Fostering Independent Learning

“Harvey and Chickie-Wolfe....provide detailed strategies that empower students to self-regulate in several areas including motivation to study and learn, emotional reactions to learning, behavior, time management and organization, cognition, metacognition, executive functions, academic abilities, and how to successfully take tests. The book also includes extensive checklists, worksheets, and handouts that have been created to teach and facilitate this program....The focus of the authors is very much on target as they address the difficulties that regularly occur in today's classroom....This book makes worthwhile reading by professionals and the strategies certainly could be incorporated into general education settings, especially for older students. More likely, special education teachers and those providing academic intervention services will embrace these methods.”

—NASP Communiqué


“This is a 'must-have' text for university trainers, students, and practitioners who work in classrooms or collaborate on teams to enhance learning and academic achievement for all students. The book provides a concise theoretical framework, a review of associated educational psychology research, and specific recommendations for practice. Readers learn evidence-based instructional strategies that are easily embedded into classroom, small group, or individual instruction across the curriculum. Real-life vignettes and case studies are employed strategically throughout the text to demonstrate how the ideas apply to all types of learners. I will definitely adopt this book as a required text in my graduate Academic Intervention course. This is a core course for all students in our school psychology program and is also taken by students preparing to be school counselors or special educators. The text is ideal for guiding class discussions, helping students design and deliver individual or small group instruction, and teaching them how to formulate successful classroom and home-based learning recommendations for teachers and parents.”

—Gloria Miller, PhD, Child, Family, and School Psychology Program, College of Education, University of Denver


“An essential resource for anyone who works with struggling students. This book offers practical strategies for addressing specific academic skill deficits and teaching general study skills that can be applied across academic domains—but it also goes much further. Readers, whether seasoned professionals or graduate students, will acquire a rich understanding of the underlying psychological factors that influence learning, and ways to translate that understanding into day-to-day practice.”

—Peg Dawson, EdD, Center for Learning and Attention Disorders, Portsmouth, New Hampshire


“It is rare to find a resource that addresses so many different elements involved in promoting independent learning. As I read the book, I often found myself thinking, 'I never thought about that,' or 'I’ve got to try that!' Any content area teacher could implement these techniques with students. It is also an excellent resource for Study Skills classes. I really appreciate the ready-made forms at the end of each chapter for implementing the techniques discussed.”

—Clover Noack, MEd, Reading Specialist/Curriculum Coordinator, Fort Zumwalt School District, O’Fallon, Missouri


“This book helped me to create more specific goals with my students, and to help them develop a real-world, problem-solving mindset. Our teaching lives are revitalized when we are surrounded by a class of motivated, problem-solving, self-reflective students. The authors of this practical book present ways to get students to 'buy in' to learning. The concrete steps presented for each academic subject area, and the wide assortment of charts and checklists to use with students, are a goldmine. I used the lists, charts, and rubrics right away in my private practice.”

—Kendra Wagner, MAT, MS, reading and writing consultant and tutor, Seattle, Washington