Thesis (Ph.D. (English))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2007.

Det socialkonstruktivistiska synsättet på lärande och vikten av samspel och kommunikation som ett medel för lärande är idag mycket aktuellt. Det framhålls av både forskare inom pedagogik och i läroplaner. Följande studie har behandlat undervisningen i ämnet matematik, med utgångspunkt i hur kommunikation används som ett lärandeverktyg. Teorier om att kunskap är något som överförs till eleverna, traditionell förmedlingspedagogik, eller att det byggs upp främst genom enskild aktivitet, konstruktivism, får idag mindre intresse. Därför är det intressant att ta reda på i vilken grad dessa utgör en del av matematikundervisningen. Syftet med studien har varit att urskilja de lärandeteorier som synliggörs i matematikundervisningen, med utgångspunkt i hur de olika teorierna ser på kommunikation som ett lärandeverktyg. Fyra intervjuer med lärare i år två har utgjort underlag för den empiriska datainsamlingen. Resultatet visade att alla tre grundläggande lärandeteorier som studien utgått från utgör en del av lärarnas matematikundervisning. Det skiljer sig dock mellan lärarna i vilken grad dessa syns i deras utsagor om undervisningen och i vilken utsträckning kommunikation används som ett medvetet och problematiserat lärandeverktyg. Det är inte självklart att den lärandeteori som är mest omtalad för tillfället alltid är den bästa. En slutsats är också att ett kommunikativt klassrum inte uppstår automatiskt, det krävs exempelvis en inställning att alla kan bidra till varandras lärande och att eleverna får möjlighet att öva på sina kommunikationsfärdigheter. / A current theory of learning is the socio-cultural theory, which emphasizes the importance of social interaction and communication in children’s learning. This is highlighted from pedagogical researchers and also the national curriculum. The following study has dealt with the teaching in mathematics and emphasises the use of communication as a learning tool. Theories which claim that knowledge is something which can be easily transferred to students or constructed mainly through individual activity, constructivism, is today of minor interest. Therefore it is interesting to find out in which degree these theories are reflected in the mathematics education of today. The aim of this study is to identify different theories of learning which can be recognized from four teachers’ statements of their own teaching in mathematics. Our point of departure was the different theories view of communication as a learning tool. The empirical data collection has been performed by four interviews. The result is pointing out that the four teachers’ classroom work reflects all three of the fundamental learning theories, which has been the base of the study. Although there is a difference between the teachers, in what degree these theories “appear” in their lessons and how they consciously use communication as a learning tool. It is not clear that the most current learning theory always is preferable. A main conclusion is also that a classroom which is characterised of communication and dialogues does not occur by itself. An attitude that assumes that everyone can contribute to each other’s learning is required and that the students get opportunities to practise their communication skills is of great importance.

<p>Det socialkonstruktivistiska synsättet på lärande och vikten av samspel och kommunikation som ett medel för lärande är idag mycket aktuellt. Det framhålls av både forskare inom pedagogik och i läroplaner. Följande studie har behandlat undervisningen i ämnet matematik, med utgångspunkt i hur kommunikation används som ett lärandeverktyg. Teorier om att kunskap är något som överförs till eleverna, traditionell förmedlingspedagogik, eller att det byggs upp främst genom enskild aktivitet, konstruktivism, får idag mindre intresse. Därför är det intressant att ta reda på i vilken grad dessa utgör en del av matematikundervisningen. Syftet med studien har varit att urskilja de lärandeteorier som synliggörs i matematikundervisningen, med utgångspunkt i hur de olika teorierna ser på kommunikation som ett lärandeverktyg. Fyra intervjuer med lärare i år två har utgjort underlag för den empiriska datainsamlingen. Resultatet visade att alla tre grundläggande lärandeteorier som studien utgått från utgör en del av lärarnas matematikundervisning. Det skiljer sig dock mellan lärarna i vilken grad dessa syns i deras utsagor om undervisningen och i vilken utsträckning kommunikation används som ett medvetet och problematiserat lärandeverktyg. Det är inte självklart att den lärandeteori som är mest omtalad för tillfället alltid är den bästa. En slutsats är också att ett kommunikativt klassrum inte uppstår automatiskt, det krävs exempelvis en inställning att alla kan bidra till varandras lärande och att eleverna får möjlighet att öva på sina kommunikationsfärdigheter.