English as the target language : A literature study on teachers’ and L2 learners’ language use in the upper elementary classroom

Even though English is a subject where Swedish pupils do well compared to pupils in other countries, research indicates that pupils are not always motivated to learn in the English classroom. Therefore, the aim of this study is to find research relating to the use of the target language in classrooms for pupils at the upper elementary level, particularly language learners in Sweden. The focus of this thesis is to find out what benefits and challenges accompany the use of the target language during English lessons, as well as what pupils’ opinions are on the consistent use of the target language in the classroom. This literature review of five research articles shows that it is beneficial for pupils’ language development to have lessons where mainly the target language is used. It is for example beneficial for pupils’ ability to speak, their pronunciation, vocabulary and ability to use language strategies. The results show that there are challenges as well, especially for the teachers, since use of the target language presumes that the teacher has good language skills and is capable of scaffolding each pupil at their individual level and in their zone of proximal development. Furthermore, there are challenges like differences in pupils’ skill level, creating tasks that both motivate and stimulate, and creating a safe learning environment. Even though the results in this thesis are limited, it is still obvious that it is an important area, where more research is necessary in order to assist teachers in how to teach English as effectively as possible.

L1 Use in the EFL-classroom : A Literature Review on Teachers’ Use of the L1 in the EFL-classroom on Upper Secondary Level

Even though English should mainly be used in the EFL-classroom according to the Swedish national curriculum, some recent scholars have argued that a judicious use of the students’ L1 by the teachers in some particular situations may benefit the learning environment there. From this context, this thesis examines what research says about in what particular situations the L1 is used by teachers in upper secondary EFL-classrooms as well as the teachers’ and the students’ attitudes towards this practice. The method used was a systematic literature review, where seven articles from all across the globe were analyzed, compared and synthesized. The results show that the L1 was mainly used by the teachers when managing discipline, when explaining grammar and when teaching vocabulary. However, the articles did not conclude how the L1 could be used strategically by the teachers. Concerning the teachers’ and students’ attitudes, the majority of these were positive towards L1 use by the teacher in the above mentioned situations. However, the teachers were not aware of how the L1 could be used by them in a judicious and a strategic way. Lastly, it can be concluded that more research is needed on how the L1 can be used more strategically by the teachers as well as on the students’ perspective on this.

Universal Design in Higher Education

While colleges and universities increasingly draw upon the concept of Universal Design to create an ideal learning environment, it can be challenging to apply the concept practically in the classroom. This project explores innovative ways to incorporate Universal Design into campus architecture, classroom technology and curriculum development. Further, this brief describes different approaches used by universities to garner faculty interest and offer effective training in Universal Design.

Um Sistema para aprendizagem de demonstrações dedutivas em geometria euclidiana

O objetivo do presente trabalho é realizar a concepção de um sistema para a aprendizagem de demonstrações da Geometria Euclidiana Plana e a implementação de um protótipo deste sistema, denominado LEEG - Learning Environment on Euclidean Geometry, desenvolvido para validar as idéias utilizadas em sua especificação. Nos últimos anos, tem-se observado uma crescente evolução dos sistemas de ensino e aprendizagem informatizados. A preocupação com o desenvolvimento de ambientes cada vez mais eficientes, tanto do ponto de vista computacional quanto pedagógico, tem repercutido em um salto de qualidade dos software educacionais. Tais sistemas visam promover, auxiliar e motivar a aprendizagem das mais diversas áreas do conhecimento, utilizando técnicas de Inteligência Artificial para se aproximarem ao máximo do comportamento de um tutor humano que se adapte e atenda às necessidades de cada aluno. A Geometria pode ser vista sob dois aspectos principais: considerada como uma ciência que estuda as representações do plano e do espaço e considerada como uma estrutura lógica, onde a estrutura matemática é representada e tratada no mais alto nível de rigor e formalismo. Entretanto, o ensino da Geometria, nos últimos anos, abandonou quase que totalmente sua abordagem dedutiva. Demonstrações de teoremas geométricos não são mais trabalhadas na maioria das escolas brasileiras, o que repercute em um ensino falho da Matemática, que não valoriza o desenvolvimento de habilidades e competências relacionadas à experimentação, observação e percepção, realização de conjecturas, desenvolvimento de argumentações convincentes, entre outras. Levando-se em conta este cenário, desenvolveu-se o LEEG, um sistema para a aprendizagem de demonstrações geométricas que tem como objetivo auxiliar um aprendiz humano na construção de demonstrações da Geometria Euclidiana Plana. O sistema foi modelado sobre uma adaptação do protocolo de aprendizagem MOSCA, desenvolvido para suportar ambientes de ensino informatizados, cuja aprendizagem é baseada na utilização de exemplos e contra-exemplos. Este protocolo propõe um ambiente de aprendizagem composto por cinco agentes, dentre os quais um deles é o aprendiz e os demais assumem papéis distintos e específicos que completam um quadro de ensino-aprendizagem consistente. A base de conhecimento do sistema, que guarda a estrutura lógica-dedutiva de todas as demonstrações que podem ser submetidas ao Aprendiz, foi implementada através do modelo de autômatos finitos com saída. A utilização de autômatos com saída na aplicação de modelagem de demonstrações dedutivas foi extremamente útil por permitir estruturar os diferentes raciocínios que levam da hipótese à tese da proposição de forma lógica, organizada e direta. As demonstrações oferecidas pelo sistema são as mesmas desenvolvidas por Euclides e referem-se aos Fundamentos da Geometria Plana. São demonstrações que priorizam e valorizam a utilização de objetos geométricos no seu desenvolvimento, fugindo das demonstrações que apelam para a simples manipulação algébrica e que não oferecem uma construção significativa do ponto de vista da Geometria. Porém, mesmo sendo consideradas apenas as demonstrações contidas em Elements, todos os diferentes raciocínios para uma mesma demonstração são aceitos pelo sistema, dando liberdade ao aprendiz no processo de construção da demonstração.

