Implementation of Games in Primary School Social Studies Lessons

This chapter presents the implementation of games in teaching social studies in primary schools. In Slovenia, social studies lessons combine educational goals from the fields of geography, sociology, history, ethnology, psychology, economy, politics, ethics, and ecology with the national curriculum based on the constructivist approach. Game-based learning enables an optimal learning environment for students. This chapter researches games in social studies. Results show teachers rarely use didactic games in social studies and that games are most commonly used at the beginning of lessons to achieve greater motivation and concentration of students and for more diversified classes. Most respondents' students like game-based learning in social studies and also estimate that games are not played often enough.

Training Future Family Physicians to Become Master Adaptive Learners

This article examines the use of a concept that teaches learners how to learn in the context of family medicine residency training. We describe the four phases of this master adaptive learning framework and its place in educational theory and adaptive expertise, its implications for graduate medical education training and Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education competencies, as well as its role in imprinting family medicine residents for career-long learning. We lay out pragmatic strategies supporting this concept with a proposed curricular format for training in family medicine, including small group teaching methods, didactics, the clinic visit, faculty development and an optimal learning environment.

Dental Foundation Training (DFT): does it meet the Francis Report Recommendations?

This study evaluates Dental Foundation Training (DFT) in the context of the Francis Report recommendations. Results of questionnaires sent to trainees and educational supervisors involved in DFT highlighted the importance of an educational supervisor as a positive role model, the value of the informal curriculum in developing an organisational culture of professionalism, leadership and ethics, and the developmental benefits of experiential learning. DFT needs to create an optimal learning environment which should promote the benefits of reflection, positive role modelling and active participation by foundation trainees in their professional community and organisational culture. The findings of this study confirm the crucial role DFT plays in the development of safe, ethical and effective practitioners. It also underlines the need for clear and consistent UK wide standards of DFT supported by strong leadership and management, underpinned by skilled, professional educational supervisors, and effectively quality assured.

Neoliberalism’s influence on American universities: How the business model harms students and society

The influence of neoliberalism on colleges and universities leads to conditions that make it difficult for students from low-income families to profit from higher education. It contributes to a less rigorous learning environment and to other consequences that harm various groups of people. This article focuses on how the corporate model that neoliberal ideology promotes leads universities to implement practices that prevent marginalized groups from benefitting from the higher education system. In addition, it mentions how these practices contribute to a less-than-optimal learning environment for many students and to other negative outcomes. Finally, it offers examples of different kinds of activism that can reduce the deleterious effects of neoliberalism.

Misunderstood and Mistreated: Students of Color in Special Education

The disproportionate representation of students of color in special education is a serious concern that has lasted for forty years. Research suggests that students of color are too often not identified accurately for special education and that the programs they are placed in are frequently poor in quality. This trend contributes to a less-than-optimal learning environment that lowers their chances for future success. Some of the factors that may contribute to this problem include poverty and inaccurate teacher perceptions. To reduce this problem, teachers can be trained to be culturally responsive and the public-school system can be improved so that students from low-income households receive better services.

Meta-Learning: Concept Analysis

Meta-learning, a contemporary learning paradigm, will be analysed in this article. This study aims to analyse and conceptualize the definition of metalearning, to provide evidence for the application of metalearning to learning, and to single out and name the features that allow the development of metalearning in the context of self-directed learning. To reach this goal, the concept model of Walker and Avant, involving a theoretical analysis of the concept, was selected. To reveal the theoretical concept of metalearning, the analysis of scientific publications of Lithuanian and foreign authors in the field of education and training was performed, using data collection and data analysis methods. The analysis of the concept of metalearning allows us to state that metalearning is not possible without self-regulation (self-control, self-awareness, self-reflection), reflection, independence and responsibility. Metalearning competence includes the intrinsic motivation and conscious cognitive activities of the learner; it seeks to understand and manage their thinking processes, it understands memory processes, selects the best learning methods according to the existing conditions and circumstances, organizes an optimal learning environment in the learner community, and, finally, directs the learner toward a positive experience in the process. Metalearning is complex learning that includes the integration, selection, and application of individual needs, opportunities, and teaching strategies. It emphasizes successful, perceptual learning, the application and continuous pursuit of existing knowledge, personal qualities, self-motivation, and reflection.According to Mylona (2012), the weakness and lack of empirical research on meta-learning is a consequence of the lack of focus on existing systems to clearly define all constructs that would be more actively involved in meta-learning and help overcome emerging learning challenges.

