La carpeta de aprendizaje y la evaluación entre iguales de los estudiantes. Resultados de una innovación docente en los estudios universitarios de las artes

Students reflect more on their learning in course subjects when they participate in managing their teaching–learning environment. As a form of guided participation, peer assessment serves the following purposes: (a) it improves the student’s understanding of previously established learning objectives; (b) it is a powerful metacognitive tool; (c) it transfers to the student part of the responsibility for assessing learning, which means deciding which learning activities are important and choosing the degree of effort a course subject will require; (d) it emphasizes the collective aspect of the nature of knowledge; and (e) the educational benefits derived from peer assessment clearly justify the efforts required to implement activities. This paper reports on the relative merits of a learning portfolio compiled during fine arts-related studies in which peer assessment played an important role. The researchers analyzed the student work load and the final marks students received for compulsory art subjects. They conclude that the use of a closed learning portfolio with a well-structured, sequential and analytical design can have a positive effect on student learning and that, although implementing peer assessment may be complex and students need to become familiar with it, its use is not only feasible but recommendable.

Enhancing the Manufacturing Knowledge of Undergraduate Engineering Students: A Case Study of a Design-Build-Test Challenge Involving Folding Bicycles

Many engineers currently in professional practice will have gained a degree level qualification which involved studying a curriculum heavy with mathematics and engineering science. While this knowledge is vital to the engineering design process so also is manufacturing knowledge, if the resulting designs are to be both technically and commercially viable.
The methodology advanced by the CDIO Initiative aims to improve engineering education by teaching in the context of Conceiving, Designing, Implementing and Operating products, processes or systems. A key element of this approach is the use of Design-Built-Test (DBT) projects as the core of an integrated curriculum. This approach facilitates the development of professional skills as well as the application of technical knowledge and skills developed in other parts of the degree programme. This approach also changes the role of lecturer to that of facilitator / coach in an active learning environment in which students gain concrete experiences that support their development.
The case study herein describes Mechanical Engineering undergraduate student involvement in the manufacture and assembly of concept and functional prototypes of a folding bicycle.

Creative Reflection in Action

This (Students as Academic Partners) project aimed to explore the potential of a creative approach to reflection. Developing approaches to reflective practice is directly relevant for teachers and those who are training to become teachers. Individual reflections were produced by project participants based on several very short video clips of children in a nursery school. These individual reflections were extended into a collaborative reflection highlighting common themes. This broader focus seeks to contribute to an encompassing discourse related to early years practice. The poster aims to show how critical reflection and speculation can develop an understanding of the child, their development and potential barriers to this development. Through observing stills from the video footage, viewers of the poster are challenged to speculate about the child’s body language, what they might be doing or whether the learning environment is suitable to develop and progress their knowledge and understanding further?

Aceitação e uso de ambiente virtual de aprendizagem no contexto de um curso de capacitação para servidores públicos

This study aimed to examine how students perceives the factors that may influence them to attend a training course offered in the distance virtual learning environment (VLE) of the National School of Public Administration (ENAP). Thus, as theoretical basis it was used the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT), the result of an integration of eight previous models which aimed to explain the same phenomenon (acceptance/use of information technology). The research approach was a quantitative and qualitative. To achieve the study objectives were made five semi-structured interviews and an online questionnaire (websurvey) in a valid sample of 101 public employees scattered throughout the country. The technique used to the analysis of quantitative data was the structural equation modeling (SEM), by the method of Partial Least Square Path Modeling (PLS-PM). To qualitative data was the thematic content analysis. Among the results, it was found that, in the context of public service, the degree whose the individual believes that the use of an AVA will help its performance at work (performance expectancy) is a factor to its intended use and also influence its use. Among the results, it was found that the belief which the public employee has in the use of a VLE as a way to improve the performance of his work (performance expectation) was determinant for its intended use that, in turn, influenced their use. It was confirmed that, under the voluntary use of technology, the general opinion of the student s social circle (social influence) has no effect on their intention to use the VLE. The effort expectancy and facilitating conditions were not directly related to the intended use and use, respectively. However, emerged from the students speeches that the opinions of their coworkers, the ease of manipulate the VLE, the flexibility of time and place of the distance learning program and the presence of a tutor are important to their intentions to do a distance learning program. With the results, it is expected that the managers of the distance learning program of ENAP turn their efforts to reduce the impact of the causes of non-use by those unwilling to adopt voluntarily the e-learning, and enhance the potentialities of distance learning for those who are already users

Towards Empowerment: Narrative Study of Counselling Psychology Trainees and How They Make Sense of Their Personal and Professional Development in the Context of Their Past Experiences

