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No description available.

Heritage Language Education is considered the cornerstone of Canada’s multiculturalism policy. In Ontario, the mission to preserve the cultural capital of the various ethnic communities is carried out primarily by non-profit organizations and groups with limited official support. My thesis is the autobiographical inquiry of an internationally educated teacher who is involved in a Greek language credit program in Toronto. My commitment to understanding the needs of the new generation of learners guided me through a series of professional development initiatives and the creation of an educational blog which is currently used by students, parents and teachers of the Aristoteles Credit School. By presenting my experiences as I navigated the multidimensionality of HLE in Ontario, I hope to offer a case of a bottom-up reform attempt which is based on transformative pedagogy and brings heritage language education to the epicentre of community activity and educational change in the 21st century.

Heritage Language Education is considered the cornerstone of Canada’s multiculturalism policy. In Ontario, the mission to preserve the cultural capital of the various ethnic communities is carried out primarily by non-profit organizations and groups with limited official support. My thesis is the autobiographical inquiry of an internationally educated teacher who is involved in a Greek language credit program in Toronto. My commitment to understanding the needs of the new generation of learners guided me through a series of professional development initiatives and the creation of an educational blog which is currently used by students, parents and teachers of the Aristoteles Credit School. By presenting my experiences as I navigated the multidimensionality of HLE in Ontario, I hope to offer a case of a bottom-up reform attempt which is based on transformative pedagogy and brings heritage language education to the epicentre of community activity and educational change in the 21st century.

This study aims to apply a design theoretical perspective on museum educators in a natural sciencemuseum to see which didactic choices they make. This study proceeds from the following questions: How is the scientific content of the exhibition orchestrated? Which semiotic resources do the museum educators uses? How do the museum tutors reason for their didactic choices? The study is based on seven observations of five different museum educators teaching seven different classes in the younger ages in one specific exhibition. It is also based on one interview with three of the museum educators. The design theory of learning, which is the theory that this study is analysed through, is mostly based on the studies by Staffan Selander and Gunther Kress (2010). The result of the investigation shows, in short, that the scientific content is orchestrated like a journey through time where different sceneries represent the geological ages of the earth. The museum educators uses a combination of multiple semiotic resources. The interview showed what the museum educators wanted to be the key words in their teaching: understanding, curiosity, desire, to arouse interest and willingness to take on the science glasses and ask yourself questions like 'How can you know that?' and 'How can you find out?'.

