Music Discipline Assessment Annual Report 2008-2009
1. Music discipline objectives
Objectives for the Music Major:
1. Musicianship: Students will demonstrate proficiency in vocal, aural and keyboard skills.
2. Performance: In their area of specialization students will confidently interpret and perform a wide range of music literature in a public venue.
3. Music in Historic and Cultural Context: Students will listen to and write about music critically and will be able to apply stylistic principles to music they perform.
4. Music Theory: Students will have a command of undergraduate music theory including contrapuntal techniques and musical forms.
Objectives for the General Education student:
Students will critically explore music in one or more of the following ways depending on
objectives for the various courses:
1. By becoming familiar with musical repertory through critical listening to
2. By investigating the relationship between music and culture.
3. By developing basic skills in music notation, analysis, and composition.
4. By interpreting and performing a variety of solo and/or ensemble musical
repertory in their specialization.
2. Course-embedded assessment.
In addition to regular assessment and testing, separate pre-test/post-tests covering Mus 1101-1102 Music Theory and Mus 2101-2102 Music Theory have been in use since 2004. Both tests attempt to measure student progress in conceptual and practical aspects of harmony and analysis.
Mus 1041 Introduction to Music was assessed 2008-2009. See attached documentation.
3. Direct measures of student learning
Each semester - Performance of five to six minute Vocal or Instrumental Finals in front of applied music faculty with evaluation forms. Faculty debated whether Finals procedures need to be uniform across areas of specialization. At present they are not. Something to think about in the future is to see what is uniform and what is not uniform and how this affects student outcomes. Part of the difficulty with the forms is how to be general but still get enough specific evaluative comments to the student.
End of Second Semester Assessment – These are a separate evaluation form for first year majors used as part of finals. Assessment is done to be certain a student should continue as a major in the area of specialization. Two copies of the assessment are made. One is for music discipline assessment files and the other is for the student portfolio. They are intended to provide a benchmark for students to see their own progress and for faculty to track improvement. The faculty member in charge of assessment will maintain the discipline assessment files.
End of second year – The Jury is a 20 minute performance in the Recital Hall with evaluation by the music faculty. Three style periods are required. Vocalists and pianists perform from memory. The new Jury Evaluation form for assessment now uses two copies of the faculty comments. One copy, kept by the discipline, provides documentation of faculty evaluations and the other provides a valuable document for the student to use in the student portfolio. The change to this format provides more information to both the music faculty and to the student.
End of fourth year - Assessment of Portfolio Project. The portfolio contains a resume, course syllabi, programs, and much more. It was decided that a change is needed in the catalog to make the portfolio part of the senior project. This is what the Art History Discipline does so there is a precedent. The plan is to have in the Music Student Handbook that students need to check in with their portfolio with their advisors at the end of each year up to the senior year when the portfolio is included as part of the senior project.
Senior Project/Capstone experience – senior project is an hour long recital or project. The recital is a vocal or instrumental recital representing at least three style periods. Vocal and piano recitals are performed from memory.
Assessment of Handbook – the handbook is an effective tool to help students learn what is expected of them as majors. Changes include adding a heading for Portfolio and one for the End of Second Semester Evaluation. Other changes will include outlining assessment procedures, clarifying music discipline policies, and formatting the Music Handbook as an online resource.
4. Assessment Objectives for Music Education Students – faculty agreed that certification is the objective for now. The music discipline will continue to work on this item.
5. Annual Assessment meeting with the music faculty was held March 26, 2009. Assessment Committee meeting for the annual report was held May 12, 2009.


Reading Skills: Vowels
Learn how to read and pronounce short, long, and double vowels. The following web sites include games, hands-on activities with animations and sounds, and lesson plans. There are links to eThemes recourses on spelling and reading strategies.
Learn to Read
This page has online interactive games, lessons, and animated movie about letters, sounds, and words.
It's Fun to Read!
This page has online interactive stories that can help kids of different ages to learn how to read. Select the "I'm Reading!" link for more advanced level.
PBS: Between the Lions: When Two Vowels Go Walking
Listen to a song and learn how to write, read, and pronounce words with double vowels. NOTE: This site requires Windows Media.
ABC Teach: Word Slide: Short Vowels (B_T)
Print out this PDF file to create a word slide than practice to pronounce words with different vowels.
See 'N Spell
Practice spelling short words playing this game. Please be patient while game is uploading. NOTE: The site includes pop-up and banner ads.
Can you find words with long vowels? Check you knowledge here.
BBC: Words and Pictures: Long Vowel Sounds
This web site has fun games for younger kids to practice long vowel sounds, typical of proper British pronunciation.
Teaching Short Vowel Discrimination Using Dr. Seuss Rhymes
Here is a lesson plan that can help children learn short vowels "o" and "u" while recognizing them in Dr. Seuss Rhymes. Includes a PDF worksheet.
Using Folk Tales: Vowel Influences on the Letter G
This lesson plan is designed to help kids to learn how different vowels can influence letter "g". The lesson plan includes reading of the "Jack and the Beanstalk" story.
Select time or untimed mode of the game and find as many words as you can to reach the eighth level. NOTE: The site includes pop-up and banner ads.
Combine as many as you can letters into words in this Tetris-like game. NOTE: The site includes pop-up and banner ads.
eThemes Resource: Grammar: Spelling
These sites include many interactive spelling games that are fun for the SMARTboard. Also includes lists of common spelling rules and tips on helping students learn to spell.
eThemes Resource: Reading Strategies for Elementary Students
These websites contain reading strategies to help elementary school students become good readers. Some websites simply list strategies and some include activities to help students learn. One website is a PowerPoint presentation on good reading techniques and one website compares good reading with poor reading. Some websites are written for students who are having trouble learning to read.
eThemes Resource: Teaching Tips: Reading Comprehension Strategies
These sites offer various strategies to improve reading comprehension for students at all grade levels. Includes many online stories and questions to test reading comprehension. There is a reading comprehension inventory and research articles on this topic. Many pages can be printed out and used in the classroom. Some of the tips include KWL charts, story maps, word maps, and story pyramids.
Request State Standards


2016 Music Education Electives
Electives in music education and other selected courses may be taken by nondegree students on a space available basis. Please contact the chair of graduate studies in music, Les Black, for more information (email@example.com).
- Assessment Practices
- Creating Culturally Affirming Music Education
- Vocal Jazz for Music Educators
- Curricular Design and Development
- Emerging Practices in Music Education
- Advanced String Pedagogy
This course will give students the opportunity to create several types of assessment pieces for a chose area/specialty of music education. This curriculum will align with parts of the national music standards and concepts of educational curriculum design. Susan Avery,1.0 credit.
An investigation of the different music of the world in the context of cultural values and identities, with a focus on how to teach them to students in the public school setting. North American has been multicultural since the American Indians spread throughout its vast extent, speaking a variety of languages, creating a multitude of cultures, and exchanging objects and ideas with one another. The creation of the United States out of English colonies, French territories, Spanish settlements, and Native American nations resulted in a multilingual and multicultural nation that has been subsequently nourished by millions of immigrants. Today, even small towns may be ethnically and culturally diverse; large cities have long been so. Sometimes viewed negatively, sometimes positively, the cultural heterogeneity of the United States presents a challenge to its entire population that can best be met through education and experience from preschool onward. Contemporary music is already multicultural; it is our music education that is predominantly Eurocentric. This course will examine effective ways of bringing multicultural music into the music classroom through appropriate pedagogical techniques. This course will also provide you with appropriate multicultural materials and resources for the public school setting. Baruch Whitehead, 1.0 credit.
Vocal Jazz for Music Educators will explore the techniques and resources required when considering the addition of vocal jazz to the choral curriculum. While the primary focus will be on what it takes to start and maintain a high school vocal jazz ensemble, there will also be significant discussion regarding the incorporation of vocal jazz into the elementary, middle school and high school mainstream choral ensembles. Study will include, but not be limted to, repertoire, style, vocal technique, improvisation, rhythm section, and sound reinforcement, as well as student preparation for All-State Vocal Jazz Ensemble auditions. Doug Avery, 1.0 credit.
After close examination of curriculum concepts and process of design in education and music education, this course culminates with students creating a detailed curriculum for their chosen area/specialty of music education. That curriculum will align with parts of the new national music standards along with the most current document of our profession (Vision 2020), and the Partnership for 21st century skills map, among other sources. Susan Avery, 2.0 credits.
For music education to thrive in the 21st century, teachers must adapt to rapidly evolving music and learning-scapes. Tablets, SMART technologies, web-based interfaces, and tools for music creation require both adaptive and innovative pedagogic implementation. This course examines emerging practices, exploratory research, and music technologies to help future music educators connect with even more students within and beyond the margins. Radio Cremata, 2.0 credits.
Advanced String Pedagogy is designed for both string and non-string players. It will cover a multitude of topics for teaching string classes and orchestras both inside and outside of the public schools. Class Participants will learn and reinforce performance techniques on each of the string instruments wile discussing various pedagogical approaches for teaching string-specific skills to a variety of student abilities and ages. James Mick, 2.0 credits.


