Risky business: health education and the limits of risk discourse

The paper explores the ways in which risk operates as a powerful discourse that shapes what health education teachers said about and what they did in their classroom practices. The paper draws on a qualitative study that seeks to explore the dominant and contesting discourses within health education.

Emotional intelligence and teaching : solving the puzzle

The emotional intelligence of educators has a major influence on how well they are able to help people to learn. Teachers with high levels of emotional intelligence always or usually adopt an appropriate emotionally intelligent response in both positive and negative situations. Teachers with low levels of emotional intelligence sometimes adopt an emotionally intelligent response in positive situations but seldom or never in negative situations. These differences have some significant implications. The authors' research shows that emotional intelligence and self-efficacy are different but related concepts. A teacher's level of emotional intelligence is linked to his or her sense of self-efficacy. A teacher with high levels of emotional intelligence is more likely to be able to work more effectively and persist longer because they have a belief in their own ability and feel that they are in control. The emotionally intelligent teacher is sensitive to his or her own emotions and the emotions of others and so is able to build positive relationships with colleagues and students. Beyond that, a teaching environment that is emotionally healthy and supportive will enhance the development of teachers' emotional intelligence.

Geeks and nerds : computers, gender and the mathematics classroom

This paper presents some of the findings of a pilot study concerning gender differences in behaviour in a Year 10 co- educational secondary mathematics classroom that used computers. Analysis of interactions between students and the teacher and engagement with the task, the computer and the mathematics suggest some evidence of gender difference. A number of factors were hypothesised as relating to behaviour and this paper discusses the preliminary findings in relation to students' experience with computers and their style of interaction with computers.

The "strugglers" in selected computer based mathematics classrooms

In this paper, the experiences of lower achieving mathematics students in two secondary mathematics classrooms in which computers were regularly used are described. A year 8 and a year 9 mathematics class from one secondary school participated in the ethnographic study. The results show that in these two classrooms the learning relationships and power relationships did not, in general, support the learning and engagement of lower achievers in mathematics. Research into computer based teaching methods that engage low achieving students in computer based mathematics is needed.

The presence of mathematics anxiety in future primary school teachers and factors affecting abatement

This study reflects on the implementation of various teaching initiatives for reducing anxiety toward mathematics in students studying to become primary school teachers. We highlight similarities between these practices and those promoted by the 'Whole Teacher' approach - in particular, the aim to develop attitudes along with knowledge and skills. Here, the negative past associations with mathematics and anxiety toward mathematics that students bring with them have been a key consideration when designing the subject content and delivery. Given the important role these students will have in shaping mathematics education in the future, we suggest frameworks such as that of the 'Whole Teacher' could be extended to the university setting. We investigate four years of student feedback pertaining to a first year undergraduate mathematics unit, contending that the teaching initiatives introduced over time have helped students develop a positive attitude toward mathematics. We note, however, that the student-teacher relationship was still the most prominent factor directly identified by students who previously had a fear or negative attitude toward mathematics.

Anéis de prata: alunos e professores na sociedade da comunicação

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

Dificuldades de aprendizagem em alunos do 3º ano duma escola pública do Estado de Alagoas, Brasil : uma visão da psicoeducação.

