Parent involvement on school advisory councils: a process evaluation at the middle school level

Increasing parental involvement was made an important goal for all Florida schools in educational reform legislation in the 1990's. A forum for this input was established and became known as the School Advisory Council (SAC). To demonstrate the importance of process and inclusion, a south Florida school district and its local teacher's union agreed on the following five goals for SACs: (a) to foster an environment of professional collaboration among all stakeholders, (b) to assist in the preparation and evaluation of the school improvement plan, (c) to address all state and district goals, (d) to serve as the avenue for authentic and representative input from all stakeholders, and (e) to ensure the continued existence of the consensus-building process on all issues related to the school's instructional program. The purpose of this study was to determine to what extent and in what ways the parent members of one south Florida middle school's SAC achieved the five district goals during its first three years of implementation. The primary participants were 16 parents who served as members of the SAC, while 16 non-parent members provided perspective on parent involvement as "outside sources." Being qualitative by design, factors such as school climate, leadership styles, and the quality of parental input were described from data collected from four sources: parent interviews, a questionnaire of non-parents, researcher observations, and relevant documents. A cross-case analysis of all data informed a process evaluation that described the similarities and differences of intended and observed outcomes of parent involvement from each source using Stake's descriptive matrix model. A formative evaluation of the process compared the observed outcomes with standards set for successful SACs, such as the district's five goals. The findings indicated that parents elected to the SACs did not meet the intended goals set by the state and district. The school leadership did not foster an environment of professional collaboration and authentic decision-making for parents and other stakeholders. The overall process did not include consensus-building, and there was little if any input by parents on school improvement and other important issues relating to the instructional program. Only two parents gave the SAC a successful rating for involving parents in the decision-making process. Although compliance was met in many of the procedural transactions of the SAC, the reactions of parents to their perceived role and influence often reflected feelings of powerlessness and frustration with a process that many thought lacked meaningfulness and productivity. Two conclusions made from this study are as follows: (a) that the role of the principal in the collaborative process is pivotal, and (b) that the normative-re-educative approach to change would be most appropriate for SACs.

Making the grade : the perceived impact on Florida's A+ plan on the learning environment of one elementary school

The purpose of this study was to ascertain the perceptions of educators at one elementary school regarding the changes in the teaching and learning environment and their related effects following the implementation of Florida's A+ high-stakes accountability system. This study also assessed whether these changes were identified by participants as meaningful and enduring, in terms of the definition by Lieberman and Miller (1999). Twenty-one educators, including 17 teachers and four administrators, at Blue Ribbon Elementary school were interviewed. Data were inductively coded and categorized into four major themes: (a) teaching and learning environment consistency, (b) changes in the teaching and learning environment since the implementation of A+, (c) effects of the changes, and (d) significant and enduring change. Findings fell into three categories (a) identified changes since A+ implementation, (b) effects of changes, and (c) what participants believed was significant and long term change, which included those characteristics of the school that had been identified as consistent in the teaching and learning environment. Statements of the participants explained their perceptions about what instructional decisions where made in response to the A+ Plan including the modification of curriculum, the addition or omission of subject matter taught, and the positive or negative impact these decisions had on the teaching and learning environment. It was found that study participants felt all changes and their effects were a direct result of the A+ Plan and viewed many of the changes as being neither significant nor long term Analysis of the educators' perceptions of the changes they experienced revealed the overall feeling that the changes were not indicative of what was necessary to make a school successful. For the participants, the changes lacked the characteristics that they had described as vital in what constituted success. This led to the conclusion that, by Lieberman and Miller's definition, the majority of changes and effects that were implemented at the school as a result of the mandated A+ Plan, were not meaningful and enduring for effective school reform.

