Xarxa d’Innovació Docent sobre Aprenentatge per Projectes. Projecte “la cuina de l’Arguiñano”

L’objectiu d’aquest projecte, a banda de plantejar un aprenentatge directament relacionat amb l’entorn de l’alumne, tracta d’aconseguir que les assignatures i les disciplines autònomes perdin parcialment el seu caràcter i passin a formar part d’una unitat més global (Mallart, 1998). Per aconseguir això, els alumnes han de transformar un programa de cuina de l’Arguiñano en un programa de radio, amb la peculiaritat que en el programa de radio cal explicar quin son els secrets científics que s‘amaguen quan l’Arguiñano està cuinant en el programa. Aquest secrets científics estaran relacionats amb les diferents disciplines dels membres la xarxa i s’aplicarà el mètode d’aprenentatge basat en projectes (APP).

Xarxa d’Innovació Docent sobre avaluació. Innovacions en l’avaluació dels aprenentatges. Experiències des de la xarxa d’innovació docent sobre Avaluació

La Xarxa d’Innovació Docent d’Avaluació està formada per un grup de vuit professores i professors de diferents estudis i departaments de la UdG. És una xarxa formada el curs 2009/10 i té com a objectiu fonamental implementar innovacions a l’avaluació de les assignatures dels membres per tal de millorar-les. Els objectius de la present comunicació es poden resumir en: - Presentar els canvis en els sistema d’avaluació de 3 assignatures de membres de la Xarxa i l’anàlisi dels resultats obtinguts. - Plantejar els principals impactes en la docència fruit de la participació a la Xarxa d’Innovació Docent d’Avaluació dels diferents membres. - Plantejar la proposta de treball de la XID d’Avaluació pel curs 2011-2012.

Xarxa d'Innovació Docent sobre Aprenentatge Cooperatiu. Bones pràctiques sobre aprenentatge cooperatiu 2011.

Es presenten les línies mestres del treball de la Xarxa d’Innovació Docent sobre Aprenentatge Cooperatiu (XIDAC) de la UdG durant el curs 2010-2011.

Competencies Required in Education Research and Teaching Systematization according to Students from the Preschool, Primary and Secondary Education Programs of the University of Costa Rica

The purpose of this paper is to present the results of two online forums carried out with the participation of 42 students of the Licenciaturas  in Preschool Education, Primary Education and Secondary Education of the University of Costa Rica. The main purpose of the forums was to determine the insights of the participant students about the competencies they have achieved in the field of education research, and which have been the essential tools for them to systematize their own teaching practices. The discussion forums were part of the course FD5091 Métodos de Investigación Educativa [Education Research Methods] of the School of Teacher Education, delivered from March-April 2010.  Of the sample, 60 percent were students of the Preschool teaching program, 35 percent were from the Primary Education teaching program and 5 percent were from the Secondary Education teaching program in the fields of Science, Mathematics and Social Studies. According to the insights and beliefs showed by the participants –both, the future teachers and the profession practitioners–, there are no opportunities for research or systematization of their own teaching mediation, in the current work situation.(1) Translator’s Note: In Costa Rica, the “Licenciatura” is a one-year post-Bachelor study program, usually including thesis. “Primary Education” refers to students from the 1st to 6th grades, and “Secondary Education” refers to students from the 7th to 11th grades.

Competències interpersonals. Proposta formativa pels estudiants de primer grau d'educació.

La professió d’educador/a social exigeix un bon domini de les competències comunicatives, especialment la comunicació interpersonal, que constitueix la base de l’establiment de les relacions educatives. Essent una de les dimensions bàsiques del treball educatiu, el repte des de la formació està en com tractar-lo ja des del primer curs, tenint en compte que els estudiants no fan pràctiques externes fins al tercer curs. L’experiència que presentem se situa en el treball de la dimensió relacional-social durant el primer curs de Grau d’Educació social de al UdG, mitjançant l’acció tutorial. Els estudis de Grau d’Educació social tenen assignats a primer curs dues competències vinculades a la dimensió relacional: comunicar-se oralment i per escrit amb destresa i fluïdesa en la llengua de l’entorn professional, establir i mantenir relacions interpersonals, centrem la presentació d’aquesta experiència en el treball d’aquestes dues competències.

