WHEN THE SOCIETY DOES NOT SEE THE FUTURE – WHAT DOES «DISABILITY» MEAN?

The article aims to define the changes and evolution of our global economical system and the role played by education in this moment and in particular the education of disabled people. Methods. Methodological basis for analyzing this problem lies in a systematic approachto studying social processes, and analyze the social systems and the social view and expectation on education and in particular on the inclusive educational systems. Results. Politicians don’t know what to do concerning disabled people in the future. They don’t need disabled people anymore, (cause the industrial society has ended) but they have to support them. Consider that social policies have, in the last years, enhanced the working age and this will mean increasing the level of disabilities and disabled people. Scientific novelty of the article concludes in well-founded proof that the solutionsare on the mouth of every politician in the world of education, but from the words to the reality we cannot measure the real involvement in maintaining their promises. The only real possibility is to change the teachers and school’s system: a paradigm where the students will have no more to adapt themselves to the teacher’ lessons, but the teachers will adjust their work to the different students, transforming the slogan «nobody’s left behind» into a reality. Practical significance lies in the conclusion that a new possibility for the society is the paradigm that I have called a school of the future as «Learning Possibilities»  environment.Цель статьи – рассмотреть в связи с эволюцией глобальной экономической системы и изменением роли образования в современном мире проблемы обучения людей с ограниченными возможностями в Европе, а именно – в Италии. Методы. Методологические основы анализируемых аспектов образования заключаются в системном подходе к изучению социальных процессов, социальных систем и общественного мнения относительно инклюзивного обучения. Результаты и научная новизна. Показано, что в Европе существуют различные образовательные модели обучения людей с ограниченными возможностями здоровья: инклюзивная, интегративная, смешанная и специальное образование. Выделены критерии, на основе которых устанавливаются отличия одной модели от другой. Это прежде всего неодинаковые школьное пространство, образовательная среда и возможности социализации ребенка. Сопоставлены «плюсы» и «минусы» интегративной и инклюзивной моделей образования. Инклюзивная система позволяет создать для учащихся равное образовательное пространство, но характеризуется замедленными темпами обучения и отсутствием ресурсов для введения в учебный процесс дополнительных учебных часов, из-за чего могут страдать наиболее способные дети. Интегративная модель дает большую возможность развиваться, формировать социальные навыки и умения, получать новые знания, в частности за счет увеличения учебной нагрузки, которая может негативно сказаться на здоровьеи психологическом состоянии детей-инвалидов. Автор поднимает один из наиболее острых вопросов, актуальных для современной Италии, где распространена инклюзивная модель образования. В итальянских школах в одном классе могут учиться дети с особенностями развития и здоровые дети. Чем больше учащихся с ограниченными возможностями, тем меньше наполняемость класса. Для каждого ученика разрабатывается индивидуальный учебный план, но учителю в силу загруженности не всегда удается обеспечить должные условия развития и обучения каждому ребенку, поэтому родители начинают выражать свое беспокойство по поводуреализации права детей на качественное образование. Другой проблемой является огромный поток мигрантов в Европу. Некоторые родители, желая защитить своих детей, протестуют против их совместного обучения со школьниками из семей мигрантов. Многие из родителей считают, что защите их детей и проявлением уважения к ним послужит интегративная система образования. Подчеркивается, что представители государственных органов и властных структур в Италии уделяют недостаточно внимания инклюзивному образованию, финансирование которого, как и всей системы образования в целом, с каждым годом уменьшается. Декларативные заявления политиков об огромной значимости социализации людей с ограниченными возможностями и обещания решить существующие проблемы не соответствуют тем малым мерам, которые предпринимаются в действительности. Ситуация усугубляется переходом индустриального общества к постиндустриальному укладу, при котором кардинально меняется структура занятости граждан и концепция их обучения. Пока неясно, как адаптировать людей с ограниченными возможностями, нуждающихся в постоянной заботе и поддержке, к новым реалиям, в том числе к стремительно  меняющейся конъюнктуре рынка труда и повышению трудоспособного возраста, на который нацелена социальная политика последних лет. Практическая значимость публикации состоит в поиске путей модернизации школьного образования, в котором должен быть соблюден баланс между индивидуальным подходом к каждому ребенку и социальными интересами. По мнению автора статьи, для создания школы будущего следует более тщательно изучать ресурсный потенциал обучающей среды и изменить систему профессиональной подготовки учителей

ProsocialLearn: D2.3 - 1st system requirements and architecture

This document present the first version of the ProsocialLearn architecture covering the principle definition, the requirement collection, the “business”, “information system”, “technology” architecture as defined in the TOGAF methodology

D7.2 1st experiment planning and community management

The present deliverable, outlines the overall strategy for approaching the tasks of (a) developing and sustaining an engaged school-based community of ProsocialLearn users; and (b)planning and facilitating small-scale and large-scale school-based evaluation studies of the Prosocial Learn technological solution. It also presents the preliminary work undertaken so far, and details the activities planned for M9-15 with respect to community development and small-scale studies

An evaluation of an adaptive learning system based on multimodal affect recognition for learners with intellectual disabilities

