<p>The purpose of this essay is to show <em>the opportunities and difficulties</em> of teaching within distance education. I will show this from two different parts of the world. One being Sweden and the other Australia, both countries run a distance education program with similar reasons students whom travelling, some living hundreds of miles from any schools and some students with health and or social disadvantages. This study is based on the actual teacher’s accounts and experiences the opportunities and difficulties in teaching in distance. The main method of collecting this data has been through interviews with the teachers, a distance-school administrator and a researcher from Sweden. A survey was mailed to Australia which has been filled in and returned by an administrator/head teacher for distance education. The main research questions asked were:</p><ul><li>What are teacher’s experiences in distance education?</li><li>What are the opportunities and difficulties by teaching in distance education?</li></ul><p>The interview conversations has been structured, generalised and reformulated in order to form a concrete set of teachers overall experiences. The literatures were support for many of the teacher’s thoughts and even things that compliment and add a broader picture of the subject and the results are discussed and weighed up against teacher’s own experiences.</p><p>The study reaches the conclusion of how the teachers express are of opportunities and difficulties in teaching the students in the best possible way, to stimulate learning by not only focus on teaching content but also on its learning environment.</p>

The purpose of this essay is to show the opportunities and difficulties of teaching within distance education. I will show this from two different parts of the world. One being Sweden and the other Australia, both countries run a distance education program with similar reasons students whom travelling, some living hundreds of miles from any schools and some students with health and or social disadvantages. This study is based on the actual teacher’s accounts and experiences the opportunities and difficulties in teaching in distance. The main method of collecting this data has been through interviews with the teachers, a distance-school administrator and a researcher from Sweden. A survey was mailed to Australia which has been filled in and returned by an administrator/head teacher for distance education. The main research questions asked were: What are teacher’s experiences in distance education? What are the opportunities and difficulties by teaching in distance education? The interview conversations has been structured, generalised and reformulated in order to form a concrete set of teachers overall experiences. The literatures were support for many of the teacher’s thoughts and even things that compliment and add a broader picture of the subject and the results are discussed and weighed up against teacher’s own experiences. The study reaches the conclusion of how the teachers express are of opportunities and difficulties in teaching the students in the best possible way, to stimulate learning by not only focus on teaching content but also on its learning environment.

At one local school site in Georgia, a subgroup of students did not achieve a score of at least 800 on the state's Criterion Referenced Competency Test in math. To improve student success, the local site implemented professional development (PD) for teachers. Successful PD has been shown to promote effective teaching practices, which in turn, have resulted in improved student learning. The purpose of this phenomenological study was to explore 5th grade teachers' lived experiences of PD and its influence on their application of the Common Core state standards. Bandura's social cognitive theory of self-efficacy guided the study. In-depth interview data were gathered from 5 teachers who taught 5th grade and experienced at least 3 PD sessions. Data from the interviews were transcribed, open coded, and then analyzed with the interpretive model in search of common themes. The 5 teachers' narratives identified ineffective and irrelevant PD and insufficient math resources for teaching the state's math standards. Based on the findings, 3 original PD sessions on the planning and implementation of the state standards were created and additional training and resources were recommended to the local site. This study may promote positive social change by helping local teachers improve their instruction of the state's mathematics standards, thereby improving the mathematics education of students.

This research is an analysis of Ontario teachers’ experiences with Grade 11 NDA3M Current Aboriginal Context in Canada curriculum. By deconstructing and critically analyzing the curricular and pedagogical implications, my thesis is a targeted response to number 63 of the Truth and Reconciliation Calls to Action. As outlined by Clandinin and Connelly (2000), this research is centred in narrative research techniques. Additionally, I draw on Miller’s (1996) 3L’s: Look, Listen, and Learn approach, paired with Dion and Dion’s (2004) storytelling as a means of telling and (re)telling the story. I used one-on-one interviews with teachers and one sharing circle with teachers and elders to synthesize data from documents to capture the essence of the lived experiences. Participants revealed their experiences of what Aoki claims is curriculum-as-planned and curriculum-as-lived in this course. The results of this research were revealed responses to components of number 63 of the Calls to Action; NDA3M requires a review of curriculum expectations to align with teachers’ classroom experiences; participants discussed how their respective schools are using every opportunity to students’ capacity and awareness of Indigenous Worldviews; and professional development to support Indigenous education is in high demand.

