Optomyography is the term chosen to name a device containing several reflective photosensors placed in an armband. The device is constructed so that it can measure muscle movements in the arm through the detection of skin structure variation. The aims of this research were to build such a device that is capable of expressing the structure changes in form of intensity changes in light emitting diodes and determine whether it is possible to distinguish different muscle movements. This was accomplished by designing and testing two different circuit schematics for Optomyography that differ depending on whether the outgoing signal is processed or not. The schematics were then used to build two electrical circuits of Optomyography that were tested with several subjects to see if they were functioning. The results show that only the version of Optomyography, which processes the outgoing signal with a high-pass filter and amplifies it, is able to detect muscle movements through skin structure variations. However, further investigation of the device is needed to see if different movements can be distinguished.

A human body can carry out many physiological complex processes which can be mechanical, electrical or bio-chemical. Each mechanical activity generates a signal that describes the characteristics of the particular action in the form of pressure or temperature. Any irregularity in the process changes the usual functioning thus affecting the performance of the system. Several techniques were introduced to evaluate these muscular signals in order to get a deeper understanding of the medical abnormalities. Displacement sensors, laser optics, electrodes, accelerometers and microphones are some of the widely used devices in measuring the electrical and mechanical activities produced in the muscles. The aim of this thesis project was to find and implement a simple non-contact optical method to measure and monitor the displacements caused on the surface of the skin due to muscular movements. In this study, a device was developed using photo electric sensors that can record surface changes caused on the skin due to the movements forearm muscles.

Effective ELL teaching and learning is profoundly influenced by the teachers’ personal experiences and personalities (Farrell, 2016), their experience as language learners as well as language teachers (Farrell, 2007), and their beliefs about learning and teaching a second language (Farrell, 2015; Farrell & Ives, 2015). This study honored and examined in-depth the often-discounted stories/reflective narratives of our teachers. This paper reports a qualitative cases study that explores three veteran teacher’s reflection on their personal and professional experiences with ELLs for self-discovery over years (Cirocki & Farrell, 2017) so that they can further reflect for their future actions with ELLs (Burns & Bulman, 2000; Farrell, 2007; Farrell & Vos, 2018). Data analysis revealed the teachers’ different strengths and needs in working with ELLs. Four major dimensions (language, culture, culturally and linguistically sensitive pedagogy, and collaborative community) were identified as critical to effective teaching of ELLs and preparation of second language teachers.

This study looks at issues of Bildung and vocational education from a biographical perspective. These issues are conceptualized in terms of Bildung in action, developed in relation to Schön’s concept reflection in action; Bildung through making as a way of thinking about processes of Bildung connected to crafts; and Bildung in vocational contexts, ie. contexts of vocational education and work. The concepts are enriched through an extensive auto/biographical case study of master craftsman Wolfgang B.’s educational biography focusing on stories of Bildung where processes and actions are described as well as the curricular structure of his training. Some of these stories and aspects of the case have then been analyzed in two articles, one dealing with questions of aesthetic Bildung in vocational education using Schiller as conceptual lens and one dealing with educating for vocational excellence using Aristotle’s concepts techne and phronesis to understand the narratives analyzed. The results are an increased and differentiated understanding of Bildung in vocational contexts, especially as related to the coexistence of skill training with education for Bildung and the unique perspectives that auto/biographical studies of retired or semi-retired craftspeople bring to the field of research connecting biography, Bildung in action and vocational education.

