The Virtual Training Suite: Internet Skills for Teaching and Learning

The applications of Historical Thinking Skills in teaching and History learning have become more attention among researchers in Malaysia after the Standard Curriculum of Secondary Schools for History education was launched by the Ministry of Education in 2016. Historical Thinking Skills are consisting five skills such as understanding the chronology, discovering historical evidence, making interpretation, imagination, and rationalization that can help the students cognitively to understand the process of using the historical information, it's including deciphering context, perspective, point of view, and the perceived facts to understand the past or thinking like as historian. Furthermore, Historical Thinking Skills have been more important as the appropriate skills in history learning, especially for students on how to learn the history subject authentically and dynamically than only memorizing historical facts and events. On top of that, Historical Thinking Skills were compulsory skills which are used in teaching and history learning who must be mastered by students and also teachers in Malaysia with desired the students' aspirations in which embodied in the Malaysian Education Development Plan (2013-2025) can be achieved which is to develop thinking skills among them. As a history teacher, the applications of Historical Thinking Skills must be fostered to their students in which also was emphasized in Standard Document for Curriculum and Assessment of History subject. However, the applications of Historical Thinking Skills in teaching and History learning having many issues, problems, and challenges that acquired by researchers whether it becomes more rhetoric or reality which be the points in our discussion.

The study assessed the teaching and learning of entrepreneurial skills in Agricultural Education in Colleges of Education in Northwest Nigeria. Three specific objectives, three research questions and three null hypotheses guided the study. Descriptive survey research design was adopted with a population of 276, which comprises of 225 lecturers and 51 technologists. Census sampling techniques was used with a sample size of 244, which comprised of 198 lectures and 46 technologists. Structured questionnaire with five-point rating scale was used. The reliability of the instrument was established using Cronbach alpha coefficient reliability tool and the values of 0.90, 0.68 and 0.94 were obtained. Weighted mean and standard deviation were used to answer the research questions while ANOVA was used to test the null hypotheses at 5% level of significance. The findings revealed that exposing students to practical skills, exposing students to modern communication skills, identification of investment opportunities to students among others were agreed as strategies to improve the teaching and learning of entrepreneurial skills in agricultural education. Strategies that were not adopted in Colleges of Education to enhance entrepreneurial skills development of students include; developing agripreneurship internship programme, encouraging and setting up agribusiness clubs in schools, establishment of agripreneurship development centres among others. It was also revealed that poor state of infrastructure, poor teaching remuneration for teachers, lack of synergy between industries and training institution, poor societal attitude to skills training and development among others, were challenges affecting entrepreneurial skills development in Colleges of Education, Northwest Nigeria. The result further revealed that, there was no significant difference in the mean responses of lecturers and technologists in Federal and State Colleges of Education on the strategies for improving the teaching and learning of entrepreneurial skills in agricultural education. The study recommended among others that, lecturers and technologists in Colleges of Education should review their teaching strategies.

Self-isolation measures implemented during the Covid-19 pandemic resulted in a quick transition to online instruction. As a result, teachers and students must master online learning tools and technologies in educational institutions. In addition, the problems with online education are frequently reported in scholarly sources. Many participants in the educational process faced difficulties during this period. In our opinion, many difficulties in online education were caused by insufficient training of self- directed learning skills in students and corresponding skills in teachers. At the same time, this group of universal learning skills is a mandatory part of education in Russian schools. The skills of self-organization and self-control are included in the Russian federal state educational standards requirements. A considerable number of scientific publications are devoted to the formation of assessment skills in school children. At the same time, the problem of training self-directed learning skills in online classes has not been sufficiently studied. This article examines the results of an independent assessment of self-directed learning skills and training in online classes for both primary school students and primary school teachers. As a result of the study, the following skills were identified as important for teaching primary school online learners: Planning, Self-Monitoring, Self-assessment, and selecting effective approaches for online learning. Empirical data were collected as part of the study. From this, the following points can be made: Primary school teachers are not prepared for online teaching; time demands on teachers have increased due to the specifics of teacher self-monitoring under the new conditions. Consequently, students need to learn the following skills during online teaching: self-monitoring, use of automated assessment and monitoring tools, self- and peer-assessment in the digital educational environment, and planning. The empirical data obtained show the importance of training self-monitoring skills for online teaching. Therefore, the proposed recommendations for improving teacher training education programs in pedagogical universities and in the teacher professional development system have practical relevance and can be implemented through appropriate educational programs.

