Becoming a teacher: student teachers´ experiences and perceptions about teaching practice

In an attempt to build a more comprehensive and holistic understanding of the complexity, dynamics and idiosyncrasies involved in becoming a teacher, this study focussed on the experiences of 295 student teachers. Their feelings, cognitions and perceptions regarding teaching practice were analysed using the short version of the Inventory of Experiences and Perceptions of the Teaching Practice. Results emphasise some of the difficulties experienced during this period (e.g., stress, sense of weariness and ‘vulnerability’), as well the positive perceptions of these student teachers regarding their growing knowledge and skilfulness, as well as their sense of efficacy, flexibility and spontaneity in their performance and interactions. Their perception of their accomplishments in achieving reasonable levels of acceptance and recognition within the school community and their positive evaluation of the guidance and support provided by their supervisors are also emphasised. Differences were found – in terms of gender and graduate course background – in the way these student teachers experienced some aspects of teaching practice.

Rash after measles vaccination: laboratory analysis of cases reported in São Paulo, Brazil

OBJECTIVE: The clinical differential diagnosis of rash due to viral infections is often difficult, and misdiagnosis is not rare, especially after the introduction of measles and rubella vaccination. A study to determine the etiological diagnosis of exanthema was carried out in a group of children after measles vaccination. METHODS: Sera collected from children with rash who received measles vaccine were reported in 1999. They were analyzed for IgM antibodies against measles virus, rubella virus, human parvovirus B19 (HPV B19) using ELISA commercial techniques, and human herpes virus 6 (HHV 6) using immunofluorescence commercial technique. Viremia for each of those viruses was tested using a polimerase chain reaction (PCR). RESULTS: A total of 17 cases of children with exanthema after measles immunization were reported in 1999. The children, aged 9 to 12 months (median 10 months), had a blood sample taken for laboratory analysis. The time between vaccination and the first rash signs varied from 1 to 60 days. The serological results of those 17 children suspected of measles or rubella infection showed the following etiological diagnosis: 17.6% (3 in 17) HPV B19 infection; 76.5% (13 in 17) HHV 6 infection; 5.9% (1 in 17) rash due to measles vaccine. CONCLUSIONS: The study data indicate that infection due to HPV B19 or HHV 6 can be misdiagnosed as exanthema due to measles vaccination. Therefore, it is important to better characterize the etiology of rash in order to avoid attributing it incorrectly to measles vaccine.

Experiencing flow while teaching and learning in individual tuition settings

Conferência anual da ISME

Effective teaching and optimal experiences: possible link

ISME, Thessaloniki, 2012

Contributos de um ambiente de geometria dinâmica (geogebra) e do geoplano na compreensão das propriedades e relações entre quadriláteros: um estudo com alunos do 4.º ano

