Evaluation of Some Properties of Sugarcane Using Four Selected Techniques (Nmr, Nir).

A study was undertaken to evaluate new methods for rapid estimation of sugar, fiber, and moisture contents as well as the biomass of sugarcane. The NIR method can analyze the samples for sugar, moisture, fiber, and Pol values in less than one minute. The microwave method can reduce the time necessary to perform sugar and moisture analysis using the press method from 48 hours to a few minutes. Gamma ray transmission can be used to estimate crop yield in the field, and NMR can be used to measure the moisture content of whole stalks of sugarcane if its accuracy is improved. Considerable time can be saved if one of these methods is used to analyze sugarcane samples for quality. Near infrared (NIR) spectroscopy was applied to estimate Pol as a percent of juice, and fiber, sugar, and moisture content as a percent of cane from shredded sugarcane samples. The results from this analysis were not statistically different (p \u3e 0.05) from the standard press method commonly used. The determination coefficient values of the regression lines for the calculated values using NIR on the measured values were 0.94 for fiber, 0.98 for Pol, 0.98 for moisture, and 0.99 for sugar. A household microwave oven was used to rapidly evaluate the moisture content of shredded sugarcane samples. There was no significant difference between the microwave, heated air oven, and the standard press methods (p \u3e 0.05). The determination coefficient of the regression line of the calculated sugar content using the standard and the microwave oven values was 0.99. Gamma ray transmission was used to evaluate the linear attenuation coefficient of sugarcane stalks. The total mass attenuation coefficient was calculated from the linear attenuation coefficient. The mass for the scan section as well as for a portion of a stalk was calculated and there was no significant difference between the calculated values and the measured values (p \u3e 0.05). The determination coefficients of the regression lines of the measured values using gamma ray and the observed values for mass values were 0.89 for scan section, and 0.86 for portion of the stalk. NMR was used to evaluate moisture content of whole stalks of sugarcane. Two amplitudes were taken from the Free Induction Decay curve. The amplitude ratio was correlated to the moisture content in the sample. The value of the correlation coefficient obtained was 0.82. It was also found that the magnet inhomogeneity needs to be controlled in order to obtain more accurate results

Iniciação à ciência através da metodologia de trabalho de projeto – um contexto privilegiado para o desenvolvimento da linguagem no pré-escolar

A aprendizagem da Ciência tem-se revelado difícil, nos diferentes níveis de ensino, como tem mostrado a inúmera investigação educacional que tem vindo a ser realizada desde a década de sessenta do séc. XX. A Linguagem científica constitui uma (primeira) barreira para os aprendentes de Ciência. As dificuldades são de natureza diversa. No presente artigo procuraremos mostrar como uma iniciação à Ciência, através da Metodologia de Trabalho de Projeto, pode constituir uma metodologia privilegiada por permitir não só a aquisição de significado para termos técnicos, como também a atribuição de novos significados a palavras da linguagem corrente e a utilização de conectores lógicos. Recorreremos a exemplos recolhidos de situações de estágios profissionais que acompanhámos.Abstract: The learning of science has proved to be difficult at the various levels of education, as shown by the volume of educational research that has been carried out since the 1960s. Scientific language is a (first) barrier for learners of science. The difficulties are of various kinds. In this article we will show how an introduction to science through the working project methodology work may constitute an effective means of facilitating not only the acquisition of the meanings of technical terms, but also the assigning of new meanings to everyday words and the use of logical connectors. For this propose we will use examples drawn from our own experience as teaching practice tutors.Résumé: L’apprentissage de la science s'est révélé difficile dans les différents niveaux d’éducation, comme le témoigne la recherche en éducation qui a été menée depuis les années soixante du XXe siècle. Le langage scientifique est un obstacle (le premier) pour les apprenants de science. Les difficultés sont de nature diverse. Dans cet article, nous allons voir comment une initiation à la science à partir de la méthodologie de travail du projet peut constituer un moyen privilégié pour permettre soit l'acquisition du sens des termes techniques, soit l'attribution de nouvelles significations aux mots de tous les jours et l'utilisation des connecteurs logiques. Nous nous appuyons sur des exemples recueillis dans des situations de stages professionnels

Arguments towards a humanization of science

Identificando a rutura no desenvolvimento da ciência entre o contexto de descoberta e o contexto de justificação, julgamos poder entender melhor a dominação do ensino transmissivo da ciência em contexto escolar e melhor argumentar para a sua superação. Por outro lado, o argumento que aqui defendemos para recuperar, para o contexto de sala de aula, a fortíssima chama cultural que a ciência transporta nos seus conceitos, leis e teorias, bem como no seu próprio processo de desenvolvimento, tem uma tradição enraizada na cultura portuguesa que exploramos.ABSTRACT By identifying the rupture in the development of science between the context of discovery and the context of justification, we believe can better understand the domination of transmissive teaching of science in schools and argue for overcoming it. The argument is to recover for the classroom the very strong cultural flame that science carries in its concepts, laws and theories as well as in its own developmental processes. We explore the tradition rooted in Portuguese culture