The purpose of this thesis has been to study how teachers interpret the curriculum about ethics and life issues, and how they say to educate about it to find good examples on education on this complex subject. Earlier research has shown that these questions mainly are processed as a reaction of a conflict, and not so much scheduled in class. Ethics and life issues are said to be important to discuss and reflect about, according to the curriculum.  The survey was conducted by using qualitative method and semi-structured interviews including nine respondents from five different schools. In the analysis of the results, it emerges that teachers interpret the curriculum in some different ways and gives the subject different amount of space in the education.

Thesis (MEdPsych)--University of Stellenbosch, 2011. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: In the twenty years since Namibia declared independence many changes have taken place, especially in die educational system. One of these changes has been in pre-school education. Public pre-school institutions have been done away with. Only private institutions remain to attempt to furnish the demand in this field. Limited access to pre-school education has an impact on school-readiness as learners from different educational backgrounds start Grade 1 together. The primary purpose of this study is to collect the experiences of Grade 1 teachers, to analise those experiences and to describe them with reference to the diverse pre-school backgrounds of the learners. Grade 1 teachers interact with learners from three backgrounds: those with formal pre-school education; those with non-formal pre-school education; and those with no pre-school education. The Grade 1 teacher's experiences is the problem studied and it is done with reference to these forms of pre-school education. It focuses on the opinions of the teachers as formulated in their own words. A child's environment and early experiences, especially the level of education - or deprival thereof - has a marked effect on learning and development. Education in the early years of childhood can deliver an outstanding return on investment for a country. Phases of education should build on one another using syllabusses and working methods that work together. The logic is that a child should first be able to crawl before learning to walk and thus follow the right steps to the phonetics, spelling and writing required in Grade 1. The cost of neglecting some of the elementary steps will be borne by the Grade 1 teacher when he/she is forced to set time aside to repair the foundation that should have been in laid in the pre-school years. A qualitative research method was used to attain and analise the information in this study. Data was collected by studying relevant literature, using questionaires in interview situations and by conducting interviews with stakeholders. Data was analysed by doing content analysis of the transcripts from individual interviews and focus groups. The research takes the form of an interpretative epistemological construct as it focuses on the essence of the experiences of the Grade 1 teacher. It is an exploratory study that made use of a sample of the designated group. Contributing factors, such as government policy, the curriculum, training of teachers, language, poverty, school, parents and learners, reveal guidelines for improving the classroom experiences of Grade 1 teachers. This can be applied advantageously to the development of the educational sector. The study suggests that teachers and parents should collaborate more closely. It is further suggested that the curriculum be ammended to accommodate learners from diverse backgrounds leading to a more positive experience for Grade 1 teachers. The findings show that the experiences of Grade 1 teachers are not taken into account by many people, especially judging by the available literature. It is important to acknowledge what these teachers experience as well as the role it plays in their classrooms. Their experiences lead to certain reactions and changes. The point made by this study is that Grade 1 teachers display a definitive experience in their classrooms and that it has an effect on their learners. The point of departure is to let the Grade 1 teacher distinguish between the different groups of learners in the classroom and empower him/her to support each individual to ensure a positive experience. Not all teachers will have such a positive experience with a diverse group. Before the burden becomes too heavy alternative teaching methods should be employed. There is a shortage of research in this field and further study on the experiences of the Grade 1 teacher is needed to deepen the provision of support. Although this is a limited study, it can possibly encourage further research. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: In die twintig jaar sedert Namibië se onafhanklikheidswording het baie veranderinge in die land plaasgevind, veral in die onderwysstelsel. Een van die veranderinge was die afskaf van openbare voorskoolse instellings. Slegs die private sektor voorsien steeds in dié behoefte. Die beperkte toegang tot voorskoolse onderrig het egter 'n invloed op skoolgereedheid. Die leerders wat Graad 1 betree, kom uit verskillende onderrigsagtergronde. Die primêre doelwit van hierdie studie is om die ervaringe van Graad 1-onderwysers te ondersoek, te analiseer en te beskryf aan die hand van hierdie diverse voorskoolse agtergronde van die leerders. Die Graad 1-onderwyser het te doen met leerders uit drie agtergronde: dié met formele voorskoolse onderrig; dié met nie-formele voorskoolse onderrig; en dié met geen voorskoolse onderrig nie. Met verwysing na dié vorme van voorskoolse onderrig word die probleem van die Graad 1-onderwyser se ervaring in die klaskamer ondersoek. Dit fokus op die opinies van die Graad 1-onderwysers geformuleer in hul eie woorde. 'n Kind se omgewing en vroeë ervaringe, veral die vlak van opvoeding - of die ontneming daarvan - het 'n groot effek op 'n kind se leer en ontwikkeling. Opvoeding in die vroeë kinderjare is 'n belegging wat uitstaande resultate vir die land kan oplewer. Onderwysfases behoort op mekaar te volg met leerplanne en werkmetodes wat aanvullend saamwerk tot die kind se opvoeding. Die logika daaragter is dat 'n kind eers moet kruip voordat hy kan loop en net so behoort 'n kind die regte stappe te volg ten einde gereed te wees vir die klank-, spel- en skryfwerk wat in Graad 1 vereis word. Die afskeep van sekere elementêre stappe kan tot gevolg hê dat die Graad 1-onderwyser waardevolle tyd sal moet afstaan om die basis, wat gedurende die pre-primêre fase (of in die voorskoolse instelling) gelê moes word, dan nou in Graad 1 te lê. Dit beklemtoon die groot taak wat op die Graad 1-onderwyser se skouers rus. 'n Kwalitatiewe navorsingsontwerp is gebruik vir die verkryging en ontleding van inligting vir hierdie studie. Die data insamelingsmetodes sluit 'n literatuuroorsig, onderhoudsvraelyste en onderhoude met die betrokke rolspelers in. Data is geanaliseer met behulp van inhoud-analise van die transkripte uit die individuele en fokusgroep-onderhoude. Die navorsingstipe is 'n interpretatiewe epistemologiese konstruk omdat dit fokus op die essensie van die ervaringe van die Graad 1-onderwyser. Dit is 'n verkennende ondersoek en daar is gebruik gemaak van 'n doeldienende streekproefneming. Uit die aanleidende faktore soos regeringsbeleid, kurrikulum, opleiding van onderwysers, taal, armoede, skool, ouers en leerders kom daar riglyne na vore vir die verbetering van die ervaringe van die Graad 1-onderwyser in die klas. Dit kan met vrug aangewend word in die ontwikkeling van die onderwyssektor. Die studie maak die aanbeveling dat daar 'n nouer samewerking tussen onderwysers en ouers moet wees. Verder word voorgestel dat die kurrikulum aangepas word om diverse leerders te akkommodeer wat positiewe ervaringe vir die Graad 1-onderwyser tot gevolg sal hê. Die bevindinge toon aan dat die ervaringe van Graad 1-onderwysers in hul klaskamers nie deur baie mense in ag geneem word nie, veral as daar gekyk word na die literatuur. Dit is belangrik om te sien wat hul ervaar en watter rol dit speel in hul klaskamers. Hul ervaringe lei tot sekere reaksies en aanpassings wat hulle daagliks beleef. Die punt wat met hierdie studie gemaak word, is dat Graad 1-onderwysers 'n definitiewe ervaring in hul klaskamers openbaar wat só weer 'n uitwerking op die leerders het. Die uitgangspunt is om die Graad 1-onderwyser te laat onderskei tussen die verskillende groepe leerders in die klaskamer en sodoende in staat te stel om elkeen in die klas so te ondersteun vir 'n positiewe ervaring. Nie alle onderwysers gaan altyd met diverse leerders so 'n positiewe siening en ervaring hê nie. Voordat dit vir hul te veel raak moet alternatiewe benaderings en metodes gebruik word om leerders te onderrig. Ook wat hierdie aspek betref, is daar 'n tekort aan navorsing en is verdere ondersoeke oor die ervaringe van die Graad 1-onderwyser nodig, om sodoende die nodige ondersteuning te kan bied. Alhoewel hierdie 'n beperkte studie is, kan dit moontlike verdere navorsing aanmoedig.

