Emotional competences and promotion of school success: Preliminary data of an intervention programme with teachers

Teachers’ emotional competences and well-being are fundamentally important to developing and maintaining positive relationships in the classroom, which can contribute to improving pedagogical action. References to several intervention programmes are found in the literature with the purpose of changing the practices, attitudes, and beliefs of teachers, who show evidence of a significant improvement in personal competences and school success. Therefore, an intervention with teachers integrating a broader line of research was carried out, involving parents and students as well. It consists of a programme which promotes personal (well-being and emotional intelligence) and professional (acquiring differentiated pedagogical strategies) competences over a period of six months, followed by a focus group to assess the contribution of an empowerment programme with the intention of promoting school success. The preliminary action-research study involved 10 teachers of two classes with students who show disruptive behaviour in the 7th year in a school in the central region of Portugal. The teachers, of both genders, are aged between 44 and 52, and belong to several recruitment groups. The main research question was: “To what extent does an intervention programme, intended for training, contribute to developing personal and professional competences in teachers of the 3rd cycle of basic education?” The teachers revealed a rather favourable view of their participation in the programme, considering that it helped them perceive some behaviours and practices which are less adjusted to their action in the classroom with these students (shouting, scolding, etc.). From the pretest to the posttest, statistically significant differences were found in assessing their own emotions and in their use. Signs of improvement in positive affections and satisfaction with life were also found, though with a marginal significance. The preliminary data in this empowerment programme for these educational agents points towards the importance of teachers’ awareness in what concerns their pedagogical action, as well as the need to change traditional pedagogical practices that contribute to discouraging students towards learning. The need to establish closer and systematic contact with the students and their families in order to meet their needs and expectations was also highlighted.

Drying Peppers: Technolocy and Properties

The peppers can be very diverse, from sweet to hot peppers, varying in shape, in colour, in properties and usages. While some are eaten in the fresh state, many of them undergo a drying process to be preserved for a longer time and to increase availability and convenience. Hence, after harvesting, in many cases a drying operation is involved, and the present chapter aims to address this operation, of pivotal importance. In ancient times, the drying of foods in general and peppers in particular was done by exposure to the solar radiation. However, despite its cheapness and easiness, this process involved many drawbacks, like long drying times, probability of adverse atmospheric conditions and contaminations of the product. Hence, nowadays its usage is reduced. The most popular industrial drying method is the hot air convective drying. However, the high temperatures to which the product is exposed can cause changes in the composition and nutritional value as well as in the physical properties or organoleptic quality of the products. Other alternative methods can be used, but sometimes they are more expensive or more time consuming, such as is the case of freeze drying. Still, this last also has visible advantages from the quality point of view, minimizing the changes in texture, colour, flavour or nutrients. The knowledge of adequate drying operating conditions allows the optimization of the product characteristics, and hence to know the drying kinetics or the isotherms is fundamental to properly design the most adequate drying processes, and therefore preserve the organoleptic characteristics as well as the bioactive compounds present.