A Bourdieusian approach to academic reading: reflections on a South African teaching experience

As in many other parts of the world, ‘academic literacy’ has emerged as both a concern and a contested concept in South African universities. In this article we focus specifically on academic reading, which we argue is a relatively underemphasized aspect of academic literacy. This article is the product of reflections on academic reading during and subsequent to the development and presentation of a postgraduate module presented at Stellenbosch University. It briefly explores the literature on academic literacy; develops the Bourdieusian perspective on academic reading that we used to develop the module; and concludes with a discussion of the module. Our intention was to make ‘reading as social practice’ more visible to students. Bourdieu's concepts of ‘competence’, ‘habitus’ and ‘field’ set the scene for a discussion of the role of reading in different disciples and more generally within the social sciences and humanities.     

Evaluating implementation of the International Classification of Functioning,Disability and Health in Portugal's special education law

This paper reports the results of a national two-year project, commissioned by the Portuguese Ministry of Education, to investigate the implementation of the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF) under Decree-Law 3/2008. The Decree-Law also introduced the principle that the documentation of students' functioning profiles should be the basis for eligibility decision-making – replacing the need of a diagnosis. Of specific interest was the study of the ICF implementation in the assessment, eligibility and intervention processes of students in need of specialised supports. To that end, the study was based on a document analysis of case records of 214 students. The analysis of functioning profiles showed that the ICF use promoted a functional approach in students' assessment. In addition, the use of the ICF contributed to the differentiation of eligible and non-eligible students based on their functioning profiles and addressed the most suitable educational interventions within the Individualised Education Plans.     

Circles and Communities,Sharing Practices and Learning: Looking at New Extension Education Approaches

Abstract

Purpose

Information technology (IT) has tremendous potential for fostering grassroots development and the Indian government has created various capital-intensive computer networks to promote agricultural development. However, research studies have shown that information technology investments are not always translated into productivity gains due to poor computer use by employees. In this context, a research investigation was conducted to develop a Computer Utilization Model that explains how individual and organizational factors influence computer utilization in extension organizations in India.     

Aprender matemáticas con ordenadores

Utilizar el ordenador en la escuela no es una garantía de éxito didáctico si no se cumplen algunos requisitos, pero constituye una ayuda no suficientemente explorada en la mayoría de las materias. En el caso de las matemáticas, el ordenador permite diseñar actividades altamente motivadoras para el niño, a la vez que facilitar la integración de diferentes tipos de códigos, objetivos ambos difíciles de conseguir en los formatos de papel y lápiz habituales en las didácticas tradicionales. El autor de este artículo pasa revista a una serie de micromundos informáticos que permiten al profesor y al alumno librarse de tareas rutinarias y dedicarse a la exploración de las posibilidades del lenguaje matemático, a la verdadera tarea de aprender.     

Orthography and the development of metalinguistic reflection in Portuguese primary school pupils / Ortografía y desarrollo de la reflexión metalingüística en alumnos portugueses en primaria

Abstract

Linguistic awareness is crucial in learning literacy. This project has a two-fold aim: to develop the students’ ability to think about language in order to write with accuracy and to lead teachers to promote students’ discussions about their writing difficulties. The study is part of a two-year action-research project developed in primary schools from the Lisbon area, with experimental and control groups. The starting point of the project was the analysis of the problems students of third and fourth grades showed in their writing. The scope of the project includes dictation tasks within an interactionist approach, favouring grammatical discussions leading to the observation and manipulation of linguistic data.     

Online educational videos according to specific didactics: the case of mathematics / Los Vídeos educativos en línea desde las didácticas específicas: el caso de las matemáticas

Abstract

The vast number of online educational videos available at the moment has generated an emerging area of research concerning their level of suitability. This study considers the epistemic quality of educational videos on mathematics, focusing on the specific content of directly proportional distributions. A qualitative study is used, based on the application of theoretical and methodological tools from the onto-semiotic approach to knowledge and mathematics instruction, principally the notion of epistemic suitability and the identification of algebraic levels. The sample consists of the 31 most popular videos in Spanish on YouTube? on directly proportional distributions. Analysis reveals interesting results on these kinds of resources. In general, it is observed that they are weak in epistemic suitability, which does not seem to affect their level of popularity. Moreover, the existence of videos with inaccurate arguments or incorrect procedures, together with the diversity of algebraic levels used, indicates that teachers should be careful when selecting them and only recommend those that better suit their students’ needs.     

A classroom intervention on Spanish grammar and writing: the use of the past tense with secondary school students / La intervención didáctica en el aula sobre gramática y escritura. El saber gramatical y la revisión de textos en el uso de los tiempos verbales del pasado con alumnos de secundaria

Abstract

This article presents an innovative experience which links grammar teaching with writing, following the premises of the Grammar Didactic Sequences (GDS) with one basic objective: to create a situation in which students learn to reflect on the language they use and are able to use these reflections to improve their writing. The GDS, focused on the use of past tense verb forms, was carried out with fourth-year secondary school students in Spain. This article highlights the difficulties experienced by students when using grammatical concepts as elements to control usage and the importance of revising texts in order to create metalinguistic awareness in a recursive didactic process: from grammar to writing, from writing to grammatical revision, and final version writing.