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In this article we present our findings regarding of providing online educational activities, delivered by six adults, during 13 weeks (first semester 2020) to 15 children aging from 5 to 7 (the Beaver scouts), on a non-formal education context. The activities combined guided play and problem-based learning activities. Our research objective was to analyzed the method followed, uncovering the dynamics the drove the activities and the consequences. We followed an action research approach in order to understand the feedback loops present in the delivery of online educational activities. The data was collected from the minutes of the meetings, the activities' plans and the notes taken from observations of the online activities and notes taken during the debriefing activities. We analyzed the data by means of a systemic analysis. Our findings are: 1) The diversification of activities (physical, artistic, and social) provided by the leaders and the parent´s support and participation fostered the children engagement and motivation to learn. 2) The continuous improvement of the teach and learning techniques and the right use of IT tools, facilitated the communication and the delivery of meaningful online activities.

This article presents the findings related to an exploratory study of the systemic impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on the studies of graduate students of Brazil. It was sent a survey to 38 students who attended a University of São Paulo graduate course during the first semester of 2021. An exploratory sequential mixed method approach was followed. Quantitative and qualitative data was collected using questionnaires. The quantitative data was analyzed through descriptive statistics. The qualitative data was examined following a language processing method. The insights gained from both kinds of data were connected using a causal loop diagram. It was found that home confinement was the factor that created the main barriers to learning. In addition, digital fatigue, inadequate teaching strategies and the limitation of video conferencing tools also impacted negatively on learning. On the other hand, the pandemic also brought learning opportunities: the students took advantage of courses, webinars and conferences offered during the pandemic. In addition, the students developed new IT and communication skills.

In this article, we presented our findings regarding an online project-based learning course, delivered to 64 students from the Federal University of Sao Paulo, Brazil, during the COVID-19 pandemic, in the second semester of 2021. The course had the goal of teaching Project Management by means of a competition (the Data Science Olympics). Our goal was to investigate the systemic impacts of the competition on learning. Data was collected by means of a questionnaire and from comments posted on the teams' websites. We followed a convergent parallel mixed methods approach. We analyzed the data using a causal loop diagram to connect the insights gained with quantitative and qualitative results. Our findings were as follows: (1) The use of competition in a project-based learning centered course helped the students to develop project management and data science skills, and fostered metacognition and knowledge sharing opportunities. (2) The Data Science Olympics increased the students' intrinsic motivation to learn. (3) The project-based teaching practices (scaffolding the students' learning, giving meaningful feedback to the students, and managing the activities) facilitated the students' learning. (4) The problems the students faced throughout the Project (dropouts, communication problems, lack of commitment, difficulty scheduling online team meetings) impacted negatively on the students' motivation.

In this case study, we present our findings regarding a massive open online Scratch programming course. The course, which followed a project-based learning approach, was delivered from July 4 to 30, 2022 to 186 students in Brazil. The students were challenged to develop individual coding projects. Our research goal was to investigate teaching and learning course dynamics. We followed a convergent parallel mixed-method approach. We collected quantitative and qualitative data by means of questionnaires. We were able to identify five intertwined feedback loops that drove the educational process. Our main findings are as follows: 1) The development of coding skills was driven by the effort of watching video-lectures, remixing of peers' codes, and by sharing knowledge between the students. 2) The project-based learning approach created opportunities for the students to collaborate and exchange ideas.

In this article we present our findings regarding the challenges of offering a massive university's free-of-charge online course. The online course "Introduction to data science (with R)" was offered by one professor at the Federal University of Sao Paulo, Osasco Campus, Brazil, from 11 to 28 of January of 2022, to 680 students from all over the country. This course had the goal of providing educational opportunities for those who otherwise would not be able to afford one. The course followed a problem-based learning approach. In addition to delivering the course content on data science, we wanted to investigate the challenges involved in structuring and delivering the course. Data was collected by means of questionnaires and from the professor's notes. Our findings were as follows: 1) the process of creating an online extension courses can be complex, time-consuming and laborious; 2) handling multiple social media applications and communication tools in order to publicize the extension courses is challenging; 3) the drop-out rate can be high and the completion rate can be low; 4) obtaining the participation of students living in disadvantaged conditions is challenging; and 5) the use of problem-based learning approach facilitated the learning.

Inspired by the Studies on authoritarian personality and based on contemporary research on authoritarianism in Brazil, we will analyze the construction of the idol aura surrounding former president Bolsonaro, which allowed the far right to be elected and remain in power until the last elections in 2022. We see his rise as mostly due to the digital violence that largely benefited his campaign and was directed against the block of left-wing candidates. So as to clarify this issue, we will revisit the sociohistorical and psycho-political fundamentals of the antidemocratic and ethnocentric behaviors spurred by that leadership that became idolized. We will also outline an emancipatory, antiracist, culturally relevant and decolonial education, as a way to provide what Adorno regarded as being the antidote to the reemergence of a regressive barbarism. In the case of Brazil, barbarism refers to the remnants of the slave system implemented in the country for three and a half centuries, whose destructive potential was awakened under Bolsonaro's government, given the latent antidemocratic and authoritarian tendencies in our society.

