacy, which can allow teachers to develop critical reflection vis-à-vis the new technology and enable them to cope with change in social practice. In the second study, it has been shown that, while acquiring hands-on computer skills in small task-based groups, student teachers can adopt one of the three major learning patterns: individual-led, group-led, or individual-group hybrid-led. Moreover, the study shows that the group-led framework seems to create a supportive environment for knowledge building. This may require that students receive the right kind of teacher assistance and focus on criterion-referenced reflection to regulate their learning. The findings of the third article reveal that students coping with web-based literature face a twofold reality of learning discourse rooted in their sociocultural and educational contexts: the one conveyed through the foreign languages in which they are instructed, the other whose vehicle is their native language. The study suggests an alternative way of constructing a substantial learning discourse based on dissolution of language boundaries. The fourth article shows that appropriation of ICT use can stem from learning conditions including users’ motivation and their participation in social practice. Additionally, it can stem from collaboration between active users and other students. Given this, the study suggests that active ICT users can play a role as agents of change in the implementation of the new technology. Together, the four studies show that thinking and learning with ICT can develop through the interplay of mediation, learning conditions, collaboration and critical reflection.

Den svenska skolan är en ”skola för alla”, trots det har många elever i kognitiva svårigheter svårt att få det stöd de behöver för att utveckla sitt lärande. Syftet med studien var att ta reda på vilka metoder som lärare, verksamma i skolår 1-6 i grundsärskolan och grundskolan, använder för att ge alla elever möjlighet till utveckling och lärande. Sex lärare verksamma i de två skolformerna djupintervjuades utifrån deras uppfattning om arbete med formativ bedömning och dess effekter. Studien visar att alla lärare använder formativ bedömning i olika grad och att metoderna varierar. Lärarna menar att de behöver öka sin kompetens för att utveckla gynnsamma metoder och arbetssätt i sina klassrum. För att nå framgång behöver de mer tid och resurser samt en organisation som skapar kontinuitet kring fortbildning och kollegialt lärande. / The Swedish school is a “school for everyone”, despite this, many pupils with cognitive disabilities have difficulties getting the support they need to develop in their learning. The purpose with this study was to discover what methods teachers, in the school years 1-6 in primary school and special needs school, utilise to give all students abilities for developing and learning. Six teachers active in the two school forms were deep interviewed about their perception of working with formative assessment and its affects. The study shows that all the teachers utilise formative assessment of various degrees and that the methods vary. The teachers believe that they need to increase their skills in order to develop favourable methods and work for their classrooms. To reach success, they will need more time and resources as well as an organisation that creates continuity among further training and peer learning.

The purpose was to investigate the relationship between Canadian and Saskatchewan PISA 2009 reading performance and organizational learning (OL) conditions as perceived by students and principals when selected student and school characteristics were taken into consideration. Gender, Aboriginal status, and socioeconomic status were the student characteristics that were considered. School size, urban versus rural school community, proportion of students self-identified as Aboriginal, and school average socioeconomic status were school characteristics taken into consideration. A nationally represented sample of 978 schools and 23,207 15-year-old students across the ten Canadian provinces participated in the PISA 2009. Within this sample, 1,997 students and 99 schools were from Saskatchewan. Principal components analyses were conducted to produce components for the calculation of two composite (OL) indices: a Student OL Index based on the Canada and OECD PISA student questionnaires and a School OL Index based on OECD PISA school questionnaire. Subsequently, two hierarchal linear modelling analyses were employed to examine the association of student-level OL index and school-level OL index with reading performance. Across Canadian and Saskatchewan schools, students’ perspective of OL conditions was positively associated with reading performance in the presence of the selected student and school characteristics. Except for one school-level OL component (i.e., principal’s perspective of school culture/environment) in the Canadian model, school-level OL conditions were not significantly associated to reading performance in the presence of student and school characteristics. With the adjustment of student and contextual characteristics incorporated in the modelling, the average reading performance was comparable across Canadian and Saskatchewan schools, 528 and 523 respectively. Variance decomposition of final models indicated that 55% of the Canadian school-level variance in reading achievement and 68% of the Saskatchewan school-level variance were explained by the selected student and school characteristics along with student perspective of OL conditions. The findings from this study supported the hypothesis that OL conditions are associated with student achievement. Additionally, it was noted that the effect of OL conditions was of similar magnitude to that of the socioeconomic status effect. Furthermore, the findings from this study further emphasized the importance of the student voice within the school OL framework.

