This article reports on a case of participatory self-directed online learning within the context of a graduate-level instructional technology course. The course was about online learning environments and relied on both asynchronous and synchronous technologies. In this case, the instructor and students engaged in collaborative course design…

In this study, the researchers examined how 64 university students engaged in self-directed group learning and used a self-developed e-portfolio system. A sixweek event was held where the students made entries to the e-portfolio individually each week, received feedback from advisors, studied in groups on a voluntary basis, and reflected on their…

Presents a model of three types of learning groups, i.e., leader-centered, content-centered, and group-member-centered. Describes the characteristics and uses of each type. (RC)

Reports two approaches to learning, including (1) a 3-hour discussion meeting once a week and (2) provision for a variety of learning activities to be pursued individually, with the latter approach preferred by students. (Editor/SB)

A group of 20 teenagers in a Mobilization for Youth project were involved in the invention and production of educational games. The direct, cooperative participation in such an educational process made the experience a real and creative learning activity which had a comprehensible, achievable goal. These games were not made for competitive sale…

Established in 1894, the Naugatuck (Connecticut) Women's Study Club is an example of the women's groups that seemed to spring up simultaneously in the late 19th century across the United States. Founded for the purpose of "promoting general intelligence and culture," these clubs were established by pillars of the community and included…

A fourth grade teacher tells of her experience with a weekly class event called "free-time learning". (GB)

This paper suggests methods for incorporating cooperative learning into the college classroom, including both short-term and long-term activities. It stresses the importance of self-directed work teams in the work environment and the contribution of cooperative learning in the college classroom to building team work skills. Cooperative learning is…

Reports a study describing children's learning about controlling variables in an environment where student autonomy is maximized and teacher controlled instruction is minimized. (SL)

Subjects learning under a high degree of student control learned the least but formed the most favorable attitude toward the method of instruction. (Author/CB)

Issues in making small-group instruction effective are addressed in this theme issue, which focuses on an approach called Complex Instruction (CI). Developed by Elizabeth Cohen at Stanford University (California), the approach is designed for middle school students in heterogeneous classes. The program is based on four goals to help teachers…

This research was conducted to compare the learning which occurred in a preservice elementary education course using two teaching-learning methods (teacher-directed instruction and student self-directed study). Areas investigated were: (1) knowledge of physical science content, (2) development and application of the processes of science, (3)…

This paper discusses "Guided Design," a method for teaching course content which engages students in group decision-making, where problems are solved or issues are resolved in a step-by-step process using instructions and feedbacks especially prepared to make students think for themselves about subject matter rather than depend on the…