What Is Community-Based Art Education?
Ulbricht, J., Art Education
With regard to definitions of community-based art education, several concepts come to mind. One might initially envision organized community art programs to improve art skills, or alternatively, outreach programs to empower special groups of people. With more thought, we might consider programs that promote contextual learning about local art and culture (Kincheloe, et al., 2000; Neperud, 1995).
Community service projects (Taylor, 2002) are another form of community-based art education. Some may see public art itself as a form of community-based education. This range of possibilities can be confusing for those who contemplate the possibilities and implications of new and existing community-based art education programs.
Today educators may feel the need to contemplate community-based education when (1) well intentioned citizens try to figure out what they can do to support or reform school art programs; (2) arts administrators seek to advance their enrollment figures; (3) citizens try to eliminate art education from school curriculums; (4) teachers try to figure out how to get students involved in "real world" situations; and/or (5) educators and artists confront important social issues through their artistic endeavors.
At the risk of drifting away from some of the traditional focuses of art education, art educators need to take a careful look at the rationales, goals, and definitions of community-based art education before dismissing it, or conversely, implementing new programs of their own. Although several art educators (Bolin, 1999; Clark & Zimmerman, 2000; Congdon, Blandy & Bolin, 2001) have illustrated their concepts and implemented new courses and programs (Fahey & Frickman, 2000; Garber, 2004), it is the purpose of this article to take a second look at various forms of community-based art education and propose ideas for future curriculum initiatives.
If community-based art education is defined broadly as something that takes place outside of K-12 schools, it is not a new form of art education. Informal teaching has been and is the dominant method by which individuals learn about art. If we think of art education in communities, each culture and historical period has had its own methods of teaching individuals about art. Renaissance artists frequently taught apprentices about their ways of working, and traditionally folk art is passed down from generation to generation in non-school settings. In the preindustrial period prior to the latter part of the 19th century, arts and crafts skills were taught in many middle and working class homes. Wealthier parents often provided an education in connoisseurship through foreign travel and museum visits. We could consider many of these teachers as "invisible" (Ulbricht, 1999) because they have not had formal art education classes.
Although we often think of communitybased art education as "teacher" initiated, we are increasingly aware of the informal "education" that is provided by visual culture. With the expansion of technology and visual media, increasing numbers of citizens are learning about a range of issues through imagery and we could consider this another form of community-based art education.
Organized Community Teaching
In the past hundred years, many teachers have made community-based art education more formal in a number of organized programs. In rural areas of the U.S., craft schools (i.e. Arrowmont School of Arts and Crafts, Penland School of Crafts, and Haystack Mountain School of Crafts) emphasize education in traditional art materials and skills. In urban areas, museum schools (i.e. Metropolitan Museum of Art, Cleveland Museum of Art, and School of the Art Institute of Chicago) provide opportunities for citizens to learn about art.
Although many historical programs were the result of individuals who had traditional and modernist art perspectives, there are other community-based programs that tried to distance themselves from the canon and focus on the needs of individuals. …


The government will only hit its target for improving adult maths and literacy skills if courses are made more attractive, a report says.
Existing learners need to share their enthusiasm, the report says
The National Audit Office praised ministers for reaching the benchmark of 750,000 adults in England gaining basic qualifications by this year.
But a target of 1.5 million more by 2010 needed "creative" ideas.
Some 26 million adults lack maths or English skill levels expected of school-leavers.
According to the report, "more than half" the qualifications achieved were by learners aged 16 to 18.
These are defined as "adults" by the government for the purpose of compiling these figures.
Normally adults are defined as being aged over 19. The number of those gaining qualifications is "rising slowly".
Auditor General Sir John Bourn said: "Higher levels of literacy and numeracy will benefit England both socially and economically.
"More people will have the opportunity to live richer lives."
In 2001, the government launched the Get On scheme - aimed at reducing illiteracy, innumeracy and language shortcomings.
Sir John said "substantial progress" had been made since, adding that this was "only the beginning".
The government and its partners would "need to be creative and responsive".
Some £3.7bn will be spent on implementing the programme by 2006.
The report recommends gathering more details on the educational needs of areas, so courses can be set to meet local demand.
Existing adult learners could use their "enthusiasm, commitment and local knowledge" to attract other people.
The Department for Education and Skills could also use more "personalised learning" and work with voluntary groups, councils and employers.
Costly to economy
It should also assess adult learners' progress "at frequent intervals", the report adds.
When the government announced it had reached its 2004 target earlier this month, Prime Minister Tony Blair said it was "only the start of the journey".
An estimated 5.2 million adults have worse literacy than that expected of 11 year olds, while 14.9 million have numeracy skills below this level.
This is thought to cost the UK economy hundreds of millions of pounds each year.
The qualifications achieved by those taking part in the government's scheme range up to GCSE equivalents.
Get On's participation target has been set at 2.25 million by 2010, with an interim figure of 1.5 million by 2007.
Education minister Ivan Lewis said: "We will continue to use creative ways of involving people with the lowest skill levels and the report shows that our efforts are gathering pace."
Shadow Education Secretary Tim Collins said: "This is the third report in two days to highlight Labour's failure to ensure young people acquire the necessary levels of literacy and numeracy for their working life.
"Employers and business leaders have repeatedly voiced concern over the number of school-leavers without these basic skills, but all the government have offered is more talk."
Liberal Democrat education spokesman Phil Willis added: "Far too little has been done to enable adult learners to fit learning into their busy lives."


The Resource Centre contains practical material about good teaching and learning in the tertiary sector. The Resources can come from the Communities and Project Groups on the site. The Resources are high-quality, well-presented, evidence-based, and relevant to New Zealand.
This section includes items relevant to Foundation and Bridging Education, including Literacy, Language and Numeracy (LLN).
Foundation and Bridging Education | Report Resources
The learner voice formed the core of this project that identifies good organisational practices that lead to Pasifika student success. Management and educators will be interested in the recommendations for transformative change.
This project aims to provide support for Māori students, particularly those involved in study at first degree level, who need to develop skills in writing assignments in English in a range of academic subjects.
This Ministry of Education report describes a project that supplemented workplace learning with online numeracy activities. It found that simple online tasks that trainees completed in their own time helped them to improve their numeracy skills.
This report, the second from research undertaken by a team from Workforce Development, reveals practices consistently demonstrated by tutors who have ongoing success in delivering courses to Māori learners. Recommendations will be used to drive professional development for tutors working in the PTE sector.


September 2010. The world is shrinking as globalization brings us closer to people around the world. We want to widen the focus of this call to include the following: What kinds of literacy projects are happening in countries around the world? What aspects of literacy are currently drawing attention in your country? What can we learn from your best literacy practices? How do literacy practices compare across different countries?
We also invite articles from American teachers and researchers that address the following questions: What literacy projects have you and your students engaged in that involve other countries? How has current technology opened the door to international literacy practices? What projects have your students been involved in that support the literacy development of students in underdeveloped countries? Are you involved in other international literacy practices, projects, initiatives, and issues that would be of interest to VM readers? Deadline: September 1, 2009.
Talking about Talk
December 2010. As educators of young adolescents, we understand the importance of the social nature of literacy and the role of talk in the classroom. In recent years, our understanding of talk has deepened, and we have worked consciously to provide our students with opportunities to share their ideas with others. As students explore new ideas, participation in discussion enriches, deepens, and expands their understandings. What do students talk about in your classroom? What does talk look like and sound like? How does observing and reflecting on this talk inform your teaching? How do you facilitate rich and meaningful talk? How do you invite all students into the conversation? How does talk inform student learning in the classroom? Deadline: December 1, 2009.
Honoring Student Voices