Denna studie fokuserar på villkor för lärande i arbete i samband med hemarbete på grund av den globala covid-19-pandemi som råder för tillfället. Syftet med studien är att undersöka hur konsulter upplever villkorenför lärande i arbete under hemarbetet. Studien utgår från ett arbetsplatslärandeperspektiv, vilket innebär att arbetsplatser ses som lärandemiljöer (Billett, 2001). Forskning om lärandet i arbetet delas ofta upp i formellt och informellt lärande (Tynjälä, 2008). Centralt för informellt lärande i arbetet är att kollegor lär sigtillsammans, vilket styrker arbetsgruppens betydelse (Cuel, 2020). Eftersom sociala relationer i arbetet ses som ett betydande villkor för informellt lärande, är det viktigt att arbetsplatser erbjuder diskussionsmöjligheter för kollegor emellan (Billett, 2001). Ellström (1996b) menar även att bland annat arbetsmässiga mål utgör viktiga villkor för lärande i arbetet vid sidan av delad kunskap.Studien baseras på intervjuer med sex konsulter som arbetar hemma under covid-19-pandemi. Intervjuerna har analyserats tematiskt för att kunna få fram en strukturerad förståelse av konsulternas upplevelser av villkor för lärande i arbete vid hemarbete. Studiens resultat visar att villkoren för sociala relationer i konsulternas arbete spelar en nyckelroll för lärande vid hemarbete. Kollegors närvaro är viktigt för att kunna dela arbetsrelaterad kunskap. Detta gör att fungerande digitala verktyg för kommunikation blir ett betydelsefullt lärandevillkor vid hemarbete. Att kunna pröva sig fram i arbetet visar sig också vara centralt för konsulters lärande vid hemarbete. Tydliga mål i arbetet formar i sin tur grunden för lärandet i dagliga arbetsuppgifter.Avsaknaden av en fysisk gemensam arbetsplats är däremot uppenbar bland konsulterna, vilket kan ses som en utmaning för lärande vid hemarbete. De möjligheter som studien specificerar för lärande vid hemarbetevisar hur möten kan hållas och kunskap delas platsoberoende. / This study focuses on conditions for learning in work associated with working at home due to the global covid-19-pandemic. The purpose of this study is to investigate how consultants experience conditions for learning in work during working at home. This study is based on the workplace learning perspective, which means that workplaces can be seen as environments for learning (Billett, 2001). Research about learning in work is often divided into formal and informal learning (Tynjälä, 2008). It is central for informal learning in work, that employees are learning with each other, which strengthens the meaning of the working group (Cuel, 2020). Because of social relations seem to be a considerable condition for informal learning in work, it isimportant that workplaces offer possibilities for discussions between coworkers (Billett, 2001). Ellström (1996b) means too that work goals constitute important conditions for learning in work beside shared knowledge. The study is based on interviews of six consultants who are working at homes during covid-19-pandemic. The interviews have been thematically analyzed to get a structured understanding of consultant’s experiencesof conditions for learning in work during work at home. Results in this study shows that conditions for social relations in consultants’ work are in a key role for learning while working at home. The presence of colleagues is significantly important in sharing of working related information. For this to be likely, functional digital tools for communication turned out to be particularly significant. To be able to try out in work seem also to be central for consultants learning in work at homes. Clear goals for its part form the ground for learning in daily working tasks. The lack of a physical common workplace, on the other hand, is obvious which points out obstacles that working at home results in learning. Possibilities that this study specifies for learning during work at home show how meetings can be hold and knowledge is shared independent of the location.