The Use of a Computer Graphic Organizer for Persuasive Composition Writing by Hispanic Students with Specific Learning Disabilities

Many culturally and linguistically diverse (CLD) students with specific learning disabilities (SLD) struggle with the writing process. Particularly, they have difficulties developing and expanding ideas, organizing and elaborating sentences, and revising and editing their compositions (Graham, Harris, & Larsen, 2001; Myles, 2002). Computer graphic organizers offer a possible solution to assist them in their writing. This study investigated the effects of a computer graphic organizer on the persuasive writing compositions of Hispanic middle school students with SLD. A multiple baseline design across subjects was used to examine its effects on six dependent variables: number of arguments and supporting details, number and percentage of transferred arguments and supporting details, planning time, writing fluency, syntactical maturity (measured by T-units, the shortest grammatical sentence without fragments), and overall organization. Data were collected and analyzed throughout baseline and intervention. Participants were taught persuasive writing and the writing process prior to baseline. During baseline, participants were given a prompt and asked to use paper and pencil to plan their compositions. A computer was used for typing and editing. Intervention required participants to use a computer graphic organizer for planning and then a computer for typing and editing. The planning sheets and written composition were printed and analyzed daily along with the time each participant spent on planning. The use of computer graphic organizers had a positive effect on the planning and persuasive writing compositions. Increases were noted in the number of supporting details planned, percentage of supporting details transferred, planning time, writing fluency, syntactical maturity in number of T-units, and overall organization of the composition. Minimal to negligible increases were noted in the mean number of arguments planned and written. Varying effects were noted in the percent of transferred arguments and there was a decrease in the T-unit mean length. This study extends the limited literature on the effects of computer graphic organizers as a prewriting strategy for Hispanic students with SLD. In order to fully gauge the potential of this intervention, future research should investigate the use of different features of computer graphic organizer programs, its effects with other writing genres, and different populations.

Factors Surgical Team Members Perceive Influence Choices of Wearing or not Wearing Personal Protective Equipment During Operative/Invasive Procedures

Exposure to certain bloodborne pathogens can prematurely end a person’s life. Healthcare workers (HCWs), especially those who are members of surgical teams, are at increased risk of exposure to these pathogens. The proper use of personal protective equipment (PPE) during operative/invasive procedures reduces that risk. Despite this, some HCWs fail to consistently use PPE as required by federal regulation, accrediting agencies, hospital policy, and professional association standards. The purpose of this mixed methods survey study was to (a) examine factors surgical team members perceive influence choices of wearing or not wearing PPE during operative/invasive procedures and (b) determine what would influence consistent use of PPE by surgical team members. Using an ex post facto, non-experimental design, the memberships of five professional associations whose members comprise surgical teams were invited to complete a mixed methods survey study. The primary research question for the study was: What differences (perceptual and demographic) exist between surgical team members that influence their choices of wearing or not wearing PPE during operative/invasive procedures? Four principal differences were found between surgical team members. Functional (i.e., profession or role based) differences exist between the groups. Age and experience (i.e., time in profession) differences exist among members of the groups. Finally, being a nurse anesthetist influences the use of risk assessment to determine the level of PPE to use. Four common themes emerged across all groups informing the two study purposes. Those themes were: availability, education, leadership, and performance. Subsidiary research questions examined the influence of previous accidental exposure to blood or body fluids, federal regulations, hospital policy and procedure, leaders’ attitudes, and patients’ needs on the use of PPE. Each of these was found to strongly influence surgical team members and their use of PPE during operative/invasive procedures. Implications based on the findings affect organizational policy, purchasing and distribution decisions, curriculum design and instruction, leader behavior, and finally partnership with PPE manufacturers. Surgical team members must balance their innate need to care for patients with their need to protect themselves. Results of this study will help team members, leaders, and educators achieve this balance.

