Innovation usually inspires some measure of misunderstanding, and the growing phenomenon of massively open online courses is no different. One misconception is that MOOC creators are out to replace teachers and schools. "MOOCs are not intended to do that," confirms Howard Lurie, vice president for external affairs at edX in Cambridge, MA. "We are looking to enhance teaching and learning."
In his role with edX, a not-for-profit initiative created by Harvard University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Lurie works with partners around the world in what he calls an ongoing grand experiment. Part of that experiment may ultimately include offering portions of MOOCs to augment the high school advanced placement (AP) curriculum.
"With edX, we could perhaps help to bring about a new breed of AP courses," says Lurie, a former AP Humanities teacher. "That new breed would be in the form of a very significant and enhanced platform…and it all leads to ways in which we can use blended models to teach AP courses." Other companies are jumping on the idea of MOOC-enhanced AP classes too: Tablet-maker Amplify recently announced that it will offer a free, two-semester AP Computer Science MOOC with in-school support.
Lurie believes the hybrid approach is one way to enhance knowledge and branch out from the lecture-based instruction that can grow stale, even when it comes from the best teachers.
To read more, click HERE!
Representatives from two Lehigh and three Bucks County school districts are meeting this week to develop and share methods for using new technology in the classroom. The Bucks Lehigh EduSummit 2013 began today and runs through Wednesday at Southern Lehigh High School in Upper Saucon Township, organizers said.
"With collaboration being at the center of 21st-century teaching and learning, we are excited to provide an opportunity for educators in the Bucks and Lehigh County area to come together to share resources and ideas to enhance their classrooms," Southern Lehigh director of technology and elementary education Ken Jordan said.
Click HERE to read more.
Pennsylvania’s Quakertown Community School District, Cajon Valley Union School District in California, and Arizona’s Dysart Unified School District are successfully using digital learning to improve teaching and learning, as highlighted in a series of video profiles conducted by the Alliance for Excellent Education. This series of groundbreaking interactive profiles demonstrates the effectiveness of the Alliance’s Project 24, which is an initiative that provides free resources to help school district leaders strategically plan for the effective use of technology in their efforts to improve teaching and learning and achieve higher college- and career-ready standards.
To read more, click HERE!
In January, I wrote a piece about the Natick, Mass., public school district’s Digital Conversion, a program designed to transform and reshape how technology is used to improve its education system. For Natick, that meant issuing district-owned MacBooks to all of its students, grades 8-12, enabling a 1:1 blended teaching and learning environment with the goal of achieving college and career readiness for its students.
Nearly a year after Natick’s program was launched, the district is currently fielding rigorous, objective measures of its progress. In the absence of that data, there are no great disasters to report, which some might count as an achievement. But when you have an engaged student body that is doing everything from conversing with peers in Costa Rica through Twitter in a history class, to designing and producing their own online magazines, the result is a population of students developing skills that can easily be transferred into future careers. These are some of the fruits of Natick’s digital conversion so far.
To read more about the challenges on the way, click HERE.
Copyright 2013. The Greaves Group, The Hayes Connection, One-to-One Institute. All Rights Reserved


Before anchors are raised on the kind of post this was
, the kind many folks disagree with, I set sail with this in the hold:
- NCLB says test kids, report what happens, and if you blow, feel the pressure to pick it up. If that makes educators stressed or sad, that level of stress is nothing compared to the stress of being a young person without the skills to be successful.
- The pass-rate is incredibly low, and it's absurd for us not to meet them, and absurd to complain.
- NCLB does not dictate how students are taught, what they are taught, what happens on a Wednesday at 10:36, and if schools and districts make poor choices in their response to the legislation, we ought to critique those poor decisions, and not the context in which they are made, especially given the nature of that context (see 1. and 2. above).
- Basic skills are not basic. They are fundamental, foundational, and critical. In their absence, almost all other leanings are undervalued and under-realized.
- Instruction in basic skills is not necessarily mind-numbing and awful. This manner of instruction, in these settings, undoubtedly exists, and it is the reason so many fail so mightily to acquire these skills.
- There is a difference between using the arts in instruction, and providing instruction in the arts. The former is right on; the latter can be right on, but I'm always reminded of a line from the West Wing: "If the government were in charge of science, we'd have the best iron lung, but no polio vaccine."
- If we acknowledge that there are twin problems in education, one being a so-called "narrowing" of opportunity for high achieving kids, and the other being an inability to provide huge numbers of primarily Black and Latino skills essential, foundational skills, I'm always going to advocate for our efforts to be directed toward solving the problem of how we get more kids learning at a level commensurate to their abilities and the requirements of future life. Always. I'm not denying the existence of the former problem, or that it is a problem, but that it's incumbent on us to fix problems of survival -- and yo, it's diplomas or jail in our cities -- before problems of enrichment.


Thanks to a $48,000 grant from the AAPG Foundation, 17 teachers from across the country recently completed an online pilot course on “Teaching Earth Science at the High School Level,” which is expected to expand to help meet a growing national need in geoscience education.
“It’s designed to make sure that earth science, in the states where it’s taught at the high school level, is taught really well,” said Rebecca Dodge, AAPG Member and associate professor of geosciences at Midwestern State University in Texas.
Dodge developed and taught it, having adapted the five-week online course from a previous five-day course she developed and taught for two years through the American College of Education.
“When I came here to Midwestern State University, I knew they were going to start teaching earth science at the high school level, and I asked around in the school districts here, ’Who’s going to teach this high school earth science class?’ and everybody was saying, ’Oh God, I hope it’s not me,’” she related.
“So I thought, ’They hoped that because they don’t have the foundational skills – they don’t have the basic earth science concepts, so I developed the class and I offered it here in Wichita Falls with funding from the North Texas Geological Society. They gave scholarships for teachers to come take it in a five-day, weeklong eight-hour workshop.”
The course caught the notice of the American Geosciences Institute, which sent a proposal to the AAPG Foundation asking for scholarships to support teachers wanting to obtain the fundamentals needed to teach to a high school audience.
“This is why this course was designed: In many states, they don’t certify high school earth science teachers. You can get a broad field certification that says you should be able to teach earth science, or you can get certified in chemistry or biology, but not in earth science,” Dodge explained.
“So, two years ago when they started teaching earth science at the high school level, who was teaching it? People like… the coach who teaches chemistry or, in most cases, a really good science teacher, but who has no geoscience background at all.
“Somebody who taught biology for 12 years and is an excellent biology teacher, her principal came up to her in May and said, ’Oh, by the way, you’re teaching earth science next fall,’ and of course she said, ’Yes sir,’ and then went home and cried. So, that’s why this course was developed.”
The pilot program ran June 16-July 18 and was hosted by the Illinois Institute of Technology.
AGI will be handling the national rollout next year.
“We’re teaching it for the first time this summer. We’ll tweak it and make it better and offer it again next summer and we’ll still have money left to give scholarships,” said Dodge.


Thousands of students enroll in a distance learning program each year for the accessibility of an online postsecondary education. Distance learning programs have reformed higher education, making a college degree in the reach of a broader population, including working adults. Education is one of the most popular fields of study for distance learning for those with a passion for teaching children and adults. A distance learning program prepares students for a rewarding career working with students of all ages by offering specialized degrees such as a teacher licensure degree, an educational counseling degree, and even an online education degree.
The field of education is broad and offers opportunities in teaching, management, and statistics. For aspiring teachers of younger students, distance learning degrees include a child development degree, an early childhood education degree, a K-12 education degree, and a special education degree. These degrees prepare students for a teaching career for students in pre-school to twelth grade.
A variety of distance learning degrees are available for students who would like to teach older students in a secondary education setting. The continuing education for educators degree enables graduates to manage the continuing education courses offered at community colleges. An educational technology degree gives students hands on training in teaching students in a distance learning environment. The higher education, curriculum and instruction, and the secondary education degrees train students to function as curriculum planning administrators in secondary education environments. An instructional design degree prepares students for a career in secondary facilities as designers of degree programs.
Traditional teaching majors are now offered through distance learning programs. Students can choose an English language learning degree, mathematics degree, music education degree, a reading and literacy degree, or a science or social science degree. For students interesting in becoming a school librarian, a library science degree will provide the credentials. A four year education degree is available to students without a specific preference for a subject.
For those who are already employed in the field of education, but would like a promotion or higher wages, distance learning programs offer an educational administration degree for principals, an assessment and measurement degree for compliance officers, and a educational leadership degree for teachers who want to lead others . In many cases, an employer may pay the tuition for employees to further their education to meet the needs of a school.
Distance learning programs are the perfect choice for many because of the flexibility of courses and easy accessibility. Whether you are a working adult, stay at home mom, or active soldier in the military, a distance learning degree can help you reach your goals while providing real world, hands-on experience in hundreds of majors. Each degree is specifically tailored to the needs of the industry and provides excellent opportunities for employment and advancement.
Browse our site to find out more about distance learning degrees in education. Use the search box below to find a distance learning college offering the degree that interests you. The school of choice will send you an information packet with more information and an admissions application. The information is free and you are not obligated to enroll. Get started on earning your online degree today!


