Pensar las ciencias sociales desde América Latina ante el cambio de época

Herederas de propuestas disciplinarias originales, como la teoría de la dependencia -y sus posteriores críticas desde el marxismo-, o del pensamiento socioeconómico de la CEPAL, las ciencias sociales latinoamericanas toman distancia de enfoques anglo-euro-céntricos, para avanzar en una línea crítica del pensamiento y de las prácticas neocolonialistas. El desafío para el pensamiento es ser cosmopolita y simultáneamente latinoamericano. En este proceso, el pensamiento social latinoamericano está logrando recuperar su originalidad y vigor, gracias a un rico diálogo Sur-Sur que no pierde de vista el carácter global de sus reflexiones y de sus referentes universales. Aunque ni el marxismo clásico ni el occidental son hegemónicos dentro de la teoría crítica, el (neo)marxismo enriquecido con la crítica a la colonialidad del poder, la teoría del Sistema-mundo, la geopolítica crítica y la ecología política recuperan el campo de la teoría crítica en clave fundadora de un pensamiento de época. Sus debates epistemológicos con el post-estructuralismo y diversos enfoques posmodernos configuran los desarrollos recientes de la teoría crítica.

Environmental pathways : youth investigating pollution issues in Illinois /

The intent of this material is to develop critical thinking skills which will enable students to understand and make independent decisions regarding both current and future environmental issues. Environmental Pathways was developed to help provide students with the information and skills they will need throughout their lives to address pollution issues.

Desposeer para acumular : Reflexiones sobre las contradicciones del proceso de modernización neoliberal de la agricultura chilena

La intención del presente trabajo es presentar una lectura crítica y renovada sobre las contradicciones engendradas por la modernización neoliberal de la agricultura chilena. Esta tarea es realizada por medio de los lentes del "materialismo histórico-geográfico", desarrollado principalmente por el geógrafo británico David Harvey, y también de los estudios agrarios vinculados al pensamiento crítico, especialmente marxistas. Como principal substrato empírico, son utilizados las informaciones y los datos suministrados por los documentos y los estudios que han buscado comprender el caso específico del desarrollo capitalista contemporáneo en Chile, así como sus consecuencias para el campo y para el campesinado nacional. Se sustenta aquí que los mecanismos de acumulación por desposesión fueron (y aún son) de vital importancia en lo que se refiere a hacer del país una potencia silvoagroexportadora mundial

"Only a GP?'': is the solution to the general practice crisis intellectual?

General practice is suffering a crisis of status, as shown by financial, power and intellectual markers. This is serious as a strong general-practice workforce is important to deliver cost-effective, high-quality healthcare. We argue that strengthening the intellectual aspects of general practice (particularly critical thinking) is essential. Most strategies to achieve this centre on research, with many initiatives in Australia and overseas to enhance research by general practitioners; there is still insufficient clinical research in general practice. Other ways to improve critical thinking include promoting use of evidence-based medicine, provided it is not implemented only via cook-book guidelines. Other innovations are desperately needed.

Sharing Narratives Online: An international, self-organising curriculum in rural health

The aim of the Rural Medicine Rotation (RMR) at the University of Queensland (UQ) is to give all third year medical students exposure to and an understanding of, clinical practice in Australian rural or remote locations. A difficulty in achieving this is the relatively short period of student clinical placements, in only one or two rural or remote locations. A web-based Clinical Discussion Board (CDB) has been introduced to address this problem by allowing students at various rural sites to discuss their rural experiences and clinical issues with each other. The rationale is to encourage an understanding of the breadth and depth of rural medicine through peer-based learning. Students are required to submit a minimum of four contributions over the course of their six week rural placement. Analysis of student usage patterns shows that the majority of students exceeded the minimum submission criteria indicating motivation rather than compulsion to contribute to the CDB. There is clear evidence that contributing or responding to the CDB develops studentâ??s critical thinking skills by giving and receiving assistance from peers, challenging attitudes and beliefs and stimulating reflective thought. This is particularly evident in regard to issues involving ethics or clinical uncertainty, subject areas that are not in the medical undergraduate curriculum, yet are integral to real-world medical practice. The CDB has proved to be a successful way to understand the concerns and interests of third year medical students immersed in their RMR and also in demonstrating how technology can help address the challenge of supporting students across large geographical areas. We have recently broadened this approach by including students from the Rural Program at The Ohio State University College of Medicine. This important international exchange of ideas and approaches to learning is expected to broaden clinical training content and improve understanding of rural issues.