</p> / <p>A current theory of learning is the socio-cultural theory, which emphasizes the importance of social interaction and communication in children’s learning. This is highlighted from pedagogical researchers and also the national curriculum. The following study has dealt with the teaching in mathematics and emphasises the use of communication as a learning tool. Theories which claim that knowledge is something which can be easily transferred to students or constructed mainly through individual activity, constructivism, is today of minor interest. Therefore it is interesting to find out in which degree these theories are reflected in the mathematics education of today. The aim of this study is to identify different theories of learning which can be recognized from four teachers’ statements of their own teaching in mathematics. Our point of departure was the different theories view of communication as a learning tool. The empirical data collection has been performed by four interviews. The result is pointing out that the four teachers’ classroom work reflects all three of the fundamental learning theories, which has been the base of the study. Although there is a difference between the teachers, in what degree these theories “appear” in their lessons and how they consciously use communication as a learning tool. It is not clear that the most current learning theory always is preferable. A main conclusion is also that a classroom which is characterised of communication and dialogues does not occur by itself. An attitude that assumes that everyone can contribute to each other’s learning is required and that the students get opportunities to practise their communication skills is of great importance.</p>

Teaching through specifically designed and produced learning materials is a widely used and accepted way of teaching in higher education both nationally and internationally. Although this kind of teaching is used mainly in the field of distance education, it has become increasingly popular at traditional universities in face-to-face methods of education. Developing language-learning materials that meets the needs of English for Specific Purposes learners is a process that requires meticulous planning as English for Specific Purposes courses are aimed at meeting the career needs of the learners. An empirical study was conducted to determine the perceptions and concerns of learners using the ENGL 122 study guide at the North-West University (Potchefstroom Campus). The results of the study indicated that the learners were positive that the study guide enhanced their learning process, but various concerns were also raised by the learners. This study also aimed to create a framework for the writing of English for Specific Purposes (ESP) study guides. In order to achieve this, a literature study was done to provide information about the relevant theories and principles that apply to ESP study guide development. The literature study also included aspects that need to be taken into consideration when designing or planning the development of an ESP study guide. / Thesis (Ph.D. (English))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2007.

Teaching through specifically designed and produced learning materials is a widely used and accepted way of teaching in higher education both nationally and internationally. Although this kind of teaching is used mainly in the field of distance education, it has become increasingly popular at traditional universities in face-to-face methods of education. Developing language-learning materials that meets the needs of English for Specific Purposes learners is a process that requires meticulous planning as English for Specific Purposes courses are aimed at meeting the career needs of the learners. An empirical study was conducted to determine the perceptions and concerns of learners using the ENGL 122 study guide at the North-West University (Potchefstroom Campus). The results of the study indicated that the learners were positive that the study guide enhanced their learning process, but various concerns were also raised by the learners. This study also aimed to create a framework for the writing of English for Specific Purposes (ESP) study guides. In order to achieve this, a literature study was done to provide information about the relevant theories and principles that apply to ESP study guide development. The literature study also included aspects that need to be taken into consideration when designing or planning the development of an ESP study guide. / Thesis (Ph.D. (English))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2007.

A Markov chain is introduced to the major steps of the process of learning a subject matter by a group of students in the classroom, in order to obtain a mathematical representation of the above process. A classroom experiment for learning mathematics is also presented illustrating the applicability of our results in practice.