25.D—History - Evergreen Valley College
Feb 2, 2012 ... Architectural Drawing: A Visual Compendium of. Types and Methods (Yee). 5 NC650 .C58 2006. Giovanni Civardi's Complete Guide to ...
26.FALL 2012 - West Shore Community College
Sep 7, 2012 ... sharpener, an 18 x 24 drawing pad and a drawing book. The class book is “ Drawing: A complete Guide” by Giovanni Civardi (search Press ...
27.Intro to Drawing the Figure – Suggested bibliography - Meetup
Giovanni Civardi's Complete Guide to Drawing (Art of Drawing). Giovanni Civardi . Paperback: 376 pages. Publisher: Search Press; Illustrated edition. Civardi ...
28.Life Drawing - Meetup
by Giovanni Civardi. Studio Vista. Dynamic Figure Drawing by Burne Hogatrth. Watson Guptill. Albinus on Anatomy. Dover Books. The Artist's Complete Guide to ...
ART CLASS HANDOUT
29.FASHION AND DESIGN - Higher Education Commission
Understand the purpose of drawing, to illustrate thinking process and ideas. ..... Evans, Larry The New Complete Illustration Guide. (2 nd edition). 1996.
30.Purple Cows and Choices in Art Education - School of ...
Exciting lessons are introduced and a complete glossary is included. The first ... Drawing is often perceived as a natural talent and one that cannot be learned.


"Why doesn’t it come with a spreadsheet?”
“Where’s the productivity suite?”
“Would this be a tool I could use in my classroom with my students?”
Suddenly I realize that we are thinking like teachers. This tool was not designed for us. According to the OLPC website, the XO laptop was intended to give children
“…tools for writing, composing, simulating, expressing, constructing, designing, modeling, imagining, creating, critiquing, debugging, and collaborating."
“The laptop takes learners beyond instruction. They are actively engaged in a process of learning through doing. …. “
“The laptop helps children build upon their active interest in the world around them to engage with powerful ideas”
The XO laptop was even designed to be taken apart and repaired by kids. No, This Does No Void the Warranty! ;-)
I’m not going to predict the impact of the OLPC, nor argue its merit. But this event certainly has me revisiting thoughts about the impact on society of not providing children with enough opportunity to “explore, express, and learn” . A re we continuing towards the “perfect storm” that Dr. Shirley Ann Jackson warns of if we ignore the “quiet crisis” of not growing the next generation of scientist and engineers?
While educators have become tuned into the fact that more and more kids are coming to school without book sense and are developing researched based programs to address this, a kindergarten teacher in Tennessee worries “about the number of kids coming into my classroom who don’t know how scissors work.” Educational consultant, Jim Moulton, ponders the impact of this and asserts that
“the mastery of scissors is even one of the early steps on the road to Advanced Placement physics or chemistry. I believe that the kinesthetic experience they provide around equilibrium, experience gained in struggling to master this simple tool so as to be able to cut construction paper smoothly, lays a foundation for future complex conceptual understandings.”
It was exactly this type of need that lead Gever Tuller to create the Tinkering School. Despite the provocative title of his Ted Talk “Five Dangerous Things You Should Let Your Kids Do”, the message is really about allowing kids the freedom to explore to make them stronger, smarter, and safer.
Children receiving the XO laptops have not lacked the opportunity to explore the principles of physics in their natural environments, but now have access to a new tool equipped to support their desire to learn, express, and explore. But what about places, where children currently have access to such tools? Do they have access to the opportunity to use these tools the way the XO laptops will be able to be used? Or will the access to these tools continue to be stifled by “teacher think” and “school restrictions” or “lawsuit fears” ?
Having spent many of my teaching years reconciling the need to report on a ‘checklist’ of foundational skills that every student must know about a subject area with my project based learning approach, I understand the struggle. Accountability that is based on reporting what we can measure, doesn’t leave much time for the type exploring, expressing and learning that grows innovators and scientists.
But as I watch the excitement in my “grown up” friends as they explore their little green machines, I have a renewed interest in finding ways to bring back learning by exploration to today’s students. And I’m not talking about waiting for the availability of the XO laptops in your country; I’m talking about reaching for tools that are currently available that will promote this type of learning.
- Let’s dig out our old version of Incredible Machine or look for new games like Crayon Physics that stimulate innovative thinking in our students.
- Let’s get rid of the obstacles that prevent tools like the many WEB 2.0 applications from being fully deployed in schools. Ning, Wikispaces, and Voice Threads are leading the way by adding features that make it possible to safely deploy these excting tools thus supporting this type of learning in schools.
- Let’s share the resouces we find with our fellow educators and support a network of educators who are committed to give this generation of “incredible thinking machines” -- our students—the resources, the permission, the encouragement, the guidance they need to use technology in the spirit of innovation.
I invite readers to share some of the games, tools, web 2.0 apps, etc. that they feel have this type of potential. I’d love to do a followup post filled with these resources.


English Language Arts
Creating literacy-rich experiences for the young learners in your transitional kindergarten class will help ensure that they are able to read at proficiency in third grade, a crucial benchmark for future literacy skills. The National Early Literacy Panel (2008) released findings of a meta-analysis of approximately 500 research studies that identified the correlation between children’s early literacy skills and later literacy development. The following key indicators of later literacy success can provide a focus for teaching English language arts as you develop engaging activities for your young students.
Key precursors to the development of literacy:
- Conversation and Oral Language: The ability to produce or comprehend spoken language
- Alphabet Knowledge: The ability to visually discriminate the differences between letters and say the names and sounds associated with printed letters
- Concepts about Print: Students understand that print has meaning and how books and print work, such as left‐right, front‐back, letters and words
- Phonological Awareness: The ability to detect, manipulate or analyze the auditory aspects of spoken language, including the ability to distinguish or segment words, syllables, rhymes, and beginning sound
- Vocabulary and Background Knowledge: A collection of words that relate to children’s experiences and knowledge
English Language Arts instructional time in TK should focus on the following competencies with the content areas listening and speaking, reading and writing.
Listening and Speaking
- oral language development for comprehension and collaboration
- presentation of knowledge and ideas with support to add increasing detail, description and to express thoughts and feelings
According to The Early Language & Literacy Classroom Observation tool, oral language development is most effectively supported when children are actively engaged in conversations that facilitate mutual exchanges of ideas, opinions and feelings. As a TK teacher, extend conversations in meaningful ways to build specific oral language skills, and additionally introduce and infuse new and challenging vocabulary throughout the day.
Reading and Writing
- print concepts
- phonological awareness
- phonics and word recognition
- opportunities to produce written communication through dictation, drawing and writing that offer opinions, retell stories and give information
Book reading is an integral part of the daily experience and can occur in a variety of settings and groupings. Engage students in stories to support comprehension, while introducing them to the features of text, authorship, print rules, pictures and ideas, in addition to building vocabulary. Additionally, using rhymes and alliteration throughout the day is a fun way to build children’s awareness of sounds.
Motivate children to use their emerging writing skills by having many materials available throughout the classroom that encourage print and writing, both spontaneously in play and during routines. Model writing and support dictation by writing stories with ideas generated by your students, and support understanding of print conventions by making charts demonstrating upper and lower case letters, spelling and spacing, and other conventions. Help children recognize and learn to write letters of their name and common words, and engage them in the development of environmental print for labels and to express ideas.
TK allows you the gift of time to move your students along the standards continuum, preparing them for a successful kindergarten year ahead. As there are no set standards for TK, WestEd and the Child Development Division of the California Department of Education developed a publication that aligns the Preschool Learning Foundations with the Kindergarten Common Core State Standards to help guide developmentally appropriate TK instruction. Find the publication here. The alignment of the foundations and the common core standards illustrates the developmental progression of TK-aged students.
The Foundations and Common Core Standards for English Language Arts are organized according to the same basic categories: listening and speaking, reading and writing. The common core state standards also include a category identified as language standards. It includes standards for grammar and vocabulary, covered under listening and speaking in the preschool foundations. Many of the competencies described at the preschool level become more differentiated and lead to more specific competencies at the kindergarten level. The reading and writing common core standards focus on skills that emerge in kindergarten, and therefore have no corresponding content in the preschool foundations.


