“The Day That Changed My Life,Again”: The Testimonio of a Latino DACAmented Teacher

This article, based on the testimonio of a Latino DACAmented teacher, underscores the impacts and benefits of immigration policies for individuals and their communities. Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) has benefitted about 750,000 people; most have used the benefits to pursue higher education and to enter public service careers, including teaching and nursing. Mr. Juárez’s testimonio walks us through his educational trajectory and current role as an educator. This testimonio contributes to current debates and struggles demanding the new U.S. presidential administration to maintain DACA. As researchers, we urge students, educators, policymakers, and the incoming administration to listen to the testimonios of DACA beneficiaries prior to making hasty decisions that will have dire consequences for individuals, families, and the nation, as a whole.     

Introduction to the Treatment of Non-Linear Effects Using a Gravitational Pendulum

We show that the treatment of pendulum movement, other than the linear approximation,may be an instructive experimentally based introduction to the physics of non-lineareffects. Firstly the natural frequency of a gravitational pendulum is measured as functionof its amplitude. Secondly forced oscillations of a gravitational pendulum are investigatedexperimentally without limiting amplitudes. By this arrangement new phenomena, thebistability and the jump-effect, can be observed. In the case of bistability the drivengravitational pendulum can oscillate in two different stable modes. Either it oscillateswith a small amplitude and approximately in phase with the exciting torque or it oscillateswith a larger amplitude and approximately anti-phase. The jump effect is the spontaneoustransition from one mode of oscillation to the other. Both effects can be demonstrated andexplained.     

Evaluating student allocation in the Portuguese public higher education system

This paper characterizes and evaluates the student allocation in the Portuguese public higher education system. It describes the supply and demand sides of the system by looking at the numerus clausus across areas of study and institutions, institutions’ degree of diversity, and performance and adjustment indicators based on students’ revealed preferences. Performance indicators quantify the adequacy between demand and supply, across institutions and fields of study, and gauge the performance of public higher education institutions in the competition for candidates. Adjustment indicators allow us to predict the potential impact of changes in higher education regulations on student allocation and its stability. According to these indicators, such changes could result in an expansion for some institutions and fields of study, whereas other institutions might face a reduction.

Developing audience awareness in writing

Beginning writers need to consider their audience; but this is only possible when the writer has reached a certain stage of cognitive development, as it is necessary to consider an absent reality (e.g. an audience reading the piece at a later point). Adapting the text to the audience is only possible when the physical task of writing becomes automatic and the writer is no longer absorbed by it. Then the writer is free to pay attention to other aspects of the task without overloading cognitive processes. Procedural facilitation involves the use of external aids to support a simplified version of the processes used by expert writers. It may function as a way of enabling beginning writers to adapt what they write for their audiences. At the same time, as this task becomes automatic, it may be seen as a way of promoting writing development. A quasi–experimental study is described in which a procedural facilitation strategy is used to promote writing skills, in particular, the skill of suiting the text to the communicative context. The study was with fifth and ninth grade Portuguese students. The results of the post–test show significant progress for the experimental groups in contrast to the control groups.     

英国公共部门信息再利用模式分析

英国在公共部门信息再利用方面取得的成绩有目共睹,可与美国的公共部门信息再利用相提并论。英国的公共部门信息再利用在发展过程中形成了自己的特点,构建了独有的英国公共部门信息再利用模式。该模式特点是:有力的监管环境、设立专门的监管机构、鼓励公众积极参与、利用先进的信息技术。该模式存在的问题是:规则中的某些术语不明确、监管机构没有真正的制裁权、地方政府缺乏对公共部门信息政策的支持。     

Computational thinking in computer science teacher training courses in Brazil: A survey and a research roadmap

Education and Information Technologies - The adoption of computational thinking in the classroom has been growing in the last years. Its use needs to be supported by the correct digital...     

Going virtual and going wide: comparing Team-Based Learning in-class versus online and across disciplines

Education and Information Technologies - Team-based learning (TBL) is an active learning pedagogy developed for in-class sessions and based on the collaborative work of small groups of students....     

Effect of Dental Course Cycle on Anatomical Knowledge and Dental Carving Ability of Dental Students

This study assessed the effect of the course cycle on theoretical knowledge of dental morphology and the dental carving ability of dental students. Thirty-two dental students from the third semester (initial cycle) and 30 students from the eighth and tenth semesters of the dental course (end cycle) had their theoretical knowledge on dental morphology assessed using a questionnaire with ten closed questions. Their dental carving ability was also assessed using wax carvings in macro models of plaster (for the third [S3] and eight [S8] semesters) and natural-sized artificial teeth (for the tenth [S10] semester). The teeth chosen for the dental carving activity were #16 and #47. The scores were statistically analyzed using the t-test, Kruskal–Wallis test, and Mann–Whitney test (α = 0.05). Students from the initial cycle presented better theoretical knowledge than the other groups did (P < 0.007). No significant differences in carving score were found between the initial and end cycles (P > 0.05), although S10 students obtained a higher score for teeth #16 and #47 (P < 0.05). Natural-sized artificial teeth received a higher evaluation score in dental carvings than the macro models (P < 0.001). Within the limits of this study, it was possible to conclude that students from the initial cycle (S3) presented higher theoretical knowledge, whereas no difference in carving ability was observed between the initial and end cycles. The tenth semester (S10) students performed dental carvings with better quality. Furthermore, carvings in natural-sized artificial teeth presented better quality compared with the macro models.     

Trust and Mistrust in Sources of Scientific Information on Climate Change and Vaccines

Science & Education - Public trust in science and expertise remains a contentious issue. When public trust is analysed, it often simplifies a complex process of information retrieval and...     

Documenting Collections: Cornerstones for More History of Science in Museums

Historians of science have recently become increasingly involved with collections and scientific instruments. This creates opportunities for a more significant role of history in museums of science, as well as more meaningful and contextualized exhibitions and educational programmes. However, complementing the mainstream focus on universal scientific principles with history requires structural and cultural changes in museums’ approaches and practices. In this paper we draw from recent collaborative work with historians of science at the University of Lisbon to reflect on the challenges museums face as they prepare for a more meaningful historical approach to science. We argue that documentation is crucial both before objects enter the museum and as regular collections practice. We propose a conceptual and methodological framework comprising two operational levels: documenting individual objects and documenting collections.