PSYCHOLOGICAL AND DIDACTIC ASPECTS OF THE POSSIBILITY OF USING INTERNET TECHNOLOGIES IN TEACHING EFL

The article describes the significance of Internet technologies (IT) in the teaching process of English as a foreign language (EFL) and reviews the researchers’ opinions on this problem. In this paper, the author considers that Internet technologies in English lessons for pupils in grades 5-7, it is appropriate to briefly dwell on psychological features of this age. In the article, a number of scientific studies in the field of computerization of learning in foreign languages have been analyzed. The article focuses on the relevance of using Internet and Information Technologies in teaching foreign languages. The author notes that employing IT will help to develop pupils’ progress in multiple skills at the same time. Moreover, the author puts forward the assumption that lessons based on the Internet and IT can help to quickly master the skills of communication in the EFL compared to traditional face-to-face lessons. KEY WORDS: Internet technologies, Information Technology (IT), Interactive technology, English as a foreign language (EFL), learning and teaching, school pupils.

Shy Times in 1850s Wellington: will the real architects please stand up?

Wellington was in a period of transition in the 1850s. The first flurry of settlement was easing somewhat and trading was becoming established. However, the earthquakes of 1848 and 1855 shook not only buildings not designed to withstand them, but also the confidence of the immigrant population. People were quick to realise that timber flexed better than brick or cob, but, in the process, they lost several of the earliest buildings with any pretensions to architectural merit. Together with the shaky nature of the economy, and the fact that Auckland was the capital city, there was little incentive for men whose sole training was in architecture to attempt to practice full time.The paucity of architectural records from the 1850s further complicates accurate evaluation of the situation, but it is clear that many of the people designing buildings had multiple skills in several other fields besides architecture. Buildings definitely dated to the 1850s that remain in Wellington can be numbered on one hand and not one of them can be said to have been designed by an architect. The two men with the largest tallies of Wellington building designs in the 1850s also claimed skills in surveying and civil engineering, whereas the two (possibly three) trained architects that we know of seem to have obtained minimal work in their field and to have largely diversified into other occupations. A further five names are associated with Wellington architecture in some way during the 1850s, either with the design of single buildings or simply advertising their services in local newspapers - with no evidence they actually obtained any work. In this paper we look at the backgrounds of the major designers including the trained architects, their work and a few of the factors which caused most of them to seek alternative employment.

The Role of Business Incubators in The Development of Entrepreneurship in Yemen

This research aims to identify the role of business incubators in developing entrepreneurship and creating new commercial enterprises. The research focuses on the pre-incubation stage, which is the critical stage in shaping the intention of entrepreneurs. It also focuses on factors such as incubator's performance, desirability self-efficacy, facilitation, feasibility, and perceived risk) that affect the success of entrepreneurship projects. The data was collected in the form of two types of questionnaires, a questionnaire for entrepreneurs who are within the incubation program, and a questionnaire for business incubators. The questionnaires were distributed on paper with a cover letter explaining the nature and purpose of the questionnaire. The data was analyzed and checked for reliability, and descriptive statistics were generated based on the data. The results showed that there are no standards to measure and monitor the performance of incubators, and there is no correlation between incubators and other official agencies. The results also revealed that the factors affecting entrepreneurs are closely related to the incubators’ performance levels because they affect the success or failure of the incubated projects. The majority of incubates indicated that funding is the main obstacle in their work in addition to the lack of multiple skills. Another finding of this study was that the entrepreneurs who joined the incubator program were inspired by the growth potential and lack of entrepreneurial skills. The current study provides an insight into the role of business incubators in developing entrepreneurship in Yemen. Recommendations are presented in this study for entrepreneurs incubated in the study environment in order to improve their current level, as well as for incubators to develop the level of services within the standards set by specialists and to provide an appropriate environment. Recommendations are also presented for the competent authorities and the foundation that support the incubators in order to organize the incubation process and-set standards.

BKT-POMDP: Fast Action Selection for User Skill Modelling over Tasks with Multiple Skills

Creating an accurate model of a user's skills is necessary for intelligent tutoring systems. Without an accurate model, sample problems or tasks must be selected haphazardly by the tutor. Once an accurate model has been trained, the tutor can selectively focus on training essential or deficient skills. Prior work offers mechanisms for optimizing the training of a single skill or for multiple skills when individual tasks involve testing only a single skill at a time, but not for multiple skills when individual tasks can contain evidence for multiple skills. In this paper, we present a system that estimates user skill models for multiple skills by selecting tasks which maximize the information gain across the entire skill model. We compare our system's policy against several baselines and an optimal policy in both simulated and real tasks. Our system outperforms baselines and performs almost on par with the optimal policy.

The Implementation of Critical Literacy Approach towards EFL College Students

Literacy is a crucial aspect in English education that concerns the ability to read, write, then integrate and link what they have learned to daily life. However, several researchers found that there was a lack of literacy activity in Indonesia. Literacy pedagogy was rarely seen in campus life in which it was mostly applied at primary and secondary school levels. Therefore, this study explored the implementation process of critical literacy approach in learning English for EFL college students. An action research methodology was applied in this study involving six EFL college students. The study investigated the benefits and challenges of this teaching approach. The findings indicated that critical literacy approach could improve college students’ English proficiency and multiple skills, such as leadership, presentation, collaboration, self-contribution, respect, critical thinking, and expansion of multiple viewpoints through the discussion section. Improving English proficiency of college students and offering recommendations to EFL teachers for applying critical literacy approach in EFL class come as the expectation of the study.

