Research in Social Sciences and Technology

1-12

Authors: Carlos Jorge Brigas

In science education, there is a need to evaluate the behavior of dynamic systems. Representing and explaining processes through educational models or simulations enables students to perform activities where it is easier to understand these processes and discover the essential properties of a system. Performing modeling or simulation activities that promote interpretation and understanding of systems are learning activities in which students have the ability to create and test their own perceptions of a given phenomenon. Although such activities enhance the development of skills such as reflection, decision making, creativity and generalization, the use of these activities in educational contexts is very sporadic. The difficulties teachers experience in using this type of activity relate to the types of models that are usually used to represent a system, the specificities needed to represent them, the degree of complexity of modeling and simulation tools to do so, and the lack of preparedness to implement practical research activities. In this research, we present the Modeling for Kids methodology to support the development of georeferenced multisensory modeling and simulation activities for the first cycle of Basic Education. This methodology lists a set of norms that aim to advise the teacher and the student in the accomplishment of these activities. The methodology identifies the strategies, contexts of use, and curriculum areas where these activities can be inserted. It also identifies the processes of analysis and representation of dynamic systems. Due to the importance and advantages of georeferenced multisensory information in learning, the methodology also prescribes that teachers and students use this type of information in modeling and simulation activities.

31-40

Authors: Asiya Ibragimovna Tureniyazova

To date, hundreds of advanced teaching methods have been developed, such as game methods, problem-based learning methods, and information and communication technologies are widely used in education. Most of these technologies are based on the principles of student-centred and participatory learning. These interactive methods allow the learner to master the necessary professional knowledge, skills and competencies under the managerial guidance of a teacher. In this article, the author would like to share her experience of using one of such techniques - graphic organizers - in teaching the subject of computer science and information technologies. The graphic organizers as supportive tools for teaching and learning, their use and types are described. Examples of graphic organizers for learning IT and Information security, drawn using IT, are given.

58-72

Authors: Cristóbal Ballesteros Regaña, Rocío P. Piñero-Virué, Miguel Mª Reyes-Rebollo

The purpose of this article is to evaluate the potential for online multimedia materials as alternative learning tools for the collaborative training of teachers in the design of research-based teaching. A case study using a team of three trainee teachers was used to develop a process of initial training in the design of a constructivist and research-based teaching unit supported by online multimedia material. The results obtained from the research allowed some principles to be identified and basic recommendations and alternative lines of action to be given for designing online multimedia materials. Online multimedia materials can be alternative teaching tools that contribute, with other materials, to the development of constructivist, collaborative, and research-based strategies which help provide the necessary support for improving the initial and ongoing training of new teachers in the design of teaching from a research perspective.

96-114

Authors: Marta Montenegro Rueda, José Fernández Cerero

From the earliest ages, the commitment to an inclusive education needs the impulse of an educational system that opens its schools to all students. This reality would not be possible today without taking into account the educational support provided by Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) to the inclusive process, since they constitute the scaffolding that will allow participation and the realization of tasks adjusted to the possibilities and interests of the people. In the process of integration of ICT in the classroom, teachers are a key element since, as has been shown in numerous studies, one of the critical factors for the success of educational systems is the existence of trained, motivated teachers. The purpose is to know the main barriers or obstacles for the development of teacher training plans in ICT for people with disabilities, as well as the priority aspects for training. In the empirical part of the study, 241 interviews with professionals from the Spanish educational sector (members of management teams, ICT coordinators, directors and technological advisors of teacher training centers) were analyzed. Among the conclusions, we can highlight that the main barriers that hinder the implementation of ICT training activities and disability in most of the autonomous communities are determined in the first place by economic factors, lack of time, and teachers’ attitude. The conclusions of the study make it necessary to adopt important measures in the initial training of teachers in order to be trained in the incorporation and appropriate use of ICT in teaching people with different types of disabilities, especially taking into account that the reality that we face every time has more innovative and enriching technological tools that offer us a wide range of applications and adequate tools for this purpose.

129-136

Authors: Carlos Jorge Jorge Brigas, José Alberto Quitério Figueiredo

In recent years, there has been an increased effort to introduce coding and computational thinking in early childhood education. In accordance with the international trend, programming has become an increasingly growing focus in European education. The idea of introducing computer programming in the classroom dates back to the late 1960s. The introduction of programming language provides an opportunity to engage in logical and abstract thinking, problem solving, and the creative design process. One of the best-known initiatives is The Hour of Code. This initiative is being implemented in 180 countries and more than 700 million students have participated. The Hour of Code started as a one-hour introduction to computer science, designed to demystify “code,” to show that anybody can learn the basics, and to broaden participation in the field of computer science. This article describes a workshop held under the “The Hour of the Code” initiative and implemented in the primary schools of Guarda, Portugal. The activity took place at the school and lasted two hours. Students from the first to the fourth grade participated, with ages ranging from 6-11 years. The teachers of the activity were university professors of computer engineering and students of computer engineering.

163-173

Authors: Maria do Céu Ribeiro

This article focuses on analog and digital game play and the challenges it poses to future teachers in an educational context. For that, a review of the literature on the subject was made, addressing the theories of Piaget and Vygotsky. We refer to the game as a pedagogical resource, its relation to the teaching-learning process, and its role in stimulating the multiple intelligences referenced by the psychologist Howard Gardner. Structurally framed by this theoretical framework, we developed this study in an integrated internship context in a classroom of the First Cycle of Basic Education, with 20 children ages 9 and 10. In order to carry out this research, we developed teaching-learning experiences that allowed us to answer the following question: How do the different game supports (analog/digital) motivate children to the teaching-learning process? In order to answer this question, we have outlined the following objectives: i) to understand if the type of support in which children play influences learning; ii) develop activities in contexts, using games (analog and digital); (iii) understand, to what extent, playing games encourages the development of multiple skills. The study is part of a descriptive, interpretive, and reflexive process, framed in a qualitative approach. For data collection, we used participant observation, observation log grids, field notes, photographic records, and interviews with the children. After analyzing the data, these tend to reveal, among other aspects, a remarkable improvement in motivation of children, perceiving that the game is an excellent teaching/learning strategy that allows the development of social and communication skills of children, predisposing the child for learning. As far as the type of game support is concerned, we found that although digital is more appealing to children born in the Digital Age, we verified that both the game in analog and digital support, when properly integrated into the educational action, are also promoters of meaningful and lasting learning.