Teaching assistants support teachers and help children with their educational and social development, both in and out of the classroom. In secondary schools, teaching assistants are often known as learning support assistants.
The roles and responsibilities of teaching assistants are varied and differ between schools. Your job can include:
- getting the classroom ready for lessons
- listening to children read, reading to them or telling them stories
- helping children who need extra support to complete tasks
- helping teachers to plan learning activities and complete records
- supporting teachers in managing class behaviour
- supervising group activities
- looking after children who are upset or have had accidents
- clearing away materials and equipment after lessons
- helping with outings and sports events
- taking part in training
- carrying out administrative tasks
To support pupils with particular individual needs, some teaching assistants work one-to-one, while others work in small groups. Many schools employ teaching assistants with particular specialisms, including literacy, numeracy, Special Educational Needs (SEN), music and creative arts. If you are bilingual, you might do more work with children whose first language is not English.
Experienced and specially-trained teaching assistants can be expected to supervise a class for a teacher who is off sick or undertaking training. While every class must be allocated a qualified teacher, Higher Level Teaching Assistants (HLTAs) would be expected occasionally to lead a lesson.
Skills and experience you’ll need
- An ability to build good working relationships with both pupils and adults
- Good organisational skills
- Flexibility and creativity
- Enjoy working with children
- Good literacy and numeracy skills
- Ability to manage groups of pupils and deal with challenging behaviour
- Patience and a sense of humour
- In some jobs it could be useful if you have IT skills or are fluent in local community languages
Individual schools set their own entry requirements and decide which qualifications and experience they need. You can get an idea of what you're likely to need by looking at jobs advertised locally. Many will require you to have qualifications in literacy and numeracy at GCSE or equivalent.
Previous qualifications in nursery work, childcare, playwork or youth work can be useful for finding work.
The following qualifications are available for those not yet employed in the role:
- Level 2 Award in Support Work in Schools
- Level 2 Certificate in Supporting Teaching and Learning in Schools
However, these awards are solely theory-based, without requiring a placement in a school, so it is important to check with the school whether they would accept the qualification.
You may be able to become a teaching assistant through an apprenticeship scheme. The range of apprenticeships available in your area will depend on the local jobs market and the types of skills employers need.
Before you can begin working with children, the school will carry out enhanced background checks through the Disclouse and Barring Service (DBS).
Disclosure and Barring Service
Training and development
Once working as a teaching assistant you should complete an induction programme. New and experienced teaching assistants can expand their knowledge by taking other qualifications such as:
- Level 3 Award in Supporting Teaching and Learning in Schools
- Level 3 Certificate Supporting Teaching and Learning in Schools
- Level 3 Diploma in Specialist Support for Teaching and Learning in Schools
These qualifications are available at local colleges and through apprenticeships. To gain the certificate and diploma you would be assessed at work, so your job would need to include responsibilities suited to each qualification.
With experience, you may be able to progress to senior assistant or be assessed for Higher Level Teaching Assistant Status.
As an experienced teaching assistant, you may be able to study for a foundation degree. You can find a list of courses by searching under 'Teaching Assistant Studies' in the subject group section of the UCAS foundation degree website.
UCAS foundation degree website
Some TAs go on to train as teachers. So if you’re thinking of going into teaching in the long term, then working as a TA can be an excellent place to start your teaching career. To find out more about careers in teaching, see the Get into Teaching website.
Get into Teaching website
Note: In Scotland the term 'Classroom Assistant' and 'Pupil Support Assistant' is used more than 'Teaching Assistant'. For more information contact Skills Development Scotland: www.myworldofwork.co.uk
In Northern Ireland contact Careers Service Northern Ireland: www.nidirect.gov.uk/careers
In Wales / Cymru contact Careers Wales: www.careerswales.com


Pursuing online degree in early childhood education offers a convenient and flexible way to train as a teacher in a primary school, Kindergarten or preschool.
Online courses and programs from an accredited school let you learn the skills needed for this rewarding profession without leaving your current job or sacrificing your lifestyle.
During the program, you will learn how to succeed at teaching younger children. This includes teaching them basic skills like speech, shape recognition, and other building blocks of learning.
You will understand how children develop, and study effective methods for classroom instruction. You will even learn how to communicate with parents, other teachers and the school community.
As a teacher, you will be faced with issues other than how to help children read and write. An early childhood education online degree will teach you how to create a learning environment that allows every child feel included. You will learn to think critically about other problems faced in the classroom, and how to use the latest research to enhance learning.
Coursework for early child educators covers classroom instruction, curriculum development, and childhood development. Some programs also include a research or field experience that allows you to observe and interact with young children in a classroom setting. These types of hands-on experiences provide you with valuable insight into your future career, and enables you to put into practice the skills and knowledge you learn in the program.
Undergraduate programs are designed to prepare you for certification as an early childhood educator. Many preschools require you to have at least an associate’s degree. Some employers prefer that you have a bachelor’s degree. You can choose to specialize in certain areas like special education or reading instruction.
Masters and doctoral programs in early childhood education are designed for people with prior teaching experience. They include more coursework and emphasis on child development and instructional design. A PhD program is primarily designed for those who want to conduct research in early childhood education, or become master teachers or school administrators.
An associate’s or bachelor’s degree in early childhood education prepares you for employment in public and private schools (PreK through Grade 3), Head Start programs, child care specialist, child life specialists and various childcare centers. If you are already a teacher, a graduate degree will give you the additional knowledge to help you advance in your current position. You will also be able to teach or do research in early childhood education at universities.
The job outlook for early childhood educators is expected to be good over the next decade as federal funding for programs related to this field increases. Qualified preschool teachers should have very little trouble finding a job, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. There is a high turnover in this field as people leave for other occupations, or because of low wages.
Job prospects for teachers in grades K through 3 will vary depending upon the subject and the region. Many K-3 teachers are generalists, while some may focus on reading or science. Positions will be more readily available in urban or rural areas where schools have difficulty attracting qualified teachers, or teachers leave after only a few years.
Special Education Degrees: Special education instructors are trained to work with students with mild to moderate disabilities. As with early childhood education, this degree can lead to state licensure as a Special Education teacher. Some states let you become double certified in Special Education and Elementary Education after completing the online degree.
Reading Specialist: Reading specialists work with students to help them read, write, and communicate. This degree is often offered as a master’s degree program, and is taken by current teachers who have a strong interest in literacy. The program can lead to state licensure as a Reading Specialist.
Return to the top of Online Degree in Early Childhood Education Programs


Family and kids' activity holidays
It sometimes seems that your child spends more time off school than at school, and filling those days can be a real challenge for parents.
But in this section of the site you’ll find lots of ideas for activities to keep kids busy in the holidays, how to sort summer childcare, planning family holidays, the benefits of summer camps, plus great activities for sunny (and rainy days).
You can also head over to our Forum where other parents will be able to offer you some great tips too.
Keep boredom at bay with some brilliant puzzles for KS1 and KS2! Your child will need to use all their spelling and numeracy skills to solve wordsearches, crosswords, Sudoku and Wordoku – and there are a few extra challenges to keep them busy, too!
Our collection of word puzzles for Key Stage 1 and Key Stage 2 are perfect for long car journeys or waiting around in airports. Each one covers a different concept that your child will learn in English lessons, but presents it as something to solve by remembering what they've been taught in class. A great way to reinforce what your child is being taught while engaging them in some brain-training fun!
Planning a holiday in France? Give your child a head start with our beginner's guide to French, designed to help them grasp basic vocabulary and form simple sentences. We’ve asked a native French speaker to record all the words and phrases in the pack, so your child will hear the correct pronunciation and intonation, just as they would on an audio language course. Bonne chance!


Photo by Democracy Chronicles on Flickr.
Malala, through her organization The Malala Fund, continues to work towards her goal of having every girl complete 12 years of school.
According to the Malala foundation website:
“We advocate — at local, national and international levels — for resources and policy changes needed to ensure all girls complete 12 years of school. We invest in developing country education leaders and organisations — the people who best understand girls in their communities — in regions where most girls miss out on secondary education.”
The Malala Foundation fulfills their mission statement by implementing four types of programs: Educating Girls in Pakistan, Alternative Learning Programs, Education in Emergencies and 21st Century Skills.
All four programs focus on providing young girls and adolescents with basic primary education in areas where it is not easily accessible. The programs transcend across the Global South. While catered to their own basic needs, the core value that is implemented is making these young girls competitive for the work force in their own economy. For example, at Malala Yousafzai’s all girls school in Lebanon, “The new curriculum will enable students to receive their baccalaureate or vocational degrees through the Lebanese Ministry of Education and Higher Education or the Syrian equivalent,”(Malala.org)
Another example of this is the Learning Clubs implemented by the Malala foundation in Northern Nigeria:
“The Malala Fund is providing funding to the Centre for Girls’ Education (CGE) to support hundreds of in- and out-of-school girls in Northern Nigeria through learning clubs held in spaces in the community where adolescent girls can meet safely on a regular basis. In these community-based safe spaces led by a local mentor, groups of girls are taught literacy and numeracy skills as well as life and livelihood skills. Funding also supports CGE’s provision of scholarships to cover school-related expenses for girls in secondary school. The project is reducing social and economic barriers to girls’ education, helping to delay marriage, and expanding the critical years in which girls can acquire assets and skills that will serve them as adults.” (Malala.org)
The over arching message of Malala and the Malala Fund is that every child should have a primary and secondary education, including girls, and that the world will only be better off for it.