Pre-service teachers ideas of collaborative work when using a wiki to construct a lab notebook

Due to the potential benefits of the wikis, they are increasingly gaining popularity in educational settings. In the educational context they have been used for various purposes such as managing research projects, publishing course materials and completing writing assignments. This type of Web 2.0 tool provides a number of useful functions, such as creation of content by multiple users, tracking history of users’ actions, comparison between different editions and roll-back to earlier versions of the wiki, allowing teachers to monitor learners’ co-authoring process. Because of these functions, wikis have been claimed as facilitators of collaborative writing, group discussion and interaction. However, wikis are not inherently collaborative. After a brief review of the relevant literature on the importance of interaction in the learning process this communication presents some preliminary results on the use of wikis by pre-service elementary school teachers. The implementation of virtual lab notebooks hosted within a wiki environment in the scope of a course on biology is described. Students´ perceptions regarding the implementation of the wiki are explored, namely its challenges and potential benefits. In order to achieve this goal, participants were asked to write a reflexive essay about their use of the wiki. A content analysis on this data followed. An additional goal is to understand the kind of interaction promoted by the wiki. For this purpose, the individual contributions to the wiki that occurred during the learning process were analyzed and categorized. Follow-up interviews were conducted to gain insight into students’ decisionmaking process. The results are discussed in view of identifying factors that may lead to a more successful integration of the wikis in science lessons and to improve pre-service teachers’ confidence in using Web 2.0 tools for pedagogical purposes.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Stereotypes and views of science among elementary students: gender and grade differences

Several empirical studies reveal that students are poorly informed, and often hold stereotyped views of science and scientists. The present study aimed to investigate the Portuguese elementary school students' images of scientists and their work and the influence of gender and grade level on the development of these images. Two hundred and eighty-nine elementary school students enrolled in grades 1-5 in urban public schools participated in the study. Students were asked to draw a scientist and to answer questions about the drawing. The data collected were analyzed, considering three different features: stereotypical indicators, specialized research fields, and scientists' activity. Several descriptive and bivariate analyses were performed. Portuguese students tended to report the same stereotyped image of scientists described in other countries, and students' knowledge seems to be limited to a few fields of specialization and influenced by the pandemic context experienced during the DAST application. Moreover, the results showed differences according to the student's gender and grade level that may result, among other factors, from the influence of the atypical organization of the Portuguese education system in the first years of schooling.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Understanding the process and conditions that improve pre-service teachers' conceptions of nature of science in real contexts

The present study conceptualized, implemented, and evaluated a specific program, the Live Science program. This program integrated 2 distinct but complementary approaches: participants’ immersion in real science contexts and the participation of future teachers in seminars intended to share the immersion experience and to reflect on nature of science (NOS). Four future teachers participated in the Live Science program in 2 real research contexts. Through an analysis of the experiences and lessons learned from this program, this study tried to understand to what extent participation in real-context scientific activities, focused on an explicit and reflective approach to NOS, can contribute to the professional development of preservice elementary teachers. Interviews, questionnaires, observations, diaries, and videotaped seminars were used for data collection. Our findings suggest that the adoption of an explicit approach through illustration and reflection on particular aspects of NOS within the context of scientific research is a promising approach considering that it potentially allows for the development of a more informed understanding of science. The results also suggest that along with personality-related factors, the inherent characteristics of real science contexts play an important role in the development of that understanding. Tightly organized research teams capable of giving ample support to preservice teachers and working in research fields in which participants’ conceptions can be confronted should be selected in order to improve the impact of this type of program.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

O processo de inclusão de alunos com Síndrome de Down no ensino regular: realidade e possibilidades

