Ana Mouraz

A place for arguing in engineering education: a study on students’ assessments

This paper focuses on the issue of how engineering programmes demand and/or promote argumentative reasoning, which is a subsequent aspect of curricular development. This was the main objective of the project on which this paper reports. This is to say that the focus is on assessment as a way to establish to what extent argumentative reasoning is demanded and mobilised in teaching and learning processes. This aim was achieved using a sample of assignments developed in courses in different Bologna undergraduate programmes at the Engineering School at the University of Porto, during the first semester of the academic year 2009/2010. Whereas problem solving in engineering constitutes a structural element in the curricular organisation of the engineering programmes and is strongly related to argumentative skills, it was possible to conclude that students demonstrate and explain extensively, but do not argue, possibly because their teachers do not invite them to do so in assessment situations.

Teachers’ role in curriculum design in Portuguese schools

Teachers’ role in curriculum design is a broad question that inspires political educational reforms among European countries, a trend that even extends to higher education politics. The perspective on teachers’ role in curriculum, both at the level of the policies and of the practices, shapes recent educational reforms in Portugal. These are the concerns underlying our research that intends to substantiate school teachers’ involvement in curriculum development as it is experienced by them, and while comparing their views to the roles they are attributed in the political and academic dominant discourses. To reach teachers’ perceptions, we distributed questionnaires which were completed by 214 teachers in primary and secondary schools. We could conclude that the enactment of a professional identity on the basis of teacher assumption of their role as real curriculum designers is still far from being achieved.

An Institutional Approach to First-Year Adjustment: The "Projeto FEUP" Case Study of a Portuguese University.

This article intends to debate the institutional modes of first-year adjustment to higher education. Specifically, the aim is to analyze and consider the need to include social and academic integration activities in the curricular programs. The presented contributions are based on the investigations over the case study course that was studied using non-experimental and descriptive approach. The “Projeto FEUP” (Faculty of Engineering of the University of Porto) course is analyzed as it addresses the mentioned integration concerns explicitly by providing tutoring by selected older students (relating to social integration) and adequate teamwork challenges (relating to academic integration). The presented case study course is given to about 1,000 students across nine engineering degrees at the Faculty of Engineering of University of Porto, in Portugal. The article includes some details about not infrequent practices such as “hazing” of newcomer students and strategies for circumventing associated disadvantages. The results shown in the article indicate that the students involved tend to see it as a significant academic integration device, regarding mainly academic work and expectations.

The effect of curricular activities on learner autonomy: the perspective of undergraduate mechanical engineering students

This study researches how first-year engineering students perceived the influence of curricular activities on their own learning autonomy, measured with an adaptation of the Personal Responsibility Orientation to Self-direction in Learning Scale (PRO-SDLS). Participants were questioned to assess the influence of the teachers role. The results indicate that learners’ characteristics (motivation and self-efficacy) contribute more to learner autonomy (LA) than the teaching–learning transaction (control and initiative), as in the original PRO-SDLS validation. The most autonomous learners presented higher values in all LA components and dimensions, but the differences were greater in motivation and initiative. The participants with higher LA were not as dependent on the teacher, regarding assessment, the completion of classroom tasks and deadlines. Regardless of the degree of autonomy in learning, all participants viewed teachers as the main source of information. Therefore, LA plays an important role in teaching activities planning. Suggestions for adjustments and more flexible learning scenarios are formulated.

What catches the eye in class observation? Observers’ perspectives in a multidisciplinary peer observation of teaching program

ABSTRACT Peer Observation of Teaching has raised a lot of interest as a device for quality enhancement of teaching. While much research has focused on its models, implementation schemes and feedback to the observed, little attention has been paid to what the observer actually sees and can learn from the observation. A multidisciplinary peer observation of teaching program is described, and its data is used to identify the pedagogical aspects to which lecturers pay more attention to when observing classes. The discussion addresses the valuable learning opportunities for observers provided by this program, as well as its usefulness in disseminating, sharing and clarifying quality teaching practices. The need for further research concerning teacher-student relationships and students’ engagement is also suggested.

ORIENTAÇÃO DO MOVIMENTO DO CORPO PELA EDUCAÇÃO DAS EXPRESSÕES: PERCEÇÕES DE PROFESSORES EM PORTUGAL

School education in Portugal aims at students’ cognitive, personal and social development by organizing the curriculum to include knowledge that enables children to experience different scenarios and contents and fostering students’ learning. Teaching and learning of artistic and physical and motor expressions contributes to and is vital for students’ development. Thus, pedagogical dynamics are reconfigured, which consequently specifies the movements of students’ bodies. Teachers from basic education are undoubtedly the main promoters of such experiences. This paper finds and characterizes how teachers plan and implement Art Education and Physical Education by developing the concept of expressions’ education in which movement is understood as the main means of communication. The study was developed through a mixed-method approach. The results reveal a close relationship between organizational conditions and how teachers develop students’ creativity and motor skills.