Professor Karl Diebitsch (3 January 1899 – 6 August 1985) was an artist and soldier responsible for much of the Third Reich SS regalia, including the chained SS officer's dagger scabbard. Diebitsch worked with graphic designer Walter Heck to design the notorious all-black SS uniform. Also with his business partner, industrialist Franz Nagy, Diebitsch began the production of art porcelain at the factory Porzellan Manufaktur Allach.
Diebitsch was born on 3 January 1899, in the city of Hanover, Germany. In Hanover, he attended school for the arts. This was interrupted by his enlistment in the Imperial German Navy in 1915. He earned the Iron Cross, Second Class, while with an artillery battery during World War I.
Diebitsch had completed an apprenticeship as a decorating painter when he was in school before the First World War. After a short time being employed as a merchant, he decided to resume his art education. Diebitsch enrolled in the Design School of the Academy of Plastic and Graphic Arts in Munich on 29 October 1919.
Joining the Nazi Party
On 1 May 1920, Diebitsch joined the Nazi Party or NSDAP. His membership number was 1,436. From 1920 to 1923 he was a member of the Freikorps. He went on to complete his formal art training in 1925, followed by several years of living and working in Munich as a painter and graphic artist. When the Nazis came to power in 1933, Diebitsch moved his family to Berlin and there joined the Reichsverband Bildenden Künstler Deutschlands (National Association of German Visual Artists). In November 1933, he joined the SS. Later in 1937, he rejoined the NSDAP with a membership number of 4,690,956.
Artworks for the Third Reich
Diebitsch served as the director of SS Porzellan Manufaktur Allach in 1936 until the SS enterprise had its porcelain production facility moved to Dachau. In the same year he designed SS dagger and sword parts, along with many other SS items. In 1938 he received one of the top prizes at a House of German Art exhibition in Munich for his painting titled, "Mutter" (Mother). In 1939 Diebitsch designed the letterhead logo of the Ahnenerbe and crests for SS officers. In May 1939 he designed a window for an exterior wall of the "Konig-Heinrich" dome at the cathedral at Quedlinburg. Diebitsch also designed many German postage stamps during the Third Reich.
He designed a tapestry that was created by Elsie Seifert.
It was removed from Heinrich Himmler's residence in Berchtesgaden in 1945 by a member of the 506th Parachute Regiment of the American 101st Airborne Division. This piece originally hung in the Reichstag but was removed to Himmler's residence after a fire which destroyed a similar piece. The construction is of heavy gold bullion thread on a blood red velvet backing. Bullion tassels and chord. Size is approximately 7 x 9 feet.
War years and later life
Besides being an artist, Diebitsch was also a reserve officer in the Waffen-SS during the course of the Second World War. He received staff assignments to the SS-Totenkopfstandarte (SS Death’s Head Regiment), SS-Regiment "Germania", SS-Division "Wiking" and the Höhere SS und Polizei Führer (Higher SS and police leader) of Italy. Diebitsch was finally promoted to the rank of SS-Oberführer on 20 April 1944. He survived the war and died in 1985.
- An honorary title conveyed by Hitler. Johnson, Thomas M., Collecting Edged Weapons of the Third Reich, Volume 6, 1993, pp 78-81.
- Lumsden, Robin. A Collector's Guide To: The Allgemeine - SS, Ian Allan Publishing, Inc. 2001, p 53.
- Johnson, Thomas M., World War II German War Booty, Volume II, p 66.


Careers in Music Teacher Resources
Find Careers in Music educational ideas and activities
Showing 1 - 20 of 57 resources
The Business of Art: Klein String Competition
Young scholars study classical music and learn about competitions as well as musical careers. In this music study lesson, students read about the Klein String Competition and the importance of competitions in shaping musical careers. Young scholars listen to classical music pieces and analyze the pieces.
5th - 6th Visual & Performing Arts 4 Views 15 Downloads
What I Want to be When I Grow Up
Sixth graders discover different careers in music. In this career exploration lesson, 6th graders explore four different categories of music careers: music education, music performance, music business and music therapy. Students create a presentation for the class on the career they chose to research.
6th 21st Century Skills 16 Views 75 Downloads
The Blues, B.B. King, Muddy Waters
B.B. King and Muddy Waters are two of the most famous blues performers of all time. In this music lesson, middle schoolers study the early careers and lasting musical contributions of both artists, each of whom carried the blues on to new generations.
6th - 9th Visual & Performing Arts 17 Views 22 Downloads
In this famous person worksheet, students read a passage about Gilberto Gil and then complete a variety of in-class and homework activities to support comprehension, including partner interviews, spelling, cloze, synonym matches, and scrambled sentences.
4th - 8th Language Arts 3 Views 18 Downloads
In this famous person learning exercise, students read a passage about Justin Timberlake and then complete a variety of in-class and homework activities to support comprehension, including partner interviews, spelling, cloze, synonym matches, and scrambled sentences.
4th - 8th Language Arts 5 Views 42 Downloads
Follow Your Passion - Activity 1
Students discover different skills needed to pursue various music professions in this activity provided by Oregon Public Broadcasting. The activity uses a video and brainstorming techniques to develop ideas about professions in music.
4th - 11th Visual & Performing Arts 3 Views 16 Downloads
Careers in Music - Notetaking Worksheet
In this musical landscape learning exercise, learners follow the directions to answer 10 short answer questions after attending a musical performance, watching one on video, or listening to one on the radio.
6th - 8th Visual & Performing Arts 3 Views 50 Downloads
Becoming a Web Celeb
It's become more and more common for individuals or groups to become famous practically overnight, but what are the consequences, positive and negative, of the rise to fame? Pupils explore the negatives and positive of Internet fame while taking a close look at gender roles and stereotypes.
9th - 12th Social Studies & History 12 Views 11 Downloads CCSS: Designed
Lesson 12- Quincy Jones:What Makes an American Master?
Students study the life of Quincy Jones and research black music for selected decades of the 20th Century. They discuss the qualities that help one create and sustain a successful career. They design a timeline of what their future career might look like after conducting Internet research.
6th - 8th Language Arts 3 Views 6 Downloads
New Review Musical Families
Planning a trip to the symphony? Prepare first-time attendees for the experience with overheads that identify the roles played by the concertmaster, conductor, musicians, and even the audience. The musical families are introduced and appropriate behavior is detailed.
K - 5th Visual & Performing Arts 3 Views 0 Downloads


formance. In this rapidly growing sector of education, there are many choices to be made concerning goals, pedagogies, programs, and means of ensuring quality.
America has come late to mass preschool education compared with other wealthy industrialized countries. Some Western European countries have long had nearly universal enrollment of young children in preschools, with high standards of teacher training and impressive curricula. What was until the mid-19th century a matter of private charity, became in the course of the 20th century a public responsibility. In most of Europe, public financing is at this point the dominant mode of support and these early childhood programs are increasingly viewed as a public obligation (Kamerman, 1999). In some countries, preschool service is free regardless of parents’ employment status or income; in others, the programs combine government funding and income-related parent fees. France, for example, provides free preschool programs for all children ages 2–6. Germany and Italy make preschool available to all 3- to 6-year-olds and social welfare child care to the children under age 3, with something less than 20 percent of costs borne by parents (see Table 1–1).
But as the United States embarks on a voyage previously taken by others, certain advantages are evident: we have a strong research community investigating early childhood learning and development and producing evidence on which to base the design, implementation, and evaluation of programs. We have a tradition of experimentation and observation in preschools that gives us access to a wealth of experience before preschool attendance becomes a universal feature of American childhood. Thus we can begin the latter part of the voyage with better maps and navigational instruments than might be expected at this point in our history; we are better able to know where we’re going and how to measure our progress. This report is intended to help prepare for the journey by reviewing what is known about early childhood development and preschool programs and suggesting how to proceed in educating young children in the 21st century.
At present, more than 60 percent of American mothers with children under age 6 are in the labor force (U.S. Department of the Treasury, 1998; U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 1999). There are approximately 3.8 million children in each age cohort with


How Many Different Kinds of Associate Degrees Are There?
If you are thinking of completing an associate's degree, you'll have many options. Learn about these options and what you'll study in an associate degree program. Discover which associate's degree might be might for you.
There are many different kinds of associate's degree programs offered by community colleges, technical schools and 4-year colleges and universities. These programs can typically be completed in two years or less and offer students the chance to pursue a postsecondary degree in a variety of topics without committing to a 4-year bachelor's degree program. There are associate degrees that are designed to prepare students for entry-level careers, such as the Associate of Applied Science, and there are associate degrees designed to prepare students to transfer to a 4-year degree program, such as the Associate of Arts.
Associate of Arts Degree
An Associate of Arts (A.A.) degree is one of the most common types of associate degrees available. Most A.A. programs require students to complete 60 hours of coursework, including general education courses and courses associated with a major. Students often apply the credits earned in an A.A. program towards a bachelor's degree program. A.A. degrees are typically awarded in the liberal arts, such as English, history, music, economics, elementary education, psychology and sociology.
Associate of Science Degree
The Associate of Science (A.S.) degree is also a popular type of associate degree. Most A.S. degree programs focus on science but also require students to complete several hours of general education courses. This degree is very similar to the A.A. because it prepares students to enter a bachelor's degree program and usually requires 60 hours. Common A.S. degree programs include chemistry and biology. Students can also pursue A.S. degrees in engineering, business administration and computer science, to name a few.
Associate of Applied Science
Associate of Applied Science (A.A.S.) degree programs are designed to prepare students to enter the workforce. Working professionals looking for a raise or promotion may also pursue an A.A.S. degree. These programs generally require students to complete fewer hours of general education coursework. There are many types of A.A.S. degrees, including programs that focus on engineering or business. Some examples of A.A.S. degrees include graphic design, food service, management, medical assisting and automotive technology.
Other Associate Degrees
There are a number of specialized associate degrees available. Some of the possible degree types include:
- Associate of Engineering
- Associate of Applied Arts
- Associate of General Studies
- Associate of Fine Arts


Emphasis Art:This beautifully illustrated text reflects the latest trends in art education and demonstrates how to motivate students to learn by integrating art with other content areas. Emphasis Art, 9/e focuses on the intrinsic worth of art-studio experience through its Discipline-Based Art Education approach, as well as on the process of implementing art education into classroom practice. Useful for both general classroom teachers and art specialists, this popular text promotes art appreciation while providing a wealth of creative ideas and clear technical direction, including lesson plans that incorporate instructional objectives.
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Rent Emphasis Art 9th edition today, or search our site for Robert D. textbooks. Every textbook comes with a 21-day "Any Reason" guarantee. Published by Pearson.


