Presents an excerpted lecture given by Fred S. Keller, who discusses the nature of personalized instruction (PSI), how MIT began, and PSI experiences at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). Keller also comments on the implications of MIT experiences for educational reformers and provides his views on related issues. (JN)

This document consists of a collection of thoughts, observations, descriptions, definitions, diagrams, models, suggestions, guidelines, and forms pertaining to curriculum development and instructional planning at the elementary and secondary level. Among the specific topics addressed in one or more of the materials collected here are the…

A survey was conducted of more than 300 instructional developers, asking which books they would recommend for a variety of different uses. To assist them, a listing of 139 instructional development books taken from a recent journal article was included with the survey. Participants, who represented a diverse but highly-experienced group, were…

This paper presents classroom management practices that can be used to avoid the "revolving classroom door." In the revolving classroom door, misbehaving students are sent to the principal, and eventually returned to the classroom with no gains in student behavior or opportunity for learning. The paper begins by discussing the meaning of classroom…

This report explains the development of an experimental project that is one of five such projects making up the Dakota State Teacher's Assistant Series (Dakota State College, Madison, South Dakota). The projects use interactive computer-controlled video programs and involve the social sciences. The project highlighted here involves educational…

Curriculum developers must work hard to avoid the "what errors" of curriculum development. They must avoid failing to teach what should be taught and teaching what is no longer relevant and needed. Curriculum "what errors" are likely to occur when teachers design courses so as to teach what they know best, what they were…

The need for and use of internal consultants by many organizations and institutions is growing because of the rapid pace of environmental and technological change and the growth in the quantity of knowledge. Although much has been written about consulting roles, competencies and skills needed by consultants, and the use of consultants in various…

Although those psychomotor procedures that were the basic components of occupations of the industrial age still need to be taught, there is a growing need to teach the cognitive behaviors and affective behaviors associated with information processing and service-related occupations. The techniques that have worked well to teach psychomotor…

The recent conservative trend in educational policy is addressed in this paper which begins with a description of 10 specific types of threats to the instructional development movement that can evolve from an excessively conservative environment. These threats are named as follows: (1) scapegoat; (2) baby-with-the-bathwater; (3) chronological…

A school system's testing program can be used as a tool in curriculum development and instructional improvement if the tests match the goals and objectives of the instructional program and what is taught in the classroom. Test-taking skills should be taught so that the test will accurately reflect certain knowledge. Test results should be an…

A discussion of microcomputer applications in elementary and secondary school social studies is accompanied by a list of publications and a checklist to aid educators in evaluating programs for microcomputers. Six instructional uses of the microcomputer are drill and practice, tutorial, demonstration, simulation, instructional games, and computer…

Discussed is the design and development of a physical education curriculum, incorporating principles discussed in the "Basic Stuff" physical education series. Four tasks are suggested for planning the curriculum: (1) develop a unit for activity instruction, where the concepts inherent in the sport or activity skills may be identified; (2) develop…

This paper discusses the evolution, development, and thinking behind eight lesson plan formats. A Herbartian 5-step lesson plan (1980) involves teachers' understanding and use of students' previous knowledge. It includes preparation of previous learning, presentation of new materials, association of old and new ideas, generalization, and…

This paper show instructors how to develop their own streaming multimedia presentations that can be loaded onto a schools' server and played by students over the Internet. Topics covered include: the use of courseware to create an online course or to complement face-to-face instruction; features of Oncourse, Indiana Universitys proprietary version…

This paper provides strategies and insights that should be weighed and perhaps included in any proposal for integrating computers into a comprehensive school curriculum. The strategies include six basic stages: Initiation, Needs Assessment, Master Plan, Logistic-Specifics, Implementation, and Evaluation. The New Brunswick (New Jersey) Public…