ABSTRACT Planning for Sustainable Development - Dilemmas for local authority planners This thesis for the degree of licentiate in regional planning at the Royal Institute for Technol-ogy is a study of certain aspects of the profession of comprehensive planners in Sweden. The empirical background of the thesis is an interview study of 15 Swedish local authority plan-ners noted for their professional commitment in working for a more sustainable society. The aim of the thesis is to identify, describe, analyse and evaluate planners’ experiences in using comprehensive planning as an arena for a more sustainable development in society, with new democratic forums. The thesis focuses on how the planners consider and manage the prob-lems they encounter. The empirical findings are based on in semi-structured interviews and have been analysed qualitatively. The findings are construed from theories and conceptions of global justice, ecological modernism, communicative planning, power and the reflective practitioner. An analysis of the planner’s experience as a problematisation in an actor-structure per-spective is the main result. The problems are formulated in four dilemmas frequently con-fronted by the planners in their daily work, as follows. Ecological, economic or social sustainability? The interviewed planners seem to feel deeply for the ecological aspects of their work, which they connect more with urban and regional planning than with economic and social issues. Despite this lesser involvement in social issues, they have experience from methods of citizen participation. Long- or short-term planning, comprehensiveness or components? The planners find it difficult to combine the long-term perspective in comprehensive planning and sustainable development with the short-term decisions of economic planning. The con-version to a more sustainable society is not compatible with the long-lasting physical struc-tures. Top-down or bottom-up perspective? The planners strive to use top-down methods, but at the local authority level there are strong traditions of rational methods for planning and decision-making. The interviewed subjects were disappointed in the weak citizen interest in comprehensive planning. The planner as an expert, co-ordinator or facilitator? Local authority planners are often engaged as experts, co-ordinators and facilitators all at the same time, in the same process of planning. Problems occur in how other actors trust the planners when they change from role to role. / Licentiatavhandlingen vid Institutionen för Infrastruktur och samhällsplanering vid Kungliga Tekniska Högskolan är en professionsstudie av svenska översiktsplanerare. Avhandlingen grundar sig empiriskt på en intervjustudie av femton planerare för kommunala översiktsplaner, som utmärkt sig som föregångare i planering med inriktning på hållbar utveckling. Syftet med avhandlingen är att identifiera, beskriva, analysera och tolka planerares erfarenheter med att utnyttja översiktsplanering, med nya demokratiska former, som ”verktyg” för en mer hållbar utveckling i samhället. Avhandlingen fokuserar på hur planerarna uppfattar och hanterar de problem de upplever i sitt vardagliga professionella arbete. Det empiriska resultatet baseras på kvalitativa halv-strukturerade intervjuer, som har analyserats abduktivt. Resultatet är tolkat utifrån teorier och begrepp om global rättvisa, ekologisk modernism, kommunikativ planering samt teorier om makt och erfarenhetskunskap. Planerarnas erfarenheter har analyserats och problematiserats ur ett aktörs-struktur perspektiv. Huvudresultatet är formulerat i form av fyra dilemman som planerarna ofta upplever i sitt vardagliga arbete. Dilemman uppstår i en situation där det finns flera möjliga handlingsvägar, men där det uppstår nya problem oavsett vilken väg som väljs. Ekologisk, ekonomisk eller social hållbarhet? De intervjuade planerarna tycks betona de ekologiska aspekterna i sitt arbete, som de uppfattar har närmare anknytning till fysisk planering and de ekonomiska och sociala frågorna. Trots detta är de mycket engagerade i sociala frågor och har erfarenheter av metoder med medborgarinflytande. Lång- eller kortsiktig planering, helhet eller delar? Planerarna ser svårigheter i att kombinera ett långsiktigt perspektiv i översiktlig planering och hållbar utveckling, med genomförandeinriktade ofta kortsiktiga beslut. Omställningen till ett samhälle med hållbar inriktning är dessutom komplicerad då de fysiska strukturernas har en sådan lång livslängd. Perspektiv uppifrån eller underifrån? Planerarna strävar efter att utveckla planeringsmetoder med underifrånperspektiv, men på förvaltningsnivån finns starka traditioner med rationella metoder för planering och beslutsfattande. Intervjupersonerna är besvikna över medborgarnas svaga intresse för långsiktig översiktlig planering. Planeraren som expert, koordinator eller processtödjare? Kommunala planerare är ofta engagerade som experter, koordinatörer och processtödjare på samma gång och i samma process. Problem kan då uppstå med övriga aktörers förtroende för planerarna när de byter mellan skilda roller under processens gång. Planerare, Översiktlig planering, Hållbar utveckling, Miljöplanering, Kommunikativ planering, Erfarenhetskunskap, Reflekterande praktiker / <p>Rapporten är tryct i KTH's TRITA-serie, kan beställas från KTH jose@infra.kth.se</p>