* Your child will receive a weekly Spelling list.
* All Spelling tests will be announced.
* The day for each Spelling test is already typed on your child's homework assignment sheet.
* The words included in each Spelling list are words that appear often in our Scott Foresman's Reading Street textbook.
* The list of words will usually be grouped to follow certain vowel and/or consonant patterns. Yes... Phonics instruction is still around!!
Lesson 1 Frindle
Lesson 2 Thunder Rose
Lesson 3 Island of the Blue Dolphins
Lesson 4 Satchel Paige
Lesson 5 Shutting Out the Sky
Lesson 6 Inside Out
Lesson 7 Passage to Freedom
Lesson 8 The Ch'i-lin Purse
Lesson 9 ... 10 Ways to Help Save Wildlife
Lesson 10 The Midnight Ride of Paul Revere
Lesson 11 Wings for the King
Lesson 12 Leonardo's Horse
Lesson 13 The Dinosaurs of Waterhouse Hawkins
Lesson 14 Mahalia Jackson
Lesson 15 Special Effects in Film and Television
Lesson 16 Weslandia
Lesson 17 Stretching Ourselves
Lesson 18 Exploding Ants
Lesson 19 The Stormi Giovanni Club
Lesson 20 The Gymnast
Lesson 21 The Three-Century Woman
Lesson 22 The Unsinkable Wreck of the Titanic
Lesson 23 Talk With an Astronaut
Lesson 24 Journey to the Center of the Earth
Lesson 25 Ghost Towns of the American West
Lesson 26 At the Beach
Lesson 27 They Mystery of Saint Matthew Island
Lesson 28 King Midas and the Golden Touch
Lesson 29 The Hindenburg
Lesson 30 Sweet Music in Harlem
This page was last updated on: July 20, 2013
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If you’re like me, math might not be your strongest subject in school. There are a lot of ways to get better at the subject, such as getting a tutor or doing extra studying, but one method for improving math skills may surprise you: music lessons.
Today’s infographic from TakeLessons.com shows some of the learning benefits gained from music lessons, especially at an earlier age. Music lessons can help not only with mathematics but also with reading comprehension. Even some of the most recognized names in science and invention had some musical training, including Sir Isaac Newton, Albert Einstein, and Bill Gates to name a few.
For more information on the benefits of music lessons refer to the infographic below. [Via]
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Post tags: educational benefits of music lessons, educational benefits of music lessons infographic, music, music aids education, music education, music education infographic, music furthers education, music helps learning infographic, music infographic, music lessons, music lessons infographic
Source: Daily Infographic


The Intergenerational Literacy Program began offering literacy instruction to parents in 1989. The program was developed in collaboration with 17 community organizations and is guided by an Advisory Board representing participating parents, the Chelsea Public Schools, Boston University and community organizations. The program seeks to accomplish the general goal of supporting families in working with their children, both to attain the instructional objectives of the schools and to reinforce positive attitudes toward education. To accomplish the larger goal, two sub-goals and objectives have been outlined: to improve the literacy skills of participating adults and to improve literacy knowledge among preschool and school-aged children.
|Professor Jeanne Paratore
School of Education
605 Commonwealth Avenue
Boston, MA 02215
|Barbara Krol-Sinclair, EdD
Chelsea Public Schools
Early Learning Center
99 Hawthorn Street
Chelsea, MA 02150
Adult Literacy Classes
The program offers English literacy classes to immigrant parents so that they can improve their own opportunities and so that they can more fully support their children’s education in American schools, while maintaining their existing rich literacy and language practices within the family. Adults are (a) provided instruction in reading and responding to literacy materials of adult interest; (b) provided a selection of children’s books, strategies and ideas for use with their children; and (c) encouraged to share their children’s stories and drawings and to discuss literacy events, and their importance, in their lives and the lives of their children. Emphasis is placed on family contexts for literacy with specific emphasis on family storybook reading. As well, the program maintains a library of multilingual, multicultural children’s books which parents are encouraged to take home to share with their children.
Three classes are offered, scheduled to meet the needs of both employed and unemployed parents. Two classes are held from 8:30-10:30 AM, Monday-Thursday, and one class- is held from 6:00-8:00 PM, Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday. Two instructional cycles are conducted each academic year, and one 12-week instructional cycle is offered during the summer.
During both morning and evening classes, a free literacy-based children’s program is provided for children of participating families. Preschool-aged children attend in the morning and both preschool and school-aged children attend in the evening. Approximately 25 children, ranging in age from 6 months to 5 years, attend the morning program; 21 children attend the evening program, ranging in age from 1-11 years of age.
The children’s program has been designed to facilitate children’s language and literacy development. Using themed instructional units, such as “All About Me” or “Transportation”, the program exposes children to a range of literature in both their first languages and in English. Frequent in-class storybook readings, in both whole-class and small group settings, are supported by a variety of activities to meet the needs of all participating children. Activities offered include music, art, use of program computers for story-writing and instructional programs and, with the school-aged children, homework support and a book discussion group.


Prevention of literacy and numeracy skill gaps in early childhood is a high priority for parents, teachers and educational leaders. To focus on this priority, there are a myriad ways in which we can reinforce foundational skills on an ongoing basis. One strategy supported by research is the notion of authentic learning, or authentic assessment.
Authentic learning occurs when activities or projects offer students an opportunity to directly apply their knowledge or skills to real-world situations. Authentic assessments can supplement the information obtained through formal assessment measures. They take place in the context of regular play or in other settings familiar to students. The key with all authentic experiences is that real-world application can enhance learning and evoke deep understanding. Performance-based tasks, rooted in standards, should play an integral role in the authentic assessment process. The data obtained during embedded assessment can yield results that contribute to strategic approaches to instruction.
This is the first of four articles in a series we’ll run over the next few weeks in which we’ll share some of our favorite ideas for incorporating authentic learning and authentic assessment in both the classroom setting and at home. In this article, we’ll discuss classroom ideas specifically focused on early literacy.
Educators can use this list of thought starters to spark their own ideas. Coaches and instructional leaders can share this list with their teams and make note of best practices during learning walks.
1. Bring characters to life with costumes, voices and expression during read-aloud activities to make reading experiences exciting for young learners. Students can reenact a story using this same approach to display their understanding of story elements.
2. Model good reading habits. Promote literacy by sharing your excitement about reading a new book, and be seen reading during lunch, snack or nap times.
3. Use big books with many pictures to capture the attention of little ones. Have students retell the story during a picture walk to assess essential understandings.
4. Have an author study to get children to discuss similarities and differences across books with the same writer.
5. Compose a friendly letter to the author. This process allows students to explore reading and writing for different purposes and audiences. Receiving a response can be an added bonus as well.
6. Use music and movement to enhance literacy skills and spark creativity. This incorporates multiple learning modalities to engage different students and adds variety and interest to the lesson. A classroom song and dance is often a great transition activity.
7. Label important objects and areas of the learning environment to increase awareness of concepts of print. This is one way to make literacy pervasive in the students’ daily lives.
8. Have a variety of reading and writing materials in designated areas of the classroom to continue to establish an expectation for literacy.
9. Create tactile experiences in writing by using shaving cream, play dough, sand or other materials with interesting textures.
10. Use informal assessments to gauge understanding. Analyze student drawings of people, places and events. To assess comprehension, ask students to explain their work.
11. Reenact or recreate real-world activities and settings. These might include housekeeping, creating a museum of children’s art or developing original books and magazines.
12. Use interactive bulletin boards to create focus areas across content strands. Make the boards come to life with visuals, vocabulary and big ideas from a unit or theme. As part of some projects, you might even have students participate in adding material to the boards.
13. Encourage frequent use of journals and other writing materials to express ideas, document experiences and develop fine motor skills.
14. Make word walls a learning tool in the classroom. Add pictures, symbols and color coding to increase student acquisition of sight words and academic vocabulary.
15. Incorporate books on tape, computer-based programs, tablets or other technology to promote literacy across mediums and help students see literacy as a core component of their daily interactions with technology.
In the next article in this series, we’ll focus on classroom authentic learning experiences for numeracy skills.
In the meantime, we would love to hear from you about your favorite examples of authentic learning experiences or assessments. Please share your ideas in the comments below!
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Tamika Fuller has been an educator for 18 years and has served in a variety of capacities; from classroom to district leadership. She has a Master of Arts Degree in Leadership in Teaching from Notre Dame of Maryland University and is a Doctoral Candidate at Walden University, with a concentration in Early Childhood. Tamika believes in establishing a sturdy foundation for young learners through the delivery of customized instruction to meet diverse needs. She has been a professional development consultant for NWEA since 2010.
Get the tools you need to apply research-based insights to your early childhood assessment plan. Take action and engage your team with specific recommended next steps from this paper.Download the White Paper


