Aprendizagem de uma língua nova : estratégias de diversidade na preparação de materiais

Livro de homenagem à professora Maria Emília Ricardo Marque

Comunicação e cognição no ensino de línguas a distância: das tecnologias multimedia à criação de ambientes de aprendizagem

I Congresso sobre Comunicação, Cognição e Media, realizado na Universidade Católica, em Braga de 23-25 de Setembro 2009Learning Management Systems (LMS) build spaces where communication and cognition may cross the teaching methodologies and learning processes and present peculiar challenges concerning a second language acquisition (SLA) in distance education. Research on SLA reveals diverse linguistic development patterns on students output through the language learning processes and studies on the input, i.e., the kind of language students are exposed, show the importance of interaction and negotiation of meaning. Task-Based Language Teaching (TBLT) approach allows and emphasizes the language use through communicative activities in context of daily situations, i.e., tasks. In order to develop language learning in distance education, it is necessary to build an environment that can develop an interface among students and learning context, making possible an interrelationship among communicative situations with native speakers, daily document selection, exercises and a diversity of activities together with different levels of sequence and complexity. At the same time, it is essential to articulate all of these elements inside an optimal psycholinguistic environment for language learning at a distance

Português de viva voz : curso em e-learning de português língua não materna

Conferência realizada na Universidade de Lisboa, de 29-30 de outubro de 2013O curso Português de Viva Voz, desenvolvido na Universidade Aberta de Portugal de acordo com os primeiros níveis (A1, A2, B1) do Quadro Europeu Comum de Referência para as Línguas (QECR), estrutura-se num ambiente de aprendizagem próprio, que combina as vantagens das tecnologias de e-learning com uma conceção de competência comunicativa plural, em que os diversos aspetos que a compõem - linguísticos, socioculturais e pragmático-discursivos - surgem integrados numa aprendizagem baseada em tarefas.The course Português de Viva Voz developed by Universidade Aberta de Portugal, according to levels (A1 A2 B1) of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages, is structured as an autonomous learning environment which highlights the advantages of e-learning technologies with a conception of plural communicative competencies where several composed aspects of linguistic, sociocultural and discourse-pragmatic are integrated within a task-based language learning approach

Inovar a aprendizagem online do português L2: novos media digitais e o desenvolvimento de tarefas

O Instituto de Letras e Ciências Humanas (ILCH) acolhe nos dias 10 e 11 de Dezembro de 2010, as suas primeiras jornadas ticLÍNGUAS numa iniciativa do Departamento de Estudos Românicos e do Centro de Línguas babeliUM, em articulação com o Centro e-learning da TecMinho/Gabinete de Formação Contínua da Universidade do Minho.Os resultados dos estudos em Aquisição de L2 são muito claros quanto à absoluta necessidade de envolver os aprendentes na exposição à língua alvo, não apenas na quantidade de input (amostras de língua em contexto) a fornecer mas também na interacção, oral e escrita, a desenvolver. Para uma maior e mais efectiva concretização de tais resultados, assistimos, actualmente, à implementação de metodologias de ensino que fomentam uma aprendizagem muito activa, socorrendo-se da realização de “Tarefas” pedagógicas. O Ensino da Língua Baseado em Tarefas (ELBT), assente em peças de trabalho que colocam os estudantes em situações comunicativas de uso da L2, procura aproximar o aprendente tanto quanto possível da comunicação quotidiana. Para tal, envolvem os aprendentes na resolução de problemas cuja solução eles conhecem na sua língua materna (L1), mas para os quais têm de encontrar formas de obter informação e de interagir para as resolver na L2. Este contexto permite uma abertura total à tendência para a utilização de componentes Personal Learning Environments (PLE) em cursos online, nomeadamente, para cumprir as etapas de processamento psicolinguístico associadas a tecnologias pela adopção de instrumentos para produção e edição de texto, publicação de conteúdos, produção, edição e publicação de som e imagem, acesso a redes sociais, como marcadores, para imersão em mundos virtuais, e para contacto síncrono e assíncrono.Studies on L2 acquisition are very clear about the absolute need to involve learners in the target language exposure, not just the amount of input (samples of language in context) but also for providing oral and written interaction. The Task-Based Language Teaching and Learning belongs to an active methodology based on pieces of pedagogical work involving students in communicative situations of use of the L2, approximating them as much as possible of everyday communication. To this end, learners are invited to solve problems whose solution they have in their native language (L1), but for which they must find ways to get information and interact in the L2. This context allows a full opening to the tendency to use components of Personal Learning Environments (PLE) in online courses, in particular, to meet the psycholinguistic processing steps associated with the adoption of technologies for production tools and text editing, content publishing, production, editing and publishing audio and video, social networking, as markers for immersion in virtual worlds, and to contact both in synchronous and asynchronous ways

