Five short essays by the same author comprise this document on humanistic education. The essays deal with defining humanism, day care centers, the politics of educational change, learning facilities, and a parable about education. In the first essay, the author sets out to define humanistic education. Education should not be concerned as much with…

The evaluation of the Los Angeles Alternative School (LAA) was designed to determine whether the school was an alternative school in the sense that it operated under a set of values and related operational principles which differ from those which guide traditional public schools. Anthropological field methods rather than traditional research…

This guide is designed to help observers of open classrooms find the attributes characteristic of this approach to elementary education. Checklists of characteristics are provided under the topics of ambience, teacher behavior, pupil behavior, cognitive, and organization. (KM)

A study was conducted of ten open education schools to discover what happens in open classrooms and to learn about the theory behind the practice of open education. (MM)

Based on a database of over 500 resources, this paper explores the educational alternatives that exist today between the cracks of mainstream education and culture. It presents information about the growing numbers of schools and education centers that call themselves learner-centered, progressive, and/or holistic. Sources of data for this summary…

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…

Relates the experience of students and a teacher in an alternative high school in designing a biology curriculum based on Foxfire practices. Describes student efforts to gain approval from school officials to study evolution and creationism and the conflicts in values and belief systems among the students. (LP)

This book, written by a father of school-aged children, challenges the idea that school reform must be based on raising test scores. Rather, it asserts that school reform should start by deciding what kind of students it wants to produce and then designing schools that will allow students to develop accordingly. The book advocates a child-centered…

Describes a college curriculum in which formal examinations are abolished (students are assessed by the work presented in assignments) and certificates at the Bachelor Degree level do not differentiate between pass and honours students. (LS)

This document includes special references to British open classrooms. (MK)

This paper analyzes some of the educational assumptions that underlie the use of free-choice situations in the classroom and describes a study that examined the effects of giving students control over their curriculum. Subjects for the study were 38 fourth- and fifth-grade-students in a low-income school. Students were divided into two groups that…

In the last decade, the questioning of traditional teaching and learning methods and instructional systems and the search for more effective alternatives have gained momentum. Recent trends are grouped and discussed, including individualized instruction, multimedia instruction, peer teaching, student evaluations of teachers, teacher training…

This book considers the concerns of the different groups of stakeholders in determining the direction of developments in vocational education and the contribution that open, flexible, and distance approaches can make. Chapter 1 introduces the background against which developments in the use of these approaches to vocational education and training…

Examines vital design issues pertaining to the "Online Self-Test," a simple solution for dealing with concerns about lack of time and lack of motivation in distance education. Presents experiences gained during the implementation of the Online Self-Test Center for Yashwantrao Chavan Maharashtra Open University, Nashik, India, and…

A private alternative school in the slums of New Delhi (India) is committed to ending female child labor and ensuring that its students don't grow up poor. The school was able to enroll girls in its all-female afternoon classes by getting their mothers involved in income-generating cooperatives. The students often outperform their peers in state…