Children enter foster care due to abuse or neglect and just like other children, those who are deaf or hard of hearing may also experience a foster care placement. The number of deaf children in foster care in Washington is not large (approximately 15-20 deaf or hard of hearing children across the state are currently in out-of- home care), but the need for trained caregivers for these children is great. In addition, sometimes children of deaf adults (CODA) enter foster care and request to be placed with a deaf family or a family fluent in American Sign Language (ASL).
Deaf or hard of hearing children and youth need the same things all kids in foster care need; a safe and nurturing foster family (individual or couple) committed to caring for them while their family is in crisis. However, deaf or hard of hearing children need skilled foster families with special abilities in two specific areas:
- Communication skills – understand and are able to communicate through American Sign Language (ASL).
- Advocacy – able to support their access to needed services.
This is the reason Children’s Administration and the Office for Deaf and Hard of Hearing are recruiting prospective foster families who are deaf or skilled in ASL. Training and supports are also available to help families connect with the Deaf Community in their area and receive education on child developmental milestones for children with additional challenges. We want to help prospective foster parents of deaf children become knowledgeable of educational, medical, and social services available for children in their care.
Fostering Together is working with Children’s Administration to host an informational event in each region for families interested in providing care for deaf and hard of hearing children. For more information on the next event, please contact your local liaison.
Resources for Caregivers of the Deaf and Hard of Hearing
The Hearing, Speech and Deafness Center (HSDC) is a Western Washington service hub for clients who are deaf, hard of hearing, or have communication disorders. For over 75 years, HSDC has worked to remove obstacles for people with hearing loss, speech challenges, and other communication barriers, empowering them to achieve their full potential. They join direct services with systemic change to create an inclusive and accessible community. Their comprehensive services span the life cycle and include: Early Childhood Learning, Community ASL Classes, Audiology Services, Speech Therapy, Deaf and Hard of Hearing Advocacy Services, American Sign Language (ASL) Interpreting, and an Assistive Technology Store.
The Office of Deaf and Hard of Hearing (ODHH) is available to serve the needs of deaf, hard of hearing, deaf-blind, speech disabled and hearing people throughout the State of Washington. The Regional Service Centers also provides information and referral to assist you in locating additional services you may need.
Washington School for the Deaf (WSD) is an educational community and statewide resource committed to ensuring all deaf and hard of hearing students in Washington reach their full potential. Through their Outreach program, they offer statewide services to deaf and hard of hearing students, teachers of the deaf, educators serving the deaf, educational interpreters and families of deaf infants, toddlers and students.
Washington Relay is a free service provided by the Washington State Office of the Deaf and Hard of Hearing (ODHH) ensuring equal communication access to the telephone service for people who are deaf, deaf-blind, hard of hearing and speech disabled. This service allows hearing callers to communicate with text-telephone (TTY) users and vice versa through specially trained relay operators.


We take a broad cultural definition of Education: one which transcends schooling to encompass learning and teaching (formal and informal) at any phase of the life-cycle, in any setting or historical period, including the recent past. As an area of research and teaching, the history of women's education generates cross-disciplinary projects and challenges both boundaries of knowledge and ways of seeing.
The CHWE aims to develop a broad portfolio of research. Current areas of work focus on women and the governance of girls' education, girls and career choice, girls and examinations, women, religion and education, Quaker women and education, gendered history of music education, life history and women's educational writings, imperalism, democracy, national identities, and education.
Image courtesy of Manchester High School for Girls Archive (www.mhsgarchive.org).
Enquiries to Dr C Joy.
We aim to:
- explore the gendered nature of educational provision,practice and thought
- apply gendered and/or feminist approaches to the history of (women's) education
- provide a sound evidence base for policy and practice in respect of education for women and girls
- offer education, training and opportunities for research study in the history of women's education
- foster an active research climate promote seminars, reading groups and conferences disseminate research findings to a range of appropriate audiences, including the professional.
Alumni Voices: The Changing Experience of Higher Education by Dr Stephanie Spencer, Dr Andrea Jacobs and Dr Camilla Leach offers an insight into how the higher education community has changed over the decades. The book explores new ways of writing histories of HE, ways that focus on the day-to-day experience and reflection on those who lived and worked in an institution. From King Alfred's College, briefly University College Winchester, today's modern institution is the University of Winchester. Alumni Voices provides a way of exploring educational change and community evolution by way of lived experience. Winchester University Press 2015.


This article originally appeared in the November 23, 1984, issue of Christianity Today.
"We feel overawed by the constellation of mysterious motives prompting Providence to send to our shores, out of all the millions who inhabited Europe, just those few thousand beings who had no music in their souls."
Common misconceptions of the Pilgrims' attitude toward music and toward life in general — such as the one above, made in 1907 by Oscar Sonneck, then music director of the Library of Congress — impoverish our appreciation for their musical legacy. We owe an incalculable debt to these early Americans for their priority on worship in music, their emphasis on music in the home, their integration of secular music as part of a balanced Christian life, and their inauguration of music education in America.
We think of the Pilgrims primarily in relation to the Puritan work ethic, Plymouth Rock, and the first Thanksgiving. However, not only should we thank them for the Thanksgiving delicacies we enjoy so much (including fruit pies and popcorn!), but also for their love of music, which is an increasingly dynamic force in our contemporary society.
The Puritans "had a granite heart and a suspicious eye for music," wrote Rupert Hughes in 1900. But there is no evidence that the Pilgrims and the Puritans hated music. True, they sang only the Psalms in church, rejecting the hymns of the German Reformation. But the Puritans actually enjoyed all kinds of fine music, giving a breadth of musical culture to early northeastern America. Gilbert Chase considers their Ainsworth Psalter "a document fully worthy to be the cornerstone of America's music" (America's Music; McGraw-Hill, 1966).
Music in worship
Identical in theology, essentially two ...


MICK: A Design Environment for Musical Instruments
[ Abstract ]
[ Photographs and Video ]
[ Documents ]
[ Researchers ]
A growing body of educational research has shown that children learn most effectively when they are engaged in designing and constructing things that are personally meaningful to them. Consequently, the challenge facing many researchers and practitioners has been to design a diverse collection of construction kits that support learning about many powerful intellectual and artistic ideas. In this thesis we report on the design and the implementation of a toolkit, called MICK, geared towards rethinking music education. MICK is a musical instrument construction kit that enables novices, particularly children, to design and build their own musical instruments. The electronics components and software tools in MICK make it possible to rapidly prototype a wide variety of instruments and other devices. The process of constructing a musical instrument with MICK also provides learners with many authentic opportunities for exploring and reflecting on important mathematical, scientific, and engineering ideas.


Concerns about the safety and efficacy of over-the-counter cold medications have led to a recent U.S. Food and Drug Administration public health advisory against their use in children 2 years of age. This study's goal was to examine caregiver understanding of the age indication of over-the-counter cold medication labels and identify factors, associated with caregiver understanding. Caregivers of infant children (1 year old) were recruited from clinics at three institutions. Questions were administered regarding the use of four previously common “infant” over-the-counter cold and cough medicines labeled to consult a physician if used in children 2 years of age. Literacy and numeracy skills were assessed with validated instruments.
A total of 182 caregivers were recruited; 87 percent were the infants’ mothers. Mean education level was 12.5 years, and 99 percent had adequate literacy skills, but only 17 percent had 9th-grade numeracy skills. When examining the front of the product label, 86 percent of the time parents thought these products were appropriate for use in children 2 years of age. More than 50 percent of the time, parents stated they would give these over-the-counter products to a 13-month-old child with cold symptoms. Common factors that influenced parental decisions included label saying “infant,” graphics (e.g., infants, teddy bears, droppers), and dosing directions. Caregivers were influenced by the dosing directions only 47 percent of the time. Caregivers with lower numeracy skills were more likely to provide inappropriate reasons for giving an over-the-counter medication.
The authors conclude that misunderstanding of over-the-counter cold products is common and could result in harm if medications are given inappropriately. Label language and graphics seem to influence inappropriate interpretation of over-the-counter product age indications. Poorer parental numeracy skills may increase the misinterpretation of these products. Opportunities exist for the Food and Drug Administration and manufacturers to revise existing labels to improve parental comprehension and enhance child safety.


Elementary school students in the Palmyra Area School District will be getting report cards next year that will be more specific, more rigorous and, perhaps, more confusing to parents.
That is one reason the district has created a parents' guide to the new report cards and will hold two parent-teacher conferences every year instead of just one, according to Director of Elementary Education Garry Zellner.
The new, three page long report cards will align with the common core standards which the district is already implementing, Zellner said.
Students in fourth and fifth grades will continue to get letter grades like A, B, C, and D, but under the main headings of reading, math, writing, science and social studies will be very specific descriptions of the standards which go into those overall grades.
For instance, fifth grade math has 12 categories, such as geometry, fractions and algebraic thinking.
The section under “reading” for fifth graders will have standards such as this: “Quotes accurately from a text when explaining what the text explicitly says and when drawing inferences and/or making generalizations from the texts.”
One of the writing standards reads: “Integrates information from several non-fiction texts on the same topic in order to demonstrate subject knowledge.”
Other reading standards will include a student's ability to summarize, determine the main theme, read accurately, be fluent, understand vocabulary, spell correctly and use proper grammar.
The report card will say whether the student is exceeding expectations, meeting them, progressing or beginning to learn in each of the categories.
“We anticipate it could be confusing,” Zellner said. “The teachers have created a parent guide to explain what it means, and give examples.”
Kindergarten through second grade students will not receive letter grades while third graders will get transitional report cards, but all will have cards reflecting specific standards and whether the student has met them.
A Kindergarten student, for instance, will be expected to “compare and contrast the adventures and experiences of characters in familiar stories” by the end of the school year.
Report cards will come out three times a year instead of four. That will give teachers more time to closely observe students to paint an accurate picture of their accomplishments, Zellner said.
The report card will be about three pages long. There is a separate section for the arts and music, Zellner said.
This is the first time in 17 years that the district has revamped its report cards.
The goal is “to give parents guidelines for expectations, give parents a clear understanding, reflect higher standards and expectations, and increase communication with the school,” Zellner said.
“Even though it seems like a lot, the standards have been changing along the way,” Zellner said.


