Within the field of technology education, evaluating technical solutions is considered as an important topic. Research indicates that pupils have difficulties in evaluating technical solutions in terms of fitness for purpose, i.e. how effective a technical solution supports its intended function. By using the learning study, which is an iterative and collaborative research approach, the study explores the capability to evaluate technical solutions in terms of fitness for purpose, what it takes to know it and how to best enhance its learning in the primary technology classroom. Audio and video recorded interviews, teachers' meetings and lessons are the base data for the study. A contribution of the study is the understanding of this specific knowing, and what is critical for learning and thus to an improvement of technology teaching practice.

This study within primary technology education aims at exploring the capability to construct a specific linkage mechanism. The study reported was integrated in a Learning study, a kind of design experiment inspired by the Japanese Lesson Study, and was carried out in collaboration with two primary school teachers and their two classes, a preschool class and a grade one class. The study reports on the analysis of the video-recorded pre- and post-test. The tests were analysed phenomenographically resulting in four categories describing qualitatively different ways of experiencing the object of learning. The categories were then analysed in terms of critical aspects, describing aspects necessary to discern for this group of students in order to learn how to construct a linkage mechanism. The result indicates the importance of discerning the two joints and their different characteristics in terms of a fixed and a moving joint as well as the placement of the moving joint in relation to the resulting movement.

Purpose – Knowledge concerning the meaning of the object of learning is an important contribution of Learning study. The purpose of this paper is to generate this kind of knowledge and show how it can be developed and refined in the different phases of a Learning study.

Design/methodology/approach – The paper reports on a Learning study in primary technology education conducted with students aged six to seven years old, with the aim to explore a specific object of learning; to construct a linkage mechanism for transferring and transforming movement.

Findings – The findings show several aspects to discern by the learner in order to grasp the object of learning and reveal how this knowledge was gradually developed during the Learning study. The presumed aspects, those identified in the pre- and post-test, as well as how they were elaborated in the lesson contributed to refining the meaning of the object of learning.

Originality/value – In Learning study, knowledge concerning the meaning of the object of learning is generated. By empirically demonstrating the development and specification of this knowledge during a Learning study, this paper will contribute to the discussion of knowledge products from Learning studies as well as to knowledge concerning what there is to know in order to develop a specific capability in technology education.

This presentation describes a Learning Study within primary technology education focusing on the capability to construct a specific linkage mechanism. What one has to know in order to be able to construct a linkage mechanism is, however, not self-evident. The study reported here explores the meaning of this specific knowing. The study was conducted in collaboration with two primary school teachers and their two classes (children aged 6-7 years). Throughout the whole study step by step, starting with the analysis of the pre-test, followed by three cycles of planning and evaluation of research lessons, and the analysis of post-test, the meaning of the object of learning was specified (Marton & Pang, 2006; Carlgren, 2012). The presentation will focus on knowledge generated from the video recorded lessons by analyzing the classroom interactions and students’ difficulties that were made visible through these interactions. Teacher-student interactions as well as student-student interactions were analyzed. By analyzing students’ difficulties regarding the specific object of learning, critical aspects of the expected knowing were discerned and in this way the meaning of knowing what is expected to be known was made explicit. The results are presented in the form of critical aspects of what it means to know how to construct a linkage mechanism for this group of students. The critical aspects identified in the pre-test were further elaborated in the research lessons and by analyzing the classroom interactions in terms of student difficulties, additional aspects that were critical for students’ learning were identified. By gradually identifying the critical aspects, the collective understanding of the meaning of the object of learning was developed and specified.