This article presents findings regarding a Systems Thinking graduate course that took place in 2019, involving 11 graduate students from the University of São Paulo. The course followed a combination of problem-based learning and simulation-based learning approaches. The students were challenged to model the dynamics portrayed in short-films, documentaries, and case studies. Comics were used to illustrate key points. Our research goal was to analyze the educational components of this program qualitatively. We collected qualitative data using questionnaires and in-deep interviews and analyzed following a systemic analysis. Our findings are: (a) Creating models of situations portraited in videos and case studies helped the learning of qualitative modeling tools by motivating the students and promoting knowledge sharing. b) Computer simulation improved the learning of quantitative modeling tools, fostered critical thinking skills, and increased the understanding of the system's structures and patterns of behavior. c) Comics helped the students to comprehend complex issues.

This case study presents our findings regarding a Project-Based Learning Course, where we applied neuroscience concepts to make the learning experience more effective. The course, which followed a combination of project-based learning and flipped classroom approaches, was delivered during the first semester of 2020, to 20 graduate students of the Faculty of Education of the University of Sao Paulo, Brazil. We explain the course design, curriculum, and online components. We collected data from course questionnaires and analyzed them qualitatively. We found that the course fostered long-lasting learning, by allowing the students to connect theory and practice, by providing knowledge-sharing opportunities and by promoting the retrieval of the content learned. We also found that course design allowed continuous improvement of course, learning environment and activities, that also enhanced the learning experience. Our findings also suggested that the usage of flipped-classroom concepts improves the efficacy of the online meetings. Finally, comic strips' usage brought humor to class, helped the students fix content, and contributed to reducing the stress that the students were facing.

Background: Preschool is a crucial period for developing motor skills. Objective: This study evaluated factors associated with motor competence in preschoolers from a Brazilian urban area. Methods: A total of 211 preschoolers (51.2% girls and 48.8% boys) were evaluated. Body mass index was calculated; the Brazilian Economic Research Criterion, the Mini-Mental Scale (MMC) and the Early Childhood Environment Rating Scale®, Revised (ECERS-R™) were applied; the Habitual Physical Activity time was recorded; the Test of Gross Motor Development (TGMD-2) was performed. Univariate analysis was performed using simple linear regression for the independent variables, considering the motor test subscales as dependent variables. Variables with p < 0.20 in the univariate analysis were considered for the multiple linear regression model and were entered into the stepwise method. Results: The independent variables remaining in the Standard Score Locomotor model were BMI, presence of park at school, and MMC (R[superscript 2] = 0.16). The independent variables remaining in the Standard Object Control score were MMC and gender (R[superscript 2] = 0.03). The variables associated with the highest scores of Gross Motor Quotient were MMC, body mass index, and presence of a park at school, respectively (R[superscript 2] = 0.11). Conclusions: Male eutrophic preschoolers who are physically active and attend schools with parks or courtyards in a Brazilian urban area have the highest scores for global cognitive function and motor competence.

Sexual and reproductive health (SRH) education for young people is a challenge for national health systems in low-and middle-income countries. This study analysed SRH education among adolescents in a low-income neighbourhood of Brazil from the perspectives of young people themselves, primary healthcare providers, and school teachers. Using semi-structured interviews, data were collected from twelve informants aged 15-20 years, eight health professionals, and nine teachers. Interviews were analysed using the ecological framework (i.e. with a focus on individual, structural and programmatic levels). At the individual level, there was a marked lack of discussion about SRH in the family, especially with parents. As a result, young people sought information from relatives of a similar age, the Internet and social media. Racism on the part of some teachers was identified as a structural-level constraint, and lack of dialogue between the health and education sectors was a programmatic barrier. Schools were seen as propitious settings for SRH education, and joint action by health providers and teachers could be beneficial for the promotion of SRH among young people in schools.

This was a cross-sectional study that aimed to evaluate the association between breastfeeding and motor development of infants at 3-4 months of age in the city of Pelotas, Rio Grande do Sul. The outcome, infant motor development, was evaluated through the Bayley Scale of Infant Development (Bayley III). The prevalence of infants that stopped breastfeeding before reaching 3-4 months of age was 16.6%. The most prevalent reason for early weaning was 'insufficient milk flow' (50.4%). The general mean of motor development was 104.9 (±13.2) points, and the lowest means were attributed to babies who never breastfed (101.5; SD ±14.6), followed by those stopped breastfeeding (102.5; SD ±14.1). The results revealed that infants who never breastfed and those who had stopped at 3-4 months of age presented -1.9 (CI 95% -3.8;-0.2) points in the motor development scale means when compared with infants who were still breastfeeding.

This case study presents findings regarding the problems that impact the quality of a Project Elaboration and Management course, developed following a project-based learning approach. From 2014 to 2019, the course was taught 27 times, involving 596 undergraduate students from Federal University of Sao Paolo, Campus Osasco, Brazil. The research objective is to reveal the main problems encountered both in setting up and delivering the course, and to analyze their impacts on the quality of the course. Data was collected from the professor's notes, from correspondence between the professor, students, and other stakeholders, minutes of meetings between the professor and stakeholders, and from the students' reports about the projects. The data was analyzed following a qualitative systemic analysis, revealing the impacts of the identified problems on the course. The article concludes by presenting possible ways of reducing such problems.