Physical Education Teacher Career, Employment and Education Info
Find out about the types of jobs you could pursue in physical education. Read on to learn more about career options along with job duties, licensure, and education information.
Career Information At a Glance
Physical education teachers work with students to help develop motor skills, promote healthy lifestyles, and foster a love for physical activity. The table below provides information for potential physical education teachers in primary, middle and secondary school settings.
|Kindergarten and Elementary School Teacher||Middle School Teacher||High School Teacher|
|Degree Required||Bachelor's degree||Bachelor's degree||Bachelor's degree|
|Education Field of Study||Elementary education||Elementary education, physical education, kinesiology||Physical education, exercise science, kinesiology|
|Licensure||State licensure required for public school teachers||State licensure required for public school teachers||State licensure required for public school teachers|
|Key Responsibilities||Help students with motor skills and help students learn team activities||Encourage fitness, good nutrition, teamwork, and better health practices||Teach students exercise benefits, proper nutrition, and overall wellness|
|Job Growth (2012-2022)||12%*||12%*||6%*|
|Median Salary (2014)||$50,600 (for all kindergarten teachers, except special education)*; $54,120 (for all elementary teachers, except special education)*||$56,310 (for all secondary school teachers, except special and career/technical education)*||$56,310 (for all secondary school teachers, except special and career/technical education)*|
Source: *U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
What Job Duties Will I Have as a Physical Education (P.E.) Teacher?
As a physical education (P.E.) teacher, you can work in either a primary or secondary school setting. When working with children at the elementary school level, your main focus is helping students develop their motor skills and teaching them to work together through team activities. At the middle school and high school levels, your focus shifts to educating students about the benefits of exercise and its effects on the body, proper nutrition and overall wellness. Additionally, you teach the older children the basics of several individual and team sports. Many schools may also offer the opportunity for you to become involved in extracurricular activities as a coach for a school sport.
What is the Employment Outlook?
Although job prospects are best for teachers in the subjects of mathematics, science and bilingual education, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) projected employment growth for teachers of kindergarten through middle school to be about as fast as average, with a potential growth of 12% from 2012 to 2022; through the same period, high school teachers could expect a 6% growth. However, you may find additional opportunities in rural and urban areas as current teachers move on to more desirable locations or different careers. As a P.E. teacher, your compensation will vary by city and school district, but May 2015 reports on PayScale.com, showed the middle half of physical education teachers earned between $34,000 to $50,000 a year.
What Education Do I Need?
In order to teach at a public elementary school, middle school or high school, you will need to earn your bachelor's or master's degree in physical education, kinesiology, exercise science or a related field. You may want to consider a program accredited by the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education or the Teacher Education Accreditation Council. Additionally, you must become licensed through your State Board of Education, and you may also choose to earn advanced certification through the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards (NBPTS). The NBPTS offers certification in physical education for early and middle childhood or early adolescence through young adulthood (www.nbpts.org). Common courses you can expect to take include motor skill development, coaching principles, leading team sports and promoting lifelong wellness.


The Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development
(OECD) study tested basic levels of literacy and numeracy in all adults and young adults aged 16 to 24. The results highlight a disturbing trend in England with better results in literacy and numeracy for the older generation than the 16 to 24 year-old group, revealing that 8.5 million adults in England and Northern Ireland have the numeracy skills of a ten-year-old child. The United States faces an even more marked decline, the OECD warned last year that the United States faced educational "downward mobility" with the younger generation having poorer educational standards than the older generation.
Out of the 24 countries tested and with 166,000 adults in total taking these tests, across the 24 participating countries, England
came 22nd for literacy and 21st for numeracy. The United States came 20th for literacy and 24th for literacy in the 16 to 24-year-old age group and 16th for literacy and 20th for numeracy in the mixed adults group.
Matthew Hancock, the Government's Skills Minister, said:
"This shocking report shows England has some of the least literate and numerate young adults in the developed world,
"These are Labour's children, educated under a Labour government and force-fed a diet of dumbing down and low expectations."
Of course, it's unsurprising that a Conservative government minister should use these results to make political statements. What is surprising is that the younger generation of English adults tested had more qualifications and better school exam results than the older adults tested yet scored lower. It really does seem to indicate how examination results in Britain have been "dumbed down" over the past 30 years or so.
with the lowest overall scores in these tests were Italy and Spain, while Japan and Finland achieved top scores. The OECD believe high school graduates in Japan have literacy skills comparable to those of Italian university graduates.
The OECD recognized the advances made by Finland, Denmark, Norway, the Netherlands and Sweden in increasing adult learning rates among the lowest skilled within society. This survey has confirmed previous OECD research stating high-quality early schooling is an important predictor of success in life for adults. It stated that between 7 and 27 percent of the population in the participating countries was unable to master the simplest of computer skills, such as controlling a mouse.
study concludes: "Overall, the results suggest that investments in improving adults' proficiency in literacy, numeracy and problem solving in technology-rich environments may have significant benefits."


Web site makes teaching grammar easy, period
March 20, 2005
KALAMAZOO--Remember diagramming sentences in middle school English class?
Research has shown there's a better way to teach grammar, and a new Web site put together by faculty and students at Western Michigan University shows how it can be done.
"We took a more productive stance that grammar is a tool you can use to become a better writer," says Dr. Jonathan Bush, a WMU assistant professor of English, who led the grammar Web site initiative. "We look at grammar as a way of enhancing writing."
The more modern approach to teaching grammar has been pioneered at WMU by Dr. Constance Weaver, professor of English and an internationally known expert in reading education and authority on teaching grammar in the context of reading and writing.
"The best way to teach grammar is to first get them writing and then conduct mini lessons on grammar and give them the skills they need to take their writing to a higher level," Bush says. "Grammar is alive and well, but the way to teach it is different from when we were in school."
The effort was a class project for a teaching writing class, English 574, last fall. The class was composed of both graduate and undergraduate students and included five current teachers. Most of the students were in secondary education, but a few were in elementary education.
Response to the new Web site has been good, Bush says. All teachers have to do is go to <homepages.wmich.edu/~jbush/grammar> to learn more effective ways to teach the ins and outs of periods, hyphens, commas, verbs, adjectives and past participles.
"We've gotten a lot of teachers e-mailing back, saying that it's been a good resource for what they're doing in their classes," Bush says.
The Web site gives some good tips on how to teach grammar without resorting to sentence diagramming, says Paula Fox, a Spanish teacher at Plainwell (Mich.) High School who assisted with the project.
"I really like the site," Fox says. "It puts quite a bit of useful knowledge at your fingertips, something that is essential for young grammar teachers just starting out and for us old folks who are hoping that we don't have to reinvent the wheel."
Media contact: Mark Schwerin, 269 387-8400, firstname.lastname@example.org


