Ecology, cultural awareness, anti-racism and critical thinking: integrating multiple perspectives in foreign language teaching

This paper aims at presenting a critical approach to teaching ecological, postcolonial and ethnic minority topics in the (foreign language) classroom, describing the need to interrelate these three issues in both research and teaching. It illustrates how Western utilitarian perspectives on both humans and nature must be counterbalanced with alternative stances, such as those provided by indigenous views of reciprocity. With regard to teaching scenarios, it suggests the use of multi-text selections in line with the principle of presenting multiple perspectives on global issues. It suggests that two seemingly contradictory teaching/learning objectives can be combined: bolstering up students’ empathetic skills in understanding ecological and interculturally relevant issues on the one hand and becoming critically aware of textual strategies employed to manipulate readers. We use the hitherto less frequently observed example of the demands of the Chilean indigenous minority of the Mapuche to illustrate how different positions published in the English language on the Internet can be used in the foreign language classroom to discuss the issues at stake here: the inextricable interrelatedness of ecological exploitation of natural resources with processes of sociocultural and economic marginalisation and oppression of ethnic minority groups and their worldviews across the globe.Este artículo busca presentar un acercamiento crítico al tratamiento de la ecología, el postcolonialismo, y las minorías étnicas en las clases de lenguas extranjeras, describiendo la necesidad de establecer una relación entre estas tres temáticas en la investigación y la docencia. Se muestra cómo las perspectivas utilitaristas occidentales sobre el ser humano y la naturaleza deben de contrarrestarse con imaginarios alternativos, como, por ejemplo, aquellos basados en perspectivas indígenas en torno a la reciprocidad. Respecto a los escenarios de enseñanza, se propone el uso de selecciones de textos múltiples, siguiendo el principio de la presentación de diversidad de perspectivas sobre temáticas globales. Así, dos objetivos de aprendizaje aparentemente contradictorios pueden ser combinados: fomentar, por un lado, las habilidades empáticas de los alumnos para comprender las problemáticas ecológicas e interculturales de mayor relevancia en la actualidad, mientras, por el otro lado, inspirar una conciencia crítica en torno a las estrategias textuales empleadas para manipular a los lectores. Nos apoyamos, así pues, en el ejemplo de las demandas de las comunidades Mapuche en Chile para demostrar cómo diferentes posiciones publicadas en internet, en inglés, pueden utilizarse en las aulas de lengua extranjera para discutir sus implicaciones. Estas son la relación intrínseca entre la explotación de recursos naturales con los procesos de marginalización sociocultural y económica, la opresión de grupos minoritarios y las cosmovisiones de los mismos desde perspectivas procedentes de varias partes del mundo

The O2, pH and Ca2+ Microenvironment of Benthic Foraminifera in a High CO2 World

Ocean acidification (OA) can have adverse effects on marine calcifiers. Yet, phototrophic marine calcifiers elevate their external oxygen and pH microenvironment in daylight, through the uptake of dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC) by photosynthesis. We studied to which extent pH elevation within their microenvironments in daylight can counteract ambient seawater pH reductions, i.e. OA conditions. We measured the O2 and pH microenvironment of four photosymbiotic and two symbiont-free benthic tropical foraminiferal species at three different OA treatments (∼432, 1141 and 2151 µatm pCO2). The O2 concentration difference between the seawater and the test surface (ΔO2) was taken as a measure for the photosynthetic rate. Our results showed that O2 and pH levels were significantly higher on photosymbiotic foraminiferal surfaces in light than in dark conditions, and than on surfaces of symbiont-free foraminifera. Rates of photosynthesis at saturated light conditions did not change significantly between OA treatments (except in individuals that exhibited symbiont loss, i.e. bleaching, at elevated pCO2). The pH at the cell surface decreased during incubations at elevated pCO2, also during light incubations. Photosynthesis increased the surface pH but this increase was insufficient to compensate for ambient seawater pH decreases. We thus conclude that photosynthesis does only partly protect symbiont bearing foraminifera against OA

El inglés abre puertas ... ¿a qué? Análisis del discurso sobre la enseñanza del inglés en Chile, 2003-2006

Este trabajo presenta un breve análisis crítico de una serie de artículos de prensa chilenos sobre la enseñanza del inglés, publicados entre 2003 y 2006. Siguiendo a la distinción entre discurso dominante y discurso de resistencia, se busca entender cómo se desarrolla, en el discurso público, la argumentación a favor de las motivaciones económicas por aprender el idioma, y cómo se describe la preocupación por el bajo nivel de inglés entre los alumnos y profesores chilenos

