Inferring population history with DIY ABC: a user-friendly approach to approximate Bayesian computation

Genetic data obtained on population samples convey information about their evolutionary history. Inference methods can extract part of this information but they require sophisticated statistical techniques that have been made available to the biologist community (through computer programs) only for simple and standard situations typically involving a small number of samples. We propose here a computer program (DIY ABC) for inference based on approximate Bayesian computation (ABC), in which scenarios can be customized by the user to fit many complex situations involving any number of populations and samples. Such scenarios involve any combination of population divergences, admixtures and population size changes. DIY ABC can be used to compare competing scenarios, estimate parameters for one or more scenarios and compute bias and precision measures for a given scenario and known values of parameters (the current version applies to unlinked microsatellite data). This article describes key methods used in the program and provides its main features. The analysis of one simulated and one real dataset, both with complex evolutionary scenarios, illustrates the main possibilities of DIY ABC.

History education in comprehensive schools: using school level data to interpret national patterns

This paper reports the findings from two large scale national on-line surveys carried out in 2009 and 2010, which explored the state of history teaching in English secondary schools. Large variation in provision was identified within comprehensive schools in response to national policy decisions and initiatives. Using the data from the surveys and school level data that is publicly available, this study examines situated factors, particularly the nature of the school intake, the numbers of pupils with special educational needs and the socio-economic status of the area surrounding the school, and the impact these have on the provision of history education. The findings show that there is a growing divide between those students that have access to the ‘powerful knowledge’, provided by subjects like history, and those that do not.

‘Purpose’ as a way of helping white trainee history teachers engage with diversity issues

Based on a three year action research project, this study examines one strand of that research, namely the impact that ‘purpose’, i.e. exploring the range of rationales for studying a subject, has in helping white trainee teachers embrace cultural and ethnic diversity within their teaching. Through ‘purpose’ trainees explored different reasons why history should be taught (and by implication what content should be taught and how it should be taught) and the relationship of these reasons to diversity. Focusing on ‘purpose’ appears to have a positive impact on many trainees from white, mono-ethnic backgrounds, enabling them to bring diversity into the school curriculum, in this case history teaching. It offers one way to counter concerns about issues of ‘whiteness’ in the teaching profession and by teaching a more relevant curriculum has a potential positive impact on the achievement of students from minority ethnic backgrounds.

The place of diversity within history and the challenge of policy and curriculum

This article is a position paper which examines the political and public discourse around the areas of diversity and social cohesion, and history teaching. It examines the nature of these discourses and shows how they are in tension. Although discourse around diversity often has a focus on mutual understanding and finding areas of commonality, the discourse around history often focuses on the need to provide a sense of identity through a national story. By focusing on a discussion about the purposes of history, rather than merely on debates about content, it is suggested that these discourses can be brought more closely into line and produce a more productive line of policy debate.

Historielärares historier : Ämnesbiografi och ämnesförståelse hos gymnasielärare i historia

The overall aim of this study is to analyse history teachers’ understanding of the school subject history. The aim have also been to uncover what factors the history teachers say have affected their understanding of the school subject. Based on survey and interview methods, the question that this study deals with is: in the light of which general understanding of the school subject history, do the teachers make didactic choices on a daily basis? The first theme is biographical. The teachers’ life-history is taken into consideration and several factors in the teachers’ background and the school environment have been identified. It also seems as if the teachers’ understanding of the school subject goes from an elementary and searching approach to one that is more complex and convinced. The second theme is a more structural approach. The results shows three major orientations among the teachers’ general understanding namely, educational (bildung) orientation, critical orientation and identity orientation. Even though a main orientation can be seen among the teachers, an important result is also that the orientation is overall complex. At the most general level some patterns can be seen. First the connection between the teachers’ biography and their general understanding of the school subject. In the understanding of the school subject, it is also notable that teachers relate in different ways to history as science, history as identity and history from an ideological viewpoint. It is also possible to note some signs of change in the school subject history that follows a lager historiographical context.

Popular history magazines and history education

This paper argues that popular history magazines may be a welcome complement toother forms of historical media in history teaching. By outlining a theoretical framework thatcaptures uses of history, the paper analyses popular history magazine articles from five Europeancountries all dealing with the outbreak of World War I. The study finds that while the studiedarticles provide a rather heterogeneous view of the causes of the Great War, they can be used todiscuss and analyse the importance of perspective in history, thus offering an opportunity tofurther a more disciplinary historical understanding.

English as a Second Language and Children’s literature : An empirical study on Swedish elementary school teachers’ methods and attitudes towards the use of children’s literature in the English classroom

Previous research has shown multiple benefits and challenges with the incorporation of children’s literature in the English as a Second language (ESL) classroom. In addition, the use of children’s literature in the lower elementary English classroom is recommended by the Swedish National Agency for Education. Consequently, the current study explores how teachers in Swedish elementary school teach ESL through children’s literature. This empirical study involves English teachers from seven schools in a small municipality in Sweden. The data has been collected through an Internet survey. The study also connects the results to previous international research, comparing Swedish and international research. The results suggest that even though there are many benefits of using children’s literature in the ESL classroom, the respondents seldom use these authentic texts, due to limited time and a narrow supply of literature, among other factors. However, despite these challenges, all of the teachers claim to use children’s literature by reading aloud in the classroom. Based on the results, further research exploring pupils’ thoughts in contrast to teachers would be beneficial. In addition, the majority of the participants expressed that they wanted more information on how to use children’s literature. Therefore, additional research relating to beneficial methods of teaching English through children’s literature, especially in Sweden, is recommended.

