Our school career culminates in a set of exam results, but if students want to do well, attending lessons is not enough: the implicit expectation is that all students will reinforce learning independently outside of the classroom. Really effective learners employ effective independent study techniques, but when, how and where do they learn to do…

The purpose of this publication is to provide basic information to teachers about how to help students become independent learners. Its recommendations are based on the conceptual framework known as "self-regulated learning," or SRL. Self-regulated learners have flexible knowledge and skills that enable them to manage their cognition,…

In this regular feature of "Educational Technology," Michael F. Shaughnessy and Susan M. Fulgham present their interview with Ryan Watkins, Associate Professor of Educational Technology at the George Washington University and the author of 10 books and more than 95 articles. In this interview, Watkins discusses the following topics:…

The approaches and methods of teaching and learning social studies are examined. Fundamental study skills are emphasized: effective questioning techniques, data gathering, ability to recognize relationships in terms of time and space, and ability to recognize facts, opinions, and propaganda. To develop these skills it is recommended that priority…

Suggests that although "learning to learn" has become part of the skills agenda, it actually involves far greater depth of personal development than skill development alone. Discussion of personal development and academic assessment leads to identification of related issues of power, knowledge, involvement, and design. (Author/DB)

Compares the effects on college students in a study skills course of five hours of instruction in outlining; networking, a form graphically organizing materials; and memory techniques and library research. Though all groups showed improvement in comprehension and retention of texts, the outlining group doubled the gains realized by the others.…

A study investigated the effects of the motivational variables of attribution and self-efficacy on the continued use of successfully learned strategies which promote independent learning from text. The subjects consisted of 11 freshmen and sophomore students participating in a two-week workshop on learning strategies which included a study project…

A learning strategy system and a set of training procedures to facilitate the communication of this system to college-age students were developed. Students receiving this training exhibited significantly greater positive precourse-postcourse changes on comprehension/retention and self-report measures than did students in the control groups.…

Studaxology is a theory that explains to the college student how to become organized within the study environment, based on what the student experiences while studying. Its core is a 3x3 matrix of study experiences. Interpretation of the matrix enables the student to meet deep-level learning demands for optimal functioning in higher education.…

This paper argues that the widespread approach to enhancing student learning through separate study skills courses is ineffective, and that the term "study skills" itself has misleading implications, which are counterproductive to learning. The main argument is that learning how to study effectively at university cannot be separated from…

Results of a British program of eight learning strategy workshops for university freshmen are discussed. The workshops focused on essay writing and test-taking skills. Regular attendees had significantly more sophisticated conceptions of learning than irregular attendees and had higher essay and examination scores. However, differences in overall…

The purpose of this study was to investigate two types of transfer of learning (application transfer and gains in aptitude) in a mastery learning instructional mode. Seventh grade students were assigned either to a learning for mastery instructional mode or to a control group in a conventional classroom. Although the content matter covered and…

The language-across-the-curriculum (LAC) movement in Britain began in the 1960s with a few secondary school experiments, from which developed more coordinated attempts to lower interdisciplinary barriers. This movement was characterized by emphasis on the language-learning link, the crucial role of discussion in the learning process, and the…

Presents results of a survey of 37 university-level content reading specialists in which the specialists listed teaching practices that content teachers could incorporate into their teaching to help students learn from texts. Recommends: (1) using multiple texts; (2) using study guides; (3) teaching metacognitive strategies; and (4) direct…