Addition sums up to 5. These multiplication worksheets include timed math fact drills fill in multiplication tables multiple digit multiplication multiplication with decimals and much more.
Our multiplication worksheets start with the basic multiplication facts and progress to multiplying large numbers in columns.
Simple multiplication worksheets for kindergarten. Addition sums up to 10. Basic multiplication worksheets on interesting picture multiplication missing factors comparing quantities forming the product and a lot more. And dad has a strategy for learning those multiplication facts that you don t want to miss.
These free simple multiplication worksheets are helpful for students learning basic multiplication facts. Master basic times tables decimal multiplication more with drill sheets word problems other fun printables. Multiplication worksheet x0 free multiplication worksheet for learning x0 facts.
The printer friendly worksheets in this page have large number multiplicands like 4 digit 5 digit 6 digit and more. Our grade 3 multiplication worksheets emphasize the meaning of multiplication basic multiplication and the multiplication tables. We ve created a simple set of multiplication facts worksheets to provide your students with extra practice.
Kindergarten addition worksheets 1 digit. Free math worksheets from k5 learning. Basic multiplication 0 through 10 this page has lots of games worksheets flashcards and activities for teaching all basic multiplication facts between 0 and 10.
Making 10 worksheets tally marks word problems most popular preschool and kindergarten worksheets cut and paste worksheets dot to dot worksheets. Get 600 multiplication worksheets. We emphasize mental multiplication exercises to improve numeracy skills.
Multiplication worksheets for grades 2 to 6. Worksheets math grade 3 multiplication. Exercises also include multiplying by whole tens and whole hundreds as well as some column form multiplication missing factor questions are also included.
Basic multiplication 0 through 12 on this page you ll find all of the resources you need for teaching basic facts through 12. Kindergarten subtraction worksheets 1 digit. Word problems are also included in these worksheets.
Multiplication worksheet x1 free multiplication worksheet for learning x1 facts. Challenge your math skills by multiplying numbers from 3 digit to 8 digit. There is a huge collection over 160 worksheets of multiplication drills on factors up to 10 factors up to 12 2 digit times 1 digit and 2 digit times 2 digit.
Multiplication worksheet multiplication exercise multiplication practice and multiplication problems simple multiplication worksheet pdf is a good resource for children in kindergarten 1st grade 2nd grade 3rd grade 4th grade and 5th grade simple multiplication worksheet is the. Simple multiplication worksheet is composed of the following. Worksheets math math by topic multiplication.
When you re done be sure to check out the unique spiral and bullseye multiplication worksheets to get a.


The American Museum of Natural History is one of the world’s preeminent scientific and cultural institutions. Since its founding in 1869, the Museum has advanced its global mission to discover, interpret, and disseminate information about human cultures, the natural world, and the universe through a wide-ranging program of scientific research, education, and exhibition. The Museum is renowned for its exhibitions and scientific collections, which serve as a field guide to the entire planet and present a panorama of the world’s cultures.
OLogy: The Museum’s website for kids
OLogy offers games, videos, articles, and hands-on activities about 14 “OLogies,” or branches of science, from Archeaology to Zoology. OLogy taps into the scientific research and collections of the Museum to present authentic science for kids ages 7 and up. OLogy was redesigned in 2016 to be available for mobile and tablet users, and to meet national guidelines for accessibility. OLogy has won numerous awards from educational publishers, including the 2015 REVERE Award from the Association of American Publishers and several Teacher’s Choice award from Learning Magazine, in addition to a Webby Award. Visit OLogy at www.amnh.org/ology.


The Taliban infamously beat musicians, destroyed instruments, and publicly burned recordings in the name of that regime's extreme version of Islam.
Nearly as soon as the Taliban fell, in late 2001, disquieted musicians within and outside the country took steps to revive Afghanistan's unique musical tradition.
One was Ahmad Sarmast, a musicologist who returned to his native Afghanistan to open an academy at the very site where his own musical education began as a boy.
"Establishing and promoting music education is part of returning the musical right of Afghans back to them," Sarmast says. "Every Afghan should have the ability to listen to music, practice and learn music, and to express themselves through music."
Two years after opening its doors, the Afghanistan National Institute of Music in Kabul instructs some 150 students from their first note through their graduation as seasoned musicians.
Students get a well-rounded education: Half the day is spent on math, science, literature, and other subjects, while the other half is dedicated to music.
The students choose their own path -- either Western classical or Afghan traditional. And there is a decided effort to develop pupils from all walks of life. Former street children, orphans, and girls -- who face particular obstacles in Afghanistan's patriarchal and culturally conservative society -- make up half of the student body.
All receive full scholarships to attend the institute, which functions under the Afghan Education Ministry and receives international funding, particularly from Australia, Germany, and Denmark. After completing their studies, graduates are awarded internationally recognized music diplomas.
With widespread backing, the institute has been able to hire Western music teachers and provide state-of-the-art facilities, including soundproof classrooms and a modern library. There is also a 300-seat auditorium being planned.
Sarmast, 49, says the institute's orchestra plans to visit the United States in February, where they will perform a series of concerts, including at the prestigious John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington and Carnegie Hall in New York.
That is a far cry from the state the institute was in when Sarmast, who has studied in Russia and Australia, returned to Afghanistan in 2008. Sarmast studied at the site when it was known as the School of Fine Arts in the 1970s.
Before the school's revival, its caretakers say, it did not have any windows, its hallways were littered with rubble, and its classrooms walls pocked with bullet holes.
During the civil war in the 1990s, the campus was repeatedly shelled and looted by warring groups who -- according to its caretakers -- stripped the building of its electrical wiring and plumbing. Instruments, they say, were used for kindling and even to store and carry ammunition.
Sarmast says the civil war and the repressive policies against music during the Taliban period had a lasting effect on people's attitudes toward music and musicians -- some Afghan musicians, even today, complain they are looked down upon and even harassed.
Sarmast says that many things that Western musicians take for granted, such as copyright protection and payment for original material, do not exist.
"Right now, Afghanistan is lacking laws and regulations which can protect musicians' rights," Sarmast says. "I hope that very soon the Afghan government and the appropriate authorities will take necessary steps to ensure the musical rights of Afghan people and also to protect the musicians and their rights legally."
Despite the challenges, Sarmast says Afghan musicians are full of optimism and awareness of the important role they can play.
"Music can greatly contribute to the rehabilitation or healing process of the nation, which is badly traumatized because of 30 years of war," he says. "Music has a very strong power for social change. Music has the ability and the force to overcome social, economic, ethnic, and religious barriers and to unite the Afghan people."
Sarmast is now looking to export the positive vibes of music to other Afghan cities and planning to build music institutes in Herat, Mazar-e Sharif, and Jalalabad within the next decade.


NEW YORK STATE RESOURCES
Seven briefs covering the following topics for prekindergarten through 3rd grade classrooms:
Leadership, Environment, Curriculum, Interactions Instruction, Appropriate Use of Assessment, Family Engagement, & Behavior.
Source: NYSAEYC and NYSHSC
Discover resources on the U.S. Office of Head Start Early Childhood Learning and Knowledge Center (ECLKC) site that you can use immediately to meet the professional development needs of many early childhood staff.
Professional development is an integral part of supporting and maintaining high quality in early childhood programs. The Professional Development section of the ECLKC is a gateway to materials for achieving program and personal goals.
Explore materials that foster the development of a professional early childhood workforce to ensure continuous improvement of services for children and families.
Parent, Family, and Community Engagement:


A fully revised and updated version of the ultimate guide to language development for parents!
Language is about so much more than just words, and healthy communication is the foundation of a child’s ability to succeed emotionally, socially, and academically. The first 8 years of life represent a critical period of language and literacy development, and parents/caregivers are a child’s primary role models as he or she begins to acquire speaking, reading, and writing skills. Fully revised, Beyond Baby Talk is here to guide readers through the easiest and most engaging ways to instill strong communication skills in children and to provide fun for caregivers and children along the way.
Beyond Baby Talk highlights all of the essential steps and checkpoints to gauge a child’s progress, as well as easy methods to:
- Evaluate and monitor a child’s spoken language development.
- Enhance a child’s literacy skills for improved spelling, reading, and writing abilities.
- Understand and navigate environmental influences on language development such as television, texting, and slang.
- Recognize the signs of language and literacy progress problems—and know when to seek professional help.
New Features in this updated book include:
- Expanded Age Range: Now from Birth to 8, With an Emphasis on Literacy
- Two new chapters
- Reading, Writing, and Spelling: Helping Your Child Achieve in School
- Fads, Scams, and Myths: Knowing What to Look For
- Completely Revised and Updated Chapters and References
- New Information About Home Computers, Mobile Phones, Texting, Apps, and Other Technology
What Are People Saying About Beyond Baby Talk?
“In this practical guide, Apel and Masterson explain how infants, toddlers, and children learn to speak, read, and write in clear and simple language that will help parents understand and bolster their children’s progress. Along with the compelling examples that illustrate the ways in which everyday interactions promote language and literacy, the authors provide a rich array of suggestions, resources, and guidance that will empower parents to fulfill their critical role in their children’s development."
Joshua Sparrow, MD, Associate Clinical Professor, Harvard Medical School, Director, Strategy, Planning and Program Development, Brazelton Touchpoints Center Boston Children's Hospital
“Beyond Baby Talk combines accuracy with readability to produce an excellent resource for parents, caregivers, and clinicians alike."
Dr. Arthur C. Maerlender Jr, PhD, Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth
“As a father of two older daughters and a young son, I was especially drawn to Beyond Baby Talk’s chapter on the influence of gender and birth order on language development. I expect that I will pick this book up repeatedly as my son grows, to review important details about language and literacy development."
J. Michael Metts D.O., FACOP, FAAP, Chair, Department of Pediatrics, College of Osteopathic Medicine, Des Moines University
About the authors:
Kenn Apel, PhD, CCC-SLP, is a professor and chair of communication sciences and disorders at the University of South Carolina and a widely known researcher and educator in language and literacy development and disorders.
Julie J. Masterson, PhD, CCC-SLP, is a nationally known educator and researcher in speech, language, and literacy development. She is a professor of communication sciences and disorders at Missouri State University.
The authors share why they decided to write Beyond Baby Talk.


