Rubrics as Active Learning Tools

Rubrics are traditionally considered as assessment tools that facilitate the learning assessment process, both for teachers and students. However, more than helping promote an assessment tool for authentic learning, it can be one of the main active learning tools. Students will not only read the assessment rubrics precreated by teachers, but they are invited to collaboratively create it, thus becoming even more engaged with their learning process right from the beginning. This idea will explain, step by step, how to successfully involve students into rubric building and reflect on their future learning, instead of only reflecting on their previous work.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Contribution of EQA to improve Preanalytical practices by systematic verification of Laboratory Services

International literature describes the preanalytical phase as the most susceptible to errors due to the numerous non automated activities it involves Most EQA organizers offer preanalytical schemes to participants. There are basically three types of surveys procedures registration, samples circulation and errors registration The Portuguese EQA Programme ( provides these type of schemes for 13 years, using as a guide the ISO 15189 2012 In order to improve the evaluation of the preanalytical phase, PNAEQ recently launched two other preanalytical EQA schemes, mystery client and presential audits in 2015 and 2016 respectively. The aim of the mystery client survey is to verify whether the information provided to the patient is constant regardless the day and time or if it is dependent on the collaborator. The aim of the presential audit survey is to give the participants a tool to verify if the procedures performed daily are in accordance with laboratorial good practices recommendations. Conclusions: Results from Mystery Client surveys demonstrate the need for written procedures and harmonization of practices for all collaborators, as more than a third of the responses differed in date/time and operator in a global view. In the Presential Audit surveys we highlight as critical points the results regarding questions 3 5 and 6 as they point to specific problems that occurred during the blood collection procedure, such as operator and patient safety, as well as the quality of the sample collected, suggesting the need to review legal and normative issues and to train collaborators. Participants who use systematically these two methodologies are monitoring some of the requirements of ISO 15189:2012, namely 4. 1.2.6, 4.3, 4.4.1, 4.14, 5.4.2 (both), 5.4.4.2 (mystery client) and 5.1.2, 5.2.2, 5.2.5, 5.3.2.5, 5.3.2.7, 5.4.4 (presential audit), contributing to release reliable results for medical decisions. For the future, we will extend the questions and items in evaluation in these two surveys to Microbiology area and continuing to offer training in Preanalytical matters.N/

Educação e inovação

Neste artigo, começamos por reflectir sobre a pertinência e a actualidade da inovação educativa, fazendo uma breve alusão ao conceito de inovação. De seguida, apresentamos duas investigações recentes (1996), uma realizada na Suécia e outra em França, por forma a ilustrar e a enriquecer a presente reflexão. Concluímos formulando algumas questões e alertando para a necessidade de desenvolver mais as investigações teórica e empírica, neste domínio. Temos uma fraca tradição de investigação em educação. Estamos habituados a reformar a educação de maneira puramente empírica, sem base científica. Tal hábito tem-nos custado caro e os seus efeitos serão hoje particularmente perniciosos, pois a nossa época exige que decisões da importância das que incidem sobre a educação tenham uma base o mais rigorosa possível, tanto empírica como reflexiva (Patrício, 1988, p.10)

Ser educador

"Ama e empenha-te na construção de uma nova humanidade: poderiam afixar à «porta» do século XXI" (Amorim, 1995). Esta afirmação soa-nos, hoje, provavelmente, despropositada e anacrónica. Mas é com ela que Isabel Amorim conclui um dos capítulos da sua dissertação sobre "Valores e Reforma Educativa". Afirmação ousada nos tempos que correm e que nos levou a reflectir sobre o nosso papel educativo, na actualidade, tendo em vista a construção de uma sociedade mais humanizada. Vivemos num final de século, numa época em que as mudanças se sucedem de uma forma ampla, rápida, contínua e, por vezes, inesperada. Num período caracterizado por uma crescente perplexidade, inquietação e, mesmo, por alguma desorientação

"Os Deuses Devem Estar Loucos"

Neste espaço de diálogo, em que se fala da vida, ou de pequenas fracções dela, onde, com a espontaneidade e a natural fluência das conversas mais aprazíveis, podemos trocar pontos de vista, iremos procurar partilhar algumas reflexões à margem do filme «Os deuses devem estar loucos»

Estudi de viabilitat per a la preparació de materials de referència per a la caracterització físico-química de residus solids

Treballs Finals de Grau de Química, Facultat de Química, Universitat de Barcelona, Any: 2022, Tutora: Àngels Sahuquillo EstrugoNowadays, waste management is a very important aspect, so minimizing waste is vital. When waste cannot be recycled or reused, it is disposed in controlled landfills. European Decision 2003/33/EC establishes the criteria and procedures for the admission of waste to controlled landfills, which are based on a previous physico-chemical characterization of the waste. In Catalonia, its management is the responsibility of Agència de Residus de Catalunya (ARC). The ARC monitors the analytical behavior of the laboratories that participate in proficiency test for the characterization of waste. Since 2003, Mat Control organise proficiency tests for the characterization of solid wastes from soil matrices. For the correct operation of a proficiency test, the reference material sent to the participant, must be homogenous and stable over time and it has to allow to check the analytical performance of participants for the list of parameters of interest. For achieving the best conditions, a feasibility study must be performed, that has as objective quantify in aqueous leachate the established parameters decided in the campaign with the difficulties that this may cause. The parameters established for the analysis, and according to the present legislation, are some metals, some anions, phenol index and total organic carbon. In this work, the physico-chemical properties of the initial soil will be analysed and a fortification process will be established to obtain the reference material used in the proficiency test for the 2022 campaign that achieves the mentioned objective

