Educational reform efforts have failed to create widespread improvement. The authors argue that rather than trying to improve the existing system of education, a new learner-centered paradigm is needed that supports individualized learning. Such a significantly different system of education will require the systemic application of technology to…

This article describes instructional theory that supports post-industrial education and training systems--ones that are customized and learner-centered, in which student progress is based on learning rather than time. The author discusses the importance of problem-based instruction (PBI), identifies some problems with PBI, overviews an…

This article, the third in a series of four installments, begins by discussing the need for paradigm change in education and for a critical systems approach to paradigm change, and examines current progress toward paradigm change. Then it explores what a learner-centered, Information-Age educational system should be like, including the APA…

This article presents a detailed description of the powerful and necessary role which technology can play in the information-age paradigm of education described in the four articles comprising this series. This article calls for a learning management system (LMS), a comprehensive and integrated application of technology to the learning process,…

Proposes four main reasons that children are left behind in schools: unmet needs, lack of motivation, lack of foundation and prior knowledge, and lack of support for learning. Discusses Maslow's hierarch of needs; partnerships with parents; connecting to student interests; insisting on mastery; curriculum sequencing; brain-based research; and…

Explores whether technology might transform teaching methods that could result in greater improvement in learning. Discusses how broader changes in society might influence the issue of technology integration versus technology transformation; suggests principles for a learning-focused paradigm of education; and considers the roles technology might…

Discusses a process in which stakeholders in a community can engage to advance their thinking about beliefs regarding education and ideal visions of education, as a first step toward educational reform. Also presents some beliefs about education that include the roles of students, teachers, parents, administration, and the community. (LRW)

Elaborates on the nature of the new paradigm of instructional theories (May-June 1996 issue) by summarizing 21 theories that are described in "Instructional-Design Theories and Models: A New Paradigm of Instructional Theory." Divides theories into seven broad categories: understanding, problem-based learning, community of learners, high-order…

Describes three classes of variables which should be considered when one is designing instructional materials, doing research on instruction, or developing better methods of instruction, and proposes a classification scheme which is summarized in the last of the 13 figures that illustrate the article. A blbliography is included. (Author/RAO)

Discusses advantages and disadvantages of the lecture method as an instructional form; circumstances where lectures serve a useful purpose; the general lecture model, which includes an introduction, presentation, and summary; and three variations on this general model--interactive, demonstrational, and interactive demonstration lectures. (MBR)

Defines the discipline of instructional science, discusses its applications, and reviews three instructional models--the component theory display, elaboration theory of instruction, and motivational design of instruction--to illustrate the kind of integrative, multi-perspectived common knowledge base needed at this point in the development of…

Presents a prototype workshop to help train teachers for new roles in a new educational system. The future educational system is analyzed; the teacher's status in it is discussed, including instructional and organizational roles; and the current system is analyzed, including the teacher's status. (Contains 45 references.) (LRW)

Discusses the results of a three-year instructional research and theory-construction project which identified six basic areas which influence the quality of instruction, specify aspects of quality in each area, and prescribe specific methods for teachers and textbook writers to use in increasing their instructional quality. (RAO)

Discussion of learner control in instructional management describes six learner control methods: (1) content control; (2) sequence control; (3) pace control; (4) display or strategy control; (5) internal processing control; and (6) advisor strategies. Relevant literature, both theoretical and empirical, is reviewed, and learner control and…

Examines the concept of systemic change in education and reasons why it is needed in education today. Paradigm shifts in society and the relationship between society and education are considered; and features of an information-age educational system based on changes in the workplace and family are presented. (13 references) (MES)