Lärares beskrivningar av evolution som undervisningsinnehåll i biologi på gymnasiet

Biological evolution is part of the syllabi for Biology and Science in Swedish upper secondary school. In the syllabi, evolution is not only presented as a topic in Biology courses, but is also regarded as a unifying theme. The teacher has a fundamental role in deciding how the national curriculum is translated into the educational situation. This thesis investigates teachers’ accounts of their teaching of evolution in Swedish upper secondary school, describing their understandings of the purpose of teaching and learning evolution as part of biology education. The thesis is based on interviews of teachers teaching the course Biology A, which is compulsory as dictated by the Natural Science Program. The interviews were supplemented with questionnaires. The interviews were orientated towards questions about selection of course content and the reasons for choosing this content. The interviews were focused on teachers experiences based on their own practice. Two aspects of content were examined: (1) the scientific content taught in terms of themes and (2) the socializing value-laden aspects, such as priorities taken by the teachers and the teachers´ overarching aims.   The results showed that teachers described different teaching contents with regard to values, even when the core content of themes was similar. Four different selective traditions for choosing content were identified among teachers. The results are discussed in relation to the context and conditions that the teachers identify as influential on the content chosen. Teachers’ interactions with their students as well as their world views are important for their selection and adjustment of content. There are also indications that teachers’ personal views about purposes are important for selecting the teaching content.

Toleransbegreppets mångtydighet : En analys av läroplansbegreppet tolerans inom kontexten för ämnet religionskunskap

This litterature study is an analysis of the concept of tolerance, as it is a central value in the curriculum for the Swedish upper secondary school (Gy11) and therefore an important part of interpreting the specific curriculum for religious studies. The scientific approach is drawn from curriculum theory and the method of analysis is hermeneutic. Four different understandings of the concept are presented from academic literary sources. To further problematize the understandings of the concept, critique against a ”pedagogy of tolerance” as expressed by normcritical pedagogical writers and scholars is presented and analyzed. Implications regarding didactical practice are discussed in the light of previous analysis. Two main criteria for tolerance were found in all four understandings. These criterias outline the necessary components of an act of tolerance. The critique mainly focuses on said act, as it is an act of power and differentiation. This implies the didactical importance of awareness regarding the complexity of an act of tolerance.