Students’ Voices About How Schooling Affects Their Lives

This chapter problematizes the schooling experience and its role as a structuring factor on young students’ lives. The debate derives from research developed in Portugal with 34 elementary students from 8 school groups. Recognizing that society has been under constant social transformation that affects identity, sociocultural and economic conditions, we understand it is worth observing how school life has also been affected. To meet our goals, we adopted the biographical interview as a means of collecting data, considering its potential to deal with the subjectivity of the phenomenon under research. Following a narrative methodological approach, we took a comprehensive look at possible new institutional mandates and the nature of educational relationships. This text provides a focus on the relationship of young students with knowledge, the representations they make of teachers and their conceptions about this profession, and we assess their understanding of how school affects their lives.

Parcerias entre a escola e a comunidade em Portugal: uma análise a partir da avaliaçãoexterna das escolas = Partnerships between school and community in Portugal: an analysis based on external evaluation of schools

El articulo examina las relaciones de colaboracion entre escuela y comunidad en Portugal teniendo en cuenta la evaluacion externa a la cual los centros educativos estan sujetos. Los objetivos principales son conocer la importancia dada al establecimiento de relaciones entre las escuelas y la comunidad, caracterizar las areas de asociacion privilegiadas y evaluar los efectos generados. Se analizaron para ello 52 informes de evaluacion externa de las escuelas, lo que representa el 20,8% del total de agrupaciones escolares existentes en 2012 y 2013 en el Norte y en el Centro de Portugal, bien como el 60% de las escuelas evaluadas en esos anos. Los datos permiten concluir que gran parte de las escuelas/agrupaciones escolares presenta un elevado numero de colaboraciones con instituciones locales y que estas son muy reconocidas por fortalecer dinamicas innovadoras de aprendizaje y de formacion global de los estudiantes.O artigo examina as relacoes de parceria entre escola e comunidade em Portugal, analisando-as a partir da avaliacao externa a que as escolas sao sujeitas. Os objetivos principais sao conhecer a importância dada ao estabelecimento de relacoes de parceria entre as escolas e a comunidade, caracterizar as areas de parcerias privilegiadas e avaliar os efeitos gerados. Para isso foram analisados 52 relatorios de avaliacao externa de escolas, que representam 20,8% da totalidade dos agrupamentos de escolas existentes em 2012 e 2013 no Norte e no Centro de Portugal, e 60% das escolas avaliadas nesses anos. Os dados permitem concluir, entre outros aspectos, que grande parte das escolas/agrupamentos apresenta um elevado numero de parcerias com instituicoes locais e que estas sao muito reconhecidas por favorecerem dinâmicas enriquecedoras de aprendizagem e de formacao global dos alunos.

Students’ transition experience in the 10th year of schooling: Perceptions that contribute to improving the quality of schools

The study followed students in their 10th year of schooling that entered a new secondary education school in order to examine their perceptions of their previous schools’ work and of its relationship with the difficulties they experience when in the transition. The analysis of 155 completed questionnaires of previous students of nine basic education schools verified that students generally appreciated their former schools’ work in facilitating their transition experience, particularly in academic and procedural aspects. They also recognised the importance of their own skills, attitudes and previous experiences in their transition phase to the new secondary school. Nevertheless, results indicate that for quality improvement purposes, basic education schools should develop projects aimed at fostering their students’ study/work methods in order for them to be able to face increased volume and rigour in their future performances.

Parcerias entre a Escola e a Comunidade em Portugal: Uma Análise a partir da Avaliação Externa das Escolas

El articulo examina las relaciones de colaboracion entre escuela y comunidad en Portugal teniendo en cuenta la evaluacion externa a la cual los centros educativos estan sujetos. Los objetivos principales son conocer la importancia dada al establecimiento de relaciones entre las escuelas y la comunidad, caracterizar las areas de asociacion privilegiadas y evaluar los efectos generados. Se analizaron para ello 52 informes de evaluacion externa de las escuelas, lo que representa el 20,8% del total de agrupaciones escolares existentes en 2012 y 2013 en el Norte y en el Centro de Portugal, bien como el 60% de las escuelas evaluadas en esos anos. Los datos permiten concluir que gran parte de las escuelas/agrupaciones escolares presenta un elevado numero de colaboraciones con instituciones locales y que estas son muy reconocidas por fortalecer dinamicas innovadoras de aprendizaje y de formacion global de los estudiantes.O artigo examina as relacoes de parceria entre escola e comunidade em Portugal, analisando-as a partir da avaliacao externa a que as escolas sao sujeitas. Os objetivos principais sao conhecer a importância dada ao estabelecimento de relacoes de parceria entre as escolas e a comunidade, caracterizar as areas de parcerias privilegiadas e avaliar os efeitos gerados. Para isso foram analisados 52 relatorios de avaliacao externa de escolas, que representam 20,8% da totalidade dos agrupamentos de escolas existentes em 2012 e 2013 no Norte e no Centro de Portugal, e 60% das escolas avaliadas nesses anos. Os dados permitem concluir, entre outros aspectos, que grande parte das escolas/agrupamentos apresenta um elevado numero de parcerias com instituicoes locais e que estas sao muito reconhecidas por favorecerem dinâmicas enriquecedoras de aprendizagem e de formacao global dos alunos.