Description

Professor Antonio Rodríguez Fuentes, from the Department of Didactics and School Organization at the University of Granada, welcomes postdoctoral candidates interested in applying for a Marie Skłodowska-Curie Postdoctoral Fellowship (MSCA-PF) in 2023 at this University. Please note that applicants must comply with the Mobility Rule (for more information about the 2023 call, please consult:(http://sl.ugr.es/0d7F).

Brief description of the institution:

The University of Granada (UGR) was founded in 1531 and is one of the largest and most important universities in Spain. With over 51,000 undergraduate and postgraduate students and almost 3,000 members of staff, the UGR offers over 90 undergraduate degrees, 160 master’s degrees (8 of which are international double degrees) and 28 doctoral programmes via its 124 departments and nearly 50 centers. Accordingly, the UGR offers one of the most extensive and diverse ranges of higher education programmes in Spain.

The UGR has been awarded with the "Human Resources Excellence in Research (HRS4R)", which reflects the institution’s commitment to continuously improving its human resource policies in line with the European Charter for Researchers and the Code of Conduct for the Recruitment of Researchers. The UGR is also internationally renowned for its excellence in diverse research fields and ranked among the top Spanish universities in a variety of ranking criteria, such as national R&D projects, fellowships awarded, publications, and international funding.

The UGR is one of the few Spanish Universities listed in the Shanghai Top 500 ranking - Academic Ranking of World Universities (ARWU). The 2022 edition of the ARWU places the UGR in 201-300th position in the world and as the 2-5 highest ranked universities in Spain (http://sl.ugr.es/0d7D), reaffirming its position as an institution at the forefront of national and international research. The UGR stands out in the specialties of Library & Information Science (position 38); Food Science & Technology (30) and Hospitality & Tourism Management (51-75), according to the latest edition of this prestigious ranking by specialties (http://sl.ugr.es/0bSp). A little lower in the ranking, the UGR also stands out in Mathematics (76-100).

Additionally, the UGR has 9 researchers who are at the top of the Highly Cited Researchers (HCR) list (http://sl.ugr.es/0d7E), most of these related to the area of Computer Science. It is also well recognized for its web presence (http://sl.ugr.es/0a6i), being positioned at 42th place in the top 200 Universities in Europe.

Internationally, the University of Granada is firmly committed to its participation in the calls of the Framework Programme of the European Union. For the duration of the last Framework Programme, Horizon 2020, the UGR obtained a total 120 projects with a total funding of around 29,4 million euros.  For the current Framework Programme, Horizon Europe, the UGR has obtained 38 projects, so far, with total funding around 11 € million.

Brief description of the Centre/Research Group:

A multidisciplinary group of researchers from various areas, specialisations and degrees (mostly PhDs) in the field of Education. The aim is to ensure a holistic approach to education and the processes involved in it, with an emphasis on the diversity and neurodiversity of the most important actors in it, the students.

The contexts and faculties of its members also vary, from Granada (where it is based in the Faculty of Education Sciences, the Centro de Magisterio "La Inmaculada") to Ceuta (Faculty of Education, Economics and Technology). It is also enriched by the confluence of members from private and public institutions. Finally, it stands out for its international character, with contributions, agreements and collaborations with scientific institutions of other nationalities.

Project description:

An inclusive society and inclusive languages, which are far removed from the linguistic use that is being demanded from political, rather than linguistic, spheres, are based on the coexistence in institutions and the people who make it up of different communicative modalities and systems. The so-called augmentative and alternative communication systems must cease to be denominated under this exclusive category per se, to become a taxonomy shared with what could be (mis)called traditional communication systems: oral and written. This does not detract from the importance of the latter, but it does empower the former. It is only fair to acknowledge the progress of Sign Language, having achieved the status of official language of the Spanish state. It is no less fair to recognise the expansion of Braille and all the resources facilitating its acquisition and mastery. However, there is still a long way to go with other communicative systems which, because they are (supposedly) considered to be restrictive in nature, have not achieved the recognition they deserve. For example, the case of easy reading, designed for people with intellectual disabilities, but which could well be extended and be tremendously useful for other people and for specific areas, such as judicial communications or bills for consumers. Or pictograms designed for people with ASD, but very useful for other communicators. And it is not only about communication systems and diversity, as well as their need for inclusion in inclusive education. In today's Information and Communication Society, Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) and their importance cannot be ignored. Firstly, as a channel through which a large part of current communication is undertaken, and secondly, as a facilitator of other communications.

It is worth considering the acquisition and development of all of them, and thus contemplating specific methods, specific difficulties such as dyslexia, dysorthography and dysgraphia, Special Educational Needs (SEN) linked to communication and language, such as those derived from Developmental Language Disorders. And, of course, to contemplate the predisposition towards Universal Design for Learning (UDL) designed to minimise or mitigate Barriers to Learning and Participation (BAP) with regard to communication, specifically. In parallel, also towards Adaptations or adaptations of the curriculum to cover SEN related to the communicative domain. This is directly linked to the contribution of Neuroeducation and Neurodidactics of languages and communication, as well as to the neurodevelopment and neurolearning of languages and communication. All of this takes on a special novelty, in addition to its undeniable relevance, which justifies the monograph presented and the bringing together of recognised professionals and related subjects around the transcendent communicative facet which, while characterising human beings in relation to other living beings, differentiates them from each other. This informs us of the richness of today's society, which allows for greater communication than in the past, but also of the complexity of its institutions, especially educational institutions, which have the duty to combine the learning and mastery of different languages and communications, namely: first languages, second languages, foreign languages, mother tongues, bilingual, Sign Language, Braille System, Pictograms, technological communication, etc.

Research Area:

☒ Social Sciences and Humanities (SOC)

For a correct evaluation of your candidature, please send the documents below to Professor Antonio Rodríguez Fuentes, email: arfuente@ugr.es

• CV
• Letter of recommendation (optional)