Discusses the history of open-air schools using an evaluation of Belgian schools. Expounds on the complex relationship between educational space and the educational act, and between traditional and progressive education. Demonstrates that open-air schools provided the same education as traditional schools and were not a real alternative for…

This article describes a multimedia-based tutorial designed to teach basic concepts of telecommunications to university students and discusses an experiment that analyzed test scores of two sets of students, one using the tutorial and one learning in a traditional setting. No significant learning differences were found. (Author/AEF)

Addresses similarities and differences in educational philosophy and practice among alternative schools such as the Free School (Albany, New York) and Summerhill (England). Discusses philosophies of Summerhill's founder A. S. Neill and his belief that children should be loved and accepted and allowed to participate within the school's power…

Discusses the role of long-term homeschooled students in providing clinical teaching opportunities for preservice physical educators. The paper describes two physical education teacher education programs, at Asbury College (Kentucky) and Appalachian State University (North Carolina), that illustrate how homeschooled children fit into preservice…

At Horizonte, an alternative Utah high school, students help direct their own learning. The five guiding principles resemble fundamental beliefs more than specific strategies. Curriculum is shaped to meet student needs and learning styles, technology access is universal, the program is inclusive and multicultural, students are assisted to meet…

Highlights promising practices in global education (the tendency of global educators to emphasize interdisciplinary concepts, to model inquisitiveness and skepticism, and to stress participatory learning). The promising practices are examined in the context of classroom life at the Shoreline Foreign Language/International Studies magnet school (a…

Describes the Touchstones Discussion Project at New York's Rice High School, in which students lead and participate in discussions on writings related to controversial issues. Suggests that the project helps students master complex material and develop leadership skills as they take increasing responsibility for their education. (AJL)

Outlines the author's experiences of introducing the Patchwork Text in the teaching of a module about the sociology and politics of education. A clear focus in the paper is on the role of the student as an active agent and of working with Patchwork Texts as a way in which students can take ownership of their learning processes. (Author/AEF)

Describes and evaluates the introduction of the Patchwork Text assignment in the assessment of a Masters-level course on Intercultural Management taught to students of various nationalities and linguistic/cultural backgrounds as part of a Masters-level business education program. Begins by addressing the question of whether the Patchwork Text…

Taken together, the articles in this special issue contribute to the collective sense of recent progress in research on networked learning in higher education. In combination, they help explain some of the key relationships between teachers' and learners' intentions and experiences, the affordances of text-based communications technologies and…

Explores the complexity of researching networked learning in higher education. Suggests that no single theoretical model currently available is sufficiently powerful to provide a framework for a research agenda that takes into account key aspects of human agency. Presents findings of a multi-method analysis of the learning and tutoring processes…

Discusses Paulo Freire's approach to adult education. Discusses personal conflicts with the traditional method of teaching and proposes how best to teach adult learners. Presents a practical version of the Freire model of desocialization based on experience with students who developed a nonfiction writing curriculum based on the nuclear arms race.…

Discusses the peer approach to teaching writing with adult students. Discusses theoretical ideas about adults-in-transition, particularly women, that make the peer approach important to their education. Describes specific instances in which the peer approach has been used successfully with adults. Discusses student response to the process. (JS)

Discusses the following administrative factors that determine the success or failure of nontraditional programs: (1) the organization of the program, such as whether or not it is designated as a special division; (2) amount of resources available for its use; and (3) whether or not it has an advisory board. (JS)

Reports on a month-long visit to South African alternative educational programs which are filling the gap between the official computer curriculum and the potential power of computers for writing and publishing. Describes how progressive South African educators use the computer as a tool for empowerment and to subvert the established curriculum.…