Historically, students have had little influence over the design of education institutions or opportunities (Benner et al., 2019; Lac & Cumings Mansfield, 2018). Decisions about school policies, programs, and structures are primarily steered by administrators, policymakers, and teachers. In recent years, however, educators and policy advocates…

Over five hundred years ago, Copernicus presented findings that revolutionized the world by shifting focus away from the Earth and towards the sun as the center of the universe. Education has been encountering a similar paradigm-altering shift with the center of learning moving from the teacher to the learner. Learning-oriented assessment (LOA) is…

In the twenty-first century, learning takes place almost everywhere, at all times, on all kinds of paths and at all kinds of paces. With the click of a mouse or the touch of a screen, young people and adults can access a wealth of information, analyze it, and produce new knowledge at any time. These learning opportunities break wide open the…

Discusses changes in education that are occurring as a result of the rapid growth of information technology, resulting in learning processes focused on the learner. Highlights include implementation issues, developing critical information literacies, use of the Internet, and the role of teacher-librarians. (LRW)

In learner-centered classrooms, teachers and students together construct, evaluate, and revise the ways they will go about meeting curriculum goals. This type of planning differs drastically from the Tyler Rationale, a technocratic planning framework that has guided the production model of schooling for nearly 50 years. Suggestions are offered for…

This paper shares ideas from a research project involving more than 75 teachers in five states. The teachers participated in groups of 12-18. They received support as part of the research project. The groups met with a facilitator every 2-3 weeks to have conversations about teaching and learning. They learned from and with each other as they…

Presents the 1999 winners of the Foxfire Exemplary Classrooms Awards. The winners were diverse in grade level, urban and rural settings, years of experience with the Foxfire core practices, and ideas about how to implement the Foxfire approach. Activities and experiences from each winning classroom are highlighted. Criteria for winning an award…

Discusses the change from a teacher-centered approach when computers were first used in the classroom to a learner-centered approach. Highlights each of six articles presented in this special issue that explore the issues related to using the computer as a tool to learning with, rather than to learn from. (AEF)

When planning her social studies unit on world exploration, this teacher offered the opportunity for her fifth-grade students to create a claymation video of a New World explorer. Students learn about exploration; practice research skills; and write, revise and edit a script. Finally, they incorporate both the acquired content and skills while…

The education programs of Quebec have a social constructivist focus characterized by project teaching, learner autonomy, cooperation, and metacognition. However, important technological and pedagogical hurdles must be overcome before these new practices can be implemented. (Author/SV)

Investigates the integration of technology into K-16 mathematics classes. Highlights include the Teacher Training with Teams, Themes and Technology (T5) Project; examples of classroom activities; and recommendations for student-controlled learning so they have input into how they use the technology. (LRW)

Discussion of the new information-literacy standards authored by the American Association of School Librarians (AASL) and the Association for Educational Communications and Technology (AECT) focuses on a new information process model, "Pathways to Knowledge: Follett's Information Skills Model." Topics include the role of…

An interview with Summerhill School's head describes how the independent boarding school challenged the British government's demands that it give compulsory lessons. A settlement required the school's philosophy to govern the government's approach to the school; recognized the pupils' voice in evaluations of the school; and acknowledged that…

Critiques contemporary efforts to reform Chicano education, premised on "affirmational" education (use of cultural role models to reinforce self-concept) and "reformational" education (increased minority participation in educational institutions). Proposes a "transformational" education encompassing a bifurcated…

The program demonstrated in this paper, "The Classroom Behavior Record: School Version," is an alternative approach for training personnel in observational skills, designed for educators and health care professionals. The purpose of the program is to provide efficient and effective training in a flexible, learner-centered, hypermedia format. The…