Background: Tooth avulsion is a common cause of tooth loss. However, there is a significant lack of knowledge about dental trauma and the appropriate emergency procedures to handle these cases. Aim: The aim of this study was to evaluate the educational effect of notebook covers illustrated with figures and informative texts about tooth avulsion and replantation in sixth-grade primary school pupils. Material and Methods: Sixth-grade pupils of two public school participated in this study. An experimental group consisting of 134 pupils received notebook covers illustrated with figures and informative texts about tooth avulsion and replantation, while a control group of 108 pupils received notebooks with neutral covers. An assessment of the educational effects on pupils was performed after 9 months, with a standardized questionnaire normally used to evaluate dental trauma. Statistical analysis was conducted with SPSS 21.0 ([alpha] = 0.05) for group description and comparison using chi-square and Student "t" tests. Results: Compared with the control group, the experimental group showed statistically significant improvements in correct meaning of dental trauma (38% vs. 58.2%); procedures to follow in the case of dental avulsion (2.8% vs. 70.9%); storing the avulsed tooth in milk (18.5% vs. 76.9%); general knowledge about dental anatomy (61.1% vs. 95.5%); and the ideal time for the tooth to remain outside the mouth prior to replantation (20.4% vs. 59.7%). Conclusion: The use of notebook covers illustrated with figures and informative texts about dental trauma led to a significant increase in the knowledge of schoolchildren about tooth avulsion, first aid, and replantation.

In this article, we discuss the lessons learned in a system thinking course developed in a multicampus, distance-learning environment. Forty-six undergraduate students were involved; the students were from four campuses of the Federal University of São Paulo, Brazil. We explain the course design, curriculum and online components. We analyze the effectiveness of the use of art (visual art, literature, performing arts and media arts) in fostering the students' interest, engagement and learning. In order to gather data, we used a convergent parallel mixed method approach. We made systemic analysis of the data collected. We found that the use of music, poetry, stories and films helped students to make connections between theory and practice, thereby improving their learning. Students' use of these materials also increased their enthusiasm for the course. We also found that the visual arts, in particular, fostered the students' curiosity, increasing their engagement in the proposed activities.

In this article, we discuss the ripple effects of the WEBSIM FISHBANKS Simulation Laboratory held at Federal University of Sao Paulo (UNIFESP) in 2014, held as a result of a partnership between the Sloan School of Management of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, the UNIFESP, and the Brazilian Chapter of the System Dynamics Society of Brazil (BCSDS). The simulation lab involved 100 people from 36 organizations. The aim of our research is to reveal the impacts of the laboratory two and a half years after it took place. We followed a mixed method approach, collecting data from questionnaires and documents. The main findings are as follows: (1) the laboratory helped spread the use of FISHBANKS software in Brazilian universities and consultancy firms; (2) the laboratory promoted systems thinking and environmental awareness, leading some of the participants to replace non-sustainable actions for more sustainable ones; (3) the laboratory fostered interest in the MIT LearningEdge initiative; and (4) the laboratory contributed to a rise in the motivation of the members of the BCSDS, which in turn led to the creation of symposia and other activities.

International students have an increasing economic and cultural impact: In 2011 there were 4.3 million international students around the globe, and this number is expected to exceed 8 million by 2025. From this scenario, this article aims to discern the main barriers, facilitators, and motivators for the internationalization of students. In-depth interviews were conducted with 17 international students at different academic levels. The results indicate that the barriers to internationalization are intrinsic and extrinsic to individuals. The main facilitators of internationalization were networking training and access to student resources; and the main motivators were personal development and career opportunities. Therefore, this article brings three main contributions: (a) academically vis-à-vis the theme, (b) managerially, for institutions, and (c) for students, especially those at the master's and PhD level. Findings from Brazilian students may also apply to different academic contexts, especially those from emerging countries.

We investigate the effect of COVID-19 home confinement on levels of physical activity, sedentary behavior, and health-related quality of life (HRQL) in older women previously participating in exercise and educational programs. Our hypothesis was that home confinement would result in a reduction in levels of physical activity, an increase in sedentary behavior, and a reduction in HRQL. Sixty-four older women (age = 72 ± 5 yrs) under home confinement who participated in a physical exercise/educational program had their levels of physical activity, sedentary behavior, and HRQL assessed before and during (11 to 13 weeks after the introduction of government recommendations to reduce virus transmission) COVID-19 pandemic. There were significant reductions in total physical activity (-259 METs/week, P = 0.02), as a result of a ~17.0% reduction in walking (-30.8 min/week, P = 0.004) and ~41.8% reduction in vigorous-intensity activity (-29.6 min/week, P < 0.001). Sedentary behavior also increased (2.24 h/week, P < 0.001; 1.07 h/week days, P < 0.001; and 1.54 h/weekend days, P < 0.001). However, no significant change occurred in moderate-intensity physical activity, and HRQL domains and facets, except for an improvement in the environment domain. Home confinement due to COVID-19 pandemic decreased levels of physical activity and increased levels of sedentary behavior in previously active older women. However, there were no significant changes in HRQL. These results suggest that educational programs promoting healthy behaviors may attenuate the impact of home confinement in older women.