Abstract The aim of the research was to explore the possibilities and limitations to foster teacher empowerment and promote Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender and Queer (GLBTQ) educational equity in schools. The context of the research was the GLBTQ Educational Equity (GLEE) Project funded by European Union (EU) during 1999–2002. Using an action research approach a Leadership Training Course (LTC) for teachers was developed with an international training team. The aim of the course was to empower teachers to develop action plans for their schools to promote GLBTQ equity. After the course teachers were supported in their actions by an internet-based support network called GLEENET. There was a LTC in 2000 and 2002 in Oulu, Finland. The starting point for developing an empowering pedagogy for the LTC was critical pedagogical theories. The results from the LTC along with the post-course actions were used to further develop the pedagogical theory, followed by another course and further theoretical development. The focus of the dissertation is on: (1) evaluating the empowerment of course participants, (2) developing principles of web-assisted transformative pedagogy, and (3) evaluating the methodological approach as a counter-heteronormative praxis. In addition, new tools for conceptualising empowerment are developed. There was evidence that the participants were empowered by the LTC, and that GLEENET after the course further empowered them. Following the LTC all the teachers engaged in some form of activism such as workshops for colleagues, curriculum development and student activities. Also, some of the participants carried out transnational projects funded by the EU. The first was the Inequality in School Project 2001–2002 and the second was the Towards an Inclusive School Project 2003–2006. Despite the empowerment of teachers and their actions to transform their schools, the research concluded that there were limitations. In particular, resistance and barriers were faced including opposition from headteachers and colleagues, as well as having a lack of time. There is a need for wider EU anti-discrimination legislation, action on the part of educational authorities, and pre and in-service teacher training to break down cultural and structural barriers to promoting GLBTQ educational equity. / Tiivistelmä Tämän tutkimuksen päämäärä oli selvittää mitä mahdollisuuksia ja rajoitteita liittyy homojen, lesbojen, biseksuaalien sekä transgender- ja queer-henkilöiden (GLBTQ) yhdenvertaisuuden edistämiseen koulumaailmassa opettajien voimaannuttamisen kautta. Tutkimuksen konteksti oli Euroopan unionin (EU) rahoittama GLBTQ Educational Equity (GLEE) -projekti vuosina 1999–2002. Toimintatutkimuksellista lähestymistapaa käyttämällä kansainvälinen kouluttajatiimi kehitti opettajille suunnatun johtajuuskurssin (LTC), jonka päämäärä oli voimauttaa opettajat kehittämään kouluilleen toimintasuunnitelmat GLBTQ-yhdenvertaisuuden edistämiseksi. Kurssin jälkeen opettajat saivat tukea toimilleen GLEENET-internetyhteisön kautta. Kaksi LTC-kurssia järjestettiin Oulussa vuosina 2000 ja 2002. Kriittisen pedagogiikan teoriat olivat lähtökohtana LTC-kurssin voimauttavalle pedagogiikalle. Ensimmäisen LTC-kurssin tuloksia sekä osallistujien kurssin jälkeisiä toimia käytettiin pedagogisen teorian jatkokehittämiseen, minkä jälkeen seurasi toinen LTC-kurssi sekä teorian edelleen kehittämistä. Tämä väitöskirja keskittyy: (1) arvioimaan kurssin osallistujien voimaantumista, (2) kehittämään web-avusteisen transformatiivisen pedagogian perusperiaatteita, sekä (3) arvioimaan metodologisen lähestymistavan soveltuvuutta heteronormatiivisuuden vastaiseksi praksikseksi. Lisäksi kehitetään uusia työkaluja voimaantumisen käsitteellistämiseen. Havainnot ja tutkimusaineisto tukevat sitä, että osaanottajat voimaantuivat LTC-kurssilla, ja että kurssin jälkeen GLEENET voimaannutti heitä lisää. Kurssin jälkeen kaikki osallistuneet opettajat aktivoituivat esim. pitämään työpajoja kollegoilleen, kehittämään koulunsa lukujärjestystä tai järjestämään opiskelija-aktiviteetteja. Lisäksi jotkut osallistujat perustivat EU:n rahoittamia kansainvälisiä projekteja, joista ensimmäinen oli Inequality in School vuosina 2001–2002, ja toinen Towards an Inclusive School vuosina 2003–2006. Vaikka opettajat voimaantuivat ja pyrkivät toimillaan muuttamaan koulujaan, tutkimustulokset kertovat myös rajoitteiden olemassaolosta. Erityisesti ongelmia aiheutti rehtorin tai kollegoiden vastustus sekä ajan puute. Tarvitaan EU:n syrjinnän vastaisten lakien laajentamista, koulutuksesta vastaavien viranomaisten toimia sekä opettajien koulutusta ja jatkokoulutusta, jotta kulttuuriset ja rakenteelliset esteet GLBTQ-yhdenvertaisuuden edistämisen tieltä saadaan raivatuksi.

Syftet med denna masteruppsats är att söka en transformerande pedagogisk praktik omjämställdhet och jämställdhetsintegrering. Det är en studie av några pedagogersupplevelser och konsekvenser av motstånd i arbetsplatsbaserad undervisning omjämställdhet och jämställdhetsintegrering.Den svenska retoriken kring jämställdhet bidrar till att det inte talas om det motståndsom pedagoger möter, ett motstånd emot jämställdhet och jämställdhetsintegrering. Trefokusgrupper med totalt tretton deltagare har träffats runtom i Sverige och samtalat omundervisning och transformativ pedagogik utifrån frågeställningar kopplade till maktoch motstånd. Innehållsanalys har använts, framförallt med hjälp av Paulo Freiresbegrepp conscientização och Sara Ahmeds begrepp snap. Resultaten har relaterats tillMalin Rönnbloms dekonstruktion av svensk jämställdhetspolitik och rådandekunskapsdiskurs.De viktigaste resultaten handlar om att pedagogerna möter motstånd oavsett vilkenfråga som lärandet handlar om inom jämställdhet. Motståndet leder till känslor av blandannat trötthet, ledsamhet och ilska. Effekter av motstånd på undervisningen är blandannat att ämnet adresseras på ett avdramatiserande sätt för att förekomma motståndet.Resultaten synliggör ett behov av att använda den praktik och de erfarenheter somfinns i större utsträckning än vad som görs idag. Studien bidrar till en ökad förståelseför vilka konsekvenser motstånd får i arbetsplatsbaserad vuxenundervisning omjämställdhet.

Despite a growing body of research on trainee teachers’ learning during pre-service programs, intensive introductory TESL training courses are still designed to instruct a “standard” type of trainee teacher. This research study investigates the factors that mediate trainee teachers’ learning process as well as the interaction between these factors, which either facilitate and/or hinder trainee teachers’ success during an intensive introductory TESL training course. Using a qualitative holistic single-case study, informed by an interpretivist perspective, this study explores how three trainee teachers learned how to teach during a course in Southern Ontario, Canada. An integrated conceptual framework, formed by a sociocultural perspective of teacher learning, a holistic view of curriculum, and transformative pedagogy was employed and the findings include four major factors that mediated trainee teachers’ teacher learning process and three types of interaction that facilitated and/or hindered their success during the program.