<p>Although this project refers to theory and literature about giftedness and independent learning, it is based primarily on narratives of classroom experience. The key belief is that the best way to build on the strengths and meet the needs of adolescent gifted learners is for the teachers involved to create a classroom learning climate and curriculum which coaches those students towards independent learning. Such a climate and curriculum provide opportunities for gifted adolescents to reach their potential.</p><p></p><p> An adaptable and practical three-stage model for designing such a curriculum is provided. By integrating self- and teacher assessment and evaluation throughout three stages of curriculum, the model provides opportunities for students to develop the skills necessary for independent learning.</p><p></p><p> Three narratives of my own experiences in using the three-stage model outlined above are provided. The three situations include the role of classroom teacher of OAC English, co-author of a literature anthology and teacher resource for grade nine destreamed English classes, and facilitator of an Interdisciplinary Autonomous Learner programme for gifted/highly able adolescent learners. Thus, the three-stage curriculum model has been used and shown to be effective.</p><p></p><p> My own, and my students' experiences in using the model, and the common ground discovered in all three roles, form the basis of the recommendations being made in the final chapter. Practical recommendations are made to teachers who are interested in implementing a curriculum which promotes independent learning for gifted adolescents.</p> / Thesis / Master of Arts in Teaching (MAT)

This study investigated the impact of an online concept mapping website (Concept Maps for Learning, or CMfL) designed to provide targeted formative feedback to students. The aims of this study were to determine the usefulness of CMfL for both teachers and students, as a tool for instruction and self-regulated learning. Additionally, the impacts of CMfL on supporting student learning were observed. This research site of this study was a Montessori high school, and the participating students were enrolled in the Ontario Grade 9 Academic Mathematics course. The educational philosophies deployed at the research site offered independence and flexibility to students with respect to how the Ontario Grade 9 Academic Mathematics course was approached, and therefore matched the self-regulated learning components of the study. This study measured student achievement across three milestones over the data collection period to analyse any cognitive impact that CMfL had on the participating students. Metacognitive impacts, as well as the students’ perception of usefulness of CMfL, were measured through surveys that were administered at the milestone points. Usefulness of CMfL from the teacher’s perspective was determined through interviews with the teacher. The participating students and teacher were also provided with the opportunity to provide feedback on how CMfL could be improved through the aforementioned surveys and interviews, respectively. The evidence collected over the study suggests that CMfL can be a useful tool for teaching and learning in a self-regulated environment, and that frequent engagement with CMfL may can support student learning. However, there is room for improvement that may increase student adoption and aid teaching strategy.

An independent learner is one who actively takes responsibility for his or her own acquisition of knowledge, skills, and expertise. The capacity to self-regulate one's own learning is a necessity for success in higher education. Researchers have found that characteristics of independent learners begin to emerge in young children and continue to develop throughout childhood and adolescence as students grow into self-governing adults. The purpose of this study is to assess students' levels of independent learning attitudes and behaviors and to examine the relationships among parents' actions, family structure, independent learning, and academic achievement. Using a national sample of 10th grade students from the Education Longitudinal Study of 2002, several statistical analyses were performed in order to answer these research questions: 1. How do parents' actions relate to children's independent learning characteristics? 2. How do students' independent learning behaviors and attitudes correlate with their academic achievement? 3. How are parents' actions associated with their children's academic achievement? 4. Are single-parent children less likely to have developed characteristics of independent learning by grade 10 than children living with both of their parents? Exploratory factor analysis was conducted to arrange the available variables into appropriate subscales to be used in the statistical procedures for this study. Canonical correlations were used to measure the magnitude of relationships between three pairs of concepts: parents' actions and students' independent learning; students' independent learning and academic achievement; and parents' actions and students' academic achievement. Structural equation modeling was employed to test the hypothesized model of relationships among parents' actions, students' independent learning behaviors, and academic achievement. Finally, multivariate analysis of variance was used to compare the independent learning scores of students living in four different family structures to determine if a significant difference in the development of independent learning between groups exists. Results suggest actions that parents can take to help their children develop as independent learners and succeed in the academic realm. / Ph. D.