Made available in DSpace on 2016-07-27T13:54:21Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 LUCINEIDE MARIA DE LIMA PESSONI.pdf: 655553 bytes, checksum: 588872782e1733631b9e9b6214067ee4 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2008-09-10 / This present study approaches organized practices relations and school management with the educational activity and the students learning, aiming at catch in the school reality evidences of such that practices which act favorably at the teachers work and, for extension, the students school learning. The categories of analysis was taken from successful schools studies, but remade for a function of a democratic-participative formation directed to an intellectual capacity formation and a formation of emancipated attitudes values. The motivation in that study came from the evidence, in researches already carried through and in the daily experience, of certain crisis in the schools with respect to organization ways and management with are reflecting negatively in the process and the results of students learning. The research consisted in study of case of four public schools located in the interior town of Goiás State, in which was observed the organization practices and management and its performance in the teachers work and in the pupils school learning. It was realized, also, interviews with principals, coordinators, teachers, assistant administrative, relatives and students. As theoric reference it was used historic-cultural theory, specially studies which accentuate the paper of partner cultural facts and institutional in the way of think and act of the people. This study can make possible to catch matter-of-fact indications of the influence of partner cultural and institutional, especially in the management practices, teacher work and in the students learning. In this manner, it brought a better understanding concerning organizational characteristics in the schools which establish difference related to a relation the achievement due educational objectives. / O presente estudo aborda as relações das práticas de organização e gestão da escola com a atividade docente e a aprendizagem dos alunos, visando captar na realidade escolar indícios de tais práticas que atuam favoravelmente no trabalho dos professores e, por conseqüência (extensão), na aprendizagem escolar dos alunos. As categorias de análise foram buscadas em estudos sobre características de escolas bem sucedidas, mas ressignificadas aqui em função de uma gestão democrático-participativa voltada para a formação das capacidades intelectuais e a formação de valores e atitudes emancipatórios. A motivação deste estudo surgiu pela constatação, em pesquisas já realizadas e na observação da experiência cotidiana, de certa crise nas escolas no que se refere às formas de organização e gestão que estaria se refletindo negativamente nos processos e resultados (implicados) das aprendizagens dos alunos. A pesquisa consistiu de estudo de caso de quatro escolas públicas localizadas em cidade do interior do Estado de Goiás nas quais foram observadas as práticas de organização e gestão e sua atuação no trabalho dos professores e na aprendizagem escolar dos alunos. Foram realizadas, também, entrevistas com diretores, coordenadores, professores, auxiliares administrativos, pais e alunos. Como referência teórica foi utilizada a teoria histórico-cultural, especialmente estudos que acentuam o papel dos fatores sócio culturais e institucionais nos modos de pensar e agir dos indivíduos. O estudo possibilitou captar indícios concretos da influência dos fatores socioculturais e institucionais, especialmente as práticas de gestão, na atividade dos professores e na aprendizagem dos alunos. Desse modo, trouxe melhor compreensão acerca de características organizacionais das escolas que fazem diferença em relação à consecução de objetivos educacionais esperados.

I begin my essay with a story that illustrates how a preschool activity organized on a modular work can be perceived. I describe how the environment has been rebuilt and modified to accommodate one large group of children instead of two smaller groups as before. Management´s justification for the change is that it is carried out to give the children better conditions for their learning, but my understanding is that it also hampers preschool-teachers´ abilities to implement their assignment. I try to understand what benefits module work by examining what well-known researchers believe is important for children´s learning in environmental and preschool teacher´s importance. When I use what I have learned to analyze my story, my opinion is that the change of the preschool activity not have just a positive impact but also entails that preschool teachers find it difficult to be present and in interaction with the children as several well-known researchers notes is important for children´s learning. I discuss how a large and rich environment at the same time can be perceived as incalculable for teachers, which can result in not all of the children being paid attention to in the preschool activity. I also reflect on difficulties that can appear when the environment is not conductive to preschool teachers work with children in small groups. Despite the consequences my opinion is that large teams and module work is perceived as a current way for many preschools to change their activity for the better. My opinion is still that this form of organization is not considered from different perspectives, and I am therefore puzzled why such large changes which are not scientifically valid in its entirety, yet are implemented? The essay therefore concludes with thoughts about how power creates discourses, which are not always carried out for the individual best. Is there a purpose other than improving learning possibilities for children, behind the change process? / Jag inleder min essä med en berättelse som tydliggör hur en förskoleverksamhet som organiserats om till ett modularbete kan uppfattas. Jag beskriver hur miljön byggts om och anpassats för att rymma en stor barngrupp istället för två mindre som innan. Ledningens motivering till förändringen är att den genomförs för att ge barnen bättre förutsättningar för deras lärande, men min uppfattning är det även försvårar pedagogernas möjligheter att genomföra sitt uppdrag. Jag försöker förstå vilka fördelar modularbetet för med sig genom att undersöka vad kända forskare anser är viktigt för barns lärande vad gäller miljö och pedagogernas betydelse. När jag sedan använder det jag lärt mig för att analysera min berättelse, är min uppfattning att verksamhetens förändring inte bara får positiva följder utan medför samtidigt att pedagogerna får svårt att vara närvarande och i samspel med barnen på det sätt flera kända forskare konstaterar är viktigt för barns lärande. Jag diskuterar hur en stor och rik miljö samtidigt kan uppfattas som oöverskådlig för pedagoger, vilket kan resultera i att alla barn inte blir uppmärksammade i verksamheten. Jag reflekterar också över svårigheter som kan uppstå när miljön inte främjar förskollärarnas arbete med barn i små grupper. Trots dessa konsekvenser är min uppfattning att storarbetslag och modularbete uppfattas vara ett aktuellt sätt för många förskolor att förändra verksamheten till det bättre. Jag upplever det ändå som att organisationsformen inte är ifrågasatt ur olika perspektiv och jag ställer mig därför frågande till varför så stora förändringar, som inte är vetenskapligt grundade i sin helhet, ändå genomförs. Essän avslutas därför med tankar kring hur makt skapar diskurser, som inte alltid genomförs för den enskilda individens bästa. Kan det föreligga ett annat syfte än förbättrade möjligheter för barns lärande bakom förändringsarbetet?

