You are already an education advocate and leader, but are you an education diplomat?
Learn diplomatic skills to solve education challenges and stand out as a leader.
Education Diplomacy is the key to tackling complex issues affecting education and helps groups with different priorities to work together. Solving challenges related to inclusion, gender equality, and financing will need Education Diplomacy to move agendas forward through cooperation, coordination, and collaboration across sectors, stakeholders, and borders to overcome the challenges together.
Center News . . .
School Leadership and Education Diplomacy
Achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals agenda is a holistic undertaking that requires collaboration and partnership across all stakeholders and sectors. School leaders need to consider their role and capacity to contribute to these broader development goals. This paper, which served as the foundation for a workshop presented by at the UNESCO-APEID international conference on 8 November 2018 in Bangkok, Thailand, argues that school leaders require a new set of diplomacy skills that allows them to better meet the challenges they face and ensure inclusive and equitable education and lifelong learning for all. These education challenges require collaborative and cooperative efforts that can best be achieved by acquiring the foundational skills of Education Diplomacy.
Are you working to solve an education challenge by building a coalition, developing a new partnership, shaping a new program, negotiating an agreement, or working to change an education policy?
Do you want to transform your ability to lead and elevate the education profession?
Through Education Diplomacy online courses, you will learn the skills and tools to creatively solve problems and work cooperatively with multiple stakeholders at local, national, and international levels.
Bridge gaps and build connections through the following Education Diplomacy skills:
â¢ Creating mutual understanding
â¢ Cultivating collaboration between stakeholders
â¢ Negotiating agreement
â¢ Shaping consensus around shared goals
â¢ Developing beneficial and innovative solutions for lasting change.
These skills can be understood through our innovative "5L" Education Diplomacy Framework.
LISTEN | LEARN | LEVERAGE | LEAD | LEAP
Which online course is right for you?
Suitable for individuals
Next course offered Spring 2019
Send updates about the next course
Suitable for individuals
Application deadline: 3 September 2018
Course begins 1 October 2018
Learn more and apply at DiploFoundation
ACEI is an IACET Accredited Provider, which means we provide high-quality learning events. All of our courses can be used to earn IACET Continuing Education Credits at approved institutions. Select courses also can be applied toward a Diploma in Social Innovation at the University for Peace (UPEACE) Centre for Executive Education in Costa Rica.


Create successful practice, explore a composer's historical lifestyle, learn about modern composers, experience local performances - Musical Notes will enhance your music education and capture your imagination. Be Inspired!
Tampa Bay Music Academy is starting a concert band for homeschoolers in the Tampa Bay area this fall. There will be a beginner class for 4th - 6th graders and an intermediate class for 6th - 12th grade. The concert will include Trumpet, Trombone, Baritone, Flute, Clarinet, Saxophone, and Percussion.
Registration has already started, so you will want to sign up as soon as possible. The first class is scheduled for Friday August 22.
For tuition costs and more information check out their website at http://tampabaymusicacademy.com/concert-band-program/
These colorful little castanets are perfect for little fingers to explore. Not only will your child experiment with rhythm, but he'll also work on developing his fine motor skills!
Sturdy Paper like poster board or a manila folder
Pairs of Buttons
Hot Glue Gun or Elmer's School Glue
Cut the paper into rectangles that measure anywhere from 4 to 6 inches long and 1/2 to 1 inch wide. Fold each rectangle in half so there's a crease in the middle. Next, choose two buttons and glue one on each end of the rectangle. The buttons will need to be the same size, and if your child is like my son, they'll have to be the same color too! Allow the glue to dry.
Let the fun begin! What types of rhythms can you create with your new instrument? Can you click the buttons together fast and slow? Can you make a steady beat? How about tapping the rhythm of your favorite song with your castanets? Turn on some music and experiment with all different types of rhythm!
***If doing this craft with young children or with young children present, do be careful to keep an eye on the buttons. Don't let young children put them in their mouths!***
Finding the perfect piano keyboard for your beginning student takes some time and research. Here are three of tips that I share with the parents of my students:
Your keyboard needs to have weighted keys. Portable keyboards are typically made with light, plastic keys which take hardly any weight to depress. It will be very hard for your child to transition from that light touch to the heavier touch which is required to play the digital or acoustic piano during lessons. Look for âweighted keys" or "touch sensitive" - like the keys featured on the Yamaha YPG-235.
Number of Keys
The number of keys on a keyboard can vary widely â from 61 to 88 on the typical instruments used for beginning lessons. If you plan to purchase a beginner instrument and upgrade later on, a keyboard like the Casio LK240 or the Yamaha EZ-200 with 61 keys is fine. We rarely use the notes on the extreme ends of the keyboard during our first couple years of lessons.
However, if youâd like for this instrument to be a one-time purchase, itâs better to choose a keyboard with either 76 or the full set of 88 keys. The Yamaha P35B or Korg SP170SBK are good options to consider.
Two of the best accessories to consider adding to your very first keyboard purchase are headphones and a damper/sustain pedal. Your child will be using the pedal and possibly the headphones within the first couple months of lessons.
Headphones are especially helpful if you want your child to be able to practice without disturbing the rest of the family. Most keyboards offer a plug for headphones so that your child can practice and be the only one to hear what heâs playing.
A damper pedal sustains the sound of the notes so they sound even after your finger has lifted off of the keys. Most keyboard models have a plug to add a damper pedal. Itâs a great option to have from the beginning, since we begin using it within the first couple months of lessons.
Jessica's Piano Studio
Teacher at Jessica's Piano Studio to many talented students! Here's some helpful tips and interesting information to create a wonderfully educational musical experience!


On a daily basis, having to teach only six students is good news for most teachers. One lady instructor from the hearing impaired program sees this in a different way. All six of her students who are aged from 5 to 15 belong to a program set up by the local cooperative for special education and funded by a three year federal grant. The coop serves 19 school districts with various classes in learning disabilities.
Of the six students, two are classified as hard of hearing and four are profoundly deaf. With a decibel loss of 60 or less, the hard of hearing can function in regular classrooms but require special assistance. Those classified as profoundly deaf have a loss of 90 decibels or more. When a person is experiencing this, special learning methods are required. Taking into consideration their hearing needs and capabilities the students from the hearing impaired class use hearing aids.
In order to help the students hear what the teacher is saying then a special audio device is used. This particular phonic ear system works with 83 radio frequencies. An instrument much like a microphone is used by the teacher which conveys speech to a receiver worn by the children. Through the different frequencies, the teacher has the ability to talk to the class as a group or to one child at a time.
It has been said by the teacher that the facility traveled to by the students for 11/2 hours is quite spectacular. Much expense has been encountered with everything being specially crafted. If the complete kitchen set up is not enough, the carpeted room also contains audio equipment and visual aids. What they do with the kitchen is use to for recipe interpretations to teach language to the children.
Language is at the center of everything they do because the teacher says that it is the most important thing for the students. 10,000 times is the number of repetitions needed for a word to be retained. This may seem boring to some people, but it's absolutely necessary in this case. The sense of sight is necessary for the hard of hearing to learn about words that describe objects. There are words which have little meaning though like time, tomorrow, yesterday, and today.
The teaching methods the teacher uses are varied and many. Much trust is given to a learning experience that applies total communication where signs and speech are used together. Lip movement can be used to understand what another is saying and lip reading is part of the instruction given. When it comes to teaching methods, oral instruction is prioritized and students need to communicate verbally. These children have to live in our society and they will be better accepted if they can communicate the way others do.
One of the more curious methods used by the teacher is the tactile method, or perception through the sense of touch. For a student to comprehend the g, s, or th sounds, it is necessary to touch the throat or feel the tongue of the teacher. She has been used to having a student's hand in her mouth from the moment she steps into the classroom. When it comes to subjects, they have spelling, math, grammar, and social studies. Upon entering a regular school system, a student may take up other classes such as speech, gym, auto mechanics, music, typing, and home economics. Over 18 years old students are no longer able to attend the class.
Her motivation for helping the hearing impaired may come with much speculation. Considering her career choice, she does not hesitate to answer. It happened when she was five, they found out that she had a hearing problem. No cartilage was in her ears and her eustachian tubes were closed at birth. Her hearing abilities and those of the people she helped were regained through corrective surgery. As early as the fifth grade she already knew that she will be helping out children with hearing problems.
From an Illinois college is where she got her special education degree. A certificate in learning disabilities and degrees in deaf and elementary education are her achievements when she attended a university in Florida soon after. Prior to her arrival in Southwest Kansas two years back, she was a teacher in Fort Lauderdale in a school for the deaf. With the phonic ear system she uses, her students have no alternative but to listen to what she says because the sound is relayed into their ears and this assists her in the grueling tasks she performs every day.
As a person looking for hearing loss you should visit that site. Further information on audiologists can be found there.