By Dr. Kathleen Tate, Program Director for Teaching, American Public University
We all have memories of our teachers—the good and the bad. Who are those teachers that make a difference and stand out in our minds as being great? What makes them so great? In reflecting about some bottom line qualities, I came up with a list of five qualities of great teachers.
(1) Wear Multiple Hats
Teachers have to manage a lot of students who have a myriad of needs and issues. Great teachers are able to shift seamlessly between roles in order to serve all of those needs on any given day. A great teacher wears an instructional hat, nurse hat, counselor hat, facilitator hat, timekeeper hat, psychologist hat, problem-solver hat, creative hat, security hat, data hat, assessment hat, decorator hat, planner hat, public relations hat, technology hat, accountant hat, curriculum hat, current events hat, policy hat, motivator hat, entertainment hat, peacekeeper hat, supply hat, mentor hat, and many more.
Teachers need to know themselves, their students, the curriculum, assessment, their colleagues, and their world. Great teachers know these components well. Great teachers want to know what biases they might have so they can resolve them and better serve the needs of their diverse students. They care about how they are doing and seek to improve their craft through reflection, seeking advice from experts, and other means.
Great teachers care to know not just their grade level or specialized area of curriculum, but they care about what students should know throughout their K-12 schooling. Great teachers care to know about how different subject areas intersect and connect so that they can teach in integrated, thematic ways that give students a bigger picture and an anchored context for learning.
Great teachers care about using a wide range of assessments to capture the diverse ways students express knowledge. Great teachers care about collaborating with their colleagues to meet the needs of their students. Great teachers make sure they are informed of pop culture and local, regional, national, and international news in order to relate curriculum and learning experiences to their students’ lives.
(3) Keep Learning
There are many policies, laws, trends, and standards to be aware of in education. Great teachers know they have to remain current in their field by reading journals, attending and presenting at conferences and workshops, and examining state and national standards for both teachers and K-12 students.
Great teachers are open to new ideas and continual learning in order to fulfill their students’ needs. Great teachers always seek new resources, information, and texts. They develop comfort and discernment with technological tools and use them to enhance learning.
(4) Are Creative
Great teachers cultivate exciting classroom environments that motivate and engage students through creative approaches. Great teachers are not afraid to take risks, incorporate arts-based learning, and think beyond the box. Great teachers are creative problem solvers when it comes to curriculum constraints, resources, logistics, and conflicts. Similar to CEOs, they must continually produce positive results and creatively resolve issues.
(5) Remain Positive
Great teachers remain positive with students, families, colleagues, and administrators. Great teachers uplift and believe in their students. Great teachers maintain professional, collegial demeanors with those they encounter within and beyond school walls.
Great teachers focus on positive feedback, language, and successes and embrace diversity, change, and challenge. Great teachers maintain composure and demonstrate kindness toward all school constituents. Great teachers seek win-win solutions, maintain positive classroom environments, and display and promote empathy.
Are you a great teacher?
About the Author
Dr. Tate holds a Ph.D. in Elementary Education, M.Ed. in Special Education, and B.A. in Soviet & East European Studies. She has been with APUS since July, 2011, and is an Associate Professor and Program Director of Teaching. She has over 16 years of experience as an elementary special education teacher and professor at both brick and mortar and online universities.


On Sunday, Saudi Arabia's King Abdullah decreed that women have the right to vote and run for local elections.
The move is being lauded by human rights organizations and international leaders, and is seen as an Arab Awakening-era move toward social equality and political openness.
Muslim women in our Islamic history have demonstrated positions that expressed correct opinions and advice, The king said in an address.
Women still don't have the right to drive cars in Saudi Arabia, but now, if the issue ever becomes a referendum (which is highly unlikely) that could also change.
Saudi Arabia is still an absolute monarchy and King Abdullah is head of state and of the government. Members of both the 150-strong Consultative Assembly and the Council of Ministers are appointed by the King, although Saudi citizens can run and vote in local municipal elections.
Women can also now be appointed to the Consultative Assembly, known also as the Shura council, which advises the king and debates on current affairs, but cannot pass or enforce laws.
Local elections are being held in Saudi Arabia on Thursday. However, women will not be able to vote in them, or in any for a while. Although women's suffrage is now law, it won't go into effect until 2015.
Saudi Arabia included, there are at least five countries that still don't impose restrictions on women voting for various reasons.
Brunei: The small island nation is a sultanate, meaning that it is ruled by a sultan who appoints his own government officials; neither women nor men can vote in national elections. Both can vote in local elections after the age of 18. Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah is held accountable by the country's constitution.
Lebanon: Women can vote in Lebanon, but only after proving that they've had elementary education. The same is not required of men.
United Arab Emirates: Like Brunei, there isn't a national election structure in the U.A.E. Full suffrage for both men and women was supposed to be in place by 2010, but now observers are watching to see if that will happen before the end of 2011.
Vatican City: Another technicality, the leader of the Holy See is elected by the College of Cardinals. Papal conclaves are the only voters in this tiny country in the center of Rome. Since women cannot be cardinals, they cannot vote for the Pope.


THE decision about when children should start school is difficult. In most states and territories in Australia it is compulsory for children to have commenced school by the year they turn 6.
However they may also start earlier. In Victoria, children may commence school if they turn five by April 30 in the year of starting. This means that in many prep classes there can be an age difference of almost 18 months between the youngest and oldest children. As a result, younger children can be disadvantaged in terms of life skills and development.
While there is little or no research suggesting that starting school before the age of five is beneficial, we need to be mindful that age is only one factor in children's readiness for school. Children are individuals and each one develops at their own rate.
The transition to school involves strong emotional arousal and a new identity for children as they take on the role of being a schoolchild along with the associated demands. Difficulties can arise when children are easily distracted or disorganised, have difficulty persisting with tasks, in controlling their emotions, or lack confidence.
Children need to be socially and emotionally mature, able to cope with change, and to handle the demands of the new school situation. The way children cope with stress and school adjustment may vary according to their temperament as well as with the demands and philosophy of the school.
Children need to have skills for being part of a group, for interacting with other children and doing things independently. For example, they are able to wait, take turns, share materials and help others, listen to and follow instructions and rules, to be responsible for their belongings and behaviour, and seek help when it is needed. They are able to control themselves in the conflicts that are part of normal school life, and behave in ways that do not disturb or hurt others.
Children also need to be able to manage their personal care associated with clothes, lunch and toileting.
School involves a strong focus on literacy and maths. Children benefit when they enjoy books and stories, are interested in letters and numbers, can express their own ideas and talk about familiar experiences, and are curious about the world around them.
Physical skills are also important, including eye-hand co-ordination and the ability to hold and control a pencil, and use small tools such as scissors. Children need good eyesight and hearing. The ability to see the whiteboard and identify letters and words by sight and sound is important for literacy development and confidence.
Familiarity with the school environment is important. Research suggests that children's adjustment to school is supported when they and their families actively participate in transition to school visits and other opportunities to become familiar with the school and its expectations and demands, as well as develop new friendships.
If parents are concerned about their child's development, they should speak to the early childhood educator, school principal or early years co-ordinator, the maternal and child health nurse or doctor.
When children are ready for school, they are more likely to succeed than children who struggle and have difficulty keeping up with their peers.
Kay Margetts is associate professor in early childhood studies at the Melbourne Graduate School of Education.