Arts & Crafts : Kids Art Instruction, Craft Projects, Learning Activities
Kids Art, Craft & Writing FUN ;-)
Art Instruction, Craft Projects & Creative Learning Activities for Growing Imaginations
"Remember, in art, there are no mistakes
Welcome kids, parents, teachers, and creative fun-loving people! Whether you're looking for imagination-inducing projects for yourself or for someone else, you'll enjoy Creativity Portal's own projects geared towards fostering creativity and encouraging creative expression in growing imaginations through art activities, craft projects, and writing fun and other resources with kid-friendly creativity.
Featured Kids Stuff
See our Project Playground and Be Creative! Activities
Creative Play with Sidewalk Chalk!
Kids love the free-ative, playful doodling nature of sidewalk chalk art. Make the most of this chalky medium!
Maria Chatzi's Art and Craft Projects
Fun kid- and adult-friendly projects includes easy jewelry making, painting on pebbles, writing, collage, and more!
More Kids Art, Craft & Activity Sources
Twisty Noodle has thousands of free printable coloring pages and worksheets. Their coloring pages and worksheets can be customized by changing the font and text. Kids love to personalize their
pages! Teachers and parents love it. Twisty Noodle is easy to use, and great for ages 3-8!
Kid at Art
Marilyn Brackney's resourceful site full of craft projects and ideas using recycled and free materials. Many seasonal, holiday, and special event projects, including Flat Stanley.
First Palette offers free creative kids' crafts, printable crafts and
templates, and art lesson plans for kids of all ages. Crafting categories by theme, season, occasion, age, and diorama.
Kids crafts should be simple, fun, high-quality and free. Enjoy our printable games and activities for birthday parties, lesson plans or at home with infants, toddlers and preschoolers.
Scout Crafts for Kids
Simple "outdoor" crafts made from leather, wood, clay, and more. Features ample instruction, pictures, and illustrations for a variety of projects including leather pouches, wood whittling, and fiber art.
Marcel's Kids Crafts
Want to learn how to make handmade kid crafts? Marcel shows you the way! Includes instructions for windowcolor, stamping, stenciling, basketry, symbols, and soapmaking.
KinderArt Art Education
Art lessons, art education, and free ideas and projects online. Art lessons in architecture, artists and art history, sculpture and collage, drawing, folk art, multicultural, painting, printmaking, recycling, seasonal, sculpture, and textiles.
Animal Crafts from Danielle's Place
Free ideas and patterns to download for many animal-related activities. Sheep, squirrel with a cup of acorn nuts, and environmental learning activities for kids.
Art Activities for Children
The fun-filled world of process art! Crayons, clay, finger paints, cookie sheets, milk cartons, and music are among the many ingredients that go into these imaginative art activities for children.
Art Teacher on the Net
Free art projects and ideas for teachers, parents, and group leaders. Includes art education, history, recycled art ideas, and other fun ways to awaken creativity in children.
"Cool crafts for kewl kids." For ages 2-15. Good for parents, teachers, scout leaders, and kids. Jewelry making, yarn crafts, downloadable paper dolls, Bible crafts, sand art, wearable art and crafts, decorations, gifts, and fun.
DLTK's Printable Crafts for Kids
"A variety of fun, printable children's crafts, coloring pages, and more including projects for holidays, and educational themes and cartoon characters." Animal crafts, Bible crafts, countries and cultures. Downloadable printable greeting cards, doorknob hangers, awards, bookmarks, gift tags, and writing paper.
Enchanted Learning Crafts for Kids
Contains an extensive project list for many categories and crafts including: African, dioramas, handprint, memory, vegetable, holiday, preschool, paper, balloon, patriotic, spring, summer, fall, winter, family tree, earth day, fruit, Mexican, money, and mobiles.
Making Friends Paper Dolls
Children and paper doll enthusiasts will love these free printable paper dolls from Making Friends. Site allows you to create cultural dolls with a variety of skin tones, features, and themes.


Considering the importance accorded to singing in elementary school music programs, and the recognition of the necessity of training childrens singing voices, the music education specialist must have access to a repertoire of songs to be selected according to certain criteria. The abundance of childrens vocal pieces, whether in score format, recording, or pedagogical material, and the absence of tools that would permit a critical analysis with regards to pertinent use in a pedagogical context constitute a major problem with regards to the selection of singing repertoire. What are the criteria one uses to make judicious repertoire selection for songs where the goal is music education in an elementary school? The goal of this research is to elaborate on a frame of reference resulting from the findings of two distinct sources: the first is from scientific and academic literature, and the second from research interviews with experienced music specialists. The methodology chosen for combining and comparing these findings is analysis of content. The frame of reference that results reveals four major categories of criteria for selection of repertoire, and each is examined in depth in order to clarify the active and reflective steps music educators and researchers must take.


DIET means District Institute of Education and Training. National Policy on Education has suggested an overhaul of teacher education as the first step towards national organisation. It has suggested Strengthening of teacher training institutions at the district level and giving them the role of identifying and responding to the teacher training requirements of the area of their coverage.
The DIETs have been opened at district level in all States. The functions of these institutes may be described as under:
(i) To organise pre-service courses for elementary school teachers. They are trained to teach primary and middle classes.
(ii) To organise in-service training for elementary teachers. There are short-term training programmes such as workshops, refresher courses, seminars etc. for elementary teachers.
(iii) To review curriculum and learning materials. One of the wings of the DIET deals with curriculum and learning materials for elementary teachers
(iv) To train teachers in non-formal centres. Non-formal centres have been opened to educate drop-outs in the age group 6- 14 years; the teachers are educated to do their job well.
(v) To look after the material equipment in the elementary schools, Most of the elementary schools are short of needed learning materials.
(vi)To promote literacy programmes. DIETs adopt certain blocks in a district and undertake programmes for adult literacy.
(vii) To organise research programmes to improve the quality of education in elementary schools. (viii) To develop competency in the universalization of elementary education (UEE).
(ix) To work for early childhood care and education (ECCE).
(x) To pay special attention to girls' education in the age group 6-14.
(xi) To improve evaluation procedures for elementary education.


by Patricia Hughes
Your baby is just about ready to be born. The lungs finish developing this month. When they are developed, they release a substance called surfactant. This helps the baby breathe at birth. Recent research suggests this substance may have another purpose. It is believed it may signal the mother’s body to begin the labor process.
The baby is settling down into a fetal position. As the baby moves lower in the pelvis, breathing may become easier. This is called lightening. The baby rolls and moves, but kicks are lighter. You may notice more regular pattern of sleeping and waking. Some mothers say their newborns continue these patterns after birth.
Keep in mind that your due date is only an estimate. Babies can be born any time between thirty seven and forty two weeks. You should be ready to go to the hospital. If you haven’t packed your bag yet, now is the time. Finalize all plans for child care for your older children, if this is not your first pregnancy. Good planning will help make things smoother when the big day arrives.
The baby is full grown this month. He is gaining about a half a pound each week. The baby will be born weighing between six and ten pounds. About seven and a half pounds is considered average. The average length is between eighteen and twenty two inches in length.
After the thirty sixth week of pregnancy, you will have weekly visits at the doctor’s office. At thirty eight weeks, some doctors and midwives do an internal exam. This is to look for any changes in the cervix. Keep in mind that this isn’t an exact science. Many women have had a visit that showed no changes in the cervix, only to go into labor that night. Don’t be discouraged if the cervix isn’t dilating at this visit.
You may notice your Braxton Hicks contractions are coming more frequently. They may be stronger as well. As they get stronger, you may wonder if labor is approaching. If you aren’t sure, drink some water and lie down. This change of positions is often enough to stop Braxton Hicks contractions. Real labor would continue to progress even after you lie down.
Talk to your doctor about labor. Ask about the protocol in that office. Each doctor handles this differently. Ask when you should call the doctor. Should you call first or go straight to the hospital. Most doctors tell patients to come when the contractions are at least five minutes apart, lasting for one minute and have been that way for an hour. If you have had a fast labor in the past, you may be told to come in sooner.
For many women, the last month of pregnancy is the most difficult. Backache is very common during the last month. You may be very tired. Frequent trips to the bathroom and difficulty in getting comfortable can interfere with sleep. Try to rest during the day to make up for lost sleep at night. Keep in mind that the pregnancy is quickly coming to an end. You will be holding your new baby very soon.
Patricia Hughes is a freelance writer and mother of four. Patricia has a Bachelor’s Degree in Elementary Education from Florida Atlantic University. She has written extensively on pregnancy, childbirth, parenting and breastfeeding. In addition, she has written about home décor and travel.
No part of this article may be copied or reproduced in any form without the express permission of More4Kids Inc © and All Rights Reserved


Music’s Importance is Underrated
Music is something with affects the mind, body and spirit, but yet its importance is often underrated, especially when it comes to the educational benefits of which there are many. With the ability to influence behaviour, social skills, sensitivity and general achievement, music can have positive effects on many aspects of life.
In children, music education is important as it promotes a desire to persevere and succeed, as well as having a whole range of other benefits. There is some evidence to suggest that through involvement with music, children have the opportunity to fine-tune their listening skills and consequently their comprehension. Both skills can be applied to other academic subjects and can help students with problem-solving and concentration. Music uses both sides of the brain, so any participation will enhance learning and challenge the mind.
Apart from the mental benefits, music has many positive physical effects. By playing an instrument the musician is encouraged to develop fine motor skills and excellent hand-eye coordination as well as the ability to be precise. Some instruments also require a level of exertion which can help vital organs to work as they should, while muscles can be strengthened too.
Music is flexible and versatile. Playing can be a solitary pursuit, but can also be a group activity which encourages a level of social interaction and team-building. It can teach people the importance of working as an individual or as part of a team, which is an important life skill and one which translates well to the workplace.
Those who play instruments typically dedicate time to practice and developing their creativity and this helps increase organisational skills and perseverance. Those involved in choirs, bands and orchestras learn the importance of playing their part in a project and also realise the need for time management, being reliable and turn-taking.
Of course not everyone is academic and music can be an outlet for many emotions including contentment, frustration, anger, joy and fulfilment. By expressing one`s self through the music, a sense of self-esteem is developed and a degree of self-belief fostered, especially in those who may struggle socially or academically.
Babies enjoy music and may have their first taste at a music class, or through something as simple as shaking a rattle or banging a saucepan with a spoon! This ability to create a sequence of different noises progresses at primary school level when children may learn a simple instrument such as the recorder.
For those with an aptitude or interest in the field of music, there is vast scope for development from this point, when the option of studying a specific instrument becomes available. Of course those looking to create a career related to music will find higher education and university level courses which not only examine the practical side, but also delve into the history as well as areas like related psychology, physiology and cultural contexts.
Whether choosing to study music, or simply by playing an instrument as a hobby, music has huge educational benefits. From performing on the big Boxoffice theatre stage to examining the many facets of music, there is a part of this fascinating subject to appeal to most people and which can have far reaching effects on the development of a person, their character and career choices.