BackgroundGood communication is central to effective social work practice, helping to develop constructive working relationships and improve the outcomes of people in receipt of social work services. There is strong consensus that the teaching and learning of communication skills for social work students is an essential component of social work qualifying courses. However, the variation in communication skills training and its components is significant. There is a sizeable body of evidence relating to communication skills training therefore a review of the findings helps to clarify what we know about this important topic in social work education. We conducted this systematic review to determine whether communication skills training for social work students works and which types of communication skills training, if any, were more effective and lead to the most positive outcomes.ObjectivesThis systematic review aimed to critically evaluate all studies which have investigated the effectiveness of communication skills training programmes for social work students. The research question which the review posed is: ‘What is the effectiveness of communication skills training for improving the communicative abilities of social work students?’ It was intended that the review would provide a robust evaluation of communication skills training for social work students and help explain variations in practice to support educators and policy‐makers to make evidence‐based decisions in social work education, practice and policy.Search MethodsWe conducted a search for published and unpublished studies using a comprehensive search strategy that included multiple electronic databases, research registers, grey literature sources, and reference lists of prior reviews and relevant studies.Selection CriteriaStudy selection was based on the following characteristics: Participants were social work students on generic (as opposed to client specific) qualifying courses; Interventions included any form of communication skills training; eligible studies were required to have an appropriate comparator such as no intervention or an alternative intervention; and outcomes included changes in knowledge, attitudes, skills and behaviours. Study selection was not restricted by geography, language, publication date or publication type.Data Collection and AnalysisThe search strategy was developed using the terms featuring in existing knowledge and practice reviews and in consultation with social work researchers, academics and the review advisory panel, to ensure that a broad range of terminology was included. One reviewer conducted the database searches, removing duplicates and irrelevant records, after which each record was screened by title and abstract by both reviewers to ensure robustness. Any studies deemed to be potentially eligible were retrieved in full text and screened by both reviewers.Main ResultsFifteen studies met the inclusion criteria. Overall, findings indicate that communication skills training including empathy can be learnt, and that the systematic training of social work students results in some identifiable improvements in their communication skills. However, the evidence is dated, methodological rigour is weak, risk of bias is moderate to high/serious or incomplete, and extreme heterogeneity exists between the primary studies and the interventions they evaluated. As a result, data from the included studies were incomplete, inconsistent, and lacked validity, limiting the findings of this review, whilst identifying that further research is required.Authors’ ConclusionsThis review aimed to examine effects of communication skills training on a range of outcomes in social work education. With the exception of skill acquisition, there was insufficient evidence available to offer firm conclusions on other outcomes. For social work educators, our understanding of how communication skills and empathy are taught and learnt remain limited, due to a lack of empirical research and comprehensive discussion. Despite the limitations and variations in educational culture, the findings are still useful, and suggest that communication skills training is likely to be beneficial. One important implication for practice appears to be that the teaching and learning of communication skills in social work education should provide opportunities for students to practice skills in a simulated (or real) environment. For researchers, it is clear that further rigorous research is required. This should include using validated research measures, using research designs which include appropriate counterfactuals, alongside more careful and consistent reporting. The development of the theoretical underpinnings of the interventions used for the teaching and learning of communication skills in social work education is another area that researchers should address.

There is a renewed focus on skills for practice in the new Social Work degree in the UK, expressed in the Quality Assurance Agency (QAA) Benchmarks for Social Work and the National Occupational Standards (NOS). Together these make specific a range of requirements for practice which set the terms for what students need to learn in order to work with users and carers most effectively. Of five key areas identified for the new degree, communication skills is the third. In this context, the Social Care Institute for Excellence (SCIE) commissioned a review of practice in teaching and learning of communication skills in social work education in England. This article presents the findings from this review. It concludes that, whilst there is significant activity and much good practice, there is little clarity or consensus about meanings, definitions, content and methods between all the stakeholders, including users and carers. Through the lens of current teaching and learning of communication skills it is the contention of this article that social work education needs systematically to address its strategy for replying to the challenge of a greater focus on practice skills.