In this study we examine the development of teachers’ subject-specific knowledge in technology during a design based research project. In the project a researcher collaborated with two primary school teachers in exploring their students’ learning of technology. Throughout the whole project, the teacher-researcher group worked in an iterative and systematic way to explore the students’ learning. The data draws from the groups’ meetings during the whole project. In order to study the potential learning that was taking place among the teacher team during the course of the teaching project, Practical epistemology analysis (PEA) was used. During the project the teachers’ expanding knowledge was based on needs of relations between their understanding of the object of learning (i.e. the capability that the students should develop) and their previous teaching experiences, technical terms and real life examples. An important factor explaining the development of the teachers’ knowledge base was the discussion in the group focusing on different aspects, starting with formulating an object of learning, constructing the pre-test, identifying critical aspects and planning and revising lessons. Our study shows that it is possible for primary school teachers to significantly increase their knowledge base in technology and technology education through design-based teaching.

In this paper, we discuss findings from two previous studies in technology education using the Learning study model and the Variation theory of learning. The Learning study is a collaborative approach where teachers and researchers work together in the classroom with the aim to enhance students’ learning concerning a specific content. In a Learning study, focus is on a specific “object of learning”, i.e. what the students are expected to learn. The aim of this paper is to show what knowledge concerning specific objects of learning in technology education is generated in a Learning study and to discuss the potential contribution of this knowledge to technology teaching practice. We will provide examples from two Learning studies conducted in primary technology education in Sweden. The findings from the studies are of two kinds; identified aspects of the object of learning that are critical in order to learn, and aspects that could be referred to the teaching of the specific content.

In this paper, we present the results from a multi-national study of students’ results in the international IT contest “Bebras”. Be-bras provides motivating and game-like tasks in the format of multiple-choice questions and interactive problems to students in grades 2-12. Our study focuses on the results of nearly 8 000 students aged 10-13 in Finland (n=852), Sweden (n=201) and Lithuania (n=7 022), using gender, task and country as the underlying variables. In addition to presenting the overall results of the three student groups, we also analyse a subset of tasks in common according to Bloom's taxonomy and put forward detailed results for these tasks with regard to gender and country. The results show that there is no difference in performance between boys and girls in this age group. Our findings also indicate that there was a slight mismatch between the difficulty level of the tasks used in the contest and students’ actual abilities; finding more efficient and trustworthy ways of evaluating difficulty levels upfront and choosing a suitable task set is hence important for upcoming contests.

The ways in which informatics is covered in K-12 education vary among European countries. In Finland and Sweden, informatics is not included in the core curriculum, whereas, for example, in Lithuania, all students are exposed to some informatics concepts starting in the fifth grade. Bebras is an annually arranged international informatics contest for K-12 level, resulting in a large collection of data about contestants and their results. In this paper, we analyse contest data from the Finnish, Swedish and Lithuanian 2013 contests, focusing on students'performance on tasks related to algorithmic thinking. Our findings suggest that despite coming from different educational systems, students perform rather similarly on the tasks. The same tasks are difficult and the thinking behind picking an incorrect answer seems rather similar throughout the countries. The analysis also points out that there is a lack of easy questions - this needs to be fixed in order to not risk scaring students away.

Numerous studies have demonstrated that there is a lack of certified technology teachers in Swedish schools.

In this study we explore possible differences between teachers with and without subject-specific education in technology didactics. The research question highlights to what extent teachers with subject-specific training (1) are using steering documents and (2) assessing students differently compared to teachers without academic subject-specific training. The collected data consists of a survey within a large teacher-training project ‘Tekniklyftet’, a technology initiative in which 28 schools in the Stockholm area have signed up for an ambitious technology education development program in their school.

The results show that teachers with subject-specific training perceive themselves as more secure in their professional (technology) teacher role and express greater confidence in how to assess pupils in the subject of technology and also in how to use steering documents compared to non-subject specific trained teachers. 

Socio-technical systems are studied in compulsory school (pupils aged 7–16) in Sweden. The purpose is to increase pupils’ understanding of how technology and society affect one another by highlighting the interaction between technological artefacts, humans, institutions, and society at large. Many teachers find this subject difficult to teach, and therefore avoid it. To rectify this, a course module about socio-technical systems for teachers was instigated at KTH Royal Institute of Technology in Stockholm. This study was conducted during that course, and shows that teachers are affected by their educational backgrounds in their understanding of the systems; those who are trained in social sciences prioritize different aspects of the systems in their teaching than do those who have started out in the natural sciences. It also shows that the formulation of learning objectives in this area is very difficult for most teachers and few students include goals that relate to more general knowledge in areas such as genderrelated issues, historical aspects or environmental issues. Few of the students showed the ability to create a varied learning environment; searching information on the Internet and writing reports dominate the students’ suggestions. Understanding of socio-technical systems has the potential to bridge the gap between engineering and various aspects of society in education. It is therefore an essential part of technological literacy, and teacher training in the area should be improved.