Adaptive Classrooms: How Accessible Furniture is Paving the Way to Success for Students with Special Needs
Adaptive classrooms are on the rise, outfitted with specialized furniture designed to provide greater ease of use and access to children with special needs. Numerous studies have already confirmed the multiple benefits proper classroom furniture has on learning – including increased attention span, reduced fatigue, improved behavior, and more. Similarly, stable and comfortable positioning for students with special needs allows them to achieve their highest learning potential. Accessible furniture and adaptive classrooms ensure safety, help improve fine motor skill development, facilitate longer periods of concentration, and promote socialization and play, allowing students with disabilities to overcome barriers and feel less isolated.
Identifying factors which influence learning and the role individual differences play in how learning occurs is a hot topic in the educational world. The research results confirm: Adaptive classrooms improve learning outcomes, providing both instructional methods and classroom furniture which accommodate individual student needs. With differences considered the norm and not the exception, self-esteem rises, as does the ability to acquire academic skills and benefit from the educational environment.
Students with special needs face multiple challenges when entering the classroom. Ordinary school chairs and desk are often unable to provide the physical support they need in order to learn, while inappropriate desk/chair height can prevent them from being active participants in classroom activities. For proper learning to occurs, high-low seating options and height-adjustable desks are often required. Furthermore, adaptive play furniture allows students to interact eye-to-eye, facilitating and encouraging social engagement.
School furniture engineers, in collaboration with therapists, have determined that trunk and head alignment, pelvic stability, leg and foot positioning, weight distribution, and comfort are all important elements of properly postured students. Attaining good postural control and alignment in turn facilitates students’ ability to focus, develops arm-hand coordination, improves reading and writing, and conserves energy.
Specialized classroom furniture found in adaptive classrooms includes:
• Wheelchair accessible (ADA compliant) desks
• Wheelchair accessible computer workstations
• Hi-Low chairs
• Corner chairs
• Bolster chairs
• Height-adjustable tables/science lab tables
• Tables with a tilting work surface (allowing students to be positioned at the optimal distance from their work)
• Foot wells
• Portable drafting tables
• Accessible workbenches
No matter what the accommodation needs are, the right classroom seating and desk arrangements have a significant impact on how students concentrate, listen, retain information, and learn. Adaptive classrooms, therefore, are a wise investment benefiting schools, parents, and children alike.


Modern Curriculum Press offers elementary math, phonics and spelling instruction. Features of the 2005 edition of Modern Curriculum Press Math include:
- Four-step problem solving strategy
- Guided and independent practice
- Real world application
- Word and story problems that "require students to draw upon and integrate multiple skills and strategies to find a solution."
- Clean uncluttered design and simple text-with graphics in black and white.
- Emphasis on the practice of estimation, mental math, and calculator activities.
- Teacher’s Manual provides assistance in identifying and remedying common errors.
- Problems to promote algebraic thinking to help prepare students for algebra
- Chapter Tests
Spelling Workout uses a sports theme to give students the tools they need for success. Capitalizing on the close tie between spelling and phonics, the program leads students from simple sound-letter relationships to more complex spelling patterns. The Teacher’s Edition provides detailed lesson plans for either a 3-day or 5-day plan.
Modern Curriculum Press Plaid Phonics K-3 incorporates the most current research-based instruction for phonemic awareness and phonics in today’s classrooms. Its proven scope and sequence, along with the abundance of practice, review, and application of skills, ensures comprehensive coverage and supports best practices in phonics instruction.
Publisher Website »


2/9/2012 1:09:00 PM My Turn: Historical traditions live on at Cornville’s Oak Creek School
Sandy Huson Principal at Oak Creek School
Tradition provides an important connection with the past for staff and students at Oak Creek School. Learning more about the roots, heritage and core values of our ancestors, brings value and meaning into the lives of OCS fourth-grade students.
By studying the traditions behind our family’s heritage, students can obtain insight into present-day life. And participating in those rituals and traditions gives students a framework of reference and an even clearer representation of life in pioneer days.
For the past couple weeks, students in Mrs. Swenson’s 4th grade classroom have been participating in a simulation of pioneer life called Apple Valley Days.
Students are experiencing what it was like to attend school in a one-room school about 100 years ago. Students have adopted traditional pioneer names, are wearing pioneer clothing, learning what it is like to work with very little equipment, bringing lunch in baskets or tins, learning manners of “the day” and in general, understanding the difficulty of growing up in the 1800s.
Students are finding out that people in the 1800s had very different ideas about what was important to learn in school. Handwriting was one of the most important subjects. The simulation has helped make the transition to the past. Student roles were assigned with specific purposes in mind, using this opportunity to give students particularly challenging “life experiences” such as being the oldest in a family of seven children.
Students have learned about the past from reading diaries kept by people of the times. Staying in character, students are making diary entries and including details from the past. Students are writing about what chores are expected of them, what the classroom is like, what they do for fun, etc. They are learning about typical pioneer experiences, choices they might make and the consequences of those choices.
Students earn or lose “graduation” points in three ways: by following normal school standards of work and citizenship (penmanship, getting a perfect spelling test, talking out, fighting, etc.); by completing challenging tasks (peer tutoring classmates); and, by choosing “fate cards” (which tell of good and bad things that might have happened to boys and girls in pioneer schools – ie. Your beautiful handwriting is displayed in class…add 15 pts; You dipped a girl’s braid in an inkwell … subtract 5 pts). Points are added or subtracted based on time and effort given.
Near the end of the simulation, students will revisit some of the most interesting things they experienced during the unit. They will be asked to consider whether there are things about the 19th century schools that are better than today’s school … or are there things about today’s schools that are better than yesterday’s schools?
Being educated about different lifestyles and outlooks encourage interest, respect and understanding. The tradition of Apple Valley Days at Oak Creek School certainly serves to enhance the understanding of past cultures.
Community members, students and staff share an appreciation for this long time tradition. It has been a treat to see the excitement of the students’ faces each day as they greet me with a curtsy…. “Good day Mrs. Huson.”
Posted: Saturday, February 18, 2012
Article comment by:
I participated in Apple Valley days about 13 years ago, however, not in Mrs. Swenson’s class. This was one of the most rewarding experiences provided to me at Oak Creek, and reading this made me extremely happy that they are continuing the tradition. Out of all of the educational "events" provided at Oak Creek, Apple Valley Days and Project Exploration (San Diego marine biology trip) are the two things that immediately come to mind when I think of my elementary education. Thank you to all who help to facilitate these programs!
Posted: Monday, February 13, 2012
Article comment by:
What A Fabulous Experience
This is one of the coolest educational things I've read about in a few decades and I love it! Kudos to all involved, which includes the parents. We need to see what things came before us and I think this is absolutely a great 4th grade history experience. Lu Parker
Posted: Friday, February 10, 2012
Article comment by:
Thank you Mrs Huson...
... for doing such a good job at Oak Creek. Your common sense ideas and down-to-earth educational values are a breath of fresh air.


NAPLAN testing numeracy skills was introduced in years 3, 5, 7 and 9. Curriculum Corporation (as cited in Westwood, 2006)
Numeracy: dependent on context of individual. It means different things to different people based on interests and lifestyle. Turner (as cited in Westwood, 2006)
Emergence of ‘multiple numeracies’, for example: community numeracy, critical numeracy, workplace numeracy, consumer maths and street maths. Steen (as cited in Westwood, 2006)
Numeracy: “…multifaceted and sophisticated construct, incorporating mathematics, communication, cultural, social, emotional and personal aspects of each individual in contexts.” Maguire and O’Donaghue (as cited in Westwood, 2006, p.5)
To be numerate= The ability and disposition to use mathematics effectively. Minister of Education, NZ (as cited in Westwood, 2006)
Australian Association of Mathematics Teachers (AAMT) (as cited in Westwood, 2006) voiced that literacy and numeracy are separate areas of learning.
To be numerate = Use mathematics effectively to meet the general demands of life. AAMT (as cited in Westwood, 2006)
United Kingdom: Numeracy = The ability to process, communicate and interpret numerical information in a variety of contexts.
Askew et.al (as cited in Westwood, 2006)
Interest in numeracy began amongst adults in the workplace. (Westwood, 2006)
Date 1990 - 1999
Cockcroft Report (as cited in Westwood, 2006)
To be numerate:
1. Having the confidence to us and apply numbers practically in everyday life.
2. Being able to interpret and understand information presented in mathematical terms.


The Importance Of Pre Primary Education
Pre-school education is essential for your toddler because it is the building block of your child’s elementary education. It helps in laying down a healthy foundation for the all-round development of your child. It is necessary to provide your child with good pre primary education for him to be prepared for future education. Here are some reasons why your little one should be provided with good nursery education.
Pre-primary education prepares your child for kindergarten and future school. It allows your child to build a base for his future education.
It allows the child to expose his inner skills so that the child develops his personality. It allows a child to give vent to his inner desires in positive ways. Some pre-school franchisees have activities designed for children in such a way that their inner talents are exposed.
Pre-primary education exposes the creativity of the child, thus allowing the child to develop his personality in a natural way.
The child learns to adjust with his peers and learns to interact with outsiders. He learns to find a life outside of his home. The child develops an independent personality outside of his home. Becoming independent is the first stage of growth and besides learning to eat independently, sleep independently, child learns to exist independently.
It is essential to the growth of the child that by the age of three, it starts showing signs of independence.
A good pre primary school like Little Millennium comes to your aid here. Their scientific curriculum ensures the all-round development of the child. Your child is well on his way to attending kindergarten and regular school.
Pre-schools like Little Millennium who have franchisees all over India, ensure the physical, mental and emotional growth of the child. The child develops his cognitive skills in the scientific curriculum that nurtures the child.
Good pre-schools teach a child not only social skills and develop its ability to adjust in its social environment but also teach it how to deal with bullies. Your child may be facing bullies in his pre-school, but may not be telling you about it. Find out whether your child is hesitant to go to school. Does it try and avoid school. The reason could be there is a bully at the school. Good pre primary schools, ensure that bullies are not scaring other children so that they avoid school.
Pre-primary schools are also responsible for teaching social etiquettes to your child. Some of the group activities involve teaching manners and etiquettes to your child.
The group activities that nursery schools conduct are what develops the complete personality of your child. The children may be taken on field trips, where they are taught the importance of discipline. The children also learn to eat independently and many are also potty trained by this age, so they know how to handle themselves to an extent.
Pre-primary education is one more step in the growth of your child. For your child to grow into a healthy, socially well-adjusted child and individual, it is essential that you send him to a good nursery school.