Authentic Texts in English Language Teaching : An empirical study on the use of and attitudes towards authentic texts in the Swedish EFL upper elementary classroom

International assessments indicate that Swedish students achieve high results in reading, writing and understanding English. However, this does not mean that the students display oral proficiency, despite an emphasis on functional and communicative language skills in the current English Syllabus. While a previous literature study by this researcher has shown that authentic texts are a way to increase these skills, most of the results shown are from an international viewpoint. Thus an empirical study was conducted within Sweden with the aim to examine the use of authentic texts in the Swedish EFL upper elementary classroom. Twelve teachers have answered a questionnaire on how they use authentic texts in their language teaching, as well as their opinions about these as a teaching tool. Additionally, 37 students have answered a questionnaire on their attitudes about authentic texts. Results indicate that all of the teachers surveyed see authentic texts as an effective way to increase students’ communicative competence and English language skills; however, only a few use them with any frequency in language teaching. Furthermore, this seems to affect the students’ attitudes, since many say that they read authentic texts in their free time, but prefer to learn English out of a textbook at school. These findings are based on a small area of Sweden. Therefore, further research is needed to learn if these opinions hold true for the entire country or vary dependent upon region or other factors not taken into consideration in this study.

Adelle de Oliveira: trajetória de vida e prática Pedagógica (1900-1940)

This work analyses pedagogical practices of Adelle Sobral de Oliveira, from 1900 to 1940, in order to notice how her performance as educator and administrator took place in Externato Angelo Varela in the Rio Grande do Norte city of Ceará-Mirim within a time in which the public teaching started to be considered modern in the State. Adelle was a self learner who developed an important role as a mentality mentor of a generation in the region. As the research corpus we have taken the five Reading Books written by Felisberto de Carvalho used by Adelle in her Externato, interviews with her ex-students and researches in the newspapers of her time, in the Public Archives and in the Historical and Geographic Institute of Rio Grande do Norte, and also in the governors messages, Education Department documents such as laws, and government decrees and acts. It was also taken as a research font the Publich Archives of Ceará-Mirim. The aim of this PhD thesis is understand the primary instruction spreading and modernization in the countryside of Rio Grande do Norte, which began with her teaching pedagogical practices. The research results show Adele Oliveira used practical and experimental modern methodological teaching methods in the subjects she taught. Due to this, in her scholar routine, she avoided physical punishment and mechanical teaching and learning strategies

O verbo to get e o ensino de inglês

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

A série Na Roça, de Renato S. Fleury, na história do ensino da leitura no Brasil

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

A escola primária rural em Mato Grosso no período republicano (1889-1942)

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

A formação inicial de professores e a educação inclusiva: analisando as propostas de formação dos cursos de licenciatura da UFPA

Este estudo teve por objetivo analisar as novas propostas de formação de professores desenvolvidas pelos cursos de licenciatura da UFPA/campus do Guamá, elaboradas no contexto da vigência das políticas de educação inclusiva e legislações delas decorrentes, adotadas pelo Estado brasileiro. Para tanto, busquei nos documentos oficiais concatenandoos aos referenciais teóricos sobre inclusão e formação de professores indicadores que se colocassem como lentes para ler os projetos políticos pedagógicos dos cursos de licenciatura reformulados pós ou concomitante a elaboração das DCN para a Formação de Professores da Educação Básica e perceber se esses cursos atenderam às prescrições e orientações oficiais no que se refere ao trato com a diversidade. A superação da formação conteudista, a re-significação das disciplinas pedagógicas e a inclusão de conteúdos ou disciplinas referentes à educação de pessoas com necessidades educacionais especiais nos currículos dos cursos de formação foram os indicadores encontrados nas políticas educacionais que poderiam se configurar como indícios de que as novas propostas de formação dos cursos de licenciatura da UFPA preparam os futuros professores da educação básica para trabalhar em escolas inclusivas. Na análise dos projetos identifiquei que os sete cursos pesquisados Geografia, História, Letras, Química, Biologia, Matemática e Educação Física atenderam às duas primeiras prescrições. No entanto, no que se refere a inclusão de conteúdos sobre às pessoas com NEE os caminhos seguidos foram diferentes: Geografia e Educação Física incluíram disciplinas; Letras, Biologia e História incluíram conteúdos; Matemática e Química não atenderam a essa prescrição. A partir desses dados busquei por meio da entrevista semi-estruturada analisar os argumentos que os cursos utilizaram para justificar as suas decisões, estas foram desenvolvidas apenas com os cursos de Letras, Química e Educação Física. As entrevistas possibilitaram-me perceber que a inclusão não foi um princípio que orientou o processo de reestruturação curricular e que, apesar de presente enquanto conteúdo ou disciplina na maioria dos currículos, não tem orientado o processo de formação. A presença ausente da inclusão, em grande parte dos cursos de formação da UFPA demonstra que esta aparece em seus PPP apenas como cumprimento às prescrições oficiais.

Prefiro aprender do que decorar : a cultura audiovisual e a crítica dos alunos à realidade escolar

The present work aims to bring up a discussion around the viability of traditional teaching methods in a world predominantly technological and imagetic. A project conducted in the discipline of history, in a state school through the Núcleo de Ensino (Center for Teaching) UNESP Marília, we applied questionnaires that aimed to map aspects of the visual culture of the students, and their perception of everyday reality in school. Using the SPSS software, the issues of quantitative trait were analyzed, providing a critique of the teaching methods used by teachers, whereas the use of images has been revealed as a proposal capable of stimulating an education based on interaction and dialogue, approaching the socio-cultural reality of learners.