The discipline of counselling psychology continues to grow and change in response to social, economic and political pressures. It has been argued that its quest for a coherent and distinct identity, which emphasises the possibility of the coexistence of multiple approaches, creates an inherently uncertain and dilemmatic training environment that may hinder the development of trainees’ professional identities. In order to gain a deeper understanding of the issue at hand, the aim was to explore how final year trainees and newly qualified counselling psychologists constructed and made sense of their emerging professional identities and what experiences, past and present, they drew upon in the context of their training to shape those identities. Applying narrative inquiry to analyse eight open-ended interviews, eight preliminary themes were originally identified in participants’ narratives, which with further refinements lead to stories of struggle and marginalisation, growth and discovery, and power and resilience. Participants’ stories of struggle and marginalisation emerged in reference to early family dynamics and stressful life experiences, which seemed to also foster a strong identification with the counselling psychology profession, while stories of growth and discovery focused on the importance of having supportive figures, who helped to instill a sense of security and create an atmosphere of openness. It was in this learning environment that participants felt it was possible to develop a more resilient, empowered professional self, which allowed them to shed an earlier sense of struggle and vulnerability. However, where more of an emphasis was placed on power and resilience, there seemed to be less room for participants to express other feelings that came into conflict with their preferred sense of professional self. While there seems to be a need for a ‘safer’ climate, in which trainees could voice and acknowledge anxieties, vulnerabilities and limitations, addressing concerns around power and vulnerability that may be contributing to the silencing of particular voices and identities may be equally important if trainees are to develop coherent and distinct counselling psychologist identities.

Utilização de um ambiente virtual de aprendizagem: um estudo na perspectiva da prática docente

Advances related to information technology are visible and inherent to the management of contemporary organizations, regardless of industrial action. Synchronized with this dynamic, educational institutions are incorporating technological tools that assist its management and academic support to teachers in teaching and interaction with the students. Given that technological innovations are not always taken homogeneously and with the same degree of coverage, remain current and relevant studies on how these technologies are being used in academia. The objective of this research is to identify the usage profile of the functionality of a virtual learning environment related to teaching (undergraduate or postgraduate), demographic variables (age and gender) and institutional (time of admission and academic center of origin.) The methodology applied to the study is descriptive and quantitative. The research is characterized as census, covering all 2152 teachers of undergraduate and graduate students of the Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte, Brazil, who accessed the virtual classes of the Integrated Management of Academic Activities. The study findings revealed that there is a statistically significant difference regarding the use of these tools to teachers who work with undergraduate (49.3%) compared to graduate (6.6%). Regarding gender, women (40.1%) use the system more than men (38.5%). It was also observed that the younger teachers, aged 37 years, are the most active users (42.5%) of the Virtual Class with respect to their elders. For teachers with up to three years time of admission to the UFRN, the pattern of use is more advanced than those with more seniority, as well as the faculty of the Center for Science and Technology are the least likely to use the tools available in relation to other academic centers. It is hoped that with this study managers can direct actions to improve and expand the use of this environment by teachers

My Ideal School: A Personal Construct Psychology Approach to Understanding the School Constructs of Children Described as Anxious

This research explores the school constructs of children described as anxious. Little research exists that looks at understanding children’s school-related anxiety through the lens of Personal Construct Psychology (PCP). This qualitative research design includes semi-structured interviews that followed a PCP theoretical framework. The interviews were carried out with five children aged between 7 and 11, who attended state schools in Malta, and who were experiencing school-related anxiety. Participants were asked to comment and produce drawings about the kind of school they would like to attend (their ideal school), and the kind of school they would not like to attend. The children’s constructs were organised according to whether they related to adults in school, their peers, the school and classroom environment, and the participants themselves in each of these two imaginary schools. Participants were also asked to think of how the school they currently attend can become more like their ideal school. Findings indicate the importance of relationships between teachers and pupils, relationships amongst pupils themselves, a positive learning environment within the classroom and the belongingness to a common value system and school ethos to which anxious children can relate. This research aims to shed light on the responsibility of professionals working with children with school-related anxiety to look beyond within-child factors and understand possible stressors in the child’s environment as potentially contributing to heightening their anxiety.