Geysers and Hot Springs Quiz – Fun FREE Interactive Easy Earth Science Quiz
Enjoy this Easy Science for Kids Geysers and Hot Springs Quiz – you’ll get your quiz score after completing this FREE online interactive quiz on Geysers and Hot Springs. You need to answer all the questions to be able to get your score. You can do this fun quiz about geysers and hot springs again, till you get the perfect score and become a quiz champion!
Tip: To get it right the first time, read the page with fun facts about geysers and hot springs.
Geysers and Hot Springs Quiz – FREE Online Quizzes
Our easy online Geography quizzes are a free online easy science quiz resource for teachers and educators of kids in elementary school, grammar school and preschool. This fun Geysers and Hot Springs Geography quiz helps your kids learn fun facts about geysers and hot springs while enjoying this FREE interactive earth science quiz.
If your kid is home-schooled by you, or is doing after-school education, then this is a fun yet educational activity, with reading comprehension benefits for grade one to grade five kids. Kids will enjoy competing against their classmates and friends, to see who gets the best score, doing this entertaining free online Geography quiz on geysers and hot springs.
As a reading comprehension training activity for kids, you can set a timer to encourage kids to do the reading comprehension activity faster, or limit the number of times the kids can read about the quiz topic, before they do the actual interactive easy geography quiz.
Younger kids who cannot yet read or write, such as Pre-K kids, Kindergarten kids or Preschool kids, will benefit from doing this and our other fun online quizzes, as a listening comprehension activity; you read out to them about the topic and then read the quiz question and answers. You will select the Geysers and Hot Springs quiz answer they think is correct, and at the end you get the Geysers and Hot Springs quiz score. Your child can try multiple times doing this Geysers and Hot Springs quiz, till gets the perfect score faster, as he or she learns to listen more carefully and develop a better memory and attention span!
Enjoyed doing this fun easy geography quiz about Geysers and Hot Springs? Check out all our other fun general quizzes in our science for kids website. Visit our Earth Science for Kids all about Geysers and Hot Springs page. Get lengthy info here.
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THis The rise in e-Learning's popularity isn't showing any signs of slowing. In fact, judging by the following Top 10 eLearning statistics for 2014 article and infographic, the future of the e-Learning Industry is brighter than ever.
This article talks about eLearning, or "online classes" that college students take in order to save some time in classes. The article says that many people leave their jobs simply because of the fact that they haven't received well enough education before the job, and eLearning is trying to help fix that.
The article speaks of only people who are willing to learn and willing to spend time on an online class in order to be successful.
Stress may be silently sabotaging success in school.
Stress can be toxic at any age. It rattles us when it strikes, shaking up our relationships and narrowing our focus. When it becomes chronic, it ravages our health. Physically, emotionally and intellectually, stress can drag us down.
This article says that stress can diminish the learning process in people of all ages. It says that stress will cause you to be less likely to succeed.
This article shows stress as being a factor of a fixed mindset. Stress creates heavy thoughts on certain topics and not as much thought into learning what is necessary to succeed. Therefore, this article says that success is about learning in the way that the person learns to overcome stress, and not in the way that the person simply "appears" to be "smart."
You've gotten ahead by saying "yes." But now that you've got momentum, it's time to prioritize.
Breland Green's insight:
This article talks about how people have to learn how to say "no" in order to be successful. It says that often times people think that they have to yes in order to be successful, but the article says that people need to slow down and understand what they are doing before they accept and opportunity. It also says that people accept opportunities because of the fact that they're challenging and want to learn.
The article says that there is a flaw with wanting to always learn. It says that wanting to learn means sometimes accepting opportunities that you are not not necessarily mentally ready to accomplish. It says to not necessarily have a fixed mindset, but to think before you want to learn extensively.
This article talks about success being determined by how wealthy your family is. The article compares SAT statistics and even extracurricular statistics saying that people who come from wealthier families are in better shape to become successful later in their lives.
The article suggests that children who come from rich families will be more likely to have a mindset for learning and will be pushed more to be involved in lots of things inside of and outside of school. The article says that people who are in poverty are not necessarily in a fixed mindset, but are in a situation in which they cannot easily afford to learn.
School districts, community foundations and local community organizations sponsor and fund READY! for Kindergarten programs all across the United States and Canada to ensure children success in school.
This article talks about how there is a need for early childhood learning, since the crucial stage of the human mind is very early in life. The article also says that programs for children to use during that crucial stage are what make the child successful later in his or her life.
In this article, it is said that children must be surrounded by aspects of their lives socially as well as academically. This correlates to the earlier article because it brings forth the idea of a growth mindset. A child will not likely thrive later in life if he or she is not willing to meet new people and explore new ideas early in life.
Sharing your scoops to your social media accounts is a must to distribute your curated content. Not only will it drive traffic and leads through your content, but it will help show your expertise with your followers.
How to integrate my topics' content to my website?
Integrating your curated content to your website or blog will allow you to increase your website visitors’ engagement, boost SEO and acquire new visitors. By redirecting your social media traffic to your website, Scoop.it will also help you generate more qualified traffic and leads from your curation work.
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Play is a child's primary learning tool (Owocki, 2002) and the most important learning activity in the preschool classroom (McGee & Richgels, 2000). Children naturally and spontaneously engage in many forms of play. Katz (2001) says that play consists of activities that children find enjoyable and participate in voluntarily to have fun. Such activities include building with blocks, playing with water, digging in mud or sand, molding clay, and pretending. Although some play may be solitary, much play is socially interactive and requires such skills as negotiating, problem solving, and decision making, along with using language purposefully. When two children decide to construct a tower of blocks, for example, they may use language to decide which blocks to use, where to place them, and how high to build the tower before it might collapse.
In this section, we focus on dramatic play and its potential for developing language and literacy. Dramatic play occurs when children pretend to be something or someone else (Birckmayer, 2002). A child can engage in dramatic play alone (for example, when a child pretends to be a truck driver), but it often occurs through social interactions. By simulating real-life experiences, dramatic play enables children to imitate grown-up behaviors and to try out alternative courses of action. Your role is to allow children to take the initiative and develop their own situations, but to enter subtly into the play on occasion to facilitate the continuation of the scenario and promote language interactions.
Much dramatic play occurs at centers, which may be any setting familiar to the child, such as the kitchen, a fast-food restaurant, a bank, or a beauty shop. To promote literacy development, each center should contain print materials that are often found in such places. Before children use each center, you should explain and model the different materials so that children will know what they are and how to use them. Of course, materials must be safe (for example, no sharp edges on cans) and authentic but perhaps not valid (for example, only canceled checks with account numbers obliterated). You may keep prop boxes that hold center materials (Jackman, 1997) and introduce them when the time is appropriate, such as when the center is related to a field trip or a theme.
© ______ 2006, Allyn & Bacon, an imprint of Pearson Education Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved. The reproduction, duplication, or distribution of this material by any means including but not limited to email and blogs is strictly prohibited without the explicit permission of the publisher.


“There's more than one way to skin a cat" is an idiom (or saying) that means there are multiple ways to accomplish something. In most cases, it is absolutely true; there is usually more than one solution to a problem and different ways to approach most tasks. When talking about teaching reading, there are several approaches that have been researched and debated. The aforementioned idiom also means that an issue can be approached in different ways, but the final result will be the same. With reading, that is not the case. The manner of instruction is just as important, if not more so, as what is instructed, and it significantly affects the results.
Explicit phonics, also referred to as synthetic phonics, builds from part to whole. It begins with the instruction of the letters (graphemes) with their associated sounds (phonemes). Next, explicit phonics teaches blending and building, beginning with blending the sounds into syllables and then into words. Explicit phonics is scientifically proven and research based.
Learn strategies for teaching explicit phonics instruction and earn free PD credit: READING WORKSHOP
Implicit phonics, also referred to as analytical phonics, moves from the whole to the smallest part. Phonemes associated with particular graphemes are not pronounced in isolation. Students analyze words and look for the common phoneme in a set of words. Through comparison and identification, they deduce which grapheme to write or which phoneme to read. Blending and building are not usually taught, and students identify new words by their shape, beginning and ending letters, and context clues. This analysis (breaking down) of the whole word to its parts is necessary only when a child cannot read it as a whole word. This is a whole-language approach.
Research has been conclusive that explicit phonics instruction is the most effective. The U.S. Department of Education, the National Research Council, and the National Reading Panel have all conducted research and have released finding reports that support this statement. The National Reading Panel’s report on its quantitative research studies on areas of reading instruction was published in 2000. The panel reported that several reading strategies are critical to becoming good readers: phonics for word identification, fluency, vocabulary, and text comprehension. With regard to phonics, its meta-analysis of hundreds of studies confirmed the findings of the National Research Council: Teaching phonics (and related phonics skills, such as phonemic awareness) is a more effective way to teach children early reading skills than is embedded phonics or no phonics instruction (taken from National Institute of Child Health and Human Development . Report of the National Reading Panel. Teaching children to read: An evidence-based assessment of the scientific research literature on reading and its implications for reading instruction [NIH Publication No. 00-4769]. Washington, D.C.: U.S. Government Printing Office).
Scientific research has clearly demonstrated that explicit phonics instruction is the single-most effective approach for all students. Obviously, many students can learn to read without such instruction; however, it is not only the at-risk students who achieve greater success under a phonics regime – so do those in the average and below-average reading groups (those who do OK but do not excel). A large-scale study by Barbara Foorman and colleagues from the University of Houston found that explicit, systematic phonics was by far the most effective approach. It was also more effective in reducing the occurrence of reading problems than any of the one-on-one tutorial programs that were evaluated, including Reading Recovery. Her findings are consistent with both currently accepted theories of reading development and instruction and with other empirical research emphasizing student outcome measures.
Learn strategies for teaching phonics to beginning and struggling readers: READING WORKSHOP
While results show that most types of phonics instruction can be beneficial for students, it has been conclusive that explicit phonics is the most effective and is necessary for those with processing issues. Empowering any student with these decoding strategies helps ensure reading success and gives them a solid foundation for their academic future.
The following are fantastic teacher resources that can help you enhance reading instruction in your classroom. To find the answer to the question: "what is decoding?" or to find a list of reading strategies, visit the Reading Horizons Reading Strategies Homepage.


