Comics and reading literacy: for a teaching practice of the sequential art

Is it possible to use comics at school in order to further students’ reading literacy? In this article the authors try to reply to this question applying the principles of the sequential art. Moving from the robust consensus of educational value of images in textbooks, the proposal of a mediation realized using multimodal texts, like comics, represents an alternative and valid solution to traditional teaching reading paths. After a literature review, an analysis of implications and main criticalities on using comics at school is presented. These passages are functional to explore new didactic scenarios where images and written texts can be used to promote the development of the reading literacy as an interactive and social activity. Fumetti e competenza di lettura: per una didattica dell’arte sequenzialeÈ possibile utilizzare il fumetto a scuola per la promozione della competenza di lettura? Il presente articolo prova a rispondere a questa domanda ricorrendo ai principi dell’arte sequenziale. A fronte del riconoscimento, ormai consolidato, del valore educativo delle immagini nei libri, la proposta di una mediazione realizzata attraverso testi multimodali, quali quelli del fumetto, si pone come un’alternativa didattica ai tradizionali percorsi di insegnamento-apprendimento della lettura. Alla rassegna sul fumetto è affiancata così una disamina delle implicazioni e delle criticità correlate al suo uso a scuola: passaggi funzionali all’esplorazione dei possibili scenari di una didattica che, puntando su immagini e parola scritta, consenta di promuovere l’acquisizione e lo sviluppo della competenza di lettura intesa come attività sociale e interattiva

Fumetti e competenza di lettura: per una didattica dell’arte sequenziale

È possibile utilizzare il fumetto a scuola per la promozione della competenza di lettura? Il presente articolo prova a rispondere a questa domanda ricorrendo ai principi dell’arte sequenziale. A fronte del riconoscimento, ormai consolidato, del valore educativo delle immagini nei libri, la proposta di una mediazione realizzata attraverso testi multimodali, quali quelli del fumetto, si pone come un’alternativa didattica ai tradizionali percorsi di insegnamento-apprendimento della lettura. Alla rassegna sul fumetto è affiancata così una disamina delle implicazioni e delle criticità correlate al suo uso a scuola: passaggi funzionali all’esplorazione dei possibili scenari di una didattica che, puntando su immagini e parola scritta, consenta di promuovere l’acquisizione e lo sviluppo della competenza di lettura intesa come attività sociale e interattiva

Valutazione per l'apprendimento. Guida didattica a fumetti

Il volume, nell’ambito di un dibattito complesso e articolato come quello della valutazione e certificazione delle competenze, presta particolare attenzione alle pratiche e alle strategie valutative da attivare nel gruppo classe per promuovere un apprendimento significativo negli studenti. Sullo sfondo di un’impostazione didattica per competenze, come fare a predisporre una valutazione che consenta di anticipare, accompagnare e sostenere l’azione dell’insegnante con informazioni valide e affidabili sull’apprendimento maturato dagli studenti? La valutazione per l’apprendimento si configura come una risposta plausibile a questo interrogativo. Nell’illustrare le peculiarità, il senso e la finalità di tale valutazione, gli autori, richiamando la vasta letteratura sul formative assessment, si soffermano sulle strategie da utilizzare per implementare una valutazione che sia di supporto efficace e valido per insegnanti e studenti. Una lettura originale e uno strumento essenziale per gli insegnanti, così come per gli studiosi e i professionisti del settore educativo e scolastico, su temi e aspetti di viva attualità nel sistema scolastico italiano

Is Low Heart Rate Variability Associated with Emotional Dysregulation, Psychopathological Dimensions, and Prefrontal Dysfunctions? An Integrative View

Several studies have suggested a correlation between heart rate variability (HRV), emotion regulation (ER), psychopathological conditions, and cognitive functions in the past two decades. Specifically, recent data seem to support the hypothesis that low-frequency heart rate variability (LF-HRV), an index of sympathetic cardiac control, correlates with worse executive performances, worse ER, and specific psychopathological dimensions. The present work aims to review the previous findings on these topics and integrate them from two main cornerstones of this perspective: Porges’ Polyvagal Theory and Thayer and Lane’s Neurovisceral Integration Model, which are necessary to understand these associations better. For this reason, based on these two approaches, we point out that low HRV is associated with emotional dysregulation, worse cognitive performance, and transversal psychopathological conditions. We report studies that underline the importance of considering the heart-brain relation in order to shed light on the necessity to implement psychophysiology into a broader perspective on emotions, mental health, and good cognitive functioning. This integration is beneficial not only as a theoretical ground from which to start for further research studies but as a starting point for new theoretical perspectives useful in clinical practice

Impact of chronic liver disease upon admission on COVID-19 in-hospital mortality: Findings from COVOCA study.