In the context of enormous global challenges such as climate change, poverty, and the unequal distribution of wealth, sustainability education within higher education has gained momentum as a tool to train a new generation of change agents. Previous research has examined the relationship between sustainability education and entrepreneurship education. There is however a knowledge gap regarding course development strategies that can integrate entrepreneurship competencies into sustainability education. Following a classroom action research (AR) approach, we developed a three-week graduate course aimed at an interdisciplinary cohort of students in the social sciences from partner universities in Brazil and Norway. The course integrated a problem-based learning (PBL) framework. Working in groups of four to five members, the students provided business solutions framed in a post-oil development context. The results indicate tension points in the integration of the learning principles of PBL along the different phases of PBL, namely during the group formation and problem analysis phases. To tackle these tensions, we suggest early group formation and integrate formative feedback and progressive problem analysis. Our framework contributes to the debate on competence-based frameworks within the sustainability education literature. The framework can also serve as an inspiration for course designers in higher education.

In response to the global crisis resulted from the spread of the coronavirus in Brazil, many schools and universities suspended face-to-face classes and began to offer remote classes using digital resources. In this unprecedented crisis, educators, managers and families had to deal with unpredictability and look for new ways of learning and teaching. Based on the paradigm of transmission of mass distribution, remotely teaching has gained strength, with the teacher as the protagonist of the education process. Instead of interactivity, content is emphasized to the detriment of more participatory, dialogic, and collaborative methodologies. It is necessary to prepare teachers and students for the online education modality to face this critical moment. Thus, this article suggests online pedagogical actions supported by the multireferential research-formation and everyday school methodologies, which promote the teachers' and students' participation in an interactive and collaborative way.

In this article, we describe a project management course developed in a multi-campus, blended learning environment, with the participation of 14 NGOs. There were 70 undergraduate students involved, from three campuses of the Federal University of São Paulo, Brazil. We discuss how the course was conceptualized, provide an outline of its curriculum and online components, and analyze its successes and failures. To gather data, we used a convergent parallel mixed method approach, and we analyzed this data by means of a systemic analysis. We found that working with real clients on real projects, in a multi-campus blended learning environment, increases the students' motivation to learn, develop skills, and complete projects. However, the occurrence of students dropping out of the course is demotivating and stressful to the remaining students and to the community partners. We also found that the distances involved (between campuses and between campuses and NGO facilities), along with course schedule conflicts, make it difficult to establish rhythms between face-to-face activities and online activities. However, we also found that the intensive use of information technology can help overcome problems caused by distance and course schedule conflicts.

In this article, we present our findings regarding the course "Research Methodology," offered to 22 first-year undergraduate students studying Administration at the Federal University of São Paulo, Osasco, Brazil. The course, which combined community-based research and project-based learning, was developed during the second semester of 2016. The students worked in teams to do research on a particular aspect of an NGO that helped people in need. The NGO was selected from a list of organizations that agreed to work as community partners. The students did qualitative research, which they then wrote up as a standard research paper for publication in a journal. Our research objective was to study the advantages and disadvantages of combining community-based research and project-based learning in research methodology courses. We followed a mixed-method research approach, analyzing the students' responses to a survey and focus group activities. Our main findings were as follows: 1) The students faced difficulties working in groups, scheduling meetings with the community partners, and creating the articles; 2) The project-based learning approach improved the students' learning; 3) Doing community-based research was rich and meaningful experience to the students; 4) The course was successful in developing the students' research skills.

In this article, we discuss the dynamics that led to viewing of 18 five-minute videos, created as part of a business dynamics course and made freely available on Internet. Over a period of five years, the videos were watched 2,740 times in 80 countries. The goal of our research was to understand what dynamics drove the viewership. We collected quantitative data from eighteen Google Analytics reports and from professor's courses log, and made a systems analysis of it. We reached the following conclusions: 1) The professor's actions to promote the course enabled direct access on the part of the students; it also led to wider viewership as a result of being picked up by search engines that made the videos available to a wider audience; 2) Once the videos were posted on YouTube, YouTube and search engine algorithms stimulated increased viewership; 3) Internet users' actions such as sharing the videos on social networks and embedding the videos on personal websites also stimulated the the number of views.

In this article, we present our findings regarding promoting group drawing activities in order to facilitate the learning of systemic aspects of projects. We discuss the approach we used to engage the students and foster learning in our classes. We used group drawing activities in two project management undergraduate courses. The courses, which involved 41 students, took place during the second semester of 2016 in a public university in Brazil. We conducted qualitative research, using qualitative observation and focus group interviews. In order to gauge the effects of the use of this educational technique, we followed the five-phased qualitative analysis method, combined with a systems analysis of the data obtained from observation. Five recurrent themes emerged: 1) Making drawings in groups helps content retention and facilitates connections between the concepts explained by the professor; 2) Making drawings in groups promotes knowledge sharing among team members; 3) Making drawings in group fosters creativity and communication between students; 4) Drawing in groups reduces the students' boredom, makes the lecture more dynamic and interesting; 5) Drawing in groups reinforces bonds between students. Our systems analysis suggests that group drawing improves student participation in classroom activities, strengthens bonds between students, and enhances learning.