Enquadramento: A par da não alfabetização e do abandono escolar, as taxas de insucesso no ensino fundamental no Brasil atingem indicadores preocupantes. A aprendizagem é um processo complexo e são múltiplos os fatores que contribuem tanto positivamente quanto negativamente na aprendizagem dos alunos e os seus efeitos irão refletir-se no futuro dos educandos. Se há crianças com distúrbios fisiopatológicos que prejudicam a sua aprendizagem, noutras, porém, as dificuldades surgem por influência da escola/professores e da relação destes com a família Objetivos: Identificar as áreas de dificuldades de aprendizagem na componente curricular de português e matemática; identificar as dificuldades nos domínios de aprendizagem de cada área e analisar a relação das variáveis sociodemográficas e escolares com as dificuldades de aprendizagem. Material e métodos: Estudo exploratório-descritivo, quantitativo e correlacional numa amostra de 178 alunos, do 3º ano, numa escola pública de Taquarana, Alagoas, Brasil. Utilizamos um questionário para a caraterização socio demográfica e escolar dos alunos e uma escala utilizada na escola para a avaliação formal da aprendizagem. Resultados: Os participantes são na maioria do sexo masculino (55,6%) com uma média de idades de 8,53 anos, distribuídos em 6 turmas (3 manhã e 3 tarde) em que a menor tem 25 alunos e a maior tem 35. Demoram em média 20 minutos na deslocação para a escola. Verificamos que 34,3% vivem com pais solteiros, separados divorciados ou viúvos. 31,5% dos alunos referem ter muito mau, ou mau ambiente familiar e há turmas onde isso é mais evidente. Os pais dos alunos em 37,1% não têm instrução e em 53,4% não ajudam nos estudos ou trabalhos de casa. Os alunos que já reprovaram são 26,4% e destes, 36,2% já reprovaram 3 ou mais vezes. As dificuldades de aprendizagem em língua portuguesa e matemática são maiores nos alunos mais velhos, do sexo masculino e que já reprovaram mais de uma vez. Um ambiente familiar mau/muito mau e a situação familiar dos pais a falta de instrução dos pais e o não ajudarem nas tarefas de casa contribui com as dificuldades. Na língua portuguesa há maior dificuldade no respeitar o momento de escuta e fala, na leitura e interpretação, produção textos e uso das regras ortográficas. Em matemática globalmente têm maiores dificuldades sobressaindo os parâmetros de identificação das operações nas situações-problemas e elaboração de tabelas e gráficos. Conclusões: Encontramos no nosso estudo alunos com grandes taxas de reprovações e com dificuldades evidentes tanto na língua portuguesa como em matemática. Constatamos que diversos são os fatores que contribuem para o aparecimento das dificuldades na aprendizagem de alguns alunos mas não podemos deixar de refletir sobre a influência da família. A destruturação familiar, mau ambiente e o fato de não terem instrução e não ajudarem os filhos nos estudos mostraram-se influenciadores no insucesso dos alunos PALAVRAS-CHAVE – Aprendizagem, Dificuldades de aprendizagem, Família, Educação.

A dinâmica da relação pedagógica em meio hospitalar

Dissertação de mest. em Observação e Análise da Relação Educativa, Faculdade de Ciências Humanas e Sociais, Univer, do Algarve, 2004

Student teachers' experiences of initial teacher preparation in England:Core themes and variation

Drawing on data generated via large-scale survey and in-depth interview methods, this article reports findings which show that being a student teacher in early-twenty-first-century England is a demanding personal experience which requires considerable engagement and commitment in the face of built-in challenges and risks, and which engenders, for many, highly charged affective responses. Student teachers are centrally concerned during this time with their (changing) identities, their relationships with others and the relevance of course provision. Findings also indicate that, in some respects, student teachers’ accounts of their experiences are systematically differentiated according to a number of factors, notably the initial teacher preparation route being followed, their age, and their prior conceptions and expectations of teaching and of learning to teach. These findings are situated in the broader literature on teacher development and some implications for teacher educators are discussed. © 2008 Taylor & Francis

Student teachers’ perceptions of reading and the teaching of reading: the implications for teacher education

This article reports on research which identified perceptions of reading and the teaching of reading held by trainee teachers and the impact on my provision as a teacher educator. It found that students’ past and present experiences of learning to read and being a reader influenced their perceptions of what reading is and of what it means to teach reading. As a teacher educator, I am not able to give students long experience of seeing children becoming readers, but I am able to give them richer experiences of reading in personally and culturally relevant contexts. This has implications for the nature of subject knowledge required by a student teacher of reading and the curriculum and practice of teacher education.

Collaborative language learning in Teletandem: a resource for pre-service teacher education

This article presents some of the results of a qualitative research project about the influences of the pedagogic strategies used by a mediator (graduate student in applied linguistics) in the supervision process of a Teletandem partner (undergraduate student in languages) on her pedagogical practice. It was done within the project Teletandem Brazil: foreign language for all. Based on the reflective teaching paradigm and collaborative language learning, with special emphasis on tandem learning, we analyzed the contributions of the collaborative relationship established between the graduate student and the student-teacher in her first teaching experience. The results bring about implications for the field of language teacher education in a perspective of education within practice, evidencing the experience of collaborative learning in teletandem as an opportunity for reflective teacher education of pre-service teachers.

