The purpose of my report was to find out how music can benefit the language development of children, whilst getting a glimpse of how the Educators in preschools use music as a tool for the language development of children. During the course of the report I?ve used the sociocultural perspective theory as a foundation to stand on, this is most of all visible in my analysis and discussion of the result. In the result we can see that the Educators possess insight in the importance of music in childrens development, and that they therefore give music a lot of room in their work. Songs where rhyme and language play are allowed are common elements at the preschool that attracts the children and makes them want to partake. Songs sung with movement is a commonly used combination which also serves to further lift the childrens language development when they, through movement, give meaning to the lyrics. It does however take a devoted educator to make music with the preschool children and to support them and making them want to do it.

The Swedish early childhood system is considered among the best in the world, however, in spite of this, we feel that there exists a conflict between Educators? and parents? expectations of ?a good preschool?. During our teacher education training we have observed many different preschools and almost in all of them we have listened to anecdotes about one or more conflicts arising between Educators and parents and which we have been able to pinpoint toward differing expectations. After talking with a preschool director, who also perceives that expectations of the preschool aims sometimes differ, our idea brought us to conduct this investigation.In this study, we have investigated parents? expectations of preschool and compared them with Educators? expectations.

AbstractReading books to children is often an integral part in preschool activities. The purpose of thisstudy is to investigate how Educators think about the educational function of literature inpreschool activities. I have in my study used qualitative interviews with active Educators andobservations to answer my questions about why the educator reads to the children, how theeducator thinks about the choice of literature and if the literature can contribute to thechildrens development and if so, how. The knowledge- and research background presentsliterature and previous research done on the subject. The results of my study shows that theEducators have many thoughts about the importance of literature in preschool.

The aim of this study is to increase knowledge and understanding of free play or free fun time importance for children of age around five years in preschool, in order to promote children?s development and learning. The focus was on exploring and better understanding of teacher?s and Educators? approach to the free fun play time as a tool in their educational work, and also about their own role in this context as well as analyzing of forms, rules and structures spontaneously created by groups of children having free play fun time. Another important moment of this study was to give more light on approaches to this issue in education theories by Piaget, Vygotsky and Freud among others.As to the practical experimental part of the study it has been performed at a preschool and kindergarten in a suburb at the outskirts of Stockholm, with four employed Educators there and with groups of children of age around five.

 Over the past ten years, the pupils' performance and grades has fallen and the number of competent to high school has decreased gradually. The Swedish school has been criticized and the role of the teachers has been questioned, among other by the media. In autumn 2007 Johannesskolan, one of Sweden's tenth worst schools replaced the ordinary teachers of Class 9A against eight of the country's "main" Educators with the goal of the class to become one of Sweden's third major. The teachers have the autumn term in which to achieve the goal and the outcome will be measured by national tests in core subjects Swedish, English and Mathematics. The aim of this paper is to examine the role of the teacher's leadership in relation to the pupils' social and intellectual development, and identify common leadership of these eight Educators.

Dyslexia is a disability faced by an extensive amount of students in the current educational system. No medical alternatives have been found to improve the cognitive processing challenges presented with dyslexia. Therefore today?s Educators are required to make instructional adjustments in their schooling, to ensure dyslexic students an academic future. The purpose of this qualitative study was, firstly, to discover how teachers work with dyslexic students, and secondly, to find out which practices are being used in this field.

The purpose of this paper was to investigate the foremost teachers thinking of computers in teaching, how they work practically with computers as a tool, and if it is reflected in the students' school performance. To carry out this study, I used qualitative interviews as a method and I have interviewed four teachers where two works at the high school and two in upper secondary school. Both schools use computers in teaching as a supplementary tool for teaching materials. All teachers have similar ideas regarding what purpose one should use the computer and in which way, but the important thing is that the teachers and students receive an introductory course in how to use computers. Educators agree that this approach is and can promote students' language and knowledge regardless of the subject.My informants have come up with own methods that they use in the digital classroom including Skype, YouTube, Facebook and flippedclassroom where one can learn from other Educators working.

This study is about differences in knowledge regarding animals. In the study five year old preschool children from a city were compared to five year old preschool children in the suburbs with multicultural background. The study is also about where children´s knowledge about animals comes from and how Educators can make a positive difference. To find this out standardized interviews was used on 23 children from four different preschools, two preschools in the suburbs with 15 children and two preschools in the city with 13 children. A survey was sent out to the Educators within these preschools to gather background information on what the children do regarding animals.