Background: A growing body of literature has demonstrated the importance of discourse assessment in patients who suffered from brain injury, both in the left and right hemispheres, as discourse represents a key component of functional communication. However, little is known about the relationship between gray matter density and macrolinguistic processing. Purpose: This study aimed to investigate this relationship in a group of participants with middle-low to low socioeconomic status. Method: Twenty adults with unilateral left hemisphere (n = 10) or right hemisphere (n = 10) chronic ischemic stroke and 10 matched (age, education, and socioeconomic status) healthy controls produced three oral narratives based on sequential scenes. Voxel-based morphometry analysis was conducted using structural magnetic resonance imaging. Results: Compared to healthy controls, the left hemisphere group showed cohesion impairments, whereas the right hemisphere group showed impairments in coherence and in producing macropropositions. Cohesion positively correlated with gray matter density in the right primary sensory area (PSA)/precentral gyrus and the pars opercularis. Coherence, narrativity, and index of lexical informativeness were positively associated with the left PSA/insula and the superior temporal gyrus. Macropropositions were mostly related to the left PSA/insula and superior temporal gyrus, left cingulate, and right primary motor area/ insula. Discussion: Overall, the present results suggest that both hemispheres are implicated in macrolinguistic processes in narrative discourse. Further studies including larger samples and with various socioeconomic status should be conducted.

The objective of this study is based on the sense of rethinking the representation of the black population within history textbooks. The research was carried out in a public school in the countryside of the municipality of Dormentes (Pernambuco State, Brazil) through the application of questionnaires. The way a black person is represented within the Global, Brazilian and General History was analyzed under a social and interactionist vision of learning and auto reflection. It is necessary to review the concepts and recreate new ideologies within the textbooks to present the black figure. Otherwise, the pre-conceived ideas of the ugly, rude and dirty man will remain. In a country with about 50.7% of the population that declares itself to be black, it is at least strange not to notice the prejudiced interpretations of the black image in school books, denoting a serious problem of social representation and marginalization of Afro-Brazilian culture, in this way. This work becomes fundamental for those who believe in education as an instrument of emancipation of the human being.

In this case study we discuss the dynamics that drive a free-of-charge project-based learning extension course. We discuss the lessons learned in the course, "Laboratory of Social Projects." The course aimed to teach project management skills to the participants. It was conducted from August to November of 2015, at Federal University of São Paulo (Unifesp), Osasco Campus, Brazil. The course had 72 participants (41 community members and 31 university students). The participants worked in teams of four members (on average) and developed 13 projects on behalf of eight NGOs that help people in need. In our research, we followed a mixed methods approach, using project reports, project blogs and the course management database as sources of information. We made use of system thinking analysis to reveal the dynamics that unfolded during the course. Our main findings are the following: 1) free-of-charge extension courses can be much more challenging to manage than traditional courses once the workload of the professors involved can be substantially higher than in similar regular courses; 2) the use of project-based learning techniques in extension courses can be very effective; 3) problems are created when the students drop out of the course.

The literature on international business teaching has contributed to the development of international internships as a learning pedagogy through three key areas: making sense of the students' developed competences and prospective added employment value following their participation in international internships, the role of support structures in the organization of internships abroad, and more recently the pedagogical design of internships abroad. Thus, more recent research has taken a critical stance toward internships as a learning form, as serious gaps exist in the pedagogical elements required to connect internships with the broader theoretical elements of international business programs. The present study addresses these gaps through two research questions: i) How can educators design and implement problem-based international internships in business education? ii) What adjustments does the combination of these two active learning experiences in business education demand for small business schools, partner universities, and hosting organizations? The paper presents pedagogical action research that was conducted over two courses for international business internships in a Norwegian-Brazilian context for bachelor's and master's students. It contributes to the international business teaching literature in the following ways: First, the validated teaching framework argues for international internships that are linked to loosely defined problems at the host organization, which the student self-scopes and connects based on their theoretical knowledge from other courses. Second, by providing an in-depth discussion of problem-based learning and its applicability in international business practicums, we address the existing gap in the field regarding the pedagogical foundations of how students connect theory to practice during international internships. Third, the framework serves as a practical guideline for teaching and administrative staff who wish to develop international internship programs at home universities, supporting their ability to connect the practical aspects established in the literature with the additional organizational requirements arising from working with hosting organizations overseas.