If you are like most parents, you want to raise your children well â to develop their mental and physical aspects completely. Most people know that music education helps grow childrenâs brains.
According to the site Childrenâs Music Workshop, there are many benefits to music education including the below:
- Early training develops language and reasoning areas of the brain.
- It helps develop the ability to form mental pictures of things.
- Creative thinking and problem solving are also developed.
- Studies show that scores on tests like the SAT are better from students exposed to music lessons.
- Performing helps kids learn to conquer fear.
But musical instruments can be expensive, and many are too delicate for pre-school aged children. How can you expose your pre-school and grade school age children to musical instruments without spending an arm and a leg? Here are a few thoughts on giving your child access to music on a budget.
Make Musical Instruments From Household Items
Spoonful.com can show you how to make all of the below for (or better yet, with) your pre-schooler:
- Drums from large oatmeal cylinders and no-rip mailer envelopes
- Maracas from individual serving sized raisin boxes and dried beans
- Rain sticks from a mailing tube, aluminum foil, rice and popcorn
- Tambourines from Y shaped sticks and flattened bottle caps or
- Clap sticks from decorated paint stirrers.
Ashelyâs husband over at Make It â Love It, made really cool looking cardboard guitars for their kids â much better looking than the shoebox guitars you usually see. They are made by tracing a guitar shape onto hefty cardboard, with pencils to hold the rubber band strings up off the board. She gives a step by step on her site.
Alex Duncan shows you how to make a one note balloon bassoon using 40 mm pvc pipe, garden hose, duck tape and a balloon in a You Tube video. It sounds pretty darn good too.
Busy Bee Kids Crafts has a bunch of ideas, one of which is making paper plate tambourines.
For the more sophisticated, try crafting a vegetable instrument or band.
Linsey Pollak is a musician that has figured out how to play a carrot! Watch as he constructs a carrot clarinet and plays it â it sounds like a real one to me!
Or how about an entire band from vegetables? Nan Weiping of the Vegetable Orchestra, according to the Trend Hunter website, has figured out how:
âBy hollowing out parts of various large vegetables and experimenting with their dampness, these brothers create musical instruments that can successfully substitute for their conventionally built counterparts. The duo plays a variety of music, from traditional Chinese tunes to folk to even popular pop songsâ
Your Schoolâs Music Department May Already Have Instruments
Check out your local school to see if they have a music program for the kids. My grandson gets to play various instruments in his 3rd grade music class, without having to purchase them.
Find A Used Instrument
- Craigslist â a quick search in my area under musical instruments looking for keyboards showed them from $30 and up.
- Garage sales â I found a guitar for $5.00 once at a garage sale and bought it for my grandson.
- Pawn shops â there are even some that specialize in musical instruments.
- Relatives â Great Uncle Joe may still have that trumpet he used to play and might like to donate it to a future generation!
- Musical instrument exchanges â some sites let owners list and buyers browse used instrument sales. Just search on exchange musical instruments.
Go To a Retail Music Shop
We rented our sonâs alto saxophone while he took lessons in high school. Later we went ahead and bought it from the shop â but that wasnât a very inexpensive solution!
Experimenting with musical instruments should be part of every childâs growing up experience, at least in my book. I tried both the piano and the violin in grade school â unfortunately neither stuck. As an adult I tried out an acoustic guitar and managed to get far enough to at least toughen up my finger tips!
What suggestions do you have for parents to give music experiences to their children without breaking the budget?


product description page
Understanding Reading Problems : Assessment and Instruction (Paperback) (Jean Wallace Gillet & Charles
About this item
This title is only available as a loose-leaf version with Pearson eText.
The market-leading, dependable guide for assessing literacy at every stage of development and implementing corrective instruction.
In this widely popular book, classroom teachers get up-to-date coverage of reading processes, their assessment, and their corrective instruction, including thorough treatment of reading and writing at every stage of development. The new edition provides updated coverage of the Common Core State Standards and the imperative to teach English learners. Included are an overview of essential reading processesâacquiring emergent literacy concepts, word recognition, fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension, as well as spelling and writingâand a review of the stages of literacy developmentâemergent, beginning reading, building fluency, reading to earn and for pleasure, and mature reading. Thorough explanations and detailed procedures for assessing and teaching emergent literacy look at phonological awareness, phonics and word knowledge from beginning to advanced levels, vocabulary, fluency, and comprehension of narrative and informational text. Teaching techniques range from the Response to Intervention framework to strategies for individual students, including those whose home language is not English. Diagnostic and week-to-week monitoring procedures, as well as formal assessments and testing terminology are covered in detail, and a full chapter covers laws and policies affecting children with special needs, as well as other physical and cognitive factors that impinge on studentsâ literacy growth.
013384661X / 9780133846614 Understanding Reading Problems: Assessment and Instruction, Pearson eText with Loose-Leaf Version -- Access Card Package
Package consists of:
- 0134228448 / 9780134228440 Understanding Reading Problems: Assessment and Instruction, Loose-Leaf Version
- 0134276981 / 9780134276984 Understanding Reading Problems: Assessment and Instruction, Pearson eText -- Access Card


2015 Winners & Honorees
Library of Congress Literacy Awards Best Practices 2015 (PDF, 5.9 MB)
David M. Rubenstein Prize
First Book focuses on promoting literacy by increasing childrenâs access to books. Because cost is the primary barrier to book ownership by children and the programs that serve them, First Book dedicates its resources to facilitating access to quality children's literature for groups and families across the U.S. and Canada. Since its inception, 130 million books have been donated to educators, programs and children.
United Through Reading helps active-duty military personnel stay involved in their childrenâs literacy development by filming them reading storybooks and distributing the recordings and books to their families. The program has more than 180 recording stations on military bases and outposts, in USO centers and on half of all U.S. Navy ships and makes more than 25,000 recordings each year.
Beanstalk is a volunteer-based literacy organization that provides one-on-one support to children ages 6 to 11. Tutors work consistently with their assigned students, meeting twice a week to read, play and talk together. In this less structured environment students can engage with and enjoy reading and learning.
Working with Government Policymakers
- Stiftung Lesen
- National Resource Center for Non-Formal Education
- Kazakhstan Reading Association
Creating a Community of Literacy
- Little Free Library
- Family Reading Parnership
- Literacy Alberni Society
Selecting Appropriate Language of Instruction
- Book Aid International
- Literacy Council of Montgomery County
Literacy in Service of Social Goals
- Free Minds Book Club and Writing Workshop
- Alif Laila Book Bus Society
- Escuela Santo NiÃ±o JesÃºs, Fe Y AlegrÃa (Escuela)
Providing Access to Readers with Physical Disabilities
- Men with a Message


Johann Heinrich Pestalozzi
Also found in: Wikipedia.
Pestalozzi, Johann Heinrich
Born Jan. 12, 1746, in ZÃ¼rich; died Feb. 17, 1827, in Brugg. Swiss educator and democrat. A founder of the study of teaching methods in elementary education.
Pestalozzi completed two programs of study at the Collegium Carolinum. He headed the home for the poor in Neuhof (1774â80), a school for orphans in Stans (1798-99), and institutes in Burgdorf (1800-04) and Yverdon (1805-25). He wrote numerous works on education, receiving worldwide acclaim for Leonard and Gertrude (1781-87), How Gertrude Teaches Her Children (1801), Letter to a Friend About a Sojourn in Stans (1799), and Swan Song (1826). In 1792, Pestalozzi was named a Citizen of the French Republic by the French legislature.
Pestalozziâs world view combined ideas of the French philosophers of the Enlightenment, chiefly J.-J. Rousseau, with the theories of the German idealist philosophers, including G. W. von Leibniz, I. Kant, and J. G. Fichte. Pestalozzi believed that education should conform to human nature, developing the mental and physical strengths inherent in it in accordance with the childâs drive toward diverse activity. This development was to be brought about through sequential exercises done systematically and in a prescribed order, first at home and then at school. Pestalozziâs theory of elementary education included intellectual, moral, physical, and vocational training, all closely interacting to produce harmonious human development. K. D. Ushinskii called Pestalozziâs idea of developmental education a great discovery (Sobr. soch., vol. 3, 1948, p. 95).
Pestalozzi devised techniques for teaching children the basics of arithmetic, measurement, and speech. He significantly expanded the content of primary education to include drawing, singing, gymnastics, and elementary geometry and geography. He called for the creation of schools that âwould satisfy the needs of the popular masses, be willingly accepted by them, and be to a significant extent the creation of their own handsâ (N. K. Krupskaia, Ped. soch., vol. 1, 1957, p. 279).
WORKSSÃ¤mtliche Werke, vols. 1-17 A, 18-21, 23, 25. Edited by A. Buchenau, E. Spranger, H. Stettbacher, and E. Dejung. Berlin-Leipzig-ZÃ¼rich, 1927-73.
SÃ¤mtliche Briefe, vols. 1-13. Edited by Pestalozzianum and the Zentral-bibliothek in ZÃ¼rich. ZÃ¼rich, 1946-71.
In Russian translation:
Izbr. pedagogicheskie proizvedeniia, vols. 1-3. Edited by M. F. Shchaba-eva. [Preparation of text, introduction, and notes by V. A. Rotenberg.] Moscow, 1961-65.
REFERENCESKrupskaia, N. K. âPestalotstsi.â Pedagogicheskie sochineniia, vol. 1. Moscow, 1957.
Krupskaia, N. K. âK glave o Pestalotstsi.â Pedagogicheskie sochineniia, vol. 4. Moscow, 1959.
Pinkevich, A. P., and E. N. Medynskii. I. G. Pestalotstsi: Ego zhiznâ, uchenie i vliianie na russkuiu pedagogiku. Moscow, 1927.
Pinkevich, A. P. I. G. Pestalotstsi. Moscow, 1933.
Rotenberg, V. A. âPedagogicheskaia deiatelânostâ I. G. Pestalotstsi.â Sovetskaia pedagogika, 1952, no. 3.
Rotenberg, V. A. âI. G. Pestalotstsi o soedinenii obucheniia s trudom i podgotovke k deiatelânosti v promyshlennosti.â Sovetskaia pedagogika, 1962, no. 7.
V. A. ROTENBERG


