Briefly reviews research on differences in divergent thinking in open and traditional classrooms at the elementary level and discusses a study of differences in creativity, as measured by scores for fluency, flexibility and originality, in children in Grades 1, 3 and 5 from open and traditional classrooms. (BR)

While there has been a great deal of change in Australian education, little is known of the attitudes of Australian teachers towards education. This paper draws on the research and scale development of Kerlinger (1959) in the United States to analyze the attitudes of a sample of Australian teachers, and the relationships between those attitudes…

Discusses four themes that capture the major opportunities offered by alternative schools and alternative programs as well as some of the problems associated with them. (Author/RK)

Author calls upon all principals to change existing curriculum and programs in the direction of individualized, continuous progress education. (GB)

Concludes that there is a strong positive relationship between an elementary school's organizational climate (whether the school is "open" or "closed") and student reading performance, with achievement being greater in the more open schools. (FL)

Examined the nature and degree of autonomous behavior among groups of elementary students from Montessori schools and from traditional public schools. Results indicated that Montessori students demonstrated higher levels of independence, initiative, and self-regulation than students from traditional schools. (PAM)

The article develops a theory and practice for teaching and learning in a Community of Thinking. According to the theory, the practice of traditional schooling is based on four "atomic pictures": learning is listening; teaching is telling; knowledge is an object; and to be educated is to know valuable content. To change this practice of…

Using interviews, focus groups, and observations, I examined teacher candidates' experiences with their mentoring teachers over two student teaching periods. Using Feiman-Nemser and Rosaen's (1997) mentorship model of guiding teacher learning, I investigated the relational, conceptual, and contextual aspects of the student teaching experience.…

Montessori middle schools can be immensely successful and highly beneficial to students. Traditional schools notice differences in students who come from Montessori backgrounds; they find them to be adaptable self-starters who often take on leadership roles. Prestigious high schools seek to recruit Montessori middle school graduates. As more…

Primary children in the individualized multiage programs (IMP) had lower state and trait anxiety than those in traditional learning environments (TRAD), as measured by the State Trait Anxiety Inventory for Children. The IMP-TRAD instructional programs and trait anxiety had different effects on performance at the first and second grade levels.…

Two approaches are compared in the Kentucky study: (1) the in-school, traditional, approach and (2) the cooperative work experience approach. Pretest and post-test scores were evaluated, indicating that both approaches were equally effective. (MW)

This paper describes one instructor's experiences in teaching an introductory psychology course in a traditional college (Rhode Island College) setting and in the College's nontraditional Urban Educational Center. The students at the Center, which offered tuition-free enrollment classes in high school equivalency preparation, adult basic…

The purpose of this study was to explore the various types of alternative programs offered in American secondary schools, the ways in which they differ from traditional programs, and their success in educating their students, particularly those classified as at risk. The question "Should students have a choice of schools?" is examined in annotated…

The American College Testing Program (ACT) developed tests as a result of the College Outcome Measures Project (COMP). These instruments were intended for evaluation of nontraditional and traditional postsecondary education programs. They measure skills rather than information. The study was designed to check on several aspects of use of the COMP…