Formar leitores no ensino básico: a mais-valia da implementação de um clube de leitura

Não nascemos leitores, nem tão pouco não leitores. Tornamo-nos leitores ou não, em função das experiências motivadoras ou das experiências desmotivadoras que vivemos, ao longo da nossa vida. Este artigo apresenta uma experiência de promoção leitora através da actividade do clube de leitura. Esta actividade foi realizada entre os anos de 2007-2008, com uma metodologia de investigação-acção, tendo sido implementada em quatro turmas do 1.º Ciclo do Ensino Básico e duas do 2.º Ciclo do Ensino Básico, representativas do universo de um agrupamento de escolas. Pretendia-se constatar em que medida os clubes de leitura potenciavam o desenvolvimento da competência literária e da literacia dos alunos envolvidos. Os resultados obtidos indicaram que o clube de leitura permitiu um contacto mais dinâmico dos alunos com obras de literatura infantil e juvenil, potenciando a fruição leitora, a competência literária e um incremento nas actividades de natureza literácica

Hipertextos fragmentados: Una propuesta para trabajar la competencia lectoliteraria en la formación inicial de docentes

El canon para la formación literaria y la educación literaria en primaria son algunos de los contenidos principales de la asignatura 'Didáctica de la literatura infantil y juvenil" que se imparte en el grado de Educación Primaria de la Universitat de Barcelona. La propuesta de innovación educativa que presentamos consiste en el diseño e implementación de una secuencia formativa dirigida a estos alumnos para ampliar el intertexto lector mediante la lectura y análisis de un corpus de minificciones hipertextuales (Zavala, 2007; Landow, 2009) relacionadas con la literatura de base folklórica y de autor del canon de educación primaria de primeras lenguas. El corpus elegido pertenece al libro Catàleg de monstres (2012) de Masó, minificciones que apelan a la intertextualidad mediante la combinación de múltiples recursos literarios. Palabras clave: Formación inicial de maestros, competencia lectoliteraria, minificción, literatura infantil y juvenil. ENGLISH SUMMARY Fragmented Hypertexts: a proposal to develop literacy competence in initial teacher training Literary canon for primary children and literature education are some of the main contents of the subject 'Teaching of Children's Literature' taught in the Primary Education degree at the University of Barcelona. The proposed educational innovation we present is the design of a teaching sequence targeted to these students to expand their reader intertextuality by reading and analysing hypertext mini fictions (Zavala, 2007; Landow, 2009) related to basic folk literature from the primary school literary canon. The corpus chosen is from the book Catàleg de monstres (2012), written by Masó, selected mini fictions constantly appealing to intertextuality through the combination of multiple literarcy resources. Key words: Folk literature, teacher training of primary education, hypertext mini fictions, literary competence.

Taller de Escritura Creativa para el desarrollo de la Competencia Literaria en Brasil

Este artículo describe una propuesta de innovación docente basada en la corriente educativa de la Educación para el Desarrollo, así como la mejora de Competencia Comunicativa en L2 y de las Competencias Literarias e Interculturales por medio de un taller diseñado para tal fin. El propósito de este artículo es doble: por un lado mostrar las posibilidades que ofrece el Taller de Escritura e Ilustración Creativa para el desarrollo de las Competencias Literaria, Intercultural y Comunicativa en L2. Se muestra cómo el taller cumple con las directrices marcadas por la Educación para el Desarrollo que se describe en el marco teórico. El segundo objetivo es narrar cómo se han organizado, coordinado e implementado el Taller de Escritura e Ilustración Creativa en la Universidade Federal do Amazonas en Manaos (Brasil), basándose en la metodología del aprendizaje basado en tareas, y cómo se ha conseguido (i) promover la creación de puentes para la consolidación de las relaciones bilaterales entre universidades; (ii) motivar la colaboración científica con los centros brasileños que cuentan con un departamento de español, y (iii) emplear y crear herramientas que permitan incluir la Educación para el Desarrollo.

“Gostei deste livro, porque...” Desenvolvimento da competência literária no 3.º ano de escolaridade

Relatório de estágio apresentado à Escola Superior de Educação de Lisboa para obtenção do grau de mestre em Ensino do 1.º e 2.º Ciclos do Ensino Básico

Literary translation and quality assessment analysis – its significance in translation training

This paper aims to highlight the role of translation quality assessment in translation training so as to develop students’ translation competence and skills to face translation problems. An analysis to assess literary translation quality is proposed before proceeding to discuss its pedagogical implementation.

Representations of cultural encounters in the global business press – The importance of cross-cultural competence

This qualitative study has started from the interest to examine how the reality of crosscultural encounters is presented in the global business press. The research paper emphasizes different ways to classify culture and cross-cultural competency, both from the point of view of individuals and organizations. The analysis consists of public discourses, where cross-cultural realities are created through different persons, stories and contexts For data collection, a comprehensive database search was performed and 10 articles from the widely known worldwide business magazine The Financial Times were chosen as the data for the study paper. For the functions of addressing the research study questions, Thematic Content Analysis (TCA) and also Discourse Analysis (DA) are utilized, added with the continuous comparison method of grounded theory in the formation of the data.The academic references consist of literary works and articles presenting relevant concepts, creating a cross-cultural framework, and it is designed to assist the reader in the navigation through the topics of culture and cross-cultural competency. The repertoires were formed from the data and following, the first repertoire is contrast difference between home and target culture that the individual was able to discern. As a consequence of the first repertoire, the companies then offer cultural training to their employees to prepare them to situations of increasing levels of cultural variation. The third repertoire is increased awareness of other cultures, which is conveyed as a result of cultural training and contextual work experience. The fourth repertoire is globalization as an international business environment, where the people in the articles perform their job functions. It is stated in the conclusions that the representations emphasize Western values and personal traits in leadership.

Comics as a literary-didactic method and their use for reducing gender differences in reading literacy at the primary level of education

The aim of the present study was to examine the effect of the systematic use of comics as a literary-didactic method to reduce gender differences in reading literacy and reading motivation at the primary level of education. It was assumed that the use of comics would have a positive effect on pupils’ reading literacy and reading motivation, while also reducing the aforementioned differences between boys and girls. The dimensions of reading literacy and reading motivation were examined in experimental and control groups, before and after the intervention, by means of questionnaires and tests for pupils. The sample consisted of 143 pupils from second to fifth grade from two Slovenian primary schools in a rural environment, of which 73 pupils participated in the experimental group and 70 pupils represented the control group. Effects of the use of comics as a literary-didactic method were not found: using comics as a literary-didactic method did not have a statistically significant effect on pupils’ reading literacy and reading motivation. However, when the four-way structure of the research (taking into account the age and gender of the pupils) was considered, some subgroups showed a statistically significant increase in reading interest and attitude towards reading. No reduction of gender differences in reading literacy and reading motivation was found. Based on the results, guidelines for further research are established and suggestions are offered for teachers’ work. (DIPF/Orig.)

A literary approach to teaching english language in a multicultural classroom

Literature is not generally considered as a coherent branch of the curriculum in relation to language development in either native or foreign language teaching. As teachers of English in multicultural Indian classrooms, we come across students with varying degrees of competence in English language learning. Although language learning is a natural process for natives, students of other languages put in colossal efforts to learn it. Despite their sincere efforts, they face challenges regarding pronunciation, spelling, and vocabulary. Indian classrooms are a microcosm of the larger society, so teaching English language in a manner that equips the students to face the cutthroat competition has become a necessity and a challenge for English language teachers. English today has become the key determinant for being successful in their careers. The hackneyed and stereotypical methods of teaching are not acceptable now. Teachers are no longer arbitrary dispensers of knowledge, but they are playing the role of a guide and facilitator for the students. Teachers of English are using innovative ideas to make English language teaching and learning interesting and simple. Teachers have started using literary texts and their analyses to explore and ignite the imagination and creative skills of the students. One needs to think and rethink the contribution of literature to intelligent thinking as well as its role in the process of teaching/learning. This article is, therefore, an attempt at exploring the nature of the literary experience in the present-day classrooms and the broader role of literature in life.

Vectorial Competence of Larvae and Adults of Alphitobius diaperinus in the Transmission of Salmonella Enteritidis in Poultry

Introduction: The ingestion of food products originating from poultry infected with Salmonella spp. is one of the major causes of food poisoning in humans. The control of poultry salmonellosis is particularly difficult since birds are asymptomatic and numerous factors may expedite the maintenance of bacteria in poultry production facilities. Objective: The aim of the study was to determine the vectorial capacity of adults and larvae of Alphitobius diaperinus (Coleoptera: Tenebrionidae) in the experimental transmission of Salmonella Enteritidis phage type 4 to 1-day-old specific pathogen-free White Leghorn chicks. Methods: Adult insects and larvae were starved for 1 day, fed for 24 h or 7 days on sterile ration that had been treated with Salmonella Enteritidis phage type 4, and the levels of bacterial infection were determined. Infected adult insects and larvae were fed to groups of day-old chicks, after which bacteria were recovered from cecum, liver, and spleen samples over a 7-day period. Results: Infected larvae were more efficient than adult insects in transmitting Salmonella Enteritidis to chicks. Higher concentrations of bacteria could be reisolated from the cecum, liver, and spleen of chicks that had ingested infected larvae compared with those that had ingested infected adults. Conclusions: The control of A. diaperinus, and particularly of the larvae, represents a critical factor in the reduction of Salmonella spp. in poultry farms.