The ability to raise funds is a skill that most modern project managers need. While a good deal of literature exists on the strategies NGOs employ to raise funds for their operations, less attention has been paid to the strategies used by students involved in Project-Based Learning courses that often partner with NGOs. Fundraising is an important skill that not only provides students with opportunities for creativity, but also helps them develop the communication skills they will need in the work they do after they graduate. In this paper, we discuss the fundraising strategies developed by MBA students in 204 social projects completed between 2002 and 2014. The projects were done in partnership with 39 community partners in Sao Paulo, Brazil (NGOs and Public Institutions). In our study, we followed quantitative and qualitative research methods, analyzing data and documents from the projects' databases. We identified six different fundraising strategies: organizing raffles, soliciting donations from private corporations, organizing paying events, utilizing online social networks developing crowdfunding, and soliciting individual donations.

The systemic aspects of educational projects that involved universities, organizations and communities are issues that concern a number of researchers. In this paper, the authors present the processes and findings related to a one-year educational project. The educational project is accomplished through two sequential courses, which are taught by representatives of one university and fifteen organizations--schools, art galleries, foundations, NGOs, hospitals, humanitarian organizations, and corporations--that provide educational opportunities to people from poor communities of São Paulo, Brazil. The seventy-six course members are individuals involved in the social projects accomplished by these organizations. The courses follows a project-based learning educational approach. The research objective is revealing the systemic impacts of this educational project. In this study, the authors follow a systemic action research approach. They develop a qualitative study based on document review, questionnaires, interviews, videos and observations. The main findings are as follows: (1)Coordinated actions between the university and the diverse organizations may create synergies that promote intense knowledge sharing, contributing to the development of the skills in the course participants; (2) The use of project-based learning techniques improves the learning and strengthens the ties between the course participants; and (3) The educational project leads to the empowerment of the course participants, allowing them to promote meaningful actions in their communities.

This case study describes a continuous improvement experience, conducted from 2002 to 2014 in Sao Paulo, Brazil, within 47 Project-Based Learning MBA courses, involving approximately 1,400 students. The experience report will focus on four themes: (1) understanding the main dynamics present in MBA courses; (2) planning a systemic intervention in order to improve the following courses; (3) doing the intervention and analysing the results; and (4) assuring the continuous improvement.

This article describes the project-based learning environment created to support project management graduate courses. The paper will focus on the learning context and procedures followed for 13 years, in 47 project-based learning MBA courses, involving approximately 1,400 students and 34 community partners.

Harmful plastic debris found on beaches and in the oceans are not limited to drinking straws or bags. There are several synthetic organic polymers that can be used to make different kinds of plastic materials and have resulted in billions of tons of waste that can reach the aquatic biome and are harmful to freshwater and marine communities as well as humans. Small pieces, known as microplastics, are very small (<5mm) and can readily be ingested by marine organisms, causing dangerous threats to the food supply chain. Although plastic debris appears as particles of varying size, shape, color, and chemical composition, its origin or source cannot easy be identified by the naked eye. Sometimes, it is also difficult to identify whether debris is made of plastics materials. However, plastic debris sources can be revealed by applying basic concepts of the interaction of infrared radiation with matter. If a sample is irradiated with infrared light, a part of the radiation can be absorbed and provide detailed information about the structure of chemical compounds, such as the arrangement of nuclei and chemical bonds within the molecule. Chemical features of a molecule allow identification of the type of polymer that makes up a plastic material. In this paper the authors describe a multidisciplinary approach to teaching the interaction of infrared light and the vibrating process of molecules to characterize plastic pollutants. The practical classes involve both indoor and outdoor activities, divided into four steps: choice of case study site; plastic debris sampling; sample preparation and physical and chemical characterization of plastic debris (size, color, shape and polymer type); data interpretation and identification of the main plastic debris sources. The first three steps, which include outdoor activities, can also be performed by students of all ages, as well as by geography, environmental science and biology teachers who are fundamental in multidisciplinary studies. The data interpretation step that involves the polymer identification is performed at the laboratory, by using ATR-FTIR and/or optical transmittance sensor systems. Finally, the identification of the main plastic debris sources and the final conclusions are tasks that can be performed in a multidisciplinary way.

This article seeks to explore the theoretical contributions of Axel Honneth, particularly in his works, "The Struggle for Recognition and Reification," aiming at diving deep into the debate on the contemporary ideological expressions and their incidence in the process of subjective constitution in teenage years. This particular interest springs from the need to interweave the concepts of reification, forgetfulness and recognition within a fruitful theoretical field in order to interpret a project work called "Hip-Hop: cultures and identities," developed with teenagers in a public school in the city of São Paulo, Brazil. From our point of view, the concepts of reification and forgetfulness are fundamental to identify how the conservative ideological expressions are present in the imaginary of adolescents in the contemporary world. Although rereading the concepts of reification and forgetfulness, as proposed by the author, is regarded as essential for understanding the ideological expressions that are based on and guided by consumption. However, even though we acknowledge Honneth's efforts toward moving forward with the concept of reification, it is crucial to emphasize the mediation concept Lukács explored in his work, "History and Class Consciousness," so as to elucidate how the forgetfulness of the primary recognition relations is processed.

