Teachers’ written formative feedback on students’ critical thinking: A case study

This study explores innovative ways for promoting and assessing the effectiveness of teachers’ written formative feedback in the context of undergraduate studies. The investigation entails close collaboration with one Biology teacher in the context of teaching ‘evolution’. One of the particular challenges was to encourage 88 first-year biology undergraduates to produce critical analyses of a selected press release related to the topic of evolution (i.e., the advent of genetic diseases). The research approach is based on a critical social paradigm, assuming principles of actionresearch. All written documents produced by participants and semi-structured interviews (at the end of the semester) were used as part of the content analysis of data. Results show that the teacher’s written comments increased opportunities for students to search for further information, negotiate and take decisions within their group, auto- and hetero-reflect before sending their critical analyses to the teacher.FCT – Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologiapublishe

An action research study on the discourse of supervision : bridging the gap between theory and practice

This study focuses on the analysis of verbal interaction between mentors and trainees. Its first goal is to analysis questions asked by both actors involved in the training period, aiming at reflective practice. It’s an AR study, developed in cycles based on the qualitative paradigm

A importância do questionamento no desenvolvimento da competência reflexiva em contextos de supervisão

A criação de adequados contextos de supervisão pedagógica requerem encontros de supervisores-cooperantes e estagiários que assentam em trocas discursivas entre os participantes. Nestes encontros, em que um dos objectivos é reflectir sobre a actuação na aula e fora dela, o discurso entre os vários interlocutores revela aspectos que são de realçar. No nosso estudo foi possível observar que são normalmente os formadores a iniciar os tópicos, a formular a maior parte das questões e a decidir quem deve tomar a palavra. Os estagiários /formandos remetem-se ao papel de respondentes, deixando-se conduzir pelas preferências discursivas dos seus formadores/interlocutores. Contudo, quando confrontados com a realidade que emana dos dados recolhidos, o discurso do poder ligado à função que desempenham, os supervisores cooperantes reconhecem a necessidade de alterar os seus padrões discursivos, tendo em vista uma distribuição mais equilibrada da palavra, para que aos estagiários seja dada possibilidade e tempo de colocarem questões sobre os conteúdos de reflexão. É nosso objectivo, nesta comunicação, partilhar uma experiência realizada com supervisores cooperantes e respectivos estagiários, ao longo de três anos lectivos, com recurso à investigação-acção como estratégia de formação na área do questionamento. Deste modo, actuou-se sobre as práticas de supervisão, potenciando uma lógica de reflexão crítica desejável sobre o que é dito, como é dito e para que é dito. Apresentam-se alguns resultados que apontam para a pertinência da formação dos supervisores através da reflexão sobre os discursos, concretamente sobre as perguntas formuladas, de modo a permitir o desenvolvimento pessoal e profissional de formadores e formandos

Managing affect in learners' questions in undergraduate science

This is the author's accepted manuscript. The final published article is available from the link below. Copyright @ 2012 Society for Research into Higher Education.This article aims to position students' classroom questioning within the literature surrounding affect and its impact on learning. The article consists of two main sections. First, the act of questioning is discussed in order to highlight how affect shapes the process of questioning, and a four-part genesis to question-asking that we call CARE is described: the construction, asking, reception and evaluation of a learner's question. This work is contextualised through studies in science education and through our work with university students in undergraduate chemistry, although conducted in the firm belief that it has more general application. The second section focuses on teaching strategies to encourage and manage learners' questions, based here upon the conviction that university students in this case learn through questioning, and that an inquiry-based environment promotes better learning than a simple ‘transmission’ setting. Seven teaching strategies developed from the authors' work are described, where university teachers ‘scaffold’ learning through supporting learners' questions, and working with these to structure and organise the content and the shape of their teaching. The article concludes with a summary of the main issues, highlighting the impact of the affective dimension of learning through questioning, and a discussion of the implications for future research

‘Question Moments’: A Rolling Programme of Question Opportunities in Classroom Science

This article has been made available through the Brunel Open Access Publishing Fund.This naturalistic study integrates specific 'question moments' into lesson plans to increase pupils' classroom interactions. A range of teaching tools has explored students' ideas through opportunities to ask and write questions. Their oral and written outcomes provide data on individual and group misunderstandings. Changes to the schedule of lessons were introduced to discuss these questions and solve disparities. Flexible lesson planning over fourteen lessons across a four-week period of highschool chemistry accommodated students' contributions and increased student participation, promoted inquiring and individualised teaching, with each teaching strategy feeding forward into the next

Effect of Cr(V) on reproductive organ morphology and sperm parameters: An experimental study in mice

