Análisis de un fragmento de clase de catalán (1.a lengua)

Se presenta aquí un caso de aplicación del «análisis del discurso» para la evaluación, los intercambios lingüísticos de profesores y alumnos en clase y, de este modo, de la calidad didáctica de las clases de lengua. El modelo se propone como técnica para la autoevaluación y optimización de las estrategias de instrucción…     

University teaching experience with the electronic European Language Portfolio: an innovation for the promotion of plurilingualism and interculturality / Experiencia docente universitaria con el Portfolio Europeo de Lenguas electrónico: una innovación para la promoción del plurilingüismo y la interculturalidad

Abstract

This article describes the teaching experience gained from the introduction of the Spanish electronic European Language Portfolio (eELP+14) in the university teaching of the Erasmus Intensive Language Course (EILC) within the Vives Network of Universities. The aim was to seek the views of teachers during their first experimental work with undergraduates in relation to their learning of Catalan culture and language. A pilot study was carried out following a mixed methods methodology, with a QUAN+qual design, through two online ad hoc questionnaires (pretest-posttest). Overall, the tool has been assessed positively with regard to pedagogical aspects (reflection and self-evaluation of the Biography) and communication aspects (the linguistic profile of the Passport), although some difficulties have been highlighted concerning the time students need to dedicate to it and the amount of time they actually have, as well as the need to introduce technological and linguistic improvements. On the one hand, the eELP is recognized as an educational innovation which is entirely suitable for the current university context, and on the other hand, it is considered to have only a moderate influence in the learning of languages and cultures.     

Cómo mejorar la comprensión de textos en el aula

¿Qué ocurre cuando un niño comprende o no comprende? ¿Cómo se explica psicológicamente el proceso de comprensión de un texto? Después de aportar una base a ese nivel, el autor construye sobre ella en este artículo un programa de instrucción para mejorar las habilidades de comprensión y un método de evaluación de esas habilidades.     

The longitudinal effect of the Aprender a Convivir (learning to live together) programme in childhood: the development of social competence / Efecto longitudinal del programa Aprender a Convivir en la infancia: desarrollo de la competencia social

Abstract

In the context of a changing society, strategies are required to eradicate the phenomenon of antisocial behaviour. The Aprender a Convivir universal prevention programme tries to provide such a response. This study attempts to test the effectiveness of the programme through a quasi-experimental long-term study carried out over three years in some nursery schools. Of the students who participated in this study (N = 784), those from the experimental group showed significant increases in social competence compared to the control group, and behavioural problems decreased, albeit not in any significant way. To draw conclusions about the effectiveness of the programme, further improvements are proposed to the design of the study.     

Service learning as a tool to enhance future teachers’ media competence / Aprendizaje-Servicio como estrategia favorecedora del desarrollo de la competencia mediática en futuros docentes

Abstract

This paper presents a study of service learning (SL) as a methodology to facilitate the development of media competence in future teachers. The SL methodology fulfils a training and service need for two different populations: in our case, a preschool/primary school and students from the Bachelor’s in Education degrees at the Universidad de Jaén. The study involved 193 university students who carried out 63 projects involving new technologies. The goal of these projects was to produce materials to be used on smartboards, advertising materials, picture-reading materials or multimedia resources, among others. These materials were designed and created in the university classes as a part of the practical sessions of a course and were then given away to be used at a preschool/primary school. At the end of the project, the university students filled out a questionnaire that required them to compare SL to traditional activities in terms of how well each type of practice helps them to achieve the 20 competences of the course. The results show that students recognize the value of the SL methodology more than traditional practice, which suggests the relevance of this methodology for university students.     

Relevant Changes in Scientific Publishing in Mathematics and Physics

Scientific publishing in mathematics and physics (as in other exact sciences) is rapidly changing, and it is important to identify and predict relevant changes and their potential consequences. To understand such changes, the authors begin with a brief history of scientific publishing and the rise of digital publishing. The study presents a qualitative comparison of the basic features of traditional and digital forms of publications (books, journals, libraries and databases, archives, webinars, forums, digital learning materials), on the basis of which relevant changes (specific for mathematics and physics) are identified and predicted. Several tables describing the most popular and useful scientific online tools for scientists, professors, students, and engineers are listed.     

Techno-Nationalism and the Construction of University Technology Transfer

Our historical study of Canada’s main research university illuminates the overlooked influence of national identities and interests as forces shaping the institutionalization of technology transfer. Through the use of archival sources we trace the rise and influence of Canadian technological nationalism—a response to Canada’s perceived dependency on the United States’ science and technology. Technological nationalism provided a symbol for producing a shared understanding of the desirability and appropriateness of technology transfer that legitimated the commercial activities of university scientists.     

Porosity and surface hardness as indicators of the state of conservation of Mudéjar plasterwork in the Real Alcázar in Seville

Plasterwork, a very typical element of Islamic art, comprises highly artistic decorative elements on wall, arches, and vaults. Due to their gypsum composition, such elements are easily weathered, primarily because of low mechanical strength and slight solubility in water. This work has studied the traditional Islamic plasterwork in the halls and patios of the Mudéjar Palace (13–16th centuries) in the Real Alcázar of Seville. This palace complex was declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1987. The analysis of its porosity and shore C surface hardness has allowed determination of the mathematical correlation between them. Consequently, future evaluations can merely measure the hardness (a non-destructive test) to estimate the plasterwork's porosity (which reveals its mechanical strength and its degree of weathering). These elements must be maintained in order to prevent the spread of pathologies. In addition to requiring an in-depth knowledge of its materials, application techniques, and properties, to do so also demands simple techniques for regular assessments and criteria to prioritize interventions if they become necessary.     

Traffic modeling for communications networks: A multifractal approach based on few parameters

In this work, in order to model network traffic processes, an efficient multifractal model is proposed based on fewer parameters than other models present in the literature, called 2PEMV. The 2PEMV model (2-Parameter Exponential Modeling for Multipliers’ Variance) is based on a multiplicative cascade in the wavelet domain capable of synthesizing communication network traffic traces which present characteristics such as self-similarity and wide Multifractal Spectrum Width (MSW). For such a purpose, in the 2PEMV model, the energy decay of the wavelet coefficients is captured by means of an exponential modeling for the multipliers’ variance along the cascade scales. The performance of the 2PEMV model to represent the network traffic characteristics is evaluated in comparison to other models present in the literature through simulations that are carried out using real communication network traffic traces.