A TEOLOGIA DO COMPROMISSO NO PENSAMENTO DE ELLEN G. WHITE: UMA PERSPECTIVA DA LIBERDADE CRISTÃ

Este trabalho de pesquisa faz uma abordagem não exaustiva acerca da temática da liberdade na perspectiva da teóloga cristã protestante norte-americana Ellen G. White, partindo do estudo de sua pessoa e dos contextos geopolítico e sociocultural nos quais viveu, avançando ainda para uma noção de sua produção literária e a importância da sistematização de seu pensamento para uma compreensão de sua tratativa quanto ao tema proposto. Toma-se como critério de análise a organização de seu pensamento em três linhas de raciocínios teológicos chamadas, respectivamente, Teologia Integral, Teologia do Compromisso e Teologia do Discipulado, as quais, combinadas, constituem sua perspectiva teológica de liberdade. Mostra-se que a primeira linha justifica as razões da liberdade, a segunda explica como ela ocorre no ser humano, e a terceira propõe o roteiro de sua exteriorização positiva para a humanidade. Segue-se, então, examinando os conceitos, fundamentos, características e desdobramentos temáticos de cada um dos elementos constituintes dos roteiros teológicos mencionados, evidenciando os teólogos que mais influenciaram a autora e apontando as aproximações de sua perspectiva à de teólogos que lhe são posteriores. Em conclusão, propõe-se, na perspectiva da autora, liberdade como expressão significante de uma vida comprometida com o servir em amor de forma piedosa. Liberdade é, assim, uma condição experimentada por aqueles que creem e se submetem a Deus, experimentando uma vida de permanente amor e serviço abnegado ao próximo, realidade testemunhada na prática da genuína piedade cristã. E, por último, desafia-se o leitor à urgente percepção, crítica e reação proativa equilibrada em relação às ideologias humanistas de matriz antropocêntrica exclusiva, mostrando-as como principais fundamentos dos equívocos (pós)modernos de liberdade. Diante dessa realidade, propõe-se a reumanização da ideia de liberdade numa perspectiva teocêntrica por meio do retorno a Deus e à Sua Palavra, empreendimento para o qual a proposta de Ellen G. White se mostra um potencial Teo-humanizador de considerável valor, capaz de possibilitar inclusive o desenvolvimento harmônico da integralidade humana.

O CINEMA COMO RECURSO DIDÁTICO-PEDAGÓGICO NO ENSINO JURÍDICO: QUEBRANDO PARADIGMAS

O presente estudo teve como seu objetivo geral investigar o modelo didático-pedagógico que vem sendo utilizado no ensino jurídico brasileiro, ressaltando a necessidade da busca pela formação integral do futuro operador do Direito, conforme preceitua a Resolução CNE/CES n°09/04. De modo especial, procurou investigar como a utilização do cinema pode ser compreendida como recurso para possibilitar a interação das disciplinas da área jurídica com a de outras áreas do conhecimento, incluindo arte e estética na formação do discente de Direito, visando uma maior eficácia do exercício operacional da inteligência, ampliação de visão de mundo e exercício do pensamento crítico. Os caminhos percorridos nesta pesquisa incluíram um estudo teórico sobre o histórico e os problemas do ensino jurídico no Brasil, discutindo-se as características pedagógicas dos cursos de Direito, bem como as inovações trazidas pelo MEC no que tange à adequação dos currículos e da pedagogia para alcançar o ensino humanístico, de acordo com a realidade dinâmica da sociedade globalizada. Nesta esteira, a pesquisa visou problematizar como o cinema, considerando-o como veículo instrucional, pode ser utilizado como metodologia inter e transdisciplinar nos cursos de Direito. Elaborou-se, também, uma investigação de campo que pretendeu, por meio de questionário estruturado, obter as opiniões de alunos sobre uma experiência de docência na disciplina de Direito Internacional Público onde se utiliza, de forma regular, trechos de produções cinematográficas como elementos contextualizadores de saberes na área lecionada. A pesquisa evidenciou que são poucos os professores de direito que se utilizam do cinema em suas aulas, embora todos os alunos pesquisados entendam ser esta uma prática extremamente válida e dialógica, que os leva à ampliação de conhecimento de mundo e ao pensamento crítico.