A Cultura e a Pré-Disposição para um Ambiente de Aprendizagem Organizacional: Um Estudo da Cultura da Isabela S/A

The increase of the global competitiveness of the global alliances of the economic blocks, generates an increasing stream of information that makes with that the companies are always the seek of new developments. The climate of changes generates concern with what it must be assimilated by organization, and things that don¿t serve the definitive company. The organizational environment of the companies is taken by uncertainty. The organizational culture becomes itself very important for the organization, therefore it judges what the company can use in the relation with its environment, and what does not serve to its organizational structure. Together with the culture is necessary that itself a learning environment, leading thus culture. The work considered here studies the organizational culture of a company making relation with the organizational Learning, and helps to clarify the profile of a culture that propitiates the organizational learning. This work analyzes the Isabela¿s S/A organizational culture, making relation with the organizational learning. Of this form, look it self to describe and to identify the culture of the searched company, studying its difficulties and advantages, making relation with the deep learning. The company is characterized, the situation problem and the subject of study. In the theoretical referential was made an analysis of the culture, its formation until the types of culture, applying itself after a model of organizational learning. A model for the study of the culture is applied, where self is characterized, tipology of the culture, and applied a model for the study of the learning. The results of the considered study, answer the research problem, where they are analysed with the application of the diagnostic research of the searched company. This discloses an organization with a strong culture, however flexible to assimilate changes. It has a harmony between the values that generate the culture and that they are characterized, spreading out thus an environment that propitiates organizational learning, a culture that generates learning.

Gestão contemporânea de carreira: um estudo de caso com peritos criminais do Instituto Nacional de Criminalística da Polícia Federal

Nas últimas três décadas, intensificou-se na academia o debate sobre o tema gestão de carreiras. As transformações sociais, econômicas, tecnológicas e sua influência sobre o mercado de trabalho aguçaram o interesse dos pesquisadores organizacionais em entender como os indivíduos conduzem suas carreiras nesse novo cenário. A noção da responsabilidade pessoal na administração da própria carreira torna-se relevante, diminuindo o papel da organização nesse processo. Flexibilidade, autoconhecimento e abertura à mobilidade no trabalho são novos requisitos. Surgem na literatura dois modelos que bem expressam essa realidade: a carreira proteana e sem fronteiras. Este estudo teve como objetivo explorar de que forma servidores públicos federais da área de segurança pública – os peritos criminais do Instituto Nacional de Criminalística da Polícia Federal – gerenciam suas carreiras à luz de tais fenômenos, considerando o ambiente organizacional tradicional no qual estão imersos. Aspectos de comprometimento e entrincheiramento na carreira também foram considerados. Optou-se pela estratégia qualitativa com uso de estudo de caso e pesquisa documental. Foram realizadas onze (11) entrevistas em profundidade, cujo conteúdo foi analisado de acordo com uma grade temática pré-estabelecida. Os resultados revelam que atitudes de carreira proteana e sem fronteiras são identificadas mesmo com a rigidez do modelo administrativo de carreira do serviço público federal. Além disso, há indícios de entrincheiramento voluntário na carreira, sem, no entanto, afetar o comprometimento com a carreira. A pesquisa pretende abrir novas possibilidades de entendimento sobre o tema no setor público, em especial na área de segurança pública, considerando as peculiaridades de suas carreiras.

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

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

A Internet como tecnointeração da aprendizagem: valorização da cultura e identidade juvenil