G-6509 Pitch Exploration Stories – Flashcards by John M. Feierabend
Series: First Steps in Music
These amusing stories inspire children to make sliding sounds that explore the vocal muscles used in the upper register, or head voice. Just as an athlete warms up certain muscle groups before exercising, singers should warm up their voice muscles with activities such as these before singing. Vocal ability will improve if these pathways are used frequently.
John M. Feierabend, PhD, has spent decades compiling songs and rhymes from the memories of the American people in the hopes that these treasures will be preserved for future generations. He is Professor and Chair of the Music Education Department at The Hartt School of the University of Hartford.


It started as a standard third-grade science lesson – how the tilt of the Earth causes the seasons to change. Now a group of future educators looked over a Greek play that gave a wholly different version of how summer turns to fall.
Under the direction of a UMW theatre professional, they acted out the story of Demeter, the goddess of the harvest, and her daughter, Persephone.
This was a study in arts integration.
For three semesters, Melissa Wells, assistant professor of education, has taught a course called Literature and the Arts in Elementary Education. She shows future teachers how to infuse subjects like math, science and social studies with five areas of art: literature, dance, drama, music and the visual arts.
Using photography to study fractions. A dance routine to simulate cloud formations. Music to solve math problems. A human tableau to illustrate the causes of the Civil War.
“I know how fun it is and how effective it can be,” said Wells, who taught in a Title I arts integration school for six years before coming to Mary Washington. Students there consistently outperformed their counterparts.
But you don’t have to be a specialized teacher or teach in a specialized classroom to integrate the arts into standard subjects, Wells tells her students. “You can work this in every day.”
It wasn’t enough for the class of teachers-in-training to hear about it, or even see it. Wells would have them do it.
They would take on the role of third-graders studying a textbook science lesson called “Why Does Earth Have Seasons?”
Wells instructed them to form a tableau – a posed depiction – based on what they’d learned. Soon, the students had bent their bodies to represent the Earth’s tilt around the sun at the start of each new season.
Then it was time for the Greek play. Wells had called on UMW Theatre Director of Marketing and Audience Services Jon Reynolds ’07. He’d trained as an actor and director before rejoining his alma mater.
Reynolds led the class through a warm-up, then explained the difference between upstage and downstage and how to exit left and right. Inside a black box theatre in duPont Hall, the students acted out their parts.
Afterwards, Wells asked them to compare the myth to what they now knew about the seasons. She asked them what scientific principal the play did not represent.
They thought for a moment before bending their bodies back into the tilt of the Earth.
The movement had helped them remember.
Before the class was over, they’d write short plays about solids, liquids and gases, something they could use in their own classrooms someday. And they’d integrate art into another science lesson by creating books for elementary-schoolers on conservation and the life cycle of a grasshopper.
Inspired by children’s author Eric Carle, who has penned such classics at The Very Hungry Caterpillar, the UMW students painted paper and cut forms and figures they glued onto pages. In just a few days, they would deliver the final products to Cedar Forest Elementary School in Spotsylvania County, for use in real classrooms.
UMW sophomore Morgan Conner thought back to her own elementary school days when she wanted to be a veterinarian. A middle-school civics teacher in her hometown of Gainesville, Virginia, changed all that.
The teacher hadn’t just wanted his students to memorize words lessons. He’d wanted them to understand civics, and he’d cared enough to make sure they did, Conner said.
She decided to become a teacher in the hope of bringing those qualities to her own classroom.
Thanks to a class in arts integration, Conner now has another way to do just that.


Written by Funmi Morakinyo
“The foundation of every state is the education of its youth (children)”
– Diogenes of Sinope
Education is vital to the development of every state; it is the crux of development, civilization and modernization. In spite of its importance, millions of children all over the world are deprived of access to quality education. This is injustice and inequity at its peak. The 2016 UNESCO report on education shows that about 103 million youth lack the basic literacy and numeracy skills and a total of 263 Million Children are out-of-school. Nigeria is not left out in this education crisis, as a matter of fact; Nigeria has the highest number out-of-school children -10.5 million. This is not the future we want. The future we want was resolved by the 193 countries of the UN General Assembly and documented as the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development Goals (SDG). If Nigeria will attain the goals entrenched in the SDG 2030, it must begin with putting education at the forefront, and finding sustainable ways to address critical issues hindering education access and quality delivery.
The LEARNigeria[i] 2017 household survey unravelled some concealed but critical issues. The survey was implemented in 6 states across the 6 geopolitical zones in Nigeria. The states include Lagos, Kano, Akwa Ibom, Ebonyi, Kano and Taraba. In some states, it was observed that education is subject to political and settlement rift. Two examples were in Kano and Taraba state. In Kano state, because of political rift, a one-time multi-million naira hotel commissioned to be converted into a school was kept on hold. As we drove by the tranquil road where the massive building was located, I thought of how many children the school, if completed by now, will provide education for, how many girls would have benefitted and how Kano state may have been closer to delivering the sustainable development goal on education. Likewise in Taraba state, settlement rift is the order of the day. If government builds a school in a settlement, neighbouring settlements refrain their children from attending the school. They are of the opinion that going to school in another settlement will make the settlement more developed than theirs.
Another scorecard is the deplorable state of education infrastructure. The rural areas are the most disadvantaged in this case. In these rural areas, learning environment is characterized with dilapidated classrooms, no chairs and tables, no clean school toilet, no water and other necessary infrastructure required for a conducive learning environment.
This is definitely not the future we want for the Nigerian child. The future we want is benchmarked on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) on education. The SDG 4 challenges countries to ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all. The question is, “Are we close to attaining this goal?” I sincerely don’t think so. As a matter of unease, so many children are not any step close to civilization; not to point out getting the quality education they deserve.
It is disheartening but discernible that government alone is not enough to ensure that our children are in schools and learning the basic literacy and numeracy skills they need in an ever-changing society. We cannot continue to leave the education of our children in the hands of state or local government alone. It is time citizens take action and be the voice of change for the future of every Nigerian child. This is my LEARNigeria story.
[i] LEARNigeria is a citizen-led household assessment of learning of children ages 5-15. It was piloted in Ungogo and Ikorodu local government in 2015 and scaled to 34 local governments including the pilot areas across 6 states representing the 6 geopolitical zones in Nigeria.


|Trọng lượng||200 kg|
|Kích thước||30 × 21 × 2 cm|
Cambrige Primary Starters Activity book A
Sách dành cho các bạn mẫu giáo chuẩn bị vào lớp 1 hệ Cambridge.
Cambridge Primary Starters are complementary activity books which are specifically designed as preparatory activity books before children embark on the Cambridge Primary Curriculum at Grade 1. The Starters provide a range of activities which will help children acquire the vital numeracy skills they will need for primary school, such as numbers, counting, identifying shapes and comparing sizes and quantities. They include discreet activity guidance for teacher or parent as they support their child in completing the activities


Peekskill City School District’s Dual Language Program serves over 400 children in Kindergarten through Fifth Grade. Now in its tenth year, the Dual Language Program features bilingual classrooms and talented teachers who are able to facilitate student learning in all subjects using both English and Spanish. The Dual Language program’s primary objective is to produce students who are literate in two languages by pairing together native English-speaking and non-English speaking children together in one classroom. A second objective is to create an understanding and appreciation of cross-cultural differences.The program demonstrates the effectiveness of having a culturally diverse program that celebrates the substantial power of combining students into a Dual Language program. And in addition to the benefit to the students, Dual Language schooling has also transformed the experiences of teachers, administrators, and parents into an inclusive and supportive community for all. The Dual Language enrichment program is cultivating and enhancing the academic and social experiences of children from every part of the Peekskill City School District.For further information about the Dual Language program, contact Mary Foster, Assistant Superintendent of Elementary Education, at 914-737-3300 ext. 325, or via email at email@example.com.