From early history, satirists have used depictions of man as animal to critique human behaviors in order to suggest that we are still rather savage in the ways that we act. Animals have been a sort of tool for exposing some of man’s greatest folly due to the fact that these depictions are attention grabbing; humans do not generally prefer to be depicted as savage and tend to take offense. Thus, analogies comparing humans to animals reveal to society that its behaviors are lowering humanity to the level of beasts, and perhaps open people’s eyes to how ridiculous the acts they are engaging in are.
Because people were particularly offended at being depicted as socially equivalent to an animal, these satires were able to become a strong critique of society in the nineteenth century. One particularly popular satirist that arose from the nineteenth century was J.J. Grandville, a cartoonist that sought to expose the rotten underbelly of society through his illustrated works. In an article on Huffington Post, Boria Sax points out that the ways in which Grandville’s cartoons satirize animals make the “animals […] really humans in disguise.” By creating an artwork in which “[p]eople are bestial while animals are human,” (Sax) Grandville is able to use his animals in order to propose judgments about human society. Sax argues that “[Grandville’s] animals dress in human clothing not to reveal their basic humanity but, rather, their (and our) essential strangeness.” Therefore, while it is likely his cartoons were somewhat offensive to the eighteen hundreds’ society, Grandville’s cartoons remain to be whimsical satire on human nature.
The work here is titled, “Conjugate the Present Indicative ‘I Am Bored’,” and features an image of a group of parrots being taught in a school by a donkey. Although featuring animals, Grandville’s cartoon looks highly mocking of human society, because the animals are very human in the way that they are dressed and positioned. Therefore, we can be inclined to imply that Grandville is making a statement about the nature of elementary education, where the teachers are merely asses, and the students are parrots mimicking what they are taught by an ass. In his book Satire: Spirit and Art, George A. Test mentions that “the cartoons of J. J. Grandville […] have served the satirist as a device for commenting on human behavior.” We can see this very occurrence in our particular cartoon, as Grandville comments on the poor nature of education, lowering humans to animal levels in order to make the criticism in his cartoon.
J. J. Grandville’s popularity in the 1800’s demonstrated that his works were a success. And although perhaps offensive to some, Grandville’s satires did expose the elite layer of society as being particularly foolish in its practices and behaviors. Grandville’s satire seemed to target the middle and lower class audiences by picking at upper class society to give the middle and lower classes a good laugh, undoubtedly offending the elite class that his satires criticized.


This is the 3rd of 5 units in Digging Reading, a classroom curriculum for teaching reading comprehension strategies.
Unit 3: Questioning and Predicting
Questioning is at the heart of reading and learning. And, Predicting is often a natural outcome of questioning. These two strategies are the focus of the 12 lessons in Unit 3. Students learn to read with questions in mind, gathering text clues in order to form answers. They also make predictions about what they are going to read and note whether their predictions are correct as they read on.
Students learn the reading strategies through activities and interactive reading of the trade book Frindle by Andrew Clements. All materials are provided except the trade book.
You will receive:
• Teacher's Guide (PDF)
The Teacher's Guide provides step-by-step instructions for four lessons and answers to the Activity Book pages.
• Activity Book (PDF)
The Activity Book is designed with plenty of student appeal! Thematic illustrations enhance the activities, whether students are reading a passage, working with a partner, or recording their ideas.
• 3 Posters (JPGs)
Full-color posters, all with an archaeology theme, provide visual reminders of the strategies and how to use them.
• 11 Transparencies (PDFs)
The transparencies are used to model the strategies, stimulate thinking, and gather class input.
• 3 Quizzes with Answer Keys (PDFs)
Each week of instruction ends with a quiz.


Activities that involve letter recognition, art, pretend play, nursery rhymes and storytelling all help toddlers and preschoolers develop the skills they need to learn to read. Children begin developing reading and writing skills at the same time that language skills develop, and this process typically starts in early infancy. Social interactions with adults and other children, routine reading time with caregivers, and everyday activities, such as grocery shopping, outdoor exploration and free play, naturally aid in literacy and language development.Continue Reading
Online resources such as Starfall.com contain good activities to help teach letter recognition and phonics. The site introduces letters and sounds to toddlers through interactive videos and music. Preschoolers learn to recognize words and sentences, and they have access to interactive games that reinforce emerging literacy skills.
Coloring, painting and craft projects help children develop the fine motor skills needed for writing. These activities also provide preschoolers and toddlers with an outlet for creative expression, which helps build language and communication skills. Pretend play and storytelling have similar effects, and all of the activities have a direct impact on literacy development in early childhood.
Nursery rhymes, finger plays and sing-along songs usually contain repetitive patterns that help children develop a better understanding of oral language. This provides toddlers and preschoolers with a strong foundation for developing reading and writing skills.Learn more about Parenting


Fun Giants Causeway Quiz – FREE Online General Knowledge Quiz for Kids
Enjoy this Easy Science for Kids Giants Causeway Quiz – you’ll get your quiz score after completing this FREE online interactive quiz on Giants Causeway. You need to answer all the questions to be able to get your score. You can do this fun quiz about Giant’s Causeway again, till you get the perfect score and become a quiz champion!
Tip: To get it right the first time, read the page with fun facts about the Giant’s Causeway.
About Our FREE Online Giants Causeway Quiz
Our easy science quizzes are a free online quiz resource for teachers and educators of kids in elementary school, grammar school and preschool. This fun Giants Causeway quiz helps your kids learn fun facts about Giant’s Causeway while enjoying this FREE general knowledge quiz for kids.
If your child is home-schooled by you, or is in an after-school enrichment program, then this is a fun activity, with reading comprehension benefits for kids in grade 1-5. Kids will enjoy competing against their classmates and friends, to see who gets the best score, doing this free and fun interactive science quiz on Giant’s Causeway.
As a reading comprehension training activity for kids, you can set a timer to encourage kids to do the reading comprehension activity faster, or you can limit the number of times they can read about the quiz topic, before they do the actual interactive quiz questions and answers game.
Younger kids who cannot yet read or write, such as Pre-K kids, Kindergarten kids or Preschool kids, will benefit from doing this and our other fun science quizzes, as a listening comprehension activity; you read out to them about the topic and then read the quiz question and answers. You will select the Giants Causeway quiz answer they think is correct, and at the end you get the Giants Causeway quiz score. Your child can try again and again, till gets the perfect score faster, as he or she learns to listen more carefully and develop a better memory and attention span!
Cite This Page
You may cut-and-paste the below MLA and APA citation examples:
MLA Style Citation
Declan, Tobin. " Fun Giants Causeway Quiz – FREE Online General Knowledge Quiz for Kids - ." Easy Science for Kids, Aug 2017. Web. 19 Aug 2017. < http://easyscienceforkids.com/fun-giants-causeway-quiz-free-online-general-knowledge-quiz-for-kids/ >.
APA Style Citation
Tobin, Declan. (2017). Fun Giants Causeway Quiz – FREE Online General Knowledge Quiz for Kids -. Easy Science for Kids. Retrieved from http://easyscienceforkids.com/fun-giants-causeway-quiz-free-online-general-knowledge-quiz-for-kids/
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Literacy is a life long journey. It begins at birth with parents talking, singing, cooking, making things, reading, playing games, telling stories and sharing experiences with their child. At the NWT Literacy Council, we call this stage of the literacy journey “family literacy”. It starts at birth and lasts until a child enters elementary school.
Family literacy is about families doing things together in their everyday lives. Family literacy is based on the understanding that school is not the only place where learning happens — parents are their children's first teachers. Both parents and children benefit from spending time and learning together.
Family literacy programs work because they build on things that families are already doing — buying groceries, going out on the land, getting kids ready for bed. Family literacy programs show families how all these activities can be literacy or learning activities.
Here are some examples of how literacy activities can be part of your family's everyday routine:
2. Make reading a story or telling family stories a part of your bedtime routine.
3. Pass the time in line-ups or waiting rooms by singing songs or saying rhymes together.
4. Pass on your own experiences and skills when you are on the land.
5. Find ways for your child to help prepare food. Use measuring cups and spoons to build numeracy skills or a younger child can stir things and count the number of stirs.
How does your family work literacy into everyday life? You can share your family literacy stories or pictures on our Facebook, Twitter or Instagram feeds. You can also participate in 1000 Books Before Kindergarten for a chance to win a literacy prize pack! And remember, you can use our free and fun family literacy resources.
— Emily Smith


