NORTWFRN SHAN STATES
States are kept in the State lock-ups. Long-term prisoners are sent to
serve out their sentences in a Burma jail.
Elementary education is imparted in the pongyi kyaungs of the
States, but the standard of literacy is low, and in 19or only 9.q per
cent. of the male population were able to read and write. American
Baptist Mission schools are maintained at Hsipaw and Namhkam,
and the Hsipaw school has 2 masters and about 40 pupils.
There are civil hospitals at Lashio and Hsipaw, with accommodation
for 22 in-patients, and a dispensary at Kutkai. In 1903 the number of
cases treated was 10,336, including 366 in-patients, and ir9 operations
were performed. The income amounted to Rs. q,8oo, derived almost
entirely from Provincial funds. There is a hospital at Hsipaw, managed
by the American Baptist Mission, with 24 beds. In 1903 the number
of cases treated at this institution was 1,846, including 2o in-patients.
Another hospital, under the same agency, is situated at Namhkam.
In 1903--4 the number of persons successfully vaccinated was 7,233,
representing 23 per 1,ooo of the population.
[Sir J. G. Scott, Upper Burnia Gazetteer (5 vols., Rangoon, 19oo-i) ;
Burma : a Handbooh of Practical Information (1906) ; C. C. Lowis,
:1 Note on the Palaungs (Rangoon, 1906).]
Shan States, Southern,-A group of Native States in Burma,
under the charge of a Superintendent, lying between r9° io' and
2s° 16'. N. and 96° 13' and rot° 9' E., with an area of about 36,ooo
square miles. They are bounded on the north by the Northern Shan
States, from which they are separated for some distance by the Nam
Tu or Myitnge river; on the east by China; on the south by China,
the French Lao territory, Siam, and Karenni; and on the west by the
Kyaukse, Meiktila, and Yamethin Districts of Upper Burma, and the
Toungoo District of Lower Burma.
With the exception of a tract on the western boundary and the
eastern half of the Kengtung State towards the China border, the
States lie in the drainage area of the Salween, which
aspects roughly bisects them, flowing first in a general
southerly course, and then south-west into Karenni.
The eastern part of the Kengtung State drains into the Mekong, of
which the principal tributaries are the Nam Lwi, the Nam Lin, and
the Nam Hkok, the last named flowing for the greater part of its course
in. Chinese territory. The most noteworthy tributaries of the Salween
on its eastern side within the limits of the Southern Shan States are
the Nam Hka, forming the northern boundary of the trans-Salween
areas, and the Nam Hsim farther south. Its western tributaries are of
more, importance than its eastern, and their courses are all more or less
parallel with that of the Salween itself. The Nam Pang rises in South
Hsenwi in the Northern Shan States, and waters the north-eastern


Personalized math products are becoming more common in classrooms from kindergarten to college. These tools are really promising for building math skills and fluency. But I hear a growing number of people that compartmentalize learning technologies to skill building. Since raising my kids on Dr. Brain, Oregon Trail, and Sim City, I've been convinced that technology can encourage students to think hard, persist through difficulty, to develop new mental models.
A local district leader says, "Learning happens through patterns and discourse." Over the last few months I've seen technology tools that support this supposition by promoting collaboration and dialog, uncovering patterns in various disciplines, and promoting productive patterns of production.
The first product combines short videos of a smart college level dialog about a classic or modern text or work of fiction or nonfiction, a primary source document, or texts of history, social studies, or science situated within a social learning environment. StudySync is "online learning that inspires higher levels of reading, writing and critical thinking." StudySync content is generated from reading lists from universities and aligned with Common Core State Standards and specifically reflecting the Common Core's Performance Tasks. Teachers are able to consistently and continually monitor students and provide ongoing assessments using Sync-Lessons, Management and Assessment tools. Through SyncTV students are able to watch high quality videos of academic discourse, modeling college level for high-school product and high-school level for middle school, on a subjects across the humanities, helping to develop confidence and patterns of analysis.
"StudySync really helps the courses within the Humanities develop meaningful writings that are essential to the Literacy Standards mandated in the Common Core," said Kathleen Miltz, an assistant high school principal near Indianapolis. She continued, "I definitely think that the features of StudySync boost critical thinking and writing.
"SyncTV episodes are great models for students to see how meaningful and productive discussions are held" Kathleen continued. "We assume students know how to talk about literature, because we provide them with questions, but to see students model and engage the way they do makes the process and expectation for group discussions more clear."
Students are also encouraged to rate their peers and provide feedback through SyncReview. StudySync allows students to use social networking environments they are already comfortable with to enhance their learning experience. Kathleen said, "The writing prompts, Blasts and SyncTV all require students to be thinking and analyzing at a much higher level. They require students to dig deeper and go beyond basic understandings and plots."
Heading in a similar direction, McGraw-Hill released Glencoe Writer's Workspace, an online college prep reading and writing environment. "When we think about K-12 education and college and career readiness, there is perhaps no skill more important than writing," said Stephen Mico, senior vice president of McGraw-Hill School Education's Literacy and Humanities group. "New digital technology, such as real-time, online assessments, will push students to develop the foundational skills necessary to write skillfully--from a research paper to a letter of application."
Students start with by reading a piece of literature and engaging in interactive responses. This prepares them for longer compositions. Both short and long form responses benefit from instant feedback and tools that guide them through the writing process.
Pearson's Write to Learn is another online reading and writing environment that provides immediate and specific six-trait feedback to students. There are probably six essay scoring engines that provide very good feedback to students allowing teachers to assign more writing and get intelligent help with performance feedback.
Edmodo is a social learning platform that supports collaborative project-based learning. Liz Castillo, a 7th grade teacher in Honolulu uses Edmodo to create and assign "Interdisciplinary challenges that incorporated English, science, math, social studies, and health standards."
To the extent that learning happens through patterns and discourse, emerging learning technologies are supporting good teaching across the curriculum. Computer simulations are building student understanding of complex social systems. Decision support tools are guiding post-secondary choices. Social learning platforms enable anytime collaboration with students anywhere on the planet.
Adaptive math products are great, but education technology isn't just for basic skills anymore. Online collaborative environments are encouraging students to read, write, debate, and present their ideas across the curriculum. They are boosting critical thinking and college and career preparation.
Disclosure: Edmodo and StudySync are portfolio companies of Learn Capital where Tom is a partner and Pearson is an investor.
Follow Tom Vander Ark on Twitter: www.twitter.com/tvanderark


with Ainslee Lamb, Boston College Head Coach;
has served as the head coach for the US National Team at the U17, U19 and U21 levels.
Boston College Head Coach Ainslee Lamb concentrates on the principles necessary to win 2v1 match ups. Using white board explanations and on field demonstration, Coach Lamb presents practice drills covering the foundational skills needed to create and win 2v1 situations.
One of field hockey's most fundamental forms is the 2v1 contests. Beginning with simple ball handling drills, Coach Lamb clearly defines a strong foundation to define an offensive philosophy. By adding incremental progressions, Lamb builds an aggressive offensive strategy that creates 2v1 offensive opportunities.
Coach Lamb skillfully details the responsibilities of both the ball carrier and the off-ball player. She delivers skills and theory that will serve as the foundation from which the offensive players can effectively exploit the 2v1 game. Beginning with basic concepts and progressing through detailed offensive strategies, your players will quickly develop into an efficient and purposed offensive team. At the heart of being able to master the 2v1 game are these three essential skills for the ball carrier:
Know where the defender is and what their intentions are
Know where your team mate is
Identify the Dangerous Space that you and you teammate will use against the defense
The off-ball carrier has their own set of responsibilities. The importance of communication, vision, maintaining their presences in a passing lane as well as being positioned in "dangerous space" are some of the core concepts that this 2v1 strategy depend upon. Considerable detail is provided so that any player, at any skill level, will be able to develop their skill and understanding of field hockey so that they will be able to make better decisions and become a formidable offensive threat.
Coach Lamb begins every drill with the offensive player engaging the defender. The defenders reaction drives the decision of the offense. By forcing the defender to react to the ball carrier, the off-ball player exploits the weakness of the defenders inability to cover two offensive players. These same basic scenarios are presented from different positions on the field and from different angles of attack. Through these various presentations, Lamb details a great deal of offensive direction and strategy. As she guides players through these drills, she is constantly reinforcing proper technique and challenging players to sharpen their awareness and react to the details the defender provides that are often overlooked by most offensive players.
Most importantly, Coach Lamb creates a philosophy that players can apply to the decisions they make on the field. This DVD will prove to be an invaluable tool to increase both the players and coaches "Offensive Field Hockey IQ."
78 minutes. 2013.


The works of art displayed at the Fondation Beyeler are a cultural treasure. They should facilitate a widening of horizons, not only our own but those of generations to come. Even small children show an interest in art. In order to convey these cultural values, the Fondation Beyeler organizes various activities, workshops, tours, and issues thematic publications. The aim is to show that art can be more than merely "beautiful" and "interesting." Children's understanding of art is furthered from an early, receptive age. In this way, art is not only experienced but becomes an identity-shaping cultural asset and an integral part of life.
The prime purpose of our art education program is to awaken, further, and maintain interest in art on the part of children, adolescents and adults. This goal is expressly stated in the Fondation Beyeler statutes.
From this point on, the UBS, as "UBS - Partner for Art Education for Families and Young People", will provide support in the form of financial aid over a period of several years. The emphasis will be on projects for children, teenagers and families, currently involving the following projects:
"WHAT IS ART?" a publication for adolescents and everyone interested in art
Family Days - guided tours, workshops, and museum games
"Art Soirée" events
A Cubist-style portrait of you? Your boyfriend or girlfriend as a Pop-Art comic strip character? Your pet animal as an Impressionist masterpiece?
With the ArtShaker App you can effortlessly mix and modify your own photos or famous artworks from the Fondation Beyeler by using colour, form, light and composition effects. You can create your own picture by shaking, making small movements or using original art filters. With over 20 filters available, there are thousands of possibilities. And you’ll learn what art is all about in a playful way.
You will also find interesting background material to various 20th century artists and art styles. Moreover, the 27 questions and answers of the book "What is Art?" published by the Fondation Beyeler last year, can be read in the app.
What is Art? 27 Questions and 27 Answers is a new publication, scheduled for autumn 2012, that provides a fascinating introduction to the world of art. The Fondation Beyeler Art Appreciation Team replies to 27 queries on the part of young people: earnest, provocative, amusing and fundamental questions. In addition, the title question "What is Art?" is discussed by a range of experts in the field. Their statements provide insight into the thinking of people who deal with art professionally every day.
"Family Day" Three Times a Year
Our "Family Days" are intended to provide children and parents with a day full of art at the Fondation Beyeler. The schedule on these days is designed by members of our art education department to reflect emphases of the current exhibition. In addition to short guided tours and museum games, various workshops in the park provide an opportunity for practical, hands-on experiment. Family Days are held three times a year in parallel with our special exhibitions. The programme of tours, workshops and museum games is free of charge, as are admissions, to age 25.
"Art in the Evening / Soirée" Events
The museum is open once a month (on a Friday) from 6 to 9 pm. Special evening tours, curator tours and Art & Dinner tours are held. All visitors enjoy reduced admission prices. Admission is free to 25 years.


Note: To protect the privacy of our members, e-mail addresses have been removed from the archived messages. As a result, some links may be broken.
I recently had an interesting conversation with two other art educators
about how art teachers go about determining "what to teach" in their
classrooms. We all agreed that there's so much to teach today about
art/through art, that's its really difficult to decide on "what's really
worth teaching?" Just looking at the variety of topics that have arisen
on this list over the past few years demonstrates this point.
So, I thought I'd pose a few questions here to see what kinds of responses
they might stir up:
1. How do you determine what to teach in your classroom?
2. If you could teach only 3 things (ideas/concepts) to kids in a year,
what would those be?
3. What are the "essential" ideas worth teaching/knowing in art?
While you may respond to any of these questions, I'm particularly
interested in your ideas on the third item. If you look up the word
"essential" in the dictionary, you'll find definitions like: "necessary to
the existence of a thing," "most important," and "constituting the essence
of something." The other way of thinking about this is "What are the BIG
ideas in art?" These "big" ideas are not specific to a particular artist
or work....they enable us to understand something about "Art" in general.
Art comes in many forms and is made for many purposes.
Art makes us look at our world in new and different ways.
Artists today are constantly reinventing art.
I have more of these, but I'm curious as to what others think are the "BIG
ideas" in Art.
Praying for lots of rain in Florida,
CRAIG ROLAND. Associate Professor-Art Education.
Department of Art, FAC 302, University of Florida, Gainesville Florida.
32611-5801. (352) 392-9165 - Art Ed Office (352) 392-8453 - Fax
new email address: rolandc


For teachers, parents, and most youngsters, it's back to school time.
But for 400,000 children, it's an even more important occasion -- starting school for the first time. Most of them are ready for school and, years later, most of them and their parents will look back fondly on their first few weeks.
Sadly, about a third of the children who are starting school aren't ready. Many of these youngsters still will be behind by the time they reach third grade. Many may never be able to catch up with what their schools -- and our society -- expect them to learn and be able to do.
This is a problem -- and there is a solution. Taking the long view from early childhood to young adulthood, there is increasing interest in creating a more "seamless" system of learning that begins early and assures that students can successfully finish school and move on to higher education or job training and, eventually, into the work force. In the New Economy, where Americans must compete with workers from throughout the world and keep adapting to changing technologies, "seamless learning" -- and, indeed lifelong learning -- is essential for everyone.
Looking at the early years of education -- from age 3 through third grade -- our preschools and elementary schools need to address four fundamental realities.
t The early years before children start kindergarten are crucial for student achievement. Neuroscience demonstrates that the brain's development is nearly 90 percent complete by the time a child is 5 and that the years from birth to age 3 represent the most rapid brain development. Economists tell us that investments made in the early years will bring large returns in the form of fewer dropouts and grade retentions, increased graduation rates and ultimately increased adult productivity. Educational research shows us that children who have opportunities to participate in quality early care and education are well prepared for school and do better when they get there.
t The transition from early learning into kindergarten is important and can affect later school success. What's needed: communication and cooperation among schools, communities and families. When children feel safe and prepared for kindergarten and families understand and value what happens in school, then issues such as persistent absence and lack of parental involvement are not problems.
When children go to school regularly and parents support learning at home, children succeed. When kindergarten and early education teachers can exchange information or visit each other's classrooms, they are better able to coordinate children's experiences across the two systems -- and children do better.
t The positive effects of high quality early care and education may dissipate for some children unless they are followed by consistent and high quality teaching in kindergarten through third grade. These early elementary grades are critical for later school success because the foundation skills that children will need to meet school expectations must be established by grade 3. Without this foundation, children will not be equipped to handle the higher level academic challenges they will encounter.
t When children's learning experiences before and after they start school are coordinated or aligned, then the first component of a "seamless" learning system is in place. Children will succeed when what they experience, how they are taught and what they are expected to know is high quality and linked across the early years and the early grades.
Creating these links is not easy. It will require two groups of people who usually aren't used to working together -- early childhood educators and K-12 educators -- to find ways to connect their two systems.
Because this is a vitally important but challenging task, the W.K. Kellogg Foundation and the Education Commission of the States are convening meetings that bring together education leaders and policy makers to explore ways that states can create more coherent and connected systems of learning across early learning and the early grades.
The "Linking Ready Kids and Ready Schools" governors' state forums are helping to raise awareness of these issues and will jumpstart efforts to link early care and education and the early grades so all children will be ready to succeed by grade 3.
By working together, leaders from pre-school education, elementary education and public policymaking can make sure that, when back to school time rolls around again, more children will be well on their way to completing a successful educational journey.
Mimi Howard is early learning program director for the Denver-based Education Commission of the States. She lives in Denver.


Minspeak is an easy way to code vocabulary.Minspeak is a way to code vocabulary that uses multi-meaning icons in short sequences with rule-driven patterns.
In 1980 Bruce Baker had his first contact with individuals who could not use speech or hand signs successfully with unfamiliar communication partners.
He saw the communication aids and visual languages (VL's) used at that time and sensed that they did not really meet the needs of those people.
Minspeak is a simple and effective way to code vocabulary.
Minspeak uses pictures – called icons.
A Minspeak icon is just a picture – a simple, easily recognized picture. Icons are chosen for a Minspeak system because they are culturally relevant and communicate a wide range of common ideas and topics. Pictures are used before, during and after a person learns to spell or read.
Minspeak systematically uses multi-meaning icons.
Pictures and icons naturally evoke multiple ideas. For example, the word bed can be used to express the idea of a bed, whereas the picture or icon of a bed can express not only the word bed, but also the idea of sleeping, living, being tired, furniture, saying goodnight, underneath, and maybe even the little word but (like in “get your butt out of bed”). Minspeak systematically uses the multiple meanings associated with a single picture.
Icons are combined into short sequences to code vocabulary.
Minspeak icons are combined in 2 or 3 part sequences in order to say all the different ideas that the picture codes. Say drink by sequencing JUICE with VERB. Say thirsty by sequencing JUICE with ADJECTIVE. This is the way Minspeak makes systematic use of multi-meaning icons.
Minspeak vocabulary codes follow rules and patterns.
Minspeak systems are developed with rules and patterns for organizing and coding vocabulary. The person using a Minspeak system learns a small set of pictures – usually less than 100 – then learns the rules for combining those icons into short sequences. As the person learns the rules and patterns, a Minspeak system becomes easier and easier to use.
- Benefits of Minspeak
- Using multi-meaning icons
- The power of motor automaticity
- Use of Minspeak
- Minspeak systems with different disabilities
- Minspeak and cultural-linguistic diversity
- The Power of Minspeak
- Minspeak, language and literacy development
- Using Minspeak in the classroom
- Support of Minspeak
- Strategies to support use of Minspeak
- Minspeak teaching materials


The Third International Comics Conference: 'Comics Rock!' will take place at Bournemouth University on 28-29th June 2012. Organised by Studies in Comics and the Journal of Graphic Novels and Comics, the team are now inviting proposals for papers, posters and workshops on:
• Comics and Education (Thursday 28th June 2012)
Including the first UK screening of Todd Kent's film Comic Book Literacy (which was Best Documentary Winner at Phoenix Comicon 2010) and additional speakers tbc.
There is an increased interest in using and teaching the comics medium in schools, colleges and universities. There is also an increasing use of comics in support of other areas of the school curriculum. However, there are also many challenges for teachers regarding how to use and teach comics in the context of schools and they often have to contend with continuing perceptions of the medium as problematic. Reading for pleasure is a key aspect of the increased use of the medium in school settings and libraries are often instrumental in initiating reading groups.
Papers are invited that discuss any aspect of comics in education, including but not limited to the following:
- teaching comics at various levels and within different disciplines, e.g. issues, theories, effects, current debates
- using comics to support specific elements of the curriculum (e.g. Raymond Briggs' Ethel and Ernest in relation to English history)
- comics, graphic novels and manga used laterally e.g. manga as a way of learning about elements of Japanese culture, or superheroes in PSHE; or using titles in a range of languages to encourage reading for pleasure; or Bryan Talbot's Alice in Sunderland as local history
- using comics to support literacy development (history, practice and controversies)
- comics in school libraries and classroom collections e.g. wider reading, reading for pleasure
- school and library manga and graphic novel reading groups
- children and young peoples' awards for graphic novels and manga run through schools and libraries e.g. the Stan Lee Excelsior award
- creating comics, e.g. as assessment (formative or summative), or elsewhere in the curriculum (from short strips to publications like Fool's Gold, a school project from Dearne High Specialist Humanities College in Rotherham that produced a book available for purchase - see review here)
- the use of comics-related software in the classroom e.g. Comic Life
- Studying comics as comics, e.g. approaches to graphic novels and manga, illustration, writing, the practice/theory crossover, history, notions of canon and so forth
- educational and online resources, e.g. availability, usefulness, other associated issues (The Maryland Comic Book Initiative, S.A.N.E., Comics in the Classroom)
- associations and forums, e.g. their structure, purpose, strategies (America's National Association of Comic Art Educators, The Comix Scholars List, The UK Comics Scholars List)
Comics and Multi-Modal Adaptation (Friday 29th June 2012)
Keynote industry speakers tbc.
Adaptations seem to saturate the mass media and this conference will examine recent debates focusing on comics. The most prevalent comics adaptations are those of the superhero; whose emphasis on spectacle and special effects seem especially attractive to film and television companies.
However, in her Theory of Adaptation, Linda Hutcheon proposes we think beyond the originality of an adaptation and instead regard adaptation as a central issue within storytelling. The adaptation can then be located within the contexts of its production, reception, and the constraints and possibilities of media forms.
This conference aims to take the debate beyond superhero movies by focusing on other genres and media and examining some of the more unusual aspects of adaptation.
Suggested topics include:
- comics and film, e.g. autobiography (American Splendor, Persepolis), drama (A History of Violence), history, documentary, biography
- adaptations of comics from and to other media, e.g. comic to video game
- historic adaptations, e.g. the output of Gold Key and Dell
- fairytale adaptations, e.g. Fables, The Unwritten
- new ways of promoting or pitching a story, e.g. the use of comics as a way into film and television (30 Days of Night)
- audience experiences of the adapted text, e.g. the effects of primacy and familiarity, experiencing the adaptation before or after the source text
- adaptation as a creative act
- responses to an adaptation, e.g. fans, creators (Alan Moore and Neil Gaiman's criticisms of Hollywood adaptations), writers, artists
- tropes and devices incorporated into comics, e.g. Choose your own Adventure, pop-ups
- use of a comics aesthetic in other media
- comparative studies, e.g. in contrasting representations of icons (Walk the Line versus Johnny Cash: I See a Darkness)


I heard this term a while back when my sister was debating on whether or not to homeschool her kids. She is currently in college pursuing her degree in elementary education and wasn’t very confident that she could pull off homeschooling and college. Her concerns prompted us to do some research and that is when we discovered “co-schooling”.
It is a fancy name for what parents of public, parochial, private, and magnet schools should be doing anyway. But, you know we like to give everything a name so…
Co-schooling is another form of home education that works in partnership with the school the child attends. The premise for this method is that the parents are the absolute authority over the child’s education and they work closely with the child’s teachers to give the student the best education possible. Without open communication and a desire to teach and train your child this method will not work. The point is to not leave the bulk of the responsibility up to the school but instead take some of that responsibility upon yourself.
- Become acquainted. Get to know your child’s teacher and help her or him get to know your child. This is a team effort and all great teams require strategic planning.
- Communicate. Set up meetings or phone calls all throughout the year so that you can each get a glimpse of the child’s progress and needs.
- Plan and Prepare. Ask for lesson plans and homework schedules so that you can supplement the education they are receiving in the classroom with appropriate materials at home: books, games, trips, TV shows, etc. The homework schedule allows you to monitor the child’s work and see how they are doing in regards to mastering concepts. It also helps you to keep them accountable.
- Learning Environment. Give each child a space for doing homework in peace. Make sure there is lots of light, pens, paper, and any other necessary supplies within reach.
- Set Goals. Talk with your child and help them to set goals for each school year and then break them down by semester. Review them every so often to make sure the child always has that goal in view. It is easier for them to walk towards success if they have a plan for doing so.
- Volunteer. It makes you a part of your child’s world away from home. You can get to know those who engage and encourage your child each day and become a part of the process instead of just being a spectator.
- Know your rights. Educate yourself on the laws and rules that govern your child’s school. Find out whom you are to speak to if there is a problem. Find out what the school’s responsibilities are and then make sure you understand your own responsibilities.
Above all, know that you are the parent and that the child’s teacher and other administrators are there to help you educate your child. Don’t take a backseat to the system. Unfortunately, the majority of parents of school age children have just handed over their children to the schools and because of this those children are educated under a broad spectrum. Without an advocate, your child’s teacher has to guess as to his or her abilities and they have to discipline and train without your input or support. This is not what was intended and this is not being a good parent.
Even if the only thing that you can do is email or call then do it. No one knows or loves your child more than you and no one else should be more involved in their education than you.
What about you? Do any of you have tips or advice on how to effectively co-school our children. Any teachers want to weigh in?


The $6-billion reading program at the heart of President Bush's No Child Left Behind education law has failed to make a difference in how well children understand what they read, according to a study by the program's own champion, the U.S. Department of Education.
Schools that use Reading First, which provides grants to improve grade-school reading instruction, scored no better on reading comprehension tests than peers in schools that don't participate, says the study from the Institute of Education Sciences, part of the Education Department.
The conclusion is likely to reignite the long-standing "reading wars." Critics have argued that the program, aimed at improving reading skills among students from low-income families, places too much emphasis on explicit phonics instruction and doesn't do enough to foster understanding.
The program has been plagued by allegations of mismanagement and financial conflicts of interest, and Thursday's findings threw its future into doubt. The Bush administration has strenuously backed the effort, saying it helps disadvantaged children learn to read. About 1.5-million children in about 5,200 schools nationwide participate in Reading First.
"We need to seriously re-examine this program and figure out how to make it work better for students," said California Democratic Rep. George Miller, chairman of the House education committee.
Reading First was created as part of the 2002 No Child Left Behind law, which aims to get all children doing math and reading at their proper grade level. Bush and Education Secretary Margaret Spellings have championed the reading program as an important part of the law.
Institute director Russ Whitehurst said the study focused on reading comprehension rather than other aspects of reading, such as whether kids grasp phonics, because comprehension is the ultimate goal when teaching reading.
The congressionally mandated study, completed by an independent contractor, focused on tens of thousands of first-, second- and third-grade students in 248 schools in 13 states. The children were tested, and researchers observed teachers in 1,400 classrooms.
Researchers did find that among schools participating in Reading First, higher levels of funding led to some improvement in scores. Congress recently reduced funding to the program — over Bush's objections — due to budget constraints and controversies surrounding it.
A 2006 report from the Education Department's inspector general, John Higgins Jr., found that some program officials steered states to certain tests and textbooks. Congressional testimony last year revealed that some of those people benefited financially.
"It's no surprise that Reading First has been a failure," said House Appropriations Committee Chairman David Obey, D-Wis., who led the fight to cut the program's budget.
Spellings hailed the program as a success last year when she released data showing scores in Reading First schools were up. However, those scores weren't compared with schools where Reading First wasn't in place. The new study compares those using the program to those not using it.
Amanda Farris, deputy assistant secretary for policy and strategic initiatives at the Education Department, said that Reading First remains popular and that the department will look to the report, along with other data, to "enhance its implementation." President Bush's fiscal 2009 budget seeks to restore funding to previous levels.
Information from the Washington Post and Associated Press was used in this report.


Engineering can be a largely self-selecting profession. To succeed as an engineer quantitative proficiency and an ability to solve complex problems are required. Although engineering professionals can find themselves working alone on quantitative problems, entire projects are very team-oriented, so it is important to be able to cooperate with other members of your team and maintain a strong professional network. There are many different specialty fields in engineering, so it is worth the time to explore the discipline fully.
Our Science and Mathematics curriculum will prepare you for opportunities in the engineering sector. Specifically, Physics, Chemistry, Biology, Math, or Computer Science will provide you with foundational skills required for more advanced study. An option provided at H-SC is our unique dual-degree program in engineering with the University of Virginia, in which the student obtains a BS degree from H-SC and an MS in Engineering from UVa. For more information contact Dr. Hugh "Trey" Thurman.
Depending on which specific field of engineering is chosen, the student should major in a science most closely related to that field. For example, mechanical engineering is best associated with physics while biomedical engineering is best suited to either biology or chemistry. Regardless of your major, interested students can engage with engineering by joining the Society for Physics Students, attending frequent talks by recent graduates, and registering for Advanced Labs.
In addition to technical knowledge, engineers benefit from the intangible skills that are taught at H-SC. Engineers must write and speak effectively, so that they can descriptively yet simply communicate their ideas to associates and clients. The H-SC rhetoric program provides a rigorous learning laboratory to develop your written and oral rhetorical skills. These skills are enhanced in the introductory and advanced lab sequences offered in the Physics and Astronomy department. The Career Education and Vocational Reflection Office can assist you with interview preparation, career research, and internship searching. H-SC men have frequently been selected for Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) programs across the country. H-SC men can also pursue summer research projects through the Honors Program.
If you intend to go to graduate school, it is vital to prepare for the Graduate Record Exam (GRE). The Career Education and Vocational Reflection Office offers a number of preparation resources, as does the Bortz Library. GRE test dates are scheduled online and can be taken at a number of test centers nationwide. The types of graduate programs vary widely in emphasis, and even include some programs like Engineering Management, which might interest students with a passion for engineering and business. It is also vital to determine how pursuing a master's degree or Ph.D will impact your career goals. Beyond graduate school, many engineers also pursue certification through the rigorous Professional Engineer exam.


