With a view to reducing student dependence on teachers in English/English-as-a-Second-Language classes, the discussion directly addresses students on the active motivation and management of their learning. Teacher-student collaboration centers on needs analysis, performance contracts, evaluation, goal setting, and problem solving. Appendices…

The realization that students' and teachers' collaborative efforts are more creative, innovative, and academically challenging than traditional teacher-controlled instruction is the underlying premise behind these awards given by the Foxfire Fund. Describes the learner-centered experiences of seven award-winning classrooms from around the United…

To compensate for disadvantages of traditional rural schools, Colombia's Escuela Nueva (New School) movement offers solutions such as self-instruction guides geared to aspects of daily life and flexible school schedules. Teacher training that encourages student and community involvement is a key element. Escuela Nueva successes have led to its…

A home schooling father and college professor describes the personal traits of a good teacher: a willingness to engage in child-led learning; genuine humility and compassion; the inner security to teach others freely; a willingness to learn, often from students; and patience. Parents who wish to isolate their children from the world or force-feed…

Details the Collaborative Teacher Education Program (CTEP) at Indiana University, which offers Web-based continuing education courses to teachers in rural communities. Modes of delivery include videoconferencing, Web-based conferencing and instruction, and a completely Web-based course. Learner-centered instruction is promoted in three main areas:…

Focuses on ways to foster and access creativity in engineering students. Presents three case studies that demonstrate the importance of establishing freedom in the learning process as well as providing motivation be it extrinsic or intrinsic. Describes how to monitor the level of success in fostering creativity in students. (Author/PVD)

Describes the use of final-year projects as a showcase for engineering students' creativity. The project may be any combination of research, design, or developmental work and culminates in a written, oral, and visual presentation to a professional audience. The students' own creativity determines the format of the three presentation forms and…

Describes a student-conceived, student-executed class research project carried out in a high school English class in which students investigated the issue of teenagers and the law. Notes the enthusiastic work contributed by students otherwise largely hostile to school, some of whom skipped all of their classes except English that term. (SR)

Presents a framework for helping low-achieving pupils through reinforcement in technology at high school. Findings indicated an improvement in pupils' self-efficacy and increased motivation to study at the present and in the future. In the pupils' eyes, the main features were construction activities, team projects and free study, and the major…

A review of research in distance education indicates that results are consistent in that there is no significant difference in achievement attributable to the delivery system. This paper attempts to look beyond these studies by examining research related to: learner interaction and control, two different approaches to multiple learning styles, and…

Describes a study of 107 sixth graders that investigated the effects of learning strategy training intervention and the incorporation of learner control on achievement, learning efficiency, and instructional choice while subjects learned from a computer-based science tutorial. Principles for instructional design incorporating learner control are…

Public education focuses on the lowest common denominator; cannot meet individual student needs; teaches competition; teaches children to learn for praise, not for the sake of learning; and has a 40 percent failure rate. These factors lead many to choose home schooling, but approaches to home schooling are so varied that a common definition of…

A rural British Columbia K-12 school facing closure due to declining population implemented intentional learning, student-directed learning, and learning groups as core units for developing communities of learners. A computer-managed learning system and online scheduling enables delivery of a full range of courses despite decreases in teaching…

Examines ongoing shifts in education/learning related to technological change and students' growing technological literacy. Discusses shifts toward hypermedia learning, constructivism and discovery, learner-centered education, navigation of information sources and information synthesis, lifelong learning, customized learning, learning as fun, and…

Outlines the Information Literacy Program at Southern Oregon University (SOU), designed to develop information literacy among freshman enrolled in SOU's new university colloquium. Discusses accomplishments and unresolved problems and issues of this model of a learner-centered, supportive, collaborative program. (AEF)