Teachers Support of Students’ Social-Emotional and Self-Management Skills Using a Solution-Focused Skillful-Class Method

Increasing importance is being attached to support students’ learning of social-emotional and self-management skills as they may experience all kinds of difficulties and problems at school. How can teachers support students to learn useful skills to overcome these problems? The purpose of this study is to assess the effectiveness of the Skillful-Class method, which teachers can use in their classrooms to support students learn social-emotional and self-management skills in a supportive and collaborative learning environment. A Skillful-Class project was conducted in 22 Finnish and 18 Chinese primary school classes. Data was collected by pre- and post-questionnaires from autumn 2018 – spring 2019. Qualitative data was collected using a post questionnaire with open-ended questions, interviews, and discussions on webpages, which were reviewed by content analysis. There is clear evidence showing that students’ skills improved significantly; further, the relationships among students, teachers, and parents also improved. The students became more supportive of and collaborative with each other. The teachers’ responses also show that their work became easier at school when students learned many social-emotional and self-management skills. Based on these findings, we can conclude that the Skillful-Class method is an effective tool for teachers to help students learn skills. Further, it improves the collaboration among teachers, students, and parents, and builds a supportive and collaborative learning community.Peer reviewe

Supporting K-12 Students to Learn Social-Emotional and Self-Management Skills for Their Sustainable Growth with the Solution-Focused Kids’Skills Method

There is an increasing need in schools and/or at home, as well as in society at large, to find ways to help students develop social-emotional and self-management skills, particularly in cases when they exhibit emotional or behavioral problems. This study aims at exploring how Kids’Skills (KS), a method based on solution-focused psychology, can be used to help students overcome emotional or behavioral problems through learning relevant skills. We collected 23 case descriptions during a two-year period (2017 to 2019) from KS practitioners who had used the method in their workplace, at school, at a kindergarten, or at home. We used content analysis for the qualitative data analysis. The analysis results demonstrate how the KS method can be used to support students in learning social-emotional and self-management skills to overcome their difficulties. This study found four key components of the KS method that appear to be critical for producing desired changes in children. These are (1) helping students to identify specific social-emotional and/or self-management skills that they need to learn to overcome their difficulties; (2) supporting students in learning their identified skills by helping them understand what the skill entails and become aware of their strengths and resources; (3) assisting students in acquiring their identified skills; and (4) reinforcing the learned skills to ensure sustainable effects. We conclude that the KS method offers support for students in learning self-management and social-emotional skills to ensure their sustainable growth

Multiple Users’ Experiences of an AI-Aided Educational Platform for Teaching and Learning

This chapter aims to provide a better understanding of how AI technology can be used to assist in teaching and learning at schools. The Smart Learning Partner (SLP) educational platform is based on AI technology to provide new possibilities for individualized learning and more educational resources. We used a case study approach to investigate how this AI-aided SLP platform helped to assist in teaching and learning from the multiple users’ perspectives of students, teachers, and the principal at a Chinese school. This chapter starts with a description of AI used in education and learning. The AI-aided SLP educational platform is then presented to illustrate in what ways it works to assist in teaching and learning. Based on the users’ self-reported experience, this platform can support students’ learning by providing students with individualized diagnostic feedback and assessments as well as information about the progress of their learning. In addition, students receive recommendations of micro lectures from the platform to aid improvement based on the students’ assessment results. Additionally, students can also access various micro lectures according to their interests. This platform provides teachers with reports of real-time learning situations and progress at the individual or class level. Accordingly, teachers can better adjust their pedagogical decision and teaching according to the students’ needs. The principal used the information to allocate resources and assist in curriculum planning at school. In conclusion, all users positively stated that this AI-aided SLP platform assisted in teaching and learning at school even though there were still certain challenges. At the end of the chapter, recommendations for the future platform design are offeredPeer reviewe

An empirical study of important factors of value-added-reseller relationship in high-technology sales management: a dual perspective

The aim of this study is to contribute to the research on relationship management in companies manufacturing high-technology products with regard to their value-added-resellers (VARs). More specifically, this study tries to fill a significant research gap in applying well-established multi-theories to the important factors of VAR relationship management in a defined context from a dual perspective. Even though it has been recognized that relationship management can cause significant implications for the supplier company with its VARs, there is little theory-based, empirical research that extensively studies the important factors in the VAR relationship from a dual perspective. Based on a review of literature covering resource/knowledge-based view, social capital theory and transaction cost economics, an integrated model was developed. This study draws on the existing knowledge from other researchers regarding the important factors in the VAR relationship management, and tries to test the existing knowledge in the defined context and also to discover whether there are new factors and what new factors are. More important it is to find out what the differences are towards the same factor from a supplier's and reseller's perspective. Additionally, the importance of each factor at different stages is also compared and discussed. Eventually the order of importance of the factors is discussed. And finally business implications are given to the sales/channel managers in managing the VAR relationship. Case study is used as the empirical research method. The main data collection methods are: extensive face-to-face interviews; observations during different type of meetings, events, and gatherings; archival documents, as well as the companies' websites. Both qualitative and quantitative data has been collected and analyzed in order to increase the research reliability by providing triangulation data for the results. This dissertation makes important contributions to the literature on VAR relationship management by developing an integrated model based on resources/knowledge-based view, social capital theory and transaction costs of economics. The findings have important implications for the supplier company and its VARs in how to manage their mutual relationship