There is a discrepancy between national school guidelines towards inclusive education, and the current political trend towards economic efficacy, that may be problematic for teachers. The aim of this contextual study is to formulate a contextual understanding of the participating teachers? perceptions of their effort to help all their students achieve the goals set forth by school curricula, and use this understanding for the purpose of suggesting points of entry for special needs Educators´ guidance of teachers? practices towards more inclusive education.Information was gathered by sending an extensive web questionnaire to all teachers within a given headmaster´s administration, sending web questionnaires to a majority of third grade students taught by those teachers, conducting interviews with a few of the participating teachers as well as with the special needs Educators, carrying out a classroom observation, and gathering additional information concerning working conditions and social interactions.The data gathered in this case study has been subjected to an analytical process comprising of an assessment of the degree of inclusive approach, using the Inclusive Approach through Participation as well as the Framework of Participation, technical triangulation of all data post the inclusive assessment, and analysis of context by the Ecology of Human Development/the Bioecological Theory.The analytical process has resulted in a contextual description that has enabled me to suggest possible points of entry to be used in special needs Educators? guidance of teachers? practices towards inclusive education. The degree to which there exists a collegial sense of security, varied forms of teacher-student interactions, collegial cooperation, pedagogical discussions, a dialogue in search of mutual understanding, and consequent follow-ups appears, in the light of the limited selection of participants, as relevant to these teachers ability to help their students.Further research is needed to identify valid points of entry for special needs Educators? guidance of teachers? practices towards inclusive education.

This study is about differences in knowledge regarding animals. In the study five year old preschool children from a city were compared to five year old preschool children in the suburbs with multicultural background. The study is also about where children´s knowledge about animals comes from and how Educators can make a positive difference. To find this out standardized interviews was used on 23 children from four different preschools, two preschools in the suburbs with 15 children and two preschools in the city with 13 children. A survey was sent out to the Educators within these preschools to gather background information on what the children do regarding animals.

Abstract The purpose of this study was to find out how leisure educator´s reason about children?s learning and development, and their view of their own role in the process. Four leisure Educators were interviewed to answer these questions. The study is based on qualitative interviews, wich means that the interviewer must interpret and understand what the respondents want to say. This is to get a deeper knowledge of the subject. The results show that the leisure Educators believe they have a large and important role in children's development and learning.

The purpose of the survey was to find out how early childhood teachers work with the curriculum of I Ur och Skur with children between 1-3 years in the forest and how such Educators are using the outdoor pedagogy in the forest environment in preschool.In order to answer the study's aim and objectives interviews were performed with six teachers in I Ur och Skur kindergartens.What emerged from this study is that forest excursions are a central part of the curriculum and is seen as their educational place. The teachers are working to create a feeling of security among the youngest children of enjoying the woods and also to raise an interest in the children. Natural materials are used during the forest stay and no other toys or materials.The results reveal that Educators work to get the smallest children to use and develop their imagination at play and at the same time they are involved with the children in their discovery of the woods. With the smallest children in kindergarten it involves being on the level of children and as a teacher to have the flexibility to change the forest stay environment if needed..

Abstract The purpose of this study was to find out how leisure educator´s reason about children?s learning and development, and their view of their own role in the process. Four leisure Educators were interviewed to answer these questions. The study is based on qualitative interviews, wich means that the interviewer must interpret and understand what the respondents want to say. This is to get a deeper knowledge of the subject. The results show that the leisure Educators believe they have a large and important role in children's development and learning.

The aim of this study is to contribute to a better understanding of the syllable as an alternative to the phoneme at the basic reading and writing. This report is based on a qualitative analysis of Håkanstorp school´s approach to the basic reading and writing in class. Their approach to reading and writing is controversial, as it is based on the syllable instead of the phoneme, as usual in the traditional reading and writing. The education result, I have found, is that the syllable leads to a very clear and structured working procedure, which ultimately leads to class teachers being able to work from a diagnostic approach. This structure, with many parts of the course helps Educators to clearly follow what level students are at.

The purpose of this study is to provide a description of how mathematics teachers in grades 3 choose to work with mathematics and how it affects of student performance in national tests. The categories I will use are outdoor education, textbooks, learning materials and problem solving. Laboratory materials can be everyday materials and educational materials in which pupils have an abstract understanding of the subject. This survey was conducted through interviews and observations. The survey was also conducted in relation to student performance in national math tests.