Because of the unique program of Empire State College, the problem of providing compensatory courses about women and developing a strategy for eventually having them incorporated into the curriculum of a discipline has been avoided. The focus at this college has been taken from the teacher and placed on the student, giving the student the primary…

This paper presents a brief overview of current research on learner-centered curricular reform and of some of the issues attendant to its character and quality. Seven groupings of learner-centered reform are discussed in relation to current research and findings: performance and competency-based programs, personalized instruction, cooperative…

There is every reason to believe productivity per person in education has decreased over the years. Per pupil expenditures have increased nearly threefold in constant dollars over the past two decades, while student/teacher ratios have decreased. Those who doubt that per person productivity can be increased do so because of their conviction that…

Graduate students do need and can benefit from instruction in the basis of composition, but the definition of what each student basically needs will vary so greatly that individual instruction is the only meaningful way to meet those needs. The demand for such instruction spurred the development of a graduate course at North Texas State University…

This paper provides a brief history of the work of Maria Montessori and traces the development of the Montessori method in English education. The first woman medical student in Italy, she developed an interest in the needs of mentally handicapped children. Contrary to the accepted view, she came to the conclusion that mentally 'deficient' children…

This paper describes a child-centered first grade classroom where learning to read is viewed as a natural step in the language acquisition process. Discussed in detail are methods of individualizing instruction for four particular children, the use of basal readers, daily writing activities using the Language Experience Approach, and both group…

This paper discusses the teaching approaches used in a basic composition course designed for educationally disadvantaged students. The course integrates three approaches: mastery teaching and learning; James Moffett's student-centered naturalistic curriculum; and Ken Macrorie's Third Way, which combines freedom and discipline in a writing…

The eight course projects listed in this paper are designed specifically for a freshman-level open admissions course in children's literature, but they can be adapted to fit the needs of any beginning "topics" literature course that has students with widely varied preparation, ability, and goals. The projects include telling and reading stories;…

Individualized instruction is an educational program in which grade levels and time units are designed to permit the student to work at his own pace and level with the use of unipacs. The unipac, a "unique package," is a specially designed group of learning activities based on specific behavioral objectives chosen by the student. Unipacs consist…

The reading lab at Ohlone College has developed a comprehensive and unique program which is designed to help students on all levels of ability to become more independent in the learning process. This program or system consists of several interrelated components: eight individualized reading and study skills courses, 81 videotapes, and a 60 page…

Student control of learning is interpreted as student self-teaching, and a plan to give students teacher training is outlined. The first step of the plan is self-management in which the students are given a strategy for curriculum decision making and have the reponsibility for applying that strategy. Two interactive computer programs are included…

Teaching techniques for motivating students to acquire a second language are discussed. The methodology must be suited to the aptitudes, interests, and personalities of learners and teachers. Objectives must relate to the student population, linguistic performance, and communicative competence. Crucial to motivation are the techniques of…

The positive experiences of one disaffected teenager in an Experience-Based Career Education (EBCE) Program demonstrate the characteristics of an emerging program significantly different from the traditional high school; these characteristics include: a clinical mode of operation based on study and diagnosis of student needs; flexibility;…

This paper suggests three educational changes that need to be made in light of the changing relationship between the student and the institution. First, a closer relationship between colleges and elementary and secondary schools must be built. Since a majority of high school students go on to college, educators from the separate levels must focus…