Assessing student theses: differences and similarities between examiners from different academic disciplines

The writing of student theses is an important activity at universities and is expected to demonstrate the students’ academic skills. In the teacher-education programme, examiners from different academic disciplines are involved in supervising and examining student theses. Moreover, different subject disciplines have different traditions concerning what is seen as knowledge and the way research is performed, which could result in different assessment practices and judgements. Earlier studies demonstrate a fragmented picture concerning the importance of the examiners’ academic discipline in judging theses. The purpose of this article is to investigate whether examiners from different academic subject disciplines emphasise similar or different criteria when assessing student theses. A total of 66 examiners from six universities with teacher education programmes in Sweden have answered an online Q-survey where they compared different criteria and rank-ordered them. The results demonstrate minor differences between individuals from different academic disciplines: Only two out of the 45 criteria had significant differences between academic discipline groups. Thus, the results indicate that teacher education is a boundary-crossing, multi-disciplinary field which primarily uses generic criteria

Affordances of models and modelling: a study of four technology design projects in the Swedish secondary school

This study aims to investigate affordances of models and modelling in design projects in technology education. To learn more about affordances when working with models and modelling, four Swedish technology teachers were interviewed using a narrative approach. Despite a small number of informants data were rich, containing detailed descriptions of sequences where students used models and modelling in ways not planned by the teachers. By using a qualitative, generic inductive approach, the narrative interviews revealed seven different affordances of models and modelling in the projects: Seeing different solutions; Finding possibilities and limitations in solutions; Representing an idea, structure or function; Communicating solutions with drawings; Making problems and solutions visible; Trial and error and learning from mistakes and finally Taking inspirations from each other’s solutions. Some conclusions and implications of the study are that when the students can see and use a wide variety of materials when modelling, they are more creative in finding solutions to design problems. The use of conceptual design in schools, leading to students performing trial and error using models to solve problems, might also be connected to the importance of a variety of materials. In the study, teachers describe how their students used models, trying different solutions, representing ideas, and trying, failing and trying again. All these modelling activities are important parts of a design process and might prove that the doing itself is a process of reflection

Forskningslitteracitet : Att läsa, värdera och använda forskning i praktiken

Forskningslitteracitet är ett relativt nytt begrepp som handlar om att förstå, värdera och omsätta forskning i praktiken. Här ingår till exempel att kunna göra skillnad på originalforskning och texter som handlar om forskning och att förstå forskningens villkor. Att skolan ska bygga på vetenskaplig grund och beprövad vetenskap står i Skollagen, och för att kunna leva upp till det behövs forskningslitteracitet

The fundamental things apply... as time goes by : Students' long-term memories from an ecology field excursion

The aim of this study was to investigate and analyze what biology studentsremembered a long time after being out on an ecology excursion. The students’ memorieswere tested during a stimulated recall interview and analyzed using the dual memorysystem model of learning. Already after 6 months we found that the students had forgottena lot of the scientific content. Very often they showed a familiarity (recognition) with thesituations and objects showed to them but they were unable to identify (recall) and labelthem. However they did remember some spectacular moment, the sudden appearance of afox and a moose. They did also remember things and situations when they were activethemselves, digging, smelling, using their hands or their feet’s in the difficult balancingand walking on a pet bog. From literature we identified two different types of memories,depending of the question asked: recall and recognition. We connected memories used inrecall to the explicit memory system (declarative knowledge), and memories used inrecognition to the implicit memory system (tacit knowledge). The Explicit memory has ashort retention but the implicit system is very stable and this will explain the difference inrecall and recognition abilities. Since the implicit memory incorporates emotional, somatic,markers we were able to explain the specific flashbulb memories. The implicit system isactive when we are doing things, using our senses and this may explain why thosememories still were strong even after a full year. The strong memories of patterns stored inthe implicit system seemed to act as indices to the declarable labels and facts in the explicitsystem. Implications for research, education and type of assessment are discussed

Exploring the metaphoric nature of programming teachers reflections on action-a case study with teaching in mind

In recent years, subject content such as programming and digital literacy has become an integral part of technology education. However, research shows that many programming teachers lack sufficient formal education to teach programming and show disparate educational and professional experiences. This study investigates how three teachers knowledge and beliefs about their teaching practices are enacted in their classroom practice. The data for the study consist of videoed classroom observations and subsequent episodic narrative interviews with the teachers. Metaphor analysis have been used to uncover central relations between the teachers knowledge and beliefs about their practice and their classroom actions. The result of the study reveals that the teachers describe their roles as teachers differently. Despite the differences, the teachers still share the idea that programming is an activity where small pieces of code is intertwined so that they can achieve a purpose. However, none of the teachers speak about code as being essential for learning programming. The teachers all seem to view themselves as assets for the students achievements, nevertheless, they do not share the idea of why. Altogether, the result of the study suggests that even though the curriculum is the same, teachers knowledge and beliefs about their teaching plays a big role in students education. Also, the study show, that it is reasonable to suggest that conceptual metaphors affect not only our language, but also our actions in the classroom.Funding Agencies|Linkoeping University</p

