Uneven playing field or falling standards? Chinese students' competence in English.

This paper explores student and teacher perspectives of challenges relating to the levels of competence in English of Chinese students studying overseas from the perspective of critical pedagogy. It draws on two complementary studies undertaken by colleagues at the University of Reading. The first—a research seminar attended by representatives from a wide range of UK universities—presents the views of teachers and administrators; the second draws on four case studies of the language learning of Chinese postgraduate students during their first year of study in the UK, and offers the student voice. Interview and focus group data highlight the limitations of current tests of English used as part of the requirements for university admission. In particular, university teachers expressed uncertainty about whether the acceptance of levels of written English which fall far short of native-speaker competence is an ill-advised lowering of standards or a necessary and pragmatic response to the realities of an otherwise uneven playing field. In spite of this ambivalence, there is evidence of a growing willingness on the part of university teachers and support staff to find solutions to the language issues facing Chinese students, some of which require a more strategic institutional approach, while others rely on greater flexibility on the part of individuals. Although the studies reported in this paper were based on British universities, the findings will also be of interest to those involved in tertiary education in other English-speaking countries which are currently attracting large numbers of Chinese students.

‘Did Ronald McDonald also tend to scare you as a child?’: working to emplace consumption, commodities, and citizen-students in a large classroom setting

So-called ‘radical’ and ‘critical’ pedagogy seems to be everywhere these days on the landscapes of geographical teaching praxis and theory. Part of the remit of radical/critical pedagogy involves a de-centring of the traditional ‘banking’ method of pedagogical praxis. Yet, how do we challenge this ‘banking’ model of knowledge transmission in both a large-class setting and around the topic of commodity geographies where the banking model of information transfer still holds sway? This paper presents a theoretically and pedagogically driven argument, as well as a series of practical teaching ‘techniques’ and tools—mind-mapping and group work—designed to promote ‘deep learning’ and a progressive political potential in a first-year large-scale geography course centred around lectures on the Geographies of Consumption and Material Culture. Here students are not only asked to place themselves within and without the academic materials and other media but are urged to make intimate connections between themselves and their own consumptive acts and the commodity networks in which they are enmeshed. Thus, perhaps pedagogy needs to be emplaced firmly within the realms of research practice rather than as simply the transference of research findings.

Práticas de leitura e escrita na formação em ciências e tecnologia

The discussion about the need of improving the reading and the writing practices of professionals from the most different knowledge areas has caused, in Brazilian and foreign institutions of higher education, a movement of insertion of curricula components whose focus is the reading and the writing in academic formation. To contributing with the reflection about that discussion, this master s degree dissertation has as object of study the situated linguistic formation. Our general objective is to analyze a linguistic formation proposal to graduating students from the Bachelor s degree in Science and Technology (BCT) of the Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte (UFRN). To constructing that analysis, we have established four specific objectives: a) verifying if the ten brazilian Institutions of Higher Education which offer the BCT have curricula components of reading and writing directed to that formation; b) describing how these Bachelor s degree reading and writing curricula components are presented; c) examining differences and similarities which, in general, exist among curricula components related to reading and writing in each one of the researched institutions; d) revealing which categories delineate the linguistic formation developed in the BCT of the UFRN. In order to reaching our goals, this work has been based on the dialogical conception of the language (BAKHTIN [1952-1953] 2010), on the literacy studies (KLEIMAN [1995] 2008; TINOCO, 2008) and on the critical pedagogy (FREIRE, 1980; 2007). Methodologically, this qualitative research of ethnographic direction (ANDRÉ, 1995) is grounded in Applied Linguistics (PEREIRA; ROCA, 2009; PASCHOAL; CELANI (Orgs.), 1992). This research has the contribution of professors, scholars and monitors of the field of Reading and Writing Practices (PLE) and also graduating students from the UFRN BCT which had already studied PLE-I and/or PLE-II. The tools used for data collection/generation were: curricula components programs related to reading and writing in the BCT in the researched higher education institutions (IES), questionnaires, semi-structured interviews and profiles. The generated data allowed us to establish the following analysis categories: situationality (real situation, thematic contemporaneity and thematic focalization) and literacy projects (learning community and protagonism). The results achieved show that most IES which offer BCT worry about improving the reading and writing competences of their graduating students; however, there is still a lot to be done (increase of the number of class hours, contents and methodological aspects review, theoretical referential sophistication) so that the curricula components can be configured as a situated and significant linguistic formation. Finally, we make some suggestions for improving the work which has been made in the BCT of the UFRN, making then the mother tongue teaching in courses of the area of exact and technological sciences stronger