The Fate of the Iranian Baha'is
The international human rights circles were alarmed by the abuse of human rights in Iran by early 1980. The Sub-Commission on Prevention of Discrimination and Protection of Minorities was first to express its concerns over the highly disturbing allegations of human rights violations against the Baha`i community in Iran. The Baha`is of Iran were also the subject of the first UN resolution dealing with human rights violations in the Islamic Republic of Iran.
To incapacitate the Baha'is as a viable religious community, the Islamic republic of Iran embarked upon a policy of systematic elimination of Baha’i’s religious leadership and administrative institutions, at both national and local levels. More than two hundred Baha'is, mostly in positions of leadership, have been killed since 1979. An additional fifteen Baha’is have disappeared and are presumed dead. Furthermore, the regime has proceeded to place rigid restrictions on the Baha’is public and social activities from elementary education to professional occupations, from marriage ceremonies to cemeteries. At the same time, it has been impossible for Baha'is to seek redress for the abuse and crimes committed against them through the courts, since they had already been declared ineligible for recourse to Iranian courts as “unprotected infidels.”
Baha'is have been denied the right to distribute within their own community literature pertaining to their faith. No open classes have been allowed to be held for educating children in Baha’i spiritual and moral values. Although the regime has permitted the enrollment of students from Baha’i families in the elementary and secondary schools, it has continued to deny them access to centers of higher education.
The freedom of vigilante groups, surreptitiously encouraged or sponsored by the government, to harass and attack Bahai’s demonstrates that both the state and society at large share the responsibility for the abuse and breach of human rights of religious minorities in Iran. Although secular Iranians have provided employment opportunities in various professions for a number of Baha’is, Iran’s liberal Muslim intellectuals or even its secular political groups have yet to publicly attempt to decry the abuse of Iran’s non-Muslim communities, particularly the Baha'is.


The Common Core Standards have generated numerous fears and apprehensions on the part of many teachers, including language arts and math teachers, and music teachers. Language arts and math teachers are concerned about suddenly raising reading levels on students who are already struggling, and on successfully teaching with more rigor and depth while still including all units in their curriculums. Music teachers are concerned that higher expectations, rigor and depth will further crowd music classes out of a sometimes already tenuous position in school and personal schedules.
While many or even all of these concerns may turn out to be realistic, for music educators there are advantages to the current educational climate the Common Core Standards are driving. New music standards are in an advanced stage of development, and draft copies have been available for public review for some time. The most significant difference between the original content standards and the new ones is a shift in emphasis from product to process. Whereas the original standards emphasized what would be created, responded to, or performed, the new standards, while retaining product goals, add process-oriented goals that provide a platform for providing instruction that is more meaningful and relevant to students without abandoning long-valued content such as Western art music.
The standards are organized under artistic processes. These processes are creating, performing, responding, and connecting. The first three, creating, performing, and responding, are divided into three anchor standards. For creating, they are imagine, which is the generating of musical ideas, plan & make, and evaluate, refine, and present For performing, the anchor standards are select, analyze, and interpret, rehearse, evaluate & refine, and present. For responding, they are select and analyze, interpret, and evaluate.
Notice that “select” is an anchor standard for performing and responding. Students will be expected to select the music they perform and listen to based on criteria they develop based on ability, interests, knowledge, and context. The student analyzes possible works for style, difficulty, and context, building knowledge about the piece that develops or coincides with their own personal interests. Of course the music educator must teach students how to do these kinds of analysis, and may also need to convince students that it is their job and not the teacher’s to select music with which they will work. The benefit is that students are invested in the material, and are given the opportunity to develop as musicians according to their personal interests and strengths, which should result in more motivated learners, and more commitment to music later in life, both welcome and worthy outcomes of successful music programs.
In the process of selecting, students will be analyzing, as discussed above, and interpreting. Interpretation in this context involves learning what the composer’s intent was, and learning how to express that intent through performance, or respond to that intent through another’s performance.
Finally, there is an evaluation anchor standard attached to each of these three standards. The cycle of rehearse, evaluate, and refine places metacognition and self-evaluation ahead of merely making corrections dictated by the teacher. This is the essence of gaining depth in instruction—teaching students that the most meaningful learning is to be found in the struggle of problem identification and problem solving. The struggle establishes the belief that it is alright to fail within the process of moving toward meeting a goal, and that there is more to be learned from those failures and the problem solving that they initiate, than from just taking someone else’s word for it that thus and such corrections need to be made.
Honing in on these processes places music education right in the thick of meeting Common Core objectives, while ot sacrificing any music program integrity. Because of this, though Common Core may present new challenges to already challenged music programs, it does, I believe, give music educators firmer ground than ever to stand on in establishing music programs at the very heart of education. Lesson plans that emphasize these new anchor standards will not only serve students well, but will demonstrate a commitment to the overall educational success of school in which music educators work, and that is worth much.
To see the new music standards, follow this link to the file on the nccas website.


These are just some simple advantages of engaging in music education. It is definitely worth giving a try.Why should I learn music? Why should I invest my time and money on music? Is it even worth it? These are the questions that people keep on asking when they are recommended music. Since we are also recommending you the same thing we thought of answering these questions. Well, music has a lot more to it that it looks. Without music the world would be a dull place to live. Jamming to the good old Abba songs or Beyonce’s empowering music or some Jazz from Duke Elington definitely energizes our body and awakens us. Why stop there when you yourself can be the next great singer or at least something close? Music has a lot to give.
Health is our greatest wealth. However, the modern society has failed to see the truth in this particular phrase. That is why we are more focused on keeping up with the rat race rather than taking some breaks to catch a few breaths. Finding a form of escape has the potential to boost our health. Music is one such form. Whether you sing in the shower or go to some pop singing lessons Melbourne you will be able to reduce your stress and have a wonderful time. Music can lower your blood pressure and develop your health. Let’s not forget the mental health which is tremendously important. Music can boost your mental health and keep you happy and bright.
Music can enhance your mind and help you become smart. If you were to enroll your children in some music lessons for kids Melbourne, you will be able to help them develop their learning abilities. This will be reflected through their school work. Music has the capability to develop the skills necessary for learning. This includes enhancing the memory, developing reading, listening and spoken skills and more. Check this website to find out more details.
Learning to sing or play an instrument means that you are able to get close to people. That is because you will be able to be a brighter, cheerful and happy person with music. Also, performing in public is definitely a heart throbbing talent. You will be a more recognized and appreciated individual and people will love your presence. Let’s not forget the appreciation from fellow musicians. When people share a passion like music they bond greatly. Next thing you know you will be enjoying a wonderful time in a good old jamming session.Music isn’t for a small moment, music is for life. It will be your partner forever. So, if you have a knack for music make sure you pursue it.


Educational equity is about doing what is needed for each child—ultimately reducing gaps and improving academic performance. It’s more than how a student does on a test. It’s what we as educators, families, health care providers, and communities do to make it easier for students to learn, feel supported, and access better care. Read about our progress in the articles below.
When I was growing up, I struggled in school. I eventually came to the realization that my school prioritized academics over cultivating meaningful relationships and supporting students’ social and emotional […]
Too often, youth development programs are built from a “deficit thinking” perspective – designed to give remedial instruction on academics and other skills. I believe that there’s a more powerful […]
On June 12, the Women’s Philanthropic Leadership Circle (WPLC) at the University of Minnesota College of Education and Human Development (CEHD) honored a group of women nominated by their peers […]
Peer tutoring is an organized learning experience in which one student serves as the teacher or tutor, and one is the learner or tutee. It gives students an opportunity to […]
While not every student will like you (nor will you like every student) the more students with whom you have a positive rapport the easier your job will be. This […]
Across academic fields, the concept of disciplinary literacy can have a range of different definitions. In literature and discourse studies, the term used is academic literacy. For second language education, […]
Much of my interest in studying the effects of early childhood learning and family programs comes from the desire to see how they link to school readiness, achievement and broader […]


2 years ago
Last week we hosted a new workshop, “Inclusive Elementary Education: Assistive Technology & Classroom Apps for Teaching and Learning” for elementary teachers, teacher librarians, school support services, and learning resource teachers. Megan Henning, DSBN educator & Brock University Alumni, led attendees through an introductory workshop focused on the benefits of assistive technology by showcasing iPad accessible features and apps. While at Brock, Megan focused her studies on students with exceptionalities in the classroom and the need for accommodation.
Megan informed attendees of the accessibility features on iPads including larger text, greyscale and colour inversion, guided access and assistive touch. Attendees also had a chance to explore a number of apps which focus on supporting inclusive teaching and learning for all students. Suggested apps focused on text to speech, speech to text, word prediction, organization, classroom management and learning to encourage independence, fluency, flexibility, assessment and engagement for students.
The workshop concluded with a presentation from a student entrepreneur from Sir Winston Churchill Secondary School, Daniel Genkin. Daniel’s company, DGApps, provides Software Development & Computer Design, focusing on App and game development, 3D modeling, and video & image editing. Daniel, who is also a participant in BioLinc’s Kick-Starting Entrepreneurship Program, showcased his App, HandTack - an innovative report mouse. Attendees were impressed with Daniel’s idea and we think you will be too! Check it out here: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.daniel.apps.handtrack&hl=en