Learning Analytics and Interactions in Virtual Learning Environments. A Comparative Study of Typologies and their Relationship with Academic Performance

Analysis of learning data (learning analytics) is a new research field with high growth potential. The main objective of Learning analytics is the analysis of data (interactions being the basic data unit) generated in virtual learning environments, in order to maximize the outcomes of the learning process; however, a consensus has not been reached yet on which interactions must be measured and what is their influence on learning outcomes. This research is grounded on the study of e-learning interaction typologies and their relationship with students? academic performance, by means of a comparative study between different interaction typologies (based on the agents involved, frequency of use and participation mode). The main conclusions are a) that classifications based on agents offer a better explanation of academic performance; and b) that each of the three typologies are able to explain academic performance in terms of some of their components (student-teacher and student-student interactions, evaluating students interactions and active interactions, respectively), with the other components being nonrelevant.

A study of the relationship between educational placement and the achievement of urban low socioeconomic Hispanic middle school students with and without specific learning disabilities

Public schools traditionally have been held accountable for educating the majority of the nation’s school children, and through the years, these schools have been evaluated in a variety of ways. Currently, evaluation measures for accountability purposes consist solely of standardized test scores. In the past, only test scores of general education students were analyzed. Laws governing the education of students with disabilities, however, have extended accountability measures not only to include those students, but to report their scores in a disaggregated form (No Child Left Behind Act, 2001). The recent emphasis on accountability and compliance has resulted in the need for schools to carefully examine how programs, services, and policies impact student achievement (Bowers & Figgers, 2003). ^ Standard-based school reform and accountability systems have raised expectations about student learning outcomes for all students, including those with disabilities and minority students. Yet, overall, racial/ethnic minority students are performing well below their White non-Hispanic peers in most academic areas. Additionally, with respect to special education, there exists an enduring problem of disproportionate representation of racial/ethnic minority students (National Research Council, 2000). ^ This study examined classroom placement (inclusive versus non-inclusive) relative to academic performance of urban, low socioeconomic Hispanic students with and without disabilities in secondary content area classrooms. A mixed method research design was used to investigate this important issue using data from a local school district and results from field observations. The study compared performance levels of four middle school Hispanic student subgroups (students with disabilities in inclusive settings, students without disabilities in inclusive settings, students with disabilities in resource settings, and student without disabilities in general education settings) each in their respective placements for two consecutive years, exploring existing practices within authentic settings. ^ Significant differences were found in the relationship of educational placement and achievement between grade level and disability in the areas of math and reading. Additionally, clear and important differences were observed in student-teacher interactions. Recommendations for further researchers and stakeholders include soliciting responses from teams at the schools composed of general education and special education teachers, administrative personnel, and students as well as broadening the study across grade levels and exceptionalities. ^

Relatório de estágio

I (Prática Pedagógica)- No que se refere à secção da tese dedicada ao estágio, esta pretende desenvolver uma síntese do que se passou ao longo deste ano lectivo. Durante o ano lectivo 2012/2013, tive a oportunidade de assistir a aulas ministradas pela professora Ana Valente. A tese procura focar variados aspectos das aulas a que assisti. De uma forma geral, o relatório do estágio evidencia vários aspectos: metodologias de ensino, questões motivacionais, relação aluno/professor, questões de disciplina, entre outras. No decorrer das aulas, foi possível constatar muitas dessas questões na prática. Tentei registar as actividades desenvolvidas nas aulas relativas a várias questões, nomeadamente questões relacionadas com a prática do instrumento, assim como outras relacionadas com a noção de musicalidade. Como resultado, esta secção apresenta diversos tipos de estratégias de ensino, ilustrando exemplos práticos que efectivamente se passaram nas aulas. É essencialmente, uma secção dedicada à reflexão sobre metodologias de ensino e estudo. A segunda parte desta secção é relativa à análise das gravações das aulas dadas por mim e pretende sobretudo focar-se na crítica pessoal. É uma parte importante do estágio, em que tenho a oportunidade de observar a minha forma pedagógica de lidar com os alunos. Por fim, a terceira parte do relatório refere-se à observação crítica da abordagem da professora tendo por base o meu ponto de vista. Esta parte pretende essencialmente descrever e analisar a forma como a professora dá as aulas. Com base no que disse anteriormente, esta parte do trabalho mostra mais em detalhe as metodologias e estratégias de ensino utilizadas pela professora em questão. De um modo geral, esta secção pretende descrever as três vertentes que mencionei anteriormente (relatório das aulas, análise das gravações, observação crítica ao método pedagógico da professora).