Português europeu língua não materna a distância : (per)cursos de iniciação baseados em tarefas

Tese de Doutoramento em Estudos Portugueses na especialidade de Língua Portuguesa, Comunicação e Tecnologia apresentada à Universidade AbertaA tese de Doutoramento intitulada Português europeu língua não materna a distância: (Per)Cursos de iniciação baseados em tarefas tem por objectivos (1) a construção de um ambiente virtual para a aprendizagem do Português europeu como língua não materna (PE L2), associando as tecnologias de informação e comunicação disponíveis para educação a distância a conteúdos para o ensino e para a aprendizagem de línguas, e (2) a preparação de um Protótipo correspondente a um Módulo para um Curso Inicial de PE L2, baseado em Tarefas e destinado a um público adulto falante de outras línguas. Para a realização destes objectivos, foi necessário aprofundar (i) as teorias de ensino e de aprendizagem de línguas não maternas, com destaque para um Ensino de Línguas Baseado em Tarefas (ELBT), (ii) os estudos desenvolvidos sobre Aquisição do PE L2, os materiais didácticos publicados em Portugal e a sua relação com o Ensino de Língua Baseado em Tarefas e (iii) as potencialidades da combinação das diversas tecnologias disponíveis para a aprendizagem de línguas a distância, com especial relevo para o desenvolvimento de situações interactivas. Como consequência foi, então, possível (iv) conjugar tecnologias de Educação a Distância (EaD) com a aprendizagem do PE L2, explorando as possibilidades para manter viva a interacção oral e escrita entre estudante(s) e professor, entre estudantes e entre estes e falantes nativos. Integrando-se num ambiente psicolinguístico através do qual as abordagens comunicativa e cognitiva convergem, a ‘distância’ é considerada como um ‘espaço’ onde acontecem oportunidades de aprendizagem. Neste contexto, usando, como infraestrutura tecnológica, a metodologia Odisseia desenvolvida na Universidade Aberta, foi criado um Protótipo correspondente a um Módulo, i.e., uma unidade de um Curso de Iniciação ao PE L2 a distância. Tendo por base propostas metodológicas activas que colocam o aprendente na gestão da sua própria aprendizagem, e usando os descritores do Quadro Europeu Comum de Referência para as Línguas (QECR 2001), o Protótipo é, neste contexto e enquanto estrutura modular, um ambiente de aprendizagem flexível. Nele se articulam exemplos de língua oral e escrita com exercícios, actividades e instrumentos de apoio que confluem para o planeamento e execução de uma tarefa final. O conceito de Tarefa surge, assim, transversal a todo o Módulo (e a todo o Curso) de que o Protótipo pretende ser um modelo. Através dele, percursos vários tornam possível que cada estudante, individualmente, e em colaboração, se prepare, desde o início, para a realização de uma Tarefa, semelhante à que lhe é sugerida nos documentos vídeo iniciais de cada Sessão, interpretados por falantes nativos, e por documentos complementares, enquanto, simultaneamente, vai interagindo com o ambiente de aprendizagem.This research intended (1) to build a virtual environment for European Portuguese non native language learning (PE L2), using information and communication technologies for distance education for language teaching and learning contents, and (2) to prepare a prototype as a Model for an Initial Task-based PE L2 Course for adult foreign students. In order to achieve these goals, it was necessary to know in depth (i) the teaching and learning languages theories, especially Task-Based Language Teaching (TBLT) and Learning, (ii) the research on European Portuguese L2 acquisition, teaching materials published in Portugal related to TBLT and (iii) the potential for combining several available technologies for learning languages at a distance, especially for interactive development. It was possible then (iv) to associate Distance Education technologies with PE L2 learning, exploiting the possibilities of keeping live oral and written interaction between students, teachers and native speakers. Included in a psycholinguistic environment where communicative and cognitive approaches converge, ‘distance’ is seen as a ‘space’ in which language opportunities occur. In this sense, a prototype was prepared as a unit of a PE L2 Course using Odisseia methodology, developed at Universidade Aberta, as a technological infrastructure. Based on active methodological proposals the students manage their own learning and, using the descriptors of The Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR), the prototype, in this context and as a modular structure, is an environment of flexible learning. The examples of oral and written language, focused and unfocused exercises, activities and support instruments are articulated and converge in order to plan and implement a final task. The ‘task’ is a vital concept and permeates the prototype as a model of the whole Module (and the whole Course). All students, alone and in collaboration, will have the opportunity to prepare themselves, from the beginning, to pass along several paths. preparing to achieve a Task similar to that as been presented previously by native speakers