The effect of a reform on a school organizational culture after receiving a failing Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test rating

The purpose of this research was to explore the effects of a reform that took place in an elementary school during 2000/2001 as a result of a failure rating on the Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test on the structure and the personnel of the organization. The exploration took place over a period of 10 months starting in August 2000 until June 2001. It focused on the effect of the failure rating on the: (a) structure and operation of the school; (b) morale, beliefs, behaviors, and daily lives of teachers and the principal; and (c) the effect of the reform effort on the leadership style of the principal, whether she became a transactional or a transformative leader. The researcher assumed the role of a participant observer. Data sources were her personal recollections of major events that took place during the year of the reform, interviews, observations, and school documents. The sample included 15 teachers present during the time of the reform. Ten taught second through fifth grade. The remaining five participants were the music teacher, the counselor, and the writing, reading and technology specialists. Together they represented the instructional team or represented special education areas. The findings indicated that the reform effort had an effect on the structure and the operation of the school. The changes included reorganization of the physical set up, changes in curriculum and instruction, changes in the means of communication among the staff, and the addition of new staff members including an official agent of change. The reform had a greater effect on the daily lives of teachers and their morale than on their beliefs and behaviors. Teachers reported that during the effort their daily lives were stressful and their morale very low due to the enormous expectations that they had to meet. On the other hand, the reform effort had a positive effect on the daily life, morale, beliefs, and behaviors of the principal. It energized her. She spoke positively about the change. She functioned as an effective, positive, resilient transactional leader who did what was necessary in order to enable the teachers to cope with the complex situation.

An evaluation of a curriculum response to the State of Florida mandate for computer literacy at a large comprehensive high school in Dade County, Florida

Minimum Student Performance Standards in Computer Literacy and Science were passed by the Florida Legislature through the Educational Reform Act of 1983. This act mandated that all Florida high school graduates receive training in computer literacy. Schools and school systems were charged with the task of determining the best methods to deliver this instruction to their students. The scope of this study is to evaluate one school's response to the state of Florida's computer literacy mandate. The study was conducted at Miami Palmetto Senior High School, located in Dade County, Florida. The administration of Miami Palmetto Senior High School chose to develop and implement a new program to comply with the state mandate - integrating computer literacy into the existing biology curriculum. The study evaluated the curriculum to determine if computer literacy could be integrated successfully and meet both the biology and computer literacy objectives. The findings in this study showed that there were no significant differences between biology scores of the students taking the integrated curriculum and those taking a traditional curriculum of biology. Student in the integrated curriculum not only met the biology objectives as well as those in the traditional curriculum, they also successfully completed the intended objectives for computer literacy. Two sets of objectives were successfully completed in the integrated classes in the same amount of time used to complete one set of objectives in the traditional biology classes. Therefore, integrated curriculum was the more efficient means of meeting the intended objectives of both biology and computer literacy.

The impact of standards-based practices in mathematics on the achievement of low-performing students

This study examined standards-based mathematics reform initiatives to determine if they would improve student achievement on the part of low-performing students. New curricula, the Carnegie Learning Cognitive Tutor®, were provided for algebra and geometry students. The new instructional strategy relied on both the teacher-led instruction and the use of computers to differentiate instruction for individual students. Mathematics teachers received ongoing professional development to help them implement the new curricula. In addition, teachers were provided with ongoing support to assist them with the transformation of the learning environments for students using standards-based practices. This quasi-experimental (nonrandomized) study involved teachers in two matched urban high schools. Analyses (ANCOVAs) revealed that the experimental group with an appropriately implemented program had significantly higher learning gains than the comparison group as determined by the students' 2007 mathematics Developmental Scale Score (DSS). In addition, the experimental group's adjusted mean for the second interim mathematics assessment was significantly higher than the comparison group's mean. The findings support the idea that if the traditional curriculum is replaced with standards-based curriculum, and the curriculum is implemented as intended, low-performing students may make significant learning gains. With respect to the teaching practices as observed with the Classroom Observation Protocol (COP), t-tests were conducted on four constructs. The results for both the algebra and geometry teachers on the constructs were not significant. The COP indicated that teachers in both the experimental and comparison groups used traditional instruction strategies in their classrooms. The analyses of covariance (ANCOVA) on the use of technology revealed no significant main effects for computer use.

