Current Policy Issues in Early Foreign Language Learning

The development of policy in relation to language learning at the early primary level of schooling has received only limited attention in the literature on policy studies in general, and within the framework of an emerging education policy space across Europe specifically. This paper offers an introductory discussion of the growth of education policy in Europe, identifying the extent to which the histories of national language policies are being re-shaped by the rise of numerical data and comparison within a newly-formed European education space. A summary review of key measures of particular relevance to early language learning illustrates thescale of “soft” policy mechanisms now available as tools in an on-going process of shaping, adapting and refining policy in response to the continuously shifting language priorities that arise particularly during periods of economic instability. This paper draws on key themes from a transnational, longitudinal study of early language learning in Europe to discuss the extent to which implementation in schools has so far been moulded by a plethora of recommendations, reports and indicators formulated in response to the step change in policy development that has occurred since the publication of the Lisbon Strategy (2000)

Herramientas de triple efecto: portfolios profesionales en la enseñanza de lenguas extranjeras

Empirical evidence reveals that portfolios show promise as a tool for stimulating teacher’s reflection and professional development. However, very few Slovene teachers have any experience in using this valuable instrument for teaching purposes. In response to this weakness in the system, the teacher’s portfolio was included in a national research study investigating the best possible way(s) of introducing foreign languages in the first cycle of the primary school. The main goals of using the teacher’s portfolio were: (1) to actively monitor the implementation of the foreign languages, (2) to develop an appropriate foreign language teaching approach through critical professional reflection, and (3) to evaluate the teaching process. The research results confirm the triple tool effect of the portfolio whereby the teachers were able to recognise its value. However, they also perceived some difficulties in the portfolio management process, such as the lack of use of their own learning strategies and superficial understanding of self-regulation. This finding underlines the importance of extensive teacher preparation prior to the use of teacher portfolios in future.La evidencia empírica revela que el portfolio es una herramienta prometedora para estimular la reflexión del profesor y el desarrollo profesional. Sin embargo, muy pocos profesores eslovenos tienen experiencia en el uso de este valioso instrumento para la enseñanza. En respuesta a esta debilidad del sistema, el portfolio del profesor fue incluido en un estudio nacional para investigar la(s) mejor(es) manera(s) posible(s) de introducir lenguas extranjeras en el primer ciclo de la escuela primaria. Los objetivos principales de uso del portfolio del profesor han sido: (1) monitorizar activamente la implementación de lenguas extranjeras, (2) desarrollar un enfoque adecuado de la enseñanza de una lengua extranjera mediante la reflexión crítica profesional, y (3) evaluar el proceso de enseñanza. Los resultados de la investigación han confirmado el efecto de triple herramienta del portfolio, mediante la cual los profesores han sido capaces de reconocer su valor. Sin embargo, también han percibido algunas dificultades en su proceso de gestión, tales como la falta de uso de sus propias estrategias de aprendizaje y la comprensión superficial de la autorregulación. Esta constatación subraya la importancia de la preparación extensiva de los maestros antes de empezar a usar el portfolio del profesor en el futuro.This research was supported by Ministry of Education, Science, Culture and Sport of the Republic of Slovenia. The Slovenian National Educational Institute and The European Social Funds

Dinamika vrednot tujih jezikov na Švedskem: socialna zgodovina

This paper gives an account of the history of foreign language values in Sweden from the seventeenth century to the present. The paper is informed by sociocultural standpoints on language and language learning according to which language is a dynamic tool that is appropriated by individuals to achieve particular purposes, and that dialogically creates and renews our social world(s). Since the sixteenth century, three languages (German, French and English) have been taught in Sweden as foreign languages during particular eras. In this paper, we explore how language value can be understood as a system that evolves over time as a result of triggers such as power, trade and personal benefits. The impact of these variables on Swedish society’s efforts to invest in learning a particular language during specific eras is critically examined from the perspectives of nested systems. (DIPF/Orig.