Dissolvable Carboxymethylcellulose Microneedles for Noninvasive and Rapid Administration of Diclofenac Sodium

The aim of this study is to prepare dissolvable biopolymeric microneedle (MN) patches composed solely of sodium carboxymethylcellulose (CMC), a water-soluble cellulose derivative with good film-forming ability, by micromolding technology for the transdermal delivery of diclofenac sodium salt (DCF). The MNs with ≈456 µm in height displayed adequate morphology, thermal stability up to 200 °C, and the required mechanical strength for skin insertion (>0.15 N needle−1). Experiments in ex vivo abdominal human skin demonstrate the insertion capability of the CMC_DCF MNs up to 401 µm in depth. The dissolution of the patches in saline buffer results in a maximum cumulative release of 98% of diclofenac after 40 min, and insertion in a skin simulant reveals that all MNs completely dissolve within 10 min. Moreover, the MN patches are noncytotoxic toward human keratinocytes. These results suggest that the MN patches produced with CMC are promising biopolymeric systems for the rapid administration of DCF in a minimally invasive manner.publishe

Perfil sensorial e teste de consumidor de biscoito wafer tipo tradicional, light e diet sabor chocolateSensorial profile and test of consumer type in traditional light, and diet flavor chocolate wafers

O objetivo deste trabalho foi construir o perfil sensorial de biscoito wafer sabor chocolate de marcas líderes no segmento de biscoitos dietéticos e tradicional (light - A; tipo diet - B e; tradicional - C). O perfil sensorial foi determinado por Análise Descritiva Quantitativa (ADQ) utilizando-se uma equipe de quatorze julgadores selecionados e treinados. A aceitação dos produtos foi avaliada por consumidores representativos do público alvo. Os resultados da ADQ foram submetidos à Análise de Variância (ANOVA), teste de média de Tukey e Análise de Componentes Principais (ACP). A amostra C, caracterizada principalmente por aroma e sabor adocicado e de chocolate, obteve aceitação significativamente (p0,05) da amostra B (adoçada com sucralose e lactitol) em relação à aparência, aroma, sabor, textura e impressão global. De acordo com ACP, a amostra A foi caracterizada principalmente pelos atributos cor da massa, sabor queimado e crocância, a amostra B pela quantidade de recheio e espessura e, a amostra C pelo sabor de chocolate e adocicado e aroma de chocolate e adocicado. Conclui-se que, em geral, o biscoito tradicional foi melhor aceito pelos provadores e que os wafers dietéticos apresentam a mesma aceitação sensorial, diferindo, entretanto, em alguns atributos específicos de ADQ

Measuring universal health coverage based on an index of effective coverage of health services in 204 countries and territories, 1990–2019 : A systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2019