BACKGROUND: Cr(V) species are formed during the intracellular reduction of Cr(VI), a ubiquitous environmental pollutant. In this study, the acute toxicity of a physiologically stable Cr(V) compound, [Cr(V)-BT](2- )(BT = bis(hydroxyethyl)aminotris(hydroxymethyl)methane) was investigated in the male reproductive system of sexually mature 60-day-old male ICR-CD1 mice. METHODS: Eight-week-old animals were subcutaneously injected daily with a dose of ca 8 μmol of Cr/mouse, during 5 days. The control group was injected with 0.5 mL of BT buffer. Testis and epididymis morphology was evaluated using light and transmission electron microscopy. Epididymal sperm counts, motility and acrosome integrity were also assayed using standard methods. RESULTS: Seminiferous epithelium abnormalities were detected in the Cr(V)-BT experimental group, including intraepithelial vacuolation, and remarkable degeneration of Sertoli cells, spermatocytes and spermatids. The premature release of germ cells into the tubular lumen was also evident. Histological evaluation of epididymal compartments revealed apparently normal features. However, the epididymal epithelium presented vacuolation. [Cr(V)-BT](2- )induced a reduction in sperm acrosome integrity. However, sperm motility and density were not significantly affected. CONCLUSION: This in vivo study using a Cr(V) compound, provides evidence for the potential reproductive hazards caused on male reproductive system by species containing chromium in intermediate oxidation states

Repercussões epidemiológicas da Demência no Brasil: um perfil dos últimos 5 anos

Introduction: Dementia is a syndrome characterized by persistent cognitive deficits that affect daily activities, especially in the elderly. Its incidence has increased with population aging. Objective: To investigate the epidemiological repercussions of dementia in Brazil in the last 5 years. Methods: Descriptive observational study based on data from the Hospital Information System (SIH) of SUS and bibliographic databases. The number of hospitalizations and deaths due to dementia between 2018 and 2022 were analyzed. Results: The Southeast region concentrated the highest number of hospitalizations due to dementia (56.22%), due to the high population and elderly density. The most affected age group was 80 years or older (26.65%), reflecting aging and risks associated with dementia. Males showed a slight predominance in hospitalizations (51.57%), possibly due to risk factors. Urgent care prevailed (72.48%) due to the progressive nature of the disease and acute complications. As for deaths, 54.65% occurred in the age group of 80 years or older, related to greater vulnerability at this age. Conclusion: The study revealed significant patterns of the epidemiological repercussions of dementia in Brazil. These conclusions highlight the importance of preventive interventions and multidisciplinary management of dementia, as well as public health policies that address its complex health and social implications.Introdução: A demência é uma síndrome caracterizada por déficits cognitivos persistentes que afetam as atividades diárias, principalmente em idosos. Sua incidência tem aumentado com o envelhecimento populacional. Objetivo: Investigar as repercussões epidemiológicas da demência no Brasil nos últimos 5 anos. Métodos: Estudo observacional descritivo com base em dados do Sistema de Informações Hospitalares (SIH) do SUS e bases de dados bibliográficas. Foram analisados número de internações e óbitos por demência entre 2018 e 2022. Resultados: A região Sudeste concentrou o maior número de internações por demência (56,22%), devido à alta densidade populacional e idosa. A faixa etária mais afetada foi a de 80 anos ou mais (26,65%), refletindo o envelhecimento e riscos associados à demência. O sexo masculino apresentou ligeira predominância nas internações (51,57%), possivelmente devido a fatores de risco. O atendimento de urgência prevaleceu (72,48%) devido à natureza progressiva da doença e complicações agudas. Quanto aos óbitos, 54,65% ocorreram na faixa etária dos 80 anos ou mais, relacionados à maior vulnerabilidade nessa idade. Conclusão: O estudo revelou padrões significativos das repercussões epidemiológicas da demência no Brasil. Essas conclusões destacam a importância de intervenções preventivas e gerenciamento multidisciplinar da demência, além de políticas de saúde pública que abordem suas complexas implicações sociais e de saúde

Pervasive gaps in Amazonian ecological research

Biodiversity loss is one of the main challenges of our time,1,2 and attempts to address it require a clear understanding of how ecological communities respond to environmental change across time and space.3,4 While the increasing availability of global databases on ecological communities has advanced our knowledge of biodiversity sensitivity to environmental changes,5,6,7 vast areas of the tropics remain understudied.8,9,10,11 In the American tropics, Amazonia stands out as the world's most diverse rainforest and the primary source of Neotropical biodiversity,12 but it remains among the least known forests in America and is often underrepresented in biodiversity databases.13,14,15 To worsen this situation, human-induced modifications16,17 may eliminate pieces of the Amazon's biodiversity puzzle before we can use them to understand how ecological communities are responding. To increase generalization and applicability of biodiversity knowledge,18,19 it is thus crucial to reduce biases in ecological research, particularly in regions projected to face the most pronounced environmental changes. We integrate ecological community metadata of 7,694 sampling sites for multiple organism groups in a machine learning model framework to map the research probability across the Brazilian Amazonia, while identifying the region's vulnerability to environmental change. 15%–18% of the most neglected areas in ecological research are expected to experience severe climate or land use changes by 2050. This means that unless we take immediate action, we will not be able to establish their current status, much less monitor how it is changing and what is being lost