Assessing the Effects of Banana Pingers as a Bycatch Mitigation Device for Harbour Porpoises (Phocoena phocoena)

This is the final version. Available on open access from Frontiers Media via the DOI in this recordData Availability Statement: The raw data supporting the conclusions of this article will be made available by the authors, without undue reservation, to any qualified researcher.Bycatch is a significant cause of population declines of marine megafauna globally. While numerous bycatch mitigation strategies exist, acoustic alarms, or pingers, are the most widely adopted strategy for small cetaceans. Although pingers have been shown to be an effective measure for numerous species, there are some concerns about their long-term use. Bycatch is recognized as a persistent problem in waters around Cornwall, United Kingdom, where several cetacean species are resident, with harbour porpoises (Phocoena phocoena) being the most-commonly sighted. In this study, we assessed the effects of a Banana Pinger (Fishtek Marine Limited) on harbour porpoises in Cornwall between August 2012 and March 2013. Two passive acoustic loggers (C-PODs; Chelonia Limited) were deployed 100 m apart to record cetacean activity during cycles of active and inactive pinger periods. Harbour porpoises were 37% less likely to be detected at the C-POD near the pinger when the pinger was active, while they were only 9% less likely to be detected 100 m further away. The effect of the pinger was constant over the study period at both C-PODs despite the temporal variation in harbour porpoise detections. In addition, we found no evidence of reduced pinger effect with changing environmental conditions. Furthermore, harbour porpoise detections at the C-POD near the pinger did not depend on the time elapsed since the pinger turned off, with harbour porpoises returning to the ensonified area with no delay. Together these results suggest that (1) harbour porpoises did not habituate to the pinger over an 8-month period, (2) the pinger effect is very localized, and (3) pinger use did not lead to harbour porpoise displacement over the study period, suggesting an absence of long-term behavioral effects. We suggest that the deployment of pingers on fishing nets would likely reduce net-porpoise interactions, thereby mitigating bycatch of harbour porpoises and potentially other cetacean species. As the small-scale fishery dominates in United Kingdom waters, there is an acute need for cost-effective mitigation strategies with concurrent monitoring to be implemented rapidly in order to address the problem of harbour porpoise, and more generally, cetacean bycatch.Whale and Dolphin ConservationFishtek Marine Limite

Investigating an innovative sea-based strategy to mitigate coastal city flood disasters and its feasibility study for brisbane, australia

© 2020 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This study examines an innovative Coastal Reservoir (CR) technique as a feasible solution for flood adaptation and mitigation in the Brisbane River Estuary (BRE), Australia, which is vulnerable to coastal flooding. The study analysed the operation of a CR by using the MIKE 21 hydrodynamic modelling package. The 2D hydrodynamic model was calibrated and validated for the 2013 and 2011 flood events respectively, with a Nash-Sutcliffe coefficient (Ens) between 0.87 to 0.97 at all gauges. River right branch widening and dredging produced a 0.16 m reduction in water level at the Brisbane city gauge. The results show that by suitable gate operation of CR, the 2011 flood normal observed level of 4.46 m, with reference to the Australian Height Datum (AHD) at Brisbane city, could have been reduced to 3.88 m AHD, while under the improved management operation of the Wivenhoe Dam, the flood level could be lowered to 4 m AHD at Brisbane city, which could have been reduced with CR to 2.87 m AHD with an overall water level reduction below the maximum flood level. The results demonstrated that the innovative use of a CR could considerably decrease the overall flood peak and lessen flood severity in the coastal city of Brisbane

Scallop potting with lights : a novel, low impact method for catching European king scallop (Pecten maximus)