Artificial intelligence tools for education (AIEd) have been used to automate the provision of learning support to mainstream learners. One of the most innovative approaches in this field is the use of data and machine learning for the detection of a student's affective state, to move them out of negative states that inhibit learning, into positive states such as engagement. In spite of their obvious potential to provide the personalisation that would give extra support for learners with intellectual disabilities, little work on AIEd systems that utilise affect recognition currently addresses this group. Our system used multimodal sensor data and machine learning to first identify three affective states linked to learning (engagement, frustration, boredom) and second determine the presentation of learning content so that the learner is maintained in an optimal affective state and rate of learning is maximised. To evaluate this adaptive learning system, 67 participants aged between 6 and 18 years acting as their own control took part in a series of sessions using the system. Sessions alternated between using the system with both affect detection and learning achievement to drive the selection of learning content (intervention) and using learning achievement alone (control) to drive the selection of learning content. Lack of boredom was the state with the strongest link to achievement, with both frustration and engagement positively related to achievement. There was significantly more engagement and less boredom in intervention than control sessions, but no significant difference in achievement. These results suggest that engagement does increase when activities are tailored to the personal needs and emotional state of the learner and that the system was promoting affective states that in turn promote learning. However, longer exposure is necessary to determine the effect on learning

Volatile monoterpene ‘fingerprints’ of resinous Protium tree species in the Amazon rainforest

Volatile terpenoid resins represent a diverse group of plant defense chemicals involved in defense against herbivory, abiotic stress, and communication. However, their composition in tropical forests remains poorly characterized. As a part of tree identification, the ‘smell’ of damaged trunks is widely used, but is highly subjective. Here, we analyzed trunk volatile monoterpene emissions from 15 species of the genus Protium in the central Amazon. By normalizing the abundances of 28 monoterpenes, 9 monoterpene ‘fingerprint’ patterns emerged, characterized by a distinct dominant monoterpene. While 4 of the ‘fingerprint’ patterns were composed of multiple species, 5 were composed of a single species. Moreover, among individuals of the same species, 6 species had a single ‘fingerprint’ pattern, while 9 species had two or more ‘fingerprint’ patterns among individuals. A comparison of ‘fingerprints’ between 2015 and 2017 from 15 individuals generally showed excellent agreement, demonstrating a strong dependence on species identity, but not time of collection. The results are consistent with a previous study that found multiple divergent copies of monoterpene synthase enzymes in Protium. We conclude that the monoterpene ‘fingerprint’ database has important implications for constraining Protium species identification and phylogenetic relationships and enhancing understanding of physiological and ecological functions of resins and their potential commercial applications. © 2019 The Author

Teachers’ perspectives on the adoption of an adaptive learning system based on multimodal affect recognition for students with learning disabilities and autism

Given the lack of information about barriers and facilitators to the adoption of elearning for those with special needs, the present study used focus groups and interviews to collect the views of 21 teachers who were taking part in preliminary evaluations of an affect sensitive intelligent tutoring system for learners with learning disabilities and autism. Five themes captured the teachers’ views of the system’s potential impact, especially regarding learning and engagement but also on factors that might influence adoption. These were: the potential of the system to transform their teaching practice; the ability of the system to impact learning outcomes; the potential impact on teacher learner/peer-learning relationships; usability issues and organisational challenges. In spite of being highly motivated by virtue of having volunteered for a research project, teachers highlighted issues that need addressing in order to promote adoption of this type of technology. This underlines the importance of involving them in the design and development process

Stem respiration and growth in a central Amazon rainforest

Key message: Annual stem CO2 efflux increases with stem wood production rates and are inhibited by daily moisture stress. Abstract: Tropical forests cycle a large amount of CO2 between the land and atmosphere, with a substantial portion of the return flux due tree respiratory processes. However, in situ estimates of woody tissue respiratory fluxes and carbon use efficiencies (CUEW) and their dependencies on physiological processes including stem wood production (Pw) and transpiration in tropical forests remain scarce. Here, we synthesize monthly Pw and daytime stem CO2 efflux (ES) measurements over 1 year from 80 trees with variable biomass accumulation rates in the central Amazon. On average, carbon flux to woody tissues, expressed in the same stem area normalized units as ES, averaged 0.90 ± 1.2 µmol m−2 s−1 for Pw, and 0.55 ± 0.33 µmol m−2 s−1 for daytime ES. A positive linear correlation was found between stem growth rates and stem CO2 efflux, with respiratory carbon loss equivalent to 15 ± 3% of stem carbon accrual. CUEW of stems was non-linearly correlated with growth and was as high as 77–87% for a fast-growing tree. Diurnal measurements of stem CO2 efflux for three individuals showed a daytime reduction of ES by 15–50% during periods of high sap flow and transpiration. The results demonstrate that high daytime ES fluxes are associated with high CUEW during fast tree growth, reaching higher values than previously observed in the Amazon Basin (e.g., maximum CUEW up to 77–87%, versus 30–56%). The observations are consistent with the emerging view that diurnal dynamics of stem water status influences growth processes and associated respiratory metabolism