Diferenciais de mortalidade adulta por nível de escolaridade no Brasil e regiões

The study of mortality by various differentials has been an important tool to guide public health policies, due to better describing the events of deaths in a population. This research aims to seek disparities in mortality according to educational level, sex and adulthood in large Brazilian regions and consequently for Brazil as a whole. A vast literature has shown that people with more education tend to have lower risk of death. Studies on inequalities in mortality by level of education in Brazil are still very specific and has still known very little about Brazil about mortality according to educational level, due to lack of information about the well-filled school in the records of deaths arising from the Mortality Information System (MIS) of the Ministry of Health. This data source has shown improvement in the coverage of sub reports in the last decade, however, it has still perceived negligence in completing the question regarding schooling of death (about 30% of registered deaths in 2010 to Brazil, Given this scenario, this work contributes to the national literature on the behavior of adult mortality differentials having as proposed, using data from the new variable mortality of the 2010 Census (CD 2010), assuming the characteristics of education of the head the household for deaths occurring in the same. It is therefore considered that the probability of mortality is homogeneous within the household. Events of deaths were corrected only for the records come from households where the head possessed levels of schooling and Instruction Elementary Education No Incomplete and Primary Education and Secondary Education Complete Incomplete through the Generations Extinct Adjusted method. With deaths already corrected, probabilities of death were calculated between 15 and 60 years life, as well as tables by sex and level of education to all regions of Brazil. No que se refere às probabilidades de morte por idade, nas idades entre 15 e 60 anos as maiores probabilidades seguem um gradiente, maior probabilidade para os menos escolarizados. Results corroborate the literature, the more educated the population is, the greater the life expectancy. In all Brazilian regions, life expectancy of the female population is greater than that of men at all levels of schooling. With respect to probabilities of death by age between the ages of 15 and 60 years the most likely follow a gradient, most likely to the least educated. At older ages (from 70 years), this behavior has presented another pattern, the lowest level of education has the lowest odds in the regions, North, Northeast, South and Midwest, except in the Southeast region

Consumo c(l)iente: abordagem do gênero anúncio publicitário em livros didáticos de língua portuguesa do ensino médio

Portuguese language textbooks, according to what has been preconized on the official document to education, have been configured on discursive genres imported from diverse spheres of human activity. Adverts, genre of ample social circulation, spread from the Advertising sphere to the schools and started being approached by these collectaneas as an object and a tool for teaching. Therefore, this research deals with the approach of ads in Portugese textbooks. These discursive practices matter for the impact or appeal they exert over the (new) consumers, among which High School students; for their representation in the capitalist system, which guides us on our relationships and social practices; and for the mix of languages that end up at their composition, once they encapsulate the spirit of our time, par excellence, the one from the verbal-visual genres. To understand the treatment given to these advertising pieces, from questions/commentaries related to them, two collections were selected by the Programa Nacional do Livro Didático – Textbook National Program (PNLD 2012) among the ones more used by public High Schools in Natal/RN. From Applied Linguistics, from mestizo, nomadic and inter/transdisciplinary identity (MOITA LOPES, 2009), this study falls within the discursive chain of the interpretive tradition of historical-cultural approach (FREITAS, 2010) and names the Bakhtin Circle and its language‟s dialogical conception as inescapable partners. The data of the colletaneas show that the genre approach can happen as concrete utterance, as linguistic artifact and as hybrid, at work with questions and without questions, with the predominance of its occurrence in the portion of the volume devoted to the study of grammar. In the literature chapters and production/interpretation of compositions, it insert is incipient or it doesn‟t happen in the volume. Such a provision has implications for multiliteracies (ROJO, 2012) of the citizen student, once the lack or the abundance of critical reading proposals for this genre, that demand from the student the exercise of knowledge that is necessary to the construction of linguistic and social meanings, can be responsible for guide to a more conscious consumerism (material and cultural) by the chief customers of the work under review. The approaches of the genres seems to indicate a gradual transition that such material have undergone, which means, from the focus on clauses to the focus on utterances, or even the approach as linguistic artifact to hybrid and the concrete utterance, in search of overcoming the traditional tendency of taking advantage of formal aspects of the language, to the detriment of enunciative ones, and for coming into harmony with the guidelines and parameters of teaching in contemporary times, bringing the school duties close to the rights in life.