Written by Jo Dilworth, SEND and Inclusion consultant, LGfL
The beginning of the academic year is an extremely daunting time for many of our young people, and most especially for those with SEND and/or SEMH needs. With new staff, routines, classrooms, subjects, equipment and sometimes new schools to get used to, this time of year often causes a lot of anxiety. Early September is also really busy for staff as they work hard to set up and implement new interventions and to support new students and colleagues.
There are many LGfL resources and strategies that can be used to ease this transition and to support us all find our feet at the beginning of the academic year. You can use them in school (if you have an LGfL or TRUSTnet internet connection) usually without logging in or anywhere else with your LGfL username and password. Here are 5 resources to get you started:
1. Don’t forget that you have access to over 15,000 Widgit symbols and over 1000 accessible symbolised resource sheets via www.widgit.lgfl.net which are really powerful at this time of year. You can create visual timetables to scaffold learners’ days and to remind them of their routines and you can also make the school and classroom equipment accessible. Many of these resources have been pre-made for you. Just click here to download and view these materials and to make more of your own. It’s well worth sharing Widgit symbols to support every day routines, like getting dressed, with home to provide consistency and to support transition at the beginning and end of the school day, too.
2. At this time of year, many inclusion staff will be organising a range of Literacy and Numeracy intervention groups. Many schools have reported on how helpful Grammar Explained and Maths at Home are for these groups as well as the Literacy and Numeracy resources in the ever popular Busy Things (especially the phonics resource maker linked from the front page when in teacher view). These resources are visual, short, multi-sensory and humorous, and have proved a great hit with students and staff alike.
Once you get confident with these, J2E tools, especially J2Blast for spelling, times tables and arithmetic, and Multemaths are other excellent resources which really support Literacy and Numeracy skills.
3. Staff may be arranging Speech, Language and Communication support for learners with needs in these areas. The Widgit symbols may help with this, but don’t forget Look Think Do also includes editable social stories and visual supports to support learners with autism and ADHD. The Helping to Change section might be particularly useful at this time of year. Thinking Skills for Life may help older students with Language and Communication Needs address topics within Relationships, Money, Citizenship, Leisure and Transport and this resource also includes some excellent Literacy and Numeracy resources for Secondary aged students. On Foot and other parts of the Transport section may be particularly helpful for those newly independent on their journeys to and from school.
4. If you have students with SEMH issues you may find many of the new mental health resources are extremely supportive. Healthy Minds, for example, includes a range of 20 minute resilience activities as part of an ongoing programme and staff CPD materials are included. The thousands of music tracks at Audio Networks can also be searched to find calm, peaceful tracks to support relaxation time. More materials in this area will follow.
5. Remember that if you have any new staff, we have plenty of SEND and Inclusion online and live CPD available. The EAL materials at www.eal.lgfl.net enhance staff practice, whilst the young interpreter scheme at www.yis.lgfl.net helps you to implement a buddy support programme. EAL, SEND and Inclusion training, free to LGfL schools is also available via www.training.lgfl.net and there are many training courses every term which you can sign up to at no extra cost. Free LGfL training can also be arranged by contacting email@example.com.


If you are in the UK and you want to take up teaching adults as a career path, you should be aware that there are a specific requirement for qualifications to do so. There are a few reasons for this. If you think about it, the way that the mind of child would learn is quite different compared to that of how an adult will learn. Therefore, there are different methods that you should use to grab the attention of an adult class and help them understand things in a way that is effective for them.
Is it Challenging to Teach an Adult Class Than a Kid’s Class?
Not necessarily if you employ the correct methods of teaching. However most educators that train and teach adults will tell you that they have observed, usually, that children would pick up things faster than adults would. The fascinating reason behind this, as studies have shown is that because in adults the prefrontal cortex of the brain is developed, something called a functional fixedness is present. This makes an adult see everything as it exactly is. The prefrontal cortex in a developing child will give them more creativity and flexibility. It will make them a lot more inventive too. Essentially, in the world of science, children have minds that are designed to learn and grow while adults have minds that are designed to perform.
How Can You Overcome This in an Adult Classroom?
You can easily get your adult classroom to learn effectively by using teaching strategies for adult students. This is one of the reason why you are required to learn specifically for adult teaching and training in the UK. A normal teaching course that would work for teaching children, may not be effective on adults.
- Adults find it easier to latch on to the things that they are taught and remember them easily if they can relate it to their daily lives. Rather than teaching them a theory and then leaving it at that, you can tell them an example of how that theory applies to our daily lives and they will understand and remember it better. They will internalise the lesson more if they know that there is a measurable improvement that it can have on their daily lives.
- Pay attention to their backgrounds. Compared to children, adults will come in with a lot more experience to your classroom. You have to teach them content that is up to date and also matches their level of educational and professional backgrounds, if you want them to take what you are teaching seriously. For example teaching English to adults lessons plans can be very much different from what you would use for children.
- Encourage critical thinking and let students challenge notions. Don’t expect an adult class to simply memorise all that you say. If they feel like they have to, they will lose interest too. Instead, encourage them to ask questions and tell them to discuss and interact in class.
Teaching Learning Disabled Adults
One of the many reason you would need specific qualifications to teach adults would also be because you may come across adults who are learning disabled and need help. Just like how you have to undergo specific training to teach kids with learning impairments, you have to apply the same rule to adults too. How to teach and adult to read if they have a learning disability? How can you get them to focus? How can you communicate with them without making them feel disrespected? All these are things that you will be able to learn with your adult teaching qualification.
What do You Need to Become A Further Education Lecturer (FE) in the UK?
Ideally, in the UK you will be required to have a Level 3 qualification that is accredited in the subject that you want to teach. You will also need a teaching qualification that is relevant to the level of teaching responsibility of your job role. Remember that employers can ask for either more or less requirements at their own discretion. Usually teaching qualifications will keep changing yearly or sometimes once in a few years and you need to stay updated on any changes. Typically they would ask for;
- A Level 3 Award in Education and Training
- A Level 4 Certificate in Education and Training
- Level 5 Diploma in Education and Training
- Level 5 Diploma in Education and Training along with a specialist pathway if possible.
- You are a postgraduate in the relevant subject area
You will usually be expected to have good English, ICT and numeracy skills and according to the education provider that you choose, you may be tested to see which level you are at.
Is All the Studying Worth it?
Yes, it completely is, if you are genuinely interested in teaching adults. It can have a lot of room for you to grow and explore. It also brings in good money and is a good service overall that will give you a lot of satisfaction. Take it as a challenge and go with confidence into your classroom.


Essay Topics For Elementary EducationWhen you get ready to write your essay on elementary education, you should think of a topic that will be easy for you to explain. If you are feeling overwhelmed by the entire process, it may be time to go back to the drawing board and begin the process again.
Although some of us tend to become too excited about our topic and do not write our essays properly, you must still choose a topic that you can easily make sense of. It is important that your topic be easy to understand, yet at the same time it needs to be interesting enough to motivate you to continue writing. Remember, we live in a world of technology and many people do not understand much of what they are reading or watching, so that is why they will tune out some information that they find hard to understand. You do not want to let this happen to your essay.
As you begin to write your essay on elementary education, you should determine what you need to explain. There are two main parts to an essay and these are the introduction and the body. If you cannot communicate the beginning of your essay with one sentence, then you should put more time into writing the rest of your essay.
Sometimes you will find that you will have trouble writing an essay if you do not use good grammar. As we all know, writing is a skill that can be learned, but there are many other things that you can learn as well. If you are looking for ways to help you with your grammar, then you should learn to read. The best way to improve your grammar is to read and understand as much as you can from the written word before you begin to write.
Once you have decided on a topic and started writing your essay, you will probably notice that it does not always flow as you would like it to. The most common problem is that you will not be able to tell where you have left off and where you are heading to. The only way to improve your essay is to learn how to relax and take some time for yourself to finish it. You should find a place where you will be able to sit down and write for a while.
You should write the first part of your essay in large bold letters and then go back and expand on your ideas in smaller, more easily understood sentences. A lot of people write their essay on elementary education on a topic and then forget to put any real information in there.
Just like any other form of writing, you should look at books or articles that are related to your subject and try to apply them to a certain topic. This will help you understand the topic better and you will be able to relate it to what you are writing about. After you have finished with the small portion of your essay, you can use larger paragraphs to talk about different aspects of the topic.
Before you decide on a topic, you should always consider if the essay you are writing is suitable for people who are not familiar with the topic. You should always make sure that you are explaining the topic in an interesting and useful way. You will also need to choose a topic that will be easy for you to understand and find an interesting way to get there.


