Challenges facing teachers have intensified in 21^st century classrooms, but a new book from Education experts provides strategies to provide essential support for how they can best manage a complex web of professional and teaching issues.

Home visits are a core part of community nursing. For nursing students, they are not simply a checklist of health assessments. A home visit asks students to observe the family environment, recognize safety risks, communicate with patients and relatives, and turn classroom knowledge into practical care decisions.  Yet such situations are hard to recreate in a classroom. A real home may be cluttered. An older adult may hesitate, question the visitor, become impatient, or respond in unexpected ways. Traditional role-play can help students rehearse the process, but scripted scenarios may not fully capture the uncertainty of entering someone’s home as a nurse.  A study published in the Chinese Journal of Medical Education Research explored whether a virtual–physical integrated scenario simulation could bring students closer to that reality. Researchers from Peking Union Medical College School of Nursing, Beijing Xicheng District Desheng Community Health Center, and Beijing Fengtai District Fangzhuang Community Health Center tested the approach in undergraduate nursing education. They found that the new simulation model increased students’ learning immersion compared with conventional scenario simulation. However, the study did not show a clear short-term advantage in improving students’ home visit attitudes or skills.

Schoolchildren in Hong Kong face intense academic demands, with long hours of sedentary study leaving little time for movement. On average, their physical activity falls short of the World Health Organization’s recommendation of at least 60 minutes of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) per day.  

A research team at The Education University of Hong Kong (EdUHK) has addressed this challenge by designing exercise videos and coaching materials in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic. Tracking 119 primary school students and their guardians over two years, the study examined how different forms of guidance and interaction influence children’s motivation to exercise. 

Findings revealed that home-based exercise videos boosted MVPA in the short term (by around 6–7 minutes), while parent support strategies grounded in Self-Determination Theory—such as offering choices, giving positive feedback, and encouraging parent-child interaction—helped sustain motivation and meet psychological needs.