Complex Thinking in the Framework of Education 4.0 and Open Innovation—A Systematic Literature Review

Today’s complex, dynamic, interconnected world presents the field of education (“Education 4.0”) with significant challenges in developing competencies for reasoning for complexity. This article analyzes complex thinking as a macro-competency with sub-competencies of critical, systemic, scientific, and innovative thinking in educational environments. We worked with the systematic literature review method, extracting 39 articles in the Scopus and Web of Science databases using keywords words of interest and applying inclusion and exclusion criteria. Seven research questions guided the data analysis. The results highlighted that: (a) there are common characteristics of studies linking complex thinking, critical thinking, and creative thinking; (b) there is predominance of the qualitative method in the studies; (c) the critical thinking competency has been the most addressed in the research; (d) the predominant components of Education 4.0 are teaching methods and techniques; and (e) the three challenges that stand out for educational research are project feasibility, research opportunities, and required skills. This article is intended to be of value to academic and social communities and decision-makers interested in developing reasoning for complexity within the framework of Education 4.0.

Integrated Support of Students With Autism Spectrum Disorders and Learning Disabilities

This chapter outlines the integrated approach to support children and young adults diagnosed with learning disabilities and autism spectrum disorders (ASD). In this context, the authors, first, discuss the legislative background providing legal basis for the disability support in educational environments. They, further, address psychological and neurological aspects of learning disabilities and ASD diagnostics and consider how legislative and neurological issues influence special education methods, counseling, and instructional technology support. The educational tools addressed include mobile devices and applications, virtual reality, and robotics. The chapter concludes with a report on the development of college-level course in instructional technology, intended for technology facilitators and teachers working with the ASD students. The case study focuses primarily on the use of the affordable and popular LEGO robots. The holistic approach to support of those with disabilities, outlined in the chapter, combines educational leadership issues, psychological and job counseling, special education methods, and instructional technology.

Understanding Persuasion Mechanisms for Effective Communication in Online Educational Environments

This chapter aims at explaining the mechanisms of persuasion for effective communication in online educational environments. It starts by bringing awareness on the particularities of online educational environments and the psychological prerequisites of online studying. It tackles issues of digital skills as well as emotional intelligence abilities for online teaching, specific mindset and digital readiness, result expectations and assessment. Moreover, principles of microlearning and hybrid learning are explained as major approaches in online education. It then addresses issues related to technology-mediated communication with young ages vs. adults. It makes a brief analysis of mediated communication vs. direct communication in terms of adopted strategies according to age, adaptation of message, and feedback according to the online channel of factors affecting communication in online environments vs. face-to-face communication. Particular attention will be given to digital stress.

Social Networks and Blogs as Educational Communicative Resources During a Pandemic

This work aims at researching the use of social networks and blogs as resources of information and communication technologies (ICTs) in non-face-to-face educational environments, which, in this case, education centers have had to reshape on a large scale due to the pandemic. With this aim in mind, an analysis is performed about the most important aspects which make social networks and blogs into important educational resources in the classroom, which enable us to propose collective and individual activities based on digital technology. Such activities make it possible for us to undertake experiences referred to formal, non-formal, and even informal education, which have the potential to enrich the current non-face-to-face context thanks to their diversity. The conclusion is that these resources can serve as effective communicative tools to generate true learning communities within an online environment.

Classification of Social Problems With Regard to Educational Environments

Educational environments in which the upbringing of children and young people is performed are very important as factors of upbringing. In order to create organizational, personal, material, and professional prerequisites for proper family education, preschool education, and leisure education, it is necessary to have appropriate analysis of this phenomenon. From the research of this problem, it can be concluded that family education does not take place adequately, that in certain situations there is still not enough attention paid by professional institutions to educate parents as educators. A large number of children and young people have difficulties in the process of their socialization and in communication, etc. negatively selected from the educational system. The study of contributing factors is very important and significant both for professionals and other educators.

Opening the Doors for All LGBTQ+ Students

Given the long history of LGBTQ+ rights and the current evolving climate surrounding social justice for LGBTQ+ individuals, this chapter explores the idea of creating safe, affirming, educational environments for LGBTQ youth in K-12 and post-high-school educational settings. The authors delineate the unique concerns for the elementary, middle, high, and higher education levels separately. At each level, the authors identify the core obstacles that LGBTQ+ individuals face surrounding acceptance, developing autonomy, and gaining support. The authors delve deeply into the programs and interventions that are currently making a difference in school systems around the country and provide educators with specific ways in which they can create inclusive environments for their students. The important caveats to obtaining robust LGBTQ+ research are also discussed.

Contemporary Theoretical Understandings About Education

Education is one of the basic phenomena of human existence. Looking through the history of civilization, man has always worked, discovering new knowledge and thus enriching the fund of knowledge and skills, understandings, beliefs, and attitudes passed on to younger generations. In this way, the continuous development and constant progress of humanity, science, technology, philosophy and art, human society, and man himself has been made possible. Education is the best form of prevention of sociopathological manifestations in all educational environments, intentional and functional. Positive educational influences in any educational environment depend on what each individual member of the community and society as a whole will be like. Quality, proper, and good upbringing is the best prevention of all aspects of sociopathological manifestations. The masculine gender in this chapter implies both male and female genders.

Gamification of Middle School Mathematics and Science

Gamification, defined as the process of game-thinking and game mechanics to engage users and solve problems, is a fairly new and rapidly growing field. Literature suggests that gamification can contribute to develop higher order cognitive abilities such as problem solving and critical thinking skills. Using gamification in non-game situations enhances students' understanding and contributes on conceptual learning, especially in mathematics and science. This chapter introduces the concept of gamification in terms of its pedagogical underpinnings, integration of gamification into educational environments (with a focus on mathematics and science), a sample application of gamification in science content, and the future trends about possible directions of uses of gamification.

Perspectives, Strategies, and Propositions for Cultivating Inclusive Educational Environments

This chapter activates a rethinking of educational system deep structures and proposes perspectives, strategies, and interactive propositional tasks for cultivating inclusive educational environments. Neurotypicality in deep structures has been used to bolster ableism and oppression, impeding the development of inclusion in schools and supporting the ongoing exclusion of intersectional, neurodiverse individuals. Inclusive education could be reimagined using a neurodiversity perspective, promoting strategies for critical analysis of deep structures and strategies for creative learning, and engaging with experimental propositions for practice that invite educators to engage with creative learning concepts. Creative learning, as personal and collaborative meaning-making, also extends beyond student learning to professional learning and educational research. Readers are asked to engage with and beyond the text in critical reflection toward purposeful action.