2020 Summer Term
- This course listing is informational and does not guarantee availability for registration.
- Please click through to view the class schedule to see sections offered for your selected term.
- Sections may be full or not open for registration. Please use WINS if you wish to register for a course.
A quantitative reasoning course which includes topics from college algebra ( such as functions, linear, exponential and logarithmic models), statistics, and probability. Emphasizes modeling, problem-solving and applications. Designed for students whose programs do not require further coursework in pre-calculus or calculus. Appropriate for students majoring and minoring in areas such as the arts, humanities, social sciences, and education.
FUNDAMENTALS OF COLLEGE ALGEBRA
A functional approach to algebra with emphasis on applications to different disciplines. Topics include linear, exponential, logarithmic, quadratic, polynomial and rational equations and functions, systems of linear equations, linear inequalities, radicals and rational exponents, complex numbers, variation. Properties of exponents, factoring, and solving linear equations are reviewed.
FINITE MATHEMATICS FOR BUSINESS AND SOCIAL SCIENCES
Mathematical preparation for the understanding of quantitative methods in management and social sciences. Topics include sets, relations, linear functions, interest, annuities, matrices, solution of linear systems by graphical, algebraic, Gauss-Jordan, and inverse methods, linear programming by graphical and simplex methods, counting and probability. College of Business and Economics majors must take this course on a conventional grade basis.
MATHEMATICS IN EARLY CHILDHOOD LEARNING
A study of topics in early childhood mathematics, including sets, numbers, operations, measurement, data, and geometry. The focus is on increasing conceptual understanding of mathematics, highlighting connections, and developing the ability to communicate mathematical knowledge. Problem-solving methods used by children will also be explored. Manipulatives, cooperative learning activities, and problem solving strategies are used throughout the course.
COLLEGE ALGEBRA (GM)
Study of polynomial, radical, rational, piecewise, exponential, and logarithmic functions, including basic graphs, transformations, inverses, and combining functions; solving equations and inequalities both algebraically and graphically is explored. The course also includes an introduction to vectors.
Study of trigonometric functions including basic graphs, transformations, and inverses; trigonometric functions are studied through the unit circle and right triangle approaches. Also studied are trigonometric identities, equations, and applications, including Law of Sines and Law of Cosines, as well as polar coordinates.
INTRODUCTION TO STATISTICAL REASONING AND ANALYSIS
A course on the principles, procedures and concepts surrounding the production, summarization and analysis of data. Emphasis on critical reasoning and interpretation of statistical results. Content includes: probability, sampling, and research design; statistical inference, modeling and computing; practical application culminating in a research project.
CALCULUS AND ANALYTIC GEOMETRY I
Review of algebraic and trigonometric functions, transcendental functions, limits, study of the derivative, techniques of differentiation, continuity, applications of the derivative, L' Hopital's Rule and indeterminate forms, the Riemann integral, Fundamental Theorem of Calculus, the substitution rule, and applications of the integral, including volumes of revolution and average value.
A course for those who need to strengthen their basic algebra skills. Topics include properties of the real numbers, linear and quadratic equations, linear inequalities, exponents, polynomials, rational and radical expressions, and systems of linear equations. The course credits count towards the semester credit load and GPA, but are not included in the 120 credit graduation requirement.


Do you know about the benefits of music education?
Wondering if you should let your kids take music lessons?
Learning music at a young age can be very beneficial for your children and comes with a lot of benefits you may not realize. This is true no matter what your child’s instrument of choice is whether it’s the guitar, the violin, the piano, the harmonica, or another instrument.
Playing music can help your child play some beautiful melodies but can also help them perform better in other parts of their lives as well.
Below are some of the best benefits of music education for children.
1. Higher IQs
One of the biggest benefits of music education is that it can improve the cognitive skills of children.
Studies have found that learning music may improve your child’s IQ. Kids who have studied music have also been found to perform better in classes and on test scores. Music can help your child improve the spatial-temporal skills that can help them in subjects such as math and science.
Because kids who learn music as part of their K-12 education often perform better in school, many educators are starting to take notice.
Many teachers these days are getting degrees such as Masters in Music Education to better implement music in the classroom. Degrees from Rutgers University such as the RU MMME help teachers use music in the classroom. As a result, many students are performing better than ever in their other studies as well.
2. Better Language Development
Another big benefit of music education is that it can improve a child’s language processing skills. It’s been found that kids who have studied music have an easier time learning a language because music uses some of the same parts of the brain as language learning and comprehension does.
These skills are essential throughout K-12 education and students who have learned music are likely to do a better job in English classes. This may also benefit them when learning a foreign language as well.
3. Improved Physical Skills
Music can also help kids develop better physical skills and to become more comfortable with using their bodies.
Instruments such as drums and other percussion instruments are very active and require plenty of coordination and motor skills to play. However, the keyboard, the guitar, and other instruments will require plenty of skills as well, since children will be using both the left and right hands at the same time for different actions.
This type of increased coordination can help your children quite a bit when it comes to playing sports or when performing other important tasks.
4. Increased Mental and Emotional Strength
Music education for young ages can also help to build discipline and can improve mental and emotional strength in several ways.
Firstly, playing an instrument can help children to build self-esteem. As they learn new concepts and apply them in new ways they’ll learn to trust their own abilities.
Playing musical instruments will also improve patience and discipline. A child will have to practice regularly in order to see their skills improve, but as they do, they’ll feel the rewards of their efforts.
Music can teach them that learning something new requires patience and discipline but can be worth it in the end. They may also be more well-behaved in the classroom as a result.
Helping Your Child Experience the Benefits of Music Education
While there are more benefits of music education than the ones listed above, these are some of the main ways that you can expect your kids to benefit. Make sure you consider these if you’re trying to decide if music education is right for your children.
Want to learn more about music education? Click here to learn more about how music and sports can help with your children’s development.


The Indian government is committed to ensuring universal elementary education (primary and upper primary) for all children aged 6-14 years of age. In 1982 the late chief minister, M. G. Ramachandran (who used to be a famous actor) fully implemented the Nutritious Meals programme for schools, which is usually referred to as the Midday Meal Scheme. This scheme has helped to raise the school attendance and thus improve literacy in the state.
Primary education in Tamil Nadu starts at Standard 1, age 6 years, and continues to Standard 5, age 11 years. A small minority of children still leave school after Standard 5 if the family cannot pay the additional expenses from Standard 6 onwards.
Government Primary Education
In K.V.Kuppam Block children are still taught using the rote method of learning. The curriculum follows the basic skills of reading and writing, maths, science, history, Physical exercise, etc. The teacher will follow a set lesson plan from Tamil state text books. The children repeat what the teacher has told them and are not usually encouraged to question or discuss the lesson content. Discipline is very strict and there are very few resources in the classroom.
The small village elementary schools do not have tables and chairs and the children sit on the concrete floor for their lessons. Text books are provided free, though there are not always enough for one per pupil, but pupils usually need to supply writing materials and paper. Sometimes chalk and slates are still used.
Private Primary Education
Most villagers are unable to fund a private education for their children but if they can find the money they will go without other things to give their children what they regard as a better education.
Some parents will send children to private nursery and primary school to give them a good start. They will then attend a government secondary school which is less expensive for the family. Children in private schools are taught in English medium. If the family do not speak English in the home this makes it difficult and the children are unlikely to gain a good understanding of the English language.
Private Christian schools are thought by some parents to give a better standard of education. The children of parents working at the Christian Medical College in Vellore are given the opportunity of private primary education for a reasonable fee.


الاستقصاء العلمي لدى طالبات جامعة حائل و علاقته بتفكيرهن التأملي
Scientific inquiry among Hail university female students and its relationship with their reflective thinking
Country of Publication
Palestine (Gaza Strip)
No. of Pages
- University students
- Primary education
- Critical thinking
- University of Hail (Saudi Arabia)
This study aimed to unveil the level of scientific inquiry of female students in Hail University and how it is related of their reflective thinking.
The sample study reached the count of (80) female students from Sameera College, one of the branches of the University of Hail.
The students were stratified randomly selected from all registered to seek a bachelor degree either in Kindergarten Education or Elementary Education during the first semester of the school year 2017/2018.
The study applied both the scientific inquiry and reflective thinking scales (Isaac and Wilson scale).
The results revealed that the level of scientific inquiry, of the female students, was below average in general which also applies to all of its skills.
The results also revealed that differences in students’ levels, using the scale of scientific inquiry as a whole and its skills (use of numbers, deduction reasoning, formulation of hypotheses, and procedural definitions,) has a statistical significance due to the course of study and was in favor of the Elementary Education majors.
On the other hand, skills like (observing, categorizing, measuring, predicting, adjusting variables, and interpretation of data) neither had statistical significance due to the course of study nor to the level of study (third and seventh) with the exceptions of the skill of observing , which was in favor of third level students, and the skills of procedural definitions, which was in favor of seventh level students.
The results also revealed that the sample students possessed high levels of reflective thinking and that there was high positive correlation between the level of scientific inquiry possessed by the students and their level of reflective thinking.
American Psychological Association (APA)
سمارة، هتوف فرح سمارة. 2020. الاستقصاء العلمي لدى طالبات جامعة حائل و علاقته بتفكيرهن التأملي. مجلة الجامعة الإسلامية للدراسات التربوية و النفسية،مج. 28، ع. 3، ص ص. 221-242.
Modern Language Association (MLA)
سمارة، هتوف فرح سمارة. الاستقصاء العلمي لدى طالبات جامعة حائل و علاقته بتفكيرهن التأملي. مجلة الجامعة الإسلامية للدراسات التربوية و النفسية مج. 28، ع. 3 (أيار 2020)، ص ص. 221-242.
American Medical Association (AMA)
سمارة، هتوف فرح سمارة. الاستقصاء العلمي لدى طالبات جامعة حائل و علاقته بتفكيرهن التأملي. مجلة الجامعة الإسلامية للدراسات التربوية و النفسية. 2020. مج. 28، ع. 3، ص ص. 221-242.
يتضمن مراجع ببليوجرافية : ص. 239-242


