Pedagogical Methods in Web-Based Language Teaching

This paper presents a research project that is being conducted at Dalarna University in Sweden. The aim is to study the following: 1) The quality of online language education compared with that of campus education, and 2) Advantages and disadvantages of online language education and how the disadvantages might be overcome. The project consists of two parts: pedagogical methods in online language education from the teachers’ point of view and from the students’ point of view. The first part was conducted in 2012 and various characteristics (benefits and difficulties) of online language education were identified. Flexibility and wider opportunities were general benefits, while lack of physical co-presence, difficulty in having lively debates/discussions, and high dropout rates were among the problems. The second part of the project (being conducted in 2014) aims to investigate how students experience online language learning. The goal is to explore alignments and misalignments between teachers’ perspectives and students’ perspectives, and to develop methods to enhance the quality of online education.

The discourses on induced abortion in Ugandan daily newspapers : a discourse analysis

Background: Ugandan law prohibits abortion under all circumstances except where there is a risk for the woman's life. However, it has been estimated that over 250 000 illegal abortions are being performed in the country yearly. Many of these abortions are carried out under unsafe conditions, being one of the most common reasons behind the nearly 5000 maternal deaths per year in Uganda. Little research has been conducted in relation to societal views on abortion within the Ugandan society. This study aims to analyze the discourse on abortion as expressed in the two main daily Ugandan newspapers. Method: The conceptual content of 59 articles on abortion between years 2006-2012, from the two main daily English-speaking newspapers in Uganda, was studied using principles from critical discourse analysis. Results: A religious discourse and a human rights discourse, together with medical and legal sub discourses frame the subject of abortion in Uganda, with consequences for who is portrayed as a victim and who is to blame for abortions taking place. It shows the strong presence of the Catholic Church within the medial debate on abortion. The results also demonstrate the absence of medial statements related to abortion made by political stakeholders. Conclusions: The Catholic Church has a strong position within the Ugandan society and their stance on abortion tends to have great influence on the way other actors and their activities are presented within the media, as well as how stakeholders choose to convey their message, or choose not to publicly debate the issue in question at all. To decrease the number of maternal deaths, we highlight the need for a more inclusive and varied debate that problematizes the current situation, especially from a gender perspective.

Therapeutic Discourse and the American Public Philosophy: On American Liberalism's Troubled Relationship with Psychology

I explore the main currents of postwar American liberalism. One, sociological, emerged in response to the danger of mass movements. Articulated primarily by political sociologists and psychologists and ascendant from the mid-fifties till the mid-seventies, it heralded the "end of ideology." It emphasized stability, elitism, positive science and pluralism; it recast normatively sound politics as logrolling and hard bargaining. I argue that these normative features, attractive when considered in isolation, taken together led to a vicious ad hominem style in accounting for views outside the postwar consensus. It used pseudo-scientific literature in labeling populists, Progressives, Taft conservatives, Goldwaterites, the New Left and others "pathological," viz. mentally ill. Hence, "therapeutic discourse." I argue that philosophical liberalism, which reasserts the role of political theory in working out norms and adjudicating disagreement, is a more profitable way of thinking about and defending from critics liberalism. I take the philosopher John Rawls as the tradition's modern representative. This inquiry is important because the themes of sociological liberalism are making a comeback in American public discourse, and with them perhaps the baggage of therapeutic discourse. I present a cautionary tale.

Using an animated pedagogical agent to interact affectively with the student

This work proposes an animated pedagogical agent that has the role of providing emotional support to the student: motivating and encouraging him, making him believe in his self-ability, and promoting a positive mood in him, which fosters learning. This careful support of the agent, its affective tactics, is expressed through emotional behaviour and encouragement messages of the lifelike character. Due to human social tendency of anthropomorphising software, we believe that a software agent can accomplish this affective role. In order to choose the adequate affective tactics, the agent should also know the student’s emotions. The proposed agent recognises the student’s emotions: joy/distress, satisfaction/disappointment, anger/gratitude, and shame, from the student’s observable behaviour, i. e. his actions in the interface of the educational system. The inference of emotions is psychologically grounded on the cognitive theory of emotions. More specifically, we use the OCC model which is based on the cognitive approach of emotion and can be computationally implemented. Due to the dynamic nature of the student’s affective information, we adopted a BDI approach to implement the affective user model and the affective diagnosis. Besides, in our work we profit from the reasoning capacity of the BDI approach in order for the agent to deduce the student’s appraisal, which allows it to infer the student’s emotions. As a case study, the proposed agent is implemented as the Mediating Agent of MACES: an educational collaborative environment modelled as a multi-agent system and pedagogically based on the sociocultural theory of Vygotsky.