English Opens Doors... But to What? Discourse Analysis on English Teaching in Chile, 2003-2006

Este trabajo presenta un breve análisis crítico de una serie de artículos de prensa chilenos sobre la enseñanza del inglés, publicados entre 2003 y 2006. Siguiendo a la distinción entre discurso dominante y discurso de resistencia, se busca entender cómo se desarrolla, en el discurso público, la argumentación a favor de las motivaciones económicas por aprender el idioma, y cómo se describe la preocupación por el bajo nivel de inglés entre los alumnos y profesores chilenos.Cómo citar este artículo: Glas, Katharina, “El inglés abre puertas... ¿a qué? Análisis del discurso sobre la enseñanza del inglés en Chile, 2003-2006”, Revista Educación y Pedagogía, Medellín, Universidad de Antioquia, Facultad de Educación, vol. XX, núm. 51, (mayo-agosto), 2008, pp. 111-122.Recibido: marzo 2008Aceptado: abril 2008A brief analysis is made on a series of Chilean newspaper articles on English teaching, published between 2003-2006. Following the distinction between dominant and resistance discourses, the author aims to understand how economical motivations are posed as an argument in favor of learning English in the public discourse, and how concerns about poor English level among Chilean students and teachers are described.How to reference this article: Glas, Katharina, “El inglés abre puertas... ¿a qué? Análisis del discurso sobre la enseñanza del inglés en Chile, 2003-2006”, Revista Educación y Pedagogía, Medellín, Universidad de Antioquia, Facultad de Educación, vol. XX, núm. 51, (mayo-agosto), 2008, pp. 111-122.Received: march 2008Accepted: april 200

Ecología, conciencia cultural, antirracismo y pensamiento cr´ítico: La integración de perspectivas múltiples en la enseñanza de idiomas extranjeros

     This paper aims at presenting a critical approach to teaching ecological, postcolonial and ethnic minority topics in the (foreign language) classroom, describing the need to interrelate these three issues in both research and teaching. It illustrates how Western utilitarian perspectives on both humans and nature must be counterbalanced with alternative stances, such as those provided by indigenous views of reciprocity. With regard to teaching scenarios, it suggests the use of multi-text selections in line with the principle of presenting multiple perspectives on global issues. It suggests that two seemingly contradictory teaching/learning objectives can be combined: bolstering up students’ empathetic skills in understanding ecological and interculturally relevant issues on the one hand and becoming critically aware of textual strategies employed to manipulate readers. We use the hitherto less frequently observed example of the demands of the Chilean indigenous minority of the Mapuche to illustrate how different positions published in the English language on the Internet can be used in the foreign language classroom to discuss the issues at stake here: the inextricable interrelatedness of ecological exploitation of natural resources with processes of sociocultural and economic marginalisation and oppression of ethnic minority groups and their worldviews  across the globe.      Este artículo busca presentar un acercamiento crítico al tratamiento de la ecología, el postcolonialismo, y las minorías étnicas en las clases de lenguas extranjeras, describiendo la necesidad de establecer una relación entre estas tres temáticas en la investigación y la docencia. Se muestra cómo las perspectivas utilitaristas occidentales sobre el ser humano y la naturaleza deben de contrarrestarse con imaginarios alternativos, como, por ejemplo, aquellos basados en perspectivas indígenas en torno a la reciprocidad. Respecto a los escenarios de enseñanza, se propone el uso de selecciones de textos múltiples, siguiendo el principio de la presentación de diversidad de perspectivas sobre temáticas globales. Así, dos objetivos de aprendizaje aparentemente contradictorios pueden ser combinados: fomentar, por un lado, las habilidades empáticas de los alumnos para comprender las problemáticas ecológicas e interculturales de mayor relevancia en la actualidad, mientras, por el otro lado, inspirar una conciencia crítica en torno a las estrategias textuales empleadas para manipular a los lectores. Nos apoyamos, así pues, en el ejemplo de las demandas de las comunidades Mapuche en Chile para demostrar cómo diferentes posiciones publicadas en internet, en inglés, pueden utilizarse en las aulas de lengua extranjera para discutir sus implicaciones. Estas son la relación intrínseca entre la explotación de recursos naturales con los procesos de marginalización sociocultural y económica, la opresión de grupos minoritarios y las cosmovisiones de los mismos desde perspectivas procedentes de varias partes del mundo