O conceito de fração - o conhecimento de professores do 1.º ciclo

As orientações curriculares recentes antecipam o ensino das frações para o 2.º ano de escolaridade e preconizam uma abordagem mais aprofundada a este tópico ainda durante o 1.º ciclo do ensino básico. O conceito de fração é um conceito reconhecidamente complexo, por um lado, e considerado essencial para a aprendizagem matemática futura da criança, por outro. Dominar o conceito de fração pressupõe compreender as suas propriedades e os seus diferentes significados. Face a todo este cenário e à escassez de estudos neste âmbito procurou-se, com este estudo, analisar o conhecimento dos professores do 1.º ciclo sobre o conceito de fração.CIEC - Centro de Investigação em Estudos da Criança, IE, UMinho (UI 317 da FCT), PortugalFundos Nacionais através da FCT (Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia) e cofinanciado pelo Fundo Europeu de Desenvolvimento Regional (FEDER) através do COMPETE 2020 – Programa Operacional Competitividade e Internacionalização (POCI) com a referência POCI-01-0145-FEDER-007562info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

The teaching of fractions in primary school - a case study

Este artigo descreve parte de um estudo sobre as práticas de ensino de frações no 1.º ciclo. Procura resposta às questões: 1) Como é que os professores exploram e articulam os significados quociente, parte-todo, medida e operador para ensinar frações? 2) Que dificuldades manifestam os professores no desenvolvimento das suas aulas sobre frações? Realizou-se um programa de trabalho colaborativo com 4 professores e observaram-se aulas, apresentando-se aqui um dos casos. Os resultados sugerem dificuldade dos professores no ensino de frações nomeadamente na seleção e exploração de tarefas, mas também na abordagem às diferentes interpretações de fração.This article describes part of a study about the teaching of fractions in primary school levels. It seeks answers to the questions: 1) How do teachers explore and articulate the interpretations quotient, part-whole, measure and operator to teach fractions? 2) What difficulties do teachers have in the development of their classes on fractions? Classes were observed and a collaborative work program was developed, involving four teachers — one of these cases is presented in here. Results point to some teaching fragilities, namely concerning the selection and approaching of the tasks, as well as the approach to the different interpretations of fractions.CIEC - Centro de Investigação em Estudos da Criança, IE, UMinho (UI 317 da FCT), PortugalFundos Nacionais através da FCT (Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia) e cofinanciado pelo Fundo Europeu de Desenvolvimento Regional (FEDER) através do COMPETE 2020 – Programa Operacional Competitividade e Internacionalização (POCI) com a referência POCI-01-0145-FEDER-007562info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

PNAEQ - 13 years of post-analytical EQAS in Portugal

In the last 13 years, PNAEQ provided a specific program on post-analytical phase. In order to raise the offer of schemes in areas like Thrombosis/ Haemostasis, PNAEQ has established a consortium with ECAT Foundation distributing two more schemes: Post- Analytical Platelet Function and Pre- and Post-Analytical in Haemostasis. Furthermore, five of the analytical schemes organized by PNAEQ include a post-analytical interpretation, such as Blood Morphology, Hemoglobinopathies, Hydatidose, Rubella and Toxoplasmosis. The main objective of implementing specific and integrated programs on post-analytical phase is to evaluate the performance of laboratories on these matters in order to improve their quality service. The specific program on post-analytical phase provided by PNAEQ comprises 6 types of surveys: audits (vertical and presential), case simulation, case-study, document evaluation, quality indicators and questionnaires. Each survey represents a different tool to evaluate several items of the post-analytical process (Table 1), as well as the laboratory collaborators involved in each task (Figure 1). The items in evaluation are annually selected in the PNAEQ Working Group on Pre- and Post-Analytical Phase (created in 2015) and in compliance with the Portuguese Legislation and the ISO 15189:2012(E). Since 2007 PNAEQ has distributed 6 types of tools in the Post-Analytical Phase EQA, stabilizing in 3 of them in the last five years: Audits, Case Simulation and Quality Indicators. The participation rate has been increasing since 2015, which can be due to the multiple actions performed by PNAEQ Working Group on Pre- and Post-Analytical Phase. In addition, the Case Simulation surveys are the most participated (74% average) since the participation depends on PNAEQ. For the future, PNAEQ and the Working Group will work on the continuous update of the tools content distributed in each survey according to international references and the experience of other EQA organizers.N/