- Music Talks supporting the development of speech & language through music
- Music Counts supporting numeracy through music
- Music Moves supporting social skills through music & movement
Musical Bumps teachers visit pre-school settings to lead regular music session or to deliver a range of unique six-week programmes, each supporting a different area of development in the Early Years Foundation Stage.
Click the links for full and detailed information; funding for these specialized programmes may be available from local authorities or charitable trusts.
Musical Bumps regular and on-going visits for pre-school & daycare settings
- Real Music… key musical skills and concepts are learnt and practised
- Real Education… activities support all areas of the EYFS
- Real Fun… exciting puppets and percussion at every session
- Curriculum based on the Kodaly principles of early childhood music education
- Separate age-specific session available allowing progression
- CPD – an excellent opportunity for setting staff to gain new ideas
Musical Bumps teachers are trained by an expert team; they are experienced musicians and Early Years practitioners and receive extensive, ongoing training. All teachers have an enhanced disclosure certificate.
“The children get so excited… they ask all week if today is Musical Bumps… their attention is held for the whole session… Thank you so much for all that you do”
To arrange a free trial session with a view to regular Musical Bumps visits, please contact Head Office.


Find parenting tips and links to resources specifically for parents. Resources include State and local examples.
Adventures in Parenting: How Responding, Preventing, Monitoring, Mentoring, and Modeling Can Help You Be a Successful Parent
National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD)
Describes an effective approach to parenting and provides examples of how to use it with children. See also the Spanish Version.
Head Start, Administration for Children and Families Early Childhood Learning and Knowledge Center (2013)
Offers information and resources to help parents with everyday parenting issues.
Facts for Families
American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry
Presents concise, up-to-date information on more than 100 topics that impact children, teenagers, and their families. The collection is available in English and Spanish, and six other languages.
Healthy Parenting Initiative
Military HOMEFRONT, Department of Defense
Materials and information on programs for military parents.
The Incredible Years: Parents, Teachers, and Children Training Series
The Incredible Years (2014)
Highlights The Incredible Years Parents, Teachers, and Children Training Series, a comprehensive set of curricula designed to promote social competence and prevent, reduce, and treat aggression and related conduct problems in young children (ages 4 to 8 years). The program components are guided by developmental theory concerning the role of multiple interacting risk and protective factors (child, family, and school) in the development of conduct problems.
Nurturing Parenting Programs
Family Development Resources (2014)
Includes product catalog, training resources, research, and validation, and related links for the Nurturing Parenting Program, which promotes nurturing parenting attitudes and skills for the prevention and treatment of child abuse.
One Tough Job
Massachusetts Children's Trust Fund
This website for parents includes information on stress, parent-child communication, discipline, child safety, parenting tips sorted by age, and more.
Provides an online community of leadership, knowledge, and resources to members seeking support with parenting issues.
Parent Resources -Tip Sheets
Circle of Parents
Effective parenting information for dealing with discipline, rules, schoolwork, and other family situations. Also available in Spanish.
Promoting Children's Mental, Emotional, and Behavioral Health: A Resource for Parents (PDF - 582 KB)
Board on Children, Youth, and Families, Division of Behavioral and Social Sciences and Education, National Research Council, Institute of Medicine, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (2009)
Helps parents focus on the healthy development of children from birth to adolescence and identify risk factors to prevent problems before they occur.
Resources for Dads
National Fatherhood Initiative
Programs, brochures, articles, and other resources to become a better father.
Tips for Parents
Prevent Child Abuse America
Advice for new moms and dads and information on discipline, safety, education, recognizing child abuse, and leaving children home alone.
One Tough Job
Massachusetts Children's Trust Fund
Includes information for parents on stress, parent-child communication, discipline, child safety, parenting tips sorted by age, and more.
A Parent's Guide to Vermont's Child Welfare and Youth Justice Agency (PDF - 1,126 KB)
Vermont Department for Children and Families & Family Services Division (2013)
Provides an overview of how the child welfare and youth justice systems work in Vermont. This guide explains the role of the Family Services Division and describes child welfare processes, including information on actions that are taken once a report is made, how child safety interventions begin, and next steps in the intervention. It also lists resources that can help parents meet their basic needs: health and mental health, housing, legal matters, parenting, work supports, and youth services and supports.
Straight Talk About Child Sexual Abuse: A Prevention Guide for Parents. Massachusetts Edition (PDF - 320 KB)
Explains the incidence of child sexual abuse and provides information on types of child sexual abuse, characteristics of perpetrators of child sexual abuse, children sexually abusing other children, tips for protecting a child from sexual abuse and reducing risk factors, symptoms that a child has been sexually abused, and steps to take if a child discloses sexual abuse. A list of reporting, prevention, and treatment resources in Massachusetts is provided.
Straight Talk About Child Sexual Abuse: A Prevention Guide for Parents. New York Edition (PDF - 357 KB)
Explains the incidence of child sexual abuse and provides information on types of child sexual abuse, characteristics of perpetrators of child sexual abuse, children sexually abusing other children, tips for protecting a child from sexual abuse and reducing risk factors, symptoms that a child has been sexually abused, and steps to take if a child discloses sexual abuse. A list of reporting, prevention, and treatment resources in New York State is provided.


The LifeWays® Principles are listed below. Click here for a printable version.
- Young children thrive in the presence of parents and other devoted caregivers who enjoy life and caring for children. They learn primarily through imitation/empathy and therefore need to be cared for by people with integrity and warmth who are worthy of being imitated. This is the foundation for learning and healthy development.
- Having consistent caregivers, especially from birth to three years old and, preferably, up to primary school age, is essential for establishing a sense of trust and well-being.
- Children need relationship with people of all ages. Infants and toddlers thrive in family-style blended-age care, while older children see nurturing modeled by the adults and experience their own place in the continuum of growing up. Children of all ages can both give and receive special blessing when in the company of elders and youth who enjoy children.
- Each person is uniquely valuable, gifted with purpose and worthy of respect throughout all phases of his or her life’s journey.
- Human relationship and activity are the essential tools for teaching the young child all foundational skills for life. Infants and toddlers develop most healthily when allowed to have freedom of movement in a safe environment. For three- to six-year-olds, creative play, not technology or early academics, forms the best foundation for school work and for life-long learning.
- In infancy and early childhood, daily life experience is the “curriculum.” The child’s relationships to the caregivers and to the environment are the two most important aspects through which the child can experience healthy life rhythms/routines. These include the “nurturing arts” of rest and play, regular meal times, exploring nature, practical/domestic activities, social creativity, music and simple artistic activities.
- Young children thrive in a home or home-like environment that offers beauty, comfort and security, and connection to the living world of nature. Healthy sense development is fostered when most of their clothing and playthings are of non-synthetic materials and their toys allow for open-ended, imaginative play.
- Childhood is a valid and authentic time unto itself and not just a preparation for schooling. Skipping or hurrying developmental phases can undermine a child’s healthy and balanced development.
- Parents of young children need and deserve support in their path of parenting—from professionals, family, and one another. They thrive in a setting where they are loved, respected and helped to feel love and understanding for their children.
- Caregivers also have an intrinsic purpose and need to be recognized and appropriately compensated for the value of their work. They need an environment where they can create an atmosphere of “home,” build true relationship to the children, and feel autonomous and appreciated.


Posts Tagged stem
ScratchJr is a new, innovative software program to support integrated STEM learning in early childhood education. The program is designed specifically for K-2. ScratchJr will work to teach children through three main strategies: discipline-specific knowledge, foundational knowledge structures and complex problem-solving skills.
ScratchJr is a project led by Professor Marina Umaschi Bers and her DevTech Research Group at Tufts University and by Professor Mitch Resnick from the Lifelong Kindergarten at the MIT Media Lab. The project is being funded by the National Science Foundation.
Watch the video below for more information on this ongoing project:
The Tufts Elementary Education Program released a new video that talks about their new emphasis on teachers who focus on science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) in elementary schools. This program aims to equip these new teachers with the best tools in the STEM areas, so that when they start in elementary schools they can become useful resources for the other teachers.
Check out this video and for more information, visit their website.
Max Goldstein, E14, writes a blog called “Dethroning STEM,” which he calls “a reminder that Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics won’t prick your finger.” In a recent post, he explored the use of technology in education:
I am little concerned with handing over our youth’s education to a machine. Isn’t the transfer of knowledge from generation to generation one of the core ideas that make us human?