Art and creative learning can have a positive impact on young people helping to raise self- esteem and confidence. Through Art education we aim to provide an environment in which pupils can develop the ability to express themselves artistically. Learning new skills will enhance and contribute to their creative thinking. Through creative expression they will develop problem solving skills and resilience.
Students are introduced to a variety of new skills and a range of different media in which to complete their art work. Students study the work of different artists and are given opportunities to learn new techniques. At KS4 students have the opportunity to take art as an option and follow the full GCSE course. Visits to galleries such as Southampton City art gallery and places of inspiration such as Art in the garden at Hilliers Arboretum are organised throughout the year.
Local artists are invited in to work with the student’s, these include working with screen printing artists, ceramic artists, encaustic art artists and working with a local sixth form college to take part in photography workshops. Students have the opportunity through the course to develop and explore their personal interests in art and design. They are encouraged to communicate their own ideas through a variety of learning experiences. The GCSE qualification consists of a portfolio of course work plus an externally set task which culminates in a 10 hour exam usually run over two days. We work closely with Hampshire Cultural trust and took part in the Horizon 20:20 project 2014 -2015.
Students also have the opportunity to gain an Arts Award qualification at Bronze level. This can be achieved either through after school Art Club or during art option lessons. This is a nationally recognised qualification. Students are given the opportunity to learn a new art skill, teach another person the new skill they have learned, find out about their arts inspiration, this could be a famous painter, designer or musician. The final section is to be part of an audience, for example attend a music concert or an art exhibition.
Students who have an interest in music can complete their arts award at Bronze level by working with SoCo (Southampton Community) music project. There is the opportunity to create original music using IPADs, working with RAP artists, as well as the chance to take part in learning instruments such as bass guitar. Opportunities for drama are provided through Winchester University and for dance are provided through Wessex Dance academy.


NVDAILY.COM | Living Well - A Virginia Cooperative Extension Blog
Posted January 30, 2013 | Leave a comment
Karen Ridings: Getting children to eat spinach
By Karen Ridings
Many kids say "yuck" when asked to eat spinach. You can lure your kids into eating spinach with a few simple tricks:
1) Share the history and nutritional value of this wonderful vegetable,
Many people think of Popeye when they think of spinach. But, spinach goes farther back than this 1920s character. Spinach was grown over 2,000 years ago in the Middle East. The Persian word for spinach was "ispanai" or green hand. Spinach eventually made its way to America in 1806. Once Popeye got a hold of it, it became a very popular vegetable associated with strength. So tell your children that when they eat spinach, they are eating an ancient vegetable!
Here are some tips for buying and storing spinach:
Now it is time to get your recipe ideas together. Fresh spinach can be used in the following ways:
Frozen spinach works well in casseroles, soups, lasagnas, quiches, and pies. Whole leaf frozen spinach can also be sautéed in olive oil and garlic.
Below are websites that list recipes that you might like to try! Just maybe your child will "Lick the spoon" when you serve spinach!
Source: University of Arkansas-Cooperative Extension Service Virginia Tech Cooperative Extension Service
Karen A. Ridings, M.S., R.D., is a family consumer sciences agent located in Frederick County. She joined the Virginia Cooperative Extension, Frederick County office, in January 2008. As a registered dietitian and elementary education teacher, families have always been the primary focus of her career! Email her at firstname.lastname@example.org
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Learn to count with Eggy Numbers 1 to 10!
Your child can take their first steps into the wonderful world of math with Eggy Numbers 1 to 10 – the interactive app for the iPad and iPhone that teaches children aged 3+ how to identify, write and count numbers 1 to 10!
Featuring 7 highly motivational games, Eggy Numbers 1 to 10 makes learning to write and count numbers a fun hands-on experience for young learners. Using the ‘tap’ and ‘touch and drag’ interactivity of the iPad and iPhone, three games focus on teaching children how to write each number – first by tracing over a dot-to-dot and number shaped visuals, then by drawing the number from memory. Four more games develop a conceptual understanding of numbers and their value, where children need to count items and match numerical values to pictures.
Your child will love discovering this new world of numbers with ‘Buddy the Acorn’ as their helpful guide. The engaging visuals, catchy music and fun sound effects will make their learning experience highly enjoyable and rewarding!
Eggy Numbers includes 7 fun numeracy games including Dot-to-Dot, Copy the Number, Draw the Number, Number or Not, Count with Buddy, Number Ring and Number Dominoes. There are also 138 golden acorns and 18 critters for children to earn by completing activities.
- For the iPad and iPhone.
- Suitable for children aged 3+.
- Learn to identify, write and count numbers 1 to 10.
- 7 highly interactive games.
- 3 difficulties to choose from.
- Highly instructive handwriting games commit numbers to memory.
- Counting activities develop the basic numeracy skills essential for future maths development.
- Fun rewards to earn including 138 golden acorns and 18 critters to hatch and collect.
- Choose between 3 accents – Australian, UK and US.
- Eggy Numbers is brought to you by the makers of Reading Eggs – a team of educators with more than 25 years of experience in early childhood education.
What a clever little app! The graphics are fantastic. My 4 year old loves counting the sea creatures under the water. He's really enjoying it. Another great app from Reading Eggs, love it! - iTunes User Review
If you have any questions about Eggy Numbers, please email us at firstname.lastname@example.org.


”To read without reflecting is like eating without digesting.”
~ Edmund Burke ~
In order to promote continued literacy development for all students,
· Incoming 9-12th graders will sign up for a topical discussion group that sparks their intellectual interests(see attached list). Topics range from the causes of school violence to the validity of DNA testing. Students sign up in English class or by sending an email to firstname.lastname@example.org with their topic selection.
· Over the summer, students will read the primary text associated with their topic. If you have already read that book or have difficulty obtaining it, choose a book from the other recommended texts on the selection list. Students are also highly encouraged to read additional texts that relate to their assigned topic—newspaper articles, documentaries, short stories, fiction, and books from the other recommended texts list.
· Books are available at one of the following locations: Sawyer Free Public Library, local bookstores, online, or one of the school libraries. Tuesday evenings through the summer the young adult librarian at Sawyer Free Library will be available to help student find reading materials.
· Students will complete a Discussion Group Entry Ticket
· In September, students will discuss their topic/book with a faculty members and a group of their peers.
Students will be evaluated based on the completion of their Discussion Group Entry Ticket and the quality of their participation during their meeting in September. Students who demonstrate proficiency on both of these tasks will earn a reward. Rewards might include free tickets to school-sponsored events, gift certificates to local restaurants and establishments, a pizza luncheon, etc.
Summer Reading Discussion Group Entry Tickets will be collected during the first week of school. Discussion groups will also take place during this time.
Have Questions? If you have any difficulty working on this assignment over the summer, please contact the school librarian at: email@example.com. I will be more than happy to answer any of your questions!


Preschool Readiness Educational and Parenting Articles
Browse preschool readiness educational and parenting articles. Browse all our articles by topic and grade, or use the search.
- Characteristics and Interests of Preschool Children
- Learning through Play: What Rhyming Games Like Pat-a-cake Teach (and How to Play Them)
- Transitioning to Preschool: 9 Ways to Help Your Child
- Toddler Developmental Milestones, and How to Help at Home
- Early Literacy Development Foundations
- Activities to Develop Number Skills
- Gearing Up for Preschool Development
- Sparking a Child's Interest in Science
- When's the Right Time to ...
- Universal Pre-K Gaining Traction


The idea of universal education was first noted in 1955 when the universal Primary education scheme was inaugurated by the government of western Nigeria. The Eastern Nigeria government launched its own universal primary education in 1957. In Northern Nigeria education was provided free by government in a bid to make children attend school (Adeyemi, 2007). Thus, at its onset, the universal primary education scheme had been taken by regional government. There was no Federal government intervention until 1976 when the universal primary education (U.P.E) was launched to cover the whole country.
Education is one vital instructions in development. According to the National Policy on Education (1998) “Education in Nigeria is an instrument “per excellence” for effecting National development certainly. What Nigeria in needs in this 21st century to turn her economy around is not extended primary or elementary education but a basic education programme that will ensure that every Nigerian youth on graduation is sufficiently equipped with knowledge, skills and experiences required for vital entry into one occupation in the world of work, whether college bound or not (Ayabolu, 2000). The universal basic education (UBE) programme of the Federal republic of Nigeria was however launched by President Olusegun Obasanjo 30th September 1999. The UBE programme as spelt out in the implementation guidelines, aims at achieving the following specific objectives:
Developing in the entire citizenry a strong consciousness for education and a strong commitment to its vigorous promotion. The provision of free, universal basic education for every Nigerian child of school going age. Reducing drastically the incidence of drop out from the formal school system Universal Basic Education is the transmission of fundamental knowledge to all facets of Nigerian society from generation. It has three main components Universal Basic and Education. Universal connotes a programme that is meant for all facets of the society, the rich, the poor, the physically fit and the disabled, the brilliant fit, the dull, the regular students and the dropouts including every other individual that is ready to acquire knowledge. The term “Basic” relates to the base, take off point, fundamental essential spring board, bottom line, they are required and of course expected it therefore shows that basic education is the starting point in the acquisition of knowledge. Without basic education, higher education cannot be acquired. It therefore implies that the basic education is mandatory which is essential for life. Enoch and Okpede (2000) described it as the form of education which is essential for life. They also saw UBE as the form of education which must equip an individual with necessary skills to survive in his environment. It should be a practical and functional education. The idea of education connotes transmission of knowledge from generation to generation. In the UBE programme, it is expected that theoretical and practical work or knowledge transmitted to learners in its simplistic form. This involves starting from the scratch and being able to carry the learner along. This education is the aggregate of all the process by which a child or young adult develops the abilities, attitudes and other forms of behaviours, which are of positive value to the society in which he lives (Amuchic, Aotibe and Audu, 2015 in Fafunwa, 2015).
Aminuddeen, I (2020). Factors Affecting the Implementation of Universal Basic Education in Bauchi Local Government Area. Afribary.com: Retrieved December 03, 2020, from https://afribary.com/works/factors-affecting-the-implementation-of-universal-basic-education-in-bauchi-local-government-area
Ibraheem, Aminuddeen. "Factors Affecting the Implementation of Universal Basic Education in Bauchi Local Government Area" Afribary.com. Afribary.com, 11 Nov. 2020, https://afribary.com/works/factors-affecting-the-implementation-of-universal-basic-education-in-bauchi-local-government-area . Accessed 03 Dec. 2020.
Ibraheem, Aminuddeen. "Factors Affecting the Implementation of Universal Basic Education in Bauchi Local Government Area". Afribary.com, Afribary.com, 11 Nov. 2020. Web. 03 Dec. 2020. < https://afribary.com/works/factors-affecting-the-implementation-of-universal-basic-education-in-bauchi-local-government-area >.
Ibraheem, Aminuddeen. "Factors Affecting the Implementation of Universal Basic Education in Bauchi Local Government Area" Afribary.com (2020). Accessed December 03, 2020. https://afribary.com/works/factors-affecting-the-implementation-of-universal-basic-education-in-bauchi-local-government-area