Music Education (MUED)
Course numbers with the # symbol included (e.g. #400) have not been taught in the last 3 years.
MUED 595 - Special Projects
Individual investigation, research, or study. Creative projects may be included. Prereq: permission.
MUED 741 - Techniques and Methods in Choral Music
Problems in the organization and performance of high school, college, and community choruses. Techniques of choral conducting and rehearsal, repertory and materials.
MUED 743 - Materials and Methods in Piano Music
Gives potential piano teachers a coherent but flexible approach to the instruction of students of different ages and levels of talent through evaluation of methods and materials and discussion of the role of the private teacher.
MUED 745 - Techniques and Methods in String Instruments
Class and individual instruction. Intensive training on the violin, viola, cello, and double bass. Classroom procedures, establishment of string programs, and evaluation of available methods materials. Permission required.
MUED 747 - Techniques and Methods in Woodwind Instruments
Credits: 2 or 3
Basic course in embouchure formation, tone production, tonguing, fingering and instrument care as applied to each of the woodwinds: flute, oboe, clarinet, bassoon and saxophone. Methods, studies, solos and ensembles most useful with school players of woodwind instruments. Permission required.
MUED 749 - Techniques and Methods in Brass Instruments
Basic course in embouchure formation, tone, tonguing, fingering, flexibility, accuracy, and range development as applied to the trumpet or baritone horn, French horn, and trombone. Methods, studies, solos, and ensembles most likely to be useful with school players of brass instruments. Permission required.
MUED 751 - Techniques and Methods in Percussion Instruments
Basic performance skills on snare drum, timpani, mallet instruments, and other percussion instruments used in bands and orchestras. Materials and methods of instruction. Permission required.
MUED 755 - Vocal Pedagogy
Credits: 1 or 2
A study of vocal anatomy, vocal function, and teaching methods, with an emphasis on application for singers and voice teachers.
MUED #763 - Jazz Music Methods
Organization and delivery of instruction in jazz. Historical development of jazz styles and the role of each instrument/voice in jazz combos and large ensembles. Reading jazz notation and teaching improvisation. Examination of appropriate literature. Prereq: piano proficiency. Permission required.
MUED 765 - Instrumental Music Methods
Organization and delivery of instruction to groups of instrumental music students. Examination of appropriate curricula and materials, application of instrumental and conducting techniques, structure of rehearsals, assessment of student progress. Prereq: junior standing.
MUED 771 - Marching Band Methods
Role of marching band in the school music program. Design and execution of field shows and parade marching. Understanding of marching percussion and auxiliary units. Examination of appropriate music. Prereq: MUSI 454 and MUSI 571.
MUED 790 - Teaching Elementary School Music
Experiential approach toward learning creative strategies for teaching elementary school music. Includes various curricula and methods; philosophy and psychology of music; demonstration of materials and instruments. Observation and teaching in schools. Prereq: piano proficiency.
MUED 791 - Teaching Secondary School Music
Assembling, managing, and teaching junior/senior high school music curriculum. Academic issues of philosophy, curriculum building, application of learning theories, administration, evaluation, motivation, and classroom management combined with field experience in lesson planning and teaching/rehearsal techniques. Prereq: piano proficiency; MUSI 731 and MUSI 732.
MUED 795 - Special Studies
Allows upper-level students to explore individually or in groups areas related to their specific professional interests. Prereq: permission.


Free and compulsory education for all children was listed as an individual's rights very recently. It is hoped that by passing this law not only will the education system of the country become better but also the pace at which infrastructure across the country is developing. The government of India passed this act in the year 2009.
Details of the RTE Act & Government steps prior to that:
This Act was brought into being by the eighty sixth amendment of the Constitution of India in 2002. This law mandates that all children between the age of 6 and 14 have a right to free elementary education. The onus of providing the free education falls on the government or the local body (which ever has jurisdiction). The law further ensures that the children do not have to pay any fees for the education they receive.
Before taking up free and compulsory education for children in India and turning it into a law, the government did try various other schemes like the mid day meal scheme and the financial assistance scheme. The mid day meal scheme of the government included feeding children the afternoon meal for free.
The main purpose of this meal was to increase the attendance level at schools by providing the meal as an incentive. This scheme of the government worked like magic and the attendance levels did rise. But one problem that came out of this was that the food quality was really poor in some cases. In most areas the food material was supplied by the ration stores and the food was cooked at the school premises.
The food that was often supplied by ration stores was below quality which resulted in many children falling ill. This fire caught wind when the national media highlighted the issue which resulted in attendance levels dropping. When it came to the financial assistance scheme it was doomed from its very onset. The scheme included children being given money each time they came to school.
This scheme was run mainly in the urban and semi urban areas. In these areas the children who live in the slums have to work during the day time to make a living which does not allow them to come to school. The government thought that by providing financial assistance the children would not need to work and would attend school. What happened in reality was that the children did come to school to collect the money and left soon after.
Future for the students:
With the passing of this the Right to Education (RTE) Act, 2009 the local bodies are now legally bound to find new and innovative ways to provide children with elementary education. Very often children that do end up in schools and complete their elementary education do not find jobs.
The government is currently developing some vocational institutes to provide vocational training to these youth and make them job worthy. The government has also started recruitment drives for lower level staff (those that are meant specifically for people with basic education).


I know. I know. Suuuuuper research-y title. But i didnât want it to just be I speak robot. Because, well, I donât ð In our house, with three boys (going to do a post to update you on this soon!!) we have a LOT of playing that occurs. All day. Every day. As an educator, I have, of course, spent countless hours figuring out how to turn these play events into a learning-based event. Look, NOT all play is for learning. Play for play is SUPER important for social, emotional and educational development. BUT, again as an educator and MOM, I canât help but to turn some of these authentic play events into a learning situation!
According to Fromberg and Gullo (1992), play enhances language development, social competence, creativity, imagination, and thinking skills. Frost (1992) concurred, stating that âplay is the chief vehicle for the development of imagination and intelligence, language, social skills, and perceptual-motor abilities in infants and young childrenâ (p. 48). (source)
So. I wanted to share some ways that I encourage literacy development through play.
The most important device you can use is QUESTIONING. The typical line of questioning I use in play talk are applicable to (almost) any play situation. Most of the times I allow the children to play on their own and then I âinterruptâ with my questions (gently) but sometimes I create learning situations for them such as baking and science experiments. Here are a list of 10 simple questions you might use the next time you catch your little involved in play that would be conducive to talk/play learning. The particular situation I based this blog post on involved this little cutie and his new Robot I got him (he later named it Chace-botâ¦duh!!!). So, you want to mix a variety of open-ended and straightforward questions and you can tweak each question to cater to the specific play situationâ¦
1. What is his/her (your robotâs) name?
2. Why did you decide to name it that? What does its name start with? (letter/sound)
3. What special things does he/she (your robot) do?
4. Does he/she (your robot) eat things? What kinds of things?
5. What is the silliest thing he/she (your robot) can do?
6. Is he/she (your robot) a good guy or a bad guy? WHY <â super important
7. Is it real or pretend?
8. Where does he/she (your robot) live?
9. How does he/she (your robot) feel? (this is good at getting at a childâs actual feelings regarding a situation that is tough to discuss)
10. Show me something that he/she (your robot) can do. Have them explain.
I asked similar questions to these cuties as they played Legos. Obviously I adjusted the questing based on their ages. Another activity I LOVE to do with the boys is baking/cooking/food prep. This is a GREAT time to engage in conversation with your child. We LOVE to do simple food prep activity like making fruit pattern skewers.
Starting color patterns at a young age can go a long way in terms of forming a solid number sense foundation. These can be used for counting too. And think outside the box. Donât just ask âhow many pieces of fruit are on there?â but rather âHow many strawberries are on there?â or âHow many of the fruits are NOT red.â This can be tricky, so try to be cognizant of your childâs age and developmental level.
We also love doing make your own pizzas!
They key is to not just dump the ingredients on the table and go empty the dishwasher (although soooo tempting) but to stay present in the activity. Ask questions like:
1. What are we adding now?
2. How much of this should we add?
3. Will this make our food taste sweet? Salty? Sour?
OK, I have to go take care of my boo, but I will be back soon with a juicy post! XO


Home tutor in Eti Osa, Lagos
Passionate Numeracy Teacher
Numeracy is the ability, confidence and willingness to engage with quantitative and spatial information to make informed decisions in all aspects of daily living. A numerate individual has the confidence and awareness to know when and how to apply quantitative and spatial understandings at home, at school, at work or in the community.
Quantitative information also refers to information that can be measured and expressed as an amount. This includes: having a sense of the magnitude of numbers, using numbers in real-life situations, estimating amounts, interpreting statistical information, recognizing patterns, determining probability.
Employing numeracy in the subject areas has the dual effect of enriching studentsâ understanding of the subject area content and of increasing their numeracy skills. For students to develop breadth and depth in their numeracy skills, they must experience numeracy across all their subject/discipline areas. To become numerate, students need to recognize quantitative or spatial information within situations and use numeracy skills within the context where it exists.
Numeracy helps children with the following: understand and use small and large numbers, interpret or represent information in graphs and charts, understand and manage time, visualize how objects are positioned within a space, estimate distances, etc.
Levels Taught: Lower Primary, Upper Primary
I work closely with each child to determine the ways in which they learn best, their interests, strengths and weaknesses, and feed this back into my tutoring methods, creating a tailor-made learning experience.
My methods are, of course, also informed by a thorough understanding of assessment requirements and criteria both for school entrance examinations and public examinations. I believe that a positive and confident attitude towards the academic subject being studied can be hugely beneficial in terms of results, and I try to engender this by providing a supportive yet challenging relationship and environment for study.
I think the most important quality in any tutor is patience. My first step is to perform an assessment of the student; this, along with a comparison of the student's academic goals, forms the basis of our lesson plan. I listen closely to the family's goals in order to tailor my approach specifically to that student.
I thoroughly enjoy tutoring each of the subjects I teach, and hope that I can transmit my enthusiasm and energy to my pupils.
Class TeacherOct 2014 - Jan 2015
Bay Flowers International School,
I assessed my students to discover their strengths and weaknesses I adapt my lesson plans to suit the tutees learning style I ensure that the recommended curriculum is being used whilst teaching my students I assign homework, tasks after lessons have been completed I conduct revision of lessons before examination or tests begin.
Science TeacherFeb 2015 - Jan 2016
The Root of David (TROD) Model Schools
Conduct an assessment with my students before I begin to plan the style of tutoring that best fits them whilst preparing for the examination 2Creating interesting lesson notes and drawing out interactive plans to carry out these lessons. 3 Created and maintained a serene and fun learning environment while also keeping the students occupied with learning enabling activities. 4. Gave out Classwork and Homework to assess the assimilation of the students while also correcting them if they err.
B.Sc MicrobiologyNov 2007 - Nov 2011
University of Benin


I received the Teaching Music magazine in the mail today and sat down to flip through it and found an interesting article about technology. After reading the article,âMaking the Tech Connectionâ, I sat and thought about lower income students and how much technology benefits them. Okay, some of you are wondering where I am going with this. Keep reading.
The common assumption is that students are crawling in technology, they have iPods, computers, game systems, cell phones, etcâ¦ but, do they? In many schools with students from lower income households, technology could be intimidating and therefore cause education to be intimidating. Now, you are thinking that all students need to learn technology and therefore we should teach it if they donât have the means to learn it at home. Of course we should! except when? between math, reading, writing, science, social studies, MUSICâ¦the list goes on and on!
We assume students come to us knowing the basics of technology, but in fact many of them do not. Of course, teacher led technology is fine, but asking some students to click a mouse to start a timer(see below), type a word, or scroll down a page could be a stressful event. They have had very little experience with a computer, much less a laptop and are just hoping not to be made fun of by the rest of the class if they mess up. Of course, to us this sounds very elementary.
Another instance of âwastedâ technology. We have school web pages that host our personal classroom webpage that should be an excellent learning tool, but because many of our students do not have internet access it goes unused and ignored. I should be able to use it to communicate and give students extra activities to do at home, but many students are unable to access, navigate, or work a computer.
I worry that some teachers think it is so important to have technology that they forget what they started off to teach. For music education, music is still the âitâ that we should be teaching. I feel like we should be aware of how much technology our students have been introduced to, before using the âcoolâ new computer program we have found. Before making the plunge into technology, I feel we should ask ourselves if it will be more intimidating or more helpful to our students.


Today we launch the next Flash Points topic, The Ethics of Art. Ethics are defined as âa system of moral principlesâ which constantly factor into the choices we make. However, these decisions can become confused, making this system of principles more gray than black and white, especially when competing priorities are at work. Over the next two months, weâll explore the relationship of ethics in art from a variety of perspectives and question the role that they should â or shouldnât â play.
In the 1970s, Gordon Matta-Clark took a critical stance against the Hooker Chemical Company with his work Bingo, which highlighted the unethical â and as a result, dangerous â decisions they made in the community of Love Canal, New York. Throughout this topic, weâll feature artists who make this ethical debate a focus in their work, from artists who question the role of the institution, such as Hans Haacke or Marcel Broodthaers, to artists like Alfredo Jaar, who examines the disparity between an oil-rich government and a poverty-stricken populace in his work Muxima.
Ethical decisions also factor into the artistic process. Does a photographer who sells a portrait owe anything, financially or psychologically, to the workâs subject? What kind of ownership does an artist have over reproduced images of his or her work? Weâll also look at the discussions taking place around the use of animals in art, such as the range of responses â from acclaim to criticism â received during Ann Hamiltonâs exhibition Accountings (which included live canaries), or the severe case of Tom Otterness shooting a dog for his art (an act for which he has since apologized). Ethical issues can even come into play after an artistâs death, especially in the handling the artistâs estate and the management of his or her legacy.
Controversies and arguments abound as ethical decisions, or the lack thereof, play a role in institutional practice. With the ever-shrinking gap between commerce and culture, the prioritization of good business over public service creates an increasingly blurry set of ethical guidelines. Collector-based exhibitions, conflicts of interest, deaccessioning practicesâ¦do museums have a responsibility to their public? And if so, is this a part of institutional culture and is it being taught in todayâs museum studies programs?
Here are a few of the questions weâll be addressing over the coming weeks. Weâd love to hear your thoughts, and any ideas you have for additional sub-topics, in the comments below:
- How do ethics factor into institutional practice?
- How do artists address ethical issues in their work?
- What kind of ethical decisions are made during the artistic process?
- Are ethics emphasized in art education today?
- Must art be ethical?


09 Oct Slice of Life: The Child Before the Number #SOL18
In graduate school, I learned that team meetings or conversations about a child should always focus on the child first and foremost. I was taught that a person is not defined by his or her diagnosis or difficulty. In class we would catch each other, forgetting to say the childâs name first or focusing on weaknesses rather than strengths. Lately, I have been thinking I need to remember this philosophy in schools when discussing assessments. Often I hear entire classes described in levels, students by benchmarks and schools in terms of risk categories. These descriptors are labels. They do not help us understand the needs of the learners or give us the information we need to teach them.
In our data meetings, we focus on the readers â their interests, personalities, goals, and learning styles â first. We then use any quantitative data we have to confirm our theories about the reader or push us to consider new ideas about the reader. We resist describing our readers by levels or benchmarks. Instead, we talk about the type of texts a reader may benefit from and why they would benefit from these texts. We discuss a range of text levels, types and lengths and think about finding a balance of text complexity that supports and scaffolds each readerâs development. We think about how they approach text and how to use their strengths to support new strategies and skills. A readerâs strengths, motivation, purpose, and engagement are at the center of our conversations.
The reader needs to be considered first. We do not teach levels or benchmarks, we teach children. Levels and benchmarks are tools and guidelines to help us plan a meaningful and authentic journey of literacy development. Maya Angelou said, âWords mean more than what is set down on paper. It takes the human voice to infuse them with deeper meaning.â Our studentsâ voices and our voices need to infuse data with deeper meaning. When we take the time to collect, analyze, question and use data to truly understand our readers we can move beyond numbers and guarantee the person comes first.
How do you ensure the focus is on the reader and not the number? We would love to learn from you!


News from Rumbek
Developing our teaching methods at Loreto Primary School
At Loreto Primary School, we are always delighted to give light to an often too dim world. Currently we are running a sensory project as part of our in-service teacher training program for capacity building.
The sensory project is designed to help teachers in the lower primary (Kindergarten through Primary 3), to develop teaching aids targeting different learning modes. It is child-centered and uses visual charts, tactile aids and audiovisual materials to help young learners to develop their basic literacy and numeracy skills.
This month, the lower primary teachers created a wide range of colourful charts for their classrooms. According to Eric, a Primary 3 teacher, âWe make charts depending on what we are learning at the moment. Weâre doing multiplication tables and the charts help pupils learn fast and understand more because they can see clearly and read loudly.â
Most charts feature shapes, colors, numbers and number values, letters and letter sounds, multiplication tables, domestic and wild animals, and parts of the human body.
There are also charts to encourage early grade reading with verbs or âaction wordsâ that relate to learnersâ every day activities such as âdrinking, eating, bathing, singing and jumping.â
The charts are meant to enhance learning through visual presentation by allowing students to create mental images of the concepts they are learning. This helps them to retain the information and deepens the learning experience.
Chidir, a boy in Primary 1, is happy to describe the charts in his classroom. âThis is our book,â he says, pointing to the charts, âI read colours, blue, green, red, capital letters, small letters a, b, c, d. This is teacher. This is lion. At 1 oâclock lion will eat. I love my charts.â
The charts help our young learners to tell stories about the material they are learning and they give students a way to express themselves. This is an important foundation for developing their early language skills.
Older students also recognize that the charts are an important tool for developing their literacy and numeracy skills. Abednego, a boy in Primary 2 explains, âWe read alphabet and numbers. I like charts they help me know to read and become a happy boy.â
Monica believes that the charts are highly effective for memorizing multiplication tables, an area in which many school children struggle. âI can read multiplication tables, add and subtract numbers from charts, charts help me know to multiply numbers.â
Most of our young students are unable to communicate in English, although English is the official language for education in South Sudan. However, our teachers are working to develop lessons that would enable learners to speak English fluently and to communicate with ease.
Joy, a kindergarten teacher uses audiovisual programs and fairy tales to help develop her studentsâ understanding of spoken and written English. The bright colours, moving images and new sounds in programs such as âThomas the Tank Engineâ are very useful for engaging students. The stories are then translated into Dinka, our studentsâ mother tongue, and they are encouraged to describe what they learned and to ask questions.
This learning is enhanced by the use of âaction wordsâ charts in the classroom to promote the use of English in describing the on-screen actions that they viewed.
For Joy, the charts are essential for capturing the interest of her students, âThe charts engage young pupils whose concentration span is short and bring the lesson to life.â
As the school week winds down on Fridays, students review what they have learned, using the charts to describe their week. âThis is toy. Lion, monkey, frog, zebra. This is girl. I cook with my toys. Monday I come to school again,â says Amuor, a kindergarten girl, brimming with excitement.


-Music education must begin with the very young
-Music education should incorporate folk music
-Music education should incorporate games, movement, playing instruments, reading and writing music with singing
-Music education should follow a childâs natural sequential learning development:
At Hamlin we are lucky to have music teacher Kate Roseman who is trained in the Kodaly method. Kate studied at the Kodaly school in Hungary and even met his widowed wife. Ms. Roseman told me that the Kodaly method âreinforces a lot of academic activities through music.â I asked her what she likes best about Kodaly. Roseman states, âIt is a teach a girl to fish philosophy, it helps you learn how to decipher the language of music on your own.â
This image above shows how students incorporate reading and writing into their music education.
Here is a video of some students in a Kindergarten class singing the folk song Dina.


The environment and methodology is created to unfold the curriculum as an individual experience for each child. The method encourages personal experience and trying out, for children on their own, at their own pace. The teacher provides support and some guidance. Then children are encouraged to think about their experience. Teacher's inputs, ideas, and formal concepts come last. Only then does the learner create his or her own knowledge and feel confident.
This is an Integrated, Innovative curriculum and Training program. The principle role of its curriculum is to create conditions so that talent can flower and knowledge is created within the child, by the child.
The IDISCOVERI PRESCHOOL opened by IDISCOVERI and Powered by XSEED at Sector 46 in Gurgaon has a curriculum, which is scientifically designed, keeping in mind how each child can learn best. It is built around the most recent evidence from child psychology, brain based research and experience of leading practitioners. The curriculum draws from Western and Eastern educational philosophy, like the works of Sri Aurobindo, Howard Gardner, J.Krishnamurthy, Reggio Emilia, Maria Montessori and most importantly our own work with children over the last Two Decades.
The curriculum integrates children's physical, intellectual, social and emotional needs.
Theme based learning. There is clear evidence that children learn better when they can make connections between what they know (their immediate context) and what they don' t know. The themes provide a wonderful and meaningful way of doing so.
Multi-Age Interest Groups. Every day a child gets time to interact, learn and share with children who have similar interests and abilities
Day Structure. A 3-hour 40-minute, structured day chartered out in a consistent fashion for work, play, sharing, rest, and nutrition. The children then find a routine and feel safe, secure and develop increasing independence
Field visits. From time to time, as part of themes, visits to places like markets, post office and fire station are organized. Also a visit to their Mentor's home is a favourite.
The Early Year Program for ages 2 to 5 year olds is built around six core areas:
1. Personal, Social and Emotional Development: To provide a smooth transition into the wider world from home and to be able to manage and take care of oneself. The end objective is to develop a strong self image & esteem in each child.
2. Knowledge and Understanding of the World: To be able to find out the significance of the environment, people & places in their lives. By using problem solving skills, experimentation, prediction, questioning and decision making, a child can co-relate him/her self with the world he/she lives in.
3. Physical Development: To enable children to develop fine & gross motor skills and understand how their body works.
4. Language, Communication & Literacy Development: To be able to explore and enjoy the use of words in languages. To use language to communicate and express oneself and as well as learn to listen carefully to others.
5. Mathematical Development: To develop their understanding of number, patterns, shapes and space through exploration & practice.
6. Creative Development: To help children to explore and share their thoughts, ideas and feelings through a variety of mediums like art, music, movement, dance and role play activities.
''Never help a child , but Appreciate, at a task he feels he can succeed''.


Many parents are worried about what is commonly referred to as a lack of âbasicsâ. While they donât necessarily want a return to old-fashioned methods or to recreate schooling of yesteryear, they want to be sure that certain areas are given appropriate emphasis. If you ask any parent, this is what they will most likely want for their children:
- To read fluently.
- To write with correct spelling, grammar and punctuation.
- To express themselves clearly.
- To be competent in numeracy skills.
- To have a sound understanding and appreciation of the world in which we live.
What could be more reasonable? We cannot imagine any teacher or other educational professional who would not share these objectives. The only problem is this list is not complete! For students living and working in the 21st century, schools need to provide a lot more, and they do!
Schools and society owe each child the following, which go far beyond the traditional basics as defined by the 3 âRâsâ. The ânew basicsâ include:
- Learning to understand oneself as a âlearnerâ.
- Communicating effectively in speech and writing.
- Logical reasoning and clarification of issues.
- Thinking critically about local, national and international issues.
- Understanding of our own and other cultures.
- Cooperating with others in work and social life.
- Investigating and solving a wide range of problems.
- Appreciating and modelling approaches to healthy living.
- Expressing ourselves through the arts.
- Valuing those qualities which make a civilised and compassionate society.
- Applying information in everyday life situations.
- Being actively involved in their own communities.
- Learning via a range of multi-media applications.


In their natural habitats, canaries and other birds learn their speciesâ songs by listening to the singing of their parents and neighboring birds. The process starts when they are still in the nest, and, with most birds, ends once the adult song is mastered.
Learning From Other Species
Canaries, mockingbirds, starlings and some others are particularly gifted mimics, and may modify their species-specific song with tunes âborrowedâ from other birds. Some canary breeders house their young birds in locations where they will be sure to hear the melodies of linnets, robins, warblers and other noted songsters. Canaries raised in this manner often produce very beautiful and unique songs as they mature.
Educating Your Canary
If your busy schedule does not allow you the luxury of taking your canary out for âmusic educationâ strolls in the forest, you might find the Feathered Phonics Teach Your Canary to Sing Bird CD helpful. Your canary might adopt an entire track as his own, or âpick and chooseâ bits and pieces of the varied selections to add to his repertoire.
Recent Research Into Song Acquisition
Researchers at MIT have recently gained important insights into the methods by which young birds acquire the adult song. Much like human infants, fledgling birds babble incessantly, all the while practicing and fine-tuning until eventually the song comes together. It was discovered that birds have two separate song-related brain pathways â one for the immature (âbabblingâ) song and one for the adult song. Previously, it as thought that there was only one pathway, which matured over time.
This finding may be of use in understanding how people acquire speech and knowledge. In birds, the âimmatureâ pathway largely ceases to function once the adult song is learnedâ¦in most species the songâs makeup remains unchanged thereafter. Humans, however, continue to refine, discard and add to just about every facet of what we learn over time. It is hoped that further studies of avian brain pathways may lead to insights into our own.
Further Readingâ¦Canary Intrigue
You may be surprised to learn about the quite dramatic story behind the canaryâs entry into the pet trade. Please check out my article Shipwrecks, Vicious Dogs and Escaped Birdsâ¦.the Odd History of the Canary (Serinus canaria).


Painting and creative writing essential for humans
For the first time, FAU researchers study the significance of drawing and creative writing from childhood to old age
Both activities constitute important fields of human creativity which may contribute to cultural enrichment and a fulfilling lifestyle at all stages of life. They are integral parts of human communication and personal expression. FAU researchers have now for the first time asked the question why human beings wield pens and paintbrushes.
In the project âMalen und Schreiben in der Biographieâ (Painting and writing throughout the stages of life), an interdisciplinary team of researchers led by Prof. Dr. Michael von Engelhardt from the Institute for Sociology and Prof. Dr. Susanne Liebmann-Wurmer from the Department for Art Education examines why painting, drawing and creative writing are of such great significance to humans from childhood to old age. They examine the conditions that must be given for children, adolescents, adults and elderly people to draw and write, in which situations they do so and the means they use. The project particularly focuses on the role painting, drawing and creative writing play in a personâs understanding of themselves and their environment.
The results show how important the promotion of these creative pursuits is for a balanced and productive life, especially in our modern achievement-oriented world. In childhood, painting and writing contribute to linguistic and perceptive development, boost imagination and autonomy and give access to the world of literature and culture. The same of course also applies to all subsequent stages of life. Many adolescents experience phases of extreme creativity with regard to painting, drawing and writing. These activities take on a fundamental significance in adolescentsâ search for an independent identity. However, these creative activities often decrease. Nevertheless, writing and painting frequently continue to be important activities that counterbalance the demands of professional and family life and help to cope with crises and changes. On a personâs retirement, they gain a new significance as enriching activities that encourage participation in cultural life and that often serve as a way of reflecting upon oneâs past.
In total 180 persons of all age groups participated in the study. The FAU researchers conducted biographical interviews so as to gain deeper insights into the significance painting and writing have in the participantsâ lives. Participants were also invited to take part in a drawing or writing workshop to chart the practical aspects of painting and creative writing and their impact on the actual paintings and texts. The project forms part of the interdisciplinary research group âDie Bedeutung des Schreibens und kreativen Gestaltens fÃ¼r die Entwicklung des Menschenâ (The significance of writing and creative expression in human development) at FAU, which is funded by the Staedtler Foundation.
Prof. Dr. Michael von Engelhardt
Prof. Dr. Susanne Liebmann-Wurmer


As parents, we would want our children to have the best. We would do everything we can just so we could send them to school for them to have a good and proper education. They learn several things in school like alphabets, counting, drawing, reading, and such. However, there are other important things that our children can learn in school and it is performing arts. One platform for children to hone their speech and drama skills is at learning center such as Julia Gabriel. The benefits of performing arts such as drama would be our focus in this article.
To start, Washington Christian Academy will first share to us five great ways performing arts can benefit your child.
5 Great Ways Performing Arts Can Benefit Your Child
If your child has a busy academic schedule, enrolling them in performing arts may seem to come down the bottom of the priority list.
But there are many reasons why performing arts should play a key role your childâs education, be it in school or as an extra curricular activity. In many studies, researchers are now linking involvement in the arts to better child development and higher student achievement.
HIGHER ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT
Studies such as this report from the Arts Education Partnership suggest schoolchildren exposed to drama, music and dance are more proficient in reading, writing and math. In countries with the highest rankings in math and science, such as Japan, Hungary and the Netherlands, arts and music education form a mandatory part of the school curriculum. Children also learn to take instruction from adults and respect authority. Read more here.
According to the article, performing arts can make your children build up confidence and self-presentation. Exposing your children to early activities which involve performing arts can really boost their confidence as they will be interacting with people a lot. Now, let us proceed to discussing the benefits of dramatic play. Let us read about it in Sarah Punkoneyâs article below.
THE INCREDIBLE BENEFITS OF DRAMATIC PLAY
WHAT IS DRAMATIC PLAY?
Dramatic play is s a type of play where children assign and accept roles and act them out. Itâs pretending to be someone or something else. Someone different and new like a supervillain, or someone well known and familiar like mom. Sometimes children take on real-world roles, other times they take on fantasy roles. Either way, it is play that involves breaking down the barriers of reality and results in serious and natural learning.
EXAMPLES OF DRAMATIC PLAY
- a child who pretends to feed and rock a doll to sleep
- a child who pretends to fix a leaky faucet in the play kitchen
- a child who pretends to be Spot the dog and plays fetch
- a child who stirs counting bears in a bowl to make bear soup Read more here.
So given above is a whole lot of information about dramatic play. We have the definition of dramatic play, some examples, its types, the benefits it can give, and how you could encourage dramatic play. For more reasons on why drama is good for children, let us also read Lucyâs article below.
Why is drama good for children?
As Principal of a drama school, Iâm asked this question a lot. And I could write a book on the many reasons why drama is so excellent â not just good ? for children. But for this blog post, Iâll focus on just one benefit; and thatâs the improvement drama can make to a childâs oral communication.
At school, thereâs an emphasis on children learning to read and write and rightly so, as these are fundamental skills. But whereâs the interest in how well a child is communicating and how clearly and confidently they are speaking? If you consider how much we communicate orally, interacting with friends, family, colleagues and strangers, then it seems odd that more emphasis isnât put on this in schools. Read more here.
That one benefit discussed above is that drama can help improve childrenâs communication skills. It will teach them how to speak clearly and loudly. It will also train them on having proper eye contact with the audience while speaking in front of people. These simple things are important and it will be good for children to learn them early as it will be useful for them in their future schooling and careers as well.