Delicate hand-painted animals from Oaxaca lead little ones through a bilingual alphabet.
Every ABC book worth its cover price is bound to have bright colors and big letters. But not every ABC book has magical hand-carved animals to illustrate every letter. And very few alphabet books present those letters in more varieties than English! Very few alphabet books except the ABeCedarios, that is! In this brightly colored book, the alphabet is presented in both Spanish and English, and includes the four additional letters—and whimsical animals—that make the Spanish alphabet so much fun.
LOOK behind the scenes of ABeCedarios'
creation by clicking here
The famous folk artists, brothers Moisés and Armando Jiménez
, carved the wonderful animal figures that illustrate each letter in ABeCedarios. Working with their wives and children in the beautiful village of Arrazola in Oaxaca, Mexico, they carved and painted each enchanting animal by hand. For many centuries, people in Oaxaca have carved wood to make toys and household objects. However, it was Moisés and Armando’s grandfather Manuel who started making animal figures. Now more than sixty families in Arrazola make their living from wood carving.
works at Teachers College, Columbia University in New York City. She is the co-author with Pegi Deitz Shea of Ten Mice for Tet (Chronicle Books, 2003), a book inspired by the Vietnamese embroidery she saw while working in international relief in Hanoi, Vietnam. She is trained as an art historian and studies the process of folk artisans around the world.
K. B. Basseches
is an artist, photographer, and art educator. She was an assistant professor at Virginia Commonwealth University in the Department of Art Education, and served as a staff photographer at the Smithsonian Institution in the Portrait Gallery in Washington, DC. Basseches has exhibited throughout the mid-Atlantic region and in the Los Angeles area. She lives in Richmond, Virginia, with her young son and husband.


Last week’s Discover & Explore linky was all about science experiments for kids, and there were so many wonderful ideas shared! This week I’m featuring science experiments for kids that will amaze your child!
Are you following our Science for Kids Pinterest board?
I am a huge fan of science for children. Helping children learn about and explore the world around them is such a motivating way to work on critical thinking skills and develop a love of learning. And science easily lends itself to integrating all kinds of other subjects like reading, writing, and math!
One of the things I miss most about being a classroom teacher is the opportunity I had to help children (both boys AND girls) learn to love science! In addition to regular science lessons, I’d often do little science demos for the class to get them brainstorming and thinking. These demos would catch the students’ attention with something amazing or surprising. The students would observe and experiment with the demo and record their findings in their science journals.
These 7 science experiments for kids from last week’s Discover & Explore linky would be great science demos in a classroom or at home. They’re simple to set up and grab the children’s attention in an exciting way!
7 Science Experiments for Kids That Will Amaze Your Child
Here’s a couple science experiments from Buggy and Buddy!
Dancing Raisins from Buggy and Buddy
Baggie and Pencil Magic from Buggy and Buddy
And our features this week…
The Magic Jumping Coin from What Do We Do All Day?
Exploding Baggies from P is for Preschooler
Exploring Density Towers from Little Bins for Little Hands
Colored Ants from Life with Moore Babies
Science Experiments for Toddlers from Nothing if Not Intentional
More Science Experiments from the Discover and Explore Co-hosts
Fun Science Activities for Kids (KC Edventures)
Reflections in Mirrors (Buggy and Buddy)
Floating Egg Science Experiment (Fantastic Fun and Learning)
Bubbles in a Bowl Science (Teach Preschool)
Toddler Science Experiments (Twodaloo)


Dare to Ask: What's the reading process like for a
By Phillip Milano
The Florida Times-Union
When I read or write, I hear the words in my mind. How do the deaf do it?
Lonnie, El Paso, Texas
When I read, I "feel" the words in my mind. Depending on schooling, etc., we
often learn written English as a second language, since American Sign Language
is not related to English. -- Anna, 30, deaf, Seattle
I don't hear the words, although I could speak. If I read a book, I try to
visualize the story. For praying, I either sign in my mind or think the words. I
used to dream in sign language (or gestures from those who don't know sign
language) when I was a child. Now I dream in telepathy in place of gestures. --
Christy, deaf, Michigan
Research suggests deaf people who have some ability to phonologically encode
letters and words are the best readers. This usually means that deaf readers
with some residual hearing are better readers. -- Terry, 48, deaf female,
Here's what's needed to read, whether you're deaf or not, said Barbara
Schirmer, professor of education at the University of Detroit Mercy who studies
how to improve outcomes for deaf readers:
"You have to be able to identify words, read them fluently and comprehend
them," said Schirmer, author of "Language and Literacy Development in Children
Who Are Deaf."
Using phonics -- sounding out the words -- is a key to more rapidly learning
and remembering words. Even some profoundly deaf can learn phonics, she said.
For those who can't, kinesthetic methods can mimic phonics, such as feeling
inside the throat or touching a deaf student's hand to the speaker's throat, she
Failing that, a newer strategy is to make sounds visual, in which hand
signals coincide with the different letters and sounds in written words. That
"The job of a deaf child is to develop a store of words they can recognize by
sight. That creates automatic word recognition."
It's not easy.
"The best analogy I've heard is that it's not like riding a bike, but more
like playing baseball," Schirmer said. "Baseball consists of learning the
skills, running the bases, catching, hitting, pitching ... you could be good at
all, but still be lousy at baseball, because it's about the whole game. You have
to put it all together."
In reading, the "click" happens when you move beyond identifying the words to
comprehending what they mean together. That is the hardest part.
"The average deaf student graduates high school at a fourth- or fifth-grade
reading level; it's been that way many years," she said. "Lots become wonderful
readers, but it's a challenge."
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Education professors design oral-based curriculum
by Geoff McMaster
As you read this, millions of children in China's Hebei province are learning to speak English faster than ever before. That's because they've adopted a new ESL (English as a second language) program designed by professors in the Faculty of Education at the University of Alberta.
Located immediately south of Beijing, Hebei province has a population of 64 million people with about 12 million in Grades I to 12. A few years ago the province decided to overhaul the school curriculum to be more student-centred and activity-based, and officials began looking beyond their horders for expertise.
It wasn't long before they found, through a network of diplomatic connections, U of A Education faculty members Jim Parsons, secondary cducation, and his wife Tara Fenwick, '79 BA, '89 MH:d, '96 PhD, in policy studies. The couple had a proposal to help update a hopelessly archaic system of learning English in China.
With assistance from the Hebei Education Research Institute, Hebei Publishing House and Duval Publishing House (a local publisher headed up by former U of A Press director Glenn Rollans, '78 BA, '80 Cert Arts)—and partly funded by the Canadian International Development Agency—Parsons and Fenwick quickly got to work putting together student texts, teacher guides, audio-tapes, storybooks and activity books for students in Grades 4 to 6.
The project has taken off, and the U of A-designed package is now the official ESL program in Hebei province.
"The Chinese had this British system of ESL, published in Singapore, which is highly grammatical and very written says Parsons. "The [texts] are very British, in the best and worst sense of being British. They're aggressively colonizing... all this white man's burden stuff. What the Chinese are finding is their kids are learning the textbooks, but they can't speak English when they're finished."
Parsons admits he's a"simplc guy," good at communicating ideas to 11year-olds—exactly what you need to design language materials. But what helped the program really gain momentum was realizing that to reach the kids most effectively you have to prepare the teachers "who couldn't speak it either." And so lie and Fenwick have run a number of workshops for hundreds of young educators and continue to offer two institutes each summer in Hebei.
"That's been a wise choice, because as we worked with hundreds of teachers.. .their English improved a lot over seven days," he says. "It's the first time many of them have spoken English to westerners. Give me a hot, sweaty room with 400 teachers and I love it."
The project has also enlisted the help of education dean Larry Beauchamp, Joe Wu, '88 MEd, '93 PhD, in the Department of Elementary Education, Barbara Maheu, '95 MEd, of the Alberta Teachers' Association and several graduate studcnts. Last January three graduate students held a five-day institute for more than 100 teachers and supervisors in Hebei.
Secondary education waster's student Lisa Li, a native of China with experience in ESL, has been helping to design materials. She says the project has the potential to spread beyond Hebei into the rest of the highly populated country, helping millions more learn English.
"In the past, all over China we used the same textbook," she says. "But now there is a variety and [provinces and districts] can make their own choices. If the program is good, the numbers could enlarge."
Parsons says two other provinces in China have already started lookinU into the program, and the Hebei Publishing House plans to market the books across the nation.
Published Winter 2001.