Type of Culminating Activity
Graduate Student Project
Master of Arts in Art Education
What constitutes a piece of artwork? Is it the subject matter, the idea, the meaning, or the way in which it is made that realizes its success? Or is it the mere fact that human beings created it with purpose? If two pieces of artwork address the same subject, can one be considered better or more compelling than the other? Is there even such a thing as “good art” as opposed to “poor art”, or is that a debate that can only be answered within a culture or time period? Can one really judge the value of art, or is the process of making art just the instinctive urge of mankind to make expressive marks? These questions have been the topic of debate for centuries, and will continue as a catalyst for discussion among artist for a long time to come. But, as a middle school art teacher, I must address the question asked by my students: “Ms. Chattin, is my art good?” The middle school student ranges in age from eleven to fourteen. This is a time of dramatic changes in the brain which brings an increased ability of the student to create more mature art. It is the age when the brain transforms from concrete thinking to abstract thinking and the young artist is no longer content to make expressive marks, but to arrange those marks in ways that bring meaning, beauty, and fun. Middle school students want their artwork to “look right” and they are highly critical of their performance. Those students who are more talented in either artistic ability and/or vision are respected and envied by their peers and will excel in their artistic endeavors if motivated to do so. However, public middle school art classes must create an atmosphere success for all students. I believe that the process of successful art making, art which the student can be proud of, should be available to all students, not just to those are talented. The knowledge and use of the principles of design is a starting point where students can successfully participate in personal art production. But it is only a starting point, not the goal of art education. It is a knowledge base which will help students make design decisions for the purpose of expressing and communicating personal feelings, ideas and concepts. Part of my job as an art educator is to direct my students in the basic understanding of the fundamentals of art in order that their finished product is not only self expressive, but satisfying to their eye. To accomplish this job I must teach the principles of design: concepts and terms that are often difficult for the middle school student to grasp. This thesis/project will address one of many ways to teach the principles of design, offering practical lesson plans which emphasize each one individually. The goal being: to ground students in knowledge about design so they may effectively communicate their artistic visions.
Chattin, Lois J., "BE MUCH: Teaching the Principles of Design" (2010). Art Graduate Theses and Projects. 2.


My father left school at 16 to start his first job. He never got a college degree but if he had gone to university, he would have studied literature. He loved words and language, in particular poetry.
My father devoured books and would read to my brother and me every night. To this day I am grateful for the love for books and words he instilled in me and my brother.
Where perhaps 20 years ago fathers would not want to be seen pushing a pram, these days it is not unusual to see fathers taking their children shopping, to the playground or the doctor's office. However, reading to a child is not an activity most men, and women, think of when they talk about father involvement.
In most families mothers are the ones who read most frequently to their children. A recent study conducted by the Booktrust in Britain found that mothers are 50 per cent more likely to read to their children than fathers. In this study, 42 per cent of mothers, compared to 29 per cent of fathers read daily to their babies. Fathers did read more frequently to older children but even when children were five, 60 per cent of fathers compared to 75 per cent of mothers read to their children daily.
Where fathers in the past were primarily considered breadwinners and head of the family, these days they tend to spend more time with their children and are involved in caretaking activities such as feeding and bedtime routines. We know that these activities benefit different aspects of children's development in unique ways. When fathers are very involved in children's daily activities and routines, children are less likely to have behavioural problems, are more social and do better in school.
In our research though, with 500 low-income fathers in the US, we found that when fathers read frequently to their children at a young age, this had an impact on their language development one year later and their literacy development two years later. We were quite surprised by this finding.
What was even more striking, was that mothers' book reading did not have this significant impact on child development. So, what's so special about dads reading to their children?
When we looked more closely at what was happening during book reading interactions, we found that fathers used more abstract and complex language.
When sharing a book with their child, they would often link events in the book to a child's own experience. For example, when a ladder was discussed in the book, many fathers mentioned the last time they had used a ladder to climb up on the roof or use it for their work. Mothers did not do this. Mothers focused more on the details in the book and often asked children to label or count objects or identify colours.
It seems that fathers make different and unique contributions to children's development when reading to them. Fathers are often praised for engaging their children in rough and tumble play and this type of play is indeed beneficial to children.
However, with many children these days, in particular boys, struggling with reading, it is important to have more fathers reading to their children. Often parents do not realise how much children learn from their parents' behaviour.
Watching a father read to his child sends a very strong message that he is interested in spending time with his child and engages his child in one of the most rewarding and beneficial activities for children's development.
Sharing a book not only promotes children's language, literacy and cognitive development, it also builds relationships. What better way to end the day with your dad reading a funny book about farting monsters before you go to bed! Book reading is an activity that can be done anywhere and anytime: in line at the grocery store, waiting at the doctor's or on the beach or at home.
Reading literally builds brains as recently discovered in a study using MRIs. Therefore more fathers should be encouraged to read to their children.
Sharing a book can also help children's fine motor skills by having them turn the pages or hold the book. Dads should be more encouraged in helping children develop those skills, for example, by making puzzles with them, drawing, writing or cutting.
Oftentimes, mothers tend to be the ones engaging children in those activities but why not fathers? Fathers can bring a different approach, dynamic and even language to these activities which benefits children's fine motor skills and also their language skills.
Good fine motor skills could help children's language skills as the little research in this area suggests they are related. So fathers, read to your children often and start early. Also bring out the play dough, puzzles, crayons and scissors to enjoy some quality time with your child while also building important skills for later.
Elisabeth Duursma is senior lecturer in early childhood literacy at the Early Start Research Institute at University of Wollongong.


The oldest art education website out there, Incredible Art Department provides a vast array of resources, from lesson plans and art curriculum to examples of exemplary art education and an “Art Teacher Toolkit.”
Not only is The Getty an excellent field trip destination, but their education department provides a variety of high quality resources to explore the arts within your classroom. On their website, you can access Common Core-aligned lessons as well as get tips for incorporating art-based lessons into your curriculum.
ArtsEdge is the Kennedy Center’s educational media arm. They support arts-based student learning and their collection of free digital resources includes lesson plans, video clips, audio stories, and interactive online modules.
This webpage links you to a number of other art education resources for lesson plans, assessment ideas, and more!
The Music Center is one of the largest performing arts complexes in the United States. Located in downtown Los Angeles, it is home to the world famous Walt Disney Concert Hall as well as a host of other amazing venues. Every month the Music Center puts on several free performances, in addition to year round […]
LOS ANGELES ART DATA COLLECTIONS APRIl 27, 2018. We are delighted to share the final report and toolkit on the 2017 datathon on arts access. The report tells what we did and how we did it. The toolkit offers informative tips for any organization click here for more info


It’s National Cupcake Week this week, and being an avid cupcake baker I, and my cake-loving colleagues here at Learning Resources are looking forward to the treats. Squirt and I got messy in the kitchen over the weekend to make some cupcakes to bring to the Learning Resources offices for National Cupcake Week; here are our results!
Baking is a great way to get children practising a variety of skills! From reading a list of ingredients and weighing them into a bowl, to watching the clock so their creations don’t burn.
If you don’t fancy letting your children loose in the kitchen just yet, we have a variety of products around the topic of cakes and baking to help encourage basic early skills!
A delicious way to develop shape and colour identification. Fix the cupcakes together by matching the shapes of the top and bottom halves, then match them to the correct shapes in the tin!
Children can bake their favourite flavour combinations in this pie, while learning early numeracy skills such as sorting, colour identification and patterning. The Jumbo Tweezers are great for developing motor skills too.
Get matching with familiar kitchen equipment, sorting in and out of life-sized muffin tins with the Mini Muffin Match Up Maths Activity Set. The Squeezy Tweezers are great for reinforcing fine motor skills.
I hope you have a tasty week!
Until next time…


On 29 June, at 1pm CAT, TaRL Africa hosted the second webinar for the year, focusing on engaging parents and communities.
During this time, when many children around the world are not able to go to school, organisations and schools across the world are trying to find ways to keep children learning. The COVID-19 crisis has highlighted the importance of engaging parents and communities in children’s education.
The webinar featured three speakers:
- Kunieda Nobuhiro will share experiences from working with the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) on community engagement programmes across Africa
- Samantha Friedlander from J-PAL Global will share some of the rigorous evidence behind parental engagement
- Smitin Brid from Pratham will present on his work on Pratham’s Early Childhood Development programmes in India
Resources and further reading
- Webinar slides: Engaging Parents and Communities
- What have we learned from randomized evaluations that policymakers, practitioners, and funders can use to improve social programs? J-PAL’s Policy Insights, organized by sector, highlight lessons emerging across multiple studies and the mechanisms that help explain the results. J-PAL’s upcoming policy insight titled “Providing Information to Students and Parents to Improve Learning Outcomes” draws on lessons from 23 randomized evaluations to demonstrate that giving parents and students information about their educational performance or options often increases parental engagement, student effort, or both, leading to improved learning outcomes. Providing information is also typically a low-cost intervention. Please check back in late July, when the insight will be posted here.
- Hara, M., T. Maruyama, A. Kageyama and N. Kunieda. (Forthcoming). Quality Learning through Community-wide Collaboration: A Methodology to Overcome the “Learning Crisis” in Niger. In M. Nishimura (Ed.). Community Participation with Schools in Developing Countries: Towards Equitable and Inclusive Basic Education for All. New York & London: Routledge.
- Kozuka, E., Sawada, Y., & Todo, Y. (2016). “How Can Community Participation ImproveEducational Outcomes? Experimental Evidence from a School-Based Management Project in Burkina Faso”. JICA-RI Working Paper No. 112. Tokyo: Japan International Cooperation Agency Research Institute.
- Kozuka, E. (2018). “Enlightening communities and parents for improving student learning: Evidence from randomized experiment in Niger.” JICA RI Working Paper No.166. Tokyo: Japan International Cooperation Agency Research Institute.
- Kunieda, N., T. Maruyama, A. Kageyama and M. Hara. (Forthcoming). Educational Development through Community-wide Collaboration: How to Establish a Sustainable Community wide Initiative to Improve Education. In Nishimura. op.cit.
- Promotional movie of “School for All”
- Overview of the “School for All” model
- Training material: Revitalizing school management committees
- Training material: Improving learning outcomes through community participation
- Training material: Utilizing school grants effectively and properly
- Training material: Making a greater impact through the “Forum Approach”
This year, TaRL Africa will host a series of webinars on topics in foundational skills education. We will invite a range of education stakeholders to share their research findings, experiences, and lessons. To stay up to date with webinar news, please sign up for the mailing list.
Photo: Samyukta Lakshman, TaRL Africa