This thesis focuses on teachers’ assessment practices in primary and lower secondary schools for technology education (Sv. Teknik). It is grounded in my prior experience as a teacher but also addresses the national and international research fields of technology education and assessment.

The thesis is based on four papers covering different aspects of teachers’ assessment practices in technology. Its aim is to contribute to knowledge regarding how teachers use assessments in primary and lower secondary school. The thesis explores: teachers’ formal documenting practices; primary teachers’ minute-by-minute classroom assessment; teachers’ views on assessment and finally teachers’ statements and motives relating to criteria for success while assessing students’ e-portfolios.

The choice of methods varies, depending on the focus of each sub-study, including quantitative data, collected from official governmental databases, software-generated statistical data and questionnaires as well as qualitative methods such as observations and interviews.

Formal documents proved to be unsupportive for teachers’ assessment practices. Lack of instruction and deficiencies in design templates made these documents practically useless. The classroom study shows that the studied teachers have great ambitions for their pupils to succeed but lack collegial support concerning their assessment practices. Findings also show that teachers who are specifically trained in technology show higher self-efficacy regarding their assessment practices. Based on the results from the teachers' assessments of e-portfolios, it is concluded that there is consensus among the teachers to focus on the whole rather than on particular details in student’s work. The overall results strengthen the importance of designing activities and that students should be taught and not left to unreflective doing in technology.

Teachers’ assessment practices are complex. This thesis shows that teachers work with assessment in different ways. It is also shown that the educational environment is not supportive enough. Assessment is a necessity in the endeavour of bridging teaching and learning in technology, thus affordance for teachers’ assessment practices must be increased. 

In my research I am interested in identifying and describing the process that now takes place, around evaluations, follow ups and assessment in educational practice in Sweden from a teacher´s perspective. Article 28 of the UN Convention of the Rights of the Child, specifies that, each and every child is entitled to education. In Sweden, each school can decide on how, when, and by whom, the pupil will get tutored in a subject. However, every pupil is expected and entitled to reach, at the very minimum, the level of knowledge stipulated in the goals to attain in grade 5 and grade 9, in the national curriculum. Despite this several reports have highlighted the alarming situation of neglect of the follow-up of the pupils’ knowledge development as well as the school´s neglect of Technology education. This raises many questions about underlying factors. This paper provides a description of the process of assessment in Technology education with the focus on teachers’ views on the possibilities for follow-up, and assessment.

There are strongconnections between assessment and learning. Assessment can have many purposes.One purpose is when the teacher acquires information in order to adjust theirteaching to better meet the pupils’ needs for future progress on their learningjourney. This paper provides findings from a qualitativestudy that explore and describe the process of assessment in Technologyeducation in the Swedish compulsory school. How do teachers follow up their pupils'progress? What equipment/assessment tools do they use, in order to 'locate'their pupils and move them forward on their learning journey? The results arebased on classroom observations and the teachers' written assessmentdocumentation.