The landscape of UK Higher Education has witnessed significant change in recent years, characterised by rapidly increasing numbers, widening participation, and a diminished per capita resource base. Developmental and enhancement agenda have placed greater emphasis on skills for lifelong learning, and the independent learner has thus become a prominent theme. In architecture education these factors are imposing pressures on the traditional studio-based teaching model, one that forms a universal cornerstone of architecture schools. Coincidentally, the same period has seen this model, endorsed by Schon in the 1980s, increasingly challenged. It is argued that the confluence of these factors, presents an opportunity to develop studio-based pedagogy around the notion of the independent learner, renewing studio's relevance and currency. The aim of this thesis was developed from a literature review that was divided into four sections. The first summarised developments within UK higher education, including research into the First Year Experience, and placed architecture education within this context. The second examined the origins of contemporary studio-based teaching, whilst the third discussed the theoretical roots of its pedagogy. The final chapter critiqued teaching and learning practices through comparison with the theoretical intent, revealing a number of contradictory and counter-productive aspects. From this, the position that the development of the truly independent learner in the discipline of architecture requires the formulation of new inclusive pedagogic strategies that explicitly accommodate the individual in the studio-based learning process, and address identified shortcomings in existing studio-based teaching practices, was developed. The methodology adopted an ethnographic approach that gathered data through a longitudinal study of student perceptions, together with interviews with selected academics. Analysis of the findings, whilst replicating many phenomena raised by the literature, also revealed in detail a range of perceptions of learning, and wider student life, giving insight into key challenges. In considering these against the agendum of creating the independent learner, the importance of the peer group as a vehicle for studio-based learning and pastoral support, emerged strongly. A number of recommendations were thus made aimed at reconstructing the role of the tutor in the development of future strategies, as well as harnessing the unrealised potential of the peer group as an agent in embedding independent learning in design studio. The originality of this thesis resides in the fact that it constitutes a holistic study of teaching and learning practices in first year design studio. This is viewed against the background of rapid change in UK Higher Education. Pivotal to the study was the undertaking of a longitudinal survey of student perceptions, presenting a vitally different perspective from, say, that of Schon. From a holistic standpoint, the study creates the theoretical and evidential basis for the future development of key pedagogic strategies relating to design studio. This lays the foundation for the development of learning practices that foster learner independence within the context of design studio.

Although this project refers to theory and literature about giftedness and independent learning, it is based primarily on narratives of classroom experience. The key belief is that the best way to build on the strengths and meet the needs of adolescent gifted learners is for the teachers involved to create a classroom learning climate and curriculum which coaches those students towards independent learning. Such a climate and curriculum provide opportunities for gifted adolescents to reach their potential. An adaptable and practical three-stage model for designing such a curriculum is provided. By integrating self-and teacher assessment and evaluation throughout three stages of curriculum, the model provides opportunities for students to develop the skills necessary for independent learning. Three narratives of my own experiences in using the three-stage model outlined above are provided. The three situations include the role of classroom teacher of OAC English, co-author of a literature anthology and teacher resource for grade nine destreamed English classes, and facilitator of an Interdisciplinary Autonomous Learner programme for gifted/highly able adolescent learners. Thus, the three-stage curriculum model has been used and shown to be effective. My own, and my students' experiences in using the model, and the common ground discovered in all three roles, form the basis of the recommendations being made in the final chapter. Practical recommendations are made to teachers who are interested in implementing a curriculum which promotes independent learning for gifted adolescents. / Thesis / Master of Arts (MA)

In this thesis, the aim was to attain a deeper understanding according to the students meaning of learning related to their own responsibility and independence within a framework of an educa¬tional programme. An empirical study with an ethnographic approach was carried out during one term of a nursing programme that uses the PBL-approach. Based on observations, conversations, inter¬views and documents, three narratives were formulated. One describes the phases students experience in the planned curricula. Periods characterised of chaos, uncertainty and a heavy workload, alternate with periods of ‘cosmos’, optimism, curiosity and satisfaction. The second narrative is about students' learning objectives while realising that they have to make choices and decisions on their own to succeed. A dialectic driving force emerging from frustration and stimulation, chaos and cosmos, results in questions about what to learn and how to act. The third narrative describes how students handle these questions. The narratives reveal two dimensions. One concerns how the students form attitudes about the relevance of learning objectives and how they go about learning a knowledge base necessary for their future profession. The other dimension takes as its starting point the fact that students try to manage their learning situation taking into consideration the framework of the educa¬tional programme. These dimensions were further analysed using theoretical references. The first dimension was analysed from the perspective of teacher/learner control and a didactic analysis of the meaning of an educational setting. The second dimension was analysed on the basis of phenomenographic learning theory. As regards responsibility and independence there seems to be a point in abandoning the concept of self-directed learning. Instead of emphasising self, the interaction between people, the individual and the educational framework and the interaction with content, are found to be fundamental. This interaction includes communication, dialogue and active participation in all the parts of a learning situation. Based on the results of this study, I claim that the driving force in student-centred learning is the dialectic relation between frustration and stimulation, chaos and cosmos. This stimulates the students to engage in the teachers' traditional didactic ques¬tions concerning an educational programme: what are we going to study, how and why, and what are the objectives? The students' conduct as regards independence, vis à vis dependence, are related to a dialectic relationship between the prerequisites provided by the educational frame¬work and the students' interpretation and ability to use them. Expressions of responsibility and independence emerge as choices and decisions concerning the didactic questions, initiative, activity, search for opportunities to reflect and co-operate and self-confidence. The opposite, dependence, is characterised by strategies for “survival”. The students plan their learning situa¬tion so that the examinations and assignments can be successfully tackled, and the learning situation takes on features of a surface approach. I believe that further insights into learning in student-centred education can be found in the two dialectic relationships described above.