Critical Pedagogy: Origin, Vision, Action & Consequences

Critical pedagogy is a transformation-based approach to education. The aim of this article is to introduce the origin, vision, action and consequences of critical pedagogy. It also aims on finding out about educators’ possibility of actualising it in their practice. As a source materials articles, book chapters and books are used. The literature shows that critical pedagogy has its origin in the tradition of critical theory of the Frankfurt School and the work of the Brazilian pedagog Paulo Freire. According to the literature, its major theses is that education should go beyond transfer of knowledge and training the future labour force; to help developing critical consciousness, which leads to transformation of the individual, learning environment and society at large. Critical pedagogy is criticised for a focus on macro level system, for not having a model for classroom implementation and for being abstract. Despite some critics, I argue that critical pedagogy has still the potential to empower those in the field of education to increase their consciousness about the injustice in their society and to involve in transforming it.   Keywords: Critical pedagogy, critical thinking, critical theory, dialogue, Frankfurt School, transformation.

Medication competence of nursing students in Finland

Lääkehoidon turvallinen toteuttaminen edellyttää sairaanhoitajalta hyvää lääkehoidon osaamisperustaa. Sairaanhoitajakoulutuksen tehtävänä on mahdollistaa tämän osaamisen kehittyminen. Kansainvälisissä tutkimuksissa on kuitenkin osoitettu, että lääkehoidon opetuksen laajuudessa, sisällössä ja toteutuksessa on vaihtelevuutta. Aikaisemmissa tutkimuksissa on raportoitu myös puutteita lääkehoidon osaamisessa sekä sairaanhoitajilla että sairaanhoitajaopiskelijoilla. Koulutuksen ja lääkehoidon osaamisen kehittämiseksi lääkehoidon opetuksen ja sairaanhoitajaopiskelijoiden lääkehoidon osaamisen monipuolinen arviointi ja osaamista selittävien tekijöiden tarkastelu on tarpeen. Tämän tutkimuksen tarkoituksena oli i) arvioida lääkehoidon opetusta suomalaisessa sairaanhoitajakoulutuksessa, ii) arvioida sairaanhoitajaopiskelijoiden lääkehoidon osaamista sekä iii) tunnistaa sairaanhoitajaopiskelijan lääkehoidon osaamiseen yhteydessä olevat tekijät. Tutkimus toteutettiin kolmessa vaiheessa. Ensimmäisessä vaiheessa kahden integroidun kirjallisuuskatsauksen kautta määriteltiin tutkimuksen kohteena oleva sairaanhoitajan lääkehoidon osaaminen ja aiemmin tunnistetut sairaanhoitajaopiskelijan lääkehoidon osaamiseen yhteydessä olevat tekijät. Toisessa vaiheessa toteutettiin valtakunnallinen lääkehoidon opetukseen liittyvä kysely hoitotyön koulutusohjelmasta vastaaville koulutuspäälliköille (n=22) ja opettajille (n=136). Tutkimuksen kolmannessa vaiheessa opintojensa alku‐ (n=328) ja loppuvaiheessa olevien sairaanhoitajaopiskelijoiden (n=338) lääkehoidon osaaminen arvioitiin ja osaamiseen yhteydessä olevat tekijät tunnistettiin. Aineistojen analyysissä käytettiin pääosin tilastollisia menetelmiä. Tulosten perusteella lääkehoidon opetuksen laajuus vaihteli eri ammattikorkeakouluissa, mutta opetuksen sisältö oli kuitenkin monipuolista. Lisää huomiota tulisi kiinnittää lääkehoidon teoreettiseen perustaan ja itsehoitoon sekä lääkehoidon ohjaukseen liittyviin sisältöalueisiin. Opiskelijoiden lääkehoidon osaamista arvioitiin säännöllisesti kaikissa ammattikorkeakouluissa. Sairaanhoitajaopiskelijan lääkehoidon osaamista arvioitiin tutkimuksessa tietotestillä, lääkelaskentatehtävillä ja lyhyiden potilastapausten ratkaisemisen avulla. Lääkehoidon osaamiseen yhteydessä olevia tekijöitä tarkasteltiin kolmesta näkökulmasta: 1) yksilölliset tekijät, 2) kliiniseen oppimisympäristöön ja 3) ammattikorkeakouluun liittyvät tekijät. Lääkehoidon teoreettista osaamista arvioivassa tietotestissä opiskelijat vastasivat keskimäärin 72 prosenttiin kysymyksistä täysin oikein; lääkelaskuista täysin oikein oli 74 % ja potilastapauksissa 57 % valitsi parhaan mahdollisen toimintatavan. Tulosten perusteella sairaanhoitajaopiskelijan osaamista selittivät eniten yksilölliset tekijät. Lääkehoidon osaamiseen yhteydessä olevien tekijöiden välillä oli eroa opintojen alussa ja lopussa. Opintojen alkuvaiheessa opiskelijan aikaisempi opintomenestys oli yhteydessä lääkehoidon osaamiseen, kun taas opintojen loppuvaiheessa siihen olivat yhteydessä opiskelijan kyky itseohjautuvaan oppimiseen sekä opiskelumotivaatio. Johtopäätöksenä voidaan todeta tutkimuksen tulosten olevan samansuuntaisia kuin aikaisemmissa tutkimuksissa. Lääkehoidon opetuksen laajuus vaihtelee opetussuunnitelmatasolla, mutta täsmällinen arviointi on vaikeaa opetuksen sisältöjen integroimisen takia. Sairaanhoitajaopiskelijoiden lääkehoidon osaaminen oli hieman parempaa kuin aikaisemmissa tutkimuksissa, mutta osaamisessa on edelleen puutteita. Lääkehoidon opetuksen ja osaamisen kehittäminen edellyttää kansallista ja kansainvälistä tutkimus‐ ja kehittämisyhteistyötä. Tutkimuksen tulokset tukevat lääkehoidon opetuksen sekä osaamisen tutkimusta ja kehittämistä.

