El enfoque sistemático en Educación Especial

RESUMEN

Se presenta un modelo de educación especial basado en un enfoque sistemático de la enseñanza. La aplicación de este enfoque a la educación normal y a la especial presenta algunas diferencias. Se hace un desarrollo teórico de los principales componente del modelo (identificación de necesidades, definición de objetivos, análisis de tareas, evaluación, secuenciación), así como una descripción del procedimiento y las diversas técnicas relativas a cada uno de ellos (sistemas de incentivos, materiales, sistemas de registro, requisitos de los sujetos, etc.).     

Modificación de los hábitos de estudio a través de técnicas de autorregulación: estudio de un caso

Resumen

El propósito de este estudio fue diseñar un modelo válido para la adquisición de unos adecuados hábitos de estudio, basado en una combinación de estrategias de autorregulación y técnicas de estudio. Se procedió mediante un diseño exploratorio de línea de base múltiple, con un único sujeto que incluía: a) fase de pretest, b) primera fase de intervención, en la que se introdujeron las estrategias de autorregulación, c) segunda fase de intervención o de introducción de las técnicas de estudio, y d) fase de postest. El resultado fue un cambio experimental y terapéuticamente significativo en los hábitos de estudio y en las conductas exponentes de: tiempo de estudio, desatención, y velocidad y comprensión lectoras, las calificaciones experimentaron un ascenso progresivo. Estos cambios se mantuvieron y consolidaron en el seguimiento, las estrategias de autorregulación se han mostrado útiles para aumentar la probabilidad de ocurrencia de la conducta deseada y disminuir la de la no deseada.     

Practical Work in Earth Sciences Education: An experience with students in the context of a National Science Programme in Portugal

The programme Ciencia Viva of the Portuguese Ministry of Science and Technology aims to create a greater understanding of science and science education amongst scientists, teachers, school children and the general public, each of whom is encouraged to cooperate and interact through regular contacts. The purpose is to improve practical, experimental and other forms of investigative work. To accomplish such work in schools, an overview of the state of science education worldwide is presented in terms of old and new traditions of the teaching of the physical and historical sciences the latter including the teaching of fieldwork. Traditional practices are compared with those established recently in various parts of the world in which more carefully considered understanding of the nature of science and science education has been established. In illustration of good practice, an outline is offered of the nature and rationale of two sets of curricular materials. These were designed by a team comprising staff members of the University of Aveiro and secondary school teachers and were trialled in schools. These activities are concerned with the internal rock cycle and the internal energy of the Earth in relation to plate tectonic theory. They are also related to the processes of weathering, erosion, transportation and deposition of sedimentary rocks and structures (like wave and current ripple marks) which were formed as part of the external rock cycle driven by the Sun's energy. The account concludes with an outline of the sub programme 'Geology in Summer', a fieldwork programme which introduces a holistic understanding of the workings of the outer part of the Earth to the general public. Students' perspectives and teachers' views about these experiences are generally very positive and are presented at the end. The whole programme was evaluated by an international team of scientists and science educators.     

Internet and mature industries. Its role in the creation of value in the supply chain. The case of tile ceramic manufacturers and distributors in Spain

For traditional industries it is a real challenge, not only to achieve a clear product differentiation, but also to provide adequate services in order to ensure value and customer fidelity.     

Visualization of the Nordic academic web: Link analysis using social network tools

The aim of this paper is to study the link relationships in the Nordic academic web space – comprised of 23 Finnish, 11 Danish and 28 Swedish academic web domains with the European one. Through social networks analysis we intend to detect sub-networks within the Nordic network, the position and role of the different university web domains and to understand the structural topology of this web space. Co-link analysis, with asymmetrical matrices and cosine measure, is used to identify thematic clusters. Results show that the Nordic network is a cohesive network, set up by three well-defined sub-networks and it rests on the Finnish and Swedish sub-networks. We conclude that the Danish network has less visibility than other Nordic countries. The Swedish one is the principal Nordic sub-network and the Finland network is a slightly isolated from Europe, with the exception of the University of Helsinki.     

Signs and meanings in students' emergent algebraic thinking: A semiotic analysis

The purpose of this article, which is part of a longitudinal classroom research about students' algebraic symbolizations, is twofold: (1) to investigate the way students use signs and endow them with meaning in their very first encounter with the algebraic generalization of patterns and(2) to provide accounts about the students' emergent algebraic thinking. The research draws from Vygotsky's historical-cultural school of psychology, on the one hand, and from Bakhtin and Voloshinov's theory of discourse on the other, and is grounded in a semiotic-cultural theoretical framework in which algebraic thinking is considered as a sign-mediated cognitive praxis. Within this theoretical framework, the students' algebraic activity is investigated in the interaction of the individual's subjectivity and the social means of semiotic objectification. An ethnographic qualitative methodology, supported by historic, epistemological research, ensured the design and interpretation of a set of teaching activities. The paper focuses on the discussion held by a small group of students of which an interpretative, situated discourse analysis is provided. The results shed some light on the students' production of (oral and written) signs and their meanings as they engage in the construction of expressions of mathematical generality and on the social nature of their emergent algebraic thinking. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

A survey of talent identification and development processes in the youth academies of professional soccer clubs from around the world

ABSTRACT

Talent identification (TID) and development (TDE) are large fields in professional soccer and in science. However, TID and TDE processes in youth academies have not been assessed in detail. As such, our aim was to survey professional clubs from around the world about their youth academy TID and TDE processes, with 29 clubs responding to the survey. TID and TDE processes changed as a function of player age. TID processes involved finding the best players locally and regionally, but for older players the search widened to nationally and internationally for the needs of the first team. Clubs used a multidisciplinary approach to TID, but more so with older players. Median number of academy players was 80, 100, and 66 players at 8–11 years, 12–16 years, and 17–21 years, respectively. Annual player turnover in the most recent season (selections/de-selections) was 29% across all age groups, with competition from other clubs cited as a limitation to TID. TDE processes involved weekly matches and 3–5 training sessions per week led by experienced, well-qualified coaches, with most clubs providing players with academic education, residency and transportation services. Our findings extend previous research assessing professional soccer youth academy TID and TDE processes by quantifying worldwide practices.