It is the age between 1 to 5, the early childhood which is treated as an important stage in child development. During this stage, children start moving around. They feel curious and start exploring different new things. However, still, they are not old enough to join the primary schools. That’s why this important phase of their life needs some extra care from parents.
But the bitter truth is not all the parents have much time to spend on the child’s development. However, the good news is that there are professional child development centers with child care licensing which takes up the responsibility of a child’s development. Such development centers offer early stage learning programs.
The development centers take care of the children while their parents are working at offices. They also take care of the child’s skills. Besides, they make them ready to enter the stage of primary education.
Factors Which Influence Your Child’s Development
Early childhood is considered as the key stage in everyone’s life. You might not remember all the things that you have done in your childhood. However, those things can have a huge impact on your life. The initial brain development stage is responsible for shaping up the child’s attitude. So, you need to take good care of early childhood growth.
Why to Enroll Your Child in Development Centers
- Amazing learning environment
Such centers provide your child with an amazing learning environment in their early childhood stage. With a fun-filled environment, they enable your child to flourish.
- Encourages Curiosity
They motivate and encourage curiosity among children. Your children will easily learn all the early skill which are important for child development.
- Helps To Know Social Interaction
Most of the development centers provide a positive social environment. Moreover, it is very important for every child to learn positive social interaction skills. Your child will get an opportunity to meet, play and talk whit other children.
- Perfect For Early Childhood Learning
The development centers have fun and a lot of activities which children enjoy in their early childhood. The centers are the perfect ways for fun and learning. For instance, some parts of the day are dedicated to story time, apart for educational activities and some for art. On the other hand, your children will go home with new information and skills.
- They are affordable
Such centers are quite affordable. There are development centers which are more affordable than the in-home daycare centers. This is something very important for parents with a low budget. Apart from this, some centers also offer sliding fees structure.
- Helps to cope with education
Children who have attained the development can easily cope up with their primary education. They enjoy the best education.
Choose The Best
All the children development centers offer excellent child care facility. They understand every individual’s need for their child. They spot the weakness of the children. Apart from that, they prepare them to achieve in their future.
What are you waiting for? Enroll your children to such a center and give them a wonderful environment to grow in their early childhood stage.


Musicianship Basics 2.7.1
Musicianship Basics is music education software designed by music teachers for use in schools, private piano studios and for home learning.
Sixty graded activities cover basic music theory and ear-training skills for students of all ages in their first three years of training.
Specific skills include:
- Reading notes in the treble and bass clefs.
- Matching manuscript notes with keys on a piano.
- Aural recognition of melodies and rhythms.
- Aural recognition of scales and common intervals.
- Recognition of note names and their durations.
- Review of common Italian terms and music symbols.
- Recognition of common chords on a manuscript or keyboard.
- Aural recognition of major and minor tonality.
- Practical rhythm-tapping exercises.
The computer responds with the correct answer after an error. Students learn as they play in a positive and non-threatening way.


Those of us who built our musical skills through formal education may look at “garage band” musicians with some bewilderment. Maybe even with a little disdain (disguised jealousy in my case!). How is that these guitarists, electric bassists, and drummers are able to learn their instruments, all without the assistance of music teachers? We have to be somewhat impressed that they can figure out so much, seemingly on their own. But if they’ve done it without instruction from a musical expert, doesn’t that call into question the quality of their skills?
Ten years ago music educator and research Lucy Green published her book How Popular Musicians Learn. She shed light on the learning processes of “vernacular musicians,” as I like to call them, who acquire their musicianship outside of a school/lesson setting. Lucy followed up that landmark volume with another book and research studies further exploring the topic. Lately, many within the music education profession, myself included, have been paying greater attention to vernacular musicians. One thing we have found is that these people do not devote any less time and energy to their musical pursuits than those in more formal settings. Research refutes the notion that popular music skills are arrived at by osmosis (through just goofing around with music), whereas good “classical” musicianship comes through discipline. More likely, the real difference is whether the time and effort invested is perceived as pleasant or unpleasant. Most vernacular musicians describe their music activities as voluntary, enjoyable, and what they love to do. They seem to be tapping into more intrinsic motivation than many formally trained students, whose music experiences can be dominated by solitary technique-intensive practice of music assigned to them by teachers.
The interesting thing is that everyone starts off as a vernacular musician. Enculturation refers to learning that occurs through immersion in one’s culture and social environment. It’s how all young children begin learning music, as they’re exposed to music making around them and naturally engage themselves in playful exploration of musical sound. But upon reaching schooling age, some people become invested in formal music instruction, and their music making activities take on that value system. Much of their time is spent in teacher-led lessons and rehearsals, and in isolated practice sessions. Young vernacular musicians, however, continue on a more exploratory path. Below are some of the most important characteristics of vernacular music learning:
- Informal group learning with peers – A more experienced peer may lead informal sessions, sharing previously unfamiliar chords, progressions, or licks. In less directed peer situations, learning is accomplished as musicians engage in group efforts to reproduce popular songs, create new compositions or arrangements, and otherwise jam for pure enjoyment. (Check out this clip from the movie School of Rock, specifically at the 1:40 mark where Jack Black and a student disagree on whether to call their class activities “goofin’ off” or “creating musical fusion.” :) )
- Chosen musical material – Practicing is done within a real music context, meaning it emphasizes songs, tunes, or licks that they want to learn, as opposed to scales, long-tones, and exercises that they’ve been assigned. Interestingly though, many vernacular musicians eventually choose to practice scales, arpeggios, and the like as they “discover” the benefits, often through suggestions published in musician magazines.
- Listening-copying process – They often “just listen” to soak up a groove, or try to play along with recordings for fun. But they also thrive on the challenge of listening carefully and working up imitative performances of difficult passages.
Obviously the ear is a critical component of vernacular musicianship. It is the means by which they build up a huge repertoire of songs, quickly memorize heard music, embellish basic music material, and improvise. In contrast to formally trained music students who rely greatly on notation in their practicing, vernacular musicians naturally develop formidable aural skills as they practice.
This line of thinking should in no way discredit the value of a great music teacher of the effectiveness of individual practice. The research literature is replete with evidence that formal education works, and that deliberate practice is an leads to improved skills. But surely there is something music education can learn from the activities of vernacular musicians. I suspect that far fewer “garage musicians” pack away their guitars into permanent storage after their teen years, like so many high school band members do upon graduation. “Indeed,” Lucy Green writes, “those societies and communities with the most highly developed formal music education systems often appear to contain the least active music-making populations.”


