Students nearing high school graduation need more than the skills and information given them in the past 12 years; they also need to know "how" to learn. The Senior Seminar, which is a program offering a semester of interdisciplinary experiential learning, teaches students to become independent, self-directed learners by first presenting the tools and guidelines for learning how to learn and then helping students to put their new knowledge into practice. During each of the two to four week learning blocks students are required to keep a journal recording of their thoughts and activities. Prior to each learning block the student writes up a contract that sets forth the specific objectives he hopes to obtain from the unit of study, how he will attain those objectives, and how his success may be gauged. Students are introduced to problem solving techniques as they learn about self-imposed constraints, the generation of alternatives, the process of elimination, selection of an entry point and how to break a problem apart. A model for problem solving is introduced which lists six steps to be followed in the learning process. The arts of investigation and interviewing are also taught. The course also covers communication skills, how people structure time, the use of "strokes" and the three ego states (parent-adult-child) of transactional analysis. This student manual summarizes the rationale, philosophy and curriculum for the Colorado Springs Public Schools Senior Seminar. (DS)