The prevalence of learner teenage pregnancies is a winnable battle, provided the major stakeholders, namely the Departments of Education (DoE) and Health (DoH) provide joint positive efforts. The situation requires continuous effective support to the teachers that have to handle the situation of teenage pregnancies at secondary schools. In spite of the implementation of Life Orientation as a school subject, to deals with sexual behaviour, sexual health, decision making regarding sexuality, risk of pregnancy, sexually transmitted infections, including HIV and Aids the prevalence of learner teenage pregnancies at secondary schools remains high. Health care professionals should become involved by promoting and implementing preventive measures to reduce the increase in learner teenage pregnancies in collaboration with the DoE. This will achieve a situation where there is assistance and support for vulnerable learners, and teachers that are daily exposed to learner pregnancies, as well as deliveries of babies on school premises. The intervention of health care professionals will provide quality care to learners and continuous support for teachers in all provinces, not only KwaZulu-Natal (KZN). The objective of this study is to explore and describe the teachers‟ experiences regarding learner teenage pregnancies in KZN. The study is explorative, descriptive and contextual in nature. An interpretative approach was suitable to address the research aim of this qualitative research design, namely to answer the research question: “How do secondary school teachers experience teenage pregnancies and unexpected deliveries at school?” Participants were selected by purposeful sampling strategy. Data were collected through individual interviews and the data analysis followed Tesch‟s (1990) method of systematic open coding. During the data analysis themes were identified, including for instance the overall experiences with learner teenage pregnancies, experiences related to unexpected deliveries at school and recommendations to cope with teenage pregnancies and unexpected deliveries at school. The participants were all aware of the negative consequences of learner teenage pregnancies, which include leaving school, the resulting unemployability of learners who left school early and subsequent poverty and low social economic status. Recommendations aimed at stakeholders such as the DoE and Health centre on jointly supporting secondary school teachers with respect to their experiences with learner teenage pregnancies and unexpected deliveries at school. Health professionals are requested to implement campaigns and school visits to supply contraceptive services, whereas the DoE has to emphasise and ensure that teachers understand the importance of contemporary approaches when implementing the Life Orientation curriculum that explicity deals with sexuality, sexual behaviour, sexual health, decision making regarding sexuality, risk of pregnancy, sexually transmitted infections including HIV and Aids. / MCur, North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2015

The prevalence of learner teenage pregnancies is a winnable battle, provided the major stakeholders, namely the Departments of Education (DoE) and Health (DoH) provide joint positive efforts. The situation requires continuous effective support to the teachers that have to handle the situation of teenage pregnancies at secondary schools. In spite of the implementation of Life Orientation as a school subject, to deals with sexual behaviour, sexual health, decision making regarding sexuality, risk of pregnancy, sexually transmitted infections, including HIV and Aids the prevalence of learner teenage pregnancies at secondary schools remains high. Health care professionals should become involved by promoting and implementing preventive measures to reduce the increase in learner teenage pregnancies in collaboration with the DoE. This will achieve a situation where there is assistance and support for vulnerable learners, and teachers that are daily exposed to learner pregnancies, as well as deliveries of babies on school premises. The intervention of health care professionals will provide quality care to learners and continuous support for teachers in all provinces, not only KwaZulu-Natal (KZN). The objective of this study is to explore and describe the teachers‟ experiences regarding learner teenage pregnancies in KZN. The study is explorative, descriptive and contextual in nature. An interpretative approach was suitable to address the research aim of this qualitative research design, namely to answer the research question: “How do secondary school teachers experience teenage pregnancies and unexpected deliveries at school?” Participants were selected by purposeful sampling strategy. Data were collected through individual interviews and the data analysis followed Tesch‟s (1990) method of systematic open coding. During the data analysis themes were identified, including for instance the overall experiences with learner teenage pregnancies, experiences related to unexpected deliveries at school and recommendations to cope with teenage pregnancies and unexpected deliveries at school. The participants were all aware of the negative consequences of learner teenage pregnancies, which include leaving school, the resulting unemployability of learners who left school early and subsequent poverty and low social economic status. Recommendations aimed at stakeholders such as the DoE and Health centre on jointly supporting secondary school teachers with respect to their experiences with learner teenage pregnancies and unexpected deliveries at school. Health professionals are requested to implement campaigns and school visits to supply contraceptive services, whereas the DoE has to emphasise and ensure that teachers understand the importance of contemporary approaches when implementing the Life Orientation curriculum that explicity deals with sexuality, sexual behaviour, sexual health, decision making regarding sexuality, risk of pregnancy, sexually transmitted infections including HIV and Aids. / MCur, North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2015

As set in the Indonesian context of changing policies regarding the language of instruction in a particular stream of public schools, known as the International Standard Schools (ISSs), the study reported in this thesis explored the experiences of Science and Mathematics teachers regarding the introduction, implementation, and reversal of the use of English as the medium of instruction (EMI). Through this study, I aimed to develop insights with regard to teachers' experiences of educational language policy change and reversal. A qualitative, narrative-based approach to the study was adopted. I sought to attend to the meanings that seven Science and Mathematics teachers attributed - through their narration with me - to their experiences of the language of instruction policy change and reversal. A broader context for their meaning-making narratives was gained from the narrativised experiences of one curriculum leader and one teacher trainer. The narrations took place in the participants' preferred language of Bahasa Indonesia with a mixture of some vernacular languages, and, having restoried their narrations into reader friendly texts in the original language(s), I then analysed them from holistic and categorical content perspectives. Next, as informed by this analysis and my reflexively-surfaced understandings of this context, I explored the influences that may have shaped the teachers' experiences. This study identified main patterns in the teacher experiences of change, namely: i) a willingness to embrace change - struggle - fulfilment - disappointment; ii) a willingness to embrace change - excitement - fulfilment - disappointment; and iii) a resistance to change- struggle - fulfilment - relief. There were both internal and external shaping influences on these patterns. Such internal influences include teachers': i) language confidence; ii) perceptions of EMI, and iii) stage of career. These internal influences may have shaped teachers' willingness either to make the most of their involvement in the programme or to simply be part of the programme without many expectations. Possible external shaping influences include: i) societal perceptions of EMI; ii) support from school and government; iii) opportunities to interact with other teachers; and iv) support from colleagues. These external influences seemed to have created an environment which either facilitated or hindered the teachers' performance as EMI teachers and their continuing development for and through the EMI programme. My study also identified three stages of experiences of reversal, i.e.: Stage One - turbulence, intense-emotions, and feelings of nostalgia; Stage Two - readjustments; and Stage Three - acceptance and adaptation. The teachers who responded negatively towards the reversal tended to experience all the three stages. Meanwile, those who were relieved by the reversal directly moved to Stage Three: acceptance and adaptation, without experiencing Stage One and Stage Two. My study has implications for how educational language policy change and reversal may be addressed in countries with a complex linguistic landscape, e.g. Indonesia. It also offers some suggestions for policy makers and teacher educators regarding teachers' experiences and needs when potentially reversing existing or introducing a new educational language policy.

<p>Målet med mitt arbete är att ta reda på vilka undervisningsmetoder som presenteras av forskare och lärare i litteraturen och sedan jämföra resultatet med lärares egna erfarenheter. Jag har fokuserat på litteraturundervisningen på högstadiet. Jag har använt böcker skrivna av bland annat Gerd och Gerhard Arfwedson, Ulla Lundqvist, Göran Ejenby & Gunilla Molloy, Olga Dysthe och Aidan Chambers. Jag genomförde sedan en enkätundersökning bland svensklärare på högstadiet för att få reda på hur de verkligen arbetar och vilka metoder de eventuellt använder sig av. Resultatet visade att de flesta av lärarna själva inte anser att de har någon specifik undervisningsmetod, men när jag läser deras svar kan jag tydligt se att de arbetssätt de beskriver är just delar av de metoder jag skrivit om. Alla lärare är dock överens om att förbättringar behövs i skolan för att arbetet ska kunna effektiviseras för eleverna och i vissa fall anser lärarna att byte av undervisningsmetod är en del av den förbättringen.</p>