The present work aims to familiarize students with current representatives of naked snails. In the Czech Republic there are five families of naked snails (Agriolimacidae, Arionidae, Boettgerillidae, Limacidae and Milacidae) and all their representatives are characterized by the loss of a secondary shell. Working closely represents ten of them. Part of the work is simplified determination dichotomous key and atlas. Basis of the thesis is a proposal of nine laboratory exercises, observations and experiments that pose naked snails from many angles, from basic observation of the external morphology through the food demands and sensory perception until after the autopsy. Tasks are designed for use in high school; Simplified variant may serve základoškolským hours practically oriented science. Some of the presented tasks (monitoring food preferences, sensory perception and response to stimuli) can be extended to a project day or protracted class of biologically oriented project. All designed tasks were tested. The most important model species of this thesis is the Spanish slug (Arion vulgaris (Moquin-Tandon, 1855)). It is a Czech non-native, invasive representative of the family Arionidae. Thanks laboratory exercises contained in the work of pupils, it is possible that the snail introduce in detail and...

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In our thesis we focused on demonstrational-experiment-projections and instructions for mechanical oscillations, waves and acoustics. Nevertheless, we did not marginalize other types of tasks linked to experiments. As a starting point of our thesis we used a search of our topic carried out on textbooks for elementary and high schools. This search forms a part of introduction of our thesis. We carried out a considerable part of presented experiments personally during lessons with our students and distilled new experience into the final guidelines of presented experiments. Attachment plays a significant part of the thesis, above all video records of experiments and woorksheets for students. Experiments, with instructions included, update and supplement the subject Practical Course in School Experiments I, which forms part of the compulsory professional preparation of physics teachers at MFF UK. The experiments might therefore serve as an inspiration both for current and future physics teachers. They are synoptically presented in an online Collection of Physics Experiments (fyzikalnipokusy.cz/en).

The reasons for the decline in students' interest in science have been studied for the last decades. The key question is how to stimulate this interest and motivate students and pupils to study science. Part of this thesis was testing the influence of practical courses on upper secondary school students' motivation toward studying biology. To start with, it was found out how many practical courses were taught for each biology topic at Czech upper secondary schools. Molecular biology and genetics emerged as one of the topics with the lowest number of practical courses. Therefore, molecular biology practical courses have been proposed and tested. It was shown that these practical courses can increase students' motivation scores. The possible influece of age, gender and number of practical courses during biology lessons on motivation was tested as well. Motivation of Czech students was compared to motivation of New Zealand students. Younger students and boys were more motivated to study biology in both countries. New Zealand students were more motivated than Czech students. Motivated students like the participants in the Biology Olympiad, Students' Professional Activities, biology summer course and optional biology courses were used to describe the origin of their motivation toward biology.

Molecular biology and genetics are currently very fast developing disciplines. One of the possibilities how to increase the pupils' interest in studying of molecular biology and genetics, and to support their own curiosity is to use research-based teaching strategies. Although Czech Education tries to correspond with this progress, teaching of molecular biology and genetics is limited not only by financial and material limits but also by a lack of vocational education. The diploma thesis is divided into theoretical and practical part. The theoretical part deals with the position of molecular biology in teaching and model systems in the study and teaching of molecular biology and genetics. The practical part is divided into three chapters. The goal of the first chapter was to present available teaching materials suitable for a teaching at grammar schools, especially with regard to the availability of manuals for practical seminars. The second chapter summarized the results of a questionnaire survey among grammar school teachers, which concerns the position of molecular biology and genetics in teaching. Both of the above-mentioned goals have shown that more needs to be done about the molecular biology of genetics. According to the teachers, students who would like to continue to pursue this...

In practical laboratory classes students traditionally receive data by reading from a measurement device (ruler, clock, voltmeter, etc.) or digitally as files in exchange formats such as CSV (comma separated value). In many cases these data have to be processed later using non-linear regression, here referred to as curve fitting. Therefore, analog data first have to be digitalised and imported to a data analysis and visualisation program, which is often commercial and requires installation. In this paper we present an alternative concept fusing open-source community tools into a single page web application facilitating data acquisition, visualisation, analysis via non-linear regression and further post processing usable for error calculations. We demonstrate the e-learning potential of this web application accessible at curvefit.tu-chemnitz.de in the context of acquired data as typically obtained in physical laboratory classes from undergraduate studies. A prototype workflow for the topic 'specific electric resistance determination' is presented along with a technical description of the basic web technology used behind. Restrictions, such as limited portability or cumbersome ways to share results electronically between student and supervisor as occurring in traditional software applications are overcome by enabling export via URL. The discussion is complemented by thorough comparison of curve fitting web applications with focus on their capability to be adaptable to user-specific models (equations) as faced by (undergraduate) students in the context of their education in laboratory classes in natural and life sciences, such as physics, biology and chemistry.