First-aid methods recommended for snakebites are included in Science textbooks in Brazil. Books published before 1996 provided misleading information in this respect and it is possible that such recommendations derived from North-American experiences conducted at the beginning of the 20th Century. The official evaluation of textbooks carried out by the Ministry of Education in 1996 initiated a major public discussion on the several mistakes which had been present in Brazilian educational materials, mainly those relating to mistaken snakebite first-aid procedures. As from 1996, a significant decrease in the number of casualties from snakebites was reported, both in the total number of deaths and among the patients who had received medical assistance. The official data showed this decrease was consistent and remained so for the following ten years. The number of deaths might be associated with the reduced number of victims who developed complications resulting from improper first-aid procedures. This article is intended to relate the changes implemented in textbooks as a result of the first national evaluation and the great impact caused by the publication of the serious mistakes found in these materials, with the reduction in the number of casualties from snakebites in the same period. (Contains 3 figures and 2 tables.)

Understanding the nature of chemical thinking and action, as well as their application and impact on our world should be central goals of chemistry education at all educational levels. However, traditional school chemistry is still mostly focused on having students learn the body of declarative knowledge built over the years in the discipline. Achieving changes in curriculum and teaching practices in this context remains a challenging task. Studies in the history and philosophy of the discipline suggest that chemistry has unique characteristics that need to be recognised and considered in chemistry education. Many of these studies point to a pluralism in the discipline, and in the understanding of and about chemistry, that should be characterised and incorporated into our educational models. In this essay, we have attempted to build such a characterisation using conceptual profiles theory to propose a framework that can be used to enrich and support the thinking and action of chemistry teachers at all educational levels.

There is a growing interest in multi/inter/transdisciplinary (MIT-D) work, which requires increasing levels of knowledge and co-production interaction. Many studies have addressed this theme with different approaches such as the nature of transversal scientific subjects, the concept of knowledge integration, and the dynamics of research groups to work consistently in collaboration. These are critical factors, particularly to government agencies responsible for assessment and funding researchers, research teams, or graduate courses. In this article, we propose a systemic MIT-D framework to graduate courses and research team's assessment. It takes into account the historical and current research in graduate courses assessment and a national graduate assessment system grounded on peer review and descriptive information conducted by a Brazilian public agency. The framework has three levels of analysis, allowing participation of multiple decision makers, using different approaches to explore four analytical dimensions (individual abilities, collaboration, content, and outputs/outcomes). We have analyzed its applicability in scientometric approaches and research assessment conducted by governmental agencies. The proposed framework is suitable and broadly relevant for both researchers and decision makers for analyzing courses and research teams.

This study aimed to evaluate sociodemographic, behavioral, and individual factors associated with body image perception in a sample of adolescents from schools in low Human Development Index areas in Brazil. This cross-sectional study included 609 boys and 573 girls (aged 11-17 years). Body image perception (nine-silhouettes scale) and sociodemographic, behavioral, and individual variables were included. Multinomial logistic regression analysis was used. Most boys (76.9%) and girls (77.5%) were dissatisfied with their body image. Body mass index status and healthy body image evaluation were significantly associated with body image dissatisfaction in both boys and girls (p < 0.001), and daily fruit consumption was associated with body image dissatisfaction only in boys (p = 0.035). Education and health care focused on body image can pay special attention to young people from vulnerable areas with unhealthy nutritional status and focus on strategies that enable improving the perception of a healthy body and a healthy diet.

In this study, we investigated children's perceptions of their learning experiences in early childhood education and care using data from two different settings: Brazil and Finland. We adopted a qualitative and cross-national research design. Photographs were used to gather children's representations of their learning places and spaces and also later to elicit reflections during group interviews. This process of using photographs allowed us to elicit children's perceptions about their learning. The analysis consisted of content categorization of the photographs, content analysis of the interviews, and juxtaposition of materials in a comparative framework. The children represented and conceived their learning experience in four categories of school spaces: objects, actions, significant others, and cultural practices. By analyzing each of these categories, we identify five core elements of children's perceptions about their learning: relevance of peer interactions; recognition of learning through play; children's acknowledgment of their own competence for learning; school spaces as places for learning actions; and present time as the timeframe for learning. Practical implications of these findings are discussed, including the importance and relevance of considering children's perceptions.

In this paper, we analyze the process of conceptualization experienced by students in Secondary School when involved in activities in a teaching and learning sequence on the concept of substance, considering the emergence of zones of the conceptual profile. The results point out that the approaches to different modes of thinking of substance enabled the teacher to discuss and confront ideas, leading students to construct or share meanings stabilized in a scientific view. The conceptual profile was an important tool to design activities by creating discursive contexts involving different modes of thinking about substance, which contributed to raising specific discussions involving historical, scientific and social contexts to understand senses and meanings for substances.

This article discusses an analysis of abstracts of Brazilian theses and dissertations on environmental education from a database organised and maintained by a group of researchers in the EArt Project (www.earte.net). In presenting extracts of key trends in this dataset, our aim is to provide a snapshot of the many possible approaches to, and histories of, Brazilian environmental education research. The data also allow us to raise some questions that explore possible 'blank spots', 'blind spots' and 'bald spots' in Brazilian research on environmental education. Given the temporal development of the research field since the 1980s, we illustrate these 'spots' by exploring data related to epistemological and methodological diversity, from the viewpoint of knowledge areas as well as the graduate programmes that have been developing research on environmental education. Finally, we draw a picture of the methodological trends that have been privileged by Brazilian researchers, and pose questions as to what is needed in shaping an agenda for research on environmental education in Brazil into the future.