- ABOUT EDC
- RESEARCH & PROGRAM AREAS
As the American Psychological Association notes, “Mental health—an essential part of children’s overall health—has a complex interactive relationship with their physical health and their ability to succeed in school, at work and in society.” And Nancy Topping-Tailby, who has worked for more than 30 years to support young children’s physical and mental health, agrees. “For kids to learn, they have to be healthy,” she says.
A practicing, licensed independent clinical social worker, Topping-Tailby is director of the EDC team for the Head Start National Center on Health, under the direction of the American Academy of Pediatrics. She offers her insights on children’s behavioral problems and Head Start’s comprehensive approach to helping families raise healthy children.
Topping-Tailby: Typically, clinicians don’t see children until they’re 4 or 5 at the youngest, but I’ve worked with parents with babies and toddlers around a whole host of issues that have to do with feeding and sleeping or other problems with self-regulation. Some children who have been adopted have trouble forming attachments. Other children have experienced some kind of family instability or trauma, so they’re really having difficulty. The parents are looking for help.
Topping-Tailby: Over the trajectory of my career, I’ve seen more and more children who can’t regulate their emotions or behaviors. In order to function in a classroom, children have to be able to listen, focus, and pay attention, as well as tolerate a bit of frustration and wait for their turn. The kids who are disruptive don’t have the necessary foundational skills to be successful in an early learning environment. Therefore, it becomes more difficult to teach them.
Topping-Tailby: Children’s social and emotional development is important for them to have rich, productive lives. Since its inception, Head Start has emphasized comprehensive services to help children get ready for school, rather than just a narrow academic focus. In Head Start classrooms, we work a lot on promoting prosocial behaviors and helping kids to problem-solve and build language skills. We support the kids who are impulsive or don’t know what to do, and try to anticipate children’s behavior so that we can redirect them to make better choices. We believe in promotion and prevention, identifying children who are having problems with self-regulation and executive functioning as early as possible and intervening to offer the support they need to do well in an early learning environment.
When I started out as a mental health consultant with Head Start, I gave teachers strategies about how to work with these children to help them use a problem-solving approach. We engaged families in a way that drew on their strengths, so we could try and figure out what was going on without suggesting that something was “wrong” with their children. That work continues to this day.
While much of my experience has been with Head Start, I am pleased that other early childhood efforts provide similar supports to children in non-Head Start environments. For example, SAMHSA’s Project LAUNCH was designed to help states and communities adopt mental health promotion and prevention strategies including behavioral screening and early childhood mental health consultation. HRSA’s Early Childhood Comprehensive Systems (ECCS) grants have also focused on helping states and communities build and integrate early childhood service systems that better meet the needs of children and families. One of the five key ECCS components includes early childhood mental health services to promote children’s social-emotional development and mitigate the impact of toxic stress and trauma in infancy and early childhood. And finally, many states have included children’s social-emotional development in their Quality Rating and Improvement Systems (QRIS).
All of these efforts recognize that for children to learn, they have to be healthy. We have to nurture their self-esteem and social-emotional development. That’s what gives children a good foundation for later success in learning and life.
Originally published on May 9, 2013


In Defense of Standardized Testing
In short, there were no tools for managers to use to evaluate performance in our schools.
So the education profession got together to establish performance based standards and assigned them to certain grade levels. For example, mastering the ability to recite the letters of the alphabet was assigned to kindergarten; the ability to add and subtract two digit numbers to 2nd grade, and so on. This was important for two different reasons. First, the skills identified are all foundational, which is to say they form the basis for more advanced skills, like spelling, or multiplication. Second, mastery of these foundational skills can be easily assessed through objective testing.
And that, in a nutshell, is the origin of the standardized tests. There is nothing discriminatory about an objective test that assesses mastery of an ability. There can't be. Either the student has mastered the skill well enough to meet the standard, or they haven't. No bias, no politics, no subjectivity.
Basically, teachers are protesting to being held to objectively measured tests demonstrating mastery of fundamental skills as an unfair reflection of their teaching ability. They say it is unfair to hold them accountable for the performance of their students
Remember that the next time the teachers' union demands a raise because teachers are the most important element in a child's education.
Can't have it both ways folks.
Please contact us by email if you wish to comment and we will enter it manually


Kansas Educators Speak Out For Common Core Standards
Teachers and school district superintendents lined up before the Kansas Board of Education Tuesday to support Common Core reading and math education standards. They argued the standards will help students transfer more easily between schools and create students who are better at critical thinking and problem solving.
Sarah Berblinger is a teacher in the Buhler School District. She said the standards also help build a strong foundation for education.
“We believe that this is going to really allow our students to be more globally competitive because of the very rich foundational skills that the Common Core will present,” said Berblinger.
Opponents told the board that the Common Core standards are centralized control over education in Kansas schools. Some opponents said the process needs to be slowed and studied more.
Republican Kasha Kelley chairs the House Education Committee in the Kansas Legislature.
“I know we’re excited to move forward and get out from under teaching to the test," said Kelley "I think there’s still a question as to whether Common Core really does that, but I believe these are issues that none of us can really answer so a pause makes sense."
The Board of Education voted to adopt the Common Core standards in 2010.


Spider Arachnids – Download Free Science Worksheet Printables for Grade 1 Kids
Spider Arachnids – Download Free Science Worksheet Printables for Grade 1 Kids. This Arachnids spider science for kids worksheet is suitable for Grade 1 – Grade 5 kids. Grammar school kids can use this word search puzzle to gain information about spiders as well as a reading comprehension tool.
Pre-K and Kindergarten kids can use this spider word game puzzle worksheet as a listening comprehension tool while learning to recognize words and letters.
Teachers can use our printable word game puzzle worksheet on spiders for kids to supplement their science lessons.
The Easy Science Kids website is a great teachers resource for science worksheets and online word search puzzle games.
This hidden words activity sheet is designed to teach kids fun facts about spiders. With this spiders worksheet, they can have a fun time learning!
Most people fear spiders, but spiders aren’t that scary. In fact, out of 37,000 species, only 2 species are venomous to humans. What are Arachnids? Are Arachnids spiders or are Spiders Arachnids?
Learn more spider facts and Arachnids Spider information by downloading this FREE printable worksheet.
Spider Arachnids Free Worksheet for Science
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Three Approaches to Teaching Art Methods Courses: Child Art, Visual Culture, and Issues-Based Art Education
Chang, Eunjung, Lim, Maria, Kim, Minam, Art Education
Within art education, many researchers are concerned with teacher preparation in order to understand current practices, to recognize what is working well, and to determine future directions for changes (Henry & Lazzari, 2007). One area of neglect is the course taught at most colleges and universities that offer art education - that is, the service course in art education for elementary education majors. Although scholars wrote in this area in the 1990s and early 200Os (Gaudelius & Speirs, 2002; Grauer, 1998; Smith-Shank, 1993a, 1993b, 2001 ), little has been published on this topic since that time.
In this article, three art educators reflect on their ideas and experiences in developing and implementing innovative projects for their courses focusing on art for elementary education majors. At the 2009 NAEA National Convention in Minneapolis, we realized that we all taught this service course for our departments. We shared our expectations for the course, teaching strategies, and class activities. Our conversations developed into a cohesive presentation for the 2010 NAEA National Convention in Baltimore, and resulted in this paper. In this article, we explore three different approaches for an art methods course for elementary education majors. Each of the three authors will focus on one aspect of this course and we will conclude with a critique and recommendations.
The three areas that will be discussed in depth include: understanding child art, visual culture, and issues-based art education. Minam Kim uses her students' early artistic experiences and art products to (re)consider the artwork of other children. Eunjung Chang focuses on visual culture from three different entry points including an interdisciplinary focus, as a contemporary phenomenon, and as a substantial field for inquiry. Lastly, Maria Lim shares the importance of an issues-based approach for teaching art and illustrates techniques for implementing this concept with elementary education majors.
Elementary education majors may not have the depth of experience in child art, visual culture, and contemporary cultural issues that we see in art education majors. It is often difficult for them to incorporate their art-related experiences, interests, and knowledge into their teaching because of their lack of artmaking techniques. We do, however, believe that through the use of any of the three curriculum techniques presented in this paper, elementary preservice teachers will gain confidence with art.
Child Art Based Approach
"What do you expect to learn from this course?" Every semester, I start my first day of teaching with this question. Then, most of my elementary education majors give very similar answers: "I want to know many fun and creative art projects for enjoyment and therapeutic purposes in my future classroom," "I want to learn how to use art to teach other subjects more easily," or "I want to know how to incorporate art into my classroom" (classroom discussion, January 18, 2010). Many students add these words: "BUT, I'm not good at art. . " or "I can't draw well." Although these preservice elementary teachers believe art is important, they are also afraid to teach art because they lack art skills, techniques, and confidence. Check (2002) found similar concerns from in-service elementary teachers he worked with: "They were afraid of art; afraid of their own art skills. They were afraid to do anything where they could not control the outcome" (p. 53). Many elementary preservice teachers expect their university instructor to help them develop art skills and others simply want to have fun, using easy art activities that do not require sophisticated techniques. This was the way I felt before.
I majored in elementary education in college. I questioned my artistic ability and had no confidence in my ability to teach art. My instructors seemed to be worried about me too, so they made sure I had a variety of art projects to practice studio techniques. …