Este trabalho teve como foco melhorar a formação do professor de Física, a partir da integração entre conhecimento específico e pedagógico. Tomou-se, como fundamento, além das idéias de Vygotsky, através da interação entre aluno-aluno e aluno-professor, como forma de se adquirir conhecimento, as pesquisas realizadas por autores preocupados com a formação inicial de licenciandos. Reformulou-se a disciplina de Metodologia de Ensino de Física I, de 60h-aula, que corresponde a 20 encontros de três horas cada um, do curso de licenciatura em Física da UNISINOS-RS, tendo em vista que a sua forma de abordagem era puramente experimental. Com a reformulação, realizada no 1o semestre de 2005, os licenciandos tiveram a oportunidade de conhecer alguns resultados de pesquisa em ensino de Física e integrá-los à sua formação de professor, através da elaboração de unidades didáticas. Esta integração pôde ser verificada nas unidades didáticas elaboradas, pois, obrigatoriamente, tinham que ter suporte pedagógico através de um autor de teorias de ensino-aprendizagem (e.g., Piaget, Vygotsky, Ausubel, Freire) ou em um dos epistemológos indicados (e.g, Popper, Kuhn, Lakatos, Laudan). Os experimentos desenvolvidos, pelos licenciandos, não foram meramente ilustrativos ou demonstrativos, complementares à teoria, mas se mostraram necessários para a real compreensão dos temas pertinentes à disciplina. Para a coleta e análise de dados, também foram utilizados, como instrumento complementar, dois questionários do tipo aberto, um sobre teorias de ensino-aprendizagem e o outro sobre epistemologia. Estes questionários foram aplicados em dois momentos: na primeira e na última aula, justamente para comparar noções sobre teorias de ensino-aprendizagem e epistemologia, expressas diretamente pelos licenciandos. Observou-se a possibilidade e adequação de desenvolvimento de atividades integradoras, considerando os diferentes enfoques metodológicos e suas bases epistemológicas. As modificações realizadas na disciplina de Metodologia de Ensino de Física I, atualmente denominada Ambiente de Aprendizagem de Física I, foram resultado de um processo, em que se abandonou o modelo tradicional, adotando um outro, inovador, no qual os alunos foram motivados a integrar o conhecimento específico com o pedagógico. / The focus of this research is to improve the development of Physics teachers by means of integration between specific and pedagogical knowledge. Besides Vygotsky‟s ideas, in which knowledge is acquired through a student-student and a student-teacher interaction, researches done by authors that are concerned about the early education of college students were also taken as groundwork. The subject “Physics Education Methodology I”, from the College of Physics – UNISINOS/RS, a 60-hour discipline taught in 20 meetings, 3 hours each, was reformulated, given its purely experimental approach. As a result of that reformulation, which was conducted in the first semester of 2005, college students had the opportunity to explore some research results in Physics Education and integrate them into their teaching formation through the development of teaching units. The integration in the developed teaching units could be verified due to their need of a pedagogical support by a Teaching/Learning Theories author (e.g., Piaget, Vygotsky, Ausubel, Freire) or by one of the selected epistemology authors (e.g., Popper, Kuhn, Lakatos, Laudan). The experiments developed by the students weren‟t only illustrative or demonstrative, complementary to the theory, they were also necessary for real understanding of the topics relevant to the subject. Two open questionnaires, one about Teaching/Learning Theories and the other about epistemology, were also used as an additional instrument for collecting and analyzing data. These questionnaires were administered in the first and in the last class, in order to compare Teaching/Learning Theories and epistemology notions directly mentioned by the students. The possibility and appropriateness of the development of integrative activities were perceived, considering the different methodological approaches and its epistemological basis. The changes made to the subject “Physics Education Methodology I”, now called “Physics Learning Environment I”, were the result of a process, in which the traditional model was abandoned and another one - more innovative where the students were motivated to integrate specific and pedagogical knowledge - was adopted.