Sardade se escreve com r de Craudionor: dossie de um escolar

Diante da necessidade de definir um objeto de conhecimento para viabilizar a consecução da dissertação, uma mestranda, recorrendo à sua própria trajetória enquanto aluna produz, desde este lugar, não mais um discurso sobre certos procedimentos pedagógicos colocados em questão, mas uma fala apaixonada por sua diferença em relação à que, constitui o discurso que nao a reconhece, tanto quanto nao reconhece o saber assim produzido.

Autoconhecimento e práticas corporais: para uma educação transpessoal integradora do saber ao ser no processo de formação inicial dos alunos de educação física

This thesis deals with the self-knowledge importance and corporal practices and the contribution of the Transpersonal Education for the initial formation process of students of Physical Education. In this context, students are stimulated to come in contact with the bases of learning to know, to make, to live together and to be for the promotion of integral education. We give priority to holistic conception of educating based in Emergent Paradigm. In this conception, student in initial formation is led to get back the view of integral being, life and love as education basis. We had as starting point, the essential dimensions to the learning geared toward the embodiment integration, autopoiesis and trans-disciplinarity. This work presents tracks for the teacher formation of Physical Education. It deals with the unfolding of teaching experiences in 2006, in Graduation Course in Physical Education of Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Norte, in subject of Corporal Conscience, offered to undergraduate students which can be characterized as an action-research. This process was chosen as knowledge and intervention method because it allowed knowing and acting at the same time, studying the conditions and results of accomplished experience. In shared meetings with reflected experiences, we appeal to the experiences of situations that had mobilized the corporal, emotional, mental and spiritual dimensions of participants. The data collected through observations, accounts, questionnaires and interviews of learning processes had been starting points for the beginning of dialogue along with students of Graduation Course in Physical Education. The findings had been interpreted through of hermeneutics and discourse analysis. In this research, participants are considered as protagonist and boosters of educative process. The theoretical basis was supported by Transpersonal Education which contributed for a peace culture and respectful relationship. In its initial formation process, this research protagonists had evidenced of the importance of transpersonal education, geared toward action and changing, new ways of being and living together, facing the daily conflicts from a human and rational perspective. The research emphasized the importance of a new look on the teacher formation of Physical Education to face the limits of fragmented formation. Thus, we recognize that through the teacher education process, the transpersonal education provided wide significant changes reported during research, extending and re-meaning different learning levels such as: cognitive, emotional, attitudinal, and behavioral geared toward the personal and transpersonal development, reiterating the relevance of self-knowledge for development and establishment of pedagogical practice which prioritizes the life direction. The necessity of integrating knowledge to being in the initial process of teaching formation was emphasized in all the transpersonal meetings

Mens sana in corpore sano: compreensões de corpo, saúde e educação

This thesis proposes that the idea expressed in Juvenal s quotation Mens Sana in Corpore Sano, produced in the Ancient Greek-Roman civilization includes undestandings of body, heath and education that were reapropriated and reorganized by scientific and pedagogical theories in the XIX and XX centuries. These theories, especially the ones that received contributions from the biomedical sciences, have influenced Physical Education in the search of becoming a science. In order to realize this reapropriation, we have analyzed the transformations in the concepts of body, health and education produced in the area discourse, aiming at pointing out elements to the configuration of a theory that is being called Corpore Sano. The theory constitutes in possible systematization of scientific, philosophical and pedagogical concepts, and as such, an understanding of the scientific fundaments of Physical Education. The corpus of this analysis was composed by 148 articles that were published in Revista Brasileira de Ciências do Esporte digitalized in the period between 1979 and 2003 and selected according to theme: body, biology, physical activity, effort physiology and health. The analysis of the content and the referential interpretation allowed the combination of philosophical reflection with attention to the empiric field as a comprehensive dimension. Based on the corpus of the analysis it is possible to configure meta-arguments about the concepts of body, health and education in the scientific production of Physical Education. As a metaresearch. Our study did not intend to judge the analyzed production, but look for theoretical elements that may generate a reflection about the scientific rationality in Physical Education and developments in the pedagogical field and in body practices. Such a reflection might be recognized as a theory of the living body, susceptible to modifications and interrogations that are proper of knowledge and practices of Physical Education. It is a theory rejects the idea of the complete truth and holds the comprehension that the truth is built historically through relations among different kinds of knowledge and Physical Education practices

O dia mais feliz da minha vida: a entrada na universidade segundo os alunos recém-ingressos no curso de Pedagogia da UFRN(2004.1)