Papel do município e relações federativas: atuação de municípios cearenses nas políticas de formação continuada de alfabetizadores

The investigation analyze s the role of the municipalities in the ongoing development of literacy teachers, having as a field of study the municipalities of Jaguaruana and Palhano, both in the State of Ceará. The political - educational space adopted as a sample of the study is the p eriod between the years 2003 and 2006, when the emphasis on cooperative action among the federated entities is observed in the Government’s guidelines and Brazilian educational policies, showing the municipal presence in the implementation and execution of these policies. T he historical - dialectical materialistic perspective, understood as an analysis of the social reality as historical elaboration and product of the human praxis, is expressed as the required theoretical - methodological path. The investigatio n is operationalized through interconnected stages: one that involves bibliographical and documental analysis, in which the theoretical input of the research is added, as well as the Federal, State and M unicipal documents accessed ; and another, regarding t he field work, studying the specific character of the object and its mutual rela tionships in the municipalities . The research brings the notion of intergovernmental relationships and cooperative mechanisms as central theoretical tools and, dialoguing with them, ideas such as decentralization, municipalization and municipal autonomy are inserted into a theoretical/practical body, through which the historical and logical aspects of the object are detailed. The study describes and interprets the policies of on going development of literacy teachers with focus on the national guidelines formulated since the 1990’s and on the govern mental incorporation in the national and subnational spaces. In this sense, the analysis is based on the comprehension of the interrel ationship between the municipal policies and the p olicies created by the S tate or Federal G overnments in order to offer ongoing development of literacy teachers. Considering the investigated sample, it shows how the municipal role and the relationships bet ween the State and municipalities of Ceará have emerged, as well as their characteristics regarding the education management policies, taking into account the practices of municipalization and cooperation between the State and municipalities in their histo rical composition. It shows the practices which aim at the ongoing development of literacy teachers observed in the researched municipalities, pointing out the realities and specific marks left by municipal presence in the area, demonstrating the assigned role and the role played. Based on the points of view of the managers interviewed in the municipalities of Jaguaruana e Palhano, it is possible to note the meaning and effectiveness of the policies carried out. With such elements, it discusses the municipa l asymmetries in their homogeneities and heterogeneities rega rding the execution of their federative role. The analysis shows that th e role of the municipalities vary according to the historical, political and social interventions in each municipality. In the fields of formulation and execution of educational policies, the actions of the municipal governments, situated and with expressive interferences, reveal asymmetries in the sense that some municipalities have bigger autonomy and participate more effect ively in the production and distribution of policies than others. In terms of the researched realities, the study shows that taking care of the policies of ongoing development of literacy teachers is not a task that should be assigned exclusively to the mu nicipalities, nonetheless it is a role that they play with varying degrees of success. This role is in fact a joint competence of the federated entities, in the scope the Brazilian cooperative federalism.

“Eu quero ver se a justiça vai funcionar mesmo”: a resolubilidade dos casos de abuso sexual contra crianças e adolescentes no município de Natal/RN

This study presents the issue of Children and Youth sexual violence from a critical eye in assessing the actions of the organs of defense and protection in cases of sexual abuse against children and adolescents in the city of Natal / RN. We aimed to perform this evaluation from the investigation of 05 cases of child and adolescent victims of sexual abuse that were answered by Precinct Specializing in Defense of Children and Adolescents (DCA), considering the service flow of cases, the articulation between the organs that make up System Warranty rights (SGD), the record of the complaint, as well as the elapsed time between the record of the complaint and the accountability of the offender. Thus, the present study consists in an analysis from the quantitative and qualitative theoretical-methodological approach assuming 'sexual violence in their social, historical, cultural, legal and economic dimensions. The route established between the knowledge about the object and the method of analysis involved: literature about the conceptual discussion on sexual violence, analyzing quantitative data provided by DCA, as well as semi-structured interviews with victims and those responsible for the professionals working in institutions of the defense agencies. Is apprehended in this study that the situations of violence against children is a multifaceted phenomenon that has expressions from ancient societies, assuming a peculiarity in contemporary society to consider the juvenile population as subjects of rights. Furthermore, it was possible to identify the lack of effectiveness, with respect to the actions of the organs of defense in intervention situations of sexual abuse now investigated as yet not actually configure a process of articulation between these bodies from the perspective of ensuring rights and break the cycle of violence.