The Teaching K-8 English Learners Online Professional Learning Course will help educators more effectively prepare their students with limited English proficiency in elementary and middle grades with the skills they need to be successful in school. This is a critical challenge for elementary and middle school teachers as the number of English Learners continues to increase in the United States.
This course draws on the recommendations of the Institute of Education Sciences (IES) Teaching Academic Content and Literacy to English Learners in Elementary and Middle School Practice Guide, published in July 2014 by the U.S. Department of Education’s What Works Clearinghouse. The Practice Guide, developed by a panel of expert researchers and practitioners, provides educators with specific, research-based recommendations for effective teaching practices. It focuses on the foundational skills that enable English Learners to understand academic vocabulary, integrate oral and written English language into content areas, develop written language skills, and participate in small-group interventions for literacy and EL development.
The overarching goal is for participants to understand and be able to apply the panel’s recommendations to their teaching with K-8 Learners.
- To involve educators in an online professional learning community with a focus on supporting English Learners.
- To engage educators in perspective-taking opportunities to better relate to and understand the struggles of English Learners.
- To build an understanding of strategies and methods to better support English Learners.
- To guide educators in building a repository of resources, activities, and skills to bring back to their classroom, school and learning community.
- To provide a space to reflect on, assess and share knowledge gained through the online professional learning community.
Fall 2020 Online Professional Learning Courses Now Open for Registration
Free high-quality online professional learning courses are now open for registration for the Fall 2020 session.
Friday Institute Senior Faculty Fellow Carla C. Johnson Expands Online Learning Opportunities for K-12 Educators with New Grant from Institute of Education Sciences
Two new Professional Learning Online Modules will enable teachers to support early childhood mathematics and literacy in elementary and middle schools.


Art is an important subject, not only on its own but in the rest of education as well. Experiencing and making works of art benefits students in their intellectual, personal and social development. Research studies point to strong relationships between learning in the arts and fundamental cognitive skills and capacities used to master other core subjects, including reading, writing, and mathematics. The importance of art education is for us to evaluate ourselves on how we connect with our surroundings.
Art plays an important role in almost all aspects of education, from creativity to interpretation to discussion to understanding design. Our art studios are sagas by themselves. Our faculties are well equipped to unleash each child’s inherent talent. Guiding them through various techniques and helping children achieve their aspirations. Our children make beautiful craft creations from waste and recyclable materials.
Music serves as an aesthetic and an audio experience. This experience basically involves the mind in an appealing way with the help of sounds. No printed communication, discussion or arithmetical calculation! It is an expression statement by itself. Music is also regarded to be an important part of the curriculum, for the role that it plays in understanding different cultures.
Music is a true demonstration of traditions, community culture, aspirations and accomplishments of humankind. In Music, we have embedded various custom values and beliefs of the common man. At Accord we teach both Indian and Western Music and have facilities that cater to both, choral and instrumental music from the Pre-Primary to Senior grades.
At Accord School, Music is a part of the Academic Curriculum. On top of that, we also teach Violin and Keyboard classes for interested students during the after school activity hour.
We at Accord School believe that dancing in all its forms must be included in the curriculum of all noble education. Dancing with the feet, with ideas, with words and with expressions sets our education at a pace apart.
Our dance rooms for Pre-Primary, Primary and Senior wings are fully equipped for Indian and Western dances. They are spacious enough to allow our staff and students to choreograph works for stage performances and competitions.
Physical fitness is one of the most important elements of leading a healthy life. Physical education promotes the importance of inclusion of a regular fitness activity in the routine. This helps the students to maintain their fitness, develop their muscular strength, increase their stamina and thus stretch their physical abilities to an optimum level. Sports help inculcate discipline, Self confidence, team spirit, sense of belonging, pride, achievement and Self esteem. Students also understand that victory and defeat is an ongoing process.
- Skating Rink
- Volley Ball
- Table Tennis
- Martial Arts
- Indoor Sports


Play is undoubtedly the most important work of childhood.
The mission of the Museum is to “Change a child’s life as they discover the power of learning through play.” More than ever, research shows the necessity of play in the social, emotional and cognitive development of children. The work of the Museum is to ensure that we are delivering outstanding experiences in a welcoming environment, which encourages learning through play.
Our vision is of “a world where all children are creative, compassionate, confident and curious.” We understand the boldness of this vision, which is why we work to create experiences that cultivate curiosity, create community and are defined by excellence.
Our mission and vision are guided by four values:
We believe in the inherent value of curiosity and encourage children and their families to discover, imagine and learn through play.
We create unique learning experiences that are transformational and have lasting impact for our visitors, our community and beyond.
We embrace diversity in everything we do, and we encourage our visitors to think differently and open their minds to the world around them.
We invest in our employees, programs and exhibits to provide unparalleled experiences for every visitor.
Approaching 50 years of
“learning through play.”
Founded in 1976 by Montessori educator Portia Sperr, Please Touch Museum began as a 2,200-square-foot pilot project nestled among the dinosaur skeletons and woolly mammoths in the Academy of Natural Sciences on the Benjamin Franklin Parkway.
By 1978, the pilot project grew into a full-fledged Museum of its own, expanding its hours and relocating to Cherry Street. During the next four years, the Museum consulted scholars from several disciplines to add intellectual content to its exhibits and developed culturally diverse programs designed for young audiences.
By 1983, the Museum had purchased and renovated a three-story, 30,000 square foot building on North 21st Street in the heart of Philadelphia’s museum district. During its time there, attendance and membership grew as the Museum emerged as a force in early childhood learning. Between 1983 and 1992, the Museum was accredited by the American Alliance of Museums, launched the first publishing award that honored books for young children and purchased the building next door to expand exhibit space.
In 2005, the Museum made the bold decision to relocate to Memorial Hall, which was initially constructed as the art gallery for the 1876 Centennial World’s Fair. After an extensive, three-year restoration of this historic building, the Museum officially opened at Memorial Hall in 2008, where it remains today and serves as one of the leading 21st century children’s museums in the United States.


I was reading in a newspaper at work recently about comments made by the Justice Secretary, Jack Straw MP, with regards to the Human Rights Act 1998. The newspaper in which I read these comments will remain nameless (generally because I despise this particular paper and the title of the paper is irrelevant). This particular Newspaper campaigns for the complete removal of the Human Rights Act, something which I fundamentally disagree with (as regular readers of my blog will know). What I do agree with though is that the Human Rights Act is flawed (but that is no reason to abolish the concept of Human Rights entirely).
The Human Rights Act needs tweaked with in order to widen its scope, to help judges to interpret it and to make its application relevant to the wider population. As it stands those who benefit most are those who are already on the wrong side of the law. Those on the wrong side of the law are, in my opinion, still entitled to the majority of their Human Rights. Of course in order to deal with dangerous offenders who are unable to be part of a civilised society we have to remove some of their basic rights such as their right to liberty.
One way to make the Human Rights Act more applicable to the wider society would be to amend it including aspects of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights 1948 (among other International Treaties). The UDHR is a wider treaty that covers many more areas than the European Convention on Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms 1950. The two treaties combined would strengthen the Act and at the same time make it more widely applicable.
In my opinion the inclusion of Articles 25, 26 and 29 of the UDHR would strengthen the HRA fundamentally. Article 25 reads:
- Everyone has the right to a standard of living adequate for the health and well-being of himself and of his family, including food, clothing, housing and medical care and necessary social services, and the right to security in the event of unemployment, sickness, disability, widowhood, old age or other lack of livelihood in circumstances beyond his control.
- Motherhood and childhood are entitled to special care and assistance. All children, whether born in or out of wedlock, shall enjoy the same social protection.
Article 26 reads as follows:
- Everyone has the right to education. Education shall be free, at least in the elementary and fundamental stages. Elementary education shall be compulsory. Technical and professional education shall be made generally available and higher education shall be equally accessible to all on the basis of merit.
- Education shall be directed to the full development of the human personality and to the strengthening of respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms. It shall promote understanding, tolerance and friendship among all nations, racial or religious groups, and shall further the activities of the United Nations for the maintenance of peace.
- Parents have a prior right to choose the kind of education that shall be given to their children.
Article 29 reads as follows:
- Everyone has duties to the community in which alone the free and full development of his personality is possible.
- In the exercise of his rights and freedoms, everyone shall be subject only to such limitations as are determined by law solely for the purpose of securing due recognition and respect for the rights and freedoms of others and of meeting the just requirements of morality, public order and the general welfare in a democratic society.
- These rights and freedoms may in no case be exercised contrary to the purposes and principles of the United Nations.
I have chosen these three articles for very specific reasons. Largely the rights that they protect are ones already enjoyed by those living within the United Kingdom. People take such things for granted, but forget that they are not things to be taken for granted. For example, in the UK we have the right to free Health Care through the National Health Service. However, within living memory there was no such thing as the NHS and people were being denied he most basic of healthcare. By incorporating such rights into the Act it makes it applicable to everyone in society and will help to reduce resentment towards something that is important and fundamental to a democratic society.