Background Achieving universal health coverage (UHC) involves all people receiving the health services they need, of high quality, without experiencing financial hardship. Making progress towards UHC is a policy priority for both countries and global institutions, as highlighted by the agenda of the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and WHO's Thirteenth General Programme of Work (GPW13). Measuring effective coverage at the health-system level is important for understanding whether health services are aligned with countries' health profiles and are of sufficient quality to produce health gains for populations of all ages. Methods Based on the Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors Study (GBD) 2019, we assessed UHC effective coverage for 204 countries and territories from 1990 to 2019. Drawing from a measurement framework developed through WHO's GPW13 consultation, we mapped 23 effective coverage indicators to a matrix representing health service types (eg, promotion, prevention, and treatment) and five population-age groups spanning from reproductive and newborn to older adults (≥65 years). Effective coverage indicators were based on intervention coverage or outcome-based measures such as mortality-to-incidence ratios to approximate access to quality care; outcome-based measures were transformed to values on a scale of 0–100 based on the 2·5th and 97·5th percentile of location-year values. We constructed the UHC effective coverage index by weighting each effective coverage indicator relative to its associated potential health gains, as measured by disability-adjusted life-years for each location-year and population-age group. For three tests of validity (content, known-groups, and convergent), UHC effective coverage index performance was generally better than that of other UHC service coverage indices from WHO (ie, the current metric for SDG indicator 3.8.1 on UHC service coverage), the World Bank, and GBD 2017. We quantified frontiers of UHC effective coverage performance on the basis of pooled health spending per capita, representing UHC effective coverage index levels achieved in 2019 relative to country-level government health spending, prepaid private expenditures, and development assistance for health. To assess current trajectories towards the GPW13 UHC billion target—1 billion more people benefiting from UHC by 2023—we estimated additional population equivalents with UHC effective coverage from 2018 to 2023. Findings Globally, performance on the UHC effective coverage index improved from 45·8 (95% uncertainty interval 44·2–47·5) in 1990 to 60·3 (58·7–61·9) in 2019, yet country-level UHC effective coverage in 2019 still spanned from 95 or higher in Japan and Iceland to lower than 25 in Somalia and the Central African Republic. Since 2010, sub-Saharan Africa showed accelerated gains on the UHC effective coverage index (at an average increase of 2·6% [1·9–3·3] per year up to 2019); by contrast, most other GBD super-regions had slowed rates of progress in 2010–2019 relative to 1990–2010. Many countries showed lagging performance on effective coverage indicators for non-communicable diseases relative to those for communicable diseases and maternal and child health, despite non-communicable diseases accounting for a greater proportion of potential health gains in 2019, suggesting that many health systems are not keeping pace with the rising non-communicable disease burden and associated population health needs. In 2019, the UHC effective coverage index was associated with pooled health spending per capita (r=0·79), although countries across the development spectrum had much lower UHC effective coverage than is potentially achievable relative to their health spending. Under maximum efficiency of translating health spending into UHC effective coverage performance, countries would need to reach $1398 pooled health spending per capita (US$ adjusted for purchasing power parity) in order to achieve 80 on the UHC effective coverage index. From 2018 to 2023, an estimated 388·9 million (358·6–421·3) more population equivalents would have UHC effective coverage, falling well short of the GPW13 target of 1 billion more people benefiting from UHC during this time. Current projections point to an estimated 3·1 billion (3·0–3·2) population equivalents still lacking UHC effective coverage in 2023, with nearly a third (968·1 million [903·5–1040·3]) residing in south Asia. Interpretation The present study demonstrates the utility of measuring effective coverage and its role in supporting improved health outcomes for all people—the ultimate goal of UHC and its achievement. Global ambitions to accelerate progress on UHC service coverage are increasingly unlikely unless concerted action on non-communicable diseases occurs and countries can better translate health spending into improved performance. Focusing on effective coverage and accounting for the world's evolving health needs lays the groundwork for better understanding how close—or how far—all populations are in benefiting from UHC

Measuring universal health coverage based on an index of effective coverage of health services in 204 countries and territories, 1990–2019: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2019