Education of Uttarakhand
shows 72.28% total literacy, where the percentage of male literacy is 84.01% and female is 60.26%. The Uttarkand board of school educations and exams are working under the umbrella of Directorate of School Education. In Uttarakhand, the department of education has an amalgamated structure which has under it the basic education, secondary education, state council of education research and training. A scheme for universalizing elementary education, SSA and literacy mission are under Uttarakhand Sabhi Ke Liye Shiksha Parishad. School education is the biggest department in Uttarakhand with around one lakhs of employees.
The educational institutions of Uttarakhand are an asset to India and the world. One of the oldest engineering colleges of the country, the Indian Institute of Technology at Roorkee, is at G.B.Pant University, Uttarakhand. Other universities of prime importance are the G. B. Pant University in Pantnagar, Kumaun University
, and the H.N.B. Garhwal University in Srinagar.
The literacy rate of Uttarakhand is higher than the national literacy rate. The government of Uttarakhand is trying to explore every opportunity to extend education to every nook and corner of the state. Providing Computer Education to the secondary schools and midday meal schemes to the primary school is one of the schemes run by state School Education Department. The schools are providing midday meals in order to attract more and more students to school as a result there won`t be any drop outs from schools. The schools not only give importance in imparting curricular education but also in providing co-curricular education, as education is the all round development of an individual.
Uttarakhand State has introduced free and quality education for the talented students in the rural areas, who can not afford to study, through the Rajiv Gandhi
Navodaya Vidyalaya residential schools. There are seven Rajiv Gandhi Navodaya Vidyalayas, started in the seven districts of Uttarakhand.
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Middle School: Grades 6-8
As students arrive on the cusp of adolescence, the rigorous Waldorf Middle School program challenges their emerging thinking, reasoning, and inquiry. On an ever-deepening base of foundational skills, students explore the world without and within. Continuing artistic work in diverse fields (fine, practical, and performing arts) hones the powers of perception and develops skillfulness in the context of a rigorous practice. Pasadena Waldorf middle school students also have opportunities to experience themselves within the context of a wider social group during curricular and extra-curricular activities that bring together the whole the middle school.
Core curriculum includes:
History. From Rome, through the Middle Ages, the Renaissance, Age of Enlightenment, revolutions, industrialization, into modern times students trace the development of Western civilization to the present.
English. Foundational skills in vocabulary, grammar, composition, writing of reference papers are developed. Elements of poetry and figurative language, including ballads, sonnets, epics, Chaucer and Shakespeare, short stories, modern American and British novels and plays are explored.
Geometry. Geometric drawing with instruments, plane geometry, solid geometry, and Platonic Solids.
Mathematics. Percents, ratio, proportion, areas, formulas, algebra from the simple equation through quadratics, powers and roots, binary system, inequalities, numerical trigonometry, probability, logic and problem-solving.
Geography. Western Hemisphere and the poles, Europe, Africa, the Middle East, Asia, oceans and winds of the world, world economic geography.
Natural sciences. Mineralogy, geology, astronomy, meteorology, human physiology and anatomy.
Physics. Optics, acoustics, heat, electricity, magnetism, hydraulics, mechanics.
Chemistry. Combustion, lime cycle, acids, bases and salts, metals, and chemistry of foodstuffs.


Remember, learning to read isn’t ‘rocket science’ but there is a lot going on when you read. Two of the processes happening at any given moment involved with reading difficulties are related.
Two Separate Processes
One is the phoneme awareness and the other is the ability to rapidly name objects, numbers, letters, and colors automatically. Wolf (1999) states that when a poor reader has difficulty with both phoneme awareness and rapid naming they tend to be at the lowest end of the reading continuum. Wolf goes on to state that some people with dyslexia have difficulty rapidly processing just visual language and others have difficulties rapidly processing several kinds of information. There may also be a connection with the processing of sounds more slowly than the average person that contributes to the difficulty with rapid naming.
Reading Problems, Dyslexia, or Learning Disabilities In Older Children and Adults What Should I Do?
Deficits in rapid naming may persist into later childhood and early adulthood (Wolf, 1986; Snyder & Downey, 1995; Korhonen, 1995). Those with deficits in rapid naming also had deficits in reading and spelling that persisted into adulthood.
High Success Rates for Improving Reading, Dyslexia, and Learning Disabilities.
Dr. Penny Chiappe (2002) states that although sensory-motor training has been found to enhance sensory-motor skills, it has not shown any effect on literacy skills. She goes on to state that programs focusing on phonological awareness, coupled with systematic, explicit phonics instruction, structural analysis of words, spelling, and comprehension strategies have higher success rates for improving reading, dyslexia, and learning disabilities.
Bonnie Terry, M. Ed., BCET


If you haven’t seen any of Linda’s work you need to take a look! For the past few years I’ve been using Interactive Read Alouds in my classroom. It’s a wonderful resource that has read alouds identified for different reading comprehension strategies, and lessons to accompany the read aloud. It’s fantastic! I’m not doing it justice, you should check it out!
I bought two new books. They’re my birthday present to myself. Isn’t that semi-sad? But I can’t help myself…all of my jeans have holes in them but I would rather buy teacher books than clothes. Sigh – I’m hopeless!
These are officially on my summer to-read list!
I originally wasn’t planning on buying anything but Linda Hoyt shared some truly inspiring ideas for reading and writing and I had to buy them. HAD TO!
*********Keep Reading! *********
**There are Common Core nuggets of knowledge from Linda Hoyt herself!!**
Did you know the common core has created a list of text exemplars?
This means that for the grade levels examples of excellent text have been identified in different areas – stories, poetry, read alouds, informational text, etc.
The Common Core emphasizes that our students need to read and be exposed to complex, rich text – especially informational text. And they’ve provided a list of examples – wasn’t that kind?!
Hoyt recommended that we familiarize ourselves with the text attributes that characterize these exemplars. What makes them examples of excellence? By identifying these attributes we can better identify other wonderful books, and we can teach these attributes to our students.
But we can’t stop with just reading these texts, because, according to the Common Core, writing is also of utmost importance. Our students need to be taught to write and write well. What better way than to study excellent works of writing!
For example, all writing has punctuation. BUT excellent writing includes rich internal punctuation. (I nearly jumped out of my seat with excitement at the term – she gave a name to a vague idea that I had floating around my head). Also, by writing in clusters of three the text becomes more lyrical. Vivid imagery is also a common characteristic of excellent writing.
See coded example:
Hoyt recommends that we study these texts with our students. That we identify these writing attributes that make the texts great together with our students. Then, with our students, work on creating writing with those attributes (i.e. internal punctuation, clusters of three, or vivid imagery and so many more).
This is just one example of many. Hoyt was able to make these attributes come alive. She was also able to present instructional strategies that were feasible for any grade level. Remember, I’m excited and I teach in a bilingual 1/2 classroom where nothing is easy! I can’t wait to start teaching writing!
Hoyt shared many more strategies and ideas on reading informational text and writing informational text. I will share them as I have a chance to reflect and read her books.
Click below for the common core list of exemplars:
This was ridiculously long and I commend you if you made it this far, you’re an awesome teacher!!! I hope at the very least the link is helpful so you can hunt for the text exemplars at your grade level.
Mrs. CastroPin It


TEACHERS WRITE: Report Card On Equity in the Schools
Gender Representation in College and Elementary Classrooms
Jane Chapman, Denver Metropolitan University
A week before school started, my mother was walking my nephew Alec to his piano lesson and asking him questions about school. Alec was about to start first grade. She asked him about what types of things he thought he'd do and what the other kids would be like and whether or not he was excited and who his teacher would be. Alec didn't have too many answers that Monday morning, but he was very firm in his response about his teacher. "I don't know," he told my mother "but I sure hope it's a man because all my teachers have been women." Although Alec had only attended kindergarten, he had also had two years of pre-school through the district's education program--three teachers, three women.
Not unusual. As I think back on my own education, talk with students, and observe my own classes, I know that Alec's chances of having a male elementary school teacher, particularly in the primary grades, are slim. I had three male teachers in elementary school--Mr. Badger (4th), Mr. Fawson (5th) and Mr. Lundquist (6th). But as I talk with students and friends, I seem to be the exception. For example, in children's literature each semester, a course required for students planning to teach elementary school, I usually have only three to five men in a class of thirty-five. This semester there are three; one is planning to teach secondary English. In teaching composition in the elementary school I have not had a male student in the past three semesters. I ask my students "where are all the men?" They tell me "they're in the engineering classes." When I taught technical writ-ing for engineering majors, I asked my students, "where are all the women?" They would tell me, "in the education classes."
Some gender lines seem difficult to cross. Seventy-three percent off all public school teachers were women (Digest of Ed. Statistics 1993-1994). Although there was no breakdown between elementary and secondary teachers, experiences show that there will be more men in secondary programs--math, science, football coach, etc. In 1997 there were a total of 46,840 elementary education graduates from our colleges and universities. Only 11 percent (or 5,106) were men, the remaining 89 percent were women.
Education, especially in the early grades, needs good, strong teachers who are role models for thinking and learning. Our children, girls and boys, need teachers, men and women, who encourage them to strive and reach and accomplish. Men and women can both accomplish that task. And, hopefully, as this field which so long has been sustained and maintained by women opens and invites men to participate, so will more fields still dominated by men become more available and inviting to women.
I told my students the other day we needed to start recruiting. Our class needed diversity. Our class needed another voice. Will we find it?
Copyright 1999, The Women in Literature and Life Assembly of the National Council of Teachers of English (ISSN #1065-9080). Permission is given to copy any article provided credit is given and the copies are not intended for resale.
Reference Citation: Chapman, Jane. (1999). "Gender Representation in College and Elementary Classrooms." WILLA, Volume 8, p. 18, 20.


Teacher’s role is very important in the system of education. To equip teachers with proper skills teachers are given training. There are certain levels of teachers training which are according to the general education ability of teachers. They are given as under:
Primary School Teachers: Primary school teachers are SSC pass. The duration of primary school teachers training is one year. They get Primary Teaching Certificate (PTC) on completing their training.
Middle School Teachers: They are FA/F.SC pass. They get Certificate in Teaching (CT) after completing one year training. PTC or CT training is provided by the Government Colleges of Elementary Education for boys and girls separately at all the district headquarters.
Secondary School Teachers: They are BA/BSC pass. They get B.Ed. (Bachelor of Education) degree after one year’s training. Government colleges of Education for B.Ed are at a few selected places in each province.