Education, in India, especially school education is a fundamental right and has funding coming through the state governments and the central government, with an equally strong presence in the private sector. With an enrollment that stands at 18% in pre-schooling, there is an alarming 48% drop-out rate in elementary education in Indian elementary education. The factors that contribute to this are far too many, and inspired individuals and organisations have been attempting to bridge this divide with innovative , custom – programs that is designed to keep the young wards interested in the program and motivated to learn more.
In most cases, the organisations or the individuals take the onus of building and providing the necessary infrastructure for their programs. In a marked and interesting departure from the existing methods, Binu Verma, co-founder of CEFI, based out of Bangalore, set out to use the existing infrastructure, equal or more interesting than customary education aids – the city’s Museums. The first Museum school for Bangalore, was launched on on April 21, 2012 through Bal Utsav, an initiative of Child Empowerment Foundation India (CEFI), focusing on educating non-school going children, thus plugging the rising number of dropouts. The school offers a hands-on, project-based, student-centered, interactive and collaborative learning experience — inspiring and preparing students for the real world.
Currently with 100 non-school going children from the slums of Bangalore, the Musuem School concept and operates at the at the Visvesvaraya Industrial and Technological Museum (VITM), in the heart of Bangalore, 5 days a week and 4 hours everyday. Completely run by women, it has five qualified teachers, and another five program assistants, helping with free pickup and drop facility and nutritious snacks. Having helped develop a curriculum that covers values, life skills, literacy, academics, arts, sports, adolescent and vocational education.
Her Museum school, though based out of the VITM, pro-actively involves other learning institutions to provide real-life experiences with topics. According to Binu Verma, “ These learning expeditions offer students a chance to ask questions, make observations, reflect on experiences and draw their own conclusions. The Museum School’s core programs require teachers to identify students’ skills, interests and needs and tailor lessons to meet each child at his or her level. Students work in differentiated reading and math groups, and teachers help each child set achievement goals. These core programs strengthen children’s skills and build self-confidence. In gaining knowledge and seeing what they already can do, children learn to believe there’s nothing they cannot do.”
Five months on, the results have been phenomenal, watching the initiative take off, set sail and even out on cruise mode, encouraging her to replicate the model across other parts of the city and in the main metros of the country once the final wrinkles have been smoothened out for the rollout. The resource base for the initiative, through her foundation CEFI, mainly involves inviting the active participation of corporates in the city who have been overwhelmingly supportive of the concept.
The Museum school concept for India, designed as a neighborhood school, according to Binu Verma, has the simple objective of bringing together children from diverse backgrounds within the same community, and through it inspire excellence, in both faculty and students, ultimately helping A Child Celebrate, their inspiring motto.


Research Years 1-4: Individual Projects
In the first four years of CREATE, researchers developed research-based interventions for separate content areas and tested them in tightly controlled experiments and randomized field trials with classroom teachers. The research focused on the specific instructional practices that are proven effective in improving oral English proficiency, English literacy, and student achievement in the content areas, including social studies, English language arts, and science. The research also explored text modifications and grouping arrangements that enhance outcomes for middle-grade English learners. More specifically, CREATE
- developed and tested teacher-guided methods and peer collaborative group work to enhance oral language and literacy development as well as content knowledge;
- compared the efficacy of enhanced versions of teacher-guided instruction and collaborative group work versus traditional methods of instruction;
- tested the efficacy of modified narrative and expository text in improving children’s knowledge, understanding, and ability to learn social studies content; and
- tested and refined a model of professional development for teachers that is geared to improving the content knowledge of English learners in middle school classrooms that included English proficient students.
Several primary studies were conducted as part of CREATE’s focused program of research.
Project QuEST (Quality English and Science Teaching) investigated a systematic intervention model to concurrently develop science content and language and literacy skills in middle school English learners.
Impact of the SIOP Model on Middle School Science and Language Learning investigated the impact of the SIOP Model--a research-based approach that integrates grade-level content with academic English language development--on student academic achievement in middle school science, a subject area with high language demands.
Adaptations of Peer-Assisted Learning for English Language Learners: Application to Middle School Social Studies Classes examined the efficacy of social studies instruction enhanced with specific instructional and learning strategies, supplemental materials, and purposeful pairing of students. The goal was to enhance knowledge acquisition and vocabulary/concept learning through systematic practices associated with improved outcomes for English learners in middle school content classes.
Word Generation for English Language Learners built on the development and evaluation of Word Generation, an interdisciplinary middle school academic language support program. Word Generation uses engaging paragraphs to present crucial, non-disciplinary, all-purpose academic words and defines activities to help students learn them. The adapting-texts component developed alternative forms of the paragraphs to be used in a modified, English learners-focused version of Word Generation.


The following guest post is written by the amazing Devany LeDrew. Devany is a former Kindergarten who now shares adventures with her children–most often playing, learning, and remembering–on her blog Still Playing School. Check it out.
Our 10 month old son has been crawling for a few months so he’s already accomplished a pivotal achievement in learning to read and write.
Wait, what? A milestone in infancy is vital for literacy development? Yes, because crawling is one of the first ways that babies practice crossing their midline!
- Five Activities for Crossing the Midline (and Why It’s Important)
Let’s imagine an invisible line running down the human body separating the left side from the right called the midline. When my baby crawls, he uses opposite sides of his body simultaneously. When my preschooler physically uses her body to cross that divide (by using her right hand to reach something on the left side of her body, for example) she is crossing her midline.
In both of these scenarios my children are using movements which cause their brains to communicate across their corpus callosum. This thick cable of nerves allows their two brain hemispheres to communicate. The practice is vital for higher level skills like reading and writing. By moving in new ways, we build and strengthen new pathways in the brain.
Most children will naturally learn to cross their midline as they grow, but some need occupational therapy to work on this task. There are creative, fun, and intentional ways to play while practicing crossing the midline!
Here are five to get you started!
1. Crawl, crawl, crawl
I encourage my preschooler to crawl with her baby brother by getting down on the floor to crawl myself! We build obstacle courses with pillows and soft toys to navigate while crawling.
2. Baby Cross Crawls
While you sing songs to your baby or child, intentionally touch his left foot to his right hand and vice versa. You can tap to the rhythm of the music or teach body part names in this way.
You can challenge your older child to touch her left knee with her right elbow and vice versa. This is trickier than it looks!
3. Wash Large Objects
My preschooler loves to help wash windows or our cars with special wipes or a sponge. I ask her to hold the tool with both hands wiping back and forth in large motions as she cleans so that she is crossing her midline frequently.
4. Dance, Sway, and Play with Ribbon Wands
You can create your own ribbon wands with a paint stirrer (or just hold a scarf in one hand for the same effect). Model how to cross the midline while dancing for your child by making figure eights and rainbow arcs with the ribbon. A great song to practice moving and grooving with is Shake Your Reader Ribbons by Pam Schiller
5. Play Passing Games
Challenge children to pass a ball from a friend on the left to a friend on the right by moving their arms but not turning their whole bodies. Friends may sit in a line or in a circle for this activity. For two children, have them sit back to back and pass the ball from the left side across their bellies and back over to the right.
For more from Devany LeDrew, please visit Still Playing School where she uses her background in early childhood to create a home based playful learning environment for her children. She is a former Kindergarten teacher who followed her passions to specialize in Educational Psychology & Literacy Education. She is the mother of three, grieving the loss of one. Follow Still Playing School on Facebook and Twitter.
Thank you, thank you, thank you, Devany, for sharing! I learned SO much from this piece!
Looking for more activities to promote fine and gross motor in your little loves?
Stop by and follow these great educational Pinterest boards, filled with indoor fun ideas to engage children in fun activities to promote the development of these foundational skills:
- Sensory Activities | D @ Still Playing School
- Preschool Activities | D @ Still Playing School
- Handprint Projects | D @ Still Playing School
- foundations | teachmama
- movin’ and groovin’ | teachmama


Guitar Technique. Composed by Fernando Sor (1778-1839). Edited by Mario Dell'Ara. Guitar Method. 44 pages. Ricordi #ER2824. Published by Ricordi (HL.50103420).
Item Number: HL.50103420
For beginning guitarists, this book represents the sum of teaching works of Fernando Sor, the illustrious Spanish guitarist.
About Hal Leonard Guitar Method
The world-famous Hal Leonard Guitar Method is preferred by teachers because it makes them more effective while making their job easier. Students enjoy its easy-to-follow format that gives them a solid music education while letting them play songs right away. The Hal Leonard Guitar Method provides a complete system to playing success which includes three levels of instruction and a myriad of play-along supplemental songbooks that let students play great songs while they're still learning to play.