Both educators and learners should be urged to keep an accurate learning journal. Through this autobiographical means, the individual will understand their past learning experiences and how they relate to current learning and teaching incidents. By using this tool, students and educators can understand their personal learning style and how it may be manifested in the classroom. As each learning experience is recorded, they should be used to engage in a reflection period to discuss and ponder on what was learned as well as the method. The results of developing a learning journal and reflecting on these experiences lead to enhanced self-esteem, an evaluative competence of self, acquiring learning principles, accepting responsibility, gaining social forms of learning and being prepared for lifelong learning. (Arikan, 2011; Dam, 2011).
It is essential for educators to investigate their personal learning experiences to understand themselves not only as learners but as instructors. Osterman & Kottkamp (2004) emphasize the importance for educators to understand their learning experiences to enhance their ability to recognize their reactions to their students. Through this means, patterns can be observed and developed or altered as needed. Additionally, it is advantageous for educators to notate their feelings and emotions in learning experiences which only develops the ability to identify particular practices within their profession. The greatest benefit to the learning journal is the development of sensitivity and responsiveness instructors feel as they make connections with their students as they both succeed and struggle during the learning process.
The process of learning from one’s past experiences and current learning as well as teaching experiences needs to be continued through the use of the learning journal. This record will continue to allow for the facilitation of the learning process and individual reflection. However, the recording process does not need to be time consuming. One teacher simply jotted notes of personal remembrance in the margins of her lessons plans, allowing her to revisit them at a later day. Another simple method is through bullet journaling where a record is created through quick bullet points. Despite how a learning journal is kept, the methodology of self-reflection is an opportunity with little risk to the participant (Brookfield, 1995).
Only as both the strengths and weaknesses of these experiences are carefully recorded and reflected upon do educators have the ability to address the strengths and weaknesses of themselves and their students. Armed with this knowledge, they are able to compensate and adjust accordingly (Brown, 2012). They are able to completely understand how their students feel and experience when approaching a new learning opportunity and recognize any gaps between reality and the desired outcome while addressing the fissure before facing a catastrophe (Brookfield, 1995).
Arikan, A. (2011). Classroom texts and tasks for promoting learner autonomy in teacher education programmes: a postmodern reflection on action. In D. Gardner (Ed.) Fostering autonomy in language learning (pp. 166 -172). Gaziantep: Zirve University.
Brookfield, S. (1995). Becoming a critically reflective teacher. San Francisco: Josey-Bass.
Brown, D. (2012). Student self-directed learning. Retrieved from http://ssdl.blogspot.com/2005/03/what-makes-good-learner.html
Dam, L. (2011). Developing learner autonomy with school kids: Principles, practices and results. In D. Gardner (Ed.) Fostering autonomy in language learning (pp. 40-51). Gaziantep: Zirve University.
Osterman, K. & Kottkamp, R. (2004). Reflective practice for educators: Professional development to improve student learning. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
By Tracy Atkinson
Tracy Atkinson, mother of six, lives in the Midwest with her husband. She is a teacher, having taught elementary school to higher education, holding degrees in elementary education and a master’s in higher education. Her passion is researching, studying and investigating the attributes related to self-directed learners. She has published several titles, including Calais: The Annals of the Hidden, Lemosa: The Annals of the Hidden, Book Two, Rachel’s 8 and Securing Your Tent. She is currently working on a non-fiction text exploring the attributes of self-directed learners: The Five Characteristics of Self-directed Learners.


Why is play important?
Research indicates that play has a a positive effects on early childhood learning and development, showing strong links betwen creative play and language, physical, cognitive, and social development. Play is an important part of childhood, allowing children to develop socio-emotional intelligence that prepares them for success in school and beyond. Coupled with a rigorous academic curriculum, the right mix of play and instruction may hold the secret to success.
The Guardian hosted a live chat on learning through play, and research by Play England, outlined in its Play for a Change report, found that play not only aids children's mental and physical health, it teaches them risk taking and problem solving skills, promoting imagination, independence and creativity.
A recent article in The New York Times highlighted schools and districts that have begun to change traditional practices and policies regarding the role of play in education.
How does play factor into curriculum? How can educators harness natural curiosities in order to motivate young students to embrace a culture of learning?
Cover photo from flickr user.


The report and review of literature discusses instructional and assessment practices associated with limited-English-proficient (LEP) adults, and recommends that literacy providers use alternative forms of instruction and assessment for this population that are based on: (1) an explicit emphasis on writing; (2) use of the learner's own cultural experiences; and (3) the teaching of cognitive skills and their relationship to real-life text-processing demands. The confusion surrounding English oral proficiency and English literacy is examined, as is the role that native language literacy plays in development and subsequent acquisition of the second (i.e., English) language. It is concluded that by teaching for and emphasizing literacy rather than oral language proficiency, LEP adults are aided in coping better with ever-increasing literacy demands of society. An appended table illustrates a recommended instructional approach to dual (native language/English) literacy development. Contains 64 references.
Available at: http://works.bepress.com/ronald_solorzano/4/


It is a sad fact that arts programs of every stripe are often the first to get the axe at public schools when funding is cut. Art and music are viewed by many as nonessential, and from a purely academic sense this is true. Few occupations require a background in these areas, unlike language and mathematics, which are essential to all kinds of professions. And yet, there are so many benefits to be gained by not only exposing children to music, but also educating them through vocal or instrumental instruction (in other words, offering band, orchestra, or choir lessons). While many schools still provide students with the opportunity to take such classes, it is incumbent upon parents to ensure that children become involved in musical courses. And when schools don’t offer instruction, parents need to find other ways to provide their kids with this useful tool. Here are just a few reasons why your children will continue to reap the benefits of such instruction now and in the future.
For starters, experts agree that students who appreciate music tend to be better able to focus on cognitive tasks. This could be due to the fact that an early and ongoing education in music helps the brain to develop in a number of ways. Studies have shown that kids exposed to musical instruction tend to display increased language and reasoning skills when compared to children who have no musical background. These kids are also more likely to harbor the ability to think outside the box and come up with creative solutions to problems. And recent studies have indicated that there may even be some kind of connection between music and the development of spatial awareness, which means that it could help just as much in the arena of mathematical abilities as verbal ones (although further research needs to be done to quantify such a relationship).
In addition, musical instruction can help students in the academic arena. Starting kids with an instrument or vocal lessons from a young age can teach them discipline and problem-solving skills, amongst other things. Regular practice sessions can familiarize them with the learning and performing format present in most classrooms. And learning about their instrument of choice will help them to become confident in their abilities to succeed and to solve problems. They’ll discover that hard work can help them to reach their goals, and that issues with their musical endeavors have answers that can be found and corrected. An instrument that doesn’t sound right can be tuned, for example. These lessons may help them to focus in class, have the confidence to participate, and even enjoy greater success when it comes to exams (since they are already comfortable with performing).
Of course, you don’t need a masters degree in music education to know that music can also open an entirely new world for kids, one in which you don’t need to speak another language in order to communicate with people and cultures around the world. Music can expose children to ideas and sounds they never dreamed of. And it can help them to establish their own personalities and ideas while offering them a unique means of expressing themselves. In short, musical education opens all kinds of doors and offers kids many opportunities they might not otherwise enjoy. So as a parent, you should try hard to ensure that your kids have music in their lives, even if that means teaching them yourself.


This paper overviews the decline and revival of music education in New South Wales schools from 1920 to 1956. Commencing with a focus on vocal music during the period up to 1932, a time of decline in music teaching, the paper examines initiatives introduced in 1933 to address shortcomings in music education, and the subsequent changes in curriculum and teaching during the 1930s. Evidence of a variable revival lies in the school choral music movement of 1939 to 1956, and in how music education diversified beyond its vocal heritage from the late 1930s and early 1940s, with new emphasis on music appreciation, percussion, flutes, and recorders. By the mid 1950s, involvement in, and quality of, school instrumental music was continuously improving.
Chaseling, M & Boyd, WE 2014, 'The decline and revival of music education in New South Wales schools, 1920-1956', Australian Journal of Music Education, vol. 2, pp. 46-61.


Welcome Back to the 5 Days of Teaching Art at Home!
High School Fine Arts Course
Sponsored post and affiliate links.
You know how much I love See the Light. I would encourage you to use their art curriculum whether I received compensation or not. All opinions are my own unless otherwise indicated.
Many students need to take a high school fine arts course to meet their graduation requirements. Depending on the school, students may need either a half or full art credit. This may be accomplished by taking either visual arts, performing arts, or an art appreciation course. Let me show you how SEE THE LIGHT products will provide instruction for a visual arts course.
Pat Knepley is the Master Artist at SEE THE LIGHT. She is also a member of the National Art Education Association. Pat has inquired about the National Visual Arts Standards. They are as follows:
- Visual Art Standard #1: Understanding and applying media techniques and processes.
- Using new materials and techniques appropriately.
- Visual Art Standard #2: Using knowledge of structures and functions.
- Understanding of art elements and art principles and using appropriately to complete a project.
- Visual Art Standard #3: Choosing and evaluating a range of subject matter, symbols and ideas.
- Evaluating how artworks differ visually and how symbols are used in history and culture.
- Visual Art Standard #4: Understanding the visual arts in relation to history and cultures.
- Describe and explore meaning of specific Art works within time, space and culture.
- Visual Art Standard #5: Reflecting upon and Assessing characteristics and merits of their work and the work of others.
- A student’s self evaluation once project completed.
- Visual Art Standard #6: Making connections between visual arts and other disciplines.
- Art and literature
- Art and history
- Art and science
- Like color theory
It typically takes 60 hours of instruction for a course to qualify for a half-credit. Students will receive 70.5 hours using SEE THE LIGHT products for their high school fine arts course. The best part is the students do not need to leave home to receive a quality art course.
Art Projects (Viewing and Project Time):
O’Keeffe – 4 hours
Seurat – 4 hours
Thiebaud – 4 hours
Chagall – 4 hours
Homer – 4 hours
Degas – 4 hours
Van Gogh – 4 hours
Rousseau – 4 hours
Tiffany – 4 hours
Bible Stories (Viewing and Project Time):
Gift of Love (Christmas Lessons) – 5.5 hours
Crossmaker (Easter Lessons) – 5.5 hours
God’s Runaway (Jonah) – 7.5 hours
Shipwrecked (Paul) – 7.25 hours
God’s Special Surprise (Moses) – 7.75 hours
Cartooning Basics: – 1 hour
Total Art Instruction = 70.5 hours
You may create a full credit for a high school fine arts course by studying each artist in more depth, writing essays, completing a final project, and viewing websites featuring virtual art museums.
You may learn more about the products above by visiting the SEE THE LIGHT website.
Do not forget to enter into the giveaway.
I invite you to read other articles from the TOS Review Crew by clicking on the image below.


Why 45% of India’s disabled are still illiterate and thousands dropping out of schools
The 2011 census says 45% of India’s disabled population are still illiterate, compared to 26% of all Indians. Once in school, these children need user-friendly instruction and teaching equipment, apart from special educators, who are hard to come by.editorials Updated: Jun 28, 2017 12:50 IST
The motto for the Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan, the national educational initiative to help realise universal elementary education policy, goes: “Every child with special needs should be placed in regular schools with the needed support services.” But a look at the ground realities of the country’s disabled population illustrates that it is just another utopian ideal. The government’s initiative may promise free education for all children between the ages of six and 14, but those with special needs form the largest out-of-school group in the country. Two tier-2 towns in Uttar Pradesh exemplify this. A recent Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan study said 3,417 disabled children had no access to education in Agra and 3,400 in Bareilly. Bareilly and Agra are not aberrations to the trend. More than 25 lakh school students in India are identified as Children with Special Needs. But the 2011 census says 45% of India’s disabled population are still illiterate, compared to 26% of all Indians.
The dropout rates for physically challenged students are high. Of persons with disability who are educated, 59% complete Class X, compared to 67% of the general population. In a country that has almost universal primary school enrolment, a 2014 ‘National Survey of Out of School Children’ report put the number of special-needs children between six and 13 years of age who are out of school at 600,000.
Once in school, these children need user-friendly instruction and teaching equipment, apart from special educators who are hard to come by. The apathy towards training as an educator to teach children with special needs appears to be growing. In Agra’s 2,970 primary schools for instance, only 37 special teachers report to work. On top of it, there is a policy dichotomy. Even as the ministry of human resource development propagates an inclusive-education model where special kids study in regular classrooms, the ministry of social justice and empowerment vouches for separate schools for children with special needs. Till the nation begins to be serious about educating the country’s divyang population (disenfranchised but divine) as Prime Minister Narendra Modi likes to call them, the accomplishments of the Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan will continue to have a hollow ring to them.


Art and Fun With Numbers
- I am posting this to the art education list because of the references to art. Heidi Spietz, American Montessori Consulting http://www.amonco.org
âA mind that is stretched by a new experience can never go back to its old dimensions.â Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr.
Mathematics need not be an intimidating subject. Although some of us are naturally more gifted with a talent for number-related exercises than others, these essential life skills can and must be mastered, at least at a certain level, by all children, if they are to function successfully in their adult lives.
An important step in that mastery for many students is building math confidence from a young age. Math confidence starts with numeral familiarity, and it can further be built by including fun and interesting numeral and math activities daily throughout a childâs life.
As parents and teachers, we need to look for ways to keep numbers prominent in childrenâs lives, and to help children have both daily successes and daily play with numbers and math. Visit http://montessori21stcentury.wordpress.com/2012/06/11/fun-with-numbers/ or http://montessori21stcentury.wordpress.com for some ideas to help get you started.


The trombone is a musical instrument in the brass family. Like all brass instruments, sound is produced when the player’s vibrating lips (embouchure) cause the air column inside the instrument to vibrate.
Unlike other brass instrument that using a valve, the trombone mostly uses a telescoping slide mechanism that varies the length of the instrument to change the pitch, but special variants like the valve trombone have three valves, like those on a trumpet.
A person who plays the trombone is called a trombonist or trombone player.
As portrayed in Hibike! Euphonium
There are six students that play trombone in Kitauji's Concert Band, including:
- Shuuichi Tsukamoto
- Hideri Noguchi (Principal Trombone)
- Sayaka Fukui
- Maki Akamatsu
- Mei Taura
- Sekina Iwata
Noboru Taki also played trombone from elementary school through college, where he majored in music education with a concentration in trombone performance. Mamiko Oumae also played the trombone until she had to quit to focus on academics, and Azusa Sasaki, a friend of Kumiko's from middle school, plays the trombone at Rikka High School.
- The trombone is the only instrument in the wind band other than the B♭ clarinet that can slide smoothly between wide pitch intervals.
- Trombonists are often stereotyped as being annoying, overly talkative people. Trombonists are also most often the greatest pranksters in the band, and often round up members from all over the brass section to aid in their various shenanigans.
- Trombones, and bass trombones in particular, are said to have the following dynamic range: on or off.


YouTube in Music Education
Book. Softcover. Published by Hal Leonard (HL.332856).
Item Number: HL.332856
ISBN 1423479386. 6x9 inches.
The first complete music educators' guide to harnessing the power of YouTube for students, YouTube in Music Education teaches instructors how to tap into the excitement of YouTube with students by creating, posting, and promoting videos on the most popular media service in the world. Explaining how to record and edit videos, add effects, and upload content, Dr. Tom Rudolph and Dr. James Frankel describe everything from the basics of video production to advanced applications for use in the classroom.
The authors explain how teachers can use YouTube privately with their students and integrate it with websites and blogs. Educators can use YouTube for applications that include creating instrument and software tutorials, evaluating group and individual performances, sharing content with students, and other uses.
• More than 50 strategies for integrating YouTube into the music curriculum
• Tutorials on video and audio production and preparing and uploading content
Music educators selected this book as “The Best Web Tool” in the Tools for Schools poll at the 2010 NAMM show!


Recently, there has been a great debate around the creation and implementation of an online platform that allows high school students to take classes and obtain their degrees. Advocating for children to stay in their own four walls and study the necessary subjects one would need to obtain a degree – a degree that is clearly not holistic and cannot equate to being in a high school atmosphere. One example of this system in our society is, Memphis, Tennessee. They require its students to take an online course to graduate. It is understandable why policy makers, teachers and parents are promoting this system – the educational atmosphere is no longer a safe environment and the ever-increasing budget cuts. Online classes still may not be the best solution to the problem and seems like a cop out resolution. I am not dismissing the great strides and efforts to reduce bullying and gun violence don’t think they should go unnoticed but it does leave many with questions like: Are those the sole reasons for an online high school degree? Are those reasons sufficient? How are educators and parents going to ensure the “typical high school experience”? Are online courses comparatively cheaper? All great questions to consider, however not the questions that I want to focus on in this post; the question that I will be discussing is how does obtaining a high school degree from the internet effect the arts and how/if a child receives art education.
The transition from a conventional high school education to online classes can be extremely problematic. It removes half of a child’s education, the humanistic aspects and simply reduces it to reading, writing and arithmetic. The arts & crafts component of school has been eliminated. Are children going to have an online application for painting, sculpture and pottery? I don’t believe that is possible and would not be hands-on and interactive. I often here my father and his friends talking about their “home ec” classes, learning to cook apple pie or fix a flat tire but all skills transferable to the real world – real life competency. These home ec courses taught high school students how to care for a life-like baby doll, manage money, reading an apartment lease and attain car insurance. Contrary to practical, hands-on examples, there are also disciplines that focus on the human condition and foster critical, innovative thinking. Fine arts, performing arts, literature, philosophy, religion and history are examples of humanistic study, subjects that require students to use core skills (reading, writing and arithmetic) as a tool and foundation that enables innovation. An educator can teach a student that 1+1=2 but if that student doesn’t know what 2 means or the different components that went into creating that 2, how can anyone expect that student to effectively and efficient use that 2? In other words, learning that 1+1=2 is a success but how can an individual take that 2 and make it a significance?


This project aims at improving the health of children by ensuring the availability of safe water and sanitation facilities in government schools. The project will also help to develop appropriate management systems involving the school development and monitoring committees (SDMCs), teachers, and students for sustaining the efforts. Lessons and best practices will also be disseminated to larger audiences and relevant government authorities.
Kalike is a nodal agency for Kalike Samrudhhi Upakram, a learning enhancement initiative set up by the Navajbai Ratan Tata Trust, focusing on improving quality of elementary education in selected districts of Karnataka. Specific projects include facilitating systemic reform in elementary education by working with the existing system and strengthening it; working with multiple stakeholders to influence and enhance the child’s learning; recognizing and enhancing the active role of the teacher in creating child-centered classrooms; promoting professionalism within elementary education; and developing process-oriented interventions to address challenges in making elementary education accessible, meaningful and enjoyable for children.