According to 2000 UNESCO estimates, 44.2% of India's population was illiterate (males, 31.4%; females, 57.9%). This figure represents a slow decline from the 59.2% illiteracy rate reported in 1981. In 1986, the National Education Policy (NPE) was adopted in order to bring about major reforms in the system, primarily universalization of primary education. In 1988, a national literacy mission was launched, following which states like Kerala and Pondicherry achieved 100% literacy. In 1992, the second program of action on education was introduced to reaffirm the 1986 policy with plans to achieve total literacy and free education for all children up to grade eight by the year 2000. As of 1995, public expenditure on education was 3.1% of GDP.
Since 1947, public educational facilities have been expanded as rapidly as possible. The main goal has been primary education for children in the 6–11 age group. An emphasis on "basic education"—learning in the context of the physical and cultural environment, including domestic and commercial productive activities—has met with some success. In addition to expansion of primary education, there has been marked increase in educational facilities in secondary schools, colleges, universities, and technical institutes. An intensive development of adult education is under way in both urban and rural areas.
Free and compulsory elementary education is a directive principle of the constitution. In 1997, there were 598,354 primary level schools with 1,789,733 teachers and 110,390,406 pupils. There were a total of 68,872,393 pupils, with 2,738,205 teachers, in secondary schools in that same year. The pupil-teacher ratio at the primary level was 43 to 1 in 1999.
India's system of higher education is still basically British in structure and approach. The university system is second in size only to that of the United States' with 150 universities and over 5,000 colleges and higher-level institutions. Educational standards are constantly improving and especially in the area of science and mathematics are as high as those found anywhere in the world. The older universities are in Calcutta, Mumbai (formerly Bombay), and Madras, all established in 1857; Allahabad, 1877; Banares Hindu (in Varanasi) and Mysore (now Karnataka), both in 1916; Hyderabad (Osmania University), in 1918; and Aligarh and Lucknow, both in 1921. Most universities have attached and affiliated undergraduate colleges, some of which are in distant towns. Christian missions in India have organized more than three dozen college-rank institutions and hundreds of primary, secondary, and vocational schools. In addition to universities there are some 3,500 arts and sciences colleges (excluding research institutes) and commercial colleges, as well as 1,500 other training schools and colleges. The autonomous University Grants Commission promotes university education and maintains standards in teaching and research. Many college students receive scholarships and stipends. In 1997, a total of 6,060,418 students were enrolled in institutions of higher learning.


ERIC Number: ED322284
Record Type: RIE
Publication Date: 1990-Oct
Reference Count: N/A
Teaching Mathematics with Understanding to Limited English Proficient Students. Urban Diversity Series No. 101.
Secada, Walter G.; Carey, Deborah A.
This document provides research-based information to help school district personnel select appropriate mathematics education programs for their limited English proficient (LEP) elementary school students. A review of the mathematics education literature is discussed in the context of the reform movement in school mathematics. Two instructional programs for effectively teaching mathematics to LEP students, Active Mathematics Teaching (AMT) and Cognitively Guided Instruction (CGI), are discussed in detail. Examples, using addition and subtraction problems, illustrate each program. Since teaching math in a student's native language may be more effective than limiting instruction to English, Spanish translations of examples are also included to demonstrate how simple presentation of problems can facilitate their solving. Recommendations are woven throughout the text and each section ends with a list of additional recommendations for teaching mathematics to LEP students. The following final recommendations are suggested: (1) choose and use manipulatives carefully; (2) manipulatives should support discussion about mathematics, not replace it; (3) activities should emphasize the mathematics content; (4) the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics' document, "Curriculum and Evaluation Standards," provides specific recommendations for content that should be emphasized as well as deemphasized; (5) AMT has been proven effective for conveying large amounts of basic information that is well organized; (6) CGI shows promise for developing problem solving skills, higher order thinking, and enhancing student confidence; and (7) mathematics is too important for students' futures to be reduced to computations or omitted entirely. Five figures are included. A list of 72 references is appended. (FMW)
Descriptors: Bilingual Education Programs, Curriculum Development, Elementary Education, Elementary School Mathematics, Limited English Speaking, Literature Reviews, Mathematics Curriculum, Mathematics Instruction, Teaching Methods
ERIC Clearinghouse on Urban Education, Box 40, Teachers College, Columbia University, New York, NY 10027.
Publication Type: Reports - Research; ERIC Publications
Education Level: N/A
Audience: Administrators; Teachers; Practitioners
Sponsor: Wisconsin Center for Education Research, Madison.; Office of Bilingual Education and Minority Languages Affairs (ED), Washington, DC.; Office of Educational Research and Improvement (ED), Washington, DC.; National Science Foundation, Washington, DC.
Authoring Institution: ERIC Clearinghouse on Urban Education, New York, NY.; Columbia Univ., New York, NY. Inst. for Urban and Minority Education.
Identifiers: Active Mathematics Teaching


Tonic Sol-fa--now referred to as the Curwen method—was developed by the Methodist minister the Reverend John Curwen (1816-1880) from the 1840s using several English and Continental sources including Sarah Glover’s Norwich Sol-fa method. The bases of the method were two nmemonic (memory-aid) methods—one for performing pitch (solmisation or, as it is more commoly known, sol-fa) and the other for performing rhythm (time names). These, together with the Modulator chart, the pitch hand signs, rhythm finger signs and a system of "letter" notation enabled students to become musically literate and to become competent sight singers. Although Curwen originally used his method as a means of teaching music reading from staff notation, by the 1872 edition of The Standard Course, staff notation was dispensed with altogether in favour of letter notation.
The motto of the Tonic Sol-fa movement—"Easy, Cheap and True"—was adopted by Curwen during the 1860s. This motto aptly describes firstly the relative ease of teaching music literacy through the Curwen method as compared with other contemporary approaches, secondly the fact that standard printing press characters could be used for Tonic Sol-fa notation instead of the special characters and printing processes required for staff notation, and finally the underlying logic of the system’s theoretical and notational principles.
The Curwen Method Today
My initial interest in the Curwen method was as a music education historian. In its heyday during the late nineteenth century, this method was the means through which working class people in Britain and many indigenous people in its colonies and elsewhere were able to become musically literate and participate in choral music. Jorgensen (2001, p.344) suggests that the Tonic Sol-fa is one example of a music teaching method that has had "its own time and place" and is now obsolete. For my own part, I had assumed that the method had simply given way to the Kodály Method and to the New Curwen Method (see below), and was no longer used. However, on a visit to South Africa in 1997, I discovered that the Curwen method and its notation were very much "alive and well" in black community and church choirs. I then discovered the same situation in Fiji and since then, I have found that the Curwen method is used in other countries--chiefly developing nations in Africa and Asia--where it is used to good effect.
The "New Curwen Method", which was developed for use in British primary and secondary schools, is a re-working of Tonic Sol-fa principles but applied to the teaching of staff notation. The "New Curwen Method" was developed under the auspices of Curwen Institute which in turn is maintained by the John Curwen Society. Established in 1974, the Curwen Institute has embarked on a program of curriculum material development and teacher professional development—for example, see Swinburne, W.H., The New Curwen Method, Book One: Tonic Sol-fa in Class (London: The Curwen Institute, 1980). This book and others in the series as well as a new publication which is ideal for lower primary school levels, Simply Sing and Sign Sol-fa (consisting of a song book, audio CD, video tape and flash cards), are available from the Honorary secretary, John Curwen Society, 56 Creffield Road, Colchester, Essex CO3 3HY, UNITED KINGDOM, Fax 024 7641 3564; Email firstname.lastname@example.org
The John Curwen Society website is at http://www.johncurwensociety.org.uk/
Jorgensen, E.R. (2001), "A dialectical view of theory and practice", Journal of Research in Music Education, vol.49 no.4 (Winter 2001).
The Curwen Method website
This web site has been developed to provide a source of information and reference for choir leaders, school music teachers and others who wish make use of the Curwen method and its notation as a means of teaching music literacy to their choral ensembles and/or music classes.
The site currently includes the following pages:
Overview article of the Curwen Method
Click HERE to download a copy of "A system ahead of its time" (by Robin Stevens, 2008) from Music in Action, 5 (5), 8-11.


The normal schools and the training schools and the teachers’ colleges must be the nurseries of craft ideals and standards. The instruction that they offer must be upon a plane that will command respect. The intolerable pedantry and the hypocritical goody-goodyism must be banished forever. The crass sentimentalism by which we attempt to cover our paucity of craft ideals must also be eliminated. Those who are most strongly imbued with ideals are not those who cheapen the value of ideals by constant verbal reiteration. Ideals do not often come through explicitly imparted precepts. They come through more impalpable and hidden channels,—now through stately buildings with vine-covered towers from which the past speaks in the silence of great halls and cloistered retreats; now through the unwritten and scarcely spoken traditions that are expressed in the very bearing and attitude of those to whom youth looks for inspiration and guidance; now through a dominant and powerful personality, sometimes rough and crude, sometimes warm-hearted and lovable, but always sincere. Traditions and ideals are the most priceless part of a school’s equipment, and the school that can give these things to its students in richest measure will have the greatest influence on the succeeding generations.
[Footnote 6: A paper read before the Normal and Training Teachers’ Conference of the New York State Teachers’ Association, December 27, 1907.]
[Footnote 7: See Educative Process, New York, 1910, Chapter XX.]
[Footnote 8: Rowe’s Habit Formation (New York, 1909), Briggs and Coffman’s Reading in Public Schools (Chicago, 1908), Foght’s The American Rural School, Adams’s Exposition and Illustration in Class Teaching (New York, 1910), and Perry’s Problems of Elementary Education (New York, 1910) should certainly be added to this list.]
[Footnote 9: “It seems to me one of the most pressing problems in pedagogy to-day is that of method.... It is the subject in which teachers of pedagogy in Colleges and Universities are weakest to-day. Of what practical value is all our study of educational psychology or the history of education, our child study, our experimental pedagogy, if it does not finally result in the devising of better methods of teaching, and make the teacher more skillful and effective in his work.”—T.M. BALLIET: “Undergraduate Instruction in Pedagogy,” Pedagogical Seminary, vol. xvii, 1910, p. 67.]
THE TEST OF EFFICIENCY IN SUPERVISION


