Discusses three methods that early childhood teachers can use to empower young children in the class: encouraging children to make decisions, building children's autonomy, and fostering children's trust in the individual, authority, and the group. (BB)

The teaching behavior and instructional methods of elementary school teachers were investigated to determine whether teachers with positive attitudes toward mathematics employ different methods in mathematics instruction than those with negative attitudes. Overall, teachers with negative attitudes employed methods that fostered dependency whereas…

Data from a longitudinal study of adolescent development of approximately 2,300 sixth and seventh graders (the Michigan Study of Adolescent Life Transitions) provide a basis for the hypothesis that optimal developmental outcomes should result from an environment that gradually reduces adult control as the child's desire for autonomy increases.…

Issues are discussed in the transition of students with learning disabilities from high school to employment or postsecondary education, focusing on the importance of providing instructional and counseling services to help students become self-sufficient, independent thinkers who can self-advocate and be responsible for their actions. (Author/JDD)

This study examined preservice teachers' locus of control, collecting data from students at one university with most practical experience during the final year and one with practical experience integrated throughout four years. Students from the latter university gained greater confidence and knowledge through continuing experience in public…

Investigated ways in which indicators of parental autonomy granting (decision-making input and parental knowledge of adolescents' daily experiences) differed as a function of context and personal qualities. Found that firstborns were granted more autonomy than second borns, especially in families with firstborn girls and second-born boys. Girls in…

This literature review examined the current status of young adults with emotional/behavioral disorders (EBD) two to five years after leaving high school, in employment, residential environment, social and interpersonal networks, dependency, and learned helplessness. Suggestions for school-implemented community adjustment programs are offered. (DB)

Discusses the values transmitted to infants and toddlers by a majority of Americans and by many early childhood education leaders. Points out how mainstream infant/toddler programs encourage the characteristics of individualism, independence, choice and exploration, initiative, equality, and expressiveness. Examines parents' role in infant/toddler…

While the concepts and principles associated with learner autonomy underpin a broad range of CALL applications and research projects, current debates and research paradigms in CALL do not provide adequate tools and models to investigate in depth the relationship between CALL and the development of learner autonomy. This paper explores the…

This article reports on a study of pre-service French immersion teachers who were required to compile second language (L2) portfolios as part of their professional development. Documents included a brief biography of the students' lives as speakers and learners of French; an action plan in which students assessed their L2 proficiency and set…

This research examines a community struggling to define the type of education needed for its children. After years of being a minority culture in a much larger school district, a small group of individuals in the community petitioned the state to begin a new school district. Community members indicated a desire for an emphasis on vocational skills…

Reformed Theological Seminary's Virtual Campus has successfully taught the biblical languages online since 1999. This article describes the theoretical principles that underlie the design and asynchronous delivery of online Greek and Hebrew to part-time adult distance students. The structure and administration of the courses is discussed, as well…

Dynamic Learning Communities (DLCs) offer an alternative approach to the traditional Instructional Design (ID) format for learning. This paper outlines the concept of a dynamic learning community as an alternative to teacher-controlled or pre-designed instructional systems. DLCs are groups of people, who form a learning community generally…

This curriculum is designed to enable youth and young adults with disabilities to gain greater personal control over their lives by providing them and their families with information and skills that support the exercise of self-determination. The youth/young adult family member with a disability is a full participant in all activities. The…

Empowerment implies that student teachers become more confident and autonomous learners, with more responsibility for, and control over, their learning. Traditionally, student teachers have been a disempowered group, as teacher educators have tended to emphasize the voice of experts rather than novices and the voice of theory rather than practice.…