Toward a Pedagogy of Compassion: Extracting Principles of Education from Teaching a High School Multicultural Literature Class

Based on the assumption by Cochran-Smith and Lytle (1993), educational scholars need insight on the “particulars” of what works for classroom teachers within the context of their own classrooms. This dissertation is a self-study that addresses my work as a high school Multicultural Literature teacher and the impact of how my own philosophical/theoretical belief system resulted in significant transformative learning experiences for students as demonstrated in their feedback. Using intercultural competence, value-creation pedagogy, and compassion as theoretical frameworks that encourage greater social cohesion and collective participation, I used autoethnography as my primary method of investigation to treat data through an analytical, self-reflective, and interpretive lens within the cultural context of my classes. Types of data included personal memory, self-observational, self-reflective, and external data, such as end of the year anonymous student evaluations, personal memoirs, journal entries, notes, course documents, past student assignments, personal communications, and a blog, collected from my 13 years of teaching. By sharing and examining my ethical/moral-motivation in relation to the positive feedback from students, I demonstrate how my pedagogical interactions and relationships with students manifest through value creation/culturally responsive pedagogy, the empowered voice, intercultural dialogue, transformative learning, and the development and nurturing of empathy and compassion. The study shares personal insights into the elements and processes that contributed to the overwhelmingly positive feedback of students throughout the study. Recommendations suggest greater research and discourse in developing a pedagogy of compassion

On the Comparison of Stochastic Model Predictive Control Strategies Applied to a Hydrogen-based Microgrid

In this paper, a performance comparison among three well-known stochastic model predictive control approaches, namely, multi-scenario, tree-based, and chance-constrained model predictive control is presented. To this end, three predictive controllers have been designed and implemented in a real renewable-hydrogen-based microgrid. The experimental set-up includes a PEM electrolyzer, lead-acid batteries, and a PEM fuel cell as main equipment. The real experimental results show significant differences from the plant components, mainly in terms of use of energy, for each implemented technique. Effectiveness, performance, advantages, and disadvantages of these techniques are extensively discussed and analyzed to give some valid criteria when selecting an appropriate stochastic predictive controller.Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad DPI2013-46912-C2-1-RMinisterio de Economía y Competitividad DPI2013-482443-C2-1-

El torn i l'abandonament de nens i nenes: elements per al debat sobre els 'Baby Box

Estem assistint a la reobertura d'un debat social sobre la necessitat de recuperar un dels instruments que es va utilitzar a tot Europa durant l'Edat moderna (en termes històrics) per tractar de pal·liar les conseqüències de l'abandonament massiu de nens i nenes: "el torn". Aquest debat encara no ha arribat a les nostres latituds, però ben segur que ho farà i haurà de ser convenientment adaptat. Aquest article pretén oferir alguns elements que puguin servir per ubicar el debat que vindrà, des dels seus components històrics i, sobretot, des de la seva inscripció social

A critical analysis of Peru's HIV grant proposals to the Global Fund.

Peru has applied to six of the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria (the Global Fund) rounds for funding, achieving success on four occasions. The process of proposal development has, however, been criticised, especially concerning the use of evidence, relevance/consistency and performance indicators. We aimed to analyse the Peruvian Global Fund proposals according to those dimensions, providing feedback to improve future local efforts and inform global discussions around Global Fund procedures. We analysed the content of four HIV-focused proposals (rounds 2, 5, 6 and 8) regarding epidemic context, needs identification and prioritisation and monitoring and evaluation systems. Peruvian proposals submitted after round 1 were described as resulting from collaborative inputs involving formerly unrepresented sectors, principally 'vulnerable populations'. However, difficulties arose regarding the amount and quality of evidence about the epidemiological context; limited consideration of social determinants of the epidemic; lack of theory-driven interventions, and little synergy across projects and the inclusion of weak monitoring and evaluation systems, with poor indicators and measurement procedures. Prioritising the development of analytical and technical skills to generate Global Fund proposals would enhance the country's capacity to produce and utilise evidence, improve the technical-political interface, strengthen information systems and lead to more informed decision making and accountability

La Junta de Protecció de la Infància de Barcelona, 1908-1985: algunes claus del seu naixement, funcionament institucional i recorregut històric = The Junta de Protecció de la Infància de Barcelona, 1908-1985: Key factors in its constitution, f

