This article presents the results of a study, conducted within the scope of the EU-funded project RELOBIE: Reusable Learning Objects in Education, which investigated faculty perceptions and practices ...regarding the educational use of contemporary and emerging technologies. A cross-national, in-depth online survey of
n
= 171 faculty members in the four partner countries (Estonia, Cyprus, Norway, Portugal) took place. Seventy-six (
n
= 76; 44.4%) of these faculty members taught courses which were either offered at-distance (no face-to-face component), or involved a significant online component (blended courses). The study gained some useful insights into online instructors’ perceptions, motivations, and experiences regarding the instructional use of digital videos and other technologies (e.g. subject-specific software, collaboration tools, games, simulations, virtual labs). It also shed some light into both facilitating and inhibiting factors to the effective integration of learning and communication technologies into online courses’ design and delivery.
The contribution of autobiographical narratives for the teacher’s personal and professional development is currently considered an important issue. “Our stories”, “the stories that we tell about our ...lives” constitute a fundamental path of human meaning making (Bruner in Acts of meaning. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge,
1990
) and also, an identity construction process. “Fashioned out of memories, our stories become our identities” (Faust Harvard Magazine,
2003
). Autobiographical narratives are then a development process, being its use in the educational scope pertinent, as it is considered that learning always features autobiography. Aiming at understanding the processes of personal and professional development, this study analyses student teachers autobiographical narratives, in particular, the relationship between primary school memories, personality characteristics, and teaching perspectives. This study was carried out with a sample of 129 student teachers of the Faculty of Sciences of the University of Coimbra, with ages between 22 and 28 years. The instruments administered were the School Autobiography Sheet (an adaptation of the autobiographical method considered by McAdams; McAdams in Guided autobiography,
1997
), and the Personality Inventory NEO-PI-R (Costa and McCrae in Revised NEO Personality Inventory (NEO-PI-R) and NEO Five-Factor Inventory (NEO-FFI) professional manual, Psychological Assessment Resources Odessa, FL,
1992
; Portuguese version Lima in Contextos teóricos e psicométricos: “Ocean” ou “Iceberg”?, Dissertação de Doutoramento, Universidade de, Coimbra,
1997
) and the Teaching Perspectives Inventory of Pratt and Collins Teaching perspectives inventory,
2001
. The results of the study show that the relationship between the autobiographical memories and the perspectives of teaching are fable. However, they point to the crucial role played by personality traits in the organization of the autobiographical memories and of the perspectives of teaching. These results contribute to the understanding of the processes of personal and educational development of future teachers and to the reflection on forms of using autobiographical narratives in a training frame.
RESUMO: Analisar a correspondência entre os princípios orientadores do currículo da disciplina de Biologia e o Exame Nacional em Portugal e do Exame Nacional do Ensino Médio (ENEM) no Brasil foi o ...objetivo desta pesquisa. Para tanto se desenvolveu um estudo empírico documental de análise das questões das provas de Biologia dos Exames supracitados. Constatou-se que ambos os Exames têm um número reduzido de questões de Biologia para testar os diversos conteúdos indicados pelos documentos oficiais, bem como privilegiaram determinados conteúdos. Em se tratando de testar os saberes científicos, Portugal supera o Brasil, pois, apresenta na estrutura de seu Exame questões dissertativas. Os Exames Nacionais podem vir a padronizar, em termos de conhecimento, o que será ensinado ao exigirem mais questões relativas a determinado tema.
ABSTRACT: The objective of this research was to analyze the correspondence between the guiding principles of the Biology curriculum and the National Examination in Portugal and the National High School Examination (ENEM) in Brazil. To this end, an empirical documentary study was developed to analyze the questions of the Biology of the above-mentioned examinations. It was found that both Exams have a reduced number of Biology questions to test the various contents indicated by the official documents, as well as favoring certain contents. When testing scientific knowledge, Portugal surpasses Brazil, as it presents essay questions in the structure of the Examination. National Examinations may standardize, in terms of knowledge, what will be taught by requiring more questions on a given topic.
RESUMEN: El objetivo de esta investigación fue analizar la correspondencia entre los principios rectores del plan de estudios de Biología y el Examen Nacional en Portugal y el Examen Nacional de Enseñanza Media (ENEM) en Brasil. Con este fin, se desarrolló un estudio documental empírico para analizar las preguntas de los exámenes de Biología mencionados anteriormente. Se constató que ambos exámenes tienen un número reducido de preguntas de Biología para probar los diversos contenidos indicados en los documentos oficiales, así como tienen contenidos privilegiados. Cuando se trata de probar el conocimiento científico, Portugal supera a Brasil, ya que presenta preguntas desarrollo en la estructura de su examen. Los exámenes nacionales pueden estandarizar, en términos de conocimiento, lo que se enseñará al requerir más preguntas relacionadas con un tema dado.
In recent decades, an increasing number of countries have integrated science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) into their curricula for early childhood education and care (ECEC). In ...contrast to this trend, many ECEC professionals are still reluctant about the idea of teaching STEM to young children. A reason for this might be too little experience with and knowledge about STEM. One way to tackle this problem is to address STEM in ECEC teacher education in a way that is engaging, motivating, and practical, and shows ECEC student teachers appropriate ideas for how to teach STEM in a playful and child-centred way. This case study aims to present and analyse an innovative approach to ECEC teacher training. We let the student teachers build their own automata (toys that have mechanical moving parts) to promote a better understanding of STEM. The students were highly motivated, assessed the approach as exciting and relevant, and consequently could successfully reflect on STEM content and pedagogy.
The linear focus of ‘normal science’ is unable toadequately take account of the complex interactions that direct health care systems. There is a turn towards complexity theory as a more appropriate ...framework for understanding system behaviour. However, a comprehensive taxonomy for complexity theory in the context of health care is lacking.
This paper aims to build a taxonomy based on the key complexity theory components that have been used in publications on complexity theory and health care, and to explore their explanatory power for health care system behaviour, specifically for maternity care.
A search strategy was devised in PubMed and 31 papers were identified as relevant for the taxonomy.
The final taxonomy for complexity theory included and defined 11components. The use of waterbirth and the impact of the Term Breech trial showed that each of the components of our taxonomy has utility in helping to understand how these techniques became widely adopted. It is not just the components themselves that characterise a complex system but also the dynamics between them.
•The taxonomy for complexity theory in health care includes 11 components.•All the components helped to understand adaptation of practices in maternity care.•The components and the dynamics between them characterise a complex system.
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