In the 2007-2008 school year, Jennifer Hunt, language arts teacher for the 8th grade pre-Advanced Placement class wondered how she could harness the power of Web 2.0 tools to develop her students' literacy skills and deepen their engagement with literature and ideas. To that end, she wrote a successful Qwest Arizona Technology in Education…

Directed self-guidance, whereby trainees independently practice a skill-set in a structured setting, may be an effective technique for novice training. Currently, however, most evaluation methods require an expert to be present during practice. The study aim was to determine if absolute symmetry error, a clinically important measure that can be…

In on-demand education, students often experience problems with directing their own learning processes. A Structured Task Evaluation and Planning Portfolio (STEPP) was designed to help students develop 3 basic self-directed learning skills: Assessing the quality of own performance, formulating learning needs, and selecting future learning tasks. A…

Presents a few of the ideas which teachers are using to measure learning that takes place in unsupervised contexts. (Author/PF)

Independent reading is proposed as a better method of continuing library education than workshops or seminars. (PF)

An outcome of a federal project for highly gifted students, the booklet outlines a course in archaeology. Introductory notes assess the value of critical thinking and inter-disciplinary exploration in archaeology. Narrative information on the history and theory of archaeology are followed by task cards designed to be given to students for…

The article describes the sound page system, a relatively new training tool, that has technical information on one side of a plain sheet of paper and recorded sound on magnetic film on the other side. Trainees can use the system for self-study, thereby reducing formal classroom training. (Author/JB)

THE USE OF THE LANGUAGE LABORATORY HAS GIVEN MANY THOUSANDS OF INDIVIDUALS GOOD LISTENING AND SPEAKING PRACTICE AND HAS BECOME AN EFFECTIVE LEARNING TOOL. THE BASIC PIECE OF EQUIPMENT OF THE LANGUAGE LABORATORY IS THE TAPE RECORDER-AND-PLAYBACK, DESIGNED TO BE USED WITH AUDIOPASSIVE STUDY, AUDIOACTIVE STUDY, AUDIOACTIVE-COMPARATIVE STUDY, AND…

THIS DOCUMENT TRACES RESULTS OF EXPLORATORY STUDIES IN SELF-DIRECTED (SD) LEARNING OF 5 TYPICAL LEARNING TASKS. GOAL WAS TO ASCERTAIN KINDS OF LEARNING SITUATIONS FOR WHICH PROGRAMED INSTRUCTION COULD BE IMPROVED VIA SELF-DIRECTION, I.E. MAXIMUM STUDENT FREEDOM TO CONTROL THE LEARNING PROCESS. RATIONALE FOR THE RESEARCH CAME FROM A…

THE BROAD PURPOSE OF THIS PROJECT WAS TO SYSTEMATIZE INFORMATION ABOUT INDEPENDENT STUDY IN SECONDARY SCHOOLS BY DEVELOPMENT OF A DESCRIPTION AND ANALYSIS OF THESE PRACTICES IN THE SCHOOLS STUDIED. THIS INFORMATION WAS COMPILED BY THE USE OF QUESTIONNAIRES AND VISITS TO EACH OF 317 SECONDARY SCHOOLS BY RESEARCH TEAMS. ONE OF THE FIRST CONCLUSIONS…

The tradition of independent study is traced from classical antiquity to the 20th century. Particular attention is given to the example of such persons as Descartes, Rousseau, Goethe, and Franklin, and to the role of encyclopedias, libraries, and correspondence study in furthering self-education. Nine references are included. (LY)

Adult self-directed learning is considered a process of self-instruction. This concept is inadequate because it fails to account for persistence in learning and excludes adults unable to plan self-instruction. These inadequacies can be addressed by studying self-directed learning as it relates to the learner's personality. (Author/CH)

Examined relationship between attitudes of older adults and their participation in education-related activities. Results indicated that self-directed learning participation was correlated with one's affirmation of self and its accomplishments, sense of satisfaction and pleasure, and high level of enthusiasm and ego involvement in activities.…

Self-instruction can work exceptionally well. But accountability is the key. With carefully planning and administration, the self-study concept can offer limitless growth for the training function with no heavy demands on personnel, training facilities, or the organization's budget. (JOW)