This work of conclusion of course is about the school inclusion of students with Down Syndrome (DS) in regular education. This is a difficult process due to the lack of preparation of teachers for this purpose. SD is caused by a genetic change that occurs on chromosome 21, with the presence of an extra chromosome. People with DS have cognitive deficits and, therefore, do not learn the knowledge worked in the same way as students with typical development, which demands differentiated curricular work. For, people with Down syndrome present a delay not only in their intellectual development, but also in the motor, due to muscular hypotonia. However, this delay in cognitive and motor development does not necessarily imply poor quality of schooling and life in general. However, stimulation should be done by several professionals, not only leaving the school responsible for the development of students with DS. When stimulated early on, they may have a good neuropsychomotor development. Thus, this study based on bibliographical and field research aims to analyze the inclusion of the student with SD in the regular school of Borborema - PB municipal network. Information was sought through the literature about Down Syndrome and the importance of schooling for development and consequent social inclusion. This study refers to a descriptive exploratory research, whose population consisted of the presence of 3 (three) teachers of individuals with DS, living in the Borborema-PB region and (1) Gestor. For data collection, a semi-structured interview was used, which sought to know how the school inclusion of Down individuals occurs.Esse trabalho de conclusão de curso versa sobre a inclusão escolar de alunos com Síndrome de Down (SD) no ensino regular. Esse é um processo difícil, em função da falta de preparo de docentes para esse fim. A SD é causada por uma alteração genética que acontece no cromossomo 21, com a presença de um cromossomo extra. As pessoas com SD têm déficit cognitivo e, portanto, não aprendem os conhecimentos trabalhados da mesma forma que os alunos com desenvolvimento típico, o que demanda trabalho curricular diferenciado. As pessoas com SD apresentam um atraso não só no seu desenvolvimento intelectual, mas também no motor, em função da hipotonia muscular. Contudo, esse atraso no desenvolvimento cognitivo e motor não implica necessariamente em uma má qualidade de escolarização e da vida em geral. Entretanto, estimulações devem ser feitas por diversos profissionais, não deixando só para a escola a responsabilidade pelo desenvolvimento dos alunos com SD. Quando estimuladas desde cedo poderão ter um bom desenvolvimento neuropsicomotor. Sendo assim, este estudo realizado a partir de pesquisas bibliográfica e de campo tem como objetivo analisar a inclusão do aluno com SD no ensino regular de uma escola da rede municipal de Borborema – PB. Buscou-se informações através da literatura sobre o que é SD e a importância da escolarização para o desenvolvimento e consequente inclusão social. Esse estudo refere-se a uma pesquisa exploratória descritiva, cuja população constou com a presença de 3 (três) professores de indivíduos com SD, que moram na região de Borborema-PB e (1) Gestor. Para a coleta de dados foi utilizado uma entrevista semiestruturada, a qual procurou saber como se dá a inclusão escolar dos indivíduos Down

Natureza da Ciência na formação inicial de professores e a prática orientada para a promoção da literacia científica

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O estudo de aula na Formação Inicial: Desenvolvimento de processos colaborativos

O Estudo de Aula tem sido usado na formação contínua de professores um pouco por todo o mundo. Contudo, a sua utilização na formação inicial de professores ainda é pouco estudada. Em Portugal, têm tido lugar algumas investigações no ensino das ciências sobre a implementação do Estudo de Aula na formação inicial, sendo neste âmbito que o nosso trabalho se enquadra. Os estudos têm demonstrado potencialidades do processo no desenvolvimento do conhecimento pedagógico de conteúdo (PCK) dos futuros professores, na promoção dos processos colaborativos, na mudança de foco das ações do (futuro) professor para as atividades e aprendizagens dos alunos. São ainda reportadas aprendizagens nos professores cooperantes participantes no processo. O Content Represention Knowledge (CoRe), que inicialmente foi mais usado para explorar o PCK de professores experientes, tem vindo a ser utilizado, no âmbito da formação inicial de professores, com o objetivo de promover o desenvolvimento do PCK. O CoRe permite uma maior integração da teoria e da prática, aceder a aspetos mais tácitos dos professores cooperantes e assim exibir conhecimento pedagógico e didático muitas vezes não explicitado. Investigamos, utilizando uma análise narrativa, o efeito do uso do CoRe num Estudo de Aula centrado no sistema cardiovascular desenvolvido no âmbito da Prática de Ensino Supervisionada no 2.º CEB de uma escola de Lisboa, centrando a nossa análise no envolvimento da Professora Cooperante. Apresentamos evidências que mostram um processo genuinamente colaborativo envolvendo todos os participantes. A professora cooperante mostra ganhos no entendimento do processo formativo relativamente à sua prática usual.Abstract Lesson study has been used in in-service teachers' training worldwide. However, its use in initial teachers' training is still poorly studied. In Portugal, some investigations have taken place about the implementation of lesson studies in initial teachers' training, and it is in this context that our work fits. The studies have demonstrated the potential of the process in developing pedagogical content knowledge (PCK) of future teachers, promoting collaborative processes, and moving future teachers' sole focus away from teacher actions toward student learning. Studies also evidence learning for participating mentors. Content Representation Knowledge (CoRe), which was initially used to explore the PCK of experienced teachers, has been used in the context of initial teacher education to promote the development of the PCK. CoRe allows for greater integration of theory and practice, accessing more tacit aspects of mentor teachers and thus displaying pedagogical and didactic knowledge that is often not made explicit. Using narrative analysis, we investigated the effect of the use of CoRe in a lesson study focused on the cardiovascular system developed within the scope of the supervised teaching practice in the sixth grade of a school in Lisbon, focusing our analysis on the involvement of the mentor teacher. We present evidence that shows a genuinely collaborative process involving all participants. The mentor teacher shows gains in the understanding of the training process in relation to her usual practice.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio