Elementary education has often been accused of transacting its business in small coin,—of dealing with and emphasizing trivialities,—and yet every time that the scientific method touches the field of education, it reveals the fundamental significance of little things. Whether the third-grade pupil should memorize the multiplication tables in the form, “8 times 9 equals 72” or simply “8-9’s—72” seems a matter of insignificance in contrast with the larger problems that beset us. And yet scientific investigation tells us clearly and unequivocally that any useless addition to a formula to be memorized increases the time for reducing the formula to memory, and interferes significantly with its recall and application. It may seem a matter of trivial importance whether the pupil increases the subtrahend number or decreases the minuend number when he subtracts digits that involve taking or borrowing; and yet investigation proves that to increase the subtrahend number is by far the simpler process, and eliminates both a source of waste and a source of error, which, in the aggregate, may assume a significance to mental economy that is well worth considering.
In fact, if we are ever to solve the broader, bigger, more attractive problems,—like the problem of vocational education, or the problem of retardation,—we must first find a solution for some of the smaller and seemingly trivial questions of the very existence of which the lay public may be quite unaware, but which you and I know to mean an untold total of waste and inefficiency in the work that we are trying to do.
And one reason why the scientific attitude toward educational problems appeals to me is simply because this attitude carries with it a respect for these seemingly trivial and commonplace problems; for just as the greatest triumph of the teaching art is to get our pupils to see in those things of life that are fleeting and transitory the operation of fundamental and eternal principles, so the glory of the scientific method lies in its power to reveal the significance of the commonplace and to teach us that no slightest detail of our daily work is necessarily devoid of inspiration; that every slightest detail of school method and school management has a meaning and a significance that it is worth our while to ponder.
[Footnote 12: An address delivered before the St. Louis Society of Pedagogy, April 16, 1910.]
[Footnote 13: Dr. W.T. Harris.]
THE POSSIBILITY OF TRAINING CHILDREN HOW TO STUDY
In its widest aspects, the problem of teaching pupils how to study forms a large part of the larger educational problem. It means, not only teaching them how to read books, and to make the content of books part of their own mental capital, but also, and perhaps far more significantly, teaching them how to draw lessons from their own experiences; not only how to observe and classify and draw conclusions, but also how to evaluate their experience—how to judge whether certain things that they do give adequate or inadequate results.


For those who devour Comprehending Math as I did, their teaching will be clearer, bolder, more connected. And for the ultimate beneficiaries, they will have a chance to understand just how integrally our world is connected.
Ellin Oliver Keene, author of Mosaic of Thought
No matter the content area, students need to develop clear ways of thinking about and understanding what they learn. But this kind of conceptual thinking seems more difficult in math than in language arts and social studies. Fortunately we now know how to help kids understand more about mathematics than ever before, and in Comprehending Math you’ll find out that much of math’s conceptual difficulty can be alleviated by adapting what we have learned from research on language and cognition.
In Comprehending Math Arthur Hyde (coauthor of the popular Best Practice) shows you how to adapt some of your favorite and most effective reading comprehension strategies to help your students with important mathematical concepts. Emphasizing problem solving, Hyde and his colleagues demonstrate how to build into your practice math-based variations of:
- asking questions
- making connections
- determining importance
He then presents a practical way to "braid" together reading comprehension, math problemsolving, and thinking to improve math teaching and learning. Elaborating on this braided model of approach to problem solving, he shows how it can support planning as well as instruction.
Comprehending Math is based on current cognitive research and features more than three dozen examples that range from traditional story problems to open-ended or extended-response problems and mathematical tasks. It gives you step-by-step ideas for instruction and smart, specific advice on planning strategy-based teaching.
Help students do math and get it at the same time. Read Comprehending Math, use its adaptations of familiar language arts strategies, and discover how deeply students can understand math concepts and how well they can use that knowledge to solve problems.


This simple matching game is set to music and great for developing thinking and numeracy skills in a young child as they work out which animal to select from the nine different creatures at the bottom of the screen. Once they've made the correct choice each animal pair marches across Teletubbyland and then returns for the main parade at the end.
How to extend the fun
Ask your child what they know about the creatures taking part in the parade. Which one was the biggest and which was the smallest? Which ones can fly? Which one had a trunk? Which one had a shell on its back?
How to make a magic moment
Have your own little animal parade in your home! Choose which one of the creatures featured in the game you'd like to be and then get ready to walk flutter, slither or hop slowly across the room.


Selecting And Utilizing Recreational Reading Materials For The Middle School Classroom
Reading is a necessary and critical skill one needs to develop to communicate effectively in today's highly advanced and ever changing society. It is imperative that teachers around the world understand the importance of literacy development for struggling readers and aim to better understand their students' individual needs and abilities. More specifically, it is important that teachers provide equal access to reading opportunities and make an effort to provide appropriate
and interesting reading materials in the classroom setting.
The purpose of this study was to determine the reading attitudes and interests of middle school students and to assess how well these interests were being met through the use of recreational reading practices in the classroom, as well as the available reading materials accessible to them in the classroom. A student reading survey was administered to middle school students in suburban elementary school classrooms in Northwest Ohio. A semi structured informal interview was conducted with the classroom teacher.
This study identified three main findings that are of significance to literacy instruction in the middle school grades. First, there is a disconnect between student and teacher opinions on the effectiveness of classroom library materials meeting the reading interests of middle school students. Whereas teachers claim their classroom libraries are adequately supplied with a variety of materials that are engaging and of interest to students, students are claiming they are dissatisfied with the materials and tend to spend more of their time and efforts seeking reading materials from alternative sources. Second, students are showing interest in spending 30 or more minutes reading each day in school. This positive stance regarding reading needs to be encouraged by providing multiple opportunities for reading a variety of text. Lastly, there is a significant difference in how different teachers approach the use of classroom libraries. Each teacher maintains a different purpose for the classroom library and the role it plays in daily reading instruction, therefore playing a large role in students' reading experiences.
School:Bowling Green State University
School Location:USA - Ohio
Source Type:Master's Thesis
Keywords:classroom libraries book selection boys motivation to read recreational reading materials
Date of Publication:01/01/2009


Estyn report finds basic skills development failings in Welsh schools
15 May 2012
Many schools in Wales are failing to plan well enough how to develop the basic skills at Key Stage 3 according to schools' inspectorate Estyn. It found that many schools do develop literacy and numeracy skills in English, Welsh, maths and IT lessons, but not in other subjects. It also found that around 40% of pupils cannot read as well as they should as they start secondary school and some never catch up.
Estyn's chief inspector Ann Keane said:
We found that although nearly all schools have someone with overall responsibility for the development and implementation of skills, only a few schools successfully plan the progressive development of pupils' skills across the curriculum.
Read the full story at the BBC.
- Why the World Cup draw matters to schools in Blogs by Tom Palmer
- "Volunteering on Words for Work is a must" says Amanda Delaney, KPMG volunteer in Blogs by Guest blogger
- Tottenham Hotspur Foundation hosts event to kick-start children’s reading in Media centre
- Children’s on-screen reading overtakes reading in print in Media centre
- Michael Gove supports Premier League literacy programme that is boosting children’s love of reading in Media centre


Key factors in determining people’s health
Five key factors play an important role in helping determine whether people are healthy or not2. Many are linked to literacy in some way.
1. Living and working conditions
Income and social status are the most important factors in determining good health. People with higher income are likely to be healthier than those with low income. Literacy levels may affect both income and social status.
Employment can affect health in several different ways:
Literacy levels may affect a person’s ability to find and keep employment. Or, people may be unable to read safety notices.
Education affects health. People with higher education are likely to be healthier. They have better job opportunities and higher income. The security that comes from these makes them feel they have more control over their lives.
2. Personal health practices and coping skills
Stress, vulnerability and control affect health in a number of ways. Low literacy skills or unemployment are both stressful. People in these situations may feel they have no control over their lives and may have limited coping skills. These may lead to stress, which is a key factor in depression and other mental health problems, and may lead eventually to other illnesses.
Lifestyle choices affect people’s health. People who make choices that lead to a healthy lifestyle are at less risk of health problems than those who choose high-risk behaviours. For example, choosing to smoke puts people at higher risk of a number of different health problems, like heart or lung disease. Lifestyle choices may be linked to access to health information.
Social support networks are linked to better health. People need families and friends for support, especially when things are difficult for them. Those with a strong network of support are likely to be healthier.
Pre-natal and early childhood development are important stages of development. A child’s experiences during the first few years of life may have a long-lasting effect on his health. For example, if a pregnant woman drinks alcohol, it may put her baby at risk of serious health problems. Or, if parents help their children develop early literacy skills, this supports literacy development throughout their lives, a more indirect effect on health.
3. Physical environment
Physical environment affects health. The quality of people’s housing, the water they drink and the air around them are all factors in their environment. Housing quality may be related to income, which may relate back to literacy skills.
4. Health services
Health information is important in helping people make healthy choices. People who have difficulty reading will have difficulty accessing and understanding most health information. Health services contribute to good health. People need to have access to good health services, especially preventative health services. However, they also have to feel comfortable accessing them, and they have to know how to use them appropriately.
5. Biology and genetics
Genetics may affect people’s health. Some diseases that pass from a parent to a child may not be connected to literacy. Others, however, may interfere with literacy development.
|Previous||Table of Contents||Next|


Friday, 06 January 2012 00:00
(Editor’s note: Katie Cushman, of Levittown, is a sophomore studying at Stonehill College in Massachusetts. This letter is in response to a classroom assignment about reading theory, the power and benefits of reading aloud.)
I am an elementary education major and for my Reading Theory and Instruction class I recently read The Read Aloud Handbook by Jim Trelease. I’ve always had a love for reading since I was a little girl, but I never realized the importance of it until after reading this book.
I need to spread the word about the power of reading, especially reading aloud. Before I read The Read Aloud Handbook, I had no idea about the impact that reading aloud could have on a child. Not only does reading aloud broaden a child’s vocabulary, increase their attention span, and improve their test scores, but it also creates a stronger family bond.
Most people are under the false impression that reading and teaching a child to read is the job of the school and of the teacher. This is the farthest from the truth however. Although teachers play a huge role in developing children’s reading skills and creativity, the love of reading begins at home. Trelease explains that a school’s goal should be to create lifetime readers, but instead we create school time readers who never want to read a book outside of the classroom. Therefore, parents must develop the love of reading as early as possible, and there is no age too young or too old to start.
What is great about reading aloud is that it is relatively easy and affordable. The library is a great place to start. Getting a library card is free and children can pick out their own books, as well as books on tape that can be listened to in the car. Picking out books can be an extremely exiting event for kids, which in turn stimulates their desire to read. What is important to remember, is that children should associate reading with pleasure. A lot of times children associate reading with the displeasure of schoolwork, tedious or boring worksheets, activities, and tests. Trelease explains that every time we read to a child we are sending a pleasure message to their brains. In this sense, we are conditioning the child to associate reading with pleasure. “Reading is like riding a bicycle, driving a car, or sewing; in order to get better at it you must do it. And the more you do it, the better you get at it.” Reading is not mastered in one night. It is a continuous process that must be practiced to get more comfortable with it.
Parents and teachers must act as role models to their children and students. If parents and teachers don’t read, how do they expect to get their kids to like it? Children are like little sponges. They soak up what is going on in the world around them, so it is important that adults practice what they preach. If kids see the role models in their life reading, then they too will want to read.
Reading aloud is not just for younger kids; teenagers can also enjoy and benefit from this kind of reading. For teenagers, the prime objectives will usually be motivation to read outside of class, to younger siblings, or even their own children some day. A story in The Read Aloud Handbook that really caught my attention was about high school teacher Nancy Foote. Foote taught in an alternative high school where most of her students were convicted felons on probation, on house arrest, or fighting drug addictions. These students arrived late to class every day with no reason. To find a way to motivate them, Foote started reading the book Frindle by Andrew Clements. Three minutes before the tardy bell rang she would start to read aloud from the book. At first she felt silly because she was reading to an empty classroom, but soon the students began to come to class early to hear what was going to happen next. Not only were the students no longer late for class, but their attendance also improved. The students asked to borrow the book to read themselves, or even come in from lunch to have Foote read it to them. Studying to be a teacher myself, this story really inspired me and I hope one day I can have the same impact on my own students.
I am urging everyone, parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, and teachers to please get involved and read aloud to your kids! The Read Aloud Handbook is a must read for all teachers and parents. The book is full of great knowledge, personal stories and evidence of the power of reading. Please spread the word to your families and friends. Read aloud and see for yourself how great it really is!


New technology can provide powerful new tools for enriching the lives of poor people and communities in unprecedented ways. At least that was the view of the G8 Digital Opportunities Task Force in 2001. A view that is upheld and further explored in the pages of this book.
With an estimated 850 million illiterate people in the world today, this book explores how new information and communication technology (ICT) supports basic literacy and the information skills crucial for economic and social development.
New Technologies for Literacy Adult Education, published as a contribution towards the United Nations Literacy Decade (2003-2012), analyses two interconnected approaches to using ICT to support adult literacy and basic education. The first views ICT primarily as a set of instructional tools to help people acquire the skills associated with traditional notions of literacy. The second treats the relationship between literacy, technology and development in a more integral way.
The authors also consider the implications and options for policy makers in the use – and necessity – of expanded roles for new technologies in literacy development.
Daniel A. Wagner is Professor of Education and Director of the International Literacy Institute, co-founded by UNESCO and the University of Pennsylvania. He is also Director of the National Center on Adult Literacy at the University of Pennsylvania.
Robert B. Kozma is Emeritus Director, Principal Scientist and Fulbright Senior Specialist at the Center for Technology in Learning at SRI International.
Also available in the Education on the Move series


Online Degrees in Science Education
Science is responsible for some of the last century's greatest achievements: man walking on the moon, the development of the Internet and the turn toward alternative energy sources are just a few. Training in science education allows aspiring teachers to lay the groundwork for a new century of marvelous innovations and inventions.
Even at middle schools and secondary schools, the hard sciences are divided into their disciplines. At most institutions, students seeking a science education degree specialize in one branch of the sciences, dividing their coursework between classes in education and study of the material they hope to teach. Students can choose to specialize in one of five main areas of science education:
- Earth science
- Physical science
Naturally, there is likely to be some overlap between the disciplines. Future biology teachers will often find themselves learning organic chemistry. Earth sciences teachers, who aspire to disciplines such as geography and geology, will often take a few chemistry or physics courses to help round out their knowledge. Physical science teachers have to know a little bit of everything.
In many states, graduates can enter the education workforce with nothing more than a Bachelor of Science degree in education and a teaching certificate. Students typically focus on a specific level of education--elementary education, for instance, or high school--and tailor their coursework to suit that type of instruction.
Online degrees in science education can help teachers focus their knowledge in a particular area of science or move into science as a specialty. For first-time teachers, a student-teaching or internship component will likely be required at a local school; teachers who are already licensed should be able to complete the bulk of their work online.
For those who wish to teach at the college level, a graduate degree is required. While students may find the occasional university teaching job with a master's degree in education or in their chosen discipline, candidates who have earned Doctor of Philosophy degrees tend to fare best in the market for these positions.
Many universities offer online master's degrees in education, which might help teachers advance in the school system or qualify for higher pay. Education in the virtual classroom allows students to remain responsible to their work or family commitments while enhancing their knowledge and skill and working toward their academic goals.
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), a shortage of qualified teachers in the sciences--particularly chemistry and physics--should result in particularly good job prospects for science teachers. Overall, the BLS predicts job growth for teachers at all levels between 2008 and 2018. Take a look at these job growth percentages by educational level:
- Elementary school teachers: 16 percent
- Middle school teachers: 15 percent
- Post-secondary (university) teachers: 15 percent
- Secondary (high school) teachers: 9 percent
At the high school level, teachers earned a mean annual wage of $55,990 in 2010, the BLS reports. At the collegiate level, science teachers can earn significantly more. Consider the following 2010 salaries by specialty for science professors:
- Physics teachers, post-secondary: $86,560
- Chemistry teachers, post-secondary: $80,070
- Biological science teachers, post-secondary: $86,570
- Environmental science teachers, post-secondary: $78,490
- Atmospheric, earth, marine, and space sciences teachers, post-secondary: $90,660
Online degrees in science education can give students the specialized knowledge necessary to help meet the need for qualified science teachers, ready to train the next generation of innovators, experimenters and researchers.
- Careers: Degree holders commonly go into: education fields
- Salary range: $54,000-$90,000 per year for common careers, according to the BLS
- Education: The minimum educational requirement is a bachelor's degree
Online Degree Programs in Science Education
Earn your degree online with Grand Canyon University. We offer approximately 100 bachelor's, master's, and doctoral degree programs in a variety of fields that can be completed 100% online.
Study online with California University of Pennsylvania.
Work toward your degree online with Concordia University.
Why ASU? At ASU, learning online is effective, flexible and smart. Every program delivered online is developed by the same excellent faculty who teach on our campuses, and is designed to engage students and professors in meaningful ways. The result? Our students are an integral part of a New American University.
- MEd in Gifted
- Grad Cert in K-12 Online Teaching
Keiser University offers degrees in fields that are in demand and provides job placement assistance to all its students and alumni.
Earn a respected bachelor's degree, master's degree, or Ph.D. online at Walden University.
With more than 160 fully accredited programs of study, Liberty University Online offers degrees from the certificate to the postgraduate level.


WIDA 2013 National Conference
October 17-19, 2013
Visit the conference website.
Interim Assessments: Tools Supporting Collaboration Between Content and Language
As a new feature of WIDA’s assessment system funded by the ASSETS grant, interim assessments (IAs) are currently being designed to help provide support to both content and language specialists as they plan instruction for students who are developing proficiency in academic English. The new IAs are expected to be adaptive (“smart”) computer-based assessments that will allow educators the option of collecting data on their students’ current level of academic language proficiency within a specific Standard and across several domains, at multiple points during a school-year.
This interactive session highlights WIDA’s philosophy of bringing together educators and researchers to design relevant, educator-informed assessment tools. Participants will learn of the proposed design for these assessments, interact with sample items and test prototypes, and participate in focus groups to offer feedback to test developers. This feedback will be used by the test developers of the IAs as they think through which assessment modules to create and make available, as well as how to present the most useful information about students’ language proficiency to students, parents, teachers, and school administrators.
Presenters include: David Gabel
Thursday, October 17, 2013, 3:15 – 4:15 pm
Developing Academic Literacy with English Learners in Grades 6-12
New national standards provide an opportunity to reconceptualize what literacy and language development mean for ELs in academic contexts. This session will (1) explain and provide examples of a 21st century approach to literacy development, (2) show how academic language is embedded in the practices promoted by the national standards, and (3) apply this approach in the context of a US History lesson, highlighting strategies using multimodal resources for developing academic language and literacy.
Presenters: Laura Wright, Annie Duguay
Friday, October 18, 2013, 11:00am – 12:15pm
Download the presentation (1.42 MB)
Roundtable Discussion: Promoting Content and Language Instruction for English Learners Through a Training of Trainers Model
This roundtable discussion will address promoting content and language instruction for English learners through a Training of Trainers model. Participants will have an opportunity to reflect on how to design and implement a train the trainers model aimed specifically at the needs of English learners and their teachers, and examine how to promote standards-based instruction for students still acquiring proficiency in academic English.
Facilitator: Jennifer Himmel
Friday, October 18, 2013, 3:15 - 4:30 pm
Return to CAL's list of past presentations.


- Ceramic Arts Daily - http://ceramicartsdaily.org -
Ceramic Art Lesson Plan: Little Monuments
Posted By Craig Hinshaw On March 29, 2010 @ 9:48 am In Education,Lesson Plans K-5 | No Comments
A fourth-grade teacher asked if her students could make small monuments using clay. They were studying the Washington Monument and the Statue of Liberty and I believed that the Statue of Liberty suggested a wealth of ideas.
Almost half the students at Hiller are of diverse ethnic origins and come from more than twenty different countries. While I doubt few, if any, arrived by boat and were greeted by the Statue of Liberty, as were immigrants from past generations, this icon still represents the ideals of freedom and opportunity to the rest of the world.
Shortly after finishing the Statue of Liberty lesson, I was in New York City attending the National Art Education Association Conference. Before flying back to Michigan, I visited the Statue of Liberty. She was beautiful, standing magnificently against a blue sky and white clouds. I purchased postcards and a small replica for the fourth graders to see and handle back at Hiller.
Perhaps this lesson will do for the students what it did for me—create an interest and an appreciation of the most recognized statue in the world. Perhaps they too will want to make the effort now to see her “in person,” as I did.
Download a printer-friendly version of this assignment here:
Step 1. The lesson began by asking for a girl to volunteer to become a living sculpture. I draped her in a sheet, somewhat resembling the Statue’s attire. She held a flashlight in her upraised right hand, a book in her left hand, and a crown on her head made from green construction paper and a stapler.
Step 2. Before working with clay, students sketched the clothed model. I provided 6×18 inch drawing paper, emphasizing the statue’s elongated shape. I pointed out the statue’s basic pose—right hand high above the head and left elbow bent cradling a tablet. Each student took a turn posing as the statue, wrapping each other in the sheet, positioning arms and adjusting the size of the crown.
Step 3. I demonstrated how to squeeze a lump of clay to begin forming the torso of the statue, then pressed my finger into it to create a hollow form, to aid drying and prevent breaking during the bisque firing. A coil of clay attached near the top of the torso becomes the extended right arm, a small ball of clay becomes the head and a second coil forms the bent left arm.
Step 4. Wood tools were used to draw folds in the gown and model facial features. Small details were added last—the points on the crown and the torch. Most students attached a clay base, giving more stability to their statue.
Step 5. After bisque firing the pieces, we painted them with an Irish green underglaze. The students knew the statue, which is made of sheets of hammered copper, has oxidized to a green patina. The flame was glazed orange in imitation of the actual flame, which is gold-plated copper lit by reflection, the sculptor’s original intent. Gray underglaze, representing concrete, was used on the base, then we brushed on a clear overglaze and refired the pieces to Cone 04.
Craig Hinshaw is an elementary school art specialist in Michigan. He is the author of Clay Connection: Innovative Ceramics Lessons that Make Connections to the Elementary School Curriculum & Seasonal Calendar available at www.CraigHinshaw.com.
Left and above: The finished pieces were wonderful, each standing erect yet somewhat animated. I lined them up on a display shelf in the school office with a label explaining what the students were studying. The row of 3-inch statues seemed to serve the same function as the original 151-foot statue—greeting all who entered into Hiller School, including many immigrant parents enrolling their children.
Article printed from Ceramic Arts Daily: http://ceramicartsdaily.org
URL to article: http://ceramicartsdaily.org/education/little-monuments/
Copyright © 2008-2012 Ceramic Arts Daily. All rights reserved.


Cambodia’s young democracy still has major deficiencies. The country has a multi-party system, but the governing party holds much of the power, putting opposition parties in a vulnerable position. Poor people’s rights are strongly limited. Sida is working to distribute power across local levels and to strengthen the work of non-governmental organizations (NGOs) at grass-roots level.
Civil society’s role in the democratic process is a key issue. To improve poor people’s rights, the power of the governing party needs to be counterbalanced. Through the work of supporting NGOs, Sida is promoting for instance legal advice, observations and documentation of human rights violations, anticorruption and the development of a free press.
Sida is also supporting human rights organizations’ efforts in working for justice after the genocide. Trials against the old regime’s war criminals are an important part of the healing process.
Cambodia has taken major steps to develop its democratic institutions, but there is a long way to go. The judicial system is deficient and corruption is common. Power is centralized and millions of people in rural areas still lack basic rights.
We are working on a broad level to support public administration reforms as well as public participation for increased democracy. By supporting the government’s programme for decentralization, channelled through the United Nations Development Programme, we have contributed to establishing publicly-elected local authorities in rural areas, which has led to greater self-determination. The contributions also consist of financing basic infrastructure and service. We are also supporting the government’s programme to reform public financial management. The purpose is to improve the ability to manage and follow-up the budget and to have greater openness to reduce the risk of corruption.
The level of education in Cambodia is very low and many children do not continue their school education. The after-effects of the genocide have had a particularly large impact on education because the majority of the country’s intellectual elite was purged. Sida has a long history as one of the major donors supporting initiatives for education in Cambodia and we’re currently funding various programmes for better access to good basic education for poor children. The long term support has contributed to 95 per cent of the country’s children starting school today. However, only a few of them continue to higher education, which is a large problem.
Sweden’s support contributes to reforms within elementary education, in line with Cambodia’s education plan. The programme has been successful and the number of children enlisted in schools is constantly increasing. More girls have the chance of an education, in accordance with the targets. Despite the fact that the literacy rate has generally increased, from 35 per cent in 1990 to 86 per cent in 2008, estimated figures state that only 65 per cent of the women are able to read and write.
Cambodia is a country vulnerable to climate change. Sida is therefore working to integrate measures to adapt the effects of climate change into its operations in Cambodia and supports the government’s coordination of climate change interventions as well as a number of local projects through different organisations.


Revised Guidelines for implementation of The ‘National Programme for Education of Girls at Elementary Level (NPEGEL)’ as a component of the scheme of Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA)
- The Government has approved a new programme called ‘National Programme for Education of Girls at Elementary Level (NPEGEL)’ as an amendment to the scheme of Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA) for providing additional components for education of girls at elementary level. The NPEGEL will form part of SSA and will be implemented under the umbrella of SSA but with a distinct identity.
- The scheme of Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA) was started in the year 2001-02 with the objective of universalisation of elementary education. It is an attempt to provide an opportunity for improving human capabilities to all children including the girl child, through provision of community-owned quality education in a mission mode. However, as SSA has limited financial provisions for girls’ education in the form of “innovations” at district level and free textbooks, and thus there is a need for an additional component.
- Accordingly, NPEGEL has been formulated for education of under privileged/ disadvantaged girls from class I to VIII as a separate and distinct gender component plan of SSA. The gender component is necessary to achieve UEE for girls in educationally backward areas
The scheme would be applicable in the following areas:-
- Educationally Backward Blocks (EBBs) : EBB means a block where the level of rural female literacy is less than the national average and the gender gap is above the national average.
- Blocks of districts which have atleast 5% SC/ ST population and SC/ ST female literacy rate below 10% shall also be taken up under this programme
- Selected urban slums.


For school superintendents, principals and treasurers
PARCC releases new sample test items in preparation for field testing next spring
PARCC released more sample test items for both English language arts and math that assess critical thinking, writing and the ability to solve real-world problems.
While initially presented in PDF format to focus on content, PARCC will re-release the items later this fall on the platform that students will use for the spring field test. To view the sample items by grade, click here.
Testing window for third grade reading instruction option begins Oct. 7
Third-grade teachers now have several ways to comply with the reading instruction qualifications contained in the Third Grade Reading Guarantee law. One way is to earn a passing score on the Teaching Reading: Elementary Education Test, a test of research-based principles of reading instruction. Registration is now open here for the first window offered for the test, also referred to as the Praxis 5203, which runs Oct. 7-19. When registering, teachers should select their employing school district or community school as a score recipient. Test windows also will be offered in December and throughout 2014. Test preparation materials and other resources are available here. Ohio’s required passing score for the test is 162. The Praxis 5203 is not interchangeable with the test and coursework required to obtain a reading endorsement; however, it will provide the qualification to instruct third grade students determined to be ‘not-on-track’ or retained as outlined in Ohio’s Third Grade Reading Guarantee law. For a complete list of Third Grade Reading Guarantee teacher qualification requirements and options, click here.


Total: $0.00Close Cart
eBook & Document Store
Full-Color Reading Games: Grades K-1 (Enhanced eBook)
Featuring a collection of brightly illustrated board games that offer young students the necessary practice to build important reading skills. The games are designed to capture students' attention as they learn to make associations between letters and sounds. They can be easily integrated into any phonics instruction and can be used in small groups, in centers, as student assessment, or as take-home practice.Students in Grades K-1 will practice the following skills: Recognize vowel letters A, E, I, O, and U Distinguish between consonant and vowel letters Identify short vowel sounds Identify long vowel sounds Understand the difference between letter names and letter sounds And much more!This enhanced eBook gives you the freedom to copy and paste the content of each page into the format that fits your needs. You can post lessons on your class website, make student copies, and more.


Thinkfinity Content Providers
The Thinkfinity resources, provided by leading educational organizations and the Verizon Foundation, are as follows:
- ARTSEDGE, a program of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, provides art education resources
- EconEdLink, developed by the Council for Economic Education, offers economic and personal finance lesson materials for K-12 teachers and students
- EDSITEment!, from the National Endowment for the Humanities, includes information in the subject areas of literature and language arts, foreign languages, art and culture, and history and social studies
- Illuminations, created by the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM), provides creative resources for teaching mathematics
- Literacy Network, a program of the National Center for Family Literacy and ProLiteracy, offers resources for literacy instruction and lifelong learning for adults and family literacy programs.
- ReadWriteThink, from the International Reading Association (IRA) and the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE), includes resources for reading and language arts instruction.
- Science NetLinks, developed by the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), provides standards-based science resources including downloadable 60-second science updates.
- Smithsonian's History Explorer, created by the National Museum of American History, features resources and artifacts from the museum's collections.
- Wonderopolis, developed by the National Center for Family Literacy (NCFL), is specifically designed to appeal to the very young student and their families
- Xpeditions, from National Geographic, offers geography resources including printable maps and an interactive atlas.


Become a Music Supervisor: Education and Career Roadmap
Music supervisors work with production teams to create tracks for TV, movies, ads or video games. They may negotiate with businesses or individuals about rights to music, and they also may edit music and compositions. These professionals are familiar with both the technical aspects of music and the way it interacts with multimedia.
Step 1: Develop Musical Abilities
Because music supervisors should be able to recognize when a composition is good or fitting with a particular form of media, they may need to have some prior experience with music. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), musicians and composers often begin to develop musical abilities at an early age (www.bls.gov). They may learn to play instruments or sing in order to develop aural skills. They may also want to participate in choirs, musicals or community events in order to receive some background in the field.
Step 2: Get a Bachelor's Degree
Aspiring music supervisors may need to receive a bachelor's degree in order to be technically competent in both the musical and business aspects of this profession. Some relevant bachelor's degree programs focus on music business and management. These programs can provide business-related coursework in marketing, accounting, music publishing, music development and ethics. They may also provide core music classes like aural skills, tonal harmony and conducting.
Step 3: Receive Internship and Work Experience
Internships can be beneficial for those who need to gain hands-on experience in picking appropriate music, finding contacts, clearing songs owned by companies or writers and understanding how to stay within the budgets of a project. Because of the multimedia nature of the job, those who want to work as music supervisors may want to intern for record, film, TV, radio or video game companies.
Some conservatories may be connected with these companies, and undergrad students may be a part of a mentoring program with more experienced music supervisors. Music supervisors may also want to work in academia, but they will have to pursue graduate-level degree programs.
Step 4: Consider a Master's or Doctoral Degree
Music supervisors who are interested in teaching may want to pursue a master's degree. Some appropriate programs are those that concentrate on music business and offer coursework in business, music industry, entertainment industry, marketing and graduate-level seminars.
According to the BLS, many universities and conservatories require professors to have a Ph.D. degree. One example of a degree program can be in music technology. This program provides advanced coursework in music theory, composition, scoring and statistics. Typically, these programs require students to complete dissertations that address issues in music. Students may also need to complete teaching requirements.
Related to Become a Music Supervisor: Education and Career Roadmap
- Recently Updated
Ethos Music Center is a non-profit center in Portland, Oregon dedicated to bringing the transformative power of music education...
Music education is an interdisciplinary program that involves the study of music, education, language, psychology and...
Music therapists work with patients by encouraging them to play, listen or move to music as part of a rehabilitation program....
Online music education classes provide skills and training for music teachers and students pursuing bachelor's, master's or...
- Doctor of Musical Arts: Music Education Degree Overview
- Become a Music Agent: Education and Career Roadmap
- Musician: Summary of Music Career Education Programs
- Online EKG Certification and Certificate Program Information
- Bachelor of Arts (BA): Psychology Degree Overview
- Online Oncology Degrees: Summary of Options
- Quality Assurance Inspector: Job Description and Education Requirements
- How to Become a Music Conductor: Education and Career Roadmap
- Music Journalist: Education Requirements and Career Information
- Hotel Chief Engineer: Job Description, Duties and Requirements
- Online Hotel Management Masters Degree: Distance Learning Options
- Holistic Health Nurse Practitioner Degree Programs


March is known as Youth Art Month, a designation founded by the Art & Creative Materials Institute. This organization has set aside this month as a time to promote art education, for it “develops self-esteem, appreciation of the work of others, self-expression, cooperation with others, and critical thinking skills, skills vital to the success of our future leaders --- our children.” You, too, can celebrate youth art by engaging in special activities with your children that also honor our faith.
Pauline Kids features a number of Comic Color the Saints books, which encourage children to color the life of a saint. More than a dozen Coloring and Activity Books feature opportunities to learn about Catholic concepts alongside their creativity.
Also this month, you can introduce your kids to great Catholic artists throughout history. These men and women created some of the finest images that still express our faith today. Explore the lives of Saint Albert Chmielowski, Blessed Fra Angelico, Saint Turtilo of Saint Gall, Saint Catherine of Bologna, Saint Lazarus Zooraphos (Lazarus the Painter), and Blessed James Grissinoer.
Activity: Illuminate a Manuscript! Many of the artists listed above are known for their work in illuminating Scripture and other important works. Gather together a Bible, lined picture paper (the kind with sentence lines running along the bottom), and drawing utensils. Have your children pick out three-to-five of their favorite Bible verses, write them out on the sentence lines, and then “illuminate” the words with their own illustrations.
Pauline Kids Coloring and Activity Books!
Pauline Kids Comic Color the Saints!


Literacy First Research Base Alignment with Reading First
The Literacy First Comprehensive Reading Reform Process is a professional development and change process. The Literacy First Comprehensive Reading Reform Process meets and exceeds all the criteria for professional development and implementation of reading programs established by No Child Left Behind/Reading First.
The effectiveness of reading instruction is determined by the percentage of students reading on grade level. Most states and districts use a norm referenced or criterion referenced assessment to make this determination. For students to perform on or above grade level in these reading assessments they must have systematic and explicit instruction in all components of the reading process. The effectiveness of the systematic and explicit reading instruction is dependent upon the district and building infrastructure that includes the seven critical components of: leadership, assessment, curriculum, instruction, intervention processes, professional development and resource management. In addition to the infrastructure, the leadership must foster a district and building culture that has traditions, rituals, habits and unwritten rules that support excellence in student reading achievement.
Literacy First is a comprehensive reading reform process. Our goal is to close the reading achievement gap and ensure that all students become fluent readers who comprehend grade level text.
To read more about the Literacy First Process Research Base, download the entire article below.
Research Base Article
The Dynamic Indicators of Basic Early Literacy Skills (DIBELS) are a set of standardized, individually administered measures of early literacy development. They are designed to be short fluency measures used to monitor the development of pre-reading and early reading skills. The results are commonly used to evaluate individual student development as well as provide grade-level feedback toward validated instructional objectives.
What follows is a comparison of the Literacy First product features to the features of DIBELS. Please take the opportunity to download this document to see the complete comparison.
Literacy First to DIBELS Comparison


Preschool Toys & Preschool Gift Ideas - Ages 3 Years +
Preschool children are known for being curious and talkative. Toys designed for children in this age group rely on the notion that children ages three to five are inherently curious, ask many questions, and absorb new information quickly. But, unlike children over the age of six or seven, preschool children still learn through play. According to a study done by the National Association for the Education of Young Children, children learn best through manipulation of materials and hands-on experience – think of the myriad of ways to play with blocks or water and sand. With an instructor involved, such as a teacher or parent, the preschooler can have an adult to answer his or her questions or the instructor, in supervised play, can ask the child or children open-ended questions to develop vocabulary.
Educational and learning preschool toys are usually designed with the goal of improving visual skills, auditory, tactile gross motor, and fine motor skills. Aside from actual types or brands of toys, games and general toys for this age group use such physical skills as jumping, climbing, throwing, and active play. Active play, rather than passive watching, can be done through a number of toys and activities, including arts and crafts, puppets, blocks, simple puzzles, and imagination games. All active toys and games rely on finger and hand coordination, which should be developed by this stage. The combination of both brain and body development – from playing with blocks to doing arts and crafts and music games – is meant to stimulate both sides of a preschool child’s brain.
Aside from teaching new physical and mental skills, games for preschoolers also have the purpose for introducing social skills. With educational games and toys for this age group, interaction is inevitable, whether between peers or between a child and an adult. Interaction at this level introduces such skills as sharing, taking turns, leading, following, and becoming a friend. On a level of emotional development, games and toys for this age group are designed to encourage independence away from the security of a parent and to make the child feel safer to explore.
Not all preschool toys teach the same concepts simultaneously, however. For example, the use of basic ball play and games reinforces and further develops hand-eye coordination and gross motor skills, while writing activities can be used for fine motor skill development. Games focused on physical play tend to strengthen awareness of the body, including balance and coordination, while reading and story time concentrate on attention span and encouraging appreciation of books and reading. In addition, pretend and make-believe games involve both mental and physical skills, whether a child is dressing up to pretend to be an adult or creating a cityscape from wood blocks. In fact, for preschool children, blocks introduce spatial concepts and use both large and small muscle control, as well as serving as a pre-math activity by inherently allowing for size and shape sorting.
Educational curriculum for elementary school children and beyond is divided into specific subjects as reading, math, writing, and science. Although preschool children have not reached the stage to sit through a teacher’s lesson, games and toys introduce many of these subjects interactively. Language arts, for example, are introduced by books. Whether a parent or teacher reads to a child each day, the child will learn where to find the title, author, and illustrator of a book, how to hold a book, how stories and sentences begin and end, the direction of the words and characters on the page, and that reading is a new way to learn information. Similarly, dramatic play revolves around make-believe and stories to teach roles and skills but, this time, soft, durable dolls are the preferred teaching tool. Using dolls to create a story can help children work through issues that concern them or that they don’t understand. Instead of dress-ups or reading, dolls mirror and mimic the adult world on a smaller level.
On the other hand, a subject like math is introduced to preschool children by puzzles and toys and games that involve sorting, grouping, counting, patterns, and matching. Science is another hands-on subject introduced through activities involving textures, temperatures, light, and colors. Sand and water is one popular preschool science activity that teachers about density, displacement, wet and dry textures, shapes, and ecosystems and habitats like the beach and the ocean.
While play, in the classroom or at home, for preschool children can appear repetitive to adults, children, in fact, will make small adjustments to the games they play often based upon new things they have learned. As playtime is still important for preschoolers, children, at school or at home, should have a designated play area where they can play undisturbed. In a school, this can be a part of the classroom set aside for games and toys away from the desk area; at home, the play area can be a corner or room set apart somewhat from the adult-dominated world.


This text is designed for Introduction to Elementary Music Education classes, a required course for Music Ed students and Music for Elementary Education classes.
This music method book is written for all possible music educators (not only music teachers, but general elementary specialists as well), and emphasizes a more current approach to teaching music in context to the general school curriculum, music’s place in the world, music’s place as an equal partner with other disciplines, current understanding of human growth and development (both cognitively and physically), and college students’ need to develop the critical thinking, problem-solving, and group work skills that are so essential for success in the education field.
Based on the National Standards, this text is divided into three parts. Part one, Foundations, covers the rationale for a Music Education program in the elementary years; meaning and musical experience; and elements and kinds of music. Part two–Music Elements, Curriculum and Avenues to Music Learning–covers curriculum development; music for special needs students; avenues to music learning and historic and contemporary approaches. Part three–Musical Experiences– is grouped by avenues of music learning and grades. Thanks to years of thorough research, Music in Elementary Education promises to be the standard text in the field.
Table of Contents
Part I: Foundations
Chapter 1: Why music in Preschool and the Elementary School?
Chapter 2: Meaning and Music
Chapter 3: Elements of Music
Chapter 4: Kinds of Music
Part II: Music Elements, Curriculum, andAvenues to Music Learning
Chapter 5: Listening
Chapter 6: Singing
Chapter 7: Moving
Chapter 8: Creating
Chapter 9: Playing instruments
Chapter 10: Reading and Writing
Chapter 11: Approaches to Music Learning
Chapter 12: Designing instruction
Chapter 13: Special Areas
Part III—Musical Experiences
Chapter 14: Listening lessons
Chapter 15: Vocal lessons
Chapter 16: Movement lessons
Chapter 17: Creating lessons
Chapter 18: Playing lessons
Chapter 19: Reading and Writing lessons
Purchase Info ?
With CourseSmart eTextbooks and eResources, you save up to 60% off the price of new print textbooks, and can switch between studying online or offline to suit your needs.
Once you have purchased your eTextbooks and added them to your CourseSmart bookshelf, you can access them anytime, anywhere.
Music in Elementary Education, CourseSmart eTextbook
Format: Safari Book
$32.99 | ISBN-13: 978-0-205-79975-6


December 16, 1882
March 6, 1967 in Budapest
Also Known As:
Hungarian folk music expert, author, composer and teacher of the 20th century who helped promote the importance of music education.
Type of Compositions:
In 1902, Kodaly entered the Budapest Academy where he studied composition and later received a doctorate for his studies on Hungarian folk songs. He was an avid collector of folk songs, an interest he shared with fellow composer Bela Bartok
. He travelled to Berlin and then Paris where he studied under Charles Widor. He was appointed as professor at the Budapest Academy of Music where he taught composition and theory. His tenure lasted from 1907 to 1941, eventually becoming the academy's deputy director in 1919.
His works include "Psalmus hungaricus" (written for the 50th anniversary of the union of Buda and Pest), "Te Deum of Budavar," "Hary Janus," "Missa Brevis," "Dances of Marosszek," "Dances of Galanta," "Cinka Panna," "Peacock Variations," "Symphony in C Major" and "Concerto for Orchestra."
In 1910, Kodaly married Emma Sandor, a musician. His "Missa Brevis" is said to have been dedicated to his wife. In 1960, he received an honorary degree from Oxford University.
The Kodaly Method was developed during the mid-20th century and was based on the teachings of Zoltan Kodaly. This method wasn't invented by Kodaly, rather, it was inspired by his philosophies and developed by his colleagues and students.
The Kodaly Method:
The Kodaly Method's
philosophy is that music education is most effective when started early and that everyone is capable of musical literacy. Singing is stressed as the foundation for musicianship and the use of folk and composed music of high artistic value.
More information on the Kodaly Method can be found on the following websites:
Listen to Zoltan Kodaly's opera "Hary Janus
" performed by Eva Marton and Gyorgy Melis courtesy of YouTube.


SPELD stands for specific learning difficulties which are estimated to affect up to 20% of the population. For many of these students, the barrier to effective learning is a component of their developmental make-up. These students, although almost always of average or above average intelligence, have a specific condition which has a significant impact on their learning. These students have a specific learning disability. The majority of these are dyslexic. Dyslexia means word blindness and relates to having difficulties with words and language – predominantly reading, spelling and writing. It is of neurological origin, frequently genetic and cannot be cured.
Dyslexics can benefit from early and consistent synthetic phonics instruction from specialist teachers and tutors. Unfortunately many ACT schools do not have the resources to provide these services leaving parents to find tutors and to finance this themselves. DSA is hoping to help provide tutoring and reduced fee services for those that are socially and economically disadvantaged.
The Education Minister, Christopher Pyne, has personal experience with dyslexia as two of his children are dyslexic. He and his family have a long association with SPELD in South Australia. In June he presented a petition to parliament calling for the recognition of dyslexia as a disability. On Monday this week he stated via his Facebook page,
“Had a terrific meeting with SPELD on Friday in my electorate office. We have so much to do for children with learning difficulties and we can do it. I can help through initial teacher training and I intend to.”
DSA hopes to continue to build on the good work that their SPELD colleagues have been doing by providing services, support and advocacy for members and the broader community. Rolling out full services next year from their Lyneham Offices, Clinical Director, Jo Whithear is looking forward to being able to assist more people with learning difficulties.
“Until now there has been no centralised information and support for families in the ACT region. We hope to make a difficult experience easier through our knowledge and networks.”


More challenge, not less, turns kids onto math
William Johntz was casting about for ways to engage inner-city remedial students in math. Finally, it hit him: Give them harder material.Skip to next paragraph
Subscribe Today to the Monitor
The year was 1963. But the counterintuitive approach that the mathematician, psychologist, and math teacher set in motion during his lunch hours in Berkeley, Calif., is going strong four decades later.
The failure of all American students to excel at math, particularly at high levels, has become a top issue among US educators. But minority students are an even greater concern. According to the 1996 National Assessment for Educational Progress, 78 percent of black students and 68 percent of Hispanic eighth-graders scored below the basic level for math achievement, as opposed to 39 percent of white students.
Project SEED (Special Elementary Education for the Disadvantaged) is out to balance that equation - based on Mr. Johntz's hunch that such students connect far better with rigorous math than they do with the remedial fare they are often offered.
The Socratic method
Its approach has remained largely unchanged since its start. Mathematicians are recruited to teach algebra, geometry, and calculus to kids in Grades 3 to 8 in participating public schools. They're trained in what SEED officials call the "Socratic method" of teaching: rapid-fire delivery of a series of questions designed to stimulate student thought. In an ideal SEED lesson, the teacher poses between 140 and 150 questions, but never answers a single one. The students ultimately provide all the answers.
The class analyzes wrong answers as earnestly as correct ones, until everyone understands what works and why. In order to keep all engaged, every student is called on at least once during the lesson, although any student who isn't comfortable volunteering an answer may simply pass the question on to a classmate.
To keep things lively, the kids learn hand signals (a shake of the hands means "disagree" and a wave of the arms means "agree") so there is rarely a moment during class when the students are not physically participating in what's being said or put on the board.
SEED lessons have a crispness and energy that begins the moment the instructor steps in front of the blackboard and greets the students with the words, "Good morning [or afternoon], mathematicians." It carries on throughout the class as students are required to both use correct mathematical terms and demonstrate proper classroom etiquette when they provide answers, make comments, or ask questions.
Sixth-grader Aprile Reynolds, for example, has just spent the past 45 minutes engaged in a lively classroom discussion about the multiplication and division of exponents in algebraic equations. She's a student at an inner-city Philadelphia public middle school with test scores that sag well below the average. Her class is not a grouping of advanced students, but rather a mix of kids of all ability levels, including several classified as "special education" students.
Asked to sum up her feelings about algebra, Aprile shoots back: "Fun!"


|Undergraduate Course Details|
|Title||Introduction to Computers in Music|
This course will introduce students to a variety of computer-based technologies designed for use in personal and professional recording studios, music performances and music education. Students will explore how computers enhance music production and will develop the skills required to choose hardware and software solutions to meet specific technological needs. Students will also gain an understanding of basic computing concepts, e.g. input/output, file formats, memory, and data storage, and their implementation within the field of music technology. Lecture and projects will focus on Digital Audio Workstations (DAW), Musical Instrument Digital Interface (MIDI), Desktop Publishing, CD (Graphic) Design and production of music for multimedia and web applications. Three lecture hours per week. Satisfies an elective in the Music Minor. Additional lab hours required.


Get the Flyer (pdf)
Will Baby Crawl? Maybe yes, maybe no, says anthropologist David Tracer, whose study of children in Papua New Guinea supports the view that milestones of child development vary with culture.
The Au people of the Anguganak village live deep in the remote lowland rainforests of Papua New Guinea. David Tracer, a biological anthropologist specializing in maternal-child health, is the only researcher to have worked among the Au for the past 23 years. "They're people that I have really come to value both as research subjects and as friends," he says. His recent work among Au infants from birth to age 30 months challenges assumptions about what constitutes "normality" in early growth and development.
"Although we know a lot about patterns of growth in weight and stature in different populations, we know almost nothing about neuromuscular and motor skill development outside of the western industrial context," Dr. Tracer notes. Yet despite this lack of comparative data, standards of motor skill attainment based on the sequence and timing seen in the United States and Europe are widely regarded to be universal. "Part of the motivation for this project was simply that in over two decades of working among the Au, I had never seen an infant crawl" he says. "They also seemed to universally go through a 'scoot' phase, shuffling along in an upright position on their bottoms prior to walking. I became interested in why their pattern of early locomotor development was so different from our own."
He performed quantitative analyses of locomotor development on over 100 children. Some of the tests are administered to children while they are in an upright posture (e.g., sitting) while others are administered while they are in a horizontal posture (e.g., prone or supine). The pattern of test results that he noted was surprising...
Dr. Tracer will discuss his findings indicating that parenting behaviors and the risk of contracting parasites play a key role in channeling Au children's early locomotor development. He will also discuss his idea that crawling is a relatively recent novelty in the scheme of human evolutionary history.
David P. Tracer, PhD, is Professor of Anthropology and Health & Behavioral Sciences at the University of Colorado Denver College of Liberal Arts and Sciences and Professor of Public Health at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus. He received his BA in Anthropology from Brandeis, and MA and PhD in biological anthropology from the University of Michigan.
He writes: My main area of expertise is human ecology; that is, the reciprocal relationship between organisms, in this case, humans, and their environments understood within an evolutionary framework. For the human organism, the "environment" includes the diverse physical, behavioral, and wider sociocultural milieus within which they are found and to which they must successfully adapt. To date my research has examined aspects of both human biology and behavior within such a framework. In the biological arena, my research has focused on various aspects of maternal and child health including nutrition, growth and development, and determinants of fertility. Within the area of behavioral ecology, I have been interested in testing predictions derived from life history theory and parental investment theory as well as an examination of social norms such as reciprocity, altruism, bargaining, and punishment. All of these areas are represented in my two-decade long and currently still ongoing field-based research project among the Au lowland forager-horticulturalists of Papua New Guinea.


The Morris Experience
Under authorization granted by the Baptist Educational and Missionary Convention of South Carolina in 1906, Morris College was established in 1908 "for the Christian and Intellectual Training of Negro youth." This action signaled the beginning of a heroic venture in higher education by a group of men and women less than a half century removed from the blight of American slavery. The majority of these "founding fathers" were poor and without any formal learning, but they possessed an "unfaltering faith in God and a zeal to provide for others the educational opportunities they themselves were denied."
On April 12, 1911, the college received a certificate of incorporation from the state of South Carolina. Initially, Morris College provided schooling on the elementary, high school, and college levels. The college curriculum included programs in liberal arts, in "normal" education for the certification of teachers, and a theological program. In 1915, the Bachelor of Arts degree was conferred on the first two graduates. The institution discontinued its "normal" program in 1929, its elementary school in 1930, and its high school in 1946.
During 1930-32, the school operated only as a junior college, but it resumed its full four-year program in 1933. The word "Negro" appearing in the original certificate of incorporation was eliminated on August 14, 1961 thereby opening the doors at Morris to students of all ethnic groups.
Presently, the College offers programs of study leading to the baccalaureate degree with major programs in or major combination programs in Biology, Broadcast Media, Business Administration, Community Health, Criminal Justice, Early Childhood Education, Elementary Education, English, Fine Arts, Health Science, History, Journalism, Liberal Studies, Liberal/Technical Studies, Mathematics, Political Science/History, Recreation Administration, Social Studies, and Sociology.
Morris College has more than justified the faith, the labors, and the sacrifices of the founding fathers. The services it has rendered have been extensive and beyond value. In the early decades of its history, Morris College provided elementary and high school training for Negro youth at a time when such opportunities were meager or nonexistent in many communities. From its beginning, Morris College has been a center for training ministers and teachers for the pulpits and schools of the State and of the Nation. Its graduates have added to the ranks of professionals and businessmen. Hundreds of Negro youth who otherwise never would have attended college have received at Morris College the benefits of higher education. Many communities and state agencies have used the facilities of the College to carry out programs of general welfare and social uplift. The College thus occupies a unique and significant position in the American social order. It is one of the few senior colleges built and operated solely under Negro auspices. As such, it represents a distinct contribution of the Negro to American society.
In the seventieth year of its history, on December 13, 1978, Morris College achieved the goal of full accreditation by the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools. On January 1, 1982, Morris College became the 42nd member of the United Negro College Fund, the nation's largest and most successful black fund-raising organization. The College has embarked upon a new era of institutional improvements that has moved it further into the mainstream of American higher education and that has enabled it to render even better service to its students and to the community.


Addressing educational disparity : using district level education development indices for equitable resource allocations in India
AbstractThe challenge of development work in the social sector in India today is one of bridging huge disparities across regions of the country, gender and social groups. Unless national and state policies specifically target resources to address these disparities, achieving higher level outcomes in an inclusive manner, which is the real goal for human development in education and health, will be a distant dream. This paper takes up the case of the Indian government’s Elementary Education for All Mission to understand how this flagship program relates investments to spatial and social disparities. For identifying the most deprived districts in terms of educational inputs, outputs and overall development, the authors estimate district level education development indices for 2003-2004. The contribution of the largest investment program is measured by"per child allocations"and expenditures at the state and district levels for 2005-2006. An analysis of comparing the ratio of allocations to expenditures with the ratio of district level indices to sub-dimensional indices shows that there is an apparent disconnect between the"real investment needs"of the districts, reflected in their level of educational development and the actual allocations made on an annual basis. The analysis shows that although all districts received more funds for investing in elementary education programs, the most disadvantaged and needy districts received proportionately more funds, which helped these districts to bridge access and infrastructure gaps and appoint more teachers. Benchmarking sector development by spatial entities helps not only in monitoring the outcomes, but also in targeting planning and funding to reduce disparities.
Download InfoIf you experience problems downloading a file, check if you have the proper application to view it first. In case of further problems read the IDEAS help page. Note that these files are not on the IDEAS site. Please be patient as the files may be large.
Bibliographic InfoPaper provided by The World Bank in its series Policy Research Working Paper Series with number 4955.
Date of creation: 01 Jun 2009
Date of revision:
Primary Education; Education For All; Gender and Education; Access&Equity in Basic Education;
This paper has been announced in the following NEP Reports:
- NEP-ALL-2009-06-10 (All new papers)
- NEP-CWA-2009-06-10 (Central & Western Asia)
- NEP-DEV-2009-06-10 (Development)
- NEP-EDU-2009-06-10 (Education)
- NEP-URE-2009-06-10 (Urban & Real Estate Economics)
You can help add them by filling out this form.
reading list or among the top items on IDEAS.Access and download statisticsgeneral information about how to correct material in RePEc.
For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: (Roula I. Yazigi).
If references are entirely missing, you can add them using this form.


CAL is involved in a variety of projects related to literacy education.
Please review our most recent projects described below.
Acquiring Literacy in English
CAL conducted a 5-year research program consisting of several
studies on the acquisition of literacy by Spanish-speaking children
from prekindergarten through fifth grade. Several published articles
report on results. Learn
more about Acquiring Literacy in English.
Center for Research on the Educational Achievement and Teaching of English Language Learners (CREATE)
CAL is conducting national research on the SIOP Model and working with other collaborators to develop a systematic intervention model for ELLs in grades 4-8 regarding language, literacy, and content. CAL will also provide dissemination activities for CREATE. Learn more.
Diagnostic Assessment of Reading Comprehension
CAL is developing a reading comprehension test battery for ELLs and
native English speakers from Grades 3 through 5. The test
battery will include measurement of decoding and word fluency,
central comprehension processes, and children’s sensitivity
to linguistic variation in the text. Learn more.
English for Heritage Language Speakers
CAL is working with two partner universities to develop an
intensive program to enable heritage speakers of critical languages
to develop their English proficiency to high levels, with particular
focus on language skills specific to the federal workplace. Learn
more on the EHLS Web site.
Enhanced Assessment Instruments for English Language Learners (WIDA
CAL has developed and will maintain assessments to annually measure
the English language proficiency of English language learners in
Grades K through 12 as mandated by the No Child Left Behind legislation. Learn more.
Enhancing Secondary Education in the Central Valley: Success and
Access for English Language Learners
CAL is planning a project to promote students’ high school
graduation and post secondary school enrollment. Learn more.
Ghana - Improved Quality and Access to Basic Education
CAL guided development of a short introduction to English for nonformal
education, development and implementation of literacy standards,
and development of a reading assessment instrument in five languages.
Learn more about the Ghana project.
National Literacy Panel on Language Minority Children and Youth
The National Literacy Panel reviewed and synthesized over 20 years
of research literature on the acquisition of literacy by language minority
learners. Learn more about the National Literacy Panel.
Parent Time Curriculum for Adults Learning English
In collaboration with National Center for Family Literacy, CAL staff developed Parenting for Academic Success, a collection of curriculum units to be used in programs for adults learning English and in family literacy programs. Learn more.
Project Reach: Technical Assistance on Scientifically Based Reading
CAL provided information and technical assistance to National Center for Family Literacy project
staff, training staff, and schools on working with students learning
to read in English. Learn more.
Vocabulary Instruction and Assessment for Spanish Speakers (VIAS)
CAL received a second 5-year grant to continue to study the development of literacy in Spanish-speaking English language learners (ELLs). This is a continuation of the Acquiring Literacy in English project. The grant consists of three subprojects. The first studies the literacy development of ELLs through seventh grade; the other two examine the effects of interventions designed to build the language and literacy skills of ELLs in the early grades. The project includes a research and assessment core, managed by the Language Testing Division, and an administrative core. Learn more.


Acquiring Literacy in English:
Crosslinguistic, Intralinguistic, and Developmental Factors
Book Task Test
Author and Date
Patton Tabors and Mariela Páez, formerly of the Harvard Graduate School of Education, and Center for Applied Linguistics. 2002.
The Book Task Test was designed to investigate young children’s concepts about print, listening comprehension, story retelling ability, and decoding skills. Both the English and the Spanish version of the test were developed for the research study Early Childhood Study of Language and Literacy Development of Spanish-speaking Children, subproject 1 of Acquiring Literacy in English: Crosslinguistic, Intralinguistic, and Developmental Factors.
Age or Grade of Examinees
The assessments were developed to be used with students in pre-school and kindergarten.
The Book Task Test consists of 16 questions that the researcher asks the child as the researcher reads a book to the child. The researcher reads The Carrot Seed (Ruth Krauss; originally published 1945) for the English version, and the Spanish translation La semilla de zanahoria for the Spanish version. The questions require either a verbal answer or an action from the child. For example, on the English test the first question is “Where’s the front of the book?” Question 8 says, “This says ‘A little boy planted a carrot seed.’ Show me where those words are on this page.” Question 14 asks, “What does the boy have in his wheelbarrow?” Question 15 asks the child to retell the story in his own words, and Question 16 is a paraphrase of Question 15.
The test is individually administered by a trained researcher who is a native speaker of the test language. The assessment takes approximately 15 minutes to administer. The questions are spread over four sections. Section I has seven questions. If the child answers three or more of those questions correctly, then Section II is administered; otherwise the test stops at the end of Section I. Section II also has seven questions; if the child answers four or more questions correctly, Section III is administered. Sections III and IV have one question each (the two story-retelling questions). If the child repeats the text either partially or substantially in answer to the question in Section III, then Section IV is administered.
Scoring and Interpretation
The test is scored dichotomously, “1” for a correct response and “0” for an incorrect response. It can also be scored using Partial Credit (Incorrect, Attempt at Correct Answer, Correct).
Reliability and Validity
For the English version, Rasch analysis (N=330 four year olds) conducted by CAL researchers using dichotomous scoring (with 0=Incorrect and 1=Correct) yielded a reliability coefficient of .66 for the full test.
Validation data are pending.
Krauss, R. (1996). La semilla de zanahoria. New York: Scholastic.
Krauss, R. (1945). The carrot seed. New York: HarperCollins.
The Book Task Test (Spanish and English) was based on research conducted by Snow, Tabors, and others.
Snow, C. E, & Tabors, P. O. (1993). Language skills that relate to literacy development. In Spodek, B. & Saracho, O. (Eds.), Yearbook in Early Childhood Education, 4. New York, NY: Teachers College Press.
Snow, C., Tabors, P., Nicholson, P., & Kurland, B. (1995). SHELL: A method for assessing oral language and early literacy skills in kindergarten and first grade children. Journal of Research in Childhood Education, 10 (1), 37-48.
The Book Task Test is not available to researchers outside the Center for Applied Linguistics.


The web is full of amazing resources to enhance student learning, get organized, and connect with other educators. Instead of trying to figure out the best online tools yourself, I’ve boiled it down to my top ten favorites for art education.
1. QR Codes. These black and white pixelated squares can be found on TV, in magazines, and now in classrooms. Using a mobile device with a camera such as a smart phone, iTouch, iPad or free software downloaded on a computer, a QR code can be quickly created to link directly to text, images, or web addresses. Try it yourself by scanning QR code below:
Don’t have a QR reader? Type getscanlife.com into your Internet browser on your mobile device to download a free QR reader. Now imagine using this in your classroom by linking to online resources, creating a scavenger hunt, providing the answers to quiz questions, or extending art room learning by sending students home with QR code resources. Read my article on QR codes for additional resources and ideas on how to use them in your classroom.
3. Animoto. Want to look like a master movie-maker? Simply upload images or video clips, select music, and click to create an amazing movie. Just by registering for an educator account you get access to full-length movies without paying a dime. (If you’re looking for a good alternative, Flixtime has some very similar features with a good selection of music).
4. Blabberize. What isn’t funny about an artificial talking mouth? Start with any portrait, define the mouth area, and talk. The mouth will follow your voice. Use Blabberize to present information about an artist, convey classroom rules, or give studio instruction. While this may not change your teaching world, incorporating Blabberize into your lessons can certainly enhance instruction and get the students to take notice. Check out this brief example: (Can’t see this video? Click here).
Tip: Use a screen-cast tool such as Jing or Screencast-o-matic to record your Blabberize and save on your computer.
5. Twitter. If you want to take charge of your own learning, Twitter is the way to do it. Every resource I reference in this post I have learned because of Twitter. It is all about following the right people. See my list of art educators on twitter to get you started and develop your own PLN (Personal Learning Network).
6. Padlet (formerly Wallwisher). Want to have a class critique and involve all your students? Wallwisher lets you quickly set up a virtual “wall” so that anyone with the URL address can add a comment and interact. One of my favorite features is the ability to moderate comments, ensuring all posts are appropriate. Learn more about Wallwisher in this article and see how to embed a image in a wallwisher wall here.
7. Delicious is an online bookmarking tool I have been using for several years and blogged about it here. Since your bookmarks are accessible online, you can access them from any computer. Using multiple “tags” makes finding your bookmarks easy. Thankfully you can import your existing bookmarks into Delicious, so you won’t lose your previously bookmarked sites. (A similar, just as awesome, bookmarking alternative to try is Diigo)
8. Pinterest might just be the ultimate bookmarking tool for art teachers. Instead of bookmarking using text, images are used instead. The best way to describe Pinterest is with this video walkthrough:
9. Livebinder I first wrote about Livebinder as a way to organize digitally here. Livebinder is an electronic binder used to collect web resources or your own files in one organized spot. Here are a few examples of binders I have created for students and for my own professional reference.
10. Google Maps. I am a huge fan of Google Maps to help students connect art to our world. My favorite trick is to embed images into the placemarks on the map. Watch video on how to embed an image into Google Maps. Here is my example on using Google Maps to teach about Georgia O’Keeffe:
View Georgia O’Keeffe Life Tour in a larger map
Do you have a web 2.0 tool you can’t live without? Share it be leaving a comment below. Also, check out additional resources in my Web 2.0 Tools Livebinder:


Instrumental Differences: Juniata Music Professor Talks Tuning
(Posted September 9, 2009)
HUNTINGDON, Pa. --- Does Mozart's "Requiem" sound the same today as it did when the composer was writing it? The short answer is no, and James Latten, associate professor of music at Juniata College, will explain why this is so in his lecture "Equal Temperament: Tuning and Its Predecessors" at 4:30 p.m., Wednesday, Sept. 16 in Room 101, Swigart Hall on the Juniata campus.
The lecture is free and open to the public. The Bookend Seminar series features afternoon lectures each month by Juniata College faculty.
For the past 100 years or so, musicians (or at least musicians in westernized cultures) have tuned their instruments using a system called Equal Temperament. Before that, orchestras and musicians used several different tuning systems that do not sound the same as the system used today.
"When our modern tuning is done to compositions of the 19th century and earlier, it represents a form of historical revisionism and compromises our understanding of how such composers as Bach, Chopin, Vivaldi, and Beethoven intended their music to be heard," Latten says. "Music of an earlier time should be heard as it was intended, using the tuning systems in vogue at that period of time."
Latten will play examples of Baroque and classical music recorded using historical tunings and also briefly discuss the science behind tuning trends before and after the 20th century.
"When our modern tuning is done to compositions of the 19th century and earlier, it represents a form of historical revisionism and compromises our understanding of how such composers as Bach, Chopin, Vivaldi, and Beethoven intended their music to be heard."
Jim Latten, associate professor of music
James Latten joined the Juniata faculty in 1997 as adjunct instructor of percussion and became director of instrumental music, as well as director of the college Wind Symphony in 2002.
In 2003, Latten formed the Juniata Jazz Ensemble. He conducts the percussion ensemble, teaches studio percussion, and instructs academic music courses. From 2000-2002 Mr. Latten served as assistant professor of music at The University of Dayton. He was promoted to associate professor in 2007.
Latten earned a master's degree in music education from Indiana University and a bachelor's degree in music education from Mansfield University of Pennsylvania.
He went on to earn a doctoral degree from Penn State University, where he also served as graduate assistant with the band program, including the 280-member Penn State Blue Band, for three years.
He is currently a member of Music Educators National Conference, College Music Society, Percussive Arts Society, Pi Kappa Lambda National Music Honor Society, The Conductors Guild, and the College Band Directors National Association.
Contact John Wall at email@example.com or (814) 641-3132 for more information.


September 2011: Shaping Early Literacy Policy and Practice
This theme examines the implications of social, cultural, and political contexts on early literacy development and policy. Early literacy policy is shaped by at least three powerful forces: government, professional associations, and the workplace. Federal and state policies impact the ways in which teachers, administrators, and teacher educators view early literacy development. Language Arts seeks manuscripts that offer insights into how policies shape the beliefs and practices of educators working with young children. In the aftermath of No Child Left Behind and Reading First, how do teachers, administrators,
and teacher educators envision literacy practices in early childhood classrooms? How are early literacy policies interpreted in local contexts? How does policy influence the use of instructional time and resources for early literacy development?
(Submission deadline: May 15, 2010)
November 2011: Beyond PowerPoints and Scavenger Hunts
In the past 30 years, composition tools have changed from pen, pencil, or typewriter to a seemingly limitless array of digital media. As young students surf the Web at home, where they visit and sometimes create content for online sites, teachers are challenged to find ways to include new media instruction in their classrooms. However, they are frequently dissatisfied with lessons that limit development of digital literacy to PowerPoint how-tos and Internet scavenger hunts. In this issue, we invite authors to consider the role new media can play in ELA classrooms to facilitate both complex creative expression and critical literacy. What are the implications for teaching and learning when students are asked to be not only analytic readers of new media texts, but also challenging, thoughtful, and effective creators of them? In what ways do the innovative creation and critical consumption of new media texts affect students’ sense of their own identities as they wrestle with 21st-century notions of literacy and learning? What responsibilities do we as teachers take on as we prepare students to be both savvy readers in the digital age and imaginative and insightful producers?
(Submission deadline: July 15, 2010)
January 2012: Writing the Image,Writing the World
For many, Paulo Freire’s notion of reading the word and the world is very well known. We must be able to read the world that is written by the word. In today’s world, there has been increasing attention paid to the role of the visual text in ELA instruction and learning. We want readers to think about how visual texts inform how we write, interpret, and create our worlds. That is, we want authors to consider the role of visual representations in the teaching and learning of literacy and the language arts. How do images help us read the world, both those created in ELA classes and those created outside? In particular, we hope that authors will consider the critical role that images play in what and how students write their world and how images position humans in particular ways. Consider, too, how images that we read and create shape our identities as textmakers. In this issue, we ask: How does intertextuality, or the connections among and between texts, shape who we are as textmakers? How do we understand our world from the images that we write and/or interpret? How can educators see the worlds of their students through the visual texts that they create?
(Submission deadline: September 15, 2010)
March 2012: Professional Development in the Age of nick.com
YouTube, MySpace, Mario Brothers, nick.com All are sites where children engage with texts as they make sense of living in the 21st century. But how are language arts teachers preparing themselves to guide students who no longer defi ne reading as picking up a book, or writing as putting pen to paper? What kinds of professional (and personal) development are teachers undergoing as they try to make sense of this transitional era in literacy education? In this issue, we want educators to look at themselves. What types of professional development are most useful to practicing teachers as they consider issues relating to multiple literacies, digital literacies, and the literacy heritages of children from diverse backgrounds and with diverse ways of making meaning? How are teacher education programs preparing prospective teachers to effectively engage students in the creative and critical practices necessary to be participating citizens in the 21st century? What are educators doing—in groups or on their own—to rethink literacy instruction in order to be successful teachers of students who, in many ways, are making the road by walking it?
(Submission deadline: November 15, 2010)


Saxon Math 3 Homeschool Kit helps children master all basic addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division facts, including: reading to 999; adding, dividing, and multiplying by nine; map scales; complex fractions; exponents; weights; measures; and more.
Saxon Math 3 uses simulations and games to help third-grade students understand and practice new concepts. Social studies and science connections are stressed. Your child can learn to: skip-count by whole numbers, compare and order numbers, identify ordinal position to the twentieth, identify and complete patterns, add and subtract multidigit numbers, divide by single-digit divisors, add positive and negative numbers, picture, name, and order fractions, add and subtract fractions with common denominators, understand and calculate measurements, compare and measure mass, identify function rules, graph ordered pairs on a coordinate graph, identify angles, identify lines of symmetry.
* Homeschool Teacher's Manual
* 140 Lessons
* Step-by-step instructions and scripts
* Pre-class preparation instructions
* A complete list of materials needed for each lesson
* Spiral-bound to lie flat when open
* 843 pages
* Student's Meeting Book
* Used for the daily opening exercise
* Provides a colorful way to teach the days, years, and dates
* Student Workbooks/Fact Cards
* All necessary student materials
* Bound in two workbooks
* Practice pages, masters, and fact cards
Saxon Math continues to lead as #1 favorite math program in surveys of home educators! Home school families have told me over and over again how much they love Saxon Math. Mary Pride says “Saxon Math is the best. Period.” Saxon Math's continual and incremental practice provides the child with opportunity to learn and remember the foundational skills and concepts of mathematics.
Saxon Math has taken their elementary classroom program and adapted it for homeschoolers.
Saxon Homeschool Math K-3 Manipulative Kit should be purchased along with this kit for maximum results.Saxon Math Scope and Sequence Grades K to 3


Children are natural scientists, artists, mathematicians, authors, and scholars. From the time they are born they seek out information about the world around them in an effort to construct meaning and further their development. While children have an inherent drive to make sense of their reality, parents have a unique opportunity to harness their children’s curiosity and channel it into a love of learning.
Playful learning is the magic that takes place when we meld a child’s sense of joy and wonder with thoughtfully planned learning experiences. Through easy-to-implement, hands-on projects you can engage your child in fun and creative ways that encourage learning and impart the joy of discovery. With a little bit of information and forethought, you can play a pivotal role in the cognitive and creative development of your child
Mariah Bruehl has worked in the field of education for over a decade. She has taught in the classroom, developed curriculum in many different subject areas, trained teachers, and implemented programs across many grade levels. She is the mother of two girls and the owner of Playful Learning—a retail space and education center in Sag Harbor. Learn more at www.playfulearning.com.
“An enlightening read, this book not only contains creative and practical organizational solutions, but is full of inspiring lesson ideas for every area of learning.”—Parents & Kids Magazine
“Parents, teachers, and caregivers alike will treasure this superb book! Mariah Bruehl brings the wisdom of a gifted educator and the heart of a devoted parent to each insight and activity contained within its pages. Readers will appreciate the warmth and accessibility with which she shares her ideas as much as the joyful family memories and passion for lifelong learning that are sure to follow.”—Emma Walton Hamilton, author of Raising Bookworms: Getting Kids Reading for Pleasure and Empowerment
“Chock-full of amazingly inventive suggestions for how to educate your child in the home. Mariah Bruehl offers a world of inspiration and engagement where literacy development becomes play and where play becomes purposeful and educational. Her knowledge of children’s development and her deeply attuned understanding of the importance of relationship-building with your child make this book a true winner.”—Pam Allyn, author of What to Read When: The Books and Stories to Read with Your Child—and All the Best Times to Read Them“A great guide for parents who want to encourage a child’s joy and wonder.”—Portland Book Review
The Life Cycle of a Seed
No matter how many times you do this activity, whether it is with toddlers or grown-ups, I am always in awe of the power and determination of the seed to bring forth new life. Witnessing the process of the radicle breaking through the seed coat, taking root, and flourishing is a wonderful way to explore the cycle of life with your children.