O estudo insere-se no âmbito da educação matemática, mais especificamente na área da geometria. Com esta investigação pretende-se compreender qual o contributo do Ambiente de Geometria Dinâmica (AGD), GeoGebra, e do material manipulável (geoplano) na identificação das propriedades e relações entre quadriláteros: trapézio, paralelogramo, retângulo, losango e quadrado. De acordo com o objetivo do estudo formularam-se três questões: Qual o papel das representações na identificação das propriedades dos quadriláteros? Que influência tem a visualização na identificação das propriedades dos quadriláteros? Quais os contributos da utilização do AGD, GeoGebra, e do material manipulável (geoplano) na compreensão das propriedades e relações entre os quadriláteros? Atendendo à problemática em estudo, optou-se por uma metodologia de investigação predominantemente qualitativa, baseada em três estudos de caso. A recolha de dados empíricos foi realizada numa turma de 4.º ano do 1.º ciclo do ensino básico onde se implementou uma experiência de ensino, envolvendo todos os alunos e recorrendo ao geoplano e ao GeoGebra. Essa recolha incidiu na observação participante, em sala de aula, no registo de notas da investigadora, nos documentos produzidos pelos alunos e nos registos áudio e vídeo das discussões nos grupos e no coletivo da turma. Em termos de resultados, salienta-se que a utilização de representações evidenciou a compreensão que os alunos têm dos conceitos, facilitou a identificação das propriedades dos quadriláteros e a compreensão das relações entre eles. Os alunos identificaram as propriedades com base nas representações, no entanto focaram-se em casos particulares, de acordo com a imagem mental que têm da figura, especificamente o protótipo, indiciando a influência da visualização. Dos resultados sobressai também a dificuldade que os alunos sentiram em considerar uma figura como representante de uma classe e em distinguir atributos essenciais e não essenciais. Da análise dos dados ressalta também que tanto o geoplano como o GeoGebra foram uma mais-valia na concretização da experiência de ensino deste estudo. Os dois possuem vantagens e limitações e podem ser usados de maneira que um complemente o outro, podendo dessa forma contribuir, favoravelmente, para a aprendizagem da geometria. - ABSTRACT The study falls within the scope of mathematics education, specifically in the area of geometry. This research aims to understand the contribution of the Dynamic Geometry Environment (GeoGebra) and manipulative material (Geoboard) in the identification of properties and relations of quadrilaterals: trapezium, parallelogram, rectangle, diamond and square. According to the purpose of the study three questions were formulated: What is the role of the representations in the identification of the properties of quadrilaterals? What is the influence of visualization on the identification of the properties of quadrilaterals? What are the contributions on the use of Dynamic Geometry Environment (GeoGebra) and manipulative material (Geoboard) to understand the properties and relationships among quadrilaterals? Given the problem under study, it was chosen a predominantly qualitative research methodology based on three case studies. The empirical data collection was carried out on a fourth primary grade class, where it was implemented a teaching experience, involving all students and the use of Geoboard and GeoGebra. This collection was focused on participant observation in the classroom, in the record of the researcher’s notes, the documents produced by the students and the audio and video recordings of group discussions and collective class. In terms of results, it is noted that the use of representations showed the students understanding of the concepts and that it has facilitated the identification of the properties of quadrilaterals and understanding of the relationships between them. The students identified properties based on representations, however they focused in particular cases, according to the mental image that they have of the figure, specifically the prototype, indicating the influence of visualization. Results also highlights the difficulty that students felt in considering a figure as a representation of a group and distinguishing essential and nonessential attributes. Data analysis also highlights that both Geoboard and GeoGebra have been an asset in the delivery of teaching experience in this study. Both have advantages and limitations and they may be used to complement each other and contribute favorably to the learning of geometry.

Finite element studies of the mechanical behaviour of the diaphragm in normal and pathological cases

The diaphragm is a muscular membrane separating the abdominal and thoracic cavities, and its motion is directly linked to respiration. In this study, using data from a 59-year-old female cadaver obtained from the Visible Human Project, the diaphragm is reconstructed and, from the corresponding solid object, a shell finite element mesh is generated and used in several analyses performed with the ABAQUS 6.7 software. These analyses consider the direction of the muscle fibres and the incompressibility of the tissue. The constitutive model for the isotropic strain energy as well as the passive and active strain energy stored in the fibres is adapted from Humphrey's model for cardiac muscles. Furthermore, numerical results for the diaphragmatic floor under pressure and active contraction in normal and pathological cases are presented.

Electric vehicles in urban areas: test cases using a scenario simulator

Electric vehicles introduction will affect cities environment and urban mobility policies. Network system operators will have to consider the electric vehicles in planning and operation activities due to electric vehicles’ dependency on the electricity grid. The present paper presents test cases using an Electric Vehicle Scenario Simulator (EVeSSi) being developed by the authors. The test cases include two scenarios considering a 33 bus network with up to 2000 electric vehicles in the urban area. The scenarios consider a penetration of 10% of electric vehicles (200 of 2000), 30% (600) and 100% (2000). The first scenario will evaluate network impacts and the second scenario will evaluate CO2 emissions and fuel consumption.

Information and communication technologies in education – a web-based intelligent tutoring system on teaching and learning electrical project

Electrical activity is extremely broad and distinct, requiring by one hand, a deep knowledge on rules, regulations, materials, equipments, technical solutions and technologies and assistance in several areas, as electrical equipment, telecommunications, security and efficiency and rational use of energy, on the other hand, also requires other skills, depending on the specific projects to be implemented, being this knowledge a characteristic that belongs to the professionals with relevant experience, in terms of complexity and specific projects that were made.