CONCEPÇÕES FUNDANTES NO DISCURSO DOS PROFESSORES E CONSTRUÇÃO DE VALORES PEDAGÓGICOS NUM CURSO DE PEDAGOGIA

Esta pesquisa surge da minha preocupação sobre os valores pedagógicos no ensino superior: quais são, quais os seus fundamentos filosóficos, como são concebidos e aplicados na prática docente e especificamente na formação de professores em um curso de Pedagogia. Os conhecimentos, saber-fazer, métodos e habilidades que são mobilizados diariamente, nas salas de aula, com o fim de formar outros professores, também são partes desta busca. O referencial fundamenta-se nas concepções de Paulo Freire sobre valores pedagógicos e sobre educação, a partir da sua visão antropológica, gnosiológica e política do ser humano e de uma sociedade mais justa e equilibrada. O objetivo freiriano é uma educação libertadora que supere as contradições entre opressores e oprimidos, para evitar, por meio da educação, que elas sejam mantidas ou resolvidas a partir de uma solução individual ou por meios violentos. Somente um conjunto de valores pedagógicos bem assimilados e praticados, por parte dos docentes e daqueles que participam do processo educativo, permitem a superação da opressão: diálogo, humildade, fé nos homens, pensar crítico, ética, amor. A aceitação e realização desses valores permitirão não somente melhorar a educação em si, mas a sociedade como um todo. A pesquisa inclui reflexões sobre o ensino brasileiro e a qualidade dos professores com relação ao agir na formação e na sua própria transformação individual como seres críticos, ao usar os valores pedagógicos objeto do pensamento de Freire. Como instrumentos metodológicos, foram utilizados: leitura de textos e artigos de Paulo Freire e de outros comentadores e educadores brasileiros e estrangeiros; questionários fechados que permitiram coletar dados sobre o clima e a cultura organizacional e verificar que a educação nacional ainda está presa a estruturas históricas tradicionais, as quais se manifestam em conteúdos e metodologias que não resolvem a crise educacional do nosso país. Esses questionários foram aplicados a alguns professores, escolhidos por amostragem, do curso de Pedagogia de uma instituição superior em São Paulo. Os resultados desta pesquisa apontam que as opiniões dos professores entrevistados revelam um enfoque pouco participativo. Em alguns aspectos, eles demonstram que não há o hábito de diálogo sobre os problemas educacionais, como também não há abertura para medidas inovadoras que poderiam contribuir para com a qualidade do ensino e aprendizado. Isso demonstra o abismo entre o discurso e a prática docente colaborando para a falta de inspiração e de consciência crítica que todo profissional deve possuir, como valor pedagógico.(AU)

Les temps du passé français et leur enseignement

Les formes du passé constituent un écueil pour l'apprentissage du français langue étrangère ; même les apprenants les plus avancés échouent à maîtriser leur emploi. Si le manque d'équivalence forme à forme entre les temps des langues constitue une difficulté évidente, la complexité sémantique et distributionnelle des tiroirs français ne doit pas être négligée. Grammairiens et linguistes se sont efforcés de fournir des descriptions des tiroirs du passé mais leur travail, comme celui des didacticiens, s'est révélé inégal. Les contributions retenues dans ce volume invitent à la réflexion critique en ce qui concerne les descriptions existantes des temps et les approches de leur enseignement. Sont envisagées la structuration du système ainsi que la constitution des tiroirs du point de vue synchronique, évolutif et contrastif, à partir de corpus de différentes variétés de français. La question de l'enseignement de ces notions à des apprenants du français langue étrangère et maternelle est aussi considérée dans les divers contextes de l'acquisition. C'est dans l'esprit d'un dialogue de plus en plus nécessaire entre application et modélisation qu'est proposé cet ouvrage, qui retiendra l'intérêt tant des praticiens que des théoriciens. The forms of the past constitute a stumbling block for learning foreign language French; even the most advanced learners fail to master their jobs. If the lack of shape to form equivalence between the time of languages is an obvious difficulty, complexity, semantics and distributional drawers French should not be neglected. Grammarians and linguists have tried to provide descriptions of the drawers of the past but their work, such as educationalists, has been uneven. The contributions included in this volume invite critical thinking regarding the existing descriptions of time and approaches to their teaching. Envisaged the structure of the system and the constitution of the drawers of synchronic point of view, evolutionary and contrasts, from corpora of different varieties of French. The issue of teaching these concepts to learners of French foreign language and tongue is also considered in various contexts of acquisition. In the spirit of dialogue increasingly required between application and modeling what this proposed structure, which will retain the interest of both practitioners and theorists.

