Naps in school can enhance the duration of declarative memories learned by adolescents

Sleep helps the consolidation of declarative memories in the laboratory, but the pro-mnemonic effect of daytime naps in schools is yet to be fully characterized. While a few studies indicate that sleep can indeed benefit school learning, it remains unclear how best to use it. Here we set out to evaluate the influence of daytime naps on the duration of declarative memories learned in school by students of 10–15 years old. A total of 584 students from 6th grade were investigated. Students within a regular classroom were exposed to a 15-min lecture on new declarative contents, absent from the standard curriculum for this age group. The students were then randomly sorted into nap and non-nap groups. Students in the nap group were conducted to a quiet room with mats, received sleep masks and were invited to sleep. At the same time, students in the non-nap group attended regular school classes given by their usual teacher (Experiment I), or English classes given by another experimenter (Experiment II). These 2 versions of the study differed in a number of ways. In Experiment I (n = 371), students were pre-tested on lecture-related contents before the lecture, were invited to nap for up to 2 h, and after 1, 2, or 5 days received surprise tests with similar content but different wording and question order. In Experiment II (n = 213), students were invited to nap for up to 50 min (duration of a regular class); surprise tests were applied immediately after the lecture, and repeated after 5, 30, or 110 days. Experiment I showed a significant ∼10% gain in test scores for both nap and non-nap groups 1 day after learning, in comparison with pre-test scores. This gain was sustained in the nap group after 2 and 5 days, but in the non-nap group it decayed completely after 5 days. In Experiment II, the nap group showed significantly higher scores than the non-nap group at all times tested, thus precluding specific conclusions. The results suggest that sleep can be used to enhance the duration of memory contents learned in school.

Atividade de formação interprofissional em urgência pré-hospitalar

To acting in emergencies it is important that health professionals develop specific and differentiated skills, which shows us the importance of training in emergency planning. So undergraduate courses in medicine and nursing should encourage the development of these skills and evaluate them through various instruments targeted to the different fields. The aim of this study was to implement an optional and interprofessional curricular component, focusing on interprofessional education in pre-hospital emergency for medical and nursing courses Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte (UFRN). This is an exploratory descriptive study, with 24 medical and nursing graduates of last year undergraduate of supervised training, who underwent theoretical and practical training in the care of pre-hospital emergency services. There were theoretical and practical lessons per week for one school semester, taught by doctors and nurses of the Emergency Medical Service (EMS), where the topics discussed were: basic and advanced life support, safe transport in clinical emergencies, trauma, gynecological, obstetric, pediatric and psychiatric diseases, and have been carried out practical activities in ambulances. The students were evaluated by pre-test, post-test and practical stations made through the Objective Structured Clinical Evaluation (OSCE), in the skills laboratory of the Health Sciences Center. During the activities the students were encouraged to critical and reflective thinking, highlighting the importance of integration between the various health care professionals. It was observed that 88% of the students had a score increase over the pre-test. In the evaluation process carried out by medical students and nursing UFRN have similar expectations regarding the essential skills acquired during the training activity. The results of this study will form the basis for the organization of interprofessional education activity in pre-hospital emergency medical students and nursing, as well as helped to organize practices stations, identifying basic clinical skills, and implementing student assessment tools UFRN.

A simulação como método de ensino de habilidades no curso de medicina: relato de uma experiência com punção lombar

The teaching of the lumbar puncture (LP) technique with simulator is not well systematized in the curricula of medical schools. Studies show that training in the simulator provides learning technical skills, acquisition and retention of knowledge, improve self-confidence of the learner and enables the transfer to clinical practice. We intend this study to introduce simulated training in LP in medical course at the Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Norte evaluating the experience taking into account quantitative aspects (performance on standardized tests) and qualitative (perception of the students regarding the method and the teaching process learning). The study was conducted in two phases. In the first phase practical training in PL was introduced in the 3rd year of medical school. Seventy-seven students were trained in small groups, guided by a checklist developed in the model Objective Structured Assessment of Technical Skill (OSATS), at this moment they knew they were not under performance evaluation. They were also asked whether they had prior chances to make an LP in patients. At the end of the first phase the students evaluated training in the following areas: teaching technique, simulator realism, time available per group, number of participants per group and relevance to medical practice. In the second phase, two years later, 18 students trained in first stage performed a new LP on the mannequin simulator, and its performance was evaluated through the same checklist of training in order to verify the technical retention. In addition, they answered a multiple choice test about practical aspects of the LP technique. Each participant received individual feedback on their performance at the end of their participation in the study. In the first phase of the study we found that only 4% of students had performed a lumbar puncture in patients until the 3rd year. The training of LP technique with simulator mannequin was considered relevant and the teaching methods was thoroughly evaluated. In the second phase, all participants were successful in implementing the lumbar puncture on the mannequin simulator, compliance with the most steps in a reasonable time, suggesting that would be able to perform the procedure in a patient.