Consórcio público regional de resíduos sólidos do Seridó/RN: perspectivas de um novo modelo de gestão

The problem of solid waste that involves the management, the management and the allocation of these is an issue that permeates all spheres of society, which denotes environmental implications that contribute to the discussion of the environmental crisis in progress. From this perspective, this study aims to investigate and understand the role that consortia, especially the Regional Public Waste Consortium Solid Seridó/RN have waste management, in order to observe their strengths and weaknesses in order to conclude whether they are an appropriate solution to the problem of solid waste. In studying a region that is undergoing a process of institutional organization guided in the solid waste, the focus turned into an interesting academic research point. Since this is a qualitative research, readings were taken of relevant authors to the object and the following legal frameworks, namely: the National Basic Sanitation Policy (Law nº 11.445/2007), the National Policy on Solid Waste (Law nº 12.305/2010 ) and the Law on Public Consortia (Law nº 11.107/2005). The consortium region has about 290.000 inhabitants, generated 40.000 tons of waste a year. As for the final disposal of waste, all municipalities in the region deposit their waste in the open, or in garbage dumps. In the analysis of the Consortium Seridó, a list of issues that are hindering their implementation has been identified. The demands come mainly from the political sphere, but also financial, technical and logistical. It is expected that with the realization of the Consortium by building its supporting structures (overfill Station and Landfill), a new model of solid waste management is implemented.

A (não) assunção da responsabilidade enunciativa em livros didáticos de língua portuguesa dos 4º e 5º anos

Portuguese textbook has been the focus of many investigations, nevertheless, the theme still has much to be discussed, reflected and broadened. This conviction mobilized us to perform this research, seeking to answer three questions: (1) how does the author of the textbook induce the student to give his opinion in comprehension questions of text in Portuguese textbook of 4th and 5thgrade? Which enunciative links are used by the author of the textbook in comprehension questions of text concerning to the assumption of enunciative responsability? And (3) Which enunciative links are used by the author of the textbook in comprehension questions of text concerning to the non assumption of enunciative responsability? In this direction, we define as objective to id entify, describe, analyze and interpret how the (non) assumption of enunciative responsibility materializes itself in Portuguese textbooks. The theme is echoed in the guidelines of the Parâmetros Curriculares Nacionais PCN (1998; 2001), who assume that all education committed to citizenship need to create conditions in order the student can develop his discursive competence" (BRAZIL, 1998, p. 23). This assertion of PCN (1998; 2001) is closely related to our research object, and therefore, it has corroborated to the accomplishment of this study. So, we analyze the comprehension questions of the texts that are elaborated by the authors of Portuguese textbooks of the 4th and 5th grade, used at public schools in the city of Natal-RN in 2010. As a theoretical basis, we have considered the postulates of Textual Analysis of Discourses ATD and Enunciative Linguistics. Our research was mainly based on the studies of Adam (2011), Nølke (1994; 2001; 2006; 2009; 2013), Nølke, Fløttum e Norén (2004) Rabatel (2004; 2005; 2008; 2009), Guentchéva (1994; 1996). Our data analysis revealed that the authors of Portuguese textbooks explore the reading comprehension, inducing students to answer questions that may be categorized like: (1) induction to the assumption of enunciative responsibility, (2) induction for non assumption the enunciative responsibility, (3) orientation for the study of vocabulary and grammar and (4) orientation of extra themes. The results from the comparison of the books of 4th and 5th grade of the two analyzed collections, we observed through the links of (non) responsability Nølke (1994; 2001; 2006; 2009; 2013), Nølke, Fløttum e Norén (2004), which in 79% of the questions, the authors induce the decoding of a content objectively inscribed in the text. In this sense, the notion of understanding a text is compromised, since it is limited to copying contents or transcription exercises, failing to consider the interactive use of language, or rather, failing to expand the student's knowledge in the (re)construction of the text of the meanings. This shows that there is a lack in the deal with the text that includes the textual discursive resources in the reading activities in Portuguese textbooks. We recall, in this direction, the works of Marcuschi (2005), Antunes (2003, 2005), and Bunzen Rojo (2008), among others authors who contributed greatly to orient the choice of Portuguese textbooks. Finally, we believe that the study about the enunciative responsibility phenomenon in Portuguese texto oks offers, above all, instruments in order to the interlocutors identify the elements present in the enunciation and the effects that these elements bring to the (re) construction of the meanings in texts that they read and write in the classroom.