Health First: The Sustainable Development of Physical Education in Chinese Schools

Strengthening school physical education (PE) is of great strategic significance in enhancing students’ all-round development, which mainly includes their morality, intelligence and physique development. School PE has upheld the guiding ideology of ‘health first’ and continuously enhanced PE development in China. The guiding ideology of ‘health first’ has involved three stages: (1) improving students’ physical conditions; (2) enhancing students’ physical health, mental health and ability to socially adapt; and (3) promoting students’ all-round human development. This paper provides a comprehensive review of the social and political contexts, aims, policies and practice of Chinese school PE, and goes on to analyze different sports views that reshape the value orientation of ‘health first’. Moreover, this paper shows that a regulated and institutionalized Chinese school PE system has gradually formed with the evolving ideology of ‘health first’ and policy changes, but it has a long way to accomplish the new mission of ‘foster virtue through education’ in students’ all-round development. For students’ all-round development, Chinese school PE needs to prioritize the value proposition of ‘foster virtue through education’, advance the theoretical research on PE curriculum and teaching materials, and further enhance the reform of the assessment and evaluation system of constitutional health. Eventually, a new national school PE core curriculum needs to be established to integrate the mission of ‘foster virtue through education’ and guiding ideology of ‘health first’ together

Health First: The Sustainable Development of Physical Education in Chinese Schools

Strengthening school physical education (PE) is of great strategic significance in enhancing students’ all-round development, which mainly includes their morality, intelligence and physique development. School PE has upheld the guiding ideology of ‘health first’ and continuously enhanced PE development in China. The guiding ideology of ‘health first’ has involved three stages: (1) improving students’ physical conditions; (2) enhancing students’ physical health, mental health and ability to socially adapt; and (3) promoting students’ all-round human development. This paper provides a comprehensive review of the social and political contexts, aims, policies and practice of Chinese school PE, and goes on to analyze different sports views that reshape the value orientation of ‘health first’. Moreover, this paper shows that a regulated and institutionalized Chinese school PE system has gradually formed with the evolving ideology of ‘health first’ and policy changes, but it has a long way to accomplish the new mission of ‘foster virtue through education’ in students’ all-round development. For students’ all-round development, Chinese school PE needs to prioritize the value proposition of ‘foster virtue through education’, advance the theoretical research on PE curriculum and teaching materials, and further enhance the reform of the assessment and evaluation system of constitutional health. Eventually, a new national school PE core curriculum needs to be established to integrate the mission of ‘foster virtue through education’ and guiding ideology of ‘health first’ together

Finnish student teachers' perceptions of their development of 21st-century competencies

This study examined student teachers' perceptions of how well their Teacher Education (TE) had prepared them for 21st-century competencies, and how well they applied these competencies to their teaching. In addition, the study sought to identify best practices, major obstacles, and suggestions to achieve these competencies. The study was implemented in two universities and three universities of applied sciences in Finland that have TE programmes. This study used a mixed-method approach. Data were collected both quantitatively and qualitatively from student teachers (n = 227), who assessed 21st-century competencies with a structured questionnaire that included open-ended questions. Quantitative data analysis used descriptive statistics and correlations, while qualitative data analysis used content analysis. The study found that based on the student teachers' self-assessment, the student teachers achieved successfully 21st-century competencies despite differences between competencies. The best-achieved competency was 'Collaboration' and the least well-achieved was 'Global connections.' The study illustrated student teachers' perception of their success in applying 21st-century competencies to their teaching at schools. Answers to open-ended questions produced convincing evidence that courses involving collaborative and interactive learning, high quality, sufficient support, related 21st-century competencies, certain pedagogical methods used by teacher educators, and integrating theory and practice can contribute strongly to the development of student teachers' 21st-century competencies.Peer reviewe

Teachers’ and Students’ Views of Using an AI-Aided Educational Platform for Supporting Teaching and Learning at Chinese Schools

In Chinese schools in less advanced places, there is an urgent need to improve the quality of education and educational equity. This study aims to investigate how an AI-aided educational platform can be used to provide additional teaching and learning resources to serve this need. The AI-aided educational platform used in this study is called Smart-Learning Partner (SLP), which is based on AI technology to provide new opportunities for personalized learning and more educational resources. A qualitative research method was applied in this study. We interviewed and surveyed 98 students and 32 teachers at 9 Chinese schools located in less developed areas. We used content analysis to interpret the findings based on students’ and teachers’ experiences of using the SLP platform. The data demonstrated that this kind of AI-aided educational platform was viewed by students and teachers as a useful tool in students’ learning and teachers’ work. It provided additional possibilities to students and teachers with its rich assessment tools, personalized and overall student learning analysis reports, plentiful high-quality mini-lecture videos, and recommendations from the platform based on the students’ needs for further enhancement study. However, challenges still exist. Adequate electronic devices for students are needed, especially in schools in less developed areas. Students and teachers called for user-friendly interfaces and features, social interaction aspects, and gamification mechanisms with recent online learning platforms. We conclude that based on the teachers’ and students’ views, AI-aided education platforms are useful tools for supporting teaching and learning in Chinese school

Finnish teacher professional development in the internet era: from subject teacher to designer of school learning community

Interview the Famous Teacher Education Specialist Hannele Niemi at University of Helsink