Porcupines â The Quill Pigs
Like beavers, porcupines live in woodlands and forests where they eat wood and bark. Sometimes they even sneak into campgrounds to chew on canoe paddles or other wooden items. Porcupines also eat soft plants and fruit.
The Latin word for porcupine means âquill pig.â Porcupines are covered with as many as 30,000 quills. Some quills are 12 inches long. Thatâs bigger than your foot! The quills are barbed so they stick into an animalâs skin. Normally, the quills lay down flat, but when a porcupine is scared, its quills stand up. A porcupineâs quills say, âDonât mess with me!â
Fun Facts about Porcupines for Kids
- Porcupines can climb trees.
- Porcupines live in North America, Asia, Europe and Africa.
- There are over 24 kinds of porcupines.
- Porcupines have big front teeth for chewing wood.
- Porcupine babies have soft quills. The quills harden in two days.
- Woodland: Area with trees, ponds and grass
- Paddle: Oar
- Quill: Sharp, pointed object
- Campground: A place where people camp
Learn More All About Porcupines
Check out a porcupine up close:
A video about the porcupineâs quill and self defense mechanism.
Question: Can porcupines shoot their quills?
Answer: No, porcupines canât shoot their quills as previously believed.
Question: How big are porcupines?
Answer: The African crested porcupine is the largest porcupine. It grows up to 36 inches long. The smallest porcupine is the Bahia hair dwarf porcupine, which grows only 15 inches.
Enjoyed the Easy Science for Kids Website all about Porcupines info? Take the FREE & fun Porcupines quiz and download FREE Porcupines worksheet for kids. For lengthy info click here.
Cite This Page
You may cut-and-paste the below MLA and APA citation examples:
MLA Style Citation
Declan, Tobin. " Fun Porcupine Facts for Kids ." Easy Science for Kids, Dec 2018. Web. 15 Dec 2018. < https://easyscienceforkids.com/all-about-porcupines/ >.
APA Style Citation
Tobin, Declan. (2018). Fun Porcupine Facts for Kids. Easy Science for Kids. Retrieved from https://easyscienceforkids.com/all-about-porcupines/
We've recently added
Sponsored Links :


The Kindergarten S.A.F.E. presentation is designed to target children ages 5 to 6 and is approximately 30 minutes in length. The program covers objectives such as recognizing firefighters as community helpers, reporting and understanding fire hazards, and understanding the importance of crawling to an exit under smoke conditions.
Children will learn to recognize household smoke alarms, report to an adult, practice crawling on hands and knees under simulated smoke conditions, understand the concept of âget out, stay outâ, and see firefighters as people to go to not hide from.
Safety, Prevention, & Motor Skill Development Strands
This course covers safety and prevention strands 9.2 and 9.8, and motor skill development strand 2.1. Reference numbers are:


Using Technology To Unlock Musical Creativity- Part 1
In part 1 of the book Watson points out the rationale for why using technology is a natural way to bring out student creativity and how creativity will, in the future, offer workers and businesses a competitive advantage over other companies. In other words, the projects in this book are not just intended to help young musicians become better at their craft, but also to help other non-musicians open their minds to new, creative ideas and ways of looking at problems. This section begins with suggestions on how important it is to start any such project with compelling examples that are fairly easy to imitate and build from such as taking well known classical tunes and modernizing them simply by adding drum beat rhythms and other sound loops to the existing melodies.
Part 1 later goes on to examine the many different kinds of technology that help to remove limitations on creativity, things like modern music notation programs, looping sequencers, and other kinds of both hardware and software based music devices. It concludes with a section of suggestions on things to avoid when planning any such project and also examples of releases used to allow student work to be featured in an online presentation of some kind.
Lessons and Projects To Unlock Musical Creativity- Part 2
Scott WatsonÃ¢â¬â¢s innovative spirit and forward thinking attitude toward the use of technology in music education is refreshing and inspiring. Like almost most every other aspect of education, technology will continue to grow in its use both in and out of our music education classrooms. The creative and technical skills that students learn through these projects are part and parcel to the skills that they will need to be productive members of our society, even if their chosen career path is something other than one focused on music.


PDF (Acrobat) Document File
Be sure that you have an application to open this file type before downloading and/or purchasing.
Help your students reading at the Gold Level to dive deeper into Matariki with our reading comprehension follow up activities. There are 11 activities utilising a range of reading comprehension strategies. Just choose which resources you would like to use and print them out! Perfect to use in the classroom, as an early finisher activity or for homework.
This resource is based on the Gold Level Ready to Read book titled 'Matariki'
This is widely available in primary schools in New Zealand.
This resource features:
âMatariki Prior Knowledge
âMatariki Follow Up Questions
âMatariki Cloze Reading
âMatariki Vocabulary and Word Work
âMatariki Compare and Contrast
âMatariki Dictionary Dive
âMatariki Word Find
Reading Comprehension Strategies include:
***When you download this resource, it comes with British English spellings (e.g. colour) and printing sizes.***
You May Also Like:
We really appreciate your feedback! Leaving feedback earns you TPT credits!
Stay in touch


Date of Defense
Date of Graduation
Music educators, ensemble conductors, and students who participate in musical ensembles are exposed to sound pressure levels which exceed the criteria for NIOSH. As such, this population should be enrolled in hearing loss prevention programs. Ensemble directors (many music educators fall into this category) have a direct role in influencing the sound pressure levels produced in rehearsals. Music educators have a role in influencing the knowledge, skills, attitudes, and behaviors of their students. Because of the health risks of noise exposure, and the role music educators (and ensemble directors in general) have in influencing their students, hearing loss prevention should be taught in college music education programs.
I suggest that this instruction should include hearing loss prevention materials from the National Association of Schools of Music (NASM); information on current hearing loss prevention programs for school-age students; information on sound pressure levels in ensemble classes and the hearing and health risks associated with it; and information on ways to reduce sound exposure, including the use of personal hearing protection devices. Future research should further study sound pressure levels in rehearsals and classrooms; how the design of classrooms impacts sound pressure levels; the role of music educators in developing the knowledge, skills, attitudes, and behaviors of their students; the effect of hearing loss prevention programs on the long-term behaviors of students; and the levels of use of personal hearing protection devices by music educators and students.
Taurins, Jason, "A Call for Hearing Loss Prevention Programs in College Music Education Programs" (2015). Honors Theses. 2580.
Restricted to Campus until


ech301 | undergraduate
Foundations Of Early Childhood Education
topic title goes here
Current Trends in Early Childhood Education
- Examine the use of technology in early childhood education.
- Analyze current topics in early childhood education.
- Identify local, state, and national trends and issues in early childhood education.
Foundations of Early Childhood Education
- Analyze appropriate early childhood terminology.
- Identify historical and theoretical developments in early childhood education.
- Examine the role of early childhood education in contemporary society
Theories and Models of Early Childhood Education
- Describe the significance of play theories for learning.
- Evaluate the implications of brain-based research for early childhood education.
- Examine theories and models of early childhood education.
Early Childhood Learning Environments
- Identify characteristics of a developmentally-appropriate early childhood learning environment.
- Examine how the learning environment affects the physical, motor, cognitive, and affective development of young children.
- Describe assessment strategies that guide teaching and learning in early childhood settings.
The Professional Early Childhood Educator
- Examine professional standards, qualifications, preparation programs, and continuing education opportunities related to early childhood education.
- Review public policies related to early childhood education.
- Examine codes of ethics guiding the early childhood educator, including the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) Code of Ethical Conduct.
Please ask about these special rates:
Teacher Rate: For some courses, special tuition rates are available for current, certified P-12 teachers and administrators. Please speak with an Enrollment Representative today for more details.
Military Rate: For some courses, special tuition rates are available for active duty military members and their spouses. Please speak with an Enrollment Representative today for more details.
The University of Phoenix reserves the right to modify courses.
While widely available, not all programs are available in all locations or in both online and on-campus formats. Please check with a University Enrollment Representative.
Transferability of credit is at the discretion of the receiving institution. It is the studentâs responsibility to confirm whether or not credits earned at University of Phoenix will be accepted by another institution of the studentâs choice.


