This collection of readings was prepared for vocational and technical educators who are interested in individualized instruction. The material provides an overview of individualized instruction in vocational and technical education as well as its development, implementation, practice and evaluation. The book is divided into four parts. Part 1…

Defines microcomputer-based laboratory (MBL); discusses necessary hardware and software for operation of an MBL; reviews science applications in secondary education and eight steps involved in constructing a four-paddle interface box, the heart of an MBL; and provides information on suppliers of resources for creating an MBL. (MBR)

Reports research findings of an experimental design in which cooperative-learning strategies were applied to closed-lab instruction of computing concepts. SimCPU, a software package specially designed for closed-lab usage was used by 171 high school students of four classes. Results showed that collaboration enhanced learning and that blending…

Guidelines for replicating the Educational Research Associates' (ERA) individualized instruction system are presented. The ERA system uses audio recordings in place of traditional lectures for student instruction. The audio recordings are augmented by a printed syllabus or workbook which requires substantial notetaking and/or problem solving so…

This report in the National Education Association's "Developments in Classroom Instruction" series presents seven detailed descriptions of models for elementary-level classroom learning centers. It presents lists of materials, suggestions for the placement of equipment, study plans, and evaluation guides for learning centers in a variety of…

Four interrelated questions in this paper provide a framework for examining the rationale of a model for developing a political laboratory which would fulfill meaningful objectives for civics and government instruction. The first question, why make the school the focus of the laboratory, offers reasons for preferring the school over the classroom…

Readers' contributions include ways to make inservice meetings interesting, a checklist for designing and evaluating learning centers, ways to help low ability readers use public libraries by taping materials, how to encourage college students to attend state council conferences, and comments on misleading findings from the Nelson-Denny Reading…

This paper explores the challenges that South Mountain Community College (Phoenix, Arizona) faced in order to take advantage of the opportunities computer technology offered in its teacher education program. Three issues are examined which were critical to the effective use of computer technology: (1) the technology itself, including the college's…

A quarter of a century after the inception of the microteaching concept and in view of the new emphasis given to teaching learning laboratories, this paper discusses the development of the microteaching concept and its present state of art. Special attention is given to the theoretical conceptualization of microteaching and the teaching learning…

The New York State Outdoor Education Association is dedicated to: (1) the professional improvement of persons interested and involved in outdoor education, and (2) the development of attitudes, values, and behavior necessary for the wise use of natural resources. Its major goal is the enrichment of educational curriculums through the use of the…

Two instructional methods for a freshman physics course were compared: audio-tutorial (AT) instruction in a learning center and lecture-recitation-laboratory (LRL) instruction. Both random assignment and student preference were used to distribute the 575 students between the two methods. Course content, homework, and tests were identical.…

This document provides summary descriptions of a dozen ESEA Title III programs using behavior control techniques on various populations of school-age youth, for different objectives. Each program summary gives the title, population served, approximate annual cost, procedures, a brief evaluation, and whom to contact for further information. (EM)

Explains philosophy of the Higher Order Thinking Skills Project, which utilizes microcomputers in a learning laboratory to develop in upper elementary school students the thinking ability needed to construct sophisticated associations between ideas; describes curriculum used to teach these skills; and reviews software and hardware utilized and…

Southern Illinois University developed an instructional approach for supporting collaborative, problem-based learning (PBL) in medical education. A succession of software tools were developed and refined to implement this approach, and a technology-enriched facility, the "Collaborative Learning Lab" (CLL) was designed. The paper…

Preservice and inservice physical education teachers need feedback to improve their instruction and learning. At some universities, they can work in pedagogy labs, combining computer-based and observational feedback to improve their academic learning time (for example, analyzing their own videotaped performance within the pedagogy labs). (SM)