A collaborative project using narratives: What happens when pupils work on mathematical investigations?

Mathematical investigations involve searching for patterns, formulating, testing, and justifying conjectures, reflecting, and generalising. Doing investigations in the classroom is a powerful activity for students’ learning but poses many challenges to the teacher. To study the professional knowledge involved in this kind of work was the aim of a collaborative action-research project that involved one classroom teacher and two university teacher educators. We used narratives to depict relevant elements of teachers’ activity and to show key aspects of their dilemmas and uncertainties. This paper discusses the role of the collaborative work undertaken by the participants in the project as they reflected about classroom practices and curriculum issues, based on a narrative of a class where sixth grade students worked on a mathematical investigation.Investigações matemáticas envolvem a procura de regularidades, a formulação, teste e justificação de conjecturas, reflexão e generalização. Fazer investigações na sala de aula é uma actividade poderosa para a aprendizagem dos alunos mas coloca muitos desafios ao professor. O estudo do conhecimento profissional envolvido neste tipo de trabalho constituiu o objectivo de um projecto colaborativo de investigação-acção que envolveu uma professora de Matemática e dois educadores matemáticos universitários. Usámos narrativas para ilustrar aspectos relevantes da actividade da professora e para mostrar elementos importantes dos seus dilemas e incertezas. Tendo por base uma aula do 6.º ano de escolaridade em que os alunos trabalharam numa investigação matemática, o artigo discute o papel do trabalho colaborativo realizado pelos participantes no projecto enquanto reflectem sobre as práticas lectivas e as questões curriculares

Vítimas mortais em acidentes de viação em Portugal continental : uma abordagem através da Análise Espectral Singular

Comunicação apresentada nas XVIII Jornadas da Classificação e Análise de Dados, em Vila Real.Uma das preocupações da política nacional, nas últimas décadas, tem sido a segurança rodoviária, e em particular a intenção de reduzir os níveis de sinistralidade. Um dos agentes envolventes é a mortalidade resultante dos acidentes de viação. Este trabalho tem como objectivo explorar os dados mensais do número de vítimas mortais em acidentes de viação ocorridos em Portugal Continental, durante os últimos doze anos, através da Análise Espectral Singular

Health through the global functionality stimulation of the elderly in a continuing care unit

Work performed under the Stage Specialization in Medical-Surgical Nursing in Integrated Continuing Care Unit (ICCU), in order to describe the health gains achieved with a program to stimulate the overall functionality, adapted to the degree of physical dependence patients and the psychological profile

EXPLORING PROSPECTIVE ELEMENTARY MATHEMATICS TEACHERS’ KNOWLEDGE: A FOCUS ON FUNCTIONAL THINKING

The importance of students being acquainted with algebraic ideas before secondary education has been revealed in the research literature. It is therefore essential that prospective elementary teachers (PTs) be prepared to instill an early algebra perspective in their teaching. However, PTs often show difficulties in algebra content knowledge, which need to be diagnosed aiming to assist them in developing the required knowledge to teach according to that perspective. This study aims to understand what aspects of functional thinking Spanish and Portuguese elementary PTs exhibit at the beginning of their teacher education program. The findings show that although PTs from both countries use different strategies to generalize functional relationships, the occurrence of successful strategies is low. Also, most participants provide local approaches in their interpretation of relationships between variables and reveal difficulties in understanding and connecting different representations of functions. These difficulties show that PTs lack important knowledge about functional thinking. By providing a framework concerning the functional thinking required for PTs to teach within an early algebra perspective, we shed light on a necessary step for teacher education programs to diagnose PTs’ functional thinking and to assist them in developing the needed mathematical knowledge to teach accordingly

A survey of business education in the public high schools of New England

Thesis (Ed.M.)--Boston University

HUMUS FLORESTAIS: SINTESE E DIAGNOSTICO DAS INTERRELACÕES VEGETAÇÃO/SOLO

With an essentially ecosystem approach this paper tries to present the problem of the soil organic matter under its most interactive aspect: soil-vegetation interrelationships. The macro-morphological study of the humus type in some forest ecosystems of the intertropical Brazilian coast faced both with dilferent approaches and bibliography resulls about organic matter of forest soils. Thus, the different uses of the humus concept, which perrneates different research, will be clarified to show further ahead our resulls both about the quantitative characteristics of humus layers and their morphological structure in order to classify the humus forms of the Resting and Atlantic forest. The resulls contradict the hypothesis, generally accepted, that in tropical regions the faster recycling of soil organic matter leads to determine humic structures of the mull-like type. The dynamics of the interactive processes arnong litter fall, mineral substrata and decomposer communities (microorganisms and fauna) is analyzed in order to elucidate lhe factors which determine the diversity of the humus form in Brazilian coastal forests.O presente trabalho procura, numa abordagem essencialmente ecossistêmica, resituar o problema da matéria orgânica do solo sob seu aspecto interativo maior: o das interrelações vegetação/solo. O estudo macro-morfológico dos tipos de húmus em alguns ecossistemas de Florestas Costeira Intertropical é situado em relação as diferentes abordagens e resultados da bibliografia sobre matéria orgânica de solos florestais. São, assim, explicitadas as diferentes utilizações da noção de húmus subjacentes a diversas pesquisas, para apresentar posteriormente nossos resultados sobre a estrutura macromorfológica e a classificação de húmus de Restinga e de Floresta Atlântica. Estes resultados contradizem a hipótese geralmente admitida, segundo a qual em região tropical a rápida decomposição dos restos foliares determina estruturas húmicas de tipo mull. A dinâmica do processo interativo entre o substrato mineral, os aportes foliares e os agentes biológicos microrganismos e fauna é analisada, a fim de elucidar os fatores que determinam a diversidade de húmus em florestas costeiras

Balancing European SME managers’ training contents: perceived importance & training needs

Background: Given the limited available time of in-service professionals, the balance between the perceived importance of the course content and training needs is essential for the acceptance and attractiveness of training courses aimed at them. Objectives: The goal of the paper is to contribute to the development of entrepreneurship and business training programs for European SME managers. Methods/Approach: In six European countries a survey focusing on SME managers’ views on the importance of individual items from a list of potential course content items, and their training needs was carried out, and followed by an analysis using exploratory and multivariate techniques. It was aimed at identifying homogeneous groups of managers with common training needs and perceptions of content importance. Results: Homogeneous groups of managers who assign the same importance to certain competences and who have common training needs are identified. Conclusions: Results of our research could help training institutions to develop courses aimed at SME managers. The balancing approach proved to be an interesting method of combining conflicting requirements for the training course curriculum development.This paper is based on work developed with support from the European Commission (Education and Culture Directorate-General, Lifelong Learning Programme). This publication reflects the views only of the authors, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained herein. The development of this paper was partly financed by the ERDF - European Regional Development Fund through the COMPETE Programme (operational programme for competitiveness) and by National Funds through the FCT - Fundacao para a Ciencia e a Tecnologia (Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology) within projects "FCOMP - 01-0124-FEDER-022701" and "FCOMP-010124-FEDER-022692"