Student Reciprocal Peer Teaching as a Method for Active Learning: An Experience in an Electrotechnical Laboratory

Active learning is one of the most efficient mechanisms for learning, according to the psychology of learning. When students act as teachers for other students, the communication is more fluent and knowledge is transferred easier than in a traditional classroom. This teaching method is referred to in the literature as reciprocal peer teaching. In this study, the method is applied to laboratory sessions of a higher education institution course, and the students who act as teachers are referred to as “laboratory monitors.” A particular way to select the monitors and its impact in the final marks is proposed. A total of 181 students participated in the experiment, experiences with laboratory monitors are discussed, and methods for motivating and training laboratory monitors and regular students are proposed. The types of laboratory sessions that can be led by classmates are discussed. This work is related to the changes in teaching methods in the Spanish higher education system, prompted by the Bologna Process for the construction of the European Higher Education Area     

La intervención metacognitiva sobre la lectura y la importancia de las estrategias de apoyo

En esta investigación se analizan dos procesos de metacomprensión: el primero se refiere a las estructuras conceptuales en sí; el segundo, a las propias competencias y aprendizaje. Ambos parecen influir en el proceso del conocimiento y el aprendizaje y parece resultar necesario un buen análisis en cada caso de los mecanismos de mediación y ayuda que permiten que el alumno logre ambos tipos de metacomprensión.     

Análisis de los mecanismos de construcción de los textos desde una perspectiva de aplicación didáctica. Enfoque interlenguas

Se analizan aquí, como manifestación de la competencia lingüística general, los problemas de comprensión y expresión de los estudiantes en las Pruebas de Selectividad. Se abordan asimismo las lecturas e interpretaciones de los profesores y el análisis preparatorio de los materiales o textos de trabajo. Las autoras ofrecen propuestas específicas que se inscriben en una metodología integrada de las lenguas enfocada a la adquisición de competencias discursivas, estratéticas y textuales.     

Teaching heritage in Social Science,Geography and History textbooks in Compulsory Secondary Education / La enseñanza del patrimonio en los libros de texto de Ciencias Sociales,Geografía e Historia para ESO

Abstract

The role of heritage in Compulsory Secondary Education is analysed through the Social Science, Geography and History textbooks edited by the three most widely distributed publishing houses in three Spanish regions. The aim is to characterize the patrimonial outlook transmitted by these materials, detect the difficulties and obstacles in terms of heritage education and contribute to enable the integration of heritage education from a transdisciplinary, constructivist and socio-critical perspective. To this end, different research instruments are developed (progression hypothesis, sheets for observation and data collection, and category tables) to enable a systematic and rigorous analysis of the 24 textbooks studied. In general, the results allow us to confirm the initial hypothesis, highlighting the disciplinary use of heritage as an illustrative and educational resource. Historical and artistic elements stand out over other manifestations of heritage as a function of their stylistic and monumental values. No significant differences were found in content among the published materials in the different autonomous communities.     

La inteligencia artificial y su aplicación en la enseñanza

Podríamos decir que un educador es una «inteligencia natural» que moviliza sus recursos cognitivos para enseñar lo mejor posible. ¿Hasta dónde ha llegado hay la ciencia en ese ambicioso objetivo de copiar la mente humana? ¿Puede simularse la mente natural de un profesor experto y competente y situarla en un programa que eduque a través del ordenador? Este artículo introduce el tema y hace un balance de las posibilidades.     

Instrucción directa en estrategias de comprensión lectora

Muchos sistemas pedagógicos parecen haber asumido que la enseñanza de la lectoescritura implica toda una serie de problemas y tópicos pero que la comprensión no está entre ellos, sino que se produce o se desprende implícitamente, como efecto secundario de la alfabetización que no es preciso promocionar específicamente. Los fracasos sistemáticos en comprensión de muchos alumnos que dominan instrumentalmente la lectoescritura ha llevado en los últimos años a desarrollar modelos y estrategias específicas para la instrucción directa de la comprensión lectora.

Este artículo resume las estrategias más empleadas y expone ejemplificada, aunque resumidamente, su aplicación.     

Assessment and interpretation of teachers’ attitudes towards students with disabilities / Evaluación e interpretación de la actitud del profesorado hacia alumnos con discapacidad

Abstract

The process of including students with disabilities is necessarily influenced by teachers’ attitudes towards them and towards their inclusion in education. After detecting the need to study the attitudes present in preschool and primary and secondary school teachers, this study was proposed as it was decided that an analysis of such attitudes could help to develop a better understanding of the current needs of the education system. This study analysed data on attitudes from a total of 175 teachers (29.10% male) working in state schools (50.30%) and semi-private schools in different autonomous communities of the Spanish state. An adapted version of the teacher questionnaire on attitudes towards students with special educational needs arising from disability was used. After analysing the psychometric properties of the questionnaire, further purification of these properties resulted in an assessment instrument comprising 22 items. It is worth highlighting the appraisal that teachers carry out of their training, the existence of resources, as well as their own level of involvement.     

Pre-service teachers' performance from teachers' perspective and vice versa: behaviors,attitudes and other associated variables

In a rapidly changing world, the mission of education deserves some reflection. Mutual understanding and assessment between trainers and trainees offers a way to promote discussion concerning goals, values, and strategies that should be promoted at schools. This study offers the views of 153 pre-service teachers and their respective trainers during their practicum. We aimed to determine if an association exists between the scores of pre-service teachers and teachers regarding behaviors and attitudes shown by the first. We also want to analyze the extent to which pre-service teachers rate the importance of different educational strategies as well as the extent to which teachers use these strategies in their daily work. We also aim to determine to what extent self-rated behaviors and attitudes of pre-service teachers are associated to their ratings on importance and utilization of different educational strategies. Two questionnaires were utilized to gather the data. Results revealed higher scores on self-evaluation than others’ evaluations; utilization of diverse educational strategies was associated to evaluations on pre-service students’ responsibility, ability to detect and meet students’ needs, and final grade in practicum. Association between pre-service teachers’ self-evaluation and evaluation on the importance of different educational strategies revealed large associations between climate for the expression of ideas, teaching methodology, and the importance given to using language appropriate to the level of the students. Average ratings on importance and utilization of different teaching strategies resulted in high scores, with utilization of teaching methodologies obtaining the lowest scores. Gender resulted in significant differences on importance, with women scoring higher than men. Importance scores were significantly higher than utilization scores. High associations were found between self- and others’ evaluations on values related to compliance with rules, as well as on behaviors associated to maintain order and discipline in the classroom. Differences in views of teaching, importance, and utilization of different teaching strategies should be debated in order to advance our understanding of effectiveness of educational practices.     

Faculty training: an unavoidable requirement for approaching more inclusive university classrooms

Adequate policies for faculty training in diversity continue to be pending on the agendas of many universities. This paper presents the recommendations of 44 university students with disabilities not only for adequate faculty training, but also on informing them on both matters of the disability itself and how to respond to the needs derived from it. The data analyzed come from research funded by the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competiveness ‘University Barriers and Aids Identified by Students with Disabilities’, which has been underway since 2011. A biographical-narrative methodology was used. The university life histories of the students were compiled by making use of in-depth interviews, lifelines and photographs. The conclusions of the study discuss the main results along with other previous studies, and recommendations are made so universities can provide training plans leading to inclusive education and learning.