As technology becomes more sophisticated, education faces the need to develop non-technical skills that may facilitate harmonious, constructive, and tolerant interactions in a diverse and complex world. Several researchers in European and North American higher-education institutions highlight the contributions of Visual Thinking Strategies (VTS) to address this challenge. Results report improvements in skills, such as critical thinking, observation, and communication, after its implementation. This methodology, originally developed by museum educators, uses visual pieces of art and a set of questions that facilitates discussions. Little research has been conducted in other contexts, both geographically and in virtual environments; besides, most publications focusing on communication skills report improvements in listening skills in general. The present study was conducted in a virtual platform with six students of three different Mexican institutions, who were trained by a lecturer in an Irish institution as VTS facilitators to collaborate with teachers as partners. Participants reported that a major challenge was to develop their own listening skills. Further analyses were conducted with the objective of understanding possible changes in their listening skills throughout the ten training sessions. Transcribed interactions of those students who completed the training programme were analysed identifying categories of active listening skills and finding patterns; listening skills in initial, intermediate, and final sessions were compared. Outcomes provide insights on how specific skills of active listening evolved and identify challenges of their practice in virtual environments. Results, discussed considering conceptual frameworks, enrich our understanding on how VTS relates to the development of these particular skills.

Authors:
Laura Helena Porras-Hernández, Universidad de las Américas Puebla, Mexico
Armida De La Garza, University College Cork, Ireland
Carolina Sacristán, Instituto Tecnológico de Estudios Superiores de Monterrey, Mexico
María de Lourdes Solís, Escuela Nacional Preparatoria- Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Mexico

About the Presenter(s)
Dr. Laura H. Porras-Hernández is a full-time professor at Universidad de las Américas Puebla in Mexico. Her research interests are the study of cognitive and affective processes while using digital technologies in education, TPACK, and VTS.
https://www.udlap.mx/profesores/laura-helena-porras-hernandez

Dr. Solís is a professor of philosophy at the National Autonomous University of Mexico. She earned her PhD in Philosophy at UNAM with honors, including research at the Autonomous University of Barcelona. She has presented at academic conferences cont

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