As a concept that represents teacher professionalism and expertise, pedagogical content knowledge (PCK) has received extensive research attention since the mid-1980s. PCK refers to the blending of content and pedagogy into an understanding of how particular aspects of subject matter are organized, adapted, and represented for instruction (Shulman, 1987). Recent studies have shown that PCK impacts instruction quality and student learning (Beyer & Davis, 2012). Nevertheless, in the field of English language teaching (ELT), PCK remains unnoticed by many language teachers (Kind & Chan, 2019). PCK pertaining to speaking instruction is even more underrepresented. Meanwhile, English teaching in mainland China has undergone reforms aimed at promoting students' oral proficiency, but many problems still exist. Most studies have explored teaching methodologies, learning strategies, and the assessment of speaking. However, there is not much research on improving teaching effectiveness from the perspective of teachers' PCK. This qualitative multiple case study examines teachers' PCK from the perspective of teaching English speaking over a two-year period. Purposeful sampling was employed, and five EFL instructors were the key informants. The instructors worked in different universities in mainland China and taught various levels of speaking courses. The data include classroom observations, teacher interviews, student interviews, reflection journals from the teachers, and various course syllabuses. The study findings emphasize the contents and features of EFL teachers' PCK in a more systematic way and show that teachers' PCK comprises six components: knowledge of features of curriculum, pedagogy, learners' challenges, language enhancement, course evaluation, and the educational context. Each category contains a variety of subcategories. Two paths are revealed for the development of PCK: one path is for teachers to develop their PCK by studying the relevant literature and then transform that knowledge into students' comprehensible knowledge based on students' understanding; another path is for teachers to transfer or adjust PCK from other courses or people to their own instruction and then develop PCK through evaluation and reflection. The study also shows that based on three developmental models (the trial-based approach, top-down approach, and inquiry-based approach), the teacher participants advanced in three aspects: spiritual enrichment, renewed teacher roles, and philosophical inquiry. In addition, in this study, PCK is proven to be dynamic, personal, and transformative rather than static, canonical, and integrative. Theoretically, this study proposes a comprehensive framework of PCK components and development for speaking instructors and underscores the concept of meta-representations. It adds to the literature on EFL teachers' cognition in the Chinese context, thus broadening and enriching the research on EFL teachers' PCK in the educational field. Practically, the study highlights the importance of appropriating the educational context, establishing teacher beliefs and philosophy, and improving teachers' critical literacy as well as their language competency. The findings can also enhance teacher educators' and policy-makers'awareness of specific subject matter and deepen their understanding of speaking instruction. The findings shed light on how to improve overall EFL speaking pedagogy, empower EFL teachers, and facilitate their professional development within the context of English curriculum reform. Limitations of the study lie in its restricted timeframe, limited resources, and sampling size. Future research directions could be to conduct a longitudinal study with more participants or to develop and quantify PCK measurements.

As a concept that represents teacher professionalism and expertise, pedagogical content knowledge (PCK) has received extensive research attention since the mid-1980s. PCK refers to the blending of content and pedagogy into an understanding of how particular aspects of subject matter are organized, adapted, and represented for instruction (Shulman, 1987). Recent studies have shown that PCK impacts instruction quality and student learning (Beyer & Davis, 2012). Nevertheless, in the field of English language teaching (ELT), PCK remains unnoticed by many language teachers (Kind & Chan, 2019). PCK pertaining to speaking instruction is even more underrepresented. Meanwhile, English teaching in mainland China has undergone reforms aimed at promoting students' oral proficiency, but many problems still exist. Most studies have explored teaching methodologies, learning strategies, and the assessment of speaking. However, there is not much research on improving teaching effectiveness from the perspective of teachers' PCK. This qualitative multiple case study examines teachers' PCK from the perspective of teaching English speaking over a two-year period. Purposeful sampling was employed, and five EFL instructors were the key informants. The instructors worked in different universities in mainland China and taught various levels of speaking courses. The data include classroom observations, teacher interviews, student interviews, reflection journals from the teachers, and various course syllabuses. The study findings emphasize the contents and features of EFL teachers' PCK in a more systematic way and show that teachers' PCK comprises six components: knowledge of features of curriculum, pedagogy, learners' challenges, language enhancement, course evaluation, and the educational context. Each category contains a variety of subcategories. Two paths are revealed for the development of PCK: one path is for teachers to develop their PCK by studying the relevant literature and then transform that knowledge into students' comprehensible knowledge based on students' understanding; another path is for teachers to transfer or adjust PCK from other courses or people to their own instruction and then develop PCK through evaluation and reflection. The study also shows that based on three developmental models (the trial-based approach, top-down approach, and inquiry-based approach), the teacher participants advanced in three aspects: spiritual enrichment, renewed teacher roles, and philosophical inquiry. In addition, in this study, PCK is proven to be dynamic, personal, and transformative rather than static, canonical, and integrative. Theoretically, this study proposes a comprehensive framework of PCK components and development for speaking instructors and underscores the concept of meta-representations. It adds to the literature on EFL teachers' cognition in the Chinese context, thus broadening and enriching the research on EFL teachers' PCK in the educational field. Practically, the study highlights the importance of appropriating the educational context, establishing teacher beliefs and philosophy, and improving teachers' critical literacy as well as their language competency. The findings can also enhance teacher educators' and policy-makers'awareness of specific subject matter and deepen their understanding of speaking instruction. The findings shed light on how to improve overall EFL speaking pedagogy, empower EFL teachers, and facilitate their professional development within the context of English curriculum reform. Limitations of the study lie in its restricted timeframe, limited resources, and sampling size. Future research directions could be to conduct a longitudinal study with more participants or to develop and quantify PCK measurements.