The vibrotactile technology that we use converts musical sounds that can be heard, into musical vibrations which are felt through the skin as vibrotactile feedback. Itâs an assistive technology which has been described as a form of âhearing through the skinâ.
Vibrotactile technology works best via the âglabrousâ skin on the palms of the hands and soles of the feet. Different musical pitches from C1 to G5 can be perceived in this way. In the Musical Vibrations system, up to six different vibrotactile elements can be used at the same time: (left hand, right hand, left heel, right heel, left forefoot, right forefoot).
The project builds on previous research into the tactile perception of music by D/deaf musicians which was inspired by Dame Evelyn Glennie, the highly-renowned solo percussionist who is classified as profoundly deaf with residual hearing at high amplification.
Using vibrotactile feedback can support people who are D/deaf in their music making and music appreciation in several ways:
Music education, rehearsal and performance:
- To assist two or three musicians in playing together as an ensemble
- To assist solo practice in time to a click track / electronic metronome
- To assist musicians in playing in time with a previous recording (multitrack recordings are preferable as the mix of instruments being fed to the shakers can be customised to provide the best vibration cues).
- To assist a deaf singer to rehearse/perform within a choir without needing overt visual cues.
Because six different vibrotactile elements are available, up to six different musical signals, for example from different instruments within a band, can be sent to different shakers. So, separate elements within the ensemble, for example, kick drum and snare drum, can be more clearly defined than would be possible through by touching a single loudspeaker which is playing a CD.
For musician, itâs still possible to âlistenâ to four different signals by using the heels and toes of both feet, whilst leaving the hands free.
Compatible musical instruments
The system is easiest to use with anything youâd normally expect to plug into a mixer:
- Vocal microphone
- Electric or electroacoustic guitars and ukuleles
- Bass guitars
- Keyboards, electric pianos and synthesisers
- Digital audio workstations (DAWâs) + audio interface
- CD and MP3 players.
Any instrument which can be micâd up or used with a pickup e.g. drums, violin, cello is also feasible:
Music appreciation by music fans who are D/deaf
- To appreciate music at a live performance as an addition to captioning and performance signing
- To appreciate recorded music
Because six different vibrotactile elements are available, up to six different musical signals, for example from different instruments within a band, can be sent to different shakers. These are derived from the main venue âFOHâ sound system but are selected to provide the most helpful vibrations. So, separate elements within the band, for example, bass guitar and snare drum, can be more clearly defined for the user than would be possible through touching a single loudspeaker connected to the venue sound system.
We tested this concept recently at the Shuffle Down music festival in Scotland.
Vibrotactile technology may facilitate music production by musicians and producers who are deaf by replacing auditory cues.
Separate audio outputs from a digital audio workstation (DAW) can be sent (via an audio interface) to the vibrotactile shakers, enabling âvibrotactile monitoring.â
We tested this concept recently with a D/deaf producer, writer and sign-song rapper called SignKid. Read more here.


You must be logged-in in order to download this resource. If you do not have an AOE account, create one now. If you already have an account, please login.Login Create Account
Great! youâre all signed in. Click to download your resource.Download
Due to specific regulations in , AOE is not currently enrolling students in your state. We apologize, but at this time you can not move forward with course enrollment. Let us know if you have any questions. Please contact us with any questions.
Why Teach Perspective
Types of Perspective 1:41
Best Materials to Use 3:11
The Basics of One-Point Perspective
Vanishing Point and Horizon Line (One-Point) 3:11
Placing Shapes in One-Point Perspective 7:19
Drawing Letters in One-Point Perspective 2:38
Placing Irregular or Complex Shapes in One-Point 2:34
The Basics of Two-Point Perspective
Vanishing Points and Horizon Line (Two-Point) 1:15
Placing Irregular or Complex Shapes in Two-Point 5:12
Working with Interior Perspective
Basics of a One-Point Perspective Interior 10:28
Basics of a Two-Point Perspective Interior 9:27
Project Ideas using Perspective
One-Point Project Ideas 6:24
Two-Point Project Idea 2:39
Alternative Project Ideas with Perspective 3:21
Unlock Certificate: 5 Questions
3 PD Hours
1 Learn how to get started with the ins and outs of one and two-point perspective.
2 Discover specifics for drawing simple forms, letters, and irregular objects in perspective.
3 Explore project ideas for beginning to intermediate lessons.
Whether you are looking for new ideas to add to your drawing curriculum, or you need to start a perspective lesson from scratch, this Learning Pack is for you. Brush up on everything from simple terms to the basics of setting up and fleshing out one and two-point perspective drawings. Walk away with the confidence to teach your students about vanishing points, converging lines, and so much more. Set your students up to take their technical drawing skills to a new level!
Connected Professional Art Educator Competencies
4.4 Utilizes and applies knowledge of various techniques and processes
4.5 Demonstrates willingness to expand content knowledge of techniques and processes
4.6 Scaffolds instruction to provide a deeper understanding of art techniques and processes
Connected National Visual Arts Standards
Anchor Standard #1: Generate and conceptualize artistic ideas and work.
Anchor Standard #2: Organize and develop artistic ideas and work.
Anchor Standard #3: Refine and complete artistic work.
AOE Graduate Instructor and Middle School Art Teacher
Jennifer Borel is a middle school art teacher for a large school district in Kansas. She received her Bachelor of Art Education and a minor in Art History from the University of Kansas. She also has her Masters in Curriculum and Instruction. When sheâs not with her students she enjoys spending time with her husband John and her family. She loves photography, cooking, and travelling when she gets the chance.


In a brief hundred pages, Dr. Hancockâs book, Recovering a Catholic Philosophy of Elementary Education, presents a clear vision of the goals of Catholic education and the human person it is meant to develop. The book is divided into six chapters, each with a number of subdivisions and suggested discussion questions, making it ideal for busy faculty members to discuss over a semester or an academic year.
Dr. Hancock begins by explaining that a philosophy of education is inevitable â all educators work from one (or more), usually without realizing it, certainly without questioning it. He then draws on the Greek tradition as developed by St. Augustine and St. Thomas Aquinas to express a Catholic philosophy of education.
[Catholic schooling] rests on a truth about the human person; a truth radiating out of the Gospel, paying the human condition the compliment of being many things at once: (1) a union of body and soul, a âspirit-in-the-worldâ; (2) a creature possessing an intellect and will, whereby it is stamped with the image of God; (3) a being of conscience, called to a moral destiny; (4) a creature who is social by nature, whose own identity is tied in some way to the identities and lives of others; (5) someone God desires to save, a creature whose happiness ultimately depends on ordering its life around the things of God. (P. 32)
Dr. Hancock emphasizes the central importance of developing the inherent powers of the human soul: memory, imagination, reasonable discourse, reasonable action, noble desire. He explains the crucial role played by the traditional liberal arts. He presents these ideas clearly and in ways that will inspire and direct every Catholic teacher. His final chapter presents challenges from and responses to the dogmas of contemporary educational philosophy.
Although addressed to elementary educators, any Catholic educator will benefit greatly from reading this book. It fills a huge lacunae in most teacher training programs, even those in Catholic universities.
Curtis L. Hancockâs Recovering a Catholic Philosophy of Elementary Education was published in 2005 by Newman House Press, Mt. Pocona, PA. It is available from The Catholic Response or online throughAmazon.com.


You must be logged-in in order to download this resource. If you do not have an AOE account, create one now. If you already have an account, please login.Login Create Account
Great! youâre all signed in. Click to download your resource.Download
Due to specific regulations in , AOE is not currently enrolling students in your state. We apologize, but at this time you can not move forward with course enrollment. Let us know if you have any questions. Please contact us with any questions.
Level: K-2 Art Education Lesson Plan
Art Elements: Shape
Art Skills: Fine motor skills, gluing
Art History: Mosaic Tiles
* Get more free lessons like this, on our Lessons Page
If you make room for one âmacaroni projectâ in your classroom, let it be this one! Not only does this project allow students to work on those important fine motor skills, it also provides a great introduction to the idea of mosaic. By the end of the lesson, students will understand how a work of art can be made from many small pieces put together. For older students, you can also work with patterning by encouraging students to add different types of pattern to their pieces. Be sure to spray these outdoors or use your roomâs ventilation system after the kids go home for the day.
This great Art Ed lesson plan is 100% FREE to download! Use it in your classroom and share with your colleagues. For more free lessons like this one, visit our Lessons Page and download them all!


Franks grew up in southern California with his father Gerald, his mother Betty and two younger sisters. Although no one in his family played music, his parents loved swing music and his early influences included Peggy Lee, Nat King Cole, Ira Gershwin, Irving Berlin and Johnny Mercer. At age 14 Franks bought his first guitar, a Japanese Marco Polo for $29.95 with six private lessons included - the only music education that he received.
The Franks (Latin:Franci or gens Francorum) are historically first known as a group of Germanic tribes that roamed the land between the Lower and Middle Rhine in the 3rd century AD, and second as the people of Gaul who merged with the Gallo-Roman populations during succeeding centuries, passing on their name to modern-day France and becoming part of the heritage of the modern French people. Some Franks raided Roman territory, while other Frankish tribes joined the Roman troops of Gaul. In later times, Franks became the military rulers of the northern part of Roman Gaul. With the coronation of their ruler Charlemagne as Imperator Romanorum by Pope Leo III in 800 AD, he and his successors were portrayed as legitimate successors to the emperors of the Western Roman Empire.
The Salian Franks lived on Roman-held soil between the Rhine, Scheldt, Meuse, and Somme rivers in what is now Northern France, Belgium and the southern Netherlands. The kingdom was acknowledged by the Romans after 357 AD. Following the collapse of Rome in the West, the Frankish tribes were united under the Merovingians, who succeeded in conquering most of Gaul in the 6th century. The Franks became very powerful after this. The Merovingian dynasty, descendants of the Salians, founded one of the Germanic monarchies that would absorb large parts of the Western Roman Empire. The Frankish state consolidated its hold over the majority of western Europe by the end of the 8th century, developing into the Carolingian Empire. This empire would gradually evolve into the state of France and the Holy Roman Empire.