Instructor support for self-directed learning in higher education

This study addressed the problem of instructor support for self-directed learning, specifically, learner-directed program planning, within a classroom setting in higher education. A combination of survey, interview, document analysis, and observation was used to assess and evaluate the attitudes and practices of a sample of full-time faculty at an Ontario university. Eighty-seven percent of the study sample reported instructional beliefs, values, and expectations that were not supportive of self-directed learning, especially in terms of student participation in program planning. Planning was seen as the responsibility of the instructor. Instructors were least open to student participation in the planning of the evaluation of learning. However, there was considerable stated support for other of the basic principles of adult education. The remaining 13% of the study sample reported instructional beliefs, values, and expectations that were fully supportive of self-directed learning. Instructional practices were analyzed in relation to the instructors' stated beliefs. Although practices reflected, in many instances, instructors' statements of support, there were some significant discrepancies between apparent support for the concept of self-directed learning and actual classroom practice. Both beliefs and practice were compared to a research model of self-directed learning. Most instructors did not have a concept of self-directed learning as comprehensive as that described in the research model. Instructor support for self-directed learning was profoundly influenced by the university setting. It was concluded that more strenuous attempts to research, enhance, and promote instructional and institutional support for self-directed learning in higher education are warranted.

Introduction to engineering : a case study of an interdisciplinary course in Mathematics, Science and Technology

This thesis research was a qualitative case study of a single class of Interdisciplinary Studies: Introduction to Engineering taught in a secondary school. The study endeavoured to explore students' experiences in and perceptions of the course, and to investigate the viability of engineering as an interdisciplinary theme at the secondary school level. Data were collected in the form of student questionnaires, the researcher's observations and reflections, and artefacts representative of students' work. Data analysis was performed by coding textual data and classifying text segments into common themes. The themes that emerged from the data were aligned with facets of interdisciplinary study, including making connections, project-based learning, and student engagement and affective outcomes. The findings of the study showed that students were positive about their experiences in the course, and enjoyed its project-driven nature. Content from mathematics, physics, and technological design was easily integrated under the umbrella of engineering. Students felt that the opportunity to develop problem solving and teamwork skills were two of the most important aspects of the course and could be relevant not only for engineering, but for other disciplines or their day-to-day lives after secondary school. The study concluded that engineering education in secondary school can be a worthwhile experience for a variety of students and not just those intending postsecondary study in engineering. This has implications for the inclusion of engineering in the secondary school curriculum and can inform the practice of curriculum planners at the school, school board, and provincial levels. Suggested directions for further research include classroom-based action research in the areas of technological education, engineering education in secondary school, and interdisciplinary education.

The intersectorial approach in providing guidance and school support. The perspective of counsellors, tutors and principals

The provision of guidance and educational support requires joint work and the collaboration of different professionals and institutions, especially when we face complex problems that require a high level of specialization and the combination of knowledge from different areas. The research has aimed to examine the proximity of the institutional system of guidance and support to school in nine Autonomous Communities, to the intersectorial approach of counselling. We present the results of a descriptive study using the survey method, which allows knowing the opinions of counsellors, tutors and principals of Primary and Secondary Compulsory Education about the collaboration with the local public services (social, health, education, and employment) in the specialized support to students and schools. The final sample consisted of 9732 subjects who were selected from a random sampling proportional to the size of the subpopulations of each Autonomous Community. Results indicate how, in general terms, there is collaboration among the school and the local public services, although not as frequently as it would be desirable. In the same way, the professionals that were interviewed believe that the collaboration with social and educational services is quite adequate, but the assessment is not as positive when health and employment services are analysed. Finally, taking into account the different professionals considered, tutors from both educational stages are the ones that show a higher degree of satisfaction with the collaboration between the school and the local public services, except in the case of social services.

Introductory Indigenous Studies in Education : Reflection and the Importance of Knowing

Although the demand for pre-service teachers to be better informed about Indigenous issues in Australia has been broadly articulated, it is reasonably new for universities to make Indigenous studies a compulsory area of study, or to define what is meant by 'Indigenous education'. This book was motivated by the growing necessity for an approach to Indigenous education that would include more than just a summarising of Indigenous history and traditional culture. It is useful for anyone with an interest in challenging their ideas about culture, identity and history in Australia.

Narratives of Experience in Education: Living and Working Through Poverty in a Rural Community

In this study, I use my own experiences in education as a former elementary student, research assistant, and as a current secondary school teacher, to examine how living in a marginalised rural community challenged by poverty affected my formal education. The purpose of this study was to use stories to: (a) explore my formative elementary education growing up in a community that was experiencing poverty, and; (b) to examine the impact and implications of these experiences for me as a teacher and researcher considering the topic of poverty and education. This study used narrative inquiry to explore stories of education, focusing on experiences living and working in a rural community. My role in the study was both as participant and researcher as I investigate, through story, how I was raised in a marginalised, rural community faced with challenges of poverty and how I relate to my current role as a teacher working in a similar, rural high school. My own experiences and reflections form the basis of the study, but I used the contributions of secondary participants to offer alternative perspective of my interpretation of events. Participants in this study were asked to write about and/or retell their lived stories of working in areas affected by challenging circumstances. From my stories and those of secondary participants, three themes were explored: student authorship, teaching practice, and community involvement. An examination of these themes through commonplaces of place, sociality and time (Connelly and Clandinin, 2006) provide a context for other educators and researchers to consider or reconsider teaching practices in school communities affected by poverty.