Målet med utvecklingsarbetet är att bidra till att varje elev ska få utvecklas utefter sina förutsättningar såväl socialt som kunskapsmässigt. En lärare som inte bedömer vet inte om hon genom sin undervisning hindrar eller hjälper eleven framåt, därför är det viktigt att läraren (o elev o ledning) följer upp hur det går. Uppföljning kan man göra i olika syfte och på olika sätt. Ambitionen är att de belägg ska lockas fram ska omsättas i verksamheten till att anpassa det som sker i klassrummet till att möta elevernas behov. Syftet, med interventionen är att bidra till detta genom att implementera formativ bedömning hållbart över tid. Rektor och lärare översköljs med olika koncept, metoder, idéer mm där snabba lösningar ofta utlovas. Det kan det ibland vara svårt att orientera sig bland alla erbjudanden och att stå emot.  Utifrån Dylan Wiliams bevingade ord ”..if you are serious about raising student achievement then you have to be focusing on AfL [Assessment for Learning], and if you are not focusing on AfL you are probably not serious about raising student achievement.” (Wiliam, 2009, p. 34) Valde vi att försöka oss på att implementera formativ bedömning i undervisningen. Problemet är dock att begreppet ”formativ bedömning” är oerhört populärt för tillfället, så populärt att det är på gränsen till att vara både urvattnat och uttjatat. Den rapporterade framgång kring formativ bedömning som tar plats i klassrummet, där lärare och elever tillsammans deltar aktivt i lärandeprocessen har tidigare visat sig vara svår att få snurr i klassrummet och så även hos oss. Vi ska här berätta lite om hur Tungelsta skola har arbetat för att systematiskt öka graden av bedömning som bryggan mellan utlärt och inlärt.

This study explores possible differences in the views on assessment between two groups of teachers teaching technology in compulsory school: 1) teachers with subject-specific teacher training in technology education; and 2) teachers without such training. This topic is of particular interest because of the recent changes in the regulations that govern compulsory schools in Sweden, such that only certified teachers now will be permitted to teach and assign grades, despite the clear lack of certified teachers in technology education. The study is situated in two fields of interest—technology education and assessment. Both topics are highly relevant, especially in combination, because previous research on teachers’ assessment practices in technology is rare. In this study, the goal is to contribute to deepening the understanding of how subject-specific teacher training affects teachers’ ability to assess students’ knowledge while maintaining alignment with stated regulations. The results show significant difference between these two groups’ use of curriculum documents as the basis of their teaching and their self-efficacy in assessing student’s knowledge in technology. The results suggest interesting possibilities for curriculum alignment and indicate that the opportunities for student learning increase according to whether teachers are specifically trained in the subject. 

Transparency regarding criteria for success in assessment processes is challenging for most teachers. The context of this study is primary school technology education. With the purpose to establish what criteria for success teachers put forward during the act of assessment, think-aloud protocols were collected from five primary teachers during an assessment act. Results are based on content analysis of think-aloud protocols and quantitative measures of reliability in order to ascertain teachers’ motives for decision-making when assessing Year 5 pupils’ multimodal e-portfolios.

Findings show consensus among these teachers, focusing on the execution of the task in relation to the whole, rather than to particular pieces of student work. The results confirm the importance of task design, where active learning in combination with active tutoring is an integral part, including provision of time and space for pupils to finish their work.

Teachers work with assessment in various ways with the intention of moving their pupils forward. However, moving pupils forward is not always beneficial for learning, as the direction of forward matters too, as well as knowing when arrived. Especially when the purpose of assessment is to move the learners forward towards learning intentions aligned to the curriculum, it gets complicated. When handled with care, feedback has been identified as a key strategy for learning. However, the results of feedback are difficult to foresee. Criteria for success play an important role for feedback, as every pupil benefit of transparency regarding learning intentions and criteria for success. This paper presents findings from an on-going study, on what criteria for success primary school teachers express during an assessment act. The context of our study is primary school technology education in Sweden, and the objects of study are think-aloud protocols collected from five teachers while assessing 22 pupils’ multimodal e-portfolios. 

Teknikämnet har i tidigare rapporter visat sig ha en svag ställning och många lärare som undervisar i teknik saknar ämnesbehörighet. Ett nytt regelverk signalerar en striktare syn på behörighet och från 2015 kommer lärare som saknar utbildning i exempelvis teknik vare sig få undervisa eller sätta betyg i ämnet. Tekniklyftet är ett pågående projekt som drivs i Vetenskapens hus regi. Projektet finansieras av Europeiska socialfonden. Satsningen omfattar 28 högstadieskolor i Stockholmsregionen. Projektets målsättning är att stärka teknik ämnet och öka tekniklärarnas kompetens och därmed stärka deras anställningsbarhet. I denna rapport presenteras utgångspunkten för projektet Tekniklyftet.