Free Word Family Worksheets. Word families are groups of words that have the same sounds and groups of letters. Most students learn this during phonics instruction as a word pattern. Here are some Word Family Small Group Centers that include word families such as AD, AN, AT, AY, EAT, ED, EN, ET, IGHT, ING, IP, IT, OLD, OP, OW, OY, UT, UN, UCK, UNNY.
Have Fun Teaching – Word Family Fun learning activity centers for small groups. Your kids will love these colorful matching games for centers.
Hubbards Cupboard – Free printable word family booklets for kids. Print out these fun word family books for kids to read and color. Comes with student set and teacher set.
Jan Brett – Free word family posters. Each poster shows a word family, a picture, and sample words.
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Lack of education, particularly among children, continues to be one of the main challenges to the well-being and quality of life of children worldwide, concludes a recent Oxfam International report titled, “Education Now: Break the Cycle of Poverty.” According to this report, there are currently 125 million children who never attend school, and 150 million children who start school but drop out before they can read or write. This situation also affects adults in the developing world, one in four of whom is illiterate. Unless some wide-ranging measures are implemented soon, this could translate into a crisis situation that could have serious effects on the population, particularly those living in developing countries.
Lack of access to education is particularly serious in sub-Saharan Africa, which accounts for almost one-third of the total out-of-school population. If present trends continue, it will account for three-quarters of that total population in 2015. It is estimated that by that year, an additional 9 million children will be without an education, thus making 54 million African children lacking even the most elementary education. In 16 countries in sub-Saharan Africa, there has been a decline in children’s enrollment rates. That sub-Saharan Africa has also been particularly hit by the AIDS epidemic underscores the need to increase resources to combat illiteracy as a basic strategy against this disease.
Lack of education in parents, particularly for mothers, can have serious consequences on the health status of their children. The more educated the mother, the greater the chances of having healthy children. It has been shown that each additional year spent by mothers in primary schools reduces the children’s risk of premature death by almost 10 percent.
Education in mothers can have such dramatic effects on their children’s health because they have better access to information about health and nutrition, and they are more likely to take their sick children for treatment. Because they are also more self-confident, they tend to be more vocal in their demands for adequate health services for their children. Education in women is also associated with smaller family size and a better health status among mothers.
In urban India, the mortality rate among the children of uneducated women is more than double than those of children of educated women. Also in India, mothers with four or more years of education are twice as likely to have ante-natal care and three times more likely to have their children immunized against childhood diseases than mothers with no education. It has been shown that every 1,000 girls educated in Pakistan can prevent up to 60 infant deaths. In the Philippines, primary education among mothers reduces the risks of child mortality by half, and secondary education reduces that risk by a factor of three.
There are still, however, notable inequalities in global access to education. While some children in Africa or in some Asian countries can expect to go to school for two or three years, a five-year-old child from Europe or the United States can expect to have an average 17 years of formal education. These inequalities are dramatic not only among different countries but within countries as well.
In addition, there are differences between girls and boys, since girls represent two-thirds of children who don’t go to school. Although many countries have made significant advances toward the elimination of this gap it persists, particularly among developing countries. According to the Oxfam report, “In many schools in the developing world, the treatment of girls is tantamount to a system of apartheid.”
There are several strategies that, even if they don’t eliminate this problem, may increase children’s access to education in a substantial way. At the national level, governments have to clearly establish education as a priority, and provide necessary resources and support. At the international level, both governments and international lending institutions have to implement debt-reduction policies for those countries willing to provide increased resources for basic education. International lending institutions such as the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund have taken some preliminary steps toward the modification of their own structural adjustment policies that for many years have exerted a negative influence in the developing countries’ social agendas. These policies have to be given a renewed emphasis to make sure that education for all ceases to be a chimera and becomes a reality. Nothing more, and nothing less, than our children’s future is at stake.


A website for educators and teacher education students.
Developed to be used with the second edition of Developing early literacy: Assessment and teaching.
About this book…
Find out the latest research and and improve your understanding of children’s literacy development through practice here.
Online support materials and videos enable students to practise assessment tasks in Developing early literacy: Assessment and teaching.
Students can practise online or in face-to-face workshops.
Watch real-life videos of children reading to enhance your understanding of children’s reading behaviours without venturing into a classroom!
Students can learn about phonemic awareness, concepts of print and reading fluency, and taking records of reading behaviour.
Videos with support material available


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Planning Story Characters Using Interactive Trading Cards
|Grades||3 – 5|
|Lesson Plan Type||Standard Lesson|
|Estimated Time||Two or three 50- to 60-minute sessions|
The boundaries of literacy are expanding to include many different popular culture texts. Finding classroom applications for these texts can motivate students as they develop important literacy strategies and skills. This lesson uses trading cards to support students' literacy development in planning for writing. Using an interactive trading cards tool, students first explore the way that the questions on it apply to a character in a familiar story. Students then use the tool to plan a character's development. An extension for this lesson is to have students use these cards to write their own stories.
Trading Card Creator online tool: Have students use this interactive tool to plan and develop their characters by answering key questions about them.
Trading Cards mobile app: Students use this mobile app to create trading cards for fictional characters.
Xu S.H., Perkins, R.S., & Zunich, L.O. (2005). Trading cards to comic strips: Popular culture texts and literacy learning in grades K–8. Newark, DE: International Reading Association.
- A New Literacies Study (NLS) perspective views literacy as moving beyond merely reading and writing printed words and traditional texts. This perspective includes popular culture "texts" including video games and trading cards as literacy tools.
- An emerging body of research has documented that an integration of popular culture texts into teaching offers students an alternative way to demonstrate their literacy knowledge and skills and to engage in meaningful literary practices.
- The use of popular culture texts may provide a source of increased motivation for many students and may provide literacy learning opportunities that are especially effective with reluctant or struggling readers.


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Guzheng, as one of the most representative Chinese instruments, first appeared around the Warring States period (475 - 221 BC), then became extremely popular during the Tang Dynasty (618 - 907 AD) and spread to all neighboring areas ever since (e.g. Guzheng is the forefather of Japanese Koto). Guzheng was originally a rather simple instrument with only five strings. After all the years of evolution, today's Guzheng has twenty-one strings and is still widely used in all kinds of Chinese music.
Guzheng has a unique, rippling sound character. The playing techniques developed for Guzheng are also unique and distinct, therefore set it apart from any other members in the world's zither family.
ChineeGuzheng II has an extensive sampleset which contains various types of tremolo, slide, glissando, and strumming.
ChineeGuzheng II is recorded with an acclaimed GuZheng musician, YingPing Lin. Lin was academically trained within the best Chinese classic music education system. She has won many national and international music awards, performed domestically and overseas routinely and published recording albums as well as books and papers.
ChineeGuzheng II, now coupled with the new QIN engine, provides the most characteristic sound of China with the depth and liveliness pursued by musicians around the globe.
- 580 MB meticulously produced sample sets.
- Powered by the Windows native QIN engine.
- All samples are recorded in 24 bit 96 kHz.


South Sudan: An education system in crisis
More than half a million children have fled their homes in South Sudan since conflict first broke out in December 2013. Most have stopped going to school and aid groups have warned of the long-term consequences of a continued disruption to education.
In Mingkaman, Awerial County, in Lakes State for example, many displaced children are out of school. They are among about 92,000 people who have settled in Mingkaman – the largest concentration of internally displaced people in South Sudan. Most fled here following fighting in neighbouring Jonglei State.
Humanitarian organizations are running emergency education programmes comprising life, psychosocial, literacy and numeracy skills.
Crowded classrooms, few teachers
In Awerial County, the international NGO Plan International has set up seven temporary learning spaces in four primary schools.
“While each [learning] space is designed to support 50 children in each session, they are crowded with over 200 children per session,” said Gyan Adhikari, Plan International’s South Sudan Country Director.
“Overcrowding and a lack of learning materials and teachers are big challenges in Awerial and in most parts of the country.”
Volunteer teachers are playing a key role in these emergency education centres.
Parach Mach is a volunteer who teaches English at the Mingkaman 1 Primary School. “The classes are congested. Even writing on the blackboard is a problem,” he said. “Some of the children are traumatised and they do not concentrate in class. Some are aggressive too.”
This is an increasingly common observation. According to the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF), many children have been separated from their parents and families. Many more have witnessed atrocities. An estimated 9,000 children have been recruited into armed groups.
Asked why he volunteers his teaching services Parach speaks of his hope for his country. “I do it to help the people. I may one day teach someone who will become important in South Sudan,” he said.
So far, about 110,000 children have been reached with emergency education. Aid groups are looking to tackle the teacher shortage, including by providing incentives to volunteer teachers. But these efforts are hampered by a lack of funding.
Education is the second poorest funded cluster in South Sudan’s 2014 Crisis Response Plan. As of 31 May, the cluster was 33 per cent funded.
“If education is not reprioritized immediately there is an ample chance of a generation of children missing out on education,” warned Plan’s Adhikari. “This will be a loss for the new country’s plans for development and peace.”