The present work, based on the methodological principles of the Comprehensive Discourse Analysis, aimed, through the speech of twelve newly arrived students at the Pedagogy course of the Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte, to understand the moment students start university. It also aimed to analyze the relationship between the schools they were coming from and university entrance as well as the relationship between university and their new students. In the first part of the work, which focused on school knowledge, a comprehensive listening of the speeches of the students led primarily to a distinction, established by the students, between public and private schools, a distinction especially based on the view of superiority of private schools against public ones. The abovementioned interpretation is found in the discussion of the structural duality of Brazilian education which, historically, offers different pedagogical appliances among students of more priviledged social classes and those who come from lower levels of society. The overcome of this duality, aspired by the Brazilian Constitution of 1988, was stopped by the advent of a new economic model neoliberalism, which reinforced the differences between public and private when it prioritized the market on the economic, political and social relations, including educational projects. Impoverishment of public institutions and pauperization of the work of professors affected also the relationship between teachers and studens at the current institution. This is how the teacher becomes the greatest villain at the public management system. All of these references concerning differences in the quality of teaching at public and private schools, expressed by the students interviewed, however, were centered in the preparation for the entrance exam, called vestibular, thus showing a view that the relationship between the student and the school he came from is of a propedeutic kind and even so, reduced to a preparation for an entrance exam. In the second part of the work, which analyzed the relationship between newly arrived students and their university, it was noticed that the latter represents a whole new world. This world is seen as the change at the student´s social statute for now he is grown, takes more responsibilities and is socially respected. This change of attitude established by society and the discovery of a new world which requires more independence from the students, creates in them feelings of pride and fear and they feel insecure when it comes to making decision in the campus because now their decisions deliver a greater load of responsibility. This is when students understand they need to develop autonomy, which is seen, in this work, as the capacity to make conscious decisions. Nevertheless students expressed an understanding of autonomy as something that comes as a gift for those who enter university and not as a process that is constructed from social experiences. For these students, the need to be autonomous refers to the relationships with their teachers and the search for information. This search, however, is also related, according to interviews, to public school financial cuts, which penalize university, and to the lack of employers

Tear identitário:a prática docente em arte como conhecimento compartilhado

This investigative tissue is about the formation of identification processes of teachers and pedagogical practice of Art, in Teresina city. This search comprised the sum of the needs presented, agreed upon with the teachers engaged in the process, it was developed through the establishment of interactive environment Loom Team where collaboration and critical reflection were steering actions to promote the understanding of existing connections or relations within the processes of identifications and the pedagogical practice of Art. The tissue is formed by the polyphonic plot of the critical reflection of nine teachers of Art who engaged voluntarily and this investigation of formative nature and a production of knowledge. All these teachers have degree and the course of artistic education and especial qualification in Fine Arts and/or Drawing. The texture, which we denominated Identification Loom: The pedagogical practice of Art as share knowledge is (de) (re) construction of knowledge resulting from the critical reflection, in an environment of collaboration, which may have implications and ethical political attitudes in the pedagogical practice of the group. Within this context, we pose the following question: - How does the pedagogical practice in Art influence and/or be influenced by the identification processes of the teachers, and how do they interfere with the search and manifestation of the knowledge involved and the investment in professionalization? In view of this query, we make use of the cooperative investigation, having social history as theoretical reference and as analytic perspective of interactive and dialogical-reflexive processes. Thus, social historic theory, cooperative approach and pedagogical practice were the major components of the plot. The methodological texture counted on the threads of dialogical reflexion, of mediation and of collaboration. The conceptual formulation, the recording in videos of classes and the narratives of formations were the main threads of the analytic substrate of the investigation. With this articulation, theses threads appear as developers of processes leading to a major approximation of the thought on the identity/alterity dialectical pair of the participants involved. The language within this plot had a decisive importance in all the moments of the search of signification, embracing and connecting the identification/alterative processes, the pedagogical practice of Art and the knowledge shared. In such processes involving (de) (re) construction, one can notice a close correlation of the triad social identity, pedagogical practice and knowledge shared. For this reason, the vigotskian, guetmanovian and kopnian theoretizations were the major framework for the analysis of conceptual formulations; and, as for discourse analysis, Baktin and Orlandi were our masters. For these teachers, the experience shared throughout the process of this typology of tri-axial investigation focused the experience of many theoretical and practical assumptions. Such an experience enabled them to state that this, with collaboration, can make reflection on the practice a starting and promoting element, within the individual level of self-management, in addition to being a space of (de)(re)construction of meanings, of knowledge and of reinvention per se