Winona Middle School offers a variety of musical experiences for our students. Band, Choir, Orchestra, and Exploring Music are all classes that our Middle School Students may choose to participate in. All ensemble classes provide free lessons given by our music staff.
Winona Middle School celebrates our rich heritage of musical excellence and continues to strive to provide a diverse and wide range of musical elective classes for our students. Our "Middle School Philosophy" encourages students to try a variety of musical experiences. Studies prove that participating in music helps to boost test scores in other subject areas, promote creative thinking, and sharpens fine and large motor skills. Being a part of an ensemble also helps to strengthen team work and public speaking abilities...skills needed for a lifetime! Our staff is eager to help students to find their musical 'niche' as they explore the music offerings at Winona Middle School. WMS encourages students to explore all that music and being a part of a music ensemble can offer!
Winona Area Public Schools Music Department Philosophy and Goals
The primary and essential value of music education rests in the opportunity it presents to our students for a joyous participation and appreciation of music. Music is an experience that expands, deepens and enriches life while simultaneously enhancing academic rigor. We believe all students have an inherent right to pursue this experience in accordance with their respective needs, interests and abilities. Underlying all of the above is the need for broad knowledge and comprehension of music's fundamentals, thereby providing a firm foundation in the musical arts. With these things in place, we can strive to foster a lifelong understanding and appreciation of music.
1. Introduce students to various areas of music through a variety of experiences.
2. Provide a well-rounded learning experience in the fundamentals, refinement and performance of music of high artistic merit.
3. Motivate students so that they are willing to learn, whether looking towards present or future participation, or as a music consumer.
4. Identify the musical abilities/talents of students through testing, observation and evaluation.
5. Provide the opportunity for the student to participate in activities to further creativity and expression in composition, performance, analysis, appreciation and both passive and critical listening.


Talking to, reading to infants benefits their cognitive development
This study uses a nationally representative sample of 9-month-old infants and their families from the Growing Up in Ireland (GUI) study to investigate if reading to infants is associated with higher scores on contemporaneous indicators of cognitive development independently of other language-based interactions between parent and infant, such as showing them pictures or talking to them.
Reading to infants had an independent positive effect on scores for both the problem-solving and communication subscales of the Ages and Stages Questionnaire (ASQ), while the positive effect of showing pictures was independent only for communication scores.
The effects of both of these activities were, however, less substantial than the positive effect observed for the more informal activity of frequently talking to the infant while doing other things; and this was observed for both communication and problem-solving.
The analyses were robust to adjustment for several other factors including maternal education, gestational age, non-parental care, breastfeeding, attachment and presence of siblings.
The findings highlight the potential of reading and talking to infants, not just for language and literacy development but also for other aspects of cognitive development.


By Teachers, For Teachers
One of the single most important tools a student has is her take-home folder. This folder is the best classroom management home/school connection a teacher has. Not only is it a great tool for communicating with parents, but it is also is a great way for students to learn some responsibility. Students learn quickly that they must bring their folder to and from school each day. The “Take-home folder” has become a classroom management staple in many elementary school classrooms, so much so that educators from all over the country have shared how they manage and organize their folders. Here are a few teacher-tested classroom management ideas on take-home folders for you try out in your classroom.
Instead of a two-pocket folder, many teachers opt for a binder because they feel it is an easier and more organized way to place important documents. An example of this comes from a kindergarten teacher in Upstate New York. This teacher uses a binder to help her communicate with parents more easily. She uses page protectors to keep papers in place, and makes sure to always have the following items in the binder at all times:
In addition to all of that, she leaves the front pocket for any homework that may be due, and instructs parents to use a hole punch to place any important notes or papers onto the front page of the binder.
An easy way to help your little ones stay organized is to have them trace both of their hands on a colorful piece of paper and cut them out. Have students place their left-hand cutout on the left side of the folder, and their right-hand cutout on the right side of the folder. On the left hand, write the words “Left at home” and the right side of the folder, write the words “Right back to school.” At the end of each day, have students place the papers that are to be left at home on the left side of the folder, and the papers that are to come back to school on the right. It’s a cute and clever way to remember which papers stay at home and which need to come back to school.
Many teachers find that placing their take-home folders in student mailboxes is an effective way to organize the take-home folders. All you have to do is purchase a few plastic drawer organizers and write each student’s name on the front of one drawer. Each morning, after students take out the contents of the folder and place it in the appropriate bin, they then place their folder into their own mailbox. This mailbox can also house any important papers that need to go home. It is then the students’ responsibility to take all of the contents in the mailbox and sort it into the take home folder.
There are many ways that you create, organize, and implement a take home folder into your classroom. Here are a few more additional ideas that teachers find to be effective and efficient.
How do you organize your classroom take-home folders? Do you have any classroom management tips on how to create, organize, or implement the take-home folder? Please share your ideas in the comment section below.
Janelle Cox is an education writer who uses her experience and knowledge to provide creative and original writing in the field of education. Janelle holds a Master's of Science in Education from the State University of New York College at Buffalo. She is also the Elementary Education Expert for About.com, as well as a contributing writer to TeachHUB.com and TeachHUB Magazine. You can follow her at Twitter @Empoweringk6ed, or on Facebook at Empowering K6 Educators.


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Freak the Mighty Research Project
Transcript of Freak the Mighty Research Project
-Hard time talking
-Mixing letters up in reading
-Hard time learning
ETC. 1 out 10 students drop out of school because of repeated bullying. This language processing disorder can hinder reading, writing, spelling, and sometimes even speaking. some types of learning disabilities Dyslexia - Dyscalculia refers to a wide range of lifelong learning disabilities involving math. Dyscalculia - Dysgraphia- This LD affects writing and can lead to problems with spelling, poor handwriting, and putting thoughts on paper. Dyspraxia, a disorder that affects motor skill development Dyspraxia- Now facts about..... And now facts about....... DON'T BE A BULLY!!!! Learns rapidly, easily memorizes and masters,
advanced vocabulary,and goes beyond assigned tasks
some characteristics of a gifted learner are... THATS ALL!!!!!!!


University graduates with lower levels of literacy
Date posted: November 6, 2014
One of the findings from the Programme for the International Assessment of Adult Competencies (PIAAC) was the significant number of university graduates with low literacy and numeracy skills. Statistics Canada has just released an Insights on Canadian Society report, University graduates with lower levels of literacy and numeracy skills, studying the adults aged 25 to 65 with a university degree who were in the lower range of literacy skills, numeracy skills or both. Included in the study are the factors most likely to be associated with lower levels of literacy or numeracy among university graduates.
Here is an overview of the results:
- Of all Canadian adults aged 25 to 65 in 2012, 49% were in the lower range for literacy proficiency, 55% were in the lower range for numeracy proficiency, and 43% were in the lower range for both literacy and numeracy.
- University graduates were less likely than other educational attainment groups to be in the lower range for skills. For example, 27% of university graduates were in the lower range for literacy skills, compared with 88% among those with less than a high school diploma.
- Foreign-born university graduates were more likely to be in the lower range of literacy and/or numeracy. For instance, 45% of them were in the lower range for literacy, compared with 16% of Canadian-born university graduates.
- Among the Canadian-born university graduates, the proportion of those in the lower range for literacy and numeracy varied across various factors, such as age, field of study, and number of books at age 16 (used as a proxy for cultural capital).
- Canadian-born university graduates who were classified in the lowest skill proficiency levels were as likely to be employed as those who were in the highest levels, but those who were employed were less likely to work as professionals or managers.


I have always been under the impression that the collection of European folktales during the 19th century was an expression of “Romantic Nationalism”, a desire to connect with a simpler and more rural past. My impression isn’t entirely wrong. The Grimm brothers’ activities were certainly part of German Romantic Nationalism.
What about Asbjørnsen and Moe? There was undoubtedly a nationalist movement in Norway in the 19th century. Sweden tended to view Norway as a colony. The Norwegians disagreed. The two nations shared a king, but was that king the king of Sweden (and Norway) or of Norway and Sweden? This flag of the two kingdoms is a rather evocative illustration of the uncomfortable union between Norway and Sweden.
Norwegian political nationalism wanted to tell Sweden “you’re not the boss of me.” Culturally, Norway had spent 400 years as part of Denmark. Educated Norwegians spoke a language called Dano-Norwegian. Culturally, the Norwegians wanted to establish that they were not Danes
But did they want to return to a simpler and more rural past? Not so much, according to a fascinating article by JoAnn Conrad.
In “This is what trolls really look like” Conrad points out the sharp contrast between nineteenth century Germany and Norway. At that time, Germany was rapidly growing into an urban industrialized nation. The remaining peasantry were, the Volk were illiterate, landless, and still living in near-feudal conditions. The Grimms’ (who were librarians, that is to say academics) interest in the stories of the Volk was somewhat removed from the reality of rural life.
The emerging Norwegian middle class had no need to romanticize a life still lived by ninety percent of the country. And rural life was different in. The early adoption of elementary education Norway meant that the bonde or “peasantry” were relatively well educated. They were often landowners and had already won the right to elect representatives to parliament.
Although Asbjørnsen and Moe modelled their published collections of folktales, the Norske Folkeeventyr on the Grimms Kinder- and Hausmärchen, their approach to (and according to Conrad) reasons for collection were quite different. Asbjørnsen as a forester and Moe as a priest were both civil servants who worked in close contact with the bonde. They walked the land themselves, talking to the people who told the stories. And they published the stories as children’s literature, stories for use in educating the children of Norway. The stories were from the past but harked to the future. And these stories are, for the most part, the ones I will be telling during Experience Norway at the Musical Instrument Museum the weekend of December 6 and 7th.
Harriet has told stories at the Phoenix Fringe and at the Gila Bend Shrimp Festivals. She’s taken part in the AZStorytellers Project and in StoryRise events. As an instructor at the South Mountain Community College Storytelling Institute, she has performed in many events including the La Lloronathon and a number of Myth Informed concerts.