This research concerns the design of a multiple-media study package for sight-singing and how national standards for sight-singing can be realised by using this study package. Sight-singing is a skill which can be of great value for singers, choristers and other musicians. Unfortunately this skill has been sadly neglected in South African schools. The result is that a great percentage of society (and in particular, choristers) is not able to read music and then sing it. The researchers is responsible for sight-singing tuition at the Drakensberg Boys’ Choir School, which is the only choir school in South Africa. The ages of new choristers vary from 9 to 13 years and there is a considerable variation in their music backgrounds. It is therefore essential that every learner can work at his own pace to master sight-singing. The author did research on this subject to compile a sight-singing programme which will enable learners to reach a high standard of sight-singing while progressing at their own pace. By making a study of relevant literature, the author gathered information on sight-singing, reading, communication, educational media as well as Outcomes-Based Education and instructional design. The author formulated criteria for a sight-singing programme and for the use of educational media in such a programme. These criteria are used to evaluate seven different sight-singing programmes. The evaluation indicated to the researcher how other authors approached the subject. He identified the strong and weak points of every programme. The researcher designed a multiple-media study package for sight-singing according to Dick and Carey’s systems approach model for designing instruction (1996). The study package consists of a workbook, a textbook and two audio CDs. The author did action research by using the study package to teach sight-singing to the new choristers at the Drakensberg Boys’ Choir School. Various problems in the study package became clear while using it for teaching. The study package was amended a number of times to eliminate the shortcomings. This research indicates that sight-singing is not only possible when a competent teacher is present. Students can learn sight-singing independently by using a multiple-media programme. / Thesis (DMus)--University of Pretoria, 2005. / Music / unrestricted

