Rosa Valls

The power of Interactive Groups: how diversity of adults volunteering in classroom groups can promote inclusion and success for children of vulnerable minority ethnic populations

Despite the limited success of grouping students by attainment in enhancing educational achievement for all, this practice is still widely followed in European schools. Aiming at identifying successful educational actions that promote high academic achievement and social inclusion and cohesion, part of the EU-sponsored Europe-wide INCLUD-ED project analysed different ways of grouping students in classrooms. A classification was developed that distinguishes between three ways according to two dimensions – homogeneity/heterogeneity and use of human resources. This classification differentiates among mixture, streaming, and inclusion. In this paper, an example of inclusive action, Interactive Groups (IGs), is explored in depth. Based on grouping students heterogeneously and including adults from the community in the classroom, IGs address educational inequalities and enhance learning for students participating in them. Empirical data obtained from three case studies in schools in Spain indicate that IGs are one of the most successful inclusive actions implemented in these schools.

Communicative Daily Life Stories and Focus Groups: Proposals for Overcoming Gender Violence Among Teenagers

The scientific literature has identified an attraction toward models of masculinity marked by abuse and domination in teenagers’ sexual and affective relationships. Given this reality, greater insight is needed on the mechanisms that lead young people to choose this type of relationship. In theory, different authors argue that as a result of the disassociation between goodness and attractiveness a profound crisis of meaning is found. A study conducted with the Critical Communicative Methodology, particularly, through the use of communicative data collection techniques has led to gather evidences of this crisis, particularly how it is interplayed by the opposition between a language of ethics versus a language of desire. The use of communicative daily life stories and communicative focus groups allowed not only to identify this separation but also those elements that contribute to overcome it.

Breaking the Silence at Spanish Universities Findings From the First Study of Violence Against Women on Campuses in Spain

The first research conducted on violence against women in the university context in Spain reveals that 62% of the students know of or have experienced situations of this kind within the university institutions, but only 13% identify these situations in the first place. Two main interrelated aspects arise from the data analysis: not identifying and acknowledging violent situations, and the lack of reporting them. Policies and actions developed by Spanish universities need to be grounded in two goals: intransigence toward any kind of violence against women, and bystander intervention, support, and solidarity with the victims and with the people supporting the victims.

Comunidades de aprendizaje. Una práctica educativa para la sociedad de la información

Resumen Se analizan las Comunidades de Aprendizaje como resultado de la transformación social y cultural de un centro educativo y de su entorno mediante una educación integrada, participativay permanente, basada en el aprendizaje dialógico. Se amplían sus características y los elementos pedagógicos que se ponen en marcha, la participación, la centralidad del aprendizaje, las expectativas positivas y la cooperación, y se desarrolla ampliamente el concepto de aprendizaje dialógico y sus elementos. Posteriormente se desarrollan las fases de transformación de un centro educativo en una Comunidad de Aprendizaje. Finalmente se exponen, en especial con las palabras de los propios protagonistas, algunos aspectos de los procesos con los que cuatro escuelas del País Vasco están desarrollando su propio proceso de transformación en Comunidades de Aprendizaje.

Resistance to and Transformations of Gender-Based Violence in Spanish Universities: A Communicative Evaluation of Social Impact:

Researchers in many fields, especially those engaged in the study of gender-based violence, have shown an interest in using mixed designs as innovative methodological procedures to transform social realities. In this article, we introduce the “communicative evaluation of social impact” as a methodological tool to reveal the social impact achieved by a multiphase mixed methods design conducted sequentially on gender-based violence in Spanish universities. This tool shows the transformative power of mixed methods with a communicative orientation to generate new legislation, create proper conditions for reporting abuse, and establish new solidarity dynamics with and among the victims to promote violence-free universities.