Este trabalho teve como foco melhorar a formação do professor de Física, a partir da integração entre conhecimento específico e pedagógico. Tomou-se, como fundamento, além das idéias de Vygotsky, através da interação entre aluno-aluno e aluno-professor, como forma de se adquirir conhecimento, as pesquisas realizadas por autores preocupados com a formação inicial de licenciandos. Reformulou-se a disciplina de Metodologia de Ensino de Física I, de 60h-aula, que corresponde a 20 encontros de três horas cada um, do curso de licenciatura em Física da UNISINOS-RS, tendo em vista que a sua forma de abordagem era puramente experimental. Com a reformulação, realizada no 1o semestre de 2005, os licenciandos tiveram a oportunidade de conhecer alguns resultados de pesquisa em ensino de Física e integrá-los à sua formação de professor, através da elaboração de unidades didáticas. Esta integração pôde ser verificada nas unidades didáticas elaboradas, pois, obrigatoriamente, tinham que ter suporte pedagógico através de um autor de teorias de ensino-aprendizagem (e.g., Piaget, Vygotsky, Ausubel, Freire) ou em um dos epistemológos indicados (e.g, Popper, Kuhn, Lakatos, Laudan). Os experimentos desenvolvidos, pelos licenciandos, não foram meramente ilustrativos ou demonstrativos, complementares à teoria, mas se mostraram necessários para a real compreensão dos temas pertinentes à disciplina. Para a coleta e análise de dados, também foram utilizados, como instrumento complementar, dois questionários do tipo aberto, um sobre teorias de ensino-aprendizagem e o outro sobre epistemologia. Estes questionários foram aplicados em dois momentos: na primeira e na última aula, justamente para comparar noções sobre teorias de ensino-aprendizagem e epistemologia, expressas diretamente pelos licenciandos. Observou-se a possibilidade e adequação de desenvolvimento de atividades integradoras, considerando os diferentes enfoques metodológicos e suas bases epistemológicas. As modificações realizadas na disciplina de Metodologia de Ensino de Física I, atualmente denominada Ambiente de Aprendizagem de Física I, foram resultado de um processo, em que se abandonou o modelo tradicional, adotando um outro, inovador, no qual os alunos foram motivados a integrar o conhecimento específico com o pedagógico. / The focus of this research is to improve the development of Physics teachers by means of integration between specific and pedagogical knowledge. Besides Vygotsky‟s ideas, in which knowledge is acquired through a student-student and a student-teacher interaction, researches done by authors that are concerned about the early education of college students were also taken as groundwork. The subject “Physics Education Methodology I”, from the College of Physics – UNISINOS/RS, a 60-hour discipline taught in 20 meetings, 3 hours each, was reformulated, given its purely experimental approach. As a result of that reformulation, which was conducted in the first semester of 2005, college students had the opportunity to explore some research results in Physics Education and integrate them into their teaching formation through the development of teaching units. The integration in the developed teaching units could be verified due to their need of a pedagogical support by a Teaching/Learning Theories author (e.g., Piaget, Vygotsky, Ausubel, Freire) or by one of the selected epistemology authors (e.g., Popper, Kuhn, Lakatos, Laudan). The experiments developed by the students weren‟t only illustrative or demonstrative, complementary to the theory, they were also necessary for real understanding of the topics relevant to the subject. Two open questionnaires, one about Teaching/Learning Theories and the other about epistemology, were also used as an additional instrument for collecting and analyzing data. These questionnaires were administered in the first and in the last class, in order to compare Teaching/Learning Theories and epistemology notions directly mentioned by the students. The possibility and appropriateness of the development of integrative activities were perceived, considering the different methodological approaches and its epistemological basis. The changes made to the subject “Physics Education Methodology I”, now called “Physics Learning Environment I”, were the result of a process, in which the traditional model was abandoned and another one - more innovative where the students were motivated to integrate specific and pedagogical knowledge - was adopted.