Digitalization as a Strategic Means of Achieving Sustainable Efficiencies in Construction Management: A Critical Review

Construction is a complex activity, characterized by high levels of capital investment, relatively long delivery durations, multitudinous risks and uncertainties, as well as requiring the integration of multiple skills delivering a huge volume of tasks and processes. All of these must be coordinated carefully if time, cost, and quality constraints are to be met. At the same time, construction is renowned for performing poorly regarding sustainability metrics. Construction activity generates high volumes of waste, requires vast amounts of resources and materials, while consuming a significant proportion of total energy generated. Digitalization of the construction workplace and construction activities has the potential of improving construction performance both in terms of business results as well as sustainability outcomes. This is because, to put it simply, reduced energy usage, for example, impacts economic and “green” performance, simultaneously. Firms tinkering with digitalization, however, do not always achieve the hoped-for outcomes. The challenge faced is that a digital transition of construction firms must be carried out at a strategic level—requiring a comprehensive change management protocol. What then does a digital strategy entail? This study puts forward an argument for the combined economic and sustainability dividends to be had from digitizing construction firm activities. It outlines the requirements for achieving digitalization. The elements of a comprehensive digitalization strategy are cataloged, while the various approaches to developing a digitalization strategy are discussed. This study offers practitioners a useful framework by which to consider their own firm-level efforts at digitalization transition.

Launching a solidarity campaign: Technology-enhanced project-based language learning to promote entrepreneurial education and social awareness

To promote social consciousness and a sense of responsibility, educational proposals organised around the principles of technology-enhanced project-based language learning (Dooly & Sadler,2016) should engage students in a process of reflecting upon and responding to crucial social issues. Thus, in this paper we will present a project carried out by two groups of primary students who launched a solidarity campaign to collect money for four Syrian children living in a refugee camp in Greece. The project was implemented in a cross-disciplinary Arts and Crafts class taught through English and resulted in significant outputs in English (those addressed to the Syrian children) and in Catalan (those targeted at the local community). First, we outline the student-led project and then we analyse some fragments of student plurilingual practices during the project development that demonstrate their learning gains. Our findings reveal that our meaningful contextualised cross-disciplinary project favoured the natural integration of multiple skills, competences, and field knowledge form various disciplines while promoting a sense of social consciousness and empathy. First, it enabled children to put their plurilingual competence into play and take decisions regarding language choices to meet particular communicative objectives. Second, it contributed to the acquisition of 21st century knowledge, competence, and skills, while helping the learners gain social values. Third, it engaged learners in processes of problem solving, decision making and creative thinking that lead to the development of entrepreneurial competencies. To conclude we argue that when young learners are given responsibilities and opportunities to take up socially relevant challenges learning becomes meaningful for them and those around them.

Beyond the Early Adopters: Escape Rooms in Science Education

Case studies report enthusiastically on the implementation of escape rooms in science education. This mixed-method study explores beyond the early adopting teacher, as the perceptions of 50 teachers and 270 students were investigated. Escape rooms are time restricted games where participants work together and accomplish a specific goal. The escape rooms’ usability for education in terms of goals, experiences during gameplay, outcomes, and boundary conditions are studied, using multiple data sources: online questionnaires, interviews, classroom observations and movie clips made by students about their experiences. The use of mixed methods and large samples on this topic is a novelty. Results show that teachers of different ages, gender and teaching experience were appealed in particular to the diversity of activities offered that call for multiple skills and teamwork. Students experienced the need to think hard using multiple thinking skills and enjoyed the feeling of autonomy and mastery during gameplay. This is interesting, as an escape room setup is very strict, with few degrees of freedom. According to teachers and students, escape rooms are suitable for processing, rehearsing and formative assessment of science knowledge and skills. However, the time restriction during gameplay appears to be an ambiguous factor in student learning.

Leadership Hiring: Does the Promotional Practice and Selection in Public Service Result in Placing Highly Skilled Experts in Our Communities?

Primarily, this technical article intends to address the hiring practices of executive police leadership. The article questions police executives’ capability based upon a significant number of police chiefs exiting their position for several reasons related to the summer of 2020, whereas several societal crises ensued. The article demonstrates how police executives are not hired based on their ability to be capable leaders or, highly skilled experts but are repeatedly hired based upon tenure, deemed as qualified. Subjective measures exclude specific demographics, human and conceptional skills, and the lack of community input from the societies they are appointed to serve are continually used to hire police leaders. Additionally, the subsequent promotional exams allowing aspiring police leaders are subjective, demonstrated by the multiple suits filed from across the country, as is the proper selection or lack of essential training such as entry to the FBI academy law enforcement training. A specific model, the Three Skill Approach, outlines the various skills for selection criteria. The article asserts that other models can be employed, emphasizing that multiple skills within potential leaders are critical. Also strongly suggested in the report is that the community in which police serve must be aware of how police executives are selected and included in that process, allowing for a partnership between the police leadership and the community. Often, unknown to the community is the right to articulate and establish how they are policed, which can only be realized by a leader who has the multiple skills and has developed a genuine relationship with the community, eventually seen as part of the community.