Produção de biodigestor e horta orgânica como elemento integrador entre escola e comunidade

Pós-graduação em Docência para a Educação Básica - FC

Scientific metaphors in the journalistic discourse

Scientific education and divulgation not only amplify people's vocabulary and repertory of scientific concepts but, at the same time, promote the diffusion of certain conceptual and cognitive metaphors. Here we describe this process and propose a classification in terms of visible, invisible, basic and derived metaphors. We focus our attention on physical metaphors applied to psychological and socio-economical phenomena, by studying two exemplar cases through an exhaustive exam of the online content of large Brazilian journalistic portals. Finally, we present implications and suggestions from Lakiff and Johnson's cognitive metaphor theory for the scientific education and divulgation process.

Introducing education for sustainable development in the undergraduate laboratory: quantitative analysis of bioethanol fuel and its blends with gasoline by using solvatochromic dyes

The concept of Education for Sustainable Development, ESD, has been introduced in a period where chemistry education is undergoing a major change, both in emphasis and methods of teaching. Studying an everyday problem, with an important socio-economic impact in the laboratory is a part of this approach. Presently, the students in many countries go to school in vehicles that run, at least partially, on biofuels; it is high time to let them test these fuels. The use of renewable fuels is not new: since 1931 the gasoline sold in Brazil contains 20 to 25 vol-% of bioethanol; this composition is being continually monitored. With ESD in mind, we have employed a constructivist approach in an undergraduate course, where UV-vis spectroscopy has been employed for the determination of the composition of two fuel blends, namely, bioethanol/water, and bioethanol/gasoline. The activities started by giving a three-part quiz. The first and second ones introduced the students to historical and practical aspects of the theme (biofuels). In the third part, we asked them to develop a UV-vis experiment for the determination of the composition of fuel blends. They have tested two approaches: (i) use of a solvatochromic dye, followed by determination of fuel composition from plots of the empirical fuel polarity versus its composition; (ii) use of an ethanol-soluble dye, followed by determination of the blend composition from a Beer's law plot; the former proved to be much more convenient. Their evaluation of the experiment was highly positive, because of the relevance of the problem; the (constructivist) approach employed, and the bright colors that the solvatochromic dye acquire in these fuel blends. Thus ESD can be fruitfully employed in order to motivate the students; make the laboratory "fun", and teach them theory (solvation). The experiments reported here can also be given to undergraduate students whose major is not chemistry (engineering, pharmacy, biology, etc.). They are low-cost and safe to be introduced at high-school level.

Análise de vizinhança: uma nova abordagem para avaliar a rede proposicional de mapas conceituais*

A análise detalhada de Mapas Conceituais (MCs) pode revelar informações latentes que não são percebidas a partir da mera leitura do seu conjunto de proposições. O presente trabalho tem como objetivo propor a Análise de Vizinhança (AViz) como uma forma inovadora de avaliar os MCs obtidos em sala de aula. A seleção de um Conceito Obrigatório (CO) permite ao professor verificar como os alunos o relacionam com outros conceitos, os quais são classificados como Conceitos Vizinhos (CVs). As proposições estabelecidas entre o CO e os CVs são suficientes para indicar o nível de compreensão do aluno sobre o tema mapeado. MCs (n = 69) sobre mudanças climáticas formam o primeiro conjunto de dados empíricos que ratifica o potencial da AViz. O CO selecionado foi dispersão, a fim de avaliar se os alunos conseguem relacionar esse fenômeno físico com o caráter global desse problema ambiental. Os padrães identificados a partir da AViz sugerem que, apesar de serem submetidos a uma mesma sequência didática, nem todos os alunos conseguiram utilizar o CO de forma adequada. Isso pode ser explicado a partir da Teoria da Aprendizagem Significativa de David Ausubel, que destaca o papel fundamental dos conhecimentos prévios no processo de assimilação de novas informações.

Representations as tools of appropriation, creating meaning through activities.

Based on some constructs of the Activity Theory (Leontiev, 1978), we point to the need to develop activities that reveal the meaning of representations. We examine use of representations in teaching and propose some suggestions. Shaaron Ainsworth (1999) asserted that, in order to learn from engaging with multiple representations of scientific concepts, students need to be able to (a) understand the codes and signifiers in a representation, (b) understand the links between the representation and the target concept or process, (c) translate key features of the concept across representations and (d) know which features to emphasize in designing their own representations.

Improving learning by connecting chemistry curriculum to students' experiences

The purpose of the study was to design, implement, and assess the effects of a teaching unit about fuel sources and chemical energy on students’ learning. The unit was designed to incorporate students’ experiences in a way that was aligned with the Michigan High School Content Expectations. The study was completed with all of the students taking General Chemistry in a rural Michigan high school in the 2010-11 school year. There were 138 participants total. The participants were mostly Caucasian and the majority were in the 11th grade. Of these, 77 constituted the experimental group and were taught the unit. The additional 61 participants in the control group were given the posttest only. Data was derived from the results of pre/post tests, final assessment projects, and the researcher’s observations. A pretest that contained questions about the fuel sources was administered at the beginning of the unit. An identical posttest was administered at the completion of the unit. A final assessment project required students to choose the best fuel source for the area, and support their opinion with facts and data from their research or the learning activities and labs performed in class. The results of the study revealed that the teaching unit did produce significant learning gains in the experimental group. The results also indicated that the teaching unit added value to the current General Chemistry curriculum by expanding what students were learning. The instructional goals of the unit were aligned with the Michigan High School Content Expectations. The results also revealed that the students were able to learn to support their thinking and decisions with explanations based on the data and labs. These are essential science literacy skills. The study supported the view that connecting the required curriculum with students’ experiences and interests was effective, and that students can learn important science literacy skills, such as providing support for arguments and communicating scientific explanations, when given adequate teacher support.

Annual report of the Board of Education of the City and County of New York.

Description based on: 1849.

The teaching staff and postwar education in Red Wing /

Mode of access: Internet.

Practice teaching in the School of education, University of Illinois, 1893-1911,

At head of title: University of Illinois bulletin. vol.x, no. 8.

Annual report of the Board of Education.

1st-72nd include the annual report of the Secretary of the Board.

Annual report - Illinois State Board of Education.

Reports for <1975-> issued in loose-leaf form.

Policy manual : Board of Higher Education, State of Illinois.

Cover title.

State survey of home economics education : final report /

Mode of access: Internet.

Education pamphlets

A collection of miscellaneous pamphlets.

Report of the State Board of Education and State Superintendent of Public Instruction for the school year ending ...

Report year ends August 31.