Proposta Curricular para Educação infantil: (re) significando saberes docentes

The theory contemporary in the field of early children education, as well the legal discourse and official texts valid in our country point to the need for systematization of proposals pedagogic / curriculum in institutions, built and carried out by subjects that act as factor of assurance care quality. Quest us about what knowledge are required to teachers in developing a proposed curriculum for children education. Defined as an object of study, the knowledge teachers necessary for the development of a proposed curriculum for children education. As goals, assume: investigate teachers knowledge necessary for the development of a proposed curriculum in a Public Institution for children education and contribute to the (new) meaning on the part of teachers, knowledge needed to build a proposed curriculum for children education. Assuming the principles of the paradigm of qualitative research, we have developed a research institution of a children education Network Public Hall of Ceará-Mirim-RN, which serves children of four and five years old (preschool) with the participation of 17 teachers and two supervisory (teachers) that institution - subject of our research. Therefore, we have adopted the principles of action research, according to which the knowledge gained through research should build so shared / dialogue in the relationship between researcher and participants, what is the implementation of an effective action formative. As the search procedures developed observations no-teaching participants in the meetings and activities of the classroom; semi-structured interviews (individual and collective) with teachers and supervisors; analysis of school documents and participant observation in the seminars of studies reflective. The latter is implemented as key moments of speech and thought, and finally to (new) meaning of knowledge, the subject of the research-action. For these knowledge, the systematization of the register built was developed based on the principles of analysis of Content that guided us to the definition of two categories 1) knowledge teachers concerning conceptions of curriculum / proposed curriculum and 2) knowledge teachers concerning specifics of children education. From these were built subs representing thematings more specific and significant, among the many that emerged in the analysis: 1.1) Definitions of curriculum and curriculum proposal; 1.2) The subjects makers / implementing a curriculum / proposed curriculum; 1.3) elements constituting a curriculum / proposed curriculum for children education and 2.1) Functions of children education and conception of child; 2.2) The space of the play in the organization of routine. Under the intervention could significant advances with regard to (new) meaning of such knowledge from the subjects, with major disruptions to their original designs. These are presented and reflected in this work. In front of this movement, transformation, made the need for a permanent work in the context of the institution of in-service training, or mediated by pedagogical coordinator or other to assume this role with teachers, in order to provide the development and effectiveness of proposed curriculum consistent and contextualized in practice effective with the children concrete envisage the service to their specificities and a quality education

Uma ação reflexiva sobre o processo de (re)escrita de textos: a prática pedagógica da professora Maria

T he reflexive action on the process of texts (re)writing, central topic of this study, is still a challenge within the elementary school. What made this issue a special theme of study was the fact that the chosen focus is based on a lived experiences with (re) writing activities where the uniqueness of the professional practice would be transformed into a place of knowledge production, offering theoretical and a practical support to a teacher, in order to understand the interactive nature of language as a space for recovery of the individual (as a historical, social, and cultural being). The empirical field research, structured in the light of assumptions of qualitative research into the action research format, was a public school in Bahia, in a third grade classroom. The instruments of data collection were open questionnaire, semistructured interviews, observations with video recording, documentary analysis of texts produced by students, and reflective sessions. The objectives that supported the research study were: 1) Investigate, in the pedagogical action of teacher Maria, activities on the writing process, 2) Interact with the teacher, in the form of action inquiry to: a) reflect on the procedures for theoretical and methodological development of reflective practice on the process of the (re) writing of the text, b) intervene in the construction of didactic situations that enable the learning and the development of reflexive actions in the (re) writing of texts. To accomplish these goals, it was established as a commitment a dialogic communication with the protagonist, providing reflection sessions so she could examine her teaching practices. The most relevant theoretical arguments to the establishment of this research came from the theoretical and methodological approaches of Bakhtin s theory of enunciation-discourse (2003, 2004) and Vygotsky s socio-interactionist theory (1989, 1998), as it is believed that both theories, through a paradigm shift, in which the constitution of the individual and the participation of others in the actions of analysis and reflection on the language, would give opportunities for internalization and construction of knowledge. The systematic and critical pondering led the participating teacher into reviewing her teaching praxis, compelling her to promote a more insightful understanding of the writing process of her students. That experirence brought into evidence three categories of actions: 1) actions that reflect the technical rationalism, 2) actions that reflect an emancipatory metamorphosis, and 3) actions that reflect empowerment and awareness. The results confirm that the action / reflection on the process of the (re) writing of a text has a dimension of increasing levels of awareness and self criticism, reproducing other meanings for teaching praxis