BackgroundItaly has been the first Western country to be heavily affected by the spread of SARS-COV-2 infection and among the pioneers of the clinical management of pandemic. To improve the outcome, identification of patients at the highest risk seems mandatory.ObjectivesAim of this study is to identify comorbidities and clinical conditions upon admission associated with in-hospital mortality in several COVID Centers in Campania Region (Italy).MethodsCOVOCA is a multicentre retrospective observational cohort study, which involved 18 COVID Centers throughout Campania Region, Italy. Data were collected from patients who completed their hospitalization between March-June 2020. The endpoint was in-hospital mortality, assessed either from data at discharge or death certificate, whilst all exposure variables were collected at hospital admission.ResultsAmong 618 COVID-19 hospitalized patients included in the study, 143 in-hospital mortality events were recorded, with a cumulative incidence of about 23%. At multivariable logistic analysis, male sex (OR 2.63, 95%CI 1.42-4.90; p = 0.001), Chronic Liver Disease (OR 5.88, 95%CI 2.39-14.46; pConclusionMortality of patients hospitalized for COVID-19 appears strongly affected by both clinical conditions on admission and comorbidities. Originally, we observed a very poor outcome in subjects with a chronic liver disease, alongside with an increase of hepatic damage

Lack of effect on in-hospital mortality of drugs used during COVID-19 pandemic: Findings of the retrospective multicenter COVOCA study

INTRODUCTION: During COVID-19 pandemic, the use of several drugs has represented the worldwide clinical practice. However, though the current increase of knowledge about the disease, there is still no effective treatment for the usage of drugs. Thus, we retrospectively assessed use and effects of therapeutic regimens in hospitalized patients on in-hospital mortality. METHODS: COVOCA is a retrospective observational cohort study on 18 COVID centres throughout Campania Region Hospitals. We included adult patients with confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection, discharged/dead between March/June 2020. RESULTS: 618 patients were included, with an overall in-hospital cumulative mortality incidence of 23.1%. Most prescribed early treatments were antivirals (72%), antibiotics (65%) and hydroxychloroquine/anticoagulants (≈50%). Tocilizumab, indeed, was largely prescribed late during hospitalization. Multivariable models, with a cut-off at day 2 for early COVID-19 therapy administration, did not disclose any significant association of a single drug administration on the clinical outcome. DISCUSSION: COVOCA represents the first multicenter database in Campania region. None drug class used during the pandemic significantly modified the outcome, regardless of therapy beginning, both overall and net of those already in non-invasive ventilation (NIV)/ orotracheal intubation (OTI) at hospitalization. Our cumulative incidence of mortality seems lower than other described during the same period, particularly in Northern Italy

Impact of liver fibrosis on COVID-19 in-hospital mortality in Southern Italy.

Background & aimsSARS-Cov-2 infection manifests as a wide spectrum of clinical presentation and even now, despite the global spread of the vaccine, contagiousness is still elevated. The aim of the study was the evaluation of the impact of liver fibrosis assessed by FIB-4 and liver impairment, assessed by cytolysis indices, on intrahospital mortality in COVID-19 subjects.MethodsThis is a retrospective observational cohort study, which involved 23 COVID Hospital Units in Campania Region, Italy. Exposure variables were collected during hospital admission and at discharge. According to FIB-4 values, we subdivided the overall population in three groups (FIB-43.25), respectively group 1,2,3.ResultsAt the end of the study, 938 individuals had complete discharged/dead data. At admission, 428 patients were in group 1 (45.6%), 387 in group 2 (41.3%) and 123 in group 3 (13.1%). Among them, 758 (81%) subjects were discharged, while the remaining 180 (19%) individuals died. Multivariable Cox's regression model showed a significant association between mortality risk and severity of FIB-4 stages (group 3 vs group 1, HR 2.12, 95%CI 1.38-3.28, p3.25 (9.0%, group 3). Among dead subjects, 42 showed a FIB-43.25 (42.3%, group 3).ConclusionsFIB-4 value is significantly associated with intrahospital mortality of COVID-19 patients. During hospitalization, particularly in patients with worse outcomes, COVID-19 seems to increase the risk of acute progression of liver damage