A educação musical sob a perspectiva da pedagogia histórico-crítica

This work, from of theorist perspective of Historical-Critical Pedagogy, presents the school Music Education like a social mediator environment between the practices, listening and musical everydaylife knowledges and the not-quotidian, which are constitution and accumulated, throughout the centuries of History, by the human societies. The purpose is to present a possible theorist foundation to define the importance of Music Education insert in the elementary school, like a subject destined to guarantee the whole children formation and the enrichment of their relations with the music. It is a theorist reflection that indicates the importance of observation of the quotidian and not-quotidian knowledges characteristics, moreover of complete importance of formal education and, in specific, of school Music Education on human development.

Uma proposta metodológica para a formação continuada de professores na perspectiva histórico-social

O texto apresenta uma proposta para a formação de professores, baseada na pedagogia histórico-crítica. São apresentados três eixos básicos para orientar esse trabalho: domínio dos conteúdos escolares e formas de ensinar; estudo da concepção dialética; formação de uma nova atitude ético-política. A metodologia sugerida é similar àquela que os professores poderão usar com seus alunos. Procura seguir os cinco passos propostos por Saviani: a prática social, a problematização, a instrumentalização, a catarse e a prática social.

O conceito de saber escolar clássico em Dermeval Saviani: Implicações para a Educação Matemática

The aim of this paper is initially to consider some issues related to the relationship between humanization and alienation in the process of historical social development of human gender. These considerations are fundamental for understanding the concept of classical in Dermeval Saviani and the consequences for research about the historical development of Mathematics currently found in school curriculums. The intention is to value the appropriation of school mathematics as a humanizing element that becomes accessible through the activity of teaching.

O lema aprender a aprender na literatura de informática educativa

This paper makes a characterization of pedagogical conceptions found in the educational informatics literature in Brazil as well as in the work of Seymour Papert given the undeniable influence of this author in that literature. We identified a strong hegemony in this field of learning-to-learn pedagogy by means of constructivism, constructionism, learning projects and pedagogy of competencies among others. We make a critical analysis of these trends in light of the historical-critical pedagogy pointing to a number of aspects that need further discussion, highlighting the problematic opposition between teaching and learning.

A Sexualidade como tema pedagógico: análise das propostas do MEC e da UNESCO para inserção do tema nas escolas

Pós-graduação em Educação Escolar - FCLAR

A representação do ato de ensinar: continuidades e rupturas da concepção de ensino na pedagogia tradicional, na psicologia histórico-cultural e na pedagogia histórico-crítica : uma análise a partir das teses e dissertações no Portal da CAPES

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

Fundamentos éticos e formação moral na pedagogia histórico-crítica

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

Formação continuada de professores: uma análise crítica sobre as perspectivas oficiais de capacitação docente

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

A poluição das águas do Rio Bauru vista sob a perspectiva da pedagogia histórico-crítica

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

Os livros didáticos de matemática para o ensino fundamental e os temas transversais: realidade ou utopia?

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

A motivação do aprendiz para a aprendizagem escolar: a perspectiva histórico-cultural

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

Política pública e avaliação: o Saresp e seus impactos na prática profissional docente

Pós-graduação em Serviço Social - FCHS