In practical laboratory classes students traditionally receive data by reading from a measurement device (ruler, clock, voltmeter, etc.) or digitally as files in exchange formats such as CSV (comma separated value). In many cases these data have to be processed later using non-linear regression, here referred to as curve fitting. Therefore, analog data first have to be digitalised and imported to a data analysis and visualisation program, which is often commercial and requires installation. In this paper we present an alternative concept fusing open-source community tools into a single page web application facilitating data acquisition, visualisation, analysis via non-linear regression and further post processing usable for error calculations. We demonstrate the e-learning potential of this web application accessible at curvefit.tu-chemnitz.de in the context of acquired data as typically obtained in physical laboratory classes from undergraduate studies. A prototype workflow for the topic 'specific electric resistance determination' is presented along with a technical description of the basic web technology used behind. Restrictions, such as limited portability or cumbersome ways to share results electronically between student and supervisor as occurring in traditional software applications are overcome by enabling export via URL. The discussion is complemented by thorough comparison of curve fitting web applications with focus on their capability to be adaptable to user-specific models (equations) as faced by (undergraduate) students in the context of their education in laboratory classes in natural and life sciences, such as physics, biology and chemistry.

This study investigates the importance of Hummel as a transitional composer, pedagogue and pianist between the Classical and Romantic periods, his contribution to the development of piano technique, and his influence as a pedagogue on later generations. The bases of this study were his treatise A complete theoretical and practical course on the art of piano playing (Ausführliche theoretisch-practische Anweisung zum Pianoforte-Spiele) of 1828, his Préludes op. 67 of 1814/1815 and his 24 Grandes Études op. 125 of 1833. Hummel’s treatise is an important musicological document detailing keyboard performance practices of the 18th and early 19th century. He lived at a time when the present day piano was still evolving. The new instruments with their resulting new possibilities found expression in his 24 Grandes Études op. 125. Important sources consulted were the following:  The piano concertos of Johann Nepomuk Hummel by F.H. Mitchell (1957)  The music of J.N. Hummel: its derivations and development by R. Davis (1965)  Romantic Music: A history of musical style in the 19th century by L. Plantinga (1984)  The Kristeva Reader edited by Toril Moi (1986)  How did they play? How did they teach? by S. Soderlund (2006); and  Johann Nepomuk Hummel: a musician’s life and world by Mark Kroll (2007). Although Hummel was deeply rooted in the Classical style, his compositions displaying the hallmarks of the style galant, can be divided into two style periods. The first style period ending about 1811 shows harmonic simplicity, regularity of phrasing and elegant cantabile melody. His second period post-1811 saw the composition of works with bolder, more dissonant harmony resulting in greater chromaticism. After 1814 his piano compositions demand greater variety of tone colour, more expressive use of dynamics, rubato, and advanced technical facility of the performer. According to Mitchell (1957: 75, 76) Hummel’s art and ornamentation are related to the virtuoso technique expanded by the Viennese pianistic style of the early 19th century. Hummel developed the ornamental style further, culminating ultimately in the poetry of the tone-coloured fioritura of Chopin. One aim of the study was to reveal the individual contributions Hummel made to the changes taking place between the Classical and Romantic styles. Innovative aspects include new virtuoso technical demands that would find fruition in the études of Chopin an Liszt. His influence on Chopin was undeniable as one perceives the early distinguishing characteristics of Chopin’s style in many of the compositions of Hummel. Schumann and Liszt were familiar with the music of Hummel in their formative years and there is much evidence of Hummel’s style in their compositions. In Chapter 4 on intertextuality, Hummel’s influence on Chopin, Schumann and Liszt is examined, and in Chapter 5 his pedagogical principles as set out in his treatise are appraised. Chapter 6 is an investigation into the technical principles embodied in Hummel’s 24 Grandes Études op. 125 and their influence on the development of the Concert Étude. / Thesis (DMus)--University of Pretoria, 2013. / gm2014 / Music / unrestricted