Smoking, Carcinophobia and Voice Handicap Index

Objective: This study focuses on the relation of smoking, carcinophobia and voice handicap in dysphonic patients. Patients and Methods: Fifty-four German-speaking outpatient voice clinic attendees suffering from dysphonia of benign origin took part in this study. All patients completed the German version of the Voice Handicap Index (VHI) and were asked about their fear of suffering from laryngeal cancer without prior information about their diagnosis. Results: Smokers did not fear to suffer from laryngeal cancer more than nonsmokers. However, former smokers were slightly more often found to be carcinophobic than nonsmokers. There was neither a significant difference in VHI scores comparing smokers to non- and former smokers nor when comparing carcinophobic to noncarcinophobic patients. Conclusion: Smoking may cause laryngeal cancer and influence the voice but does not affect patients’ handicap due to dysphonia as measured by the VHI. Smoking habits do not influence the development of carcinophobia and carcinophobic dysphonic patients do not experience their voice problem differently than dysphonic patients without cancerophobia as measured by the VHI

Ambient H⁺ concentrations and microenvironmental H⁺ differences (ΔH⁺) of photosymbiotic foraminifera at saturated light conditions (mean±SE).

<p>Ambient H⁺ concentrations and microenvironmental H⁺ differences (ΔH⁺) of photosymbiotic foraminifera at saturated light conditions (mean±SE).</p

Experimental parameters (mean±SD), monitored each day of each 4-day <i>pCO₂</i> incubations (n = 4) beside TA, which was sampled at the end of each experiment (n = 1).

<p>Abbreviations: TP = total phosphorus, TSi = total silicate, DIC = dissolved inorganic carbon, TA = total alkalinity, <i>pCO₂</i> = partial pressure of CO₂, Ω_Ca = saturation state of calcite, Revelle factor = (ΔCO2_(aq)/CO2_(aq))/(ΔDIC/DIC).</p><p>All measured input parameters, beside TA, were used for CO₂SYS calculations.</p

Omnibus Kruskal-Wallis one way analysis of variance results of mean (n = 2–4) ΔO₂, ΔH⁺ and ΔCa²⁺ measured during three <i>pCO₂</i> treatment incubations (432, 1141, 2151 µatm) for different factors.

<p>Significant effects at the Bonferroni corrected 0.83% levels are indicated in bold.</p>a<p>Δ denotes the difference in O₂, H⁺ and Ca²⁺ respectively between the surface of shell and the bulk seawater determined by microsensor profiling (n = 2–4), averaged over each individual.</p>b<p>levels: photosymbiotic, heterotrophic.</p>c<p>levels: diatoms (<i>Amphistegina radiata</i>, <i>Heterostegina depressa</i>), dinoflagellates (<i>Marginopora vertebralis</i>), red algae (<i>Peneroplis</i> sp.), no symbionts (<i>Quinqueloculina</i> sp., <i>Miliola</i> sp.).</p>d<p>treatment groups represent each combination of species, <i>pCO₂</i>, and light phase, according to box-plots represented in <a href="http://www.plosone.org/article/info:doi/10.1371/journal.pone.0050010#pone-0050010-g005" target="_blank">Figure 5</a>, <a href="http://www.plosone.org/article/info:doi/10.1371/journal.pone.0050010#pone-0050010-g006" target="_blank">6</a> and <a href="http://www.plosone.org/article/info:doi/10.1371/journal.pone.0050010#pone.0050010.s004" target="_blank">Figure S4</a>.</p

Temporal pH and H⁺ development of diffusive boundary layer (DBL) of <i>Marginopora vertebralis,</i> measured consecutively at a single position on the calcite shell at a <i>pCO₂</i> of 432 µatm, 30 µmol photons m⁻² s⁻¹ under zero flow conditions after flow (0.5 cm s⁻¹) was cut off at time = 0.

<p>Temporal pH and H⁺ development of diffusive boundary layer (DBL) of <i>Marginopora vertebralis,</i> measured consecutively at a single position on the calcite shell at a <i>pCO₂</i> of 432 µatm, 30 µmol photons m⁻² s⁻¹ under zero flow conditions after flow (0.5 cm s⁻¹) was cut off at time = 0.</p