Elementary Vocal Music
The primary purpose of music is the worship of God. Students are encouraged to explore the talent that God has given them and to learn to use it for His glory. In the lower elementary, we use a movement based program that allows students to develop their sense of rhythm. Kodaly Training is used to improve their ability to hear, sing, read, write and listen to music with a knowledgeable ear. Upper elementary students continue their training of melody and rhythm and add to their tools the ability to play instruments and compose.
Students meet bi-weekly for 46 minutes. All students participate in music classes taught from a Biblical worldview. The 4th-6th grade students also have an opportunity to meet twice a week to participate in elementary choirs. These choirs sing at concerts, as well as, going into the community as an outreach.
Students also participate in musical field trips, as well as invited guests who educate our students in various areas. Our elementary students can also participate in private lessons in guitar, piano, and strings. Our string program also runs an elementary orchestra. All students participate in two concerts, Christmas and Spring, where they perform in choir, band, strings and a musical presentation.
Secondary Vocal Music
Secondary vocal music is an area experiencing tremendous growth at Plymouth Christian Academy. Students at the middle school and high school level are encouraged to participate in various ensembles. Middle schoolers have the opportunity to perform in choir. High school students have the opportunity to perform in choir, womenâs ensemble, applied voice, and musical theatre class. All eligible ensembles attend MSVMA festivals, both individually and as groups. Students are given an excellent music education that includes the Kodaly Method, sight reading, aural skills training, and frequent use of the International Phonetic Alphabet.
Vocal students attend many performances including the following: PCAâs Variety Show, Christmas and Spring Concerts, MSVMA District Solo & Ensemble, MSVMA District Choral Festival, caroling opportunities, MSVMA State Festivals, MSVMA Musical Theatre Solo & Ensemble, and more!
The staff of the Vocal Music Department is excited to have the opportunity to provide students with extracurricular activities on a regular basis. We currently hold vocal music lock-in events, attend musicals at the Detroit Opera House, carol for area business, and have even been invited to perform with the Toledo Zoo!


All About Childhood Disorders This section provides comprehensive information, research studies as well as practical guides for parents and teachers related to various disorders found in children and adolescents. Links to support groups, research institutes, books, tapes, educational games and self-help products are also included.
Comeunity: Cerebral Palsy Articles and resources by doctors, professionals and parents for families of children with cerebral palsy, including mild cerebral palsy and other tone problems.
Interactive Metronome The most recent IM research, published on March 8, 2001 in the American Journal of Occupational Therapy, investigated the effect of the Interactive Metronome on children with attention problems. It found improvements in attention, motor planning, selected academic skills, and parental reports of control of aggression.
Motor Skill Development In Autistic Child Children with autism usually demonstrate an uneven pattern of development with nonverbal skills typically being a strength. Teaching activities are most successful when they are matched to a child's current developmental level. Regardless of each child's starting point, all children will acquire more skills and pass through each developmental stage at his or her own pace.
Physical Disabilities - A general account Disabilities affecting movement are usually called physical disabilities. They vary greatly in severity. Some children may have only a slight weakness or clumsiness of movement; the less fortunate may have a limp or walk only with difficulty; the most severely injured may be unable to walk and have little or no control of their hands.


ERIC Number: ED107681
Record Type: Non-Journal
Publication Date: 1974-Feb
Reference Count: N/A
The Effects of a Schools Without Failure Program Upon Classroom Interaction Patterns, Pupil Achievement and Teacher, Pupil and Parent Attitudes. (Report of First Year of Program).
Masters, James R.; Laverty, Grace E.
An evaluation of William Glasser's Schools Without Failure (SWF) program was carried out during the program's first year of operation in the New Castle, Pa. School District. Ten elementary schools were paired on the basis of size, socioeconomic status, and pupils' past achievement. One school of each pair was randomly assigned to begin teacher training and implementation of SWF; the other school of each pair became a control school. Pre- and posttesting were used to assess pupil achievement and attitudes toward self, school, and others and teachers and parent attitudes toward educational issues. Instructional session and SWF school classroom meeting interactions were measured by the Expanded Category System and the Reciprocal Category System. Results indicated that the program had its major impact on teachers. Little difference existed in the achievement of pupils in SWF and control schools. Some positive changes in SWF school primary pupil attitudes toward being in school and toward doing difficult school work were found. Also, positive changes occurred in SWF school intermediate pupil attitudes toward the importance of doing assignments and importance of learning. In SWF schools the number of pupils referred to principals for disciplinary reasons was reduced. (Author/RC)
Descriptors: Academic Achievement, Academic Failure, Behavior Change, Classroom Observation Techniques, Comparative Analysis, Decision Making Skills, Discipline, Elementary Education, Elementary School Students, Humanistic Education, Inservice Teacher Education, Intervention, Parent Attitudes, Program Evaluation, School Attitudes, Student Attitudes, Student Teacher Relationship, Teacher Attitudes, Teacher Education, Tests
Publication Type: Reports - Research
Education Level: N/A
Sponsor: National Center for Educational Research and Development (DHEW/OE), Washington, DC.
Authoring Institution: Pennsylvania State Dept. of Education, Harrisburg.


I wrote a whole thesis on the potential of Web 2.0, social media, and blogging in Art Education. At the time, Instagram was not around and I never imagined its possibility in education.
Earlier this week, I received my first fan mail ever from a reader (Thanks Ferina!) who linked me to this article titled â20 Out of the Box Ideas to Use Instagram in Your Classroom.â
Readers know I love Instagram because of its ability to reach, impact, and inform others through photograph. Itâs also a way to create a community by making a portfolio of work through hashtags. Since Iâm an Art Educator, hereâs what they suggest for using Instagram in the Art Classroom:
Offer a fun and creative scavenger hunt. Send students out to take photos of different shapes (like finding isosceles triangles in architecture). Then post a collage and invite followers to identify the common denominator in every building.
Here are some of my ideas:
1. Photograph student art work and make hashtags based on class, class period, project, style, media, elements and principles of art and design.
3. With budget cuts cutting art, music, and physical education, you can document the daily life of your art classroom through Instagram. For example, if you photograph students working on a mural, write a caption about the arts encourage collaboration and community building. Since many people use Instagram, its mass appeal can do wonders for any art program.
Also, I noticed that Instagram introduced a new feature where you can easily view your profile online. This can make it easier to spread the good news about your art program especially to those who may not own a smart phone.
You can check out my Instagram profile at http://instagram.com/abbyesc#.
Iâve also used Statigram to keep track of my followers, likes and comments. This information can be valuable in increasing your viewership.
I would love to hear other peopleâs ideas about using Instagram in the classroom. Even though I didnât mention it above because I hope that as teachers we use common sense, your studentsâ safety is of utmost importance! Make sure you get permission from their parents!


Careers in Music Education
Below are some of the many careers a music education major can pursue.
Visit Berklee's Career Communities site to explore more roles by community, industry, program, or location.
Adaptive Teacher, Teacher for Students with Special Needs
Adaptive arts teachers provide arts instruction to students with a variety of abilities and a broad range of communication and learning styles.
Early Childhood Music Specialist, Early Childhood Drama Specialist
Early childhood arts educators introduce young children to music, dance, and theater through a variety of play-based experiences and activities, in the process laying the foundation for more advanced learning, nurturing a lifelong love of the arts, and providing myriad cognitive and developmental benefits.
Academic Administrator, College/University/Conservatory Staff, Dean
Higher-education administrators help keep colleges and universities running by designing, implementing, and overseeing the school's approach to subjects including academics, student life, and more.
Movement coaches work with dancers, actors, musicians, and other performers and creators to impart tools for connecting physical movement to emotional, musical, and theatrical expression.
Choral Director, Choir Director, Choir Leader, Minister of Music
Music directors lead the churchâs music department, with an emphasis on the traditional religious choir.
Music librarians organize, acquire, preserve, and reference materials related to music, including sheet music and recordings.
Music Instructor, Music Lecturer, College/Conservatory/University Professor
A college, conservatory, or university music professor educates students in a variety of topics, from music history and composition to modern entrepreneurship and music business.
Music Instructor, Music Educator
Music educators teach students how to sing and play instruments, instruct them in fundamentals such as scales and chords, impart knowledge about music history and theory, and lead school bands, orchestras, choirs, and ensembles.
Academic Researcher, Music Historian, Ethnomusicologist, Music Theorist
A musicologist is an expert in music as a subject of scholarly research.
Nonprofit artists are professional musicians, dancers, writers, and theater artists who work with nonprofit organizations in the fields of performance, education, healthcare, and cultural preservation.
Private Lesson Teacher, Studio Teacher
Private music instructors teach students in a one-on-one setting, providing instruction in technique, performance, music notation, and more. Most specialize in one or two specific instruments.
Artistic Director, Department Head, Department Coordinator, District Supervisor of Music, Music Director, Director of Music, Head of Performing Arts
From the development of a curriculum and pedagogical method to the selection of equipment and materials, program directors operate as the unifying vision behind the performing arts education programs they oversee.
Vocal Health Specialist, Singing Teacher, Voice Instructor
Using a mix of practical experience and technical knowledge, vocal coaches nurture and instruct developing singers and advise and support experienced ones.


Date of Award
Action Research Project
Master of Arts in Education
Montessori Elementary Education
Montessori and Grit 3
Grit, patience and perseverance are cornerstones of Maria Montessori's pedagogy and the basis of this research. The purpose of this study is to describe how grit, patience and perseverance are character traits that help students reach their highest academic potential, and are essential to students' capacity to succeed and accomplish long-term goals. I used qualitative and quantitative inquiry to determine if the Montessori method elaborates grit and patience in children. The research took place in a children's house classroom located in an urban Montessori school. The results determined that students who received a Montessori education did have more grit and patience toward their long-term goals.
Dahbour, Asma Nayef. (2013). The Relationship Between Grit and Montessori: An Educational System. Retrieved from Sophia, the St. Catherine University repository website: https://sophia.stkate.edu/maed/28