By Ted Waddell
LIBERTY November 13, 2001 Music is the only language that spans the entire universe of learning, said Gary E. Siegel, director of music at Liberty Central School District (K-12) and director of the Liberty Middle School Band.
On Wednesday night, Siegel and the 90-member Middle School Band presented a 60-minute clinic to introduce parents to the varied academic demands of playing a musical instrument. In addition, Siegel used a Powerpoint slide show to explain the hows and whys of music education.
Playing a musical instrument requires a complex combination of intellectual, visual, physical and auditory control coupled with high-level thinking and problem-solving skills, added Siegel.
The audience had a unique perspective during the clinic, as they were seated around the band members, not in front of them as in a traditional concert setting. In the clinic, everyone faced the director.
This behind-the-scenes view of what happens in learning the language of music is a productive and effective way to communicate just how complex, intense and beautiful music really is, said Siegel.
During the Language of Music clinic, Siegel directed the band through several practice sessions section by section: flute, oboe, clarinet, bass clarinet, alto sax, tenor sax, baritone sax, French horn, trumpet, trombone, baritone horn and percussion.
This is not an unusual event for a district which prides itself on top-notch musical education. Numerous Liberty graduates have gone on to become professional musicians, music educators, music therapists and recording engineers.
Other grads continue to use their skills through participation in amateur community groups such as the Callicoon Center Band, the Delaware Valley Opera or the Sullivan County Community Chorus.
Siegel said the study of music is interdisciplinary, as it involves the language arts, reading, history, art, mathematics, physical education, science and writing.
Libertys director of music said the benefits of learning music include enhancing higher brain function, raising IQ scores (the Mozart Effect), providing important experiences, increasing SAT scores, teaching the habit of excellence, developing quick and decisive thinking, enhancing cooperation and preparing children for the future.
According to Siegel, he started the Language of Music program about six years ago as a way of introducing all the stakeholders to what goes on in a middle school music class.
Its not just going to a concert and seeing a wonderful performance, he said. The nuts and bolts of music education is what this clinic is all about. . . . It shows how the students use their problem-solving skills and thought processes.
Gary Siegels mother Marjorie attended the clinic and afterwards gave her son a pat on the shoulder for a job well done.
I sit through all the concerts, and I love every one of them, she said. The kids make a sound thats out of this world. Youd never think they were that young.
Marjorie Siegel said her son started playing the piano when he was about four or five years old and picked up a trumpet a couple of years later.
You never had to tell him to practice he just did, she recalled.
Gary Siegel graduated from Livingston Manor Central School in 1976. Jim Newton, his former high school music teacher, now directs the famed Callicoon Center Band.
The younger you start music education, the more you can develop your skills, said Siegel. The joy of music comes from watching kids work at developing the skills, feeling proud and building their self-esteem.


Post Secondary Planning
Whether your post-secondary plans include college, business, trade or technical programs, apprenticeship training, military training, and/or working, your counselors are here to help. Below are some resources to look through.
The ACT Assessment, or "A-C-T" as it is commonly called, is a national college admission examination that consists of tests in: English, Mathematics, Reading, Science Reasoning. ACT results are accepted by virtually all U.S. colleges and universities. You can register for the ACT online.
PSAT - Check out the "Understanding PSAT Scores" Prezi -
The Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test is a practice SAT test. It measures the critical reading, math problem-solving, and writing skills that you've been developing throughout your life. It does not measure things like creativity and motivation, and it doesn't recognize those special talents that may be important to colleges. Click here to visit the website!
The SAT Reasoning Test is a measure of the critical thinking skills you'll need for academic success in college. The SAT assesses how well you analyze and solve problems. The SAT is typically taken by high school juniors and seniors. Each section of the SAT is scored on a scale of 200—800, with two writing subscores for multiple-choice and the essay. Click here to visit the website!
The SAT Subject Tests (formerly SAT II: Subject Tests) are designed to demonstrate to colleges mastery of specific subjects like English, history, mathematics, science, and foreign language. Many colleges use the Subject Tests for admission, course placement, and to advise students about course selection. Some colleges specify the Subject Tests they require for admission or placement; others allow applicants to choose which tests to take. You can register for the SAT and SAT Subject Tests on-line.


ERIC Number: ED474523
Record Type: RIE
Publication Date: 2002
Reference Count: N/A
Supporting Young Artists: The Development of the Visual Arts in Young Children.
Epstein, Ann S.; Trimis, Eli
Based on the view that art should be a vital component of young childrens experiences, this book examines the High/Scope approach to the visual arts for young children in early care and education settings and highlights an in-depth studio approach to developing art. The book is organized in two parts. Chapters in Part 1 present the High/Scope approach to visual arts. Chapter 1 explains the High/Scope position on the importance of visual arts in early childhood education. Chapter 2 provides an overview of High/Scope art, including guiding principles for incorporating visual arts in early childhood programs and relevant High/Scope key experiences. Chapter 3 covers childhood art development from the perspective of making and appreciating art. Chapter 4 details how adults can foster development by providing appropriate space and materials, planning art-based experiences, and engaging in supportive interactions with children. The chapters in Part 2 highlight an in-depth studio approach to developing art in young children. Chapter 5 describes the in-depth approach, building on children's natural interests, extending their abilities, and enhancing their awareness of how these media are used. The remaining chapters apply the approach to working with individual media: drawing and painting (Chapter 6), found and recycled materials (Chapter 7), paper (Chapter 8), and plastic arts such as dough and clay (Chapter 9). Each of these chapters describes the history of the medium, its visual and technical characteristics, and how young children investigate and use the materials. The bulk of each chapter follows children as they progress through the stages of the approach: introduction, enrichment, production, and reflection. (Contains 119 references.) (KB)
Descriptors: Art Activities, Art Appreciation, Art Education, Child Care, Child Development, Developmentally Appropriate Practices, Early Childhood Education, Educational Practices, Preschool Curriculum, Theories, Visual Arts, Young Children
High/Scope Press, High/Scope Educational Research Foundation, 600 River Street, Ypsilanti, MI 48198-2898 ($34.95). Tel: 800-40-PRESS (Toll Free); Fax: 800-442-4FAX (Toll Free); e-mail: email@example.com; Web site: http://www.highscope.org.
Publication Type: Guides - Non-Classroom
Education Level: N/A
Audience: Administrators; Practitioners; Teachers
Authoring Institution: High/Scope Educational Research Foundation, Ypsilanti, MI.
Identifiers: High Scope Model


The City of Philadelphia Mural Arts Program is a city-supported public art program that brings together young people, neighborhood residents, artists, and a wide variety of public and private institutions to create murals of enduring value that reflect the aspirations and experiences of the city's diverse communities. Since 1984, the Mural Arts Program has created over 3,000 murals and works of public art which are now part of Philadelphia's civic landscape and a source of inspiration to the hundreds of thousands of residents and visitors who encounter them earning Philadelphia international recognition as the "City of Murals."
The Mural Arts Program's free after-school and summer intensive art education programs known as Big Picture and Mural Corps are aimed at young people 10 to 21 years of age. The programs not only teach mural-making and other fundamental art skills but inspire students to become artists, organizers, and leaders in their communities.
Over the past year, youth enrolled in the Big Picture and Mural Corps programs drew inspiration from the practice and activism of Mahatma Gandhi: "We need to be the change we wish to see in the world." Through the self-portraits, students were asked to challenge their preconceptions of who they are, how the world portrays them, and how they portray themselves.
The Mural Arts Program believes that if young people are equipped with a strong sense of self, knowledge of their potential, and a connection to the world around them, they will be better prepared to make wise decisions and choose positive paths throughout their lives.


School may be out for summer, but that doesn't mean knowledge gained during the year need be lost forever.
Summer brain drain is a real phenomenon and a lurking threat for school age children, experts say.
According to the National Center for Summer Learning at Johns Hopkins University's School of Education, most students lose about two months of grade level equivalency in math computation skills over the summer months.
Research spanning 100 years shows that students typically score lower on standardized tests at the end of summer vacation than the same tests taken at the beginning of the summer months, the center's Web site states.
But parents can help prevent their kids from losing lessons learned by making a few simple changes to their summer activities, said Susan Canizares, publisher for Houghton Mifflin Harcourt's K-12 division.
It's important not to change the summer months into a school environment either, she said.
Rather, one of the best practices is to take activities the family is doing anyway and find lessons within them.
"We all play, we all shop, we all eat," she said during a phone interview from her Austin office. "It's about how you can take some of those activities and get some educational value out of them."
Canizares, who has a doctorate in language and literacy development from Fordham University, provided the following ideas for parents:
• Follow a favorite sports team - Help children track scores and favorite player statistics. Keep a chart with each family member's prediction on scores and game outcomes and at the end of the season, analyze to show who had the highest percentage of winning predictions.
• Plant a garden - Children can research what grows best in the neighborhood, chart growth and experiment with different watering cycles.
• Go shopping - Challenge kids to buy food to feed the whole family lunch or dinner for $12 and have them try to decorate the table for under $2.
• Get cooking - Have children find recipes in cookbooks or online and have them plan a family dinner where they'd have to double or triple the recipe.
• Read aloud - It's a myth that some children are too old to be read to, Canizares said. Even children in middle school like hearing a story from a parent. "To listen to someone read to you is a relaxing, enjoyable experience," she said. Hit the library for new-to-you children's books.