La irrupció com a subjecte sociològic i històric de la infància, i, en conseqüència, l'aparició de la intervenció i de l'acció social envers aquest sector social se'ns apareix, tant als ulls dels investigadors, com als dels tècnics i de la ciutadania en general, com un dels aspectes més nous i interessants de l'escenari de finals del segle XIX, la qual cosa significa un canvi del paradigma social. La Junta de Protecció de la Infància de Barcelona va ser creada el 1908: què es feia fins aleshores en relació amb l'atenció i la protecció de la infància?, per què va ser en aquest moment quan es començà a parlar d'infància i es creà aquesta institució? L'article vol posar de manifest, i fer-ho evident, com va sorgir, per què ho va fer, i recull algunes referències a com ha estat l'acció social amb la infància a Catalunya i Barcelona el segle XX, a través de les referències a aquesta institució, que ens fa de fil conductor perquè abraça en la vida institucional gairebé tot el segle.The bursting into scene of childhood as both a sociological and historical subject, and the following shaping of social action and intervention in this social sector, appears to the eyes of researchers, technicians and citizens as one of the most new and interesting aspects of the end of the 19th century setting. It also signifies a change in the social paradigm. The «Junta de Protecció de la Infància de Barcelona»1 was created in 1908: until then, what had been done for the protection of childhood and services to this sector of population? Why was it that, at this given time, childhood makes its appearance and such an institution is set up? The article wants to underline and make evident why and how it was created. It also aims, through the reference to this institution -understood as a connecting thread given that its institutional life covers almost the whole century - how social action for children in Catalunya and in Barcelona was understood throughout the 20th century. To contextualize this institution and to help in the understanding of why it was born and of how it was shaped, a quick and short reference is made to the definition of the concept of childhood and to the different considerations relating to it as well as to the social and educational actions towards childhood which have been developed through history. We will contribute a few references to the institutional life of the «Junta», from a chronological setting (through an external analysis) and from a logical explanation of its institutional life (through a diachronic analysis), providing an explanation that sets it as a result and a social answer in a given sociohistorical moment of change in the existing systems of values and social functions, stemming from the new bourgeois system and the springing of the social protostate. The article stages the moment of the specific appearance of the institution object of the study. It also introduces some of the most relevant economic, sociological, social, political, institutional, etc. elements in the city of Barcelona at the beginning of the 20th century in order to illustrate the numerous factors which converged in the setting up and consolidation of the «Junta». The article’s last two sections are somewhat different: the first provides information on the name and localization of the JPIB’s Archive. The last is intended to offer a set of conclusions.La irrupción como sujeto sociológico e histórico de la infancia, y en consecuencia, la aparición de la intervención y de la acción social hacia este sector social, se aparece, tanto a la mirada de los investigadores como a la de los técnicos y de la ciudadanía en general, como uno de los aspectos más novedosos e interesantes del escenario finisecular del siglo XIX, significando una cambio de paradigma social. La Junta de Protecció de la Infància de Barcelona se creó en 1908: ¿Qué se hacía hasta aquel momento en relación a la atención y protección de la infancia? ¿Por qué es en ese momento cuando se empieza a hablar de infancia y se crea esta institución? El artículo quiere mostrar y hacer evidentes, cómo surgió, por qué lo hizo, y algunas referencias al cómo ha sido la acción social con la infancia en Catalunya y en Barcelona durante el siglo XX, a través de las referencias a esta institución, que nos hará de hilo conductor, al abarcar su vida institucional, casi todo el siglo

Frederic Godàs i l"educació social: les intuïcions d"un precursor de la normalització

Les actuacions i precedents relacionats amb el que després, ja a partir dels anys seixanta, s"anomenarà com la"normalització" tenen en allò que va posar en marxa Frederic Godàs, en la seva curta (1936-1938) però fructífera acció com a Director del"Grup Benèfic" de la Junta de Protecció a la Infància de Barcelona (JPIB), un dels seus més importants antecedents. La seva acció, dirigida a evitar els processos de"segregació", a oferir"una formació professional" que potenciés l"autonomia personal i social dels nens i nenes acollits a la institució que dirigia, el seu"respecte per la capacitat d"autoorganització" dels nois i noies (desenvolupant una de les experiències més interessants de l"època: les repúbliques infantils) o l"aplicació a aquest àmbit de les propostes de Freinet, així ho corroboren. Llàstima que la Guerra Civil trunqués aquesta i tantes altres experiències tan prometedores

The Ammonia Looping System for Mid-Temperature Thermochemical Energy Storage

Thermochemical reactions have a great potential for energy storage and transport. Their application to solar energy is of utmost interest because the possibility of reaching high energy densities and seasonal storage capacity. In this work, thermochemical energy storage of Concentrated Solar Power (CSP) based on an ammonia looping (AL) system is analysed. The AL process for energy storage is based on the reversible reaction of ammonia to produce hydrogen and nitrogen. Concentrating solar energy is used to carry out the decomposition endothermic reaction at temperatures around 650 ºC, which fits in the range of currently commercial CSP plants with tower technology. The stored energy is released through the reverse exothermic reaction. Our work is focused on energy integration in the system modelled by pinch analysis to optimize the process performance and competitiveness. As result a novel configuration is derived which is able to recover high-temperature heat for electricity production with a thermal-to-electric efficiency up to 27 %. The current study shows a clear interest of the system from an energy integration perspective. Further research should be conducted to access the potential for commercial applications

Energy Management Strategies in hydrogen Smart-Grids: A laboratory experience

As microgrids gain reputation, nations are making decisions towards a new energetic paradigm where the centralized model is being abandoned in favor of a more sophisticated, reliable, environmentally friendly and decentralized one. The implementation of such sophisticated systems drive to find out new control techniques that make the system “smart”, bringing the Smart-Grid concept. This paper studies the role of Energy Management Strategies (EMSs) in hydrogen microgrids, covering both theoretical and experimental sides. It first describes the commissioning of a new labscale microgrid system to analyze a set of different EMS performance in real-life. This is followed by a summary of the approach used towards obtaining dynamic models to study and refine the different controllers implemented within this work. Then the implementation and validation of the developed EMSs using the new labscale microgrid are discussed. Experimental results are shown comparing the response of simple strategies (hysteresis band) against complex on-line optimization techniques, such as the Model Predictive Control. The difference between both approaches is extensively discussed. Results evidence how different control techniques can greatly influence the plant performance and finally we provide a set of guidelines for designing and operating Smart Grids.Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad DPI2013-46912-C2-1-