High cognitive demand (HCD) tasks can help students develop a deeper understanding of mathematics. Teachers need interventions that encourage students to engage in HCD activities. Small-group discourse provides HCD opportunities for students while solving mathematics problems. Discourse can take place after students solve problems individually (reflective) or in groups as students solve problems (exploratory). This study looks at the relationship between these two types of small-group discourse and student-enacted cognitive demand. This study looks at how students engage with tasks that were designed at four different cognitive demand levels using Webb’s depth of knowledge (DOK) framework. Ninety-seven grade 5 students from four different classrooms were grouped in small groups of two or three students to solve two sets of mathematics problems on operations with fractions and decimals. Each class engaged in Reflective Discourse after solving one set and engage in Exploratory Discourse while solving the other set. To help understand any order effects, half the classes used Reflective Discourse with Set 1 while the other half used Exploratory Discourse with Set 1. Then, they switched for Set 2, so that whoever used Reflective Discourse with Set 1 used Exploratory Discourse with Set 2 and vice versa. The researcher analyzed whether there were patterns in levels of cognitive demand and quality of the discussion when students engaged in each type of discourse for math problems at four different levels. First, the researcher looked at any numerical differences between the intended cognitive demand of the problems and how students engaged with the problems using frequency tables, heat maps, and statistical analyses. Next, the researcher looked at differences in student actions and the way they talked about the math problems. Findings showed that both Reflective and Exploratory Discourse can be used by teachers to promote high student-enacted levels of cognitive demand. Results also showed that a supportive environment, such as the environment created by Reflective Discourse, can help support typically struggling students. Finally, this research reinforced the importance of dissonance in prompting students to engage with the tasks at higher levels of cognitive demand.

Formative assessment probes, known as Keeley probes, are one tool teachers use to reveal students' scientific misconceptions, so that they can move them closer to conceptual understanding. The purpose of this research was to document how four elementary school teachers used formative assessment probes to plan and adapt instruction to improve student learning. Specifically: How did teachers choose appropriate probes? What learning goals did teachers hope to address by using the probe?? What instructional sequences did teachers envision when planning to use a probe? What did teachers notice when analyzing student data from a probe? How did teachers use the information to modify their instructional practice? This exploratory study addresses key issues by exploring through qualitative methods how four elementary teachers used Keeley formative assessment probes in the classroom through a series of individual and group interviews. The results, reported as case studies and themes, indicate that Keeley probes may be used to help teachers strengthen their pedagogical content knowledge and as an anchor for classroom discussions. Teachers reported that students were highly engaged when considering Keeley probing questions. Teachers in this study had questions about how to analyze data collected through formative assessment, and what instructional steps they needed to take to address misconceptions. The central finding of the study is that a teacher's subject-area knowledge as well as the ability to identify students' misconceptions and make instructional decisions based on those ideas, both elements of pedagogical content knowledge, play a key role in how effectively teachers use Keeley formative assessment probes towards improving learning. Ultimately, this study showed that while the use of Keeley probes did improve opportunities for students to deepen scientific understanding, a gap still exists between the potential of formative assessment and the practical work of integrating ongoing formative assessment to improve teaching and learning. This exploratory study underlines the need for a new approach in professional development for elementary science teachers, and sheds light on what happens when teachers try Keeley probes, a promising formative assessment tool and strategy, in the real world of the classroom.

The dissertation thesis is focused on non-transparent ventilated façade constructions, airflow in the ventilated cavity and the building envelope temperatures in relation with the different parameters of the construction and the ventilated cavity. The aim of this work is to optimize the temperature behavior of the building envelope during the summer season when the overheating is the most distinctive. The numerical and experimental methods with many different variants of façade constructions were used to investigation. The variants were compared and evaluated by the measured values of airflow speed in the ventilated cavity, temperature in the ventilated cavity and on the surfaces of constructions around the cavity. The result of the investigation is the evaluation of the influence of the airflow resistances or the reflectance of the surfaces around the ventilated cavity. Part of the thesis was formulated in relation with the project of MPPF - Multifunctional Plug & Play Facade during the internship at TU Graz. The efficiency of some parts of the energy active façade in this project depends on the temperature. The part of the results is the patented passive system for ventilation of building envelope and the patented cavity panel for ventilated facades.