Music is a vital component of humanity and culture, and every human being has an aptitude for music. Music is one of the most accessible and universal languages, spanning all cultures and ages. It is a mode of expression that captures what is inexpressible through words in a meaningful and positive way. Because of this, music education is essential in the school curriculum, teaching students a combination of life skills in a way no other subject can emulate.
As a teacher, I hope to inspire a love for many different types of music in my students, foster critical thinking skills that apply to the music they play and to which they listen, facilitate the acquisition of lifelong learning skills (developing confidence to overcome obstacles, discipline, and basic coordination), and prepare my students to function effectively in groups.
In order to fulfill my philosophy, I hope to incorporate learning through a variety of methods. I will treat each of my students as individuals, tailoring my instruction to their needs. I will try to consistently remain animated and enthusiastic, offering motivation and encouragement rather than constant criticism. Also, I will maintain an organized and stimulating classroom environment. By giving clear, simple instructions (embedded with repetition) and respecting my students, I hope to foster relationships through music. Overall, I will support my students’ musical efforts and emphasize the process more than the product, and through doing so, I hope to dispel an intimidation of music so that students can learn to study music, discover its value, and find it to be fun and meaningful.
During private lessons, I focus on improvement in technique, tone, and expression as a foundation for musical understanding. My goal is to increase students’ appreciation and understanding of musical concepts and performance, inspiring them to become independent musicians.
Tunes for Tots is designed to prepare children to become musical in three ways, according to the First Steps in Music curriculum:
- “Tuneful” – to have tunes in their heads and learn to coordinate their voices to sing those tunes.
- “Beatful” – to feel the pulse of music and how that pulse is grouped in either twos or threes.
- “Artful” – to be moved by music in the many ways music can elicit an emotional response.


Student Achievement Assessment Committee
Primary Learning Outcomes
The mission statement of the department manifests three primary learning outcomes for students in music education:
• teaching effectiveness
• excellent musicianship
• critical thinking skills
Since spring 2001, these three primary learning outcomes have been the underlying principles for assessment in every course with a MUED prefix. These learning outcomes form the core of the undergraduate and graduate programs in music education.
1. Learning (or Service) Outcomes assessed this year:
In 2003-2004 we attempted to measure changes in teaching behaviors during the course of the student teaching practicum. While measures of behavior change alone do not capture the total essence of effective teaching, published literature in music education suggest that expert music teachers demonstrate similar teaching behaviors, which differ from behaviors demonstrated by novices. Novices tend to spend more time presenting instruction (teacher talk) than in directing students through a sequence of performances leading to achievement of a performance goal.
The assessment procedure described in this report was designed to examine the effect of self observation and self analysis on the behaviors of our student teachers and their students during the student teaching practicum.
2. Assessment Methods and Procedures:
The table submitted with this document reports data recorded by students during observations of their own performance as student teachers. Three observations (week 4, week 5, and week 10) are required during the student teaching practicum. Video observations were 20 minutes in length. Student teachers utilized SCRIBE, a computerized behavior analysis program designed specifically for systematic analysis of performance-based instruction.
3. Inferences from Assessments:
After analyzing the first video excerpt, student teachers indicated in seminar discussions that they wanted to talk less and direct their students to play more. The data suggest that they were successful in doing so. There was a shift in the balance of teacher and student behaviors over the course of the term. Time spent in teacher talk was greater in observation I (48%) than in observations II (32%) and III (31%). The mean episode duration of teacher talk time diminished from observation I (10 sec) to observation II (9 sec) and observation III (9 sec).
Most striking was the change in the proportion of time spent in large group and small group performance from observation I to observation II. The data suggest that our student teachers worked with small groups to a greater extent in observation II (25%) than in observation I (13%) or observation III (17%) perhaps indicating greater attention to detail in rehearsals following seminar II (week 4) and observation II (week 5). An increase in the percentage of time spent in large group performance between observation II and observation III is not surprising since observation II took place early in the semester when students learn new music and observation III took place during week 10 when students have mastered technical aspects of the piece and rehearsals focus on ensemble performance.
Student teachers increased the rate of positive feedback from observation I (.41 per minute to observation II (.48 per minute, and observation III (.63 per minute). They gave less negative feedback than positive feedback for all observations and they delivered more directives than any other form of teacher verbalization.
4. Actions Taken/Program Improvements:
We have focused on assessment of student teaching, the final capstone experience for music education majors, for the past two years. While we will continue to monitor the effect of self observation on improvement of teaching skills during student teaching, it is now appropriate to link what we have learned to the junior methods courses where students demonstrate and develop their teaching skills. Directed self observations appear to positively influence teaching behaviors and students may benefit from more frequent opportunities to observe and analyze their own teaching and the teaching of others. We have already begun to develop electronic portfolios, which include videotaped excerpts and self observation, in junior methods courses. We will continue to refine our electronic portfolios and we will develop an assessment instrument for junior methods courses.
We will continue to examine videotaped teaching excerpts submitted by student teachers to study the process and quality of teacher decision making in lessons and rehearsals.


IỊisaġvik College offers a series of courses that help students master the foundational skills necessary for college success. Classes focus on strengthening English and Math skills, so students can confidently and successfully transition into 100-level courses.
- Demonstrate ability to organize materials in a logical manner.
- Demonstrate leadership and participative skills to collaborate effectively.
- Demonstrate research skills necessary to retrieve digital and textual information.
- Demonstrate sufficient reading, oral and written English skills to be able to succeed in college-level courses.
- Demonstrate sufficient mathematical skills to be able to enter Math 105.
- Be able to apply mathematical operations including fractions, decimals, percents, ratios and basic linear equations.
- Demonstrate basic computer literacy skills.
- Demonstrate understanding of real numbers, equalities, inequalities, exponents and polynomials by solving systems of linear equations.
COMPASS is a computer-adaptive placement test that helps to place students into the appropriate course level. Students do not pass or fail the test; they do not earn a grade. The sole purpose of the test is to place the students in the course level that they are able to complete successfully. Students are placed into foundational courses based on the following scores:


YOUTH ART MONTH: Interview with Lori Mitchell
Links to fun websites with art projects and ideas for ways to celebrate the artistic side of you. Check out the Learning Corner of questions and extended activities.
Questions & Extended Learning Activities
Each Learning Corner is designed by an educator to be easily integrated into individual curriculums, as well as State, and National Standards.Click here for The Learning Corner Page
Other Fun Websites
Visit Lori Mitchell's web page and learn more about books and her work as an illustrator. There are also games and activities along with information about how to contact Lori for a school visit.
Crafts for Holly Bloom's Garden
Flashlight Press has created a crafts page to accompany Holly Bloom's Garen . Click on this site and make lovely flowers for all sorts of gifts and occasions.
Youth Art Month
March is Youth Art Month sponsored by the Council for Art Education. Crayola has a whole page of art projects you can try during March. Click on this site for lots of art ideas.
Art Junction : MAKE YOUR OWN ARTRAGEOUS HAT!
Make a hat from paper that will help you to think like an artist.
Suppose you had a hat that would help you think like an artist. What would it look like? How would it work? Try to imagine such a hat in your mind's eye.
Once you have a mental picture of your artrageous hat, make it using a paper plate as a base and colored construction paper to create it's form. It may help to draw a picture of your hat before you start. Click on this site for materials and directions on how to begin.
Sheppard Software offers educational games and activities for kids of all ages. Paint and learn!
The KidsArt Mail Art Gallery
Mail Art is also called "correspondance art." The art is created on an envelope, and has to be sturdy enough to travel through the Post Office. Mail Art is seen by many people...the post office workers who sort and deliver the mail, as well as the person you are mailing to.
- What Do Illustrators Do?
- Author : Eileen Christelow
- ASIN : 0618874232
- The Little Hands Art Book (Little Hands!)
- Author : Press
- ASIN : 0824968204
- Holly Bloom's Garden
- Author : Sarah Ashman
- ASIN : 0979974607
- The Jumbo Book of Art (Kids Can Press Jumbo Books)
- Author : Irene Luxbacher
- ASIN : 1550747622
- Different Just Like Me
- Author : Lori Mitchell
- ASIN : 1570914907
- Awesome Alphabets: Draw Your Own Letters
- Author : Artell
- ASIN : 1596470305
- Cut-Paper Play!: Dazzling Creations from Construction Paper (Williamson Kids Can! Series)
- Author : Sandi Henry
- ASIN : 1885593058
- Kids Art Works!: Creating With Color, Design, Texture & More (Williamson Kids Can! Series)
- Author : Sandi Henry
- ASIN : 188559335X
MEET ME AT THE CORNER
20 West Del Norte
Colorado Springs, CO 80907


Art For Kids: Elements, Principles and Other Concepts
Art Resources, is a great site for all things concerning art
An Art Education Guide for Kids and Adults
NETS - National Educational Technology Standards for Students
- National Council for the Social Studies - Curriculum Standards
for Social Studies
- National Council of Teachers of English - Standards for the English
- National Council of Teachers of Mathematics - Standards
NSTA - National
Science Education Standards
TISS - Technology
Integration Scope and Sequence, though pre-dating Canvastic,
has many K-5 lesson plans that integrate standards based curriculum
and publishing software. Canvastic will be an excellent tool for
many of those activities.
is a great resource for completely free art for personal or commercial
use. It is education friendly and has over 16,000 images. We used
images to round out Canvastic's clip art collection.
Inc. are the Canvastic developers.


Smart Kids Early Learning
There can be no doubt that early childhood learning and development is key for a child’s long term success as a learner. Researchers and scientists have proven that the first few years of life are nothing short of critical for both brain development and for fostering a positive attitude towards learning. Making certain that your child is not left behind during this pivotal time is, of course, quite important. Imaginatronics has worked to devise software applications and iPad apps for kids that will help your child enjoy learning.
The iPad, due to its high level of interactivity and wide range of functions, is truly a perfect learning platform for young learners. Video, pictures, music and sound are present in the “Smart Kids Early Learning” iPad app and are very well utilized. Further, the iPad’s lightweight design and compact size makes it perfect for parents to transport. This means that your child can literally be engaged in a deep and comprehensive learning experience almost anywhere.
The Alphabet, Numbers, Colors and Shapes
“Smart Kids Early Learning” is a learning tool designed to introduce young learners to such concepts as the alphabets, numbers, colors and shapes. Each of these concepts is taught to the child in an interactive way. Learning takes place both visually and audibly as well. For example, the alphabet is taught by introducing a child to a given letter then allowing this letter to be heard with the correct audio pronunciation. We realize that each child is unique, and our educational apps seek to embrace the various natural learning styles of different children.
Learning Numbers Can Be Fun
Number learning is likewise handled in an interactive fashion with children being introduced to numbers 1 through 10. Again the focus is on learning in a layered way. For example, 1 apple is shown to represent 1 and is accompanied by the appropriate audio. Children will thus see and hear the information and learn in an intuitive and organic fashion.
An Interactive Approach to Colors
For our colors section, children are taught the basic colors and they will see an example of the color in the form of an object . This will also encourage a child to focus on each new color more intensely, promoting new neural connections. Throughout this educational app, a total of 10 colors will be introduced in a fun way that is easy to remember.
Shapes of All Sizes
Just as ten colors are introduced in “Smart Kids Early Learning”, 10 shapes are also introduced in this innovative iPad app. As in all the sections, audio feedback plays a key role. Each shape is accompanied with audio repetition of its appropriate name.
“Smart Kids Early Learning” is a fun iPad app that will help your toddler learn for months and even years to come. The focus on seeing as well as hearing will help young learners make the most of this interactive experience. At $0.99, your young reader will get endless hours of use and enjoyment.


This course introduces students to the classic theories of management, exposing students to the foundational skills essential for modern managers and leaders. In the course, students will:
- Apply Henry Fayol's classic POLC framework to modern managerial issues
- Create and apply mission and vision statements
- Analyze and apply leadership strategies in management
In the course project, Report: Personal Management Style, students will analyze and apply the topics of each module in order to create a comprehensive personal style of management, preparing them to be proactive as managers in their careers.
Course Learning Objectives
- Analyze and apply Henri Fayol's classic POLC (Planning, Organizing, Leading, Controlling) frame of analysis.
- Create classic mission and vision statements for organizations by writing vision and mission statements for their own careers.
- Compare the differences between managers and leaders so as to assess personal capacity to lead.
- Analyze, plan, and manage organizational change with reference to classic concepts about organizational cultures, social networks, and employee motivation.
- Analyze and apply classic concepts of decision-making so as to lead and manage effectively.
- Evaluate classic team leadership concepts.
- Clearly state, explain, and substantiate their personal style of management.


Reading Comprehension Activities Will Help You Learn How to Teach Reading Comprehension
Reading comprehension activities will help you learn how to teach reading comprehension which is our ultimate goal for all children. Their future depends on whether or not they can read for meaning - the definition of comprehension. If students have a sight vocabulary and have learned to read sight words smoothly in text, reading for understanding will soon follow if given the proper guidance. Teaching reading comprehension with these skills established is the final step in learning how to read.
It is critical to the life of every child that he/she learns to read. Teachers across the nation should be teaching reading comprehension with the urgency that comes with knowing the future of our children depends upon it.
It is important to understand the factors that affect reading comprehension and to go back and teach skills that have been missed. It is unacceptable for teachers to maintain the attitude that, "she was supposed to know this before she came to me."
If a child is having difficulty with comprehension, you must check his sight vocabulary and reading fluency. If he is lacking in one or both of those areas, it is up to YOU to go back and teach them to him! The stakes are too high not to do so!
Once both these areas have been strengthened, you are ready to begin reading comprehension instruction.
Reading comprehension has its roots in imagination which is why imaginative play should be encouraged long before children are reading for meaning.
Play, particularly unstructured time during which children are encouraged to "make believe" and imagine, lays the foundation for future reading comprehension.
As early childhood educators continue to feel increasing pressure to focus on academics, the importance of play as a precursor to reading comprehension is jeopardized.
Educators and policy makers need to realize that play is critical to learning to read.
As teachers we must continue to find ways to provide imaginative play opportunities for our children.
SUBJECTS AND PREDICATES
Creating subject and predicate
and doing the accompanying activities is the best way to introduce the concept of subjects and predicates. Don't worry about terminology - children understand what "action words" are (it's in their context!)so refer to verbs/predicates in that way as you ease them into the terminology.
When children are comfortable with the terms and their meaning, make it part of your regular daily routine to examine sentences found in text and identify the subject and predicate. Most gains in understanding happen when instruction is woven into the fabric of the text they are reading.
Kids like to combine subjects and predicates to form silly sentences.
Very often problems with comprehension stem from the fact that the story or passage of text is completely out of the child's
Effective teachers must always be on the lookout for ways to incorporate the arts -
and drama - especially when the focus is building reading comprehension.
For the concept of subjects and predicates, for example, children enjoy repeating the following rhythmic chant: The subject is the who; the predicate is what they do.
Children also enjoy School House Rock's
Mr. Morton Does.
Disclaimer: The song about Mr. Morton may very well get "stuck in your head!"
This is a good example of how music can be part of the most important reading comprehension activities you do. Classroom teachers need to realize that music education in schools should not simply be left to the music teacher down the hall!!
The same is true of
art in education.
which can also be an important reading comprehension activity particularly for your right-brained children.
Attention must be given to including aesthetics - art, dance music, and drama - in meaningful ways to provide reading comprehension activities which will engage the right brain.
It is also important that teachers in every subject area in school provide
reading comprehension activities
in their subject areas.
Go to Music Education in Schools from Reading Comprehension Activities
Go to Art in Education from Reading Comprehension Activities


Rethinking Curriculum in Art Education
Practical support for thematic teaching in art
Research shows that thematic teaching across the curriculum significantly increases student engagement. This groundbreaking book by Marilyn Stewart and Sydney Walker gives concrete examples of how teachers can enhance their current lessons and studio activities by organizing them around meaningful, universal themes like identity, conflict, and relationships.
Available individually or as part of the Art Education in Practice Series. 162 pages, softcover
- Step-by-step guidelines for selecting content for organizing art instruction
- Sample completed worksheets and charts to guide curriculum planning
- Examples from actual units of study
- Reproducible worksheets, sample rubrics, and more
Table of Contents
- Rethinking Curriculum in Context
- Making It Count: Unit Foundations
- Making Choices: Selecting Lesson Content to Build on Unit Foundations
- Helping Students Learn: Instruction
- Targeting Understanding: Assessment and the Curriculum
- Art and Integrated Curriculum
- Visual Culture and the Curriculum
Learn about the digital edition of Rethinking Curriculum in Art Education.
Tags: Rethinking Curriculum in Art Education, Art Education in Practice Series, Marilyn G. Stewart, Sydney R. Walker, Marilyn Stewart, Sydney Walker, professional development
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The S.T.E.A.M. Power! class, slated to start April 5, is designed to prepare children ages 3-5 for their elementary education. The class combines science, technology, engineering, arts and math to provide a cohesive learning experience. According to Museum Executive Director Amy Hever, these subjects are key to staying competitive in the global marketplace of today and the future.
“The role of the Schoolhouse is to inspire life-long learning by targeting educational areas that are of great need to our youth,” Hever said. “The years before a child reaches kindergarten are among the most critical in his or her life to influence learning.”
The parent-child class implements hands-on activities, such as counting, dancing, block play and story time, to emphasize crucial S.T.E.A.M. concepts. The course series will be assessed by modeling the Preschool Child Observation Record (COR) and tests will be administered at the start of the class and at the conclusion to gauge if children’s school readiness has increased.
Thanks to a partnership with Pathways to Prosperity (P2P)/Bridges at Boynton Beach and funding from the Quantum Foundation, the Schoolhouse is able to offer S.T.E.A.M. Power! to the community free of cost.
“There is no question that children in schools that are struggling have less of a chance of success in ALL areas,” said Kerry Diaz, president of Quantum Foundation. “Anything we can do to give them a bit of an extra boost is in line with Quantum’s agenda of improving science and health education.”
Diaz also believes that by giving kids the tools necessary to build a love and understanding of science early on will help them to better grasp S.T.E.A.M. concepts later in life, ultimately inspiring them to pursue a career in one of those fields.
According to Nayeli Martinez, parenting coach at P2P/Bridges at Boynton Beach, many children’s needs are not being fully addressed due to the many challenges families are facing today. In turn, many children never reach their full potential. This new program will give children and parents the opportunity to gain the knowledge and skills to transition into kindergarten as well as bring these new skills to the home environment.
“We believe that the S.T.E.A.M. class will have an immediate and positive impact,” Martinez said. “Children will be introduced to a curriculum that models what the schools and other programs already have in place or are planning to roll out in the near future.”
The S.T.E.A.M. Power! classes will be offered at St. John Missionary Baptist Church, a service site of P2P/Bridges at Boynton Beach. It will allow parents to actively participate in their child’s program, witness their child’s progress and learn how they can be supportive in the growth of their child’s education.
“By taking ownership in the role of the first teacher, parents will feel more confident and competent in their abilities and be able to take advantage of all teachable moments,” Martinez said. “The classes will also foster positive engagements, which will, in turn, improve the parent-child relationship.”
S.T.E.A.M. Power! is also being offered on-site at the Schoolhouse Museum for parents and children on Thursdays at 10:15 a.m. starting April 5 and taking place through May 24. The cost is $6.50 per class for Museum Members; $7.50 per class for Non-Members. Multi-session discounts are available.
About the Schoolhouse Children’s Museum & Learning Center:
Nominated for the 2012 National Medal for Museum and Library Service, the Schoolhouse Children’s Museum & Learning Center engages young children in playful discovery through hands-on, interactive, learning environments that integrate the arts, humanities and sciences in a historical setting.
The Schoolhouse is open Tuesday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Admission prices are $4 for children ages 1 - 17, $4.50 for seniors, and $5 for adults. Members and children under 1 are free. The Schoolhouse is located at 129 East Ocean Avenue in downtown Boynton Beach. For more information, please visit www.schoolhousemuseum.org, or call (561) 742-6780.
# # #
Experience South Florida's history through 2 floors of hands-on, interactive exhibits for ages 2-12. Learn art, music, the sciences and more through educational programs and special events. Membership and birthday party packages are also available.


Abstract||This thesis presents the findings of a research project which explored studentsí learning during an activity-based mathematics programme. The research investigated what students learnt about solving linear equations and examined the role of activities in this learning.
The investigation of learning in the classroom was guided by the principles of naturalistic enquiry. A longitudinal study was used to investigate studentsí learning during a unit of work that that made extensive use of activities and contexts. The longitudinal design of the study allowed the development of algebraic thinking to be investigated. The ideas of both Piaget and Vygotsky suggest that it is necessary to study the process of change in order to understand the thinking of students. A group of four students, two girls and two boys, were studied for twenty-seven lessons with each student interviewed individually within six days of each lesson, using the technique of stimulated recall. All lessons and interviews were recorded for subsequent transcription and analysis.
Learning to solve equations formally, using inverse operations, proved to be difficult for all the students. For two of them, their poor understandings of arithmetic structure and inverse operations were impediments that prevented them from doing more than attempt to follow procedures. Two of the students did succeed in using inverse operations to solve equations, but were still reasoning arithmetically. There was little evidence in the data that any of the students got to the point of regarding equations as objects to act on. They consistently focussed on the arithmetic procedures required for inverse operations. Even by the end of the topic the most able student, like the others, was still struggling to write algebraic statements. One of the most striking features of the results was the slow progress of the students. For at least two of the students, lack of prerequisite numeracy skills provided a good explanation of why this was so. However for the other two, poor numeracy did not appear to be a reason. The findings are, however, perhaps not too surprising. For children learning about arithmetic, the change from a process to an object view, from counting strategies to part/whole strategies, seems a particularly difficult transition to make. To move from a process to an object view of equations appears to be a similarly difficult transition.
The way in which the students made use of the contexts showed that the activities did not directly facilitate the students to develop an understanding of formal solution processes. The students did not usually make use of the contexts when solving equations, working at the abstract symbolic level instead. Although it was hoped that, by engaging students in meaningful activities, the students would construct understandings of formal solution processes, this did not occur. None of the activities used in the study provided a metaphor for the formal method of solving equations. It is suggested that, for a context to be of great value for teaching a mathematical concept, the physical activity should act as a metaphor for the intended mathematical activity.


Conveniently Located at The Fountains
| 8025 Ardrey Kell Rd., Suite 103
| Charlotte NC, 28277
| email us
Children who participate in the arts each week through at least one full year are:
- 4 times more likely to be recognized for academic achievement
- 3 times more likely to be elected to class office within their schools
- 4 times more likely to participate in a math and science fair
- 3 times more likely to win an award for school attendance
- 4 times more likely to win an award for writing an essay or poem
Young artists, as compared with their peers, are likely to:
- Attend music, art, and dance classes nearly three times as frequently
- Participate in youth groups nearly four times as frequently
- Read for pleasure nearly twice as often
- Perform community service more than four times as often
Source: “Living the Arts through Language + Learning: A Report on Community-based Youth Organizations,” Shirley Brice Heath, Stanford University and Carnegie Foundation For the Advancement of Teaching, Americans for the Arts Monograph, November 1998
Did you know?
Art education for children:
- Stimulates and develops the imagination and critical thinking, and refines cognitive and creative skills.
- Has a tremendous impact on the developmental growth of every child and has proven to help level the “learning field” across socio-economic boundaries.
- Strengthens problem-solving and critical-thinking skills, adding to overall academic achievement and school success.
- Develops a sense of craftsmanship, quality task performance, and goal-setting—skills needed to succeed in the classroom and beyond.
- Teaches children life skills such as developing an informed perception; articulating a vision; learning to solve problems and make decisions; building self-confidence and self-discipline; developing the ability to imagine what might be; and accepting responsibility to complete tasks from start to finish.
- Nurtures important values, including team-building skills; respecting alternative viewpoints; and appreciating and being aware of different cultures and traditions.
- Plays a central role in cognitive, motor, language, and social-emotional development.
- Motivates and engages children in learning, stimulates memory, facilitates understanding, enhances symbolic communication, promotes relationships, and provides an avenue for building competence.
- Provides a natural source of learning. Child development specialists note that play is the business of young children; play is the way children promote and enhance their development. The arts are a most natural vehicle for play.
Source: Americans for the Arts, 2002; Young Children and the Arts: Making Creative Connections, 1998, Introduction


Concerns, conflicts, and cohesions: Universalization of elementary education in India
Source:Institute for Human Development : Oxford University Press, New Delhi, p.350 (2009)
Call Number:Cubb LA1152 .C66 2009
Keywords:Education, Elementary--Government policy--India--Congresses, Elementary--India--Congresses, Inclusive education--India--Congresses
Contents: Introduction and overview -- Disparities and inequities -- The challenge of quality in education -- Issues concerning curriculum -- Towards inclusive education.; Summary: Revised version of most of the papers presented at a seminar held in June 2006.
"The volume addresses vital concerns and conflicts that need urgent attention in advancing India's quest for universalizing elementary education. The dialogue among experts, researchers and practitioners offers theoretical perspectives, identifies systemic constraints and points to institutional rigidities that hamper the spread of good quality basic education."


“To please the taste of the public”
Early American Tune Books
(1761 – 1808)
Five early American tune books and one facsimile edition are on display in the Music Library through December 2012. Items include William Billings' The Singing Master's Assistant (Boston, 1781); Andrew Law's The Art of Singing(Cheshire, Conn., 1794); and, Jeremiah Ingalls' The Christian Harmony (Exeter, 1805).
Over the course of the 18th century, congregational singing in Protestant churches suffered a slow deterioration as colonists distanced themselves from European traditions and practices. The typical call-and-response hymn singing, in which the congregation mimicked lines sung by the preacher, had devolved into a cacophony due to the congregation’s lack of vocal skill and musical training, combined with increasingly individualized interpretations of traditional European tunes, poorly remembered. In order to strengthen participation in worship, a “new” way of singing from notes, as opposed to the “old” way of singing from memory, was needed.
Enter the singing master and the singing school. The singing master was an itinerant teacher who set up schools in communities where people desired to learn to sing from printed music. This was one of few avenues for a musician to make a living at that time. Singing schools, which charged modest fees and were open to both men and women, were the first form of public music education in the fledgling United States.
That the sexes could mingle in approved communal (supervised) surroundings was a bonus for many of the younger participants. Learning music through psalm singing was also a way to cultivate a young person’s talent while at the same time saving them from the negative moral influences suspected in Italianopera music, also popular at the time.
A market for tune books, which included rudimentary music instruction and 3- and 4- part hymns, anthems, and other tunes, quickly developed. Around the turn of the 19th century, over 300 editions representing 150 titles were in circulation. Music making had become a vital part of life in the new nation. These books also represented the first flowering of indigenous American composition, including many pieces by William Billings, Andrew Law, Samuel Holyoke, and Jeremiah Ingalls.
On display through December 2012.


For detailed information regarding learning areas in Primary and Secondary, please navigate to the respective pages.
Each day at Prep, the girls are involved in learning opportunities which support and enhance their physical, cognitive, social, emotional and spiritual growth. The children are able to select activities ranging from painting, drawing and collage to woodworking and clay modelling. They also have access to a large block area and home corner, as well as construction, computing and puzzle areas. Music, dancing and stories are also a part of our day. Early literacy and numeracy skills are practised daily. Outdoors, the children can climb, run, jump and dig. As part of the MBC Primary School, our Prep students visit the music, religion, library and physical education spaces for specialist lessons.
The key components of an effective Prep program are: understanding children, building partnerships, establishing flexible learning environments, what children learn and the contexts for learning. Our program is developed with these principles in mind and incorporates the Early Learning Areas of: social and personal learning, health and physical learning, language learning and communication, early mathematical understandings and active learning processes. (Early Years Curriculum Guidelines, QSA, 2006)
As a result of this integrated approach to curriculum, Prep students will learn to: negotiate and cooperate, create and imagine, solve problems, talk about ideas, investigate their world, try out different community roles, use literacy and numeracy, make plans and carry them out.
Growing and learning is inevitable in a rich and stimulating environment and the students at Moreton Bay College are part of a unique learning community.
In our Primary academic program our girls continue to demonstrate success and this is evident in their daily activities and confirmed in external measures such as NAPLAN. Moreton Bay College continues to achieve highly in this area, with results consistently above the state average. However, this is only a point in time test. The real evidence of learning is in the quality of the communication of understanding as the girls respond to everyday tasks.
Our high quality Arts program has enabled students to have a variety of experience to explore their talent and interest in Visual Arts, Music and Drama. Girls enjoy a variety of performances, concerts and exhibits where they are able to experience and value growth in the area of how we express ourselves. Students at MBC also enjoy a rich sporting environment that is evident in our curriculum program, our Andrew’s Cup inter-schools competition and our broad co-curricular opportunities.
The teachers in the Primary School at Moreton Bay College have a strong collegial environment and a positive and enthusiastic approach to excellence in teaching and learning. As vital partners in the education of the girls, our aim is to have strong and open avenues of communication to ensure staff work together to maximize the learning potential of each individual student.
Our secondary programs are carefully designed to develop broad understanding and life skills as well as to achieve the academic results that are vital in today's world.
The lower secondary curriculum (Years 8-10) is framed around nine learning areas: English, Mathematics, Science, Studies of Society and the Environment, The Arts, Personal Development, Technology, Languages and Business.
In Years 11 and 12, the College offers more than twenty-five Queensland Studies Authority subjects as well as Authority-Registered subjects like Tourism, Fashion, Design Arts and Early Childhood Studies. TAFE co-operative programs and school-based traineeships are also available.
Girls performing at an elite level in sport of cultural activities can undertake a modified academic program that allows them to concentrate on their chosen path while participating in the College's core educational and personal development activities.
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The Waldorf method of teaching is a unique educational strategy which aims to create well-rounded students through a broad curriculum, including academics, art and music education, physical education, and emotional and social education. The stated goal of the Waldorf Method is to produce individuals able to create meaning in their own lives.
The Waldorf educational system was created nearly a hundred years ago by Rudolf Steiner, an Austrian philosopher and scientist. Steiner was familiar with a philosophy known as anthroposophy, the idea that children who consciously cultivate independent thinking will be more ready to handle the important natural and spiritual questions with which philosophers and scientists are concerned. The Waldorf education was devised to be responsive to the needs of childhood, including allowing children to set their own pace and use their imagination and creativity.
The Waldorf method encourages a broad curriculum. Teachers are encouraged to explore new topics and allow themselves to be guided by the exploration of the students. This type of teaching encourages learning for the sake of learning, instead of for the sake of passing an exam or scoring well on grading rubrics. There are no grades given in a Waldorf elementary school.
There are several other differences between the Waldorf Method and other traditional teaching methodologies. First, academic education is de-emphasized. In fact, the types of education which are routinely cut from public school budgets are often the crux of a Waldorf education. These include education in art, music, and foreign languages. Children are encouraged to learn to play musical instruments, knit, crochet, and draw. Additionally, the Waldorf Method uses no textbooks until sixth grade. Instead, elementary school children keep a journal where they record their experiences and what they have learned.
Is it really a good idea to forgo academic education, like reading, until the second grade? Waldorf educators believe so. Instead of teaching children to read when they are five or six years old, instead, teachers tell fairy tells and read stories to children. This encourages oral mastery before reading education begins. In the Waldorf curriculum, writing is taught before reading. The alphabet is explored as a way to communicate with others through pictures. This allows writing to evolve out of the art and doodles of children, instead of from their ability to read and reproduce written content.
Waldorf schools are safe and nurturing environments where children can enjoy their childhood and be protected from harmful influences of the broader society. Instead of being run by administrators concerned with economic or political motives, Waldorf schools are primarily run democratically by the teachers. Waldorf schools consistently produce strong, independent thinkers, and for this reason, the Waldorf educational model is still used in schools around the world.


This comprehensive music bibliography features citations, abstracts and subject indexing. It provides broad yet detailed coverage, and facilitates both focused research and browsing for readers of all levels. From hip hop to Händel, from ethnomusicology to music therapy, from elementary music education to advanced music theory, RILM is the first stop for the researcher who wants clear, verified bibliographic information that is fully cited, abstracted, and indexed.
Detailed Coverage of a Wide Variety of Publications and Media
RILM Abstracts of Music Literature’s coverage spans 1967 to the present, and the database is updated monthly. However, the documentation of conference proceedings goes back to 1835, and further retrospective coverage is planned. Since its first publication in 1967, RILM has covered articles in over 11,000 journals, many of which are not specifically devoted to music. RILM includes over 700,000 records, and over 40,000 new records are added every year.
Types of publications and media covered by RILM include:
- Collections of essays
- Conference proceedings
- Critical editions of music
- Digital media
- Journal articles
- Online resources
- Reference materials
- Technical drawings of instruments
Sound recordings and motion pictures that present the results of scholarly research or fieldwork are also included.
My overall impression of the EBSCOhost interface is that it offers something for everybody.– Charleston Advisor


- Program Considerations
- Classroom Strategies
- Levels of ESL Literacy
Teach and Transition
Transition programs play a critical role in the lives of young adult Learners with Interrupted Formal Education (LIFE). LIFE are acquiring language and literacy skills at the same time and need responsive post high school options that focus on the academic requirements of further education.
Angela’s story illustrates that programs with a holistic approach provide an accessible pathway to further education. This stage outlines the process we use in the Bridge program to develop curriculum that responds to needs and transitions learners.
Build an Effective Curriculum
- Put outcomes at the centre of your program.
- Monitor outcomes to ensure that they remain effective in helping learners develop the necessary skills for their own academic and career goals.
- Choose high-interest, age-appropriate themes, content and resources.
- Focus on regular and explicit strategy instruction.
- Integrate Essential Skills into the curriculum and use project-based learning to teach Essential Skills.
Ensure Quality Instruction
- Keep outcomes in focus at all times for both learners and instructors.
- Make explicit connections for learners.
- Use integrated skills instruction.
- Use content as a vehicle for language and literacy development.
- Keep learners engaged and motivated.
- Recruit a qualified, well-balanced, flexible team.
- Structure the program so learners are taught in small groups.
- Recognize that these learners demand more attention, support, and classroom management than other learners.
Focus on Assessment
- Commit to regular ongoing assessment in class.
- Create assessments such as screening tests, pre-tests, mid-term tests and post-tests.
- Create marking rubrics that identify what is being assessed.
- Teach learner self-evaluation.
- Use portfolios to demonstrate learner progress.
- Have regular meetings with learners at transition points to communicate progress on outcomes.
Help Learners Move On
- Make the transition process transparent.
- Establish transition times during the program that coincide with unit or semester breaks.
- Offer information sessions for current learners nearing the end of their program time.
- Help learners understand funding requirements and application processes for their future programs.
- Develop an alumni group.
For more information, please refer to Bridging the Gap: A Framework for Teaching and Transitioning Low Literacy Immigrant Youth.


Dr. Phibes and The Ten Plagues of Egypt: Carmina Burana
An experimental union of metal and Carl Orff's 1935-1936 new musical compositions of selections from the Carmina Burana
About the Carmina Burana
Carmina Burana, Latin for "Songs from Beuern" (short for: Benediktbeuern), is the name given to a manuscript of 254 secular poems and dramatic texts from the 11th or 12th century, although some are from the 13th century. The pieces were written almost entirely in Medieval Latin; a few in Middle High German, and some with traces of Old French or Provençal. Many are macaronic, a mixture of Latin and German or French vernacular.
They were written by students and clergy when the Latin idiom was the lingua franca across Italy and western Europe for travelling scholars, universities and theologians. Most of the poems and songs appear to be the work of Goliards, clergy (mostly students) who set up and satirized the Church. The collection preserves the works of a number of poets, including Peter of Blois, Walter of Châtillon and an anonymous poet, referred to as the Archpoet.
The collection was found in 1803 in the Benedictine monastery of Benediktbeuern, Bavaria, and is now housed in the Bavarian State Library in Munich. Along with the Carmina Cantabrigiensia, the Carmina Burana is the most important collection of Goliard and vagabond songs.
The manuscripts reflect an "international" European movement, with songs originating from Occitania, France, England, Scotland, Aragon, Castile and the Holy Roman Empire.
About Carl Orff
Carl Orff (July 10, 1895(1895-07-10) - March 29, 1982(1982-03-29)) was a 20th-century German composer, best known for his cantata Carmina Burana (1937). In addition to his career as a composer, Orff developed an influential method of music education for children.
Carmina Burana by Dr. Phibes and The Ten Plagues of Egypt is licensed under a Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives (aka Music Sharing) 3.0 International License.


Here is the idea that we started with today. We had a little instrument making play date. The toddlers decorated their drums (which are baby food containers wrapped in paper). I pulled out our muffin tin, some markers, and bingo stamps and let the kids get creative.
The drums came out great.
Next we went outside to fill water bottles with rocks, to make shakers. However, my two and three year old seemed more interested in gathering acorns in their buckets.
As they were doing this, I thought it would be fun to create something with the acorns. So while they were still filling their buckets, I simply wrote their names on paper. When they finished, they helped me glue the acorns onto their names.
This is my three year old!
And this is my two year old! hehe!
He decided he would rather glue rocks to make his name! Whatever works!!! ;-)
This activity was very very easy and was great for letter and name recognition, motor skill development, and counting (we counted the acorns too).


No matter what kind of music is being taught;
private studio, classroom
our goal is the same:
to take the student from 'where they are' and to move them forward to 'where we want them to be.'
Sounds very simple. No problem.
We've all done it. We've all done it without even thinking.
Teacher tells student to play a scale.
Student plays a wrong note.
Teacher corrects the wrong note,
tells student to play it again.
Student plays scale correctly. Voile!!
Point A to Point B
But what about larger goals?
What about huge goals?
How can we plan the most productive route from Point A to Point B in accomplishing larger goals for students?
Remember from the first week to
question all assumptions
Challenge all aspects of music education. Consider each assumption and define how it leads to enriching the lives of all students.
Judith Jellison gave a speech entitled "It's About Time" in which she spoke on behalf of all music educators who struggle with implementing their goals for their students with a limited amount of face-to-face time. The speech was then printed in the Journal of Research in Music Education. Please read the article linked below:
"It's About Time"
1. for accountability (to motivate behavior)
|Example: Tiffany does not like to study history, but Tiffany is trying to keep her grades up so she can continue to be a cheerleader. So, Tiffany studies for her history exam. If there were no assessment of Tiffany's knowledge of history, she might not study. |
Example: The A&M system requires that all of its employees be aware of current laws and policies regarding privacy, sexual harassment, disabilities, safety, and other topics. To make sure that the employees learn the material, they are tested. The material is presented in a friendly online format, but the tests given must be passed with 100%. The institutions are accountable to the state by requiring and recording the completion of the tests. The institutions make their employees accountable by requiring them to take the tests.
2. to gain information (feedback)
|Mr. Green teaches math. He has explained a concept and has given his students practice problems. He wants to make sure that his students can do the problems independently before he introduces the next step, so he gives his class a quiz.|
The examples given above are not related to music education.
How are these two assessment purposes used in music classrooms?
What kind of assessment tools do you use?
Here are some links you might find useful:
Music Teachers National Association Assessment Tools for the Independent Music Teacher
Music Assessment Web Site


People of an older vintage tend to balk when they see seven-year-olds blithely reprogramming their TV sets, or changing the background on their smartphones. But a few among them believe kids have even more potential when it comes to software — they can actually create programs, if they’re only taught how.
British parent Emma Mulqueeny is launching a campaign, simply called Coding for Kids, to encourage the U.K. government, schools and other parents to teach their kids how to code. Her goal is, simply, to make sure local children aren’t left behind by the rest of the world and the “thriving digital economy that will drive the future.”
She’s already appalled, for one, that computer science isn’t taught as standard in U.K. schools. “We are gifting our children irrelevance in the choices the world makes,” she says.
Earlier this week Mulqueeny hosted a BarCamp — part of a series of user-generated conferences — at The Guardian newspaper in London to encourage more people to get involved. She’s also set up an e-petition calling for coding to become part of the U.K. primary school curriculum. So far roughly 1,800 people have signed it. She started the campaign a few months ago with a colleague, Katy Beale, to “initiate the community,” and hopes to hold more BarCamps.
Back in 2009 Mulqueeny founded YoungRewiredState.org, a website and organization that initially sought to bring talented kids together for a single hack day at Google‘s offices in London. Though it sounds like a fun prospect for anyone with a nose for programing, she struggled to find 50 young people between 15 and 18 who had an ability to code (or who would admit it). “There were no networks, no groups that I could find,” she says.
She kept asking and eventually found parents via Twitter who said they had a child who might be interested. One by one, she got a group together. She avoided approaching schools because it “would have been pointless” thanks to the lack of enthusiasm for computer science, though today she does ask teachers to put her in touch with their coding superstars. Now, she says, “The teachers immediately identify them. They know who these kids are.”
Some young people have shown an extraordinary, early talent for creating programs. At the hack day in 2009, for instance, a group of four boys created an app called TFHell, a play on the already-existing TFL (Transport for London). The program relied on radio and GPS data to track London’s buses so commuters could predict waiting times. Another group created a website to help coders with little or no work experience find jobs, by pairing them with startups who needed cheap staff.
The Hack Day took place over a weekend, with the kids collaborating on projects and programming through most of the day and being told (tongue in cheek) they could “hack” through the night too if they wanted.
A few software-savvy kids have hit the headlines recently. A 10-year old girl who went by the nickname CyFi wowed the annual hacker event DefCon earlier this year when she found zero-day flaws in iOS and Android games. And in September, a 15-year-old student from London told this blog he was in talks with investors about selling the company behind his artificial intelligence app for a potential, six-figure sum.


This project will provide urgently needed textbooks in the key subjects of mathematics, language and History to 500 elementary school children in Haiti's Artibonite Valley with a view to increase their learning and achievement. A second priority of this project is to provide as well textbooks for the subjects of grammar,geography and sciences.
Our partner school--Our Lady of Perpetual Help--which educates the poorest students of Haiti's Artibonite Valley, experienced a dramatic enrollment increase from 300 to more than 700 students following the 2010 earthquake. Most parents cannot afford to buy textbooks for their children which can seriously limit the children's learning achievements. The provision of learning materials would provide the children key resources needed to learn and to have a chance for a better life.
If we provide the textbooks for the children, their capacity to learn will be enhanced because they will be able to better follow their teachers in class (9 out of 12 classes have more than 60 students per teacher) and also to study at home--a new experience for them.
This project will enhance learning for more than 500 elementary school girls and boys through the 6th grade and give them a solid basis for learning vocational skills or pursuing high school studies. Their baseline elementary education will also establish an important foundation for them to become productive members of their families and communities.
Total Funding Received to Date: $8,350
Remaining Goal to be Funded: $2,300
Total Funding Goal: $10,650
This project has provided additional documentation in a Microsoft Word file (projdoc.doc).
District of Columbia,


Elementary education comprises the period from when a student enters school, generally around the age of 5 or 6, until the student moves on to middle or secondary school, around the age of 12 or 13. RAND research in the area includes school reform, the role and effectiveness of teachers and school administration, and the increasing use of private-sector school management.
To gain the skills necessary to engage as citizens in the U.S., students need to practice those skills and understand the value of doing so.
The availabiltiy of junk food does not significantly increase BMI or obesity among a group of fifth-graders even though they are likely to buy junk food.
Nearly 40% of a nationally representative cohort of children started kindergarten with a BMI in the top quartile of the growth charts. This proportion increased significantly between 1st and 3rd grades but there was no further increase during middle school.
The purpose of this article is to bring together findings developed from the Schools and Continuing Professional Development in England – State of the Nation Study.
Examines the progress that Qatar has made in implementing a comprehensive reform, begun in 2002, of its K-12 education system.
This study capitalizes on a natural experiment that occurred in California between 2000 and 2002.
Qatar-a small, natural-resource-rich country in the Persian Gulf-has embarked on an ambitious, comprehensive effort to upgrade its educational institutions.
Childhood overweight has increased rapidly over the last two decades. Energy-dense foods are cheaper per calorie, which could be a partial explanation for why the highest rates of obesity are observed among groups of limited economic means.
Finds that 26% of children who have access to soft drinks at school consume them. Those who consume more soft drinks at school, such as low-income and black non-Hispanic children, are more likely to consume more soft drinks overall.
This report describes a project to develop procedures for characterizing classroom practices in mathematics and science on the basis of collected classroom artifacts.
Report based on a national survey of 11,283 fifth-graders in 2,390 schools from the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study-Kindergarten in 2003-2004.
In this study, data from ECLS-K are used to estimate the degree to which specific aspects of teacher training--the teaching credential and coursework in pedagogy--and teaching experience are associated with student achievement.
Examines the link between childhood overweight status and elementary school outcome and finds that change in overweight status during the first four years in school is a significant risk factor for adverse school outcomes among girls but not boys.
The purpose of this research is to determine whether we can use classroom artifacts as the basis for making valid judgments about the presence of reform-oriented teaching practices in middle-school mathematics classes.
This article describes the development of artifact collection and scoring procedures to characterize classroom practice in mathematics and science.
The authors found no effects of food outlet density at the neighbourhood level, possibly because availability is not an issue in metropolitan areas.
To examine the association between children's overweight status in kindergarten and their academic achievement in kindergarten and first grade.
The authors examined the effect of physical education instruction time on body mass index (BMI) change in elementary school.
A number of educational researchers are currently developing alternatives to survey and case study methods for measuring instructional practice.