Rapporten bygger på (1) data insamlade med hjälp av en enkät som deltagarna i projektet besvarade i starten av projektet (deltagarnas uppfattning och praktik) och (2) officiella dokument som har studerats i syfte att beskriva startpunkten/ utgångsläget för projektet.

Resultaten bekräftar att flertalet lärare saknar behörighet i teknik och därmed riskerar att förlora sitt arbete. Resultaten visar också att de som har läst ämnet på högskolan har endast ett fåtal poäng och inte uppfyller de nya kraven. Resultaten kompletterar tidigare resultat genom att dels jämföra lärare som har utbildning i ämnet teknik med dem som inte har samt sätta det i jämförelse med andra ämnen. Jämförelserna visar på skillnader mellan grupperna vad gäller uppfattning kring teknik, teknikämnet, bedömning och undervisningsmöjligheter. Resultaten indikerar även en större osäkerhet generellt bland personer som saknar utbildning i teknik jämfört med andra kategorier.

In this report we consider the current status of the coverage of computer science in education at the lowest levels of education in multiple countries. Our focus is on computational thinking (CT), a term meant to encompass a set of concepts and thought processes that aid in formulating problems and their solutions in different fields in a way that could involve computers [130]. The main goal of this report is to help teachers, those involved in teacher education, and decision makers to make informed decisions about how and when CT can be included in their local institutions. We begin by defining CT and then discuss the current state of CT in K-9 education in multiple countries in Europe as well as the United States. Since many students are exposed to CT outside of school, we also discuss the current state of informal educational initiatives in the same set of countries. An important contribution of the report is a survey distributed to K-9 teachers, aiming at revealing to what extent different aspects of CT are already part of teachers' classroom practice and how this is done. The survey data suggest that some teachers are already involved in activities that have strong potential for introducing some aspects of CT. In addition to the examples given by teachers participating in the survey, we present some additional sample activities and lesson plans for working with aspects of CT in different subjects. We also discuss ways in which teacher training can be coordinated as well as the issue of repositories. We conclude with future directions for research in CT at school.

In processes of engineering design and innovation, technological experiments are commonly conducted. The methods used are similar to those in the natural sciences, but the objectives are different. Technological experiments commonly deal with context-dependent problems related to function, rather than the uncovering or falsification of general laws. Furthermore, they often include value-laden concepts such as safety and ergonomics which are not part of the natural sciences. In school, experimentation is largely seen as part of the domain of the natural sciences, and the experimental parts of technological work gets little attention. This study is based on findings from a professional development course for teachers in years 7 to 9 in compulsory school in Sweden (pupils aged 13–16). In the course, the use of experiments in education was one of the major themes. The teachers who partook in the course generally found it difficult to formulate technological problems to be examined using experimental methods. During the course, they were to develop their own technology education experiments. These often turned out to be rather plain activities where the results, rather than the process were the important thing. In this paper, the results from the teachers’ actual attempts to design technological experiments and reasons for why experimentation should get a more prominent position in school are discussed. Experimental work is an essential part of research in engineering design and the technological sciences and should therefore be included in technology education, but without turning it into only applied natural science.

According to teachers, the computer programming education dependence on students' logical and analytical abilities (even before the course starts). A majority of teachers also perceive their pedagogy as non-sufficient for students' learning. The paper unravels two types of instruction at upper secondary school; one which emphasizes individual work with programming languages assisted by a teacher, and one which emphasizes students' experiences of learning concepts. Two types of instruction that corresponds to the existence of two groups of teachers during the 1980s; the defenders who perceived learning as based on repeating sequences in a behavioristic manner, and partisans who perceived learning as based on discovery and self-teaching. The paper suggests that instructional design has remained the same, since the beginning of the 1970s, which could be the rationales for the difficulties in learning and teaching computer programming.