Background Achieving universal health coverage (UHC) involves all people receiving the health services they need, of high quality, without experiencing financial hardship. Making progress towards UHC is a policy priority for both countries and global institutions, as highlighted by the agenda of the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and WHO's Thirteenth General Programme of Work (GPW13). Measuring effective coverage at the health-system level is important for understanding whether health services are aligned with countries' health profiles and are of sufficient quality to produce health gains for populations of all ages. Methods Based on the Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors Study (GBD) 2019, we assessed UHC effective coverage for 204 countries and territories from 1990 to 2019. Drawing from a measurement framework developed through WHO's GPW13 consultation, we mapped 23 effective coverage indicators to a matrix representing health service types (eg, promotion, prevention, and treatment) and five population-age groups spanning from reproductive and newborn to older adults (≥65 years). Effective coverage indicators were based on intervention coverage or outcome-based measures such as mortality-to-incidence ratios to approximate access to quality care; outcome-based measures were transformed to values on a scale of 0–100 based on the 2·5th and 97·5th percentile of location-year values. We constructed the UHC effective coverage index by weighting each effective coverage indicator relative to its associated potential health gains, as measured by disability-adjusted life-years for each location-year and population-age group. For three tests of validity (content, known-groups, and convergent), UHC effective coverage index performance was generally better than that of other UHC service coverage indices from WHO (ie, the current metric for SDG indicator 3.8.1 on UHC service coverage), the World Bank, and GBD 2017. We quantified frontiers of UHC effective coverage performance on the basis of pooled health spending per capita, representing UHC effective coverage index levels achieved in 2019 relative to country-level government health spending, prepaid private expenditures, and development assistance for health. To assess current trajectories towards the GPW13 UHC billion target—1 billion more people benefiting from UHC by 2023—we estimated additional population equivalents with UHC effective coverage from 2018 to 2023. Findings Globally, performance on the UHC effective coverage index improved from 45·8 (95% uncertainty interval 44·2–47·5) in 1990 to 60·3 (58·7–61·9) in 2019, yet country-level UHC effective coverage in 2019 still spanned from 95 or higher in Japan and Iceland to lower than 25 in Somalia and the Central African Republic. Since 2010, sub-Saharan Africa showed accelerated gains on the UHC effective coverage index (at an average increase of 2·6% [1·9–3·3] per year up to 2019); by contrast, most other GBD super-regions had slowed rates of progress in 2010–2019 relative to 1990–2010. Many countries showed lagging performance on effective coverage indicators for non-communicable diseases relative to those for communicable diseases and maternal and child health, despite non-communicable diseases accounting for a greater proportion of potential health gains in 2019, suggesting that many health systems are not keeping pace with the rising non-communicable disease burden and associated population health needs. In 2019, the UHC effective coverage index was associated with pooled health spending per capita (r=0·79), although countries across the development spectrum had much lower UHC effective coverage than is potentially achievable relative to their health spending. Under maximum efficiency of translating health spending into UHC effective coverage performance, countries would need to reach $1398 pooled health spending per capita (US$ adjusted for purchasing power parity) in order to achieve 80 on the UHC effective coverage index. From 2018 to 2023, an estimated 388·9 million (358·6–421·3) more population equivalents would have UHC effective coverage, falling well short of the GPW13 target of 1 billion more people benefiting from UHC during this time. Current projections point to an estimated 3·1 billion (3·0–3·2) population equivalents still lacking UHC effective coverage in 2023, with nearly a third (968·1 million [903·5–1040·3]) residing in south Asia. Interpretation The present study demonstrates the utility of measuring effective coverage and its role in supporting improved health outcomes for all people—the ultimate goal of UHC and its achievement. Global ambitions to accelerate progress on UHC service coverage are increasingly unlikely unless concerted action on non-communicable diseases occurs and countries can better translate health spending into improved performance. Focusing on effective coverage and accounting for the world's evolving health needs lays the groundwork for better understanding how close—or how far—all populations are in benefiting from UHC

Iniciação ao português L2 a distância: um desafio possível

A II Conferência esteve reunida na Universidade de Lisboa, nos dias 29 e 30 de outubro de 2013, a partir de uma iniciativa do Governo Português e com a organização conjunta do Camões, I.P., da CPLP, do IILP e de um consórcio de quatro universidades portuguesas – as Universidades de Lisboa, Porto e Coimbra e a Universidade Nova de Lisboa.A distância pode constituir um espaço privilegiado para o ensino de línguas desde que haja condições para proporcionar um ambiente confortável e flexível para a sua aprendizagem. De facto, partindo do que hoje conhecemos sobre aquisição de uma língua não materna (LNM), é possível, através das Tecnologias de Informação e Comunicação (TIC), construir ambientes didáticos para uma aprendizagem dinâmica, nos quais cada estudante pode, dentro de alguns parâmetros, ser construtor e gestor do seu próprio ambiente de aprendizagem. A Universidade Aberta está a desenvolver um Curso de Iniciação ao Português (LNM) baseado em tarefas, totalmente a distância, correspondendo ao nível A1 do Quadro Europeu Comum de Referência para as Línguas (QECR). Nesta comunicação pretende-se não apenas mostrar as potencialidades das TIC mas também o modelo em que todo o Curso assenta