A Review of Students' Critical Thinking Skills in Science Learning in Indonesia. Objective: This review study aims to analyse and describe the development of students' critical thinking skills in science learning. Methods: This study uses a systematic literature review by following the PRISMA form. We found 158 documents critical thinking skills in science learning in published in Scopus indexed journals from 2014 to 2024. After the screening process, 16 articles were selected for analysis using thematic analysis. Findings: The review findings show that the selection of learning media to enhance critical thinking skills in flexible science learning should be aligned with students' characteristics, the learning context and user-friendliness. The choice of learning models employed to improve critical thinking skills in science learning is highly variable and must be tailored to multiple criteria. Selecting the suitable model necessitates consideration of the students' attributes, the educational material, and the time constraints. Every learning model possesses distinct advantages in promoting critical thinking skills, necessitating the selection of the model that most effectively aligns with the particular requirements and educational situation. Conclusion: Critical thinking skills are among the most vital competencies that students should acquire. These skills are crucial in facilitating a deeper comprehension of scientific concepts among students. The literature study indicates that from 2014 to 2024, many media and learning approaches have been extensively utilized in science education. These media and educational approaches have demonstrated a beneficial effect, enhancing students' academic performance while also fostering the optimal development of their critical thinking skills. Keywords: critical thinking skills, science learning, systematic literature review. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.23960/jpmipa/v25i4.pp1787-1798

This paper reviews the implementation of higher order thinking skills for teaching and learning in Malaysia. Several recent studies have found that there are issues with the implementation of higher order thinking skills from aspects such as lack of knowledge on the educators’ part, inadequate understanding of the strategies to inculcate HOTs amongst teachers, insufficient materials and references to teach HOTs and improper environmental settings to instil the learning of HOTs in the education classrooms. Teachers lack the appropriate pedagogical knowledge to teach HOT (Fisher, 1999; Zohar, 1999; Zohar and Schwartzer, 2005). This paper analyses further the implementation of higher order thinking skills for the teaching and learning of HOTs which is of paramount importance in order to address these rife matters.

To explore and compare the didactic approaches to practical skills learning at simulation centres in Scandinavian universities and university colleges. Academic simulation centres are an important arena for learning practical nursing skills which are essential to ensure competent performance regarding patient safety and quality of care. Knowledge of didactic approaches to enhance learning is essential in promoting the provision and retention of students' practical nursing skills. However, research on didactical approaches to practical nursing skills learning is lacking. A qualitative comparative design was used. During November and December 2019, interviews were conducted with a total of 37 simulation centre directors or assistant directors, each of whom possessed in-depth knowledge of practical skills in teaching and learning. They represented bachelor nursing education in Denmark, Norway and Sweden. A qualitative deductive content analysis was conducted. The results revealed all five predetermined didactical components derived from the didactical relationship model. Twenty-two corresponding categories that described a variation in didactic approaches to practical skills learning in Scandinavian nursing simulation centres were identified. The didactical components of Learning process revealed mostly similarities, Setting mostly differences and Assessment showed only differences in didactic approaches. Although various didactic approaches were described across the countries, no common approach was found. Nursing educational institutions are encouraged to cooperate in developing a shared understanding of how didactic approaches can enhance practical skills learning. Cross-country comparisons of practical nursing skills learning in Scandinavian countries highlight the importance of educator awareness concerning the impact diverse didactic approaches may have on competent performance in nursing education. Competent performance is pivotal for ensuring patient safety and the provision of high-quality care. No Patient or Public Contribution. This study followed the Consolidated Criteria for Reporting Qualitative Research reporting guidelines.

It is very essential for teachers to practice 21st century teaching and learning skills while teaching in order to foster these skills in 21st century learners. The focus of this study was to explore the skills of science teachers regarding 21st century skills. For this purpose, an online survey was conducted to assess the 21st century skills of science teachers. The survey questionnaire was comprised of different subscales regarding 21st century skills namely as critical thinking, collaboration, communication and creativity. The questionnaire consisted of 5-point Likert scale. The overall results of the study reflected that science students possess more 21st century skills than their teachers. It was recommended for science teachers of formal educational setup to practice 21st century teaching and learning skills more often as possible to inculcate 21st century skills among the students. It is also recommended that teachers of formal educational setup must enhance critical thinking and increase collaboration with students. This study is significant in the way that it reveals the current scenario of the skills of the teachers that will readily be imparted to the 21st century learners.

We present a skill learning model CLARION. Different from existing models of high-level skill learning that use a top-down approach (that is, turning declarative knowledge into procedural knowledge), we adopt a bottom-up approach toward low-level skill learning, where procedural knowledge develops first and declarative knowledge develops later. Clarion is formed by integrating connectionist, reinforcement, and symbolic learning methods to perform on-line learning. We compare the model with human data in a minefield navigation task. A match between the model and human data is found in several respects.