Safe dance practice: uma abordagem estratégica sobre as condições psicomotoras e emocionais nas aulas de Técnica de Dança Contemporânea - 5º ano A da Escola de Dança do Conservatório Nacional

Relatório Final de Estágio apresentado à Escola Superior de Dança, com vista à obtenção do grau de Mestre em Ensino de Dança.

School-Based Referrals to the Juvenile Courts: Prevalence and Characteristics in Several States

Effective school discipline practices are essential to keeping schools safe and creating an optimal learning environment. However, the overreliance of exclusionary discipline often removes students from the school setting and deprives them of the opportunity to learn. Previous research has suggested that students are being introduced to the juvenile justice system through the use of school-based juvenile court referrals. In 2011, approximately 1.2 million delinquency cases were referred to the juvenile courts in the United States. Preliminary evidence suggests that an increasing number of these referrals have originated in the schools. This study investigated school-based referrals to the juvenile courts as an element of the School-to-Prison Pipeline (StPP). The likelihood of school-based juvenile court referrals and rate of dismissal of these referrals was examined in several states using data from the National Juvenile Court Data Archives. In addition, the study examined race and special education status as predictors of school-based juvenile court referrals. Descriptive statistics, logistic regression and odds ratio, were used to analyze the data, make conclusions based on the findings and recommend appropriate school discipline practices.

Conceções alternativas sobre o sistema respiratório humano: da sua identificação à sua mudança

Relatório de Estágio apresentado à Escola Superior de Educação de Lisboa para obtenção de grau de mestre em Ensino do 1.º e 2.º Ciclos do Ensino Básico

Relatório de estágio

O presente relatório, realizado no âmbito do Mestrado em Educação Pré- Escolar e Ensino do 1.º Ciclo do Ensino Básico, pretende fundamentar a Prática Pedagógica Supervisionada desenvolvida em contexto de educação pré-escolar e ensino do 1.º CEB. Será apresentada a contextualização da prática e a importância do trabalho em díade pedagógica, os modelos e metodologias utilizadas em estágio, retratando todo o processo de desenvolvimento profissional e pessoal do mestrando. Os processos formativos basearam-se sempre na metodologia de investigação-ação, quer a formação do mestrando, quer a metodologia de investigação sobre a prática, que permitiu a construção de conhecimentos para a docência. Por este modo, a formação e a prática permitiram desenvolver experiências de ensino que visaram a compreensão das possibilidades de interdisciplinaridade entre as áreas de conteúdo, pela utilização de estratégias diversificadas, de modo a motivar e a envolver as crianças nas aprendizagens. De referir também que todas estas aprendizagens e experiências que foram proporcionadas às crianças, tiveram como base um quadro teórico e metodológico rigoroso. O educador/professor desempenha um papel fundamental na organização e gestão do currículo, e nas estratégias que seleciona. Para as crianças, é fundamental que exista estratégias de motivação e envolvimento, por parte do docente, para criar um ambiente educativo rico em experiências e aprendizagens significativas. Com este ambiente todos vão beneficiar de um ambiente educativo favorável.

Um olhar sobre a inclusão: conceções e práticas numa instituição educativa de natureza privada

Trabalho de Projeto apresentado para cumprimento dos requisitos necessários à obtenção do grau de Mestre em Ciências da Educação: área de especialização em Educação Especial realizado sob a orientação científica de Doutora Helena dos Anjos Serra Diogo Fernandes

Metodologia do Projecto Tecnológico : estudo comparativo de várias plataformas digitais (Moodle, Second Life e Sloodle) na aprendizagem dos mestrandos de ECM

Relatório de Estágio apresentado para a obtenção do grau de mestre em Educação e Comunicação Multiméddia