Mobile Learning Week 2013 is kicking off today. The initiative is organised by UNESCO, supported by Nokia and actively explores how mobile devices can contribute to literacy and education as a whole. Mobile learning is taking over desktop computers with more people accessing the Internet from a mobile device, and the potential is being tapped into by Mobile Learning Week to empower individuals.
The initiative plays a vital role towards achieving UNESCO's Education for All (EFA) goals by 2015. Three goals that are related to the Mobile Learning Week are:
- Improving levels of adult and youth literacy: how mobile technologies can support literacy development and increase reading opportunities
- Improving the quality of education: how mobile technologies can support teachers and their professional development
- Achieving gender parity and equality in education: how mobile technologies can support equal access to and achievement in basic education of good quality for all, in particular for women and girls
Nokia has been working with UNESCO (UN's Education, Scientific and Cultural Organisation) since 2010 on the EFA goals and has been a significant partner in helping to promote mobile learning. It makes sense for Nokia to be included in the initiatives as the company has both the technology and services in place to support such projects.
Nokia will be presenting a keynote speech on Nokia Life at UNESCO's Mobile Learning Week symposium in Paris this week. Nokia Life is a suite of education and life services that has reportedly benefited more than 90 million mobile phone owners in countries such as India, China and Nigeria. The Finnish manufacturer will also be demonstrating two tools that have been developed to aid learning:
- Mobile Mathematics, or MoMaths, has already been used by 50,000 students in South Africa across 200 schools and is now being expanded as a global service.
- Nokia Flashcards, created in partnership with the NGO Plan, is a mobile game that supports literacy and language learning.
Professor Francesc Pedró is leading UNESCO'swork in education and technology. Nokia Conversations managed to book a few minutes of time to interview him on mobile learning, the part that Nokia has played so far and why it can benefit teachers, pupils and families. It's well worth reading through, should you have a few minutes to spare.
No one can deny that Nokia goes the extra mile.
Source: Nokia Conversations


By Laura Devaney, Managing Editor, @eSN_Laura
The school library is changing. Instead of a stuffy and silent space filled with books, today’s school libraries are becoming collaboration centers, where teachers and librarians work together to help students develop technology skills and evaluate digital information.
Over the past decade, studies have shown that students in schools with endorsed librarians earn higher scores on standardized reading tests, and those scores are higher regardless of students’ socioeconomic level and despite overall school staffing declines.
A 2012 Institute of Museum and Library Services study that spanned 10 years analyzed library conditions and their impact on learning and literacy development in two Philadelphia neighborhoods. The researchers found that, when comparing a poor community with an affluent community, “children with early access to print and technology continue to build and gain knowledge. Children who don’t have early access enter school far behind and are taught the ‘basics.’”
When computers are readily available to children, those children are able to use technology such as search engines comfortably as they compare information and engage in learning. Children without the same easy computer access are not able to judge the quality of information found online as adequately.
According to the report, public libraries can serve as an extension of school libraries and can support early learning in important ways, including linking new digital technologies to learning and helping children develop “deeper learning” skills through literacy and STEM-based experiences.
A successful working partnership between teachers and librarians is often touted as a sign of 21st-century education, but “evidence suggests that achieving successful collaborative relationships in the field is fraught with challenges,” according to a June 2013 study published in School Library Research, the research journal of the American Association of School Librarians.
While such collaboration does exist and is successful, it is not as widespread as it could be, the report claims. One roadblock could be that, in some universities, preservice teachers are educated at the undergraduate level, while preservice librarians are educated at the graduate level. Sometimes, teachers resist or take offense to the idea that they “need help from a librarian,” and the education system’s focus on test scores makes it less likely that teachers “will engage in collaboration unless they foresee a tangible reward in the form of improved test scores,” survey participants said.
“Now is a particularly crucial time for teachers and school librarians to be working together to educate students in the skills needed to be successful in the digital age,” according to the report.
A move to digital collections
As the idea of teacher-librarian collaboration is changing, so, too, is the concept of a library’s resources. Today’s students joke about older generations using printed encyclopedias for reference projects, as many schools have added digital collections to augment their offerings. But it’s not just reference materials that are going digital: Entire book collections are as well.
Students and teachers in the Van Meter Community School in Iowa have used the eBook platform MackinVIA for more than a year, and have access to roughly 900 eBook titles in the collection. In addition to eBooks, MackinVIA includes online databases as part of a “one-stop” process and offers access to most titles simultaneously, so multiple students can use the same book at once. Using a “backpack” feature, students can select books they want to read and can store books and resources as part of school projects.
“It’s so simple for the kids to use— even the kindergartners use it without a problem,” said Shannon Miller, the district teacher librarian and technology specialist.
“It hooks them on reading—even things that they might not have read before or outside of the genre they typically pick,” Miller said. Van Meter has a one-to-one computing program in which students bring their own devices, and parents can help their children select books and perform research using their children’s devices and user accounts.
Capstone Digital’s myON reader is a digital library platform that offers a “personalized literacy environment,” complete with more than 4,700 enhanced digital books for students from birth through 8th grade.
For this complete story and more form Laura Devaney, please visit eSchool News here.


"The increase in life expectancy has traditionally been a good rsum of a population's state of health. But the profile of diseases has changed: now there is a great prevalence of specific disorders that are not life-threatening yet are very incapacitating," points out Unai Martn. In other words, life expectancy is no longer the only indicator to be taken into consideration: for example, it is not possible to speak of wellbeing if one lives longer but if one is ill or dependent during that extra time. This sociologist of the University of the Basque Country (UPV/EHU) says it is more realistic to ask: how many years can we expect to live free of incapacity and/or in good health? He has studied how the population in the Basque Autonomous Community (BAC) has evolved, and what its current state is in this respect. His thesis is entitled: Salud y desigualdades sociales en salud en la C.A. del Pas Vasco en el cambio de siglo: una visin desde las esperanzas de salud (Health and social inequalities in health in the Basque Autonomous Community in the new century: a vision from the health expectancy perspective).
In actual fact, it is a matter of integrating the mortality rate and health quality into a single index. To do this, Martn has in this research consulted three sources of data focussing on the BAC: data on death (1989-2008); population censuses (1991, 1996, 2001 and 2006); and the last four health surveys (1992, 1997, 2002 and 2007) conducted by the BAC Government.
Progress is slowing down
As the thesis explains, the evolution in the state of health of the Basque population has been positive until now. However, the most recent data indicate that this evolution has slowed down. Martn warns that it is necessary to be on the alert in this respect: "In the data in the BAC, in the first three periods studied, there is a compression of morbidity and the years of life gained are accompanied by better health. But in the last period one is beginning to see that life expectancy is increasing at the expense of an increase in incapacity. The state of health does not improve as much as it used to, and signs that it could start to deteriorate are seen."
In connection with this, the researcher points out that it is important to focus collective effort to ensure that the fall in mortality continues to be accompanied by an improvement in the population's health, and not at the expense of an expansion in chronic diseases or incapacities.
Mitigating this potential problem requires changes in the allocation of resources and the prioritizing of services, among other things. For example, Martn points out that the Strategy for addressing the Chronicity challenge in the BAC (started by the BAC Government in 2010) constitutes an advance in this respect, although it is not sufficient. "The significance of chronic diseases has forced the redirecting of healthcare systems, and in this respect, the chronicity strategy is ground breaking. But the cutting of chronic diseases not only takes place because the healthcare system adapts. It is a plan with a highly biomedical vision, and which fails to deal with other kinds of factors like those linked to conditions of life which have a lot to do with improving the health of the population," he points out.
Great social inequality
In actual fact, if the level of education or the social class themselves are already determining life expectancy, Martn explains that the influence of conditions of life is even greater when the indicator proposed is applied: "With these measures that take mortality as well as health into consideration, the inequalities are even greater." The data gathered in this research show, for example, that a newborn boy belonging to the 20% most deprived neighbourhoods in the BAC can expect to live in good health 6.4 years less than one born in the 20% of areas of least deprivation. A difference which in the case of newborn girls amounts to 7.4 years. Likewise, by the time a man who has not been educated or who has only been through elementary education reaches the age of 20, he can expect to live 10.9 years less in good health than a man who has been through university; in the case of women, that difference is 9.4 years.
In other words, the data indicate than a fall in the social scale means not only living fewer years but also living fewer years in good health.
|Contact: Amaia Portugal|


Graduate Catalog 2015-2016
Home | Graduate Catalog 2015-2016 | Graduate Programs, Disciplines, and Course Offerings | Graduate Programs in Education | Graduate Education Courses | EDE - Childhood Education (Elementary Education) Courses | EDE 684 Big Ideas Of Science
EDE 684 Big Ideas Of Science
3 Lecture Hours; 1 Laboratory Hour; 4 Credits
Education research suggests that students improve their learning and understanding of science when connections are made to essential questions and big ideas. In science big ideas include energy, evolution and matter. This course will enable students to develop deep, transferable understanding and skills by relating the concepts taught in the elementary science curriculum to science big ideas. This course will focus on the development of students' ability to understand the changing world in which they live. They develop this by utilizing a broad range of thinking skills and learning styles to promote meaningful and deep learning. The course will include activities and experiments that address multiple learning styles and abilities, and foster skill development including mathematics, scientific literacy and technical skills.
Prerequisite: Matriculation in Sequence I of the Graduate Elementary Education Program or EDE 604 or equivalent
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