A oralidade no ensino de Língua Portuguesa em livros didáticos para educação de jovens e adultos (EJA): reflexões e proposições

This work appears as a reflection on the oral modality of the language in the teaching of Portuguese Language from textbooks proposed for the elementary school. It has as main aim to analyze the textbooks for the Youth and Adult Education - EJA (6th and 7th grade), the collection "It is time to learn", specifically in regard to educational activities focusing on oral proposals in their constituent units. It is a process of reflection with a view to submitting suggestions arising from the discussions held, given the fact that the writing mode has been identified by some scholars, between these Marcuschi (2005), as the most privileged in the classroom and in most manuals that guide the teaching of Portuguese Language. In this work, we start from a broader vision from the principles of dialogic pedagogy by Paulo Freire perspectives towards pedagogical practices that favor the development of linguistic and discursive student skills. In this sense, we emphasize the formation of a critical subject, who can argue and defend points of view, using oral or written language, in various social situations. In this view, this paper set up aims to identify, describe and interpret the activities proposed to the oral modality of Portuguese Language, from interactional theoretical bases, based on authors as Marcuschi (2005, 2010), Fávero, Andrade and Aquino (1999) Schneuwly and Dolz (2004), Antunes (2009), among others. In addition, the objective was to suggest other educational activities, as a way of expanding the existing ones, in order that addressed more efficiently, to aspects of orality been proposed and aspects of formal oral genres. Methodologically, it is a qualitative research, in which, from the teaching materials used in the classroom, there was a reflection on the orality and the oral teaching of the Portuguese language and has been proposed an expansion of activities one oral mode. In this reflection, analysis of the results revealed that the books investigated, used in Portuguese classes in EJA, include in their proposals orality as an object and teaching axis. However, we appoint the need to expand the teaching proposals with the existing activities in order to give greater emphasis to important aspects of orality already prioritized, and also to address to the formal public genres. In seeking to make suggestions and educational proposals that integrate with existing, we postulated the most effective development for oral skills for the EJA student, in Freire's perspective, as also we thought in a way to provide subsidies which could guide teachers of the Portuguese Language area at the fundamental level of education.

Estratégia de navegação com planejamento dinâmico e algoritmo genético aplicada a robôs móveis terrestres

This work proposes a new autonomous navigation strategy assisted by genetic algorithm with dynamic planning for terrestrial mobile robots, called DPNA-GA (Dynamic Planning Navigation Algorithm optimized with Genetic Algorithm). The strategy was applied in environments - both static and dynamic - in which the location and shape of the obstacles is not known in advance. In each shift event, a control algorithm minimizes the distance between the robot and the object and maximizes the distance from the obstacles, rescheduling the route. Using a spatial location sensor and a set of distance sensors, the proposed navigation strategy is able to dynamically plan optimal collision-free paths. Simulations performed in different environments demonstrated that the technique provides a high degree of flexibility and robustness. For this, there were applied several variations of genetic parameters such as: crossing rate, population size, among others. Finally, the simulation results successfully demonstrate the effectiveness and robustness of DPNA-GA technique, validating it for real applications in terrestrial mobile robots.