Having a word with yourself:neural correlates of self-criticism and self-reassurance

Self-criticism is strongly correlated with a range of psychopathologies, such as depression, eating disorders and anxiety. In contrast, self-reassurance is inversely associated with such psychopathologies. Despite the importance of self-judgements and evaluations, little is known about the neurophysiology of these internal processes. The current study therefore used a novel fMRI task to investigate the neuronal correlates of self-criticism and self-reassurance. Participants were presented statements describing two types of scenario, with the instruction to either imagine being self-critical or self-reassuring in that situation. One scenario type focused on a personal setback, mistake or failure, which would elicit negative emotions, whilst the second was of a matched neutral event. Self-criticism was associated with activity in lateral prefrontal cortex (PFC) regions and dorsal anterior cingulate (dAC), therefore linking self-critical thinking to error processing and resolution, and also behavioural inhibition. Self-reassurance was associated with left temporal pole and insula activation, suggesting that efforts to be self-reassuring engage similar regions to expressing compassion and empathy towards others. Additionally, we found a dorsal/ventral PFC divide between an individual's tendency to be self-critical or self-reassuring. Using multiple regression analyses, dorsolateral PFC activity was positively correlated with high levels of self-criticism (assessed via self-report measure), suggesting greater error processing and behavioural inhibition in such individuals. Ventrolateral PFC activity was positively correlated with high self-reassurance. Our findings may have implications for the neural basis of a range of mood disorders that are characterised by a preoccupation with personal mistakes and failures, and a self-critical response to such events.

Writing for success:mentoring as a pedagogical tool – a cross- institutional study

The prominent position given to academic writing across contemporary academia is reflected in the substantive literature and debate devoted to the subject over the past 30 years. However, the massification of higher education, manifested by a shift from elite to mass education, has brought the issue into the public arena, with much debate focusing on the need for ‘modern-day' students to be taught how to write academically (Bjork et al., 2003; Ganobcsik-Williams, 2006). Indeed, Russell (2003) argued that academic writing has become a global ‘problem' in Higher Education because it sits between two contradictory pressures (p.V). On one end of the university ‘experience' increasing numbers of students, many from non-traditional backgrounds, enter higher education bringing with them a range of communication abilities. At the other end, many graduates leave university to work in specialised industries where employers expect them to have high level writing skills (Ashton, 2007; Russell, 2003; Torrence et al., 1999). By drawing attention to the issues around peer mentoring within an academic writing setting in three different higher education Institutions, this paper makes an important contribution to current debates. Based upon a critical analysis of the emergent findings of an empirical study into the role of peer writing mentors in promoting student transition to higher education, the paper adopts an academic literacies approach to discuss the role of writing mentoring in promoting transition and retention by developing students' academic writing. Attention is drawn to the manner in which student expectations of writing mentoring actually align with mentoring practices - particularly in terms of the writing process and critical thinking. Other issues such as the approachability of writing mentors, the practicalities of accessing writing mentoring and the wider learning environment are also discussed.