Este trabalho teve como foco melhorar a formação do professor de Física, a partir da integração entre conhecimento específico e pedagógico. Tomou-se, como fundamento, além das idéias de Vygotsky, através da interação entre aluno-aluno e aluno-professor, como forma de se adquirir conhecimento, as pesquisas realizadas por autores preocupados com a formação inicial de licenciandos. Reformulou-se a disciplina de Metodologia de Ensino de Física I, de 60h-aula, que corresponde a 20 encontros de três horas cada um, do curso de licenciatura em Física da UNISINOS-RS, tendo em vista que a sua forma de abordagem era puramente experimental. Com a reformulação, realizada no 1o semestre de 2005, os licenciandos tiveram a oportunidade de conhecer alguns resultados de pesquisa em ensino de Física e integrá-los à sua formação de professor, através da elaboração de unidades didáticas. Esta integração pôde ser verificada nas unidades didáticas elaboradas, pois, obrigatoriamente, tinham que ter suporte pedagógico através de um autor de teorias de ensino-aprendizagem (e.g., Piaget, Vygotsky, Ausubel, Freire) ou em um dos epistemológos indicados (e.g, Popper, Kuhn, Lakatos, Laudan). Os experimentos desenvolvidos, pelos licenciandos, não foram meramente ilustrativos ou demonstrativos, complementares à teoria, mas se mostraram necessários para a real compreensão dos temas pertinentes à disciplina. Para a coleta e análise de dados, também foram utilizados, como instrumento complementar, dois questionários do tipo aberto, um sobre teorias de ensino-aprendizagem e o outro sobre epistemologia. Estes questionários foram aplicados em dois momentos: na primeira e na última aula, justamente para comparar noções sobre teorias de ensino-aprendizagem e epistemologia, expressas diretamente pelos licenciandos. Observou-se a possibilidade e adequação de desenvolvimento de atividades integradoras, considerando os diferentes enfoques metodológicos e suas bases epistemológicas. As modificações realizadas na disciplina de Metodologia de Ensino de Física I, atualmente denominada Ambiente de Aprendizagem de Física I, foram resultado de um processo, em que se abandonou o modelo tradicional, adotando um outro, inovador, no qual os alunos foram motivados a integrar o conhecimento específico com o pedagógico. / The focus of this research is to improve the development of Physics teachers by means of integration between specific and pedagogical knowledge. Besides Vygotsky‟s ideas, in which knowledge is acquired through a student-student and a student-teacher interaction, researches done by authors that are concerned about the early education of college students were also taken as groundwork. The subject “Physics Education Methodology I”, from the College of Physics – UNISINOS/RS, a 60-hour discipline taught in 20 meetings, 3 hours each, was reformulated, given its purely experimental approach. As a result of that reformulation, which was conducted in the first semester of 2005, college students had the opportunity to explore some research results in Physics Education and integrate them into their teaching formation through the development of teaching units. The integration in the developed teaching units could be verified due to their need of a pedagogical support by a Teaching/Learning Theories author (e.g., Piaget, Vygotsky, Ausubel, Freire) or by one of the selected epistemology authors (e.g., Popper, Kuhn, Lakatos, Laudan). The experiments developed by the students weren‟t only illustrative or demonstrative, complementary to the theory, they were also necessary for real understanding of the topics relevant to the subject. Two open questionnaires, one about Teaching/Learning Theories and the other about epistemology, were also used as an additional instrument for collecting and analyzing data. These questionnaires were administered in the first and in the last class, in order to compare Teaching/Learning Theories and epistemology notions directly mentioned by the students. The possibility and appropriateness of the development of integrative activities were perceived, considering the different methodological approaches and its epistemological basis. The changes made to the subject “Physics Education Methodology I”, now called “Physics Learning Environment I”, were the result of a process, in which the traditional model was abandoned and another one - more innovative where the students were motivated to integrate specific and pedagogical knowledge - was adopted.

