Science is Primary - Children Thinking and Learning in theChemistry Laboratory

The goal of primary science education is to foster children’s interest, develop positive science attitudes and promote science process skills development. Learning by playing and discovering provides several opportunities for children to inquiry and understand science based on the first–hand experience. The current research was conducted in the children’s laboratory in Heureka, the Finnish science centre. Young children (aged 7 years) which came from 4 international schools did a set of chemistry experiments in the laboratory. From the results of the cognitive test, the pre-test, the post-test, supported by observation and interview, we could make the conclusion that children enjoyed studying in the laboratory. Chemistry science was interesting and fascinating for young children; no major gender differences were found between boys and girls learning in the science laboratory. Lab work not only encouraged children to explore and investigate science, but also stimulated children’s cognitive development.

Karriärutveckling inom organisationer : En studie om hur organisationer i Dalarnas län arbetar med karriärutveckling för att behålla sina medarbetare

Denna studie beskriver inledningsvis hur begreppet karriär har genomgått en förändring, från att styras av organisationerna till att individen har mer möjligheter att påverka sin egen utveckling. För organisationer är det därför viktigt att arbeta för att behålla sina medarbetare för att vara konkurrenskraftiga på marknaden. Syftet med denna studie är att undersöka hur organisationer i Dalarnas län arbetar med karriärutveckling för att behålla sina medarbetare. Vi har studerat tidigare teorier och forskning inom ämnet och genomfört en kvalitativ studie. Vidare har vi intervjuat respondenter från fem olika organisationer i Dalarnas län för att undersöka hur organisationerna arbetar med karriärutveckling. Utifrån våra intervjuer har vi kunnat identifiera strategier och motivationsfaktorer organisationerna arbetar med för att utveckla sina medarbetare. För att organisationer i Dalarnas län ska vara konkurrenskraftiga på marknaden bör de utveckla starkare strategier för att inte förlora medarbetare till konkurrenter.

LEARNING STUDY: ROZVOJ ŠKOLY SKRZE KOLEGIÁLNÍ UČENÍ UČITELŮ : Learning study: school development through collegial learning of teachers

The aim of this article is to describe how the Learning Study method (LS) was implemented in a Swedish upper secondary school, as well as how the principals and the teachers involved perceived this to affect teaching at, and the development of, the school. It is an empirical study that was conducted as an action research project over a period of three years. The project to implement the LS method was based on the assumption that proper training is the result of collegial activity that occurs when teachers learn from each other. The teachers in this study were, in general, positive about using the LS method. It created opportunities to meet and talk about teaching skills, developed better professional relationships between colleagues, and offered a systematic method for planning, implementing and monitoring teaching. However, working together requires that time be set aside to allow for implementation of the LS method. This is crucial, as the LS method is a rather expensive way to make school development work. This places heavy demands on principals to create the necessary conditions for the implementation of the LS method.