This paper describes, for the first time, that scallops can be attracted into static fishing gear using LED lights. This novel finding presents an opportunity for the development of a new, low impact fishing method for scallops. Traditionally, wild caught scallops are primarily fished using dredges and trawls. Due to their penetrative nature, the interaction of this towed gear with the seabed can cause significant damage to sensitive marine habitats and species. Diver caught scallops have been a low impact alternative source, however, this sector can only supply limited quantities due to logistical constraints. In this study, we investigate the potential for scallops to be fished using illuminated standard commercial crustacean pots. We assessed the effect of using light in a range of pot designs on scallop, brown crab, lobster and crawfish, and spider crab catches in Cornwall between December 2020 and February 2021. A total of 77 strings were shot, deploying 1886 pots of six treatment types. The fishing grounds used in the trial are traditionally potted for crustacea and are not renowned scallop beds. Despite this, all treatments with lights retained scallops and of the 518 scallops recorded, 99.6% (n = 516) were caught in pots with lights. A modified parlour pot with lights (treatment F) caught scallops most effectively, with a maximum catch rate of 19 scallops per string (23–24 pots per string) per 24-, and the maximum number of scallops recorded in a single pot was 24. We show that simple and inexpensive modifications to existing crustacean pots present fishers the opportunity to augment their existing crustacean catches with a low environmental impact, premium scallop product. Further refinement to pot design and the lights are needed to enhance scallop and crustacean retention before a commercially viable fishery can be established. We discuss the opportunities that these new findings present to the fishing industry and marine managers

Financialisation, the valuation of investment property and the urban built environment in the UK

The financialisation literature has been criticised for its limited empirical base and its failure adequately to link the everyday world with that of high finance. The paper addresses these shortcomings by examining the calculative practice of property valuation. The way that valuations are performed affects their results and, therefore, the operation of the property market. The paper traces the evolving influence of finance capital on the valuation of commercial property in the UK by constructing a historiography of investment valuation since 1960. Traditional approaches to valuation have been increasingly challenged by those derived from financial economics. However, the former remains the dominant method for undertaking market valuation. Its grounding in comparison – a centring and standardising process – offers an explanation for some of the changes in the urban built environment that are ascribed to financialisation. This suggests that a more detailed and historically sensitive interpretation of financialisation is required

In Situ Study of the Physical Mechanisms Controlling Induced Seismicity at Monticello Reservoir, South Carolina

In two ~1.1-km-deep wells, the magnitudes of the principal in situ stresses, pore pressure, permeability, and the distribution of faults, fractures, and joints were measured directly in the hypocentral zones of earthquakes induced by impoundment of Monticello Reservoir, South Carolina. Analysis of these data suggests that the earthquakes were caused by an increase in subsurface pore pressure sufficiently large to trigger reverse-type fault motion on preexisting fault planes in a zone of relatively large shear stresses near the surface. The measurements indicated (1) near-critical stress differences for reverse-type fault motion at depths less than 200-300 m, (2) possibly increased pore pressure at depth relative to preimpoundment conditions, (3) the existence of fault planes in situ with orientations similar to those determined from composite focal plane mechanisms, and (4) in situ hydraulic diffusivities that agree well with the size of the seismically active area and time over which fluid flow would be expected to migrate into the zone of seismicity. Our physical model of the seismicity suggests that infrequent future earthquakes will occur at Monticello Reservoir as a result of eventual pore fluid diffusion into isolated zones of low permeability. Future seismic activity at Monticello Reservoir is expected to be limited in magnitude by the small dimensions of the seismogenic zones

Efficacy of a novel shark bycatch mitigation device in a tuna longline fishery

This is the final version. Available on open access from Cell Press via the DOI in this recordElasmobranchs (sharks, rays, and skates) are caught throughout fisheries globally, leading to over one-third of species being threatened with extinction1. Oceanic shark populations have undergone an average 71% decline over the last half century, owing to an 18-fold increase in relative fishing pressure2. Incidental capture or 'bycatch' is a primary driver of population declines, and poses an important challenge for species conservation3. This threat necessitates mitigation strategies that exist for sharks but are often focussed on haul-back and post-capture effects for longline fishing. We trialled a novel shark bycatch mitigation device ("SharkGuard") in a commercial longline fishery targeting bluefin tuna (Thunnus thynnus), where bycatch consists largely of blue sharks (Prionace glauca) and pelagic stingrays (Pteroplatytrygon violacea).Innovate U