The aim of this compilation thesis is to understand how technology for visual storytelling can be shaped and used in relation to social science education in primary school, but also how social dimensions, technical and other matters create emerging learning conditions in such an educational setting. The visual storytelling technology introduced and used in the study is ‘the Statistics eXplorer platform, a geovisual analytics. The choice of theoretical perspectives to inform and guide the study is a socio-cultural view of human action, but also actor network theory is used to take account also of activities of technology and other matters. The study builds on three empirical materials that generate data from 16 social science teachers, and 126 students from five social science classrooms, in three Swedish primary schools. It contains field notes from the introduction of the technology; focusgroup interviews with teachers; think-aloud interviews with students and two kinds of video recordings from the classrooms (with an ordinary video camera and with software that capture activities at the computer screen, students’ activities and the audio as well). The analysis shows that the visual storytelling technology is shaped in relevant ways for social science teachers. The analysis also illustrates that the visual educational material are usable for primary school students in their social science education. They illustrate further how teachers, students, technology, information, tasks, data types, etc. together and in in close relation create highly complex learning conditions. The technology can therefore be seen as appropriate for the educational practice, but the complexity together with students’ apprehension of how to announce knowledge distribute severe problem spaces in the learning activities. The technology can therefore be assumed as a catalyst for educational change, but to achieve its potentials, reflections on didactic design and knowledge formation is requested to support the quality of students’ knowledge in relation to visual analysis. / Syftet i denna avhandling är, att förstå hur teknik för visual storytelling kan vara utformad och användas i relation till samhällsorienterande undervisning i grundskolan (årskurs 4 – 6), men också hur sociala dimensioner, tekniska och andra faktorer skapar villkor för lärande i ett sådant undervisningssammanhang. I studien introduceras datavisualiseringsteknik för visual storytelling: ‘the Statistics eXplorer platform’, ett geovisual analytics. Den teoretiska referensramen har sin grund i ett social konstruktionistiskt synsätt Ett socio-kulturellt perspektiv används för att analysera social aktivitet, men även aktörnätverks teori används för att analysera både sociala och materiella aktörer. Avhandlingen bygger på tre empiriska material som genereras med hjälp av 16 lärare i samhällsorienterande ämnen, och 126 elever tillhörande fem olika klassrum i tre olika svenska grundskolor. Materialet innehåller: fältanteckningar ifrån introduktion av tekniken, fokusgrupps-intervjuer med lärare, ‘tänka högt’-intervjuer med elever och två sorters videoinspelningar ifrån klassrum (dels med vanlig videokamera och dels med mjukvara som spelar in aktiviteter på datorskärmen och elevernas aktiviteter vid datorn, liksom ljudet). Analysen visar hur lärare, elever, teknik, information, uppgifter, data-typer, etc. tillsammans, i nära samarbete i de studerade klassrummen, skapar mycket komplexa villkor för lärande. De läraktiviteter som uppstår i klassrummen där teknik för visuell analys inkluderas, erbjuder elever support att: hantera stora datamängder, bli delaktiga i olika läraktiviteter och uppnå olika utbildningsmål, men även andra sorters elevrelaterade mål. Därför kan tekniken sägas vara relevant för denna sorts undervisning. Vidare visar analysen hur komplexiteten tillsammans med elevernas uppfattningar av hur kunskap skall visas, skapar påtagliga ‘problem spaces’ i läraktiviteterna. Lärandevillkoren kan därför förstås som en klassrumspraktik som inte fullt ut överensstämmer med den introducerade teknikens erbjudanden för visuell analys. Därför efterfrågas en förändrad syn på didaktisk design och elevers kunskapsformering, vilket blir betydelsefullt för kunskapens kvalitet i förhållande till visuell analys.