In a recent study to determine why some individuals who experience symptoms for acute coronary syndrome decide to seek medical attention more quickly than others, a University of Oklahoma researcher has identified numeracy -- the ability to understand and apply numerical concepts as the primary decision delay risk factor for individuals experiencing the medical condition. Cardiovascular disease, which includes conditions such as acute coronary syndrome, is the number one killer worldwide responsible for about one in three deaths.
Edward Cokely, Presidential Research Professor and associate professor of psychology, OU College of Arts and Sciences and National Institute for Risk & Resilience, and his collaborators followed up with 102 survivors within five days after having experienced ACS. A questionnaire was administered to measure numeracy, decision delay and other relevant factors, such as anxiety, depression, symptom severity, knowledge and demographics. Cokely and collaborators learned that numeracy assessments may predict which patients are at greater risk for life-threating decision delay, which could support development of risk communications for a diverse range of patients who vary in risk literacy.
"We have better insights as to why people do not go to the hospitals, so now we have to find a way to empower these people. Asking specific questions and creating individualized plans or interventions could reduce a person's risk in the future," said Cokely.
Dafina Petrova and Rocio Garcia-Retamero, researchers from the Mind, Brain and Behavior Research Center at the University of Granada, coordinated the international patient study with collaborators from the Cardiology Department at the University Hospital Virgen de las Nieves in Spain. Eligible patients who agreed to participate in the study were identified by a qualified practicing cardiologist who also extracted information regarding final diagnosis and angiogram results. Special care was taken to minimize any burden on patients due to fatigue, illness or other difficulties.
"Seeking medical attention quickly during ACS also reduces the risk for complications that lower quality of life and increase the burden of follow-up care for individuals, families and health systems," said Petrova.
In this study, low patient numeracy was related to longer decision delay, which, in turn, related to higher odds of positive troponin (a protein that indicates heart damage) on arrival at the hospital. A patient with high versus low numeracy was about four times more likely to seek medical attention within the critical first hour after experiencing symptoms. ACS survival rates and outcomes can be improved by up to 50 percent when treatment is administered within one hour of initial symptoms.
A patient's decision to delay treatment can increase the risk for serious complications, major disability and even death. A skill relevant to decision delay is a person's practical ability to solve problems involving probability, which is a predictor of diverse health and medical outcomes. Patients with lower numeracy tend to have more negative perceptions of health. They are more likely to be hospitalized and visit emergency services more frequently.
Numeracy is a predictor of health outcomes because it is closely related to general-decision making skill. In particular, numeracy skills help people evaluate and understand risk--i.e., risk literacy (see http://www.RiskLiteracy.org for an example of a two-minute statistical numeracy test designed for educated adults in industrialized countries). Research shows that numerate people generally deliberate more during decision making, becoming better-informed decision makers who more realistically evaluate decision benefits, risks and tradeoffs. They also spend more time thinking about their own reasoning and feelings, more precisely integrating available information into an intuitive mental model.
Numeracy is an acquired skill that can be improved through deliberate practice and formal education. Even short training interventions help patients, medical professionals and primary school children solve complex statistical reasoning problems. Well-designed decision aids that help individuals represent relative risks and relationships without requiring mathematical transformations can eliminate large differences in decision quality between more and less numerate individuals.
During ACS, the decision to seek medical attention may involve many skills, such as estimating severity and intensity and identifying and evaluating sources of risk precisely and confidently. Acknowledging symptoms as urgent or serious and association of symptoms to a heart attack are two factors that lead to shorter decision delay times. As numeracy fosters an understanding of the ACS risks and tradeoffs, more numerate people are likely to recognize the potential of and need for immediate action.


The unique curriculum of Sesame Street Preschool to make children ready for school and for life
Sesame Street, America’s largest preschool educator is now in Bhagwat Nagar with Sesame Street Preschool, an early childhood education centre to help children reach their highest potential.
Sesame Street, an American educational brand, has been making engaging preschool content for children for over 40 years. It has now entered the preschool space in India with a view to create a paradigm shift in the way preschool children are taught.
- The curriculum goes beyond ABCs and 123s to instill the skills of ideation/ creativity, confidence, communication and collaboration– skills that are needed not just for school but for life.
- The curriculum integrates the best practices from 6 schools of thought including Montessori, Reggio Emilia, Dewey, Vygotsky, Piaget and Howard Gardner along with Sesame Street’s learning for over these years.
- The curriculum while being global is benchmarked to the National Curriculum Framework (the early childhood curriculum guidelines as mandated by the Govt. of India). Hence each activity is not only age appropriate but developmentally appropriate. Language progression is based on using sounds that are more familiar to Indian children and numeracy skills are taught not through worksheets but activities and games.
- A unique six-step process is followed to ensure that children understand the concepts – the 6 steps include introduction, recall, demonstration, reinforcement, reflection and application.
- Understanding that each child learns differently a variety of materials are used to reach out to every child – videos, games, puzzles are used along with printed materials.
- The physical space is designed not just to be safe for children but also interesting and linked to the curriculum. So children learn about the weather not just in the classroom but by using the weather board; learn numbers through the hopscotch and other such elements that have been built into the preschool.
- The Sesame Street learning is extended beyond the school, when the children follow their beloved Muppets on the Galli Galli Sim Sim television show (broadcast on POGO and Doordarshan National).
- We provide parents with a huge amount of resources so that they are integrated in their child’s learnings.
Below are the details of our programmes
Sesame Street Preschool – runs:
- Beginners: A Parent-Toddler program targeting the 12 months to 2 year old age group and that focus on building on their social and motor skills through play. It also develops their receptive and expressive language, helps the child understand relationships with self, peers, and loved ones and nourishes curiosity and enjoyment of activities and objects.
- Aanchoo’s Bookroom: A programme aimed at developing language and social skills in children while fuelling their creativity and imagination. This is a programme for 3-7 year olds.
- Discoverer’s Club: An experiential learning programme designed to foster problem solving and logical thinking skills by using science, technology, engineering, arts and maths concepts. The programme is for children between the ages of 6-8 years. The programme has 3 modules- Detective, Inventor and Explorer.
- Playdates: A unique concept where children can be exposed to the Sesame Street methodology. This is a structured play time designed to foster social skills. Here 2-8 year olds enrol for a class to make new friends while enjoying various fun activities.
Welcome to Sesame Street!
To see our content please visit – www.sesamestreet.org and www.galligallisimsim.com
To know more about our preschools please visit www.sesameschoolhouse.in, or follow us on: facebook / linkedin. For any queries please contact:
Mobile- +91- 9811734703


MA School Psychology
College of Science & Mathematics
Elementary school teaching; Computer-assisted instruction
Elementary Education | School Psychology
Technology runs the modern day world. Children whom are born in this generation are highly dependent and easily soothed by the electronics and television. Statistics show that children from ages 6 to 11 spend around 28 hours a week watching television. 71% of adolescents 8-11 have a television in their bedroom. (Television TV and Children: Your Child, n.d). Is it possible that this dependency on electronics have infiltrated our children's awareness in the classroom? Smartboards are very popular in schools today. In some schools, they are used throughout the entire day. Smartboards are used for basic instruction, interactive classroom games, displaying videos, and used as a classroom tool for most teachers in America. This study is primarily aimed to determine if children are able to recall information more accurately by the means of electronic devices or by general education teaching methods.
Ross, Keanna Marie, "The effects of students' ability to recall information based on teacher methods" (2017). Theses and Dissertations. 2447.