Education of a child in Japan begins early at home. At the age of 6 children are enrolled in elementary school followed by Junior High School which starts from 7th grade and goes up till 9th grade. From elementary to junior high school, education in Japan is compulsory after which they can go for high school or upper secondary education. The programs offered at colleges and universities usually last for four years and lead to graduation. In some universities six year programs are also offered that ultimately lead to a professional degree.
Pre-schooling or early education in Japan starts at home by mothers who are supported by several specially designed books and Television programs. Usually the training and education given to a child at home is about social behavior, manners and well thought-out play. Gradually verbal and number skills are also introduced. Though pre-schools are supervised by the Ministry Of Education, it isn’t part of the official education system. Preschools are usually staffed with female college graduates. Apart from the pre-schools, a well refined system of day care centers is also supervised by the Ministry Of Labor. In Japan, about 90% of children are enrolled in day- care centers and pre-schools before entering the first grade.
In Japan, entering an elementary school is considered to be the most crucial part of a child’s life. The ratio of children getting their elementary education in private schools is very low as compared to the public schools because of high tuition fees in private schools. Same is the case with private secondary schools. Majority of the parents prefer public schools due to high cost of private institutes.
High school or upper secondary education in Japan is considered optional, still according to the estimates taken in 2000, around 94% of the junior high graduates went to high schools.
After high school, different colleges and universities provide higher education from four to six years. According to the estimates in 1991, there were about 2.1 millions students who got enrolled in 607 universities. The majority of the college students go for the full time courses. At this level education is considered expensive, however, there are several types of funds and student loans offered by the local governments, nonprofit corporations, and various other institutions.
Frequently Asked Question(s)
Q:My search on Education in Japan led me to Career Development course. Could you tell me more?
A:It is common to come across the mention of various courses and programs relevant to the field while going through search such as Education in Japan. Career Development course can be a part of numerous programs. In this course the students are introduced with career development and importance choices needed to be made in life.
Q:What can be the benefits of online education Japan?
A:There are a number of benefits offered by online education Japan that is not there in on campus education. With online education you can study at your own pace and make your own schedule. Online programs are also cost effective, as you do not incur travelling, textbook, or hostel accommodation costs.
Q:While searching for online education in Japan I came across the master's in general education program. Can you give me the details of this program?
A:If you found the master's in general education program, while searching for online education in Japan, you would have noticed that this program is a pathway to a very rewarding profession. The topics that are generally covered in the program include theories and issues in literacy, educational change and innovation, gender and education, languages, culture of school organizations, and the reforms in education.
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Maximizing Language Acquisition: ASL and Spoken English
This webcast provides an evidence-based rationale for supporting language acquisition in both American Sign Language (ASL) and spoken English for young children who are deaf or hard of hearing. Experienced professionals in deaf education discuss the important ingredients essential to learning language as well as common misconceptions that tend to drive language and communication practices. Designed for professionals involved in early intervention, this webcast highlights how evidence points to use of an ASL and spoken English bilingual approach (sometimes referred to as a bimodal bilingual approach) as beneficial for young children who are deaf or hard of hearing. Accompanying the webcast is a comprehensive reference list to support the information shared.
Simms is a professor in the Department of Education at Gallaudet University in Washington, D.C. After graduating from the Indiana School for the Deaf, she received her bachelor's degree in elementary education from the University of Nebraska, Lincoln, and later earned her master's degree in deaf education from Western Maryland College (now McDaniel College) in Westminster. She received her doctorate in language, reading, and culture from the University of Arizona, Tucson. Simms has hands-on experience in the implementation of bilingual strategies in multicultural educational environments for diverse deaf and hard of hearing children, and she is a nationally recognized expert on the topic of using both ASL and English as languages of instruction.
Scott is an ASL and English bilingual education consultant. She recently retired from the Laurent Clerc National Deaf Education Center at Gallaudet University in Washington, D.C., where she worked as a cochlear implant/bilingual specialist. She earned her master’s degree in audiology from Gallaudet University in 1980 and then worked in various positions at Gallaudet and the Clerc Center until retirement. During her tenure at the Clerc Center, Scott was actively involved in ASL and English bilingual planning and program implementation for children who are deaf or hard of hearing (including children with cochlear implants) both at the Clerc Center and throughout the nation. She has presented at numerous conferences, provided consultations and training to professionals, and authored several articles and books.
Bobbie Jo Kite
Originally from Pennsylvania, Kite received her bachelor's degree in early childhood education in 2004 and her master's degree in deaf education in 2005 from Gallaudet University. She taught pre-kindergarten and kindergarten at Kendall Demonstration Elementary School for five years, and she taught kindergarten and first grade at the New Mexico School for the Deaf for one year. Kite is currently a faculty member in the Department of Education at Gallaudet University and is working on earning her doctorate from George Mason University specializing in early childhood education and multilingual/multicultural education. In addition, Kite provides training and consulting services to ASL and English bimodal bilingual programs nationwide.
Burns is the coordinator of differentiation and inclusion at the Laurent Clerc National Deaf Education Center at Gallaudet University in Washington, D.C. She earned her master's degree in bilingual/multicultural education and curriculum design for the deaf from the University of California, San Diego before beginning her career as an elementary classroom teacher. After seven years at the California School for the Deaf in Fremont, she moved to Washington, D.C., to work as the coordinator of professional development for the Center for ASL/English Bilingual Education and Research (CAEBER) at Gallaudet University. She returned to elementary education in 2011, working at Kendall Demonstration Elementary School. During her time in the classroom she became interested in the educational applications of current findings in neuroscience. Earning a master's certificate in mind, the brain and teaching from the Johns Hopkins School of Education led Burns to her current position, where she provides instructional and learning support for K-12 teachers and students. She continues to provide training and consultation to educators and professionals serving deaf and hard of hearing students around the country on the topic of ASL and English bimodal bilingual educational strategies.
This site was supported by federal funding. Publication of this material shall not imply approval or acceptance by the U.S. Department of Education of the findings, conclusions, or recommendations herein. Gallaudet University is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, sex, national origin, religion, age, hearing status, disability, covered veteran status, marital status, personal appearance, sexual orientation, family responsibilities, matriculation, political affiliation, source of income, place of business or residence, pregnancy, childbirth, or any other unlawful basis.


I woke up this morning to find the following Tweet from Jeremy Brueck:
I first started thinking about the distinction between digital literacy and networked literacy after reading the Writing in the 21st Century document produced by the National Council of Teachers of English and Kathleen Yancey.
In the document Yancey states:
First, we have moved beyond a pyramid-like, sequential model of literacy development in which print literacy comes first and digital literacy comes second and networked literacy practices, if they come at all, come third and last.
Based on this reading and specifically this paragraph I created this diagram:
I wrote on this earlier when I first found the Yancey article in a post titled The Age of Composition (worth a read). Yet in that post I really did not flush out what the different between digital literacy and networked literacy were. I have shown this diagram in a few presentations and very few educators raised their hands when I asked if they were teaching digital literacy in their schools. None have ever raised their hands when I asked about network literacy.
Wikipedia: Digital literacy is the ability to locate, organize, understand, evaluate, and create information using digital technology. It involves a working knowledge of current high-technology, and an understanding of how it can be used. Digitally literate people can communicate and work more efficiently, especially with those who possess the same knowledge and skills.
Microsoft: The goal of Digital Literacy
is to teach and assess basic computer concepts and skills so that people can use
computer technology in everyday life to develop new social and economic opportunities
for themselves, their families, and their communities.
By these definitions digital literacy looks at understanding technologies and their uses. It’s everything from understanding folder structures on a computer to being able to successfully use e-mail to communicate with others. Digital literacy focuses on the literacy needed to be literate with technology today. From copy & paste to understanding how to trouble shoot problems with an Internet connection.
I couldn’t find a definition anywhere on the web of what networked literacy is or looks like, but I think it’s a literacy that we in the blogosphere talk about a lot. Networked literacy is what the web is about. It’s about understanding how people and communication networks work. It’s the understanding of how to find information and how to be found. It’s about how to read hyperlinked text articles, and understand the connections that are made when you become “friends” or “follow” someone on a network. It’s the understanding of how to stay safe and how to use the networked knowledge that is the World Wide Web. Networked Literacy is about understanding connections.
That’s my working definition at this time. Any thoughts?
Of course at some point we need to quit sub-dividing out these different types of literacies and it needs to just become what it means to be literate today. We’re not there yet and until we are I think understanding what these different literacy skills are that we need to be teaching is key.