The present study investigates Internet as technological interaction in the school environment as a resource of the teaching-learning process. It aims to discuss the lack of synchronicity between proposals of educational access for Internet use and types of access and interaction applied by youngsters. For the development of this research, I resorted to a qualitative, descriptive and explanatory research focused on a group whose subjects are youngsters from eleven to fifteen years of age in a catholic school which belongs to a group of private teaching schools in Natal city, Rio Grande do Norte state. As methodological option it focus on a group and the observation of its participation, discourse analysis and ethnography, considering facts and data of the pedagogical practice concerning the focused theme, besides the attempt to know the youngsters everyday at school and the relationship between them and juvenile cultures. It recognizes the existence of two moments of the focused group: the first related to internet use like technological interaction; the second concerns to the way Internet is problematic as technological interaction in classroom learning. While contacting with youngsters, the study discusses the concepts of Media Environments, Culture, Identity, Network, Consumption and Citizenship. It recognizes that it is relevant for the school to consider Internet a pedagogical tool, directed not just at research, but mostly as learning environment and as learning construction in a collaborative way. It points out the need of approach between school and media environment, reevaluating the pedagogical practice, offering a new evaluation proposal (self-evaluation). It suggests a renewal in the teacher's pedagogical practice in the classroom and using Internet, valuing the connection between technological interaction and communication as motivation elements of student s learning construction and their effective participation in decisions involving citizenship. It gives priority to educational work directed at the establishment of dialogic relationship between codes, learning and contents, leading to the new findings domain in the media environment, enabling the development of abilities and performances directed at the recognition and consumption of information from a critical reading of the media

Uma visão local de um projeto nacional: o curso mídias na educação

The essay "A local view of a national project: the course in Media Education" presents a research aimed at analyzing how the course Media in Education is being implemented by both Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte and State University of Rio Grande do Norte, with the intention of pointing out weaknesses in its use, which should be resolved in order to contribute to the design of other courses along these lines. Therefore, we performed a survey in which data collection, have used open questionnaires available in online pages created specifically for this purpose and administered to alumni and former participants, course participants and tutors from the two universities involved in the research. Through these questionnaires, we identified, especially, those aspects that negatively affect the provision of course related to the student's profile, the virtual learning environment where the course is hosted, the meetings, the contents and activities, the mentoring and the dropout, and the changes to improve the implementation of the course. The research collaborators are professors of public basic education. To understand the continuing education of teachers, conducted through distance education, using the virtual learning environment, we contextualize this from the nineties, in the context of the Brazilian educational reform took place in that decade. The Media in Education course is presented as a different proposition because it allows teachers to follow different pathways, materialized in the learning cycle. At the end of the study, we conclude that the implementation of this course, of the RN, the conditions for dialogue to happen, specifically, are not given

Comunicação gráfica em interfaces de hipermídia de educação a distância via web

This study aims to analyze the communication graphics of layouts of hypermedia interfaces oriented to Distance Education via the Internet. This proposal is justified by widening the offer of courses that modality and the consequent application of items of hypermedia for teaching-learning. The method of analysis involved the search nethnographic, addressed to the cycle student intermediary of the Training Program Continuing Medias in Education, and the evaluation heuristic of the interfaces of Virtual Learning Environment "E-Proinfo" and of the modules of the Cycle. This evaluation we observed the implementation of the attributes of usability and the degree of interactivity of each interface. The results revealed an inefficient implementation of the attributes of usability, which meant a consequent reduction of the levels of interactivity. As proposing the present Design Virtual Learning, a model of hypermedia layout, designed to generate usability for Virtual learning environments and extend the acquisition of literancy for students and tutors. This proposal design not hypermedia aims the demarcation of models pre-conceived, but the proposal of layout in which each element of hypermedia is applied with a view to generate a seaworthiness intuitive, more agile and efficient, in these ambients

Ambiente de textualização no ensino a distância: o caso do fórum educacional

This research deals with textualization issues present in educational forums in distance learning environment. The research aims to analyze textualization regarding communication practices between tutors and distance learning students. Specifically the research aims to verify if the educational forum is considered pertinent for knowledge construction as well as identify subject´s behavior in e-Proinfo environment. The research also aims to understand the dynamics of the teaching and learning techniques related to the forum´s printed material. This is done in order to acknowledge discourse on behalf of subjects through the presented educational assignments. In order to address the issue, the work dealt with the relations present in distance learning forums, the forms in which the assignments are made, the way social actors interact and how this debate happens in the virtual environment. The research emphasized an educational forum used in a higher education institution at Rio Grande do Norte/Brazil. Thus the research corpus is composed by messages that were posted in the forum in the module called computer material . This module is one of the last in a set of six modules that are part of The Basic Cycle for Media Training promoted by the Center for Distance Learning in a public university at Rio Grande do Norte/Brazil. The research deals with a qualitative type approach in the perspectives of Merriam (1988), Cresswell (1994) and Minayo (1996). In order to achieve this analysis, the research dealt with theoretical landmarks related to distance learning present in (Silva, 2008; Brait, 1993; Sperbe and Wilson, 1986; Marquesi and Elias 2008 as well as Xavier, 2005, amongst others. As for aspects related to media and technological perspectives present in the forum, the research dealt with (Baranov, 1989; Neuner, 1981; Kearsley and Moore, 1996). Textualization was dealt according to (Marcuschi, 2008; Costa Val, 2004) and the conceptions and functions regarding tutors was seen according to (Salgado, 2002). In the conclusion and recommendations it was seen that these discussions present relevant contributions to distance learning and go beyond the practical universe present in electronical interaction. In the final considerations it is pointed out that this research is relevant for areas such as applied linguistics and presents guidelines for those involved in continuous education and aim meaningful knowledge that is coherent with distance learning education