There are six provincially-funded school systems in Durham Region.
In addition, there are a variety of private and independent schools. Students attending private and independent schools pay fees to attend.
Visa students: Newcomer students who come to Canada on a student visa and pay fees to attend public schools are called visa students.
Parent-teacher interviews are held two or three times a year at the end of each term when report cards are sent home. They are opportunities for parents and teachers to talk together about how to help each child succeed in school. Learn about what to expect and how to prepare for these on the settlement.org website.
Registering for School
What to bring with you when you register for school:
- proof of student's age – birth certificate or passport
- proof of address – copy of a bank statement, telephone or electrical bill, or apartment lease with your name and address
- proof of guardianship if the student is under 18 and is not living with a parent
- proof of student's immigration status
- Canadian passport, or
- Record of Landing (IMM 1000), or
- Confirmation of Permanent Residence (IMM5292) or
- Permanent Resident Card, or
- Refugee Protection Claimant Document (IMM 1442)
- student's record of immunization
Usually your home address determines the school your child will attend. This is called the “home school”.
Children from 6 years to 18 years are required by law to attend school.
Kindergarten programs are also provided for children at age 4 and 5. In addition, students may choose to attend secondary school past the age of 18 years.
Students are placed in elementary school by birth date. Secondary school students will have their credit status evaluated and will be enrolled in courses that are appropriate for each individual student.
ESL/ELD - English as a Second Language & English Literacy Development
In secondary schools, students learning English as their second (or additional) language may take courses in ESL (English as a Second Language). These are credit courses that count towards the student's graduation diploma. ESL courses help students develop English proficiency while learning content in other subject areas at the same time.
English Literacy Development (ELD) courses are for students who are learning English as a second (or additional) language and have gaps in their schooling.
Special education programs provide support for students with identified learning difficulties, complex learning needs and/or significant health needs. Students may need additional support for many reasons including physical, intellectual, emotional, speech or behavioural difficulties. Special education programs are also provided for students who are identified as intellectually gifted.
School Community Councils (SCC)
School Community Councils are an important part of our school communities. They provide strong links between home and school to create positive learning environments for students.
School Community Councils include parents, school staff, students and community.


Level: MS Art Education Lesson Plan
Art Elements: Pattern and Color
Art Skills: Drawing, Printmaking
* Get more free lessons like this, on our Lessons Page
My middle school students are constantly talking about playing video games. It seems to be the topic of conversation in my classroom. I created this lesson to incorporate their passion for playing video games with printmaking. Students design their own fantasy creature using yarn on cardboard. They print using tempera paint. Then they add color to their prints with watercolor paint. Finally they add lines and pattern with oil pastels. These fantasy creatures are the talk of the school!
Literacy connection: have students write a short story about their fantasy creature.
Option: Teach students about warm and cool colors. Students will create a warm and cool colored print. Have students use warm colored oil pastels on the warm colored print and use cool colored oil pastels on the cool colored print. (Or vice versa, warm oil pastels on the cool print.)
This great Art Ed lesson plan is 100% FREE to download! Use it in your classroom and share with your colleagues. For more free lessons like this one, visit our Lessons Page and download them all!


Being able to summarize information and to find the main idea is a critical skill, but students often struggle with the difference between a summary and a full retelling of what they’ve read. Using the GIST -- Generating Interactions between Schemata and Text -- strategy helps students get to the main idea quickly and efficiently. The method works with all types of text, so it is applicable to expository writing in science and social studies classes, as well as narrative works in language arts courses. Using a GIST statement to differentiate between main idea and supporting details may help with student writing, as well as reading skills.
The GIST Statement
By definition, the gist of a passage, conversation or other message is the essential message conveyed. With the GIST strategy, students are taught to use journalism’s 5 Ws and 1 H -- who, what, where, when, why and how -- to create a single-sentence summary. Typically, that summary is limited to 20 words or fewer, which helps students eliminate extra details. Students can apply the plan to longer works by writing GIST statements for each paragraph, section or chapter and then editing them to combine them all into a single 20-word summary. In this way, students distill the entire text to a main idea they can remember.
- ReadWriteThink: Get the GIST: A Summarizing Strategy for Any Content Area
- FCAT Express: Gist Strategy
- University of Central Florida: Stop Complaining and Get the G.I.S.T.
- Michigan Adult Education Professional Development: Reading Comprehension Strategies
- West Virginia Department of Education: GIST Strategy
- vitchanan/iStock/Getty Images


Crocodilians – It’s History, Types and Habitats
Crocodiles are reptiles like snakes and lizards, but did you know they’re more closely related to birds and extinct dinosaurs? It’s true. Crocodiles are about the closest we’ll get to the ancient dinosaurs. Crocodiles have been around for 55 million years. They live in rivers, lakes and wetlands in many warm parts of the world.
The crocodilian family includes alligators, crocodiles, caimans, and gharials. All these lizards have long snouts, sharp teeth and keen hunting skills. There are a few differences, though.
Fun Facts about Crocodilians for Kids
- Have you wondered how to tell the difference between a crocodile and an alligator? Crocodiles have longer, pointed snouts, while alligators have shorter, rounder snouts. Or, think about it this way: Alligators live in America; crocodiles don’t.
- Crocodilians are expert hunters. They have good eyes. They can see at night and under water.
- They also have good hearing. Crocodiles can hear their babies’ cries inside the eggs!
- Crocodiles will eat whatever they can catch – including wild pigs, water buffalo, deer, and sometimes humans.
- Crocodilians don’t chew their food. They bite off big chunks and swallow them whole.
- Ancient: very old
- Caiman: a small crocodilian
- Snout: nose and mouth
- Chunks: pieces
Learn More All About Crocodilians
Check out this cool crocodile video:
A video about the strength of a crocodile’s bite.
Crocodile Questions &Answers
Question 1: Are Crocodiles good mothers?
Answer 1: Crocodiles are the best mothers of any reptile species. They take care of their babies after they hatch until they can take care of themselves. Crocodile mothers are very protective over their nest. If you ever happen to stumble across a nest leave immediately and quietly.
Question 2: Are Crocodiles fast swimmers?
Answer 2: Crocodiles are expert swimmers. They can stay under the water for up to one hour and can swim at 20 miles per hour. If you see warning signs telling you to beware of Crocodiles, never enter the water or stay around the water banks.
Question 3: What is the largest species of Crocodile?
Answer 3: The saltwater Crocodile is the largest species. Saltwater Crocodiles are also known as Estuarine Crocodile, Marine Crocodile. Saltwater Crocodiles are not only the largest Crocodile species, they are indeed the largest reptile on earth.
Question 4: Do Crocodiles Sleep?
Answer 4: Yes Crocodiles do sleep but they are extremely light sleepers. They have excellent hearing and are always alert. They can actually sleep with one eye open according to Australian studies. They can also sleep with their mouth open…..scary or what.
Question 5: What is a baby Crocodile called?
Answer 5: A baby Crocodile is called a Hatchling.
Question 6: How long do Crocodiles live?
Answer 6: A Crocodile can live 70 to 100 years old, similar to us.
Enjoyed the Easy Science for Kids Website all about Crocodilians info? Take the FREE & fun all about the Crocodilians quiz and download FREE Crocodilians worksheet for kids. For lengthy info click here.
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Here you will find free art lesson projects for your kindergarten, first grade, second grade, third grade, fourth grade and fifth grade students. The lessons are free to use and of great benefit as a tool for educating your students in art. They include 30 art education projects per grade for a total of 180. These lessons cover line, shape, color, and all the elements of art.
I hope you enjoy the Arttango art education program. You don't even need to register.
Advantages and Benefits
The online art lessons are in a written format, but Arttango also has available these same lessons in a video format , which will further enhance and build your students understanding of art, giving them a strong comprehensive foundation for all things related to art.
Feel free to Contact Us for more information on Arttango art education video lesson series.


K-8 Curriculum Overview
We believe that the foundation of successful schooling is formed during the Kindergarten year through the development of positive attitudes and learning habits. Each child enters Kindergarten with a unique background of experiences. Therefore, the Kindergarten curriculum is designed to support the academic, social, emotional, and physical growth of each student. The instructional program is activity- and language-oriented, providing a secure and accepting environment that motivates each student to use skills when developmentally ready. The enthusiastic teacher plays a key role in providing a variety of experiences designed to nurture and develop each student’s needs and learning styles. School personnel and parents working together will provide for the individual development of the whole child.
District 47’s curriculum has been developed with the support and involvement of all levels of District educational personnel. The new Illinois Learning Standards, which include the Common Core State Standards, provide the framework and are incorporated into all areas of instruction. Teachers use the District’s curriculum guidelines to address state standards according to each student’s individual stages of development. Our teachers value each student’s developmental stage and base instructional decisions and assessment on his or her developmental level. Literacy instruction is cross-curricular and is based on a balanced literacy approach. With our District-developed Units of Study, we focus on foundational skills, literature, informational text, writing, language and speaking/listening skills. Mathematics instruction emphasizes conceptual understanding while building a foundation of basic skills. It focuses on hands-on learning while developing critical-thinking skills. Technology is used as an instructional tool to support and enhance all content areas.
In District 47, middle school includes grades six, seven, and eight. The goal of middle school education is to serve the unique developmental needs of young adolescents, including social, emotional, physical, and academic.
Early adolescence is characterized by dramatic cognitive growth which enables students to think in more abstract and complex ways. The curriculum, exploratory subjects (i.e. foreign language), and extra-curricular activities (sports and clubs) are designed to tap into young adolescents' boundless energy and curiosity. Students learn to understand important concepts, develop essential skills, and apply what they learn to real-world situations.
Middle school students require small learning communities of adults and children in which stable, close, and mutually respectful relationships support students' intellectual and social growth. To that end, our students are grouped in teams where each teacher specializes in one or two subject areas. Students move from class to class throughout the day but each team of teachers is responsible for a limited group of students.