In the intersection of technology, curriculum and intentions, a specific issue of interest is found in the gap between teachers’ intentions and implementations of curriculum. Instead of approaching curriculum and technology as something fait accompli, teachers are considered crucial in the re-discovery of what and how to teach. The thesis depicts the mind-set of teachers and their beliefs in relation to computing curriculum. Three perspectives are covered in the thesis. Based on original documents and interviews with curriculum developers, the enactment of the computing/programming curriculum during the 1970s and 1980s is explored (Paper 1). This historical perspective is supplemented with a perspective from the present day where current teaching practice is explored through teachers’ statements (seminars with associated questionnaires) regarding their beliefs about teaching and learning programming(Paper 2). Finally with a view from a theoretical perspective, teachers’perception of instruction is discussed in relation to a theoretical framework where their intentions in relation to theoretical and practical aspects of knowledge are revealed (Papers 3 & 4). The initial incitement to offer computing education during the 1970s was discovered in the recruitment of a broader group of students within the Natural Science Programme and the perception that it would contribute to the development of students’ ability to think logically and learn problem solving skills. Data concerning teachers’ beliefs about teaching and learning programming unravels an instructional dependence among today’s teachers where students’ logical and analytical abilities (even before the courses start) are considered crucial to students’ learning, while teachers question the importance of their pedagogy. The thesis also discover two types of instruction; a large group putting emphasis on the syntax of programming languages, and a smaller group putting emphasis on the students’ experiences of learning concepts of computer science (not necessarily to do with syntax). In summary the thesis depicts an instructional tradition based on teachers’ beliefs where the historical development of the subject sets the framework for the teaching. Directly and indirectly the historical development and related traditions govern what programming teachers in upper secondary school will/are able to present to their students. From deploying two theoretical approaches, phenomenography and logic of events, upon teacher’s cases it is shown that the intended object of learning (iOoL) is shaped by the teacher’s intentions (e.g., balancing the importance oftheory and practice, using different learning strategies, encouraging learning by trial-and-error and fostering collaboration between students for a deeper understanding). The teachers also present a diverse picture regarding what theoretical knowledge students will reach for.

In this article, the development of the Swedish informatics curriculum during the 1970s, 1980s and 1990sis studied and described. The study’s design is inspired by the curriculum theory presented by Lindensj¨oand Lundgren [2000], who suggest using the concept of arenas (the arenas of enactment, transformationand realisation) when discussing curriculum development. Data collection in this study comprises activitiesand actors in the arenas of enactment and transformation. Collected data include contemporary articles,journals, reports, booklets, government documents and archived documents. Findings show that informaticseducation in Sweden evolved from primarily focusing on programming knowledge related to automatic dataprocessing and offered exclusively in vocational education (the 1960s and 1970s) to later (early 1980s) beingintroduced in the upper secondary school curriculum under the heading Datakunskap. The enactment of theinformatics curriculum in 1983 encompassed programming, system development and computing in relationto applied sciences and civics. Mathematics teachers did much of the experimental work. It is shown that thecompetencies of upper secondary school teachers at the time rarely corresponded to the demands of the subject(content knowledge, resources and pedagogical skills). Stereotypical examples were therefore developedto support teachers in instructing about the subject content. When implemented in the theoretical naturalscience-programme, system development/systemisation was transformed into a twofold issue, comprisingvocational attributes and societal aspects of computer programming. The implementation of today’s informaticseducation, including programming in the curriculum, should draw from lessons learned from history.For a successful outcome, this study emphasises the necessity to understand 1) the common incentives forintroducing computer programming in the curriculum, 2) the requirement for teachers’ pedagogical contentknowledge and 3) the stakeholders’ role in the curriculum development process.

