Just because a classroom is noisy or the teacher isn't always lecturing doesn't mean the kids aren't learning. Quite the opposite. The idea is to push students to think differently, to apply what they know, and to create new ideas, instead of just receiving information. That's difficult to see, but easy to elicit with a few key questions. This…

Middle and high school students experiencing homelessness often face challenges in accruing credits. Class offerings, methods of calculating credits, and graduation requirements can vary greatly among school districts. Students who change schools late in high school can find themselves suddenly in danger of not graduating due to differing class…

Describes program model for independent study courses for students of German at Cleveland State University, emphasizing how to keep students motivated without regularly scheduled class and how to reduce the amount of time required to administer the program. Believes courses cannot replace regular courses but can help in situations where enrollment…

Describes development and implementation of Individualized Instruction programs for foreign languages through a grant at the Ohio State University. Program emphasizes four-skill approach including proficiency in basic skills of reading, writing, listening and speaking. Believes computer assisted instruction program in German adds to high test…

The Independent Investigation Method is presented, a model developed to enable gifted students to grow in their independence as they move through a research assignment. The seven-step process guides elementary students from beginning to end in the research process, including topic, goal setting, research, organizing, goal evaluation, product, and…

A practicum project was developed to provide self-directed learning opportunities for all 10 members of a kindergarten enrichment group. Specifically, the project was implemented over a period of 10 weeks to help students gain independent work habits, to improve their care of materials, and to raise their reading ability by one grade level. Ten…

Seminars, characterized by high level content, interaction, discussion, and individual study and research, are an effective instructional format for gifted and talented students. Examples of seven seminar programs at both elementary and high school levels are briefly described. Stressed is the importance of the proper physical and psychological…

This workbook presents a process by which teachers and administrators can take responsibility for their own professional development and plan for a particular project in a systematic and thoughtful way. Users will first identify an "area of focus" (job-related project, responsibility, professional interest, or district goal) and then formulate a…

This article reviews the history of self-directed learning for the gifted and describes the Autonomous Learner Model (Betts, 1985) which includes a strong affective component, career development, and guidelines for a process-based scope and sequence. Guidelines are provided for developing independent study programs for gifted learners. (Author/CB)

Discusses a semi-independent eclectic teaching model, designed to alleviate some of the problems of intermediate-level language classes. It attempts to capitalize on the virtues of a variety of approaches by combining features of each that best accomplish specific language teaching goals. (EKN)

Discusses information literacy, independent learning, and social responsibility standards developed by the American Association of School Librarians (AASL) and Association for Educational Communications and Technology (AECT), focusing on independent learning: general techniques and methods for encouraging independent learning, independent reading,…

This book presents stories from teachers nationwide who tackled specific discipline challenges. Chapter 1, "Taking the Total Quality Road" (Judi Call, Beth Ziecheck, Janice Wright, and Kenneth Rigsby), discusses the use of Total Quality Management (TQM) in developing classroom management systems, explaining how Florida elementary…

Computer capability was added to the Media Learning Center in 1979 to help faculty with computer based learning (CBL) applications in basic skills (English and Math) as well as regular coursework in the sciences, social sciences, and the humanities. The DEC PDP 11/70 time-sharing system operated with 356K memory and serves 32 student video…

Contracts and prescriptions can provide an effective individualized method for teaching students how to learn. A contract may be formulated by any interested party and is an agreement to achieve stated goals by a described method. Prescriptions are teacher-initiated as a result of a specific diagnosis of a student's needs. In an individualized…

Discusses theories of learning; reviews previous generalizations for instructional design; and presents 21 guidelines for effective instructional design that are related to planning, preparation, implementation, and evaluation. Highlights include objectives; learner profiles; cognitive maps or schema; mastery learning techniques; metacognitive…