Hands on programming : Teachers use of Metaphors in gesture and Speech make Abstract concepts tangible

Metaphors in gesture and speech play a pivotal role in the way that programming concepts are presented in the classroom. However, little is known about the function of teachers metaphors in practice. This study aims to explore teachers use of metaphors in gesture and speech in a lecture on programming. Based on video observations of three upper secondary teachers, we employ Metaphor Identification Procedure (MIP) and Metaphor Identification for Gesture Guidelines (MIG-G) as methodological tools for identifying metaphoric speech and gestures related to programming concepts. The results of the study reveal that the gestures of the three teachers mainly function in two ways: (1) to add spatial properties to a programming concept and (2) to provide additional imagery for a programming concept. Consequently, the gestures identified in this study reduce the communicative burden of teachers speech. Furthermore, the study reveals that teachers gestures serve as means for making abstract concepts more tangible. For example, gestures concerning the abstract term "data" can generally be related to an object that could be received or moved. Hence, despite its metaphorical origin, data could be considered a graspable aspect of programming. Furthermore, spatial gestures enable the teachers to communicate programming processes in a tangible way, for example assigning programming processes a forward direction. Theoretical implications, potential implications for teaching and future research are discussed in the paper.Funding Agencies|Linkoping University</p

Visual Programming as a Tool for Developing Knowledge in STEM Subjects : A Literature Review

There is currently a trend toward introducing computational thinking in schools, and one popular tool to carry this out is through visual programming. A literature review focusing on visual programming and its effects on learning is still lacking, however; especially in STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) subjects. The aim of this literature review is to investigate and synthesise the findings of research studies on what students potentially learn in STEM subjects from visual programming. Database searches resulted in 25 studies that were analysed qualitatively. Results showed that by engaging in visual programming students do learn to code, but several basic programming concepts are still challenging. Visual programming for learning in STEM subjects is limited concerning science education, whereas it seems as if visual programming could work as a methodical glue for other STEM subjects. By introducing visual programming, our findings indicate that mathematics, technological, and engineering knowledge and skills, as well as basic programming knowledge and skills, are practised and reinforced. However, teachers need to be aware of which competences are in play in the specific teaching and learning modules, in order to support students’ learning

Programming as a New Content in Swedish Preschool : What Is It and How Is It Done?

In 2017, the Swedish government decided on a new national strategy for digitalisation of the school system. The strategy resulted in a revision of the curricula for Swedish preschool in order to strengthen digitalisation. Although programming is not explicitly mentioned in the curriculum, programming and robots have become a more common feature of preschool teaching. There are intervention studies showing that children can develop programming skills and conceptions. However, studies of programming from a technology education perspective are rare, and there is a need for further research. This study aims to investigate how programming in a preschool context and what the teachers and children do. This study focuses on the interaction between children, teachers and technology. The programming activities in preschool are not a separate activity, but part of a wider context, hence we adapt a sociocultural perspective. The empirical data consist of two group interviews with preschool teachers and one video-recorded programming activity with children aged 4-5 years and their teachers. The data material was analysed using a thematic content analysis to inductively search for patterns in the actions and methods used by teachers and children. This study shows that four aspects of programming were communicated: instructions, sequences, bugs, and language. Moreover, the relationship between humans and the technological artefacts was characterized in three different ways: technology as I) anthropomorphic, II) gender coded, and III) autonomous or non-autonomous. Thus, the programming activities and robot were incorporated in a wider context. Technology (the robot) became a tool to achieve several learning objectives. The technology was not the main focus; the overall message constructed in this teaching setting is that the human controls and uses the technology to achieve specific purposes

Kemi för alla - Bidrag från konferensen i Stockholm 1-2 oktober 2018, arrangerad av KRC

