Many organizations are not satisfied that their methods of evaluating training are rigorous or extensive enough to answer questions of value to them. Complaints about Kirkpatrick's popular four-step model (1959) of training evaluation are that each level is assumed to be associated with the previous and next levels and that the model is too simple…

This action research project evaluated a program to improve student motivation, attendance rate, percent of homework returned, and student academic growth. The targeted population was a seventh-grade class in a middle school in north central Illinois. The problem of inadequate student motivation was documented by means of attendance rates,…

This study examines thought, language, and related action in sixth-graders working to understand concepts related to mass, volume, and density. Students from a heterogeneous urban classroom worked in various social contexts including individually, in pairs, in groups of four, and as a class. Their work was examined via videotapes, field notes,…

This guide is intended for individuals and groups who are interested in developing resource material for highly participatory, small, democratic adult discussion groups that are based soundly on adult learning principles. Suggestions are provided for preparing learning circle material that will be balanced, authoritative, and help people in…

One of the critical elements of effective schools developed as a result of recent reform efforts and restructuring processes was the concept of learning communities and learning circles. This short paper discusses learning communities and learning circles. It defines learning communities as "a fellowship of learners in which the teachers in a…

This guide provides specific strategies for improving language and culture learning prior to spending time abroad. It begins with three surveys to help people recognize how they currently learn languages and culture. Section 1, "Culture-Learning Strategies," offers a pre-departure unit: "You as a Culturally Diverse Person"; "Understanding the Ways…

A conceptual framework for further education (FE) outlines a design for the future of FE curriculum in Victoria. This framework needs to consider shaping influences--political, economic, technological, and cultural considerations--and educational debates---humans as learners, models of knowledge and learning, and educational practices. A close…

Confronted with the pressure of a rapidly changing environment, organizations demand new skills and capabilities of future managers. These demands and the findings of learning theory necessitate a corresponding change in education of tomorrow's managers. Future management education requires a balance between the imparting of knowledge to the…

This document is intended to assist adult educators in helping their students develop the confidence and test-taking skills required to overcome test anxiety. Section 1 contains the following items: an instrument designed to help students privately assess their standing on the anxiety scale; a play which explores flashing back to earlier negative…

The determinants of self-directed learning (SDL) among professionals of high attainment were examined through open-ended, semidirected interviews with a purposeful sample of eight professional men and women who have acquired identifiable, high-level professional knowledge/skills typically taught in postsecondary learning institutions without ever…

Discusses the impact of computer networking on foreign language teaching and focuses on the competing claims made regarding the value of network-based language learning activity. A description of how internet-based activities operate in the classroom is included. (24 references) (Author/CK)

Recounts a series of primary grade-level literacy-related activities using Margaret Miller's, "Who Uses This?" The book features the occupational tools of various professions and the activities emphasize word construction and recognition, problem solving, shared reading, and interactive writing. Includes a nine-item selected bibliography. (MJP)

Describes study that investigated the effects of instructional control and gender pairing arrangements on learner achievement, attitudes, and interaction during an interactive video elementary school science lesson. Cooperative learning strategies are discussed, results of statistical analyses are reported, and implications for instructional…

Reports on the development of a modified Problem-Based Learning approach to a freshman course. Enables faculty to teach basic biochemical concepts and principles as well as their application to clinical cases. Includes the syllabus and workshop goals based on Bloom's taxonomy. (MVL)

Maintains that environmental education in New South Wales is supported as an interdisciplinary priority area. Describes an environmental education/social studies unit using children's literature. Describes six lessons and presents samples of student writing in response to assignments. (CFR)