Utilising fiction to promote english language acquisition

Towards the end of the university stage, students residing in the United Arab Emirates and specialising in subjects other than English are expected- amongst other university requirements- to have acquired adequate communicative competence as well as a repertoire of critical thinking skills. Despite the efforts made within the field of teaching English to EFL university students in the country, the output gained in terms of acquired skills and competencies is still below expectations. The main concerns of the current thesis are, therefore, a) to investigate the factors which inhibit EFL university students’ progress in the areas of acquiring adequate communicative competence as well as critical thinking skills, and b) to propose a course book and pedagogic methods to improve students’ progress in the areas of acquiring adequate communicative competence as well as critical thinking skills. Believing in the essential role literature plays in enhancing critical thinking and promoting communicative competence on the part of EFL learners, the current study introduces a course, designed and implemented by the researcher: LEARN AND GAIN. The proposed course is fiction-based language teaching, adopting the view that literature is a resource rather than an object, thus advocating the use of literature as one of the main resources in foreign/second language acquisition. Investigating whether or not the proposed course was effective in promoting EFL university students’ communicative competence as well as enhancing their critical thinking skills, a study sample taken from the study population was selected. Adopting an experimental design, the research project involved two groups: experimental and control. The experimental group students were exposed to the proposed course whilst the control group students were exposed to a general English language course. To examine treatment effectiveness, the researcher set and administered a pre-post test. Divided into two main parts, communicative critical reading competence and communicative critical writing competence, the pre-post test measured subjects’ communicative critical reading competence and subjects’ communicative critical writing competence. In addition, a pre-post questionnaire was administered and a semi-structured interview was conducted involving the experimental group students, to gain an awareness of students’ attitudes towards learning literary texts in general, and the proposed course in particular. To examine issues of interest and relevance, gender differences: male vs. female, and university major: science vs. non-science, were also examined for enrichment purposes. For the purpose of gathering sufficient data about subjects’ achievements on the pre-post, the following statistical tests were conducted: Mann-Whitney test, and paired data t-test. Based on the statistical findings, the experimental group students’ performance on the communicative critical reading competence pre-post test and the communicative critical writing competence pre-post test was significantly better than their counterparts of the control group students. Speaking of gender differences in relation to language performance on the communicative critical reading competence pre-post test and the communicative critical writing competence pre-post test, no significant differences were cited. Neither did the researcher cite any significant performance differences between science/non-science students on the communicative critical reading competence pre-post test and the communicative critical writing competence pre-post test. As far as the questionnaire’s findings are concerned, the experimental group students’ responses to the post-questionnaire’s items were more positive than those of their responses to the pre-questionnaire’s, thus indicating some positive attitudes towards literature, which students possibly gained throughout the course of implementation. Relating the discussion to the interview’s results, students conveyed their satisfaction with the proposed course, emphasising that promoting English language skills through the use of literary texts was rewarding. In the light of findings and conclusions, a number of recommendations as well as implications have been proposed. The current study aimed to arrive at some appropriate suggestions to a number of enquiries, yet concluding with some areas of enquiry to be explored for further research.

Human resource management:strategic and international perspectives

With a strong focus on employability, this new text treats international, strategic and contemporary issues as central to the study and practice of Human Resource Management. Covering the core curriculum, this book provides all the knowledge and tools you need to get the best possible grades and achieve great career success after university. Key Features •Skills and employability focus will help you to secure a job in the tough economic climate whether as an HRM specialist or as a line manager. •Debating HRM boxes will develop your critical thinking skills, valued by examiners and employers alike. •International and cross-cultural perspectives are woven into discussion and case studies to prepare you for the realities of the global workplace. •Contemporary and strategic issues such as ethics, justice and CSR are introduced early on to underpin and enhance your understanding of the core HRM functions. •Unique final part will ensure that your skills can be applied in a range of organisational settings including SMEs and the not-for-profit and voluntary sectors. •Mapped to the CIPD’s learning outcomes but with an emphasis on the role of line managers throughout. •Companion website includes full text journal articles, glossary and chapter podcasts

Complex skills and academic writing:a review of evidence about the types of learning required to meet core assessment criteria

Assessment criteria are increasingly incorporated into teaching, making it important to clarify the pedagogic status of the qualities to which they refer. We reviewed theory and evidence about the extent to which four core criteria for student writing-critical thinking, use of language, structuring, and argument-refer to the outcomes of three types of learning: generic skills learning, a deep approach to learning, and complex learning. The analysis showed that all four of the core criteria describe to some extent properties of text resulting from using skills, but none qualify fully as descriptions of the outcomes of applying generic skills. Most also describe certain aspects of the outcomes of taking a deep approach to learning. Critical thinking and argument correspond most closely to the outcomes of complex learning. At lower levels of performance, use of language and structuring describe the outcomes of applying transferable skills. At higher levels of performance, they describe the outcomes of taking a deep approach to learning. We propose that the type of learning required to meet the core criteria is most usefully and accurately conceptualized as the learning of complex skills, and that this provides a conceptual framework for maximizing the benefits of using assessment criteria as part of teaching. © 2006 Taylor & Francis.

Group Work as a Strategy to Improve the Effectiveness of the Learning Process

Report published in the Proceedings of the National Conference on "Education in the Information Society", Plovdiv, May, 2013