Computing and computers are introduced in school as important examples of technology. Sometimes as a subject matter of their own, and sometimes they are used as tools, but in principle, learning about computers is part of learning about technology. Lately, the subject is being implemented in curricula to explain society’s dependence on programming knowledge and code. However, there are some considerations related to teaching programming, as the questions of what and how to teach highlight different aspects of the learning objective. In phenomenography, intended object of learning (OoL) is suggested to describe the teacher’s perspective on teaching and learning. There is, however, an analytical reduction made in phenomenography, which makes such a construction hard to distinguish in action. To find ways of bridging this reduction and deepen our understanding of teachers’ work, the article discusses the possibility of using von Wright’s theoretical model of logic of events as a complementary analytical tool in search for understanding of the intentions behind such a construction. Two theoretical approaches, phenomenography and logic of events, are deployed upon one teacher’s case to illustrate that the intended OoL is shaped by the teacher’s intentions, such as balancing the importance of theory and practice, using different learning strategies, encouraging learning by trial-and-error and finally fostering collaboration between students for a deeper understanding of the OoL. In conclusion, logic of events interpretations reveals the teacher’s intentions as being complementary to the principles of phenomenography. Understanding of teachers’ intentions contribute to the understanding of the OoL from a teachers’ perspective.

Teachers focus on one or several objects of learning (OoLs) in parallel. During the process of teaching and learning,students are invited to share the enacted object of learning (eOoL) as teachers shape the intended object of learning(iOoL). A gap is suggested in the steps going from the iOoL to the eOoL because students have differentprerequisites and ambitions. In laboratory work, theory and practice supposedly interplay to enhance students’learning. This study therefore considers that gap and addresses the following question: “What educational intentionsand expectations do programming teachers express when they (in retrospect) describe their teaching during anassignment on a principle from computer science?” Interviews were conducted with five teachers from differentsites (secondary and tertiary levels). A second-order perspective was used to unravel the expected OoL and theteachers’ intentions. The study reveals the existence of other OoLs in interplay with what is expected to be learnt.The teachers reveal a strong opinion regarding practice as a means for learning theory, as three qualitativelydifferent students’ actions will help the teacher to decide students’ theoretical understanding. Further work issuggested to explore the teachers’ reflections about what materialized in the classrooms and thus gain anunderstanding of the gap.

Kapitlet Uppdrag: teknikmedvetna barn beskriverhur fritidshem och skola kan samarbeta tematiskt för att utveckla elevers förtsåelse av och kunskap om teknik.Teknikförståelse hos svenska barn är inte så utvecklad och teknikämnet får lätt en undanskymd plats i undervisningen trots dess vikt. Med utgångspunkt i temaområdet Hållbar utveckling ger författaren läsaren teoretiska redskap att förstå vad som är viktigt i teknikundervisningen genom att omsätta teorier i praktik på fritidshemmet och i skolan.

The Math Coach program provides help with mathematics using online coaching. In the program, communication using text-based CMC with additional whiteboard capacity is used. Students range from sixth to ninth year of compulsory school, and upper secondary school (aged 12–19). Coaches are enrolled from students at teacher training colleges. Stenbom et al. (2012) introduced a framework for analyzing online coaching, the Relationship of Inquiry. That framework is a modification of the well-researched and verified theoretical framework the online Community of Inquiry (Garrison et al., 2000, 2001). Survey data and transcript analysis indicates that emotional presence is a natural part of a four-element framework for analysis of one-to-one online coaching. Abbreviations, special words and symbols, such as emoticons, are used regularly as an instrument to enhance the visibility between the coach and coachee. It serves as a replacement for face-to-face non-verbal communication. Also, sharing of emotions and moods between two individuals as people and about the coaching activity are common.

This presentation will review the proposed framework for online coaching consisting of cognitive, social, teaching and emotional presence. A special focus will be on the role emotion may play in such environments. Beyond discussion of theory, implications for practice and training of online coaches will be discussed in an interactive session with guided dialogue. 

This presentation introduces the Relationship of Inquiry framework. It is a theoretical framework for design and analysis of online coaching, a one-to-one inquiry-based online learning activity. The video introduces the framework. During the seminar we will discuss this framework with data from an online coaching program called Math Coach.