Interviews with 13 creative Ontario high school seniors examined school conditions that fostered creativity. Extracurricular activities and sports provided opportunities to display creativity not found in regular school routines. Others' ideas often sparked creativity. Classrooms, assignments, and teachers that encouraged exploration, hands-on…

Describes the National History Day Program which was instituted to give secondary students a chance to display their research and analytic skills in the field of history for which they could receive awards or scholarships. Explains the process for participating. (KO)

Discusses the need to create a learning environment in the computer lab that encourages students to "dabble." Benefits include increased student motivation, help for special needs students, and a decrease in truancy. Presents answers to possible objections to this form of student-directed learning and provides tips for running a lab efficiently.…

Effects of self-monitoring alone and in combination with external contingent rewards on sight word acquisition were compared across two groups of four learning-disabled elementary students. Both treatments were found to increase sight word vocabulary, but contingent reward did not enhance the reactivity of self-monitoring for most students.…

Fifty middle-grade students conducted science experiments either as members of small groups taught skills of self-directed critical thinking, or as members of a teacher-directed class, or as members of a control group. Experimental students scored highest on tests of relevant science content. The first group outperformed the others when…

A British master's program in management that is computer-based and emphasizes cooperative learning is described. Guiding principles include participant choice of learning content and direction; personal responsibility for learning; integration of professional experience with new knowledge; student professional development; and shared learning.…

Medical schools are starting to put students in small groups and help them solve real problems they will face in treating patients. Trend of problem-based learning in medical schools will have ripple effect throughout education. Teachers relinquishing lecturer's role must become adept at listening, answering questions, and helping students frame…

Investigates the effects of studying alone or in cooperative-learning groups on the performance of high and low achievers, using either learner- or program-controlled computer-based instruction. Participants were 92 sixth-grade students. Results suggest that cooperative learning provides beneficial effects, and imply a need for software designers…

Discusses how to write a library media curriculum for secondary school students that includes basic information skills under the categories of library use, literature appreciation, selection of appropriate resources, research strategies and tools, print resources, computer resources, ethical and legal issues including copyright and fair use,…

A K-8 school owned and operated by the Minneapolis-based Tesseract Group (formerly Educational Alternatives, Inc.) has partnered teachers and parents in decisions concerning curriculum and instructional strategies. Class enrollment is capped at 24, and two state-licensed teachers work in each classroom to help students complete projects for…

In a problem-based curriculum, students generate learning issues that are the guidelines for individual study. This study investigates the essential characteristics of learning issues and the importance they have in each year of training. Findings indicate that a useful learning issue contains a keyword that demarcates the content of a topic to be…

This paper describes the Early Intervention and Family Support Training Program of the Family, Infant and Preschool Program at Western Carolina Center, North Carolina. The program uses competence-based training to flexibly respond to interdisciplinary needs and interests while preserving essential core content. The paper discusses role…

Presents a personal overview regarding education and training in general, and effective continuing professional development in particular, in the next millennium. Topics include change; learning processes; types of learning, including open, flexible, independent, group, collaborative, and cooperative; lifelong learning; continuing vocational…

Reports on the challenges in designing and developing a series of videotaped sequences and original music for dance on a compact disc/audiotape and a self-instructional study guide for use by early childhood/primary students studying via a distance education model. Resources were designed to be used in preservice and inservice teacher training…

Examines the perceptions of instructors and administrators regarding self-directed learning modules for adult and younger students, comparing the modules' perceived effectiveness, benefits, and challenges. Addresses the issue of personal freedom versus the need for focus and guidance, finding that adult learners reported no freedom versus focus…