Naps in school can enhance the duration of declarative memories learned by adolescents

Sleep helps the consolidation of declarative memories in the laboratory, but the pro-mnemonic effect of daytime naps in schools is yet to be fully characterized. While a few studies indicate that sleep can indeed benefit school learning, it remains unclear how best to use it. Here we set out to evaluate the influence of daytime naps on the duration of declarative memories learned in school by students of 10–15 years old. A total of 584 students from 6th grade were investigated. Students within a regular classroom were exposed to a 15-min lecture on new declarative contents, absent from the standard curriculum for this age group. The students were then randomly sorted into nap and non-nap groups. Students in the nap group were conducted to a quiet room with mats, received sleep masks and were invited to sleep. At the same time, students in the non-nap group attended regular school classes given by their usual teacher (Experiment I), or English classes given by another experimenter (Experiment II). These 2 versions of the study differed in a number of ways. In Experiment I (n = 371), students were pre-tested on lecture-related contents before the lecture, were invited to nap for up to 2 h, and after 1, 2, or 5 days received surprise tests with similar content but different wording and question order. In Experiment II (n = 213), students were invited to nap for up to 50 min (duration of a regular class); surprise tests were applied immediately after the lecture, and repeated after 5, 30, or 110 days. Experiment I showed a significant ∼10% gain in test scores for both nap and non-nap groups 1 day after learning, in comparison with pre-test scores. This gain was sustained in the nap group after 2 and 5 days, but in the non-nap group it decayed completely after 5 days. In Experiment II, the nap group showed significantly higher scores than the non-nap group at all times tested, thus precluding specific conclusions. The results suggest that sleep can be used to enhance the duration of memory contents learned in school.

A mediação do diálogo e da reflexão na prática do supervisor pedagógico no município de Jardim de Piranhas/RN

In preparation for reviewing and reflect about the pedagogical practice of teaching supervisor, noting instances of continuing education in service, dialogue-based, reflective and shared as propelling in the construction of theoretical and practical knowledge is that we propose to undertake this research. Based in our professional practice and stimulated by the desire to contribute with the education in the city of Jardim de Piranhas-RN our intention was to highlight issues which arising from practice teaching, especially those guided in the principles of a continuing, dialogic and reflexive teachers training. In that sense we are encouraged to answer the following question. How has been developed the work of teaching supervisor in the city of Jardim de Piranhas and what kind of elements should be constituted by a continuing education in school if those elements are enhanced by a reflexive action and dialogue-based? Thus, we performed studies of theoretical foundation based in Nóvoa (1995, 2001, 2003), where he emphasizes the importance of take in account the practice itself as a source for the study in the construction of a new teaching practice process, in Alarcão (1999; 2001; 2002; 2003), Schön (1995, 2000), Tardif (2003) and Perrenoud (2002), Gomes (1998), Navarro (2005) and Oliveira (2006), among others, provided the basis to discuss the role of reflection and dialogue in the school and classroom. We still emphasize the ideas of Paulo Freire (1981; 1992; 1996; 2001; 2002), which is consistent with the proposal for a reflexive action and training. For this we adopted a methodology based in the qualitative research with field note, intending to observe the strategies which emerge in the educational supervisor practice. This practice should contribute to the training of teachers. In this process we chose three dimensions that provide structure and power in their work. So, we can describe as conceptual, strategic and changeable

Um estudo sobre o estágio supervisionado na formação inicial de professores de matemática na Bahia

This work arose from our concerns with the issues of teacher training for early childhood education. From the difficulties encountered as a novice teacher in elementary, we deem important to research training needs of these professionals. Thus, we define the objective of this research to investigate the training needs of novice teachers teaching Early Childhood Education/Elementary school. Our work fits in Educational Research Qualitative Approach, and its construction procedures of the semistructured interview data and document analysis. Our empirical field was made up of schools in the metropolitan region of Natal / RN, offering kindergarten / elementary school. The subjects are five teachers who act as holder of the elementary school class and have 0-3 years of teaching practice, characterizing the second Huberman (2007) as novice teachers. Data analysis, based on principles of content analysis, three themes emerged: Beginner Teaching Professor in Early Childhood Education / Preschool; Reasons explaining the difficulties Faculty / Formative Needs Teaching and Training in Early Childhood Education / Elementary school, from the Training Needs Analysis, with their respective categories, subcategories, contributing to our understanding of the subject matter. The entry into the profession is marked by mixed feelings of euphoria and fear, where there seems to be a "clash" with reality. The difficulties are related to the planning / execution of activities, meet the individual needs of learning and assessment of children. As a strategy to overcome the difficulties the teachers exercise the action-reflection-action in their practices and seek continuous updates in the theoretical and methodological framework of early childhood education. The reasons that define these difficulties may be related to the teacher, school, family, and students of these institutions. In experiencing these difficulties has outlined the need for teacher training, among which stand out studies on ethics in teaching with children, the concept of children and their childhoods, peculiarities of teaching / learning in preschool, toys and legal determinations on early childhood education, multi-language and expressions in early childhood education, specific content areas of knowledge, among others. Furthermore, studies on the theoretical as Piaget, Vigotsky, Maria Carmen Barbosa and Emily Smith. For these professionals to be a professional early childhood education is: like children, be patient and careful, have specific theoretical and practical training for teachers in kindergarten, being able to improvise with seriousness and competence and get updates on continuing education. The surveys, together with the authors and teachers, to confirm our understanding that the training needs of beginners may be related to shortcomings in the initial and continuing education