Sedan 2010 anger skollagen att all utbildning ska vila på vetenskaplig grund och beprövad erfarenhet. För att detta ska ske behöver forskare och verksamma lärare kommunicera på flera olika sätt. Konferensen ”Kemi för alla” och denna skrift är ett bidrag till denna kommunikation. Under år 2017 kontaktade NATDID Kemilärarnas resurscentrum (KRC) och undrade om det fanns intresse för att tillsammans producera en skrift med fokus på kemididaktik. Tidigare hade ett samarbete mellan NATDID och Nationellt resurscentrum för fysik (NRCF) lett fram till en skriftsamling. Idén om att göra något liknande, men med fokus på kemi, ledde fram till att konferensen ”Kemi för alla” arrangerades 1–2 oktober 2018 av KRC och NATDID i samverkan med Institutionen för matematikämnets och naturvetenskapsämnenas didaktik (MND) vid Stockholms universitet. Målet med konferensen var att skapa en mötesplats kring kemiundervisning mellan verksamma lärare och forskare i kemi-/NV-didaktik, samt att producera en skrift som kan ge stöd till lärare som vill forskningsbasera sin undervisning i kemi. Under konferensen hölls åtta föreläsningar med olika kemididaktiska infallsvinklar. Den här skriften innehåller artiklar som utgår från sex av föreläsningarna. Dessa handlar om alltifrån kemisk bindning, språkutvecklande kemiundervisning, vardagsanknuten och relevant kemiundervisning till mer abstrakta begrepp som kemins karaktär och didaktisk modellering av kemi. Dessutom hölls två föredrag om animeringar respektive virtual reality i kemiundervisningen. I anslutning till varje föreläsning genomfördes workshops med ambitionen att ta tillvara konferensdeltagarnas undervisningsidéer. Resultaten skrevs ned av i förväg utsedda ”sekreterare” och delar av dessa anteckningar har författarna till denna skrift använt i sina artiklar. De möten och samtal mellan forskning och skolans praktik som sker bland annat på konferenser som ”Kemi för alla” är viktiga för skolans utveckling på vetenskaplig grund. Vi tror på vikten av att långsiktigt bygga relationer mellan skolan och forskningen och hoppas kunna genomföra ytterligare en ”Kemi för alla” hösten 2020. Denna konferensbok syftar till att sprida de erfarenheter som presenterades vid konferensen i Stockholm till fler än de som var närvarande

Kemi för alla - Bidrag från konferensen i Stockholm 1-2 oktober 2018, arrangerad av KRC

Sedan 2010 anger skollagen att all utbildning ska vila på vetenskaplig grund och beprövad erfarenhet. För att detta ska ske behöver forskare och verksamma lärare kommunicera på flera olika sätt. Konferensen ”Kemi för alla” och denna skrift är ett bidrag till denna kommunikation. Under år 2017 kontaktade NATDID Kemilärarnas resurscentrum (KRC) och undrade om det fanns intresse för att tillsammans producera en skrift med fokus på kemididaktik. Tidigare hade ett samarbete mellan NATDID och Nationellt resurscentrum för fysik (NRCF) lett fram till en skriftsamling. Idén om att göra något liknande, men med fokus på kemi, ledde fram till att konferensen ”Kemi för alla” arrangerades 1–2 oktober 2018 av KRC och NATDID i samverkan med Institutionen för matematikämnets och naturvetenskapsämnenas didaktik (MND) vid Stockholms universitet. Målet med konferensen var att skapa en mötesplats kring kemiundervisning mellan verksamma lärare och forskare i kemi-/NV-didaktik, samt att producera en skrift som kan ge stöd till lärare som vill forskningsbasera sin undervisning i kemi. Under konferensen hölls åtta föreläsningar med olika kemididaktiska infallsvinklar. Den här skriften innehåller artiklar som utgår från sex av föreläsningarna. Dessa handlar om alltifrån kemisk bindning, språkutvecklande kemiundervisning, vardagsanknuten och relevant kemiundervisning till mer abstrakta begrepp som kemins karaktär och didaktisk modellering av kemi. Dessutom hölls två föredrag om animeringar respektive virtual reality i kemiundervisningen. I anslutning till varje föreläsning genomfördes workshops med ambitionen att ta tillvara konferensdeltagarnas undervisningsidéer. Resultaten skrevs ned av i förväg utsedda ”sekreterare” och delar av dessa anteckningar har författarna till denna skrift använt i sina artiklar. De möten och samtal mellan forskning och skolans praktik som sker bland annat på konferenser som ”Kemi för alla” är viktiga för skolans utveckling på vetenskaplig grund. Vi tror på vikten av att långsiktigt bygga relationer mellan skolan och forskningen och hoppas kunna genomföra ytterligare en ”Kemi för alla” hösten 2020. Denna konferensbok syftar till att sprida de erfarenheter som presenterades vid konferensen i Stockholm till fler än de som var närvarande