Good practices for transforming education

This text is a guide to the reading and interpretation of the good practices that are developing in the countries participating in this project and elsewhere. A systematic approach to the factors making up a good practice has enabled us to share our analyses in a more structured manner and to reflect on their potential for learning and change, their peculiarities and regular features, as well as their sustainability outside certain particular contexts and specific forms of support. What can we learn from these good practices? Can they influence educational policies on both the administrative and pedagogical levels? Can they become strong points in strategies aimed at improving school life and pupils’ results? Under what conditions? These are some of the questions that guide this text on good practices. The analysis of the answers to these questions has enabled us to identify a number of minimal conditions that are necessary for a good practice to have some effect on education policies. Moreover, it opened up new lines of questioning which can be pursued.     

Estrategias de conteo implicadas en los procesos de adición y sustracción

Resumen

A lo largo del presente trabajo se analizan las diferencias existentes entre los diversos procesos puestos en juego por los sujetos a la hora de cuantificar lo real, destacando de entre ellos el subproceso de cuantificación extensiva métrica y uno de los esquemas básicos que lleva aparejados: el esquema de conteo. A continuación se pasa a analizar las diferentes estrategias utilizadas por nuetros escolares de 1°, 2°, 3° y 4° de E.G.B. cuando aplican este esquema para la resolución de algoritmos de adición y de sustracción, destacando la vinculación entre el desarrollo de las estrategias de conteo y la eficiencia en la solución de estos algoritmos.     

Early intervention in Portugal: family support and benefits

This study investigated the support and benefits of early intervention (EI) in families with children with special needs. Data were gathered through a written questionnaire, ‘Family Benefits Inventory’, completed by 126 families with children with special needs supported by EI teams, with ages from six months to six years in Portugal. The global results obtained in this study allowed us to conclude that families considered that they obtained benefit from EI and received support most of the time in the different dimensions of the questionnaire. Furthermore, support given by an EI professional had a positive influence on families' perceptions regarding the benefits of EI.     

Introduction to Semiconductor Physics in Secondary Education: Evaluation of a teaching sequence

The present article presents a didactic proposal oriented to teaching notions of semiconductor physics in secondary education. The methods and the results of a pilot study designed to analyse the effectiveness of a teaching sequence on the topic are also described. The subjects were 60 students, aged 14–15 years, of a secondary school in Seville, Spain. The levels of knowledge acquired by the students were evaluated by means of a test and personal interviews, which we also used to detect the most frequent obstacles they encountered against learning. Also, we employed personal interviews and analysis of the students’ notebooks to evaluate their attitudes towards semiconductor physics and its learning, and to evaluate the degree to which the teaching sequence fosters cooperative learning and the self‐regulation of learning. The results indicated that the students in general acquired ideas and reasoning in the appropriate line, although with some mistakes or inaccuracies with respect to scientific conceptions, and acquired positive attitudes towards the learning of semiconductor physics, with a high degree of motivation during the teaching–learning process. The conclusion is that it is possible to initiate teaching the basic notions of semiconductor physics in secondary education, although it is necessary to continue going deeper into the topic with new research. As a proposal for improvement in future actions, we formulate new objectives oriented at overcoming the students’ commonest obstacles against learning with respect to the topic.     

Effects of different percentages of body weight support on spatiotemporal step characteristics during running

This study aimed to determine the effect of different percentages of body weight support (BWS) on spatiotemporal step characteristics during running. 26 endurance runners (age: 37 ± 9 years) completed a running treadmill protocol consisting of 6 different conditions (BWS combinations: 0–50%), with velocity maintained at 12 km/h. Each condition lasted 1 minute. Step angle, ground contact time (CT), flight time (FT), step length (SL) and frequency (SF), and duration of phases during stance time (phase1: initial contact; phase2: midstance; phase3: propulsion) were measured for every step during the test using a photoelectric cell system. Compared with the baseline condition (100% BW), FT was longer, CT was shorter, SL was longer, SF was lower, and the step angle was higher with each increase in BWS (p < 0.05). Also, some changes were observed in the duration of phases during stance time: phase1 did not experience changes across experimental conditions (p = 0.096), phase2 decreased and phase3 increased as BW was supported (p < 0.05). These results indicate that as BW was supported, runners showed longer FT and SL, shorter CT, lower SF, and greater step angle as well as some changes in the phases during the ground contact. Therefore, this study highlights the effect of different percentages of BWS on spatiotemporal parameters.     

Functional torque ratios and torque curve analysis of shoulder rotations in overhead athletes with and without impingement symptoms

In this study, we evaluated the peak torque, functional torque ratios, and torque curve profile of the shoulder rotators in overhead athletes with impingement symptoms so as to examine possible alterations in response to sports training and shoulder pain. Twenty-one overhead athletes with impingement symptoms were compared with 25 overhead athletes and 21 non-athletes, none of whom were symptomatic for impingement. The participants performed five maximal isokinetic concentric and eccentric contractions of medial and lateral shoulder rotations at 1.57 rad · s(-1) and 3.14 rad · s(-1). Isokinetic peak torque was used to calculate the eccentric lateral rotation-to-concentric medial rotation and the eccentric medial rotation-to-concentric lateral rotation ratios. An analysis of the torque curve profiles was also carried out. The eccentric lateral rotation-to-concentric medial rotation torque ratio of asymptomatic athletes was lower than that of non-athletes at both test velocities. The concentric medial rotation isokinetic peak torque of the asymptomatic athletes, at 3.14 rad · s(-1), was greater than that of the non-athletes, and the peak appeared to occur earlier in the movement for athletes than non-athletes. These findings suggest that there may be adaptations to shoulder function in response to throwing practice. The eccentric medial rotation-to-concentric lateral rotation torque ratio was altered neither by the practice of university-level overhead sports nor impingement symptoms.     

Interdisciplinary therapy changes superoxide dismutase activity and adiponectin in obese adolescents: a randomised controlled trial

The objective of this study is to evaluate the effect of interdisciplinary therapy in the parameters of the oxidative stress and the anti-inflammatory responses of obese adolescents. We selected 57 participants, who were randomly divided into 2 groups: interdisciplinary therapy group and a control group. After 6 months of intervention, 17 participants of the interdisciplinary therapy group and 8 of the control group returned for re-evaluation. The interdisciplinary therapy group participated in a treatment with 4 weekly sessions of exercise, a weekly group therapy session and a weekly nutritional education session. Blood parameters of oxidative stress and anti-inflammatory response were evaluated. The results demonstrated that there were significant increases in the interdisciplinary therapy group for superoxide dismutase activity (6.56 ± 3.22 to 11.40 ± 7.49) and ferric-reducing antioxidant potential concentration (532.91 ± 106.48 to 573.25 ± 112.57), although adiponectin levels did not reduce (40.9 ± 29.34 to 49.05 ± 41.22). A significant decrease in nitrite levels was also found (14.23 ± 8.48 to 11.45 ± 6.05). In the control group, significant reduction was found in adiponectin (31.56 ± 18.88 to 18.01 ± 11.66). This study suggests that interdisciplinary therapy for 6 months was effective in improving the anti-inflammatory responses and the antioxidant defences in obese adolescents.