Necessidades de formação de professoras principiantes da educação infantil/pré-escola

This work arose from our concerns with the issues of teacher training for early childhood education. From the difficulties encountered as a novice teacher in elementary, we deem important to research training needs of these professionals. Thus, we define the objective of this research to investigate the training needs of novice teachers teaching Early Childhood Education/Elementary school. Our work fits in Educational Research Qualitative Approach, and its construction procedures of the semistructured interview data and document analysis. Our empirical field was made up of schools in the metropolitan region of Natal / RN, offering kindergarten / elementary school. The subjects are five teachers who act as holder of the elementary school class and have 0-3 years of teaching practice, characterizing the second Huberman (2007) as novice teachers. Data analysis, based on principles of content analysis, three themes emerged: Beginner Teaching Professor in Early Childhood Education / Preschool; Reasons explaining the difficulties Faculty / Formative Needs Teaching and Training in Early Childhood Education / Elementary school, from the Training Needs Analysis, with their respective categories, subcategories, contributing to our understanding of the subject matter. The entry into the profession is marked by mixed feelings of euphoria and fear, where there seems to be a "clash" with reality. The difficulties are related to the planning / execution of activities, meet the individual needs of learning and assessment of children. As a strategy to overcome the difficulties the teachers exercise the action-reflection-action in their practices and seek continuous updates in the theoretical and methodological framework of early childhood education. The reasons that define these difficulties may be related to the teacher, school, family, and students of these institutions. In experiencing these difficulties has outlined the need for teacher training, among which stand out studies on ethics in teaching with children, the concept of children and their childhoods, peculiarities of teaching / learning in preschool, toys and legal determinations on early childhood education, multi-language and expressions in early childhood education, specific content areas of knowledge, among others. Furthermore, studies on the theoretical as Piaget, Vigotsky, Maria Carmen Barbosa and Emily Smith. For these professionals to be a professional early childhood education is: like children, be patient and careful, have specific theoretical and practical training for teachers in kindergarten, being able to improvise with seriousness and competence and get updates on continuing education. The surveys, together with the authors and teachers, to confirm our understanding that the training needs of beginners may be related to shortcomings in the initial and continuing education

Prospecção e formação no domínio das competências e habilidades em tecnologia da informação: o caso do projeto metrópole digital em Natal/RN

This study deals with cognitive competences and abilities that are relevant to selection and education regarding Information Technology (IT). These competences relate to problem solving, decision making, and practical intelligence that regard scholar and extracurricular knowledge mobilization. The research aimed to contribute for the improvement of a selection instrument, consisting of five arrays of skills (dealing with objectives and prospection), as well as the development and comprehension of those skills that are involved in IT education. This is done by means of an analysis on the selection instrument used in the first selective process that occurred at Metropole Digital an Institute at the Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte in Brazil. This was evaluated aiming to acknowledge IT education (with basic training and emphasis on Web programming and electronics). The methodology used was of quantitative method involving performance scores relating education delivery. An Anova analysis of variance was done along with descriptive analysis involving socioeconomic data that was not observed in the meaningful relations between parental instruction and student performance in the graduate course. These analyses were able to point out the importance and need of the policies for vacancy reservation on behalf of public school students. A Spearman correlation analysis was done considering the instrument selection performance in the training course. The instrument is presented as a predictor that is significantly moderate and presents a good performance in the course as a whole. A Cluster and Regression analysis was also realized in the process. The first analysis allowed finding performance groups (Clusters) that ranged from medium and inferior. The regression analysis was able to point out association amongst criterion variables and the (average performance in basic and advanced modules) and explanatory (five matrixes). Regression analysis indicated that matrix 1 and matrix 3 were pointed out as being the strongest ones. In all the above analysis, the correlation between the instrument and the course was considered moderate. Thus this can be related in some of the aspects present in the course such as emphasis on evaluation itself as well as in technical contents and practical skills (educational ones) and competences and selection skills. It is known that the mediation of technological artifact in cultural context can foster the development of skills and abilities relevant to IT training. This study provides subsidies to reflect on the adoption of selection instrument and IT training in the Institute. Thus the research offers means to achieve a interdisciplinary discussion and enriching of areas such as Psychology and Information Technology; all of which regarding competencies and skills relevant in IT training