Submitted by Fabio Sobreira Campos da Costa (fabio.sobreira@ufpe.br) on 2016-10-31T11:54:46Z No. of bitstreams: 2 license_rdf: 1232 bytes, checksum: 66e71c371cc565284e70f40736c94386 (MD5) Versão revisão da biblioteca (Mychelline).pdf: 10739859 bytes, checksum: c0a1ce1d36f92341e4bdef5880bf25a8 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2016-10-31T11:54:46Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 2 license_rdf: 1232 bytes, checksum: 66e71c371cc565284e70f40736c94386 (MD5) Versão revisão da biblioteca (Mychelline).pdf: 10739859 bytes, checksum: c0a1ce1d36f92341e4bdef5880bf25a8 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2016-01-01 / CNPq / Com as mudanças advindas do avanço da tecnologia, diversos setores da sociedade passaram por adaptações. O setor educacional, por exemplo, tem recebido fortes influências e, com isso, surgem novas configurações de ensino. Softwares Educacionais (SEs) têm sido bastante utilizados nos ambientes educacionais. Todavia, desenvolver software para educação não é trivial, pois eles necessitam de um conjunto de funcionalidades para atender aos aspectos pedagógicos. Para o melhor de nosso conhecimento, não foi encontrado na literatura um processo padrão de desenvolvimento para SEs e, consequentemente, a identificação de requisitos específicos a esse domínio pode ficar comprometida. As teorias de aprendizagem explicam como ocorre o processo de aprendizagem e, portanto, devem ser usadas explicitamente no desenvolvimento dos SEs. Diante desse cenário, alguns questionamentos surgiram: Os SEs são fundamentados em teorias de aprendizagem? Quais as teorias de aprendizagem utilizadas em SEs? Quais requisitos relacionados aos aspectos pedagógicos são utilizados em SEs? Visando responder a essas perguntas, um catálogo de requisitos, intitulado EduCatalog4RE, foi concebido para auxiliar o desenvolvimento de SEs na fase de elicitação dos requisitos. O EduCatalog4RE foi desenvolvido a partir de um estudo exploratório, configurando-se em uma Revisão Sistemática da Literatura, e foi avaliado por especialistas em Informática na Educação. A primeira versão do catálogo foi disponibilizada para download através de um site. Para melhorar a apresentação dos requisitos, a segunda versão do catálogo foi desenvolvida na forma de um protótipo navegável de telas online. Ambas as versões foram avaliadas através de um questionário online. Após os resultados da primeira avaliação, foi possível refinar o EduCatalog4RE, incluindo e excluindo requisitos para desenvolver a segunda versão. Os resultados da avaliação obtidos com a segunda versão evidenciam a contribuição da proposta na identificação dos requisitos para SEs. Além disso, a primeira versão do EduCatalog4RE foi utilizada em uma disciplina de mestrado da Universidade Federal do Rio Grande, com o propósito de avaliar SEs, levando em consideração as teorias e métodos de aprendizagem disponíveis no catálogo. A professora responsável pela disciplina entrou em contato e evidenciou a qualidade do material disponibilizado no catálogo. Assim, percebeu-se que a proposta pode ser também utilizada por professores/pesquisadores em disciplinas ligadas à tecnologia e a educação, demonstrando o potencial do catálogo não só no desenvolvimento de SEs. / Due to the changes arising from the technology advance, various sectors of the society have been adapted. The education sector, for example, has received strong influences and, therefore, new educational settings arise. Educational Software (ES) has been widely used in educational environments. However, developing software for education is not trivial, because they need a set of features to meet the pedagogical aspects. To the best of our knowledge, it was not found in the literature a development standard process for ESs and, consequently, the identification of requirements for this domain can be compromised. Learning theories explain how the learning process occurs and, therefore, must be explicitly used in the development of ESs. In this scenario, some questions appeared: Are ESs based on learning theories? Which learning theories are used in SEs? Which requirements related to the pedagogical aspects are used in ESs? Aiming at addressing these issues, a catalog of requirements, entitled EduCatalog4RE, was designed to assist the development of ESs in the requirements elicitation phase. The EduCatalog4RE was developed from an exploratory study, by means of a Systematic Literature Review, and it was evaluated by experts from the Informatics in Education area. The first version of the catalog was made available to be downloaded from a website. To improve the requirements presentation, the second version of the catalog was developed as prototype navigable online screens. Both versions were evaluated via an online questionnaire. After the first assessment of the catalog, it was possible to refine it, by including and excluding requirements to develop the second version. The results obtained from the evaluation of the second version demonstrate the proposal contributes to the identification of requirements for ES. In addition, the first version of EduCatalog4RE was used in a master's course of the Federal University of Rio Grande, with the purpose of evaluating ESs, taking into account the learning theories and methods available in the catalog. The teacher in charge of the discipline has contacted the author and highlighted the quality of the material available in the catalog. Thus, it was noticed that the proposal can also be used by teachers/researchers in courses related to technology and education, demosntrating the potential of the catalog not only in the development of SEs.