9 - Knowledge Acquisition Via Bottom-up Learning

While scholars increasingly agree that use of the online learning environment allows teachers to develop solutions to course problems more effectively, the extent to which it enhances students' learning skills is an empirical matter that has received mixed results. Understanding this gap in the literature, the present study examines the impact of Socratic questioning on pre-service teachers' critical thinking skills in web-based collaborative learning. Their critical thinking skills were analysed in two ways – a content analysis of individual postings and students' discussion flows in terms of the following three consensus building types: (1) quick consensus building; (2) integration-oriented consensus building; and (3) conflict-oriented consensus building. Both qualitative and quantitative analyses of their discussion flows were examined using a discussion flow analysis tool and a multinomial logistic regression. Results from the content analysis showed that novel, justified and critical messages were more likely to be found on the pre-service teachers' discussion boards in which the instructor provided Socratic questionings. In addition, a multinomial logistic regression analysis showed that groups exposed to the Socratic questionings were more likely to develop consensus through a conflict-oriented process, rather than a quick consensus building with simple agreements. Implications are discussed.

Due to the ever-changing technological environment and digitization of education, Trainers need to use new technologies for content delivery to the trainees. The acceptance and willingness of trainers to use online learning is the key to success and is faced with various challenges. Trainers must use communication technology skills to fit successfully in a knowledge-based society. Moreover, regardless of the availability of technology, trainers need ICT skills for online teaching and learning. The study sought to assess the trainers' competence in implementing e-Learning in technical institutions. A descriptive research design was used in the study; structured questionnaires, both open-ended and closed, were issued to a sample size of n=77 trainer participants in the six selected technical training institutes in Nandi County. The study revealed that 81.8 % (n=63) of the respondents received prior technical training in e-learning. Trainers also reported difficulty in using the e-Learning platform. Technological expertise is essential to ensure the success of e-learning. Inadequate computer literacy hindered many trainers from content delivery using e-Learning, especially during Covid-19 lockdown times. It was evident that most trainers struggled with the online platforms, accessibility of learning equipment such as whiteboards, projectors, low internet connectivity, and inadequate training skills attributed to slow implementation. The study revealed that trainers had difficulty using the e-Learning platform issued. This is due to the inadequate training that they had received and the complex system used. The study found that trainers preferred other platforms which were user-friendly for e-Learning. Additionally, the institutions' LAN network is limited to the laboratories and institution library only; hence, some offices at a distance from the administration cannot access the LAN internet. Implementing online learning requires the stakeholders to come together to make online learning successful.

Several researchers have reported that cultural and language differences can affect online interactions and communications between students from different cultural backgrounds. Other researchers have asserted that online learning is a tool that can improve teaching and learning skills, but its effectiveness depends on how the tool is used. To delve into these aspects further, this study set out to investigate the kinds of learning difficulties encountered by international students and how they actually coped with online learning. The modified Online Learning Environment Survey (OLES) instrument was used to collect data from the sample of 109 international students at a university in Brisbane, Australia. A smaller group of 35 domestic students was also included for comparison purposes. Contrary to assumptions from previous research, the findings revealed that there were only a few differences between the international Asian and Australian students with regards to their perceptions of online learning. To cite this document: Renee Shiun Yee Chew, "Perceptions of online learning in an Australian university: an international students’ (Asian region) perspective – Support for learning", International Journal of Cyber Society and Education, Vol. 6, No. 1, pp. 45-50, 2013. Permanent link to this document: http://dx.doi.org/10.7903/ijcse.1058

Background: Online discussions create an opportunity to develop critical thinking skills and self-reflection of knowledge. The FAIMER ML Web discussion is a novel approach which equip the fellows with in depth knowledge and help to acquire better teaching and learning skills. Objectives: 1. To conduct the Mentor-Learner web discussion with a view to develop capacity building on qualitative research 2. To assess the participation in online learning. Methods : The study participants were the PSG FAIMER regional institute Fellows of 2013, 2014, 2015 batch, alumni and the faculty co-mentors of multidisciplinary field of Medical, Dental, Nursing and Physiotherapy across the South Asian region of the world.The online capacity building was planned for one month. Then every week the objectives and the activities were posted in the PSG FRI listserve to enhance the online learning by the participants. Result: During the entire month of discussion more than 200 mails received from the participants. Most of them shared the resources in the mail and in addition to that some shared it as attachments, web link and videos. Conclusion: Online learning encouraged the participants to share the resources as well as their experience on qualitative research. It was flexible and convenient for the participants.