Effect of Hormonal Supplementation Periods and In Vitro Maturation Media on Developmental Competence of Pig Oocytes

Background: The oocyte ability to undergo successful fertilization, cleavage and embryonic development depends on meiotic maturation and developmental competence acquisition. In vitro maturation (IVM) protocols currently use eCG, hCG or a combination of both, the effect of these gonadotrophins during IVM and subsequent embryonic development is still controversial. Several media have been used for IVM of porcine oocytes: TCM199, Whitten's and NCSU23 have also been shown to support pig oocyte IVM. This study was designed to determine the effect of hormonal supplementation period and maturation media during in vitro maturation of pig oocytes (1) and subsequent embryonic development (2). Materials, Methods & Results: Oocytes with intact cumulus oophurus layers and homogeneous cytoplasm were collected from prebubertal gilts. IVM was subjected in NCSU23, TCM199 or Whitten's media supplemented with 10 IU/mL eCG and 10 IU/mL hCG for the first 24 or 48 h of IVM. In each replicate the oocytes were fixed every 4 h from 32 to 48 h IVM or the past 48 h after IVM, oocytes were fertilized in vitro in mTBM medium for six hours and cultured in NCSU23 medium for nine days. Cleavage, blastocyst and hatching rates were evaluated at 48 h (day 2), 168 h (day 7) and 216 h (day 9), respectively. The addition of eCG and hCG during the first 24 h IVM increased the proportion of oocytes that reached MII stage at 44 h of maturation in NCSU23 medium. This effect was also observed in Whitten medium at 44 and 48 h (P < 0.05). However, it was not observed in the TCM199 medium. No effect of maturation medium on oocyte nuclear maturation (P > 0.05) was observed in oocytes matured in the presence of eCG and hCG during the first 24 h IVM or during 48 h IVM. A progressive increase of maturation indexes was observed on oocytes matured with hormonal supplementation in Whitten media for 24 h. Higher indexes were obtained at 44 and 48 h. When NCSU23 media was used, no difference after 36 h of maturation was observed. The same result was observed in TCM199. A progressive increase of maturation indexes was observed on oocytes matured with hormonal supplementation for 48 h in Whitten media. Higher indexes were obtained in 36 and 40 h. When NCSU23 or TCM199 were used, no difference was observed. No effect of IVM media on the percentage of fertilized oocytes and polyspermic oocytes or number of spermatozoa per fertilized oocytes was observed. Also, no effect of IVM media on cleavage and blastocyst rates was seen. However, the proportion of hatched blastocysts was lower in NCSU23 compared to Whitten or TCM199. Discussion: Similar results were reported by Marques et al. [13], that it no differences between hormonal supplementation for 22 or 44 h were observed. Therefore, more studies are needed to elucidate the role of these hormones in nuclear in vitro maturation in pig oocytes. In conclusion, no effect of maturation media on meiotic progression was observed. However, the proportion of oocytes that reached metaphase II (MII) stage was higher when eCG + hCG were added for 24 h than 48 h mainly at the 44 h of maturation. In addition, no differences were observed in cleavage and blastocyst rates of the cultured embryos. However, embryos cultured in NCSU23 showed lower rates of hatching compared to other media. These results indicated no effect of maturation media on the fertilization and embryonic development even in the presence of cysteine, PFF and EGF, except for hatched embryos that these rates were lower in NCSU23.

The ethical component of professional competence in nursing: An analysis

The purpose of this article is to initiate a philosophical discussion about the ethical component of professional competence in nursing from the perspective of Brazilian nurses. Specifically, this article discusses professional competence in nursing practice in the Brazilian health context, based on two different conceptual frameworks. The first framework is derived from the idealistic and traditional approach while the second views professional competence through the lens of historical and dialectical materialism theory. The philosophical analyses show that the idealistic view of professional competence differs greatly from practice. Combining nursing professional competence with philosophical perspectives becomes a challenge when ideals are opposed by the reality and implications of everyday nursing practice.

Modification of arthropod vector competence via symbiotic bacteria

Some of the world's most devastating diseases are transmitted by arthropod vectors. Attempts to control these arthropods are currently being challenged by the widespread appearance of insecticide resistance. It is therefore desirable to develop alternative strategies to complement existing methods of vector control. In this review, Charles Beard, Scott O'Neill, Robert Tesh, Frank Richards and Serap Aksoy present an approach for introducing foreign genes into insects in order to confer refractoriness to vector populations, ie. the inability to transmit disease-causing agents. This approach aims to express foreign anti-parasitic or anti-viral gene products in symbiotic bacteria harbored by insects. The potential use of naturally occurring symbiont-based mechanisms in the spread of such refractory phenotypes is also discussed.