Implementation Strategies of Higher Education Part of National Education Policy 2020 of India towards Achieving its Objectives

Well defined and futuristic education policy is essential for a country at school and college levels due to the reason that education leads to economic and social progress. India with the leadership of its current prime minister and an expert team with members of varied backgrounds has developed and planned to implement a new education policy during the next decade of the 21st century called Indian National Education Policy (NEP-2020). The aim, objectives, and details are well known to practitioners and the public. NEP-2020 is an innovative and futuristic proposal with both positive and negative aspects, framed with the objective to provide a quality school education and higher education to everyone with an expectation of holistic & research-oriented progress. This paper initially depicts an overview of NEP-2020, distinguish the strengths & weakness of the policy at higher education & research part, evaluation of the implementation suggestions given in the policy, identifying and analyzing possible generic strategies for implementation of NEP-2020 to fulfill its objectives based on focus group discussions. The paper also includes many predictive proposals on issues like developing quality universities & colleges, institutional restructuring & consolidation, more holistic & multidisciplinary education, optimal learning environment & student support, transforming the regulatory system of higher education, technology usage & integration, and online & digital education. Finally, some recommendations are made to implement the NEP2020 effectively irrespective of various constraints. This article can be considered as a reference to the policy implementation teams of Govt of India.

Exponential Function in Physics Education from the view of Knowledge in Pieces Theory

Learning is deeply rooted in the social environment of pupils and can flourish in a well-designed optimal learning environment in schools. Participative teaching-learning requires activities set in many different contexts, developing the grain-size pieces of knowledge and chaining of the fragments by causal chaining, time sequences and mathematical similarities. Based on the Knowledge-in-Pieces theory by diSessa, we focus on the development of the ability to think in terms of the exponential function, in Physics education from the age of 12. Main ideas are supported by experience with one activity with a bouncing ball designed for pupils at the age of 12. The activity is focused on topics such as measuring quantity, unit, method of measurement. Pupils propose which features of the ball can be investigated and measured. After this introduction, a quantity related to the bouncing is put forward in the activity. It is a dimensionless quantity, which pupils can express as a percentage. Pupils empirically investigate the bouncing of a ball. In the extension, at a higher age, the graph of maximal height vs the number of bounces, pupils discover the same shape they have seen in a water-cooling experiment. The activity was tested on a small sample of pupils, and some interesting results have been noticed. At the end of this contribution, we offer a list of other contexts naturally involving the exponential shape graph applicable in science education.

SEED: A Framework for Stress Estimation Using Emotiv Devices

Nowadays, industrialization and urbanization have led to increasing stress levels in many countries. Primarily, it starts having an impact on vulnerable populations, e.g., college students and physicians. While previous works have reported an alarmingly high rate of stress in students, little is known about whether there are stress-related brain activity changes. This study aims to examine the effects of a realistic stressor (examination) on students’ stress levels and brain activities. We selected a cohort of 16 college students to participate in this study. Each subject was invited to the laboratory twice (pre-exam and in-exam) for completing a package of questionnaires. At the same time, we measure their brain physiological activity by using a portable EEG recorder. Our data reveal that examination- induced stress is associated with changes in the activity of the occipital and parietal-temporal areas in the brain. We construct a machine learning framework to estimate each student’s stress level using features extracted from brain activities and a classification method. Finally, our study underlines the necessity of applying stress intervention to create an optimal learning environment for students.