In this article we discuss an action research experience that took place from 2002 to 2015. We analyze the inception and progress of several project-based learning-centered academic courses that were aimed at developing the project management skills of graduate and undergraduate students. The experience involved approximately 1,800 students from two universities and 40 community partners. The students developed real-life projects on behalf of institutions and non-governmental organizations located in the area that help people in need; we refer to these agencies as "community partners." We analyze the development of the course from a systemic perspective, making use of causal loop diagrams in order to understand the main driving dynamics. We discuss the results achieved by these projects and the benefits brought to the community partners. We also present testimony from the community partners themselves. We conclude by presenting the lessons we learned over the years we have been running this course.

Three textbooks from Brazil and three textbooks from the United States were analysed with a focus on similarity and context-based tasks. Students' opportunities to learn similarity were examined by considering whether students were provided context-based tasks of high cognitive demand and whether those tasks included missing or superfluous information. Although books in the United States included more tasks, the proportion of tasks focused on similarity were about the same. Context-based similarity tasks accounted for 9%-29% of the similarity tasks, and many of these contextual tasks were of low cognitive demand. In addition, the types of contexts that were included in the textbooks were critiqued and examples provided.

A laboratory experiment has been developed to illustrate environmental and sustainability aspects, focusing on the wastewater treatment by means of superparamagnetic nanoparticles functionalized with humic acid. The experiment, conducted by a group of high school students, involves nanoparticle synthesis and minor characterization, followed by their interaction with typical metal ion contaminants in water. Coordination chemistry concepts were explored to help students understand the experiment, using competitive agents, such as ammonia, for recovering and recycling the nanoparticles, highlighting the great affinity of humic acid for the metal ions.

Cross-border higher education (CBHE) has been changing the organizational boundaries of higher education institutions (HEIs). This study aims to analyze the shifting boundaries of Portuguese HEIs through the lens of the identity concept in organization theories, considering three contexts with different levels of regulation: African Portuguese-speaking countries, Brazil, and Europe. These different regulation contexts allow to analyze how the level of national regulation influences CBHE, how this relates to the shifting boundaries of HEIs, and how the public or private character of the institutions plays a role in influencing boundary shifts. This research indicates that shifting boundaries through CBHE are influenced by institutional identities shaped by different rationales and conditioned by local policy contexts. Public universities have refrained from creating campuses abroad or from franchising activities, and their international activities seem driven by academic and cultural rationales. Public polytechnics, more recent than universities, seem more open to embarking on CBHE, suggesting the existence of a malleable identity. Contrary to the public sector, private institutions have created campuses abroad, mainly in African Portuguese-speaking countries, apparently following an economic rationale to guide their CBHE activities.

Children with deafblindness need support to be able to understand the world and to have access to information. The authors analyzed a dyad consisting of a child with congenital deafblindness and a specialized teacher. The study included participant observations and audiovisual recordings. It was found that the child showed attention to the teacher in activities involving music and rhythm. As potential forms of nonverbal communication, the child presented vocalization, touch, body contact, body movements, facial expressions, and tears. The teacher's forms of communication were verbal, touch, visual, rhythm, and sign language. It was concluded that a significant communication partner is essential to identify, interpret, and respond to attention and communicative behaviors. Use of other forms of communication must comply with individual characteristics so that the child with deafblindness can receive information from the environment through these senses and thus be guaranteed access to the world.

This work aims to identify the contribution of Social Innovation (SI) and Civil Society (CS) in the construction and development of Sustainable Social Businesses (SSB). In the first stage, a bibliometric analysis was conducted, tracking research from the last five years related to Social Innovation and the participation of Civil Society in Social Businesses. The CAPES Journals database was used, and based on the applied criteria, 53 articles from various sources were found. Subsequently, a Descriptive Bibliometric Review was carried out to gather preliminary data to identify the studies. This review considered the country of research application, the presence of SI, the participation of CS, and the type of Social Business. After identifying the cases studied in Brazil, totaling 4 articles, an Analytical Bibliometric Review of these studies was conducted to deepen the analysis and achieve the objective of this study. In this Analytical Review, the type and operation of SI, the level of CS involvement, and the identification of actors and the relevance of this link for business development were considered. The results of this study demonstrate the importance of SI for the continuation of development and profound changes in society. They also show that, like Business and Technological Innovation, SI is growing exponentially and is not limited to philanthropic activities but occupies spaces in significant economic activities. Regarding the achievement of the proposed objective, the results also show that the studied Social Businesses are intrinsically linked to SI and depend on the participation of CS, either as direct actors or as the target audience. This implies that these businesses rely on both these elements to exist and thrive. For future studies, it is relevant to measure the socio-environmental impacts generated by these Social Businesses in their surroundings and in society as a whole. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]