A web-based intelligent tutoring system on teaching and learning electrical project

The Information and Communication Technology (ICT) provide new strategies for disseminating information and new communication models in order to change attitudes and human behaviour concerning to education. Nowadays the internet is crucial as a means of communication and information sharing. To education or tutorship will be required to use ICT, supported on the internet, to establish the communication of teacher-student and student-student, disseminating the content of the subjects, and as a way of teaching and learning process. This paper presents an intelligent tutor that aims to be a tool to support teaching and learning in the field of the electrical engineering project.

Open-source software in operations research in engineering teaching

ENEGI 2013: Atas do 2º Encontro Nacional de Engenharia e Gestão Industrial, Universidade de Aveiro, 17 e 18 de maio de 2013, Aveiro, Portugal.

The flipped-broadcast learning system, application on Azores

On this work we suggest a teaching solution that can be implemented in Azores, an archipelago of nine islands of Portugal, based in already known system of e-learning, with a twist based on the flipped method. Structured in a cooperative way, the organization of the system allows to isolated groups of people to have access to a certain level of teaching, if they cannot have the possibility to have physical presence in school due to problems emerging from territory discontinuity. Our suggestion can be elaborate in a model that can be adapted to any level of education, and can be adapted also in cases that a cut of budget exists. We suggest the name of fb-learning: Flipped Broadcast Learning.

Leitura, literatura e desenvolvimento da competência textual

A investigação sobre aprendizagem de leitura e escrita indica que nas práticas educativas cujo centro são livros há lugar a numerosas oportunidades para que as crianças aprendam sobre a língua e os textos. Na perspetiva do estudo do desenvolvimento da linguagem e da eficácia das práticas de ensino baseadas na leitura de textos literários há evidências da relação entre o trabalho à volta dos livros e da leitura e o desenvolvimento da linguagem e da competência discursiva, nomeadamente a produção de textos coerentes e coesos. Apresenta-se trabalho de investigação realizado no pré-escolar e no 1.º ciclo, em que a abordagem de texto orientado para a produção visa a aprendizagem de língua e a aprendizagem do texto, em particular.

Imported and autochthonous cases in the dynamics of dengue epidemics in Brazil

OBJECTIVE: To estimate the basic reproduction number (R0) of dengue fever including both imported and autochthonous cases. METHODS: The study was conducted based on epidemiological data of the 2003 dengue epidemic in Brasília, Brazil. The basic reproduction number is estimated from the epidemic curve, fitting linearly the increase of initial cases. Aiming at simulating an epidemic with both autochthonous and imported cases, a "susceptible-infectious-resistant" compartmental model was designed, in which the imported cases were considered as an external forcing. The ratio between R0 of imported versus autochthonous cases was used as an estimator of real R0. RESULTS: The comparison of both reproduction numbers (only autochthonous versus all cases) showed that considering all cases as autochthonous yielded a R0 above one, although the real R0 was below one. The same results were seen when the method was applied on simulated epidemics with fixed R0. This method was also compared to some previous proposed methods by other authors and showed that the latter underestimated R0 values. CONCLUSIONS: It was shown that the inclusion of both imported and autochthonous cases is crucial for the modeling of the epidemic dynamics, and thus provides critical information for decision makers in charge of prevention and control of this disease.

Between theory and practice – teaching maths to elementary school students in Poland

The development of children's school achievements in mathematics is one of the most important aims of education in Poland. The results of research concerning monitoring of school achievements in maths is not optimistic. We can observe low levels of children’s understanding of the merits of maths, self-developed strategies in solving problems and practical usage of maths skills. This article frames the discussion of this problem in its psychological and didactic context and analyses the causes as they relate to school practice in teaching maths

The emergence of a curriculum model for online learning in a context of late investment in distance education

ECER 2015 "Education and Transition - Contributions from Educational Research", Corvinus University of Budapest from 7 to 11 September 2015.