Music education in addition to learning various instruments is becoming increasingly more interesting, competitive as well as in-demand. Apart from arts, science, music generally has switched to be both passion and also the profession on most music instructors, music artists and music teachers. With this particular, music instructors around the world are motivated and motivated to learn new methods, methods and methods greater than to what they're accustomed to. Here are the helpful piano teaching tips which will make both of you efficient and effective:
Some time and stress management. Music teaching in addition to teaching every other subjects requires time, effort along with other assets. Whenever you leave your class or private music studio, your projects does not stop. Sometimes you take the work together with you in your own home achieving incomplete companies, unchecked and unrecorded activities, worksheets and quizzes. Using these tiresome tasks, you have to learn to manage your time and effort and organize your workloads. Proper personal time management draws you closer to some more effective and happy teacher existence thus, getting rid of risks and likelihood of getting consumed with stress.
Continuous learning. Music instructors boost their abilities and get professional growth through various training courses, workshops and conferences. These number of training periods enable them to in building enough self-confidence and self-esteem in teaching people from various age range with various life styles. Using the type of professional development they've, they've become fully-outfitted with the proper abilities, understanding and expertise. Also, they have a tendency to update themselves using the latest piano teaching tips along with the latest and many effective music teaching methods.
Professionalism. This term has several meanings and significance. In one level to a different, this needs continuous learning, dedication and fervour. This describes good and reliable customer support, work ethics, and business integrity which are frequently arranged together and confused in other bands minds as you large concept. Others check this out as ones personal dedication to something that he is doing, thinks, states and feels.
It is a fact that music teaching is a large responsibility and noble profession thus, it takes enough time, effort and assets. To become labeled like a professional, music instructors must learn to handle different types of students, situations and conditions with all of composure, character and justness.
Consequently, music and piano instructors must voluntarily improve themselves for additional effective comprehensive, innovative and interactive teaching methods and methods making their students appreciate and love both learning music and music in general. As music teachers, remember that you could inspire your students in lots of ways and touch their lives too not only motivating and inspiring these to learn.
The above mentioned piano teaching tips allow many music instructors around the world consider themselves professionals and also have become worth respect, trust and appreciation whatsoever occasions. So make her outfitted with the proper weapons to create your students and fogeys understand that teaching is your profession and fervour teaching music off by heart.


The Crafty Kids Philosophy
A to Z
Arts and craft are a primary and irreplaceable mode of fine motor skill development.
Boys and girls enjoy crafts equally when they are given the opportunity to explore their interests.
Children have an innate sense of the beauty and finality of a completed project.
Developing art and social skills through crafting is empowering for children.
Encouragement and praise is integral to nurture children to take creative artistic risks.
Finishing a craft project provides children a sense of accomplishment and improves confidence.
Gender inclusive crafts allow children to embrace their individuality and help develope imagination.
How children create is more important than what they create.
It is important to encourage free expression of a child’s imagination even if it changes the original plan.
Just explaining to a frustrated child what a beautiful oops is can change that child’s life.
Kids should be spelled with a K, not Crafty.
Little caring gestures speak louder than words to show caregivers their children are in good hands.
Messy hands are a rare but much needed experience for kids growing up in the city.
Nurturing a child is the joy and primary goal of any good teacher.
Opportunity for conversation fosters conflict resolution skills, social skills, and self-expression.
Providing unstructured play time decreases the stress in a child’s life.
Quiet environments are sometimes what children want. Optional background music allows kids to choose.
Ruse, reduce, recycle.
Social skills development does not happen naturally and needs to be nurtured in small-groups.
Teaching art techniques in small doses allows children to learn art basics in fun, enjoyable, low pressure ways.
Using unique materials fosters creativity and outside-the-box thinking.
Variety is the spice of life and children benefit from trying new things.
Weekly themes help children focus and learn. They are fun too!
Xylophones, dolls, pots and pans, legos, trains, and other free play toys help children explore their own interests.
Young children thrive in a less structured environment.
Zebras, dogs, and caterpillars are adorable creatures to craft.


The Junior Phase of the Modern Studies course reflects the Experiences and Outcomes from Curriculum for Excellence in Social Studies.
Courses from S1 to S3 aim to develop literacy, numeracy and Health and Wellbeing skills
Developing Literacy Skills in Modern Studies
- Listen and talk with others when discussing about the how decisions are made locally, nationally and internationally
- Find and use data from sources and analyse them to produce a clear and concise point of view e.g human rights, child workers
- Take a point of view and explain it’s significance to the world e.g. War on Terror, power of the media
- Read to gain data for my investigations from a range of sources.
- Produce written pieces of work e.g. problems facing families on a low income
Developing Numeracy Skills in Modern Studies
- Analyse figures to produce selectivity and exaggeration
- Use figures to explain how evidence can support or oppose a poin of view
- Produce a relevant scale for a bar or line graph
- Use figures to make conclusions
Pupils ca be expected to present information in a variety of ways and interpret what it shows e.g. on bar graphs, newspaper article, powerpoint presentations
Developing Health and Wellbeing Skills in Modern Studies
- Through the various topics studied pupils will have a good understanding about the benefits of being fit and healthy
- Explore rights and responsibilities of individuals an groups
- Aim to improve and manage pupils own learning and encourage learning and confidence in others.
The in the whole Modern Studies Department has contributed to the school’s P7/S1, S1 and S3 Challenge Days. Pupils also take part in the Social Subjects interdisciplinary project “Our Scotland” making an imaginary web site about who makes decisions for us i Scotland and how people can participate in democracy.


Immaculate Conception School educates the whole child with a comprehensive, well-rounded curriculum that promotes academic excellence. The education curriculum emphasizes reading, writing, math, and science. Students also receive instruction in the social sciences, fine arts, physical education, health and wellness. A balance of curriculum and instruction is matched with innovation and creativity. Through research and a comprehensive in-service program, teachers incorporate best practices in the classroom.
ICS is proud to boast an active involvement in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) education. Our students regularly us scientific and mathematical concepts in their classrooms to solve real world problems.
ICS and the Monmouth College Elementary Education Department are excited to collaborate during the 2016 school year. As part of this collaboration, Monmouth College students will be working with ICS students in grades 1st-6th in small groups focusing on specific mathematics standards. This partnership is a great way for students at ICS to receive very focused mathematics instruction, which will support the concepts they are already learning in the classroom.
-Our eighth-grade students have outperformed public school students in both reading and math for the last 22 years. (US Dept. of Education, 2013)
-Our students graduate from high school at a rate of 99%. Of those, 86% attend four-year colleges, twice the number of public school students. (McDonald & Schultz, 2014)


Modes of inquiry
In a newspaper article I once read, a professor of music pointed out the advantages of music education for children. He wrote that music is one way of experiencing and accessing the world.
The literary critic Michael Orthofer expresses similar thoughts about reading novels:
ORTHOFER: But I definitely think [reading fiction] really expands my horizons in a way that other things can’t. Travel, talking to people, meeting people, reading the newspaper, following current events – those things obviously also help you understand the world better, but I think fiction adds a totally different dimension to it. And truly great fiction really can take you much farther than other things can, I think. (link)
Consider Hans Fallada’s novel “Jeder stirbt für sich allein” (“Alone in Berlin”) which takes place in 1940-1942 Berlin. The author follows a working-class couple whose initial hopes in Hitler are disappointed and who become estranged from the Nazi regime. They start to secretly distribute postcards with subversive messages.
I can’t visit the Berlin of the 1940s, but Fallada can take me there. And it’s easy to feel with them. The domesticity of the couple is familiar and typically German. And when they get caught and things turn violent, even the swearing is what you hear today.
The couple really existed, but Fallada didn’t try to find out any facts about them or to document their case. Instead he unearths the “inner truth of the narrative”.1
But an author can do even more, he can depict a world that does not and did not exist, but in our fantasy it could have:
ORTHOFER: Being not tied down. […] That nonfiction, the description of what has actually happened – first of all, it’s also very difficult to capture just precisely what has happened. And often fiction allows you to go beyond that, to imagine the reasons behind it, which you might not be able to if you were doing just purely following the facts, […]. (link)
Paul Theroux calls travel a “mode of inquiry” and that you could also call music and fiction.
The German original by Hans Fallada in the introduction to the book (added emphasis):
Nur in großen Zügen – ein Roman hat eigene Gesetze und kann nicht in allem der Wirklichkeit folgen. Darum hat es der Verfasser auch vermieden, Authentisches über das das Privatleben dieser beiden Menschen zu erfahren: er musste sie so schildern, wie sie ihm vor Augen standen. Sie sind also zwei Gestalten der Phantasie, wie auch alle andere Figuren dieses Romans frei erfunden sind. Trotzdem glaubt der Verfasser an die “die innere Wahrheit” des Erzählten, auch wenn manche Einzelheit den tatsächlichen Verhältnissen nicht ganz entspricht.