‘Tell me and I'll forget. Show me, and I may not remember. Involve me, and I'll understand.’ (Chinese proverb) Why is it that children in Year 6 have the ability to construct stories independently, yet at the start of Year 7 the same children have difficulties recalling this knowledge and understanding? Transfer from primary to secondary education has been widely debated for a number of decades. Despite this, Evans et al.’s (2010) evaluation of transition concluded that for over 20% of transferring children, the process remains problematic, leading to inconsistent progress, both academically and socially. Transition research has focused significantly on process and procedures, accumulating data from a wealth of stakeholders, but largely neglecting the voice of the child experiencing this process. My research centres on the child, documenting their learning journey through their transition from primary to secondary school. Galton et al (1999b) identify three elements supporting a child’s continuation of learning post- transfer: enthusiasm for learning; confidence in themselves as learners; and a sense of achievement and purpose. A significant contribution to these qualities is the socio- constructivist view that ‘talk drives learning.’ Clear differences in progress, learning and teaching are contained within the microsystems of classroom life. Therefore, to deepen understanding of contexts of transition it is essential to focus research on language and relationships within such systems. Bronfenbrenner’s bio-ecological framework (1979) provides a basis for an analysis of the contribution of microsystem relationships and sub- cultures to the social matrix of different and progressive classroom environments. My research used an exploratory multi-case study approach (Merriam, 1988a; Yin, 2009). Three distinct models of transfer were identified and examined in depth. Within each of these cases, the learning of a group of children was observed and key points discussed with them throughout the transition process. Therefore, my research explored transition in the broadest sense, through the child’s experiences. The research moved beyond myth and procedures in order to understand the tools a child needs to transfer into secondary school to ensure sustainable progress and enjoyment of learning. Each of the cases had their own model of transfer. The first, Case1, considered children transferring from the more ‘traditional’ primary school into a ‘secondary’ school. In the second, Case 2, children transferred within an ‘all-through’ school within the same building. The third, Case 3, operated within the experience of Case 2, but transferred from their primary setting into the all-through school (the same school as Case 2). The study expected Case 2 as being the best model of transfer and provider of seamless progression of learning for children in Years 6 and 7. However, each model had case-dependent issues that affect a child’s progress within the wider contexts of transition. As a result, the study acknowledged the impact of previous research and further considered this study’s impact on learning in meso and microsystems. Three main, associated arose across the case studies. The first considered teacher provision during the transition period identifying: • the importance of learning roles and relationships between the child and their teacher, and the child and their peers. • structures of accountability generated by Statutory Assessment Tests (SATs). Within a culture of test-based curriculum structures, the study discusses the impact on children’s learning within continual testing and reporting frameworks. It does not discourage the importance of developing basic skills, but considers the purpose of continually tracking and monitoring children throughout their transition period. The importance of standardised test scores is questioned, as these routines are not followed through post-SATs. • children encouraged to participate in new learning routines and contexts. However, the study identifies an absence of sufficient communication between schools that diminishes consistency of learning opportunities during transfer. In addition, the study highlights differing definitions of independent learning between individual school and classroom contexts. The second considered barriers to the continuous development of independent learning. It further identified the distorting influence of SATs, firstly on a child’s development of independent learning, and secondly, on differences of definition between primary and secondary contexts. It suggested that skills recognised in independent learning are situated within almost singular contexts of primary school. When transferring to secondary school, there is an increased challenge for children to transfer these skills into multifarious contexts. Finally, the study identified the differing challenges of language demands on a child’s continuous learning, specifically • inconsistencies of curriculum terminology between primary and destination schools. • differing language clusters that children develop during group work. I observed that these clusters were transferred within each independent learning activity, but were not recognised in the analysis of my secondary classroom observations. This raised the issue of teacher expectations, questioning whether on transfer teachers expect all children to be classified as ‘workers’, rather than consultant, leader, engineer or technician within group and learning activities. • the role of ‘strong’ and ‘weak’ learning relationships between effective partnerships of ‘novice’ and ‘expert’, concluding that weak novice-to-novice relationships affected the continuity of learning. Findings common across all three cases exposed wider implications for transition. These were compared to the ORACLE studies (Galton et al, 1999b; Hargreaves and Galton, 2002). Recommendations offered were to: • ensure the continuity of learning progression, • promote active participation in learning, • improve the quality of children’s work during the transition period.

Learner autonomy has become the latest buzzword in the world of EFL pedagogy and practice, but what do contemporary practitioners and learners of EFL understand by learner autonomy, what do they believe it is, and do they consider it to be valuable? The purpose of this mixed-methods study in Spain is to garner teacher and student perceptions of this popular notion – to identify and compare their beliefs and understandings of autonomous learning and learners within the Spanish EFL context. Specifically, we are focused upon a comparative interpretation of the desirability and feasibility of autonomous learning habits, decisions and abilities. Research findings extracted through both an online questionnaire and six follow-up interviews demonstrate that teachers and students share predominantly positive views of autonomy, however students are more enthusiastic about extending their decision-making in the classroom than their learning abilities and capacities. Several gaps between teacher/student perceptions, and desirability/feasibility are identified, with teachers' data also serving to suggest several possible restrictions upon autonomy that may stunt it's progression in the EFL classroom.

The purpose of this study is to investigate the effect of web supported statistics education environment for graduate level students. The aim was to develop a web support system to ease the graduate students&#039 / understanding of statistical concepts. This study also examined the perceptions of the students about web supported instruction. Although there are some studies conducted about technology aided statistics education, they are insufficient in the amount according to other areas. Besides these few studies were conducted mainly among lower grades. There is a need to find out and overcome students&rsquo / learning difficulties about statistical concepts in graduate levels. The intention of the study was to construct a web support system for traditionally offered Educational Statistics course in order to decrease both instructor and students efforts to communicate, present, reach and use the resources. The subjects of the study were 21 graduate students of Educational Statistics course offered. None of the subjects was offered an on-line course before. The study used both quantitative and qualitative measurements to analyze the effectiveness of the site and perceptions of the users. The results of the study indicated that there was an improvement in students&rsquo / achievement related to educational statistics through web supported instruction. Besides, the perceptions of the students were collected with interview questions about the functions and usability of the system. The highly positive perceptions of the students showed that, it is necessary for the students to have such a course support system. The framework was developed not only support for traditionally offered courses, but also support for lifelong learning processes. The researcher believed that the study revealed the most realistic usage pattern of a course support system. The results can be used by the instructors in order to offer the best web support system with minimum effort. Moreover, the proposed system can be used in any learning content management systems without the need for technical knowledge.