Visuals, such as pictures, drawings, charts, graphs and diagrams, can be effective tools for communicating health information. Visuals can make the presentation of complex information easier to comprehend, more attractive, and can also reinforce written or spoken health messages.
Visual communication can benefit all audiences, but can be especially helpful to individuals with lower literacy and numeracy skills. Remember, though, that visuals can’t speak for themselves. People can interpret visuals, just as they do words, in different ways. Choose visuals that support the main message and have clear headings, labels, and captions.
Below are several resources for public domain health pictures, as well as resources that will help you make decisions about choosing images that effectively communicate your message and graphic displays your audience will understand.
- Public Health Image Library (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention 2008)
- Visuals Online (NIH National Cancer Institute)
- Making Data Talk [2 MB, 52 page] (NIH National Cancer Institute)
- Visualizing Health (University of Michigan)
- Icon Array (University of Michigan)
- Teaching Patients with Low Literacy Skills (see Chapter 7: Visuals and How to Use Them)
- Page last reviewed: June 23, 2014
- Page last updated: June 23, 2014
- Content source:


With the importance and power of technology shining through every major initiative in the past five years, early technology education is becoming more of a need in schools all over the world. From natural disasters to political campaigns, technology is at the forefront.
One non-profit called CodeNow has decided to take on bridging the gap between technology and underrepresented youth.
The organization explains itself this way:
CodeNow works with underrepresented youth to develop the next pioneers in technology by teaching foundational skills in computer science and programming to narrow the digital divide. Creating a fluency in this language spurs innovation and opens doors for our youth, while creating a pipeline of talent for American companies.
Tech for everyone
Since the movie “The Social Network” was released, people everywhere have gotten the tech sparkle in their eye, be it for an app they’d love to make or by changing the world. The power of technology, especially the backend skills required to make great ideas a reality, is in the hands of few. There are major companies in Silicon Valley hiring top talent as we speak, and there will be many jobs available for the youth of America if they have the right skill set.
White House approved
A few weeks ago, I had the opportunity to meet Ryan Seashore of CodeNow and I was immediately impressed with the work he and the organization are doing. Ryan got me thinking about ways that we could engage non-profits around the country and the ways we could share their incredible stories. I am happy to announce a new weekly blog series highlighting non-profits dedicated to improving their communities. It felt appropriate to have CodeNow inaugurate the series.
Here’s a video about the CodeNow program:
I had the chance to interview CodeNow Co-Founder Ryan Seashore about why this movement is important for the advancement of technology.
TNW: What is it about technology that gets you excited the most?
Ryan Seashore: What’s exciting to me about technology is that it gives people the ability to create, which is power. Programmers are modern-day artists constantly shaping the world we live in. The boundaries are as endless as their imagination.
TNW: Tell us why it’s important that the youth of America gets involved with technology early on
Ryan Seashore: Coding is the language of the future. If we want our youth to be competitive globally we need to teach them be tinkerers and look under the hood of technology.
TNW: What’s the story behind CodeNow and why did you start it?
Ryan Seashore: I’m a social entrepreneur with a diverse background in Film, Technology and Politics. I became involved in the Obama Camapaign overseeing youth outreach in SF and was forever changed. I moved to DC to work for the administration on an interim basis. After this amazing experience I decided to join the non-profit sector. I worked for an organization doing great work but they were stuck in the confines of being a “Non-Profit”.
Last year I came up with the concept for CodeNow. I expected to see dozens of organizations in the space. I was shocked to find only a few organizations teaching youth to code and no one focusing on undeserved youth in a scalable way. Out of frustration I started CodeNow in February of 2011. Though we are a non-profit we function more like a start-up. We take a “lean” approach to our work and are in constant beta. It’s been an amazing experience.
TNW: Please share some success stories since you started the project
Ryan Seashore: An early validation of our success is that after our pilot program in August I had 4 students friends email me about attending our next training. With high school students there is no higher praise. We’re still early on. We have three more trainings by the end of the year. We expect to learn a lot in the next few months.
The children are our future
Early education is essential to drive the next advancements in technology. It might not be a social network that changes the world, it could be a cure for cancer or another major disease and technology could be a contributing powerhouse behind it. It could be a 12-year-old girl in Iowa who has the thoughts and imagination to accomplish such a feat. Without an organization like CodeNow, she wouldn’t have the opportunity to focus on bringing that imagination to reality.


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A LITTLE HISTORY ON THE 11TH (1944-45) DUCK STAMP ARTIST
Walter A. Weber was raised in the "Windy City" and stayed there for most of his early life. He was born in Chicago on May 23, 1906, the son of Jacob and Antoinette Kreml Weber. There he received all of his formal education and there he worked for several years after he graduated from college.
As a child, he had a varied and very active collection of whatever living things he could catch and keep. Beetles, squirrels, crows, ants, mice, raccoons, and turtles all frolicked through his collection at one time or another. He also liked to gather plants from their natural habitat to use as subjects for his soda pop sketches. It was this insatiable curiosity about plant and animal life that later influenced both his studies and his art.
He was led by his interests to study zoology and botany at the University of Chicago, where he graduated in 1927 wit a B.S. degree as a Phi Beta Kappa. He received his art education at the Chicago Art Institute, the American Academy of Art, and the Church School of Art.
Although he was only 22 years old, Mr. Weber was now trained well enough as a scientific illustrator that he was able, in 1928, to join the staff of the Chicago Field Museum (presently The Chicago Museum of Natural History). He traveled extensively for the museum visiting every continent except Antarctica. He was artist and ornithologist for the Crane Expedition to the South Pacific in 1928-29. In the winter of the next year, he made an expedition to Bermuda to paint fish for Mr. Cornelius Crane. He went, in the summer of 1936, to British Columbia to study under Major Allan Brooks, the well-known bird artist, who did many series for the National Geographic magazine. This was invaluable experience for Mr. Weber, a man who was rapidly developing his own style. The two men spent four months together, working much of the time in the field.
For the next two years, Mr. Weber served as a biologist and artist for the Century of Progress Exposition in his home town. After that, he tried his skills as a free-lance artist for two years. He specialized mainly in advertising art and commercial illustration.
Mr. Weber continued his museum work, organizing and painting backgrounds for the biological exhibits at the Texas State Memorial Museum in 1936. After that work was done, he went to Washington D.C. and worked as a wildlife technician with the National Park Service. He transferred to the staff of the U.S. National Museum five years later and, in 1942, was sent as an ornithologist to southern Mexico (Tabasco and Vera Cruz) on a Smithsonian Institution--National Geographic Society expedition.
In March of the next year, Mr. Weber returned to free-lance art and late in that year did the watercolor painting tat was selected for use on the 1944-45 Duck Stamp.
Mr. Weber died in January 1979 while living in Lynchburg, Virginia.
White-fronted Geese was done in watercolor wash. A stone lithograph was prepared and prints were hand pulled on white Rives paper using brown and black ink. The prints were signed in both ink and pencil but not numbered. The print image size is 6 1/2" x 9 1/2"
White-fronted Geese...Engraved by the Federal Bureau of Engraving from the original artwork. Printed in red-orange ink. The stamp sold for one dollar. Postal records show 1,487,029 stamps sold. First day of sale was July 1, 1944.
Most of the information contained above is from the book Federal Duck Stamp Story, Fifty Years of Excellence, by Laurence F. Jonson; Alexander & Co. It is used here with permission from the author. For more information on this book, please click here.


All For Strings - Book 1 (Violin)
Orchestra violin - Elementary
Comprehensive String Method. Method book. All for Strings. Learn To Play. Instructional book. With instructional text, instructional photos, standard notation, bowings and fingerings. 48 pages. Published by Neil A. Kjos Music Company (KJ.78VN).
Item Number: KJ.78VN
ISBN 849732220. With instructional text, instructional photos, standard notation, bowings and fingerings. Learn To Play. 9x12 inches.
All for strings is a comprehensive three-volume method surrounded by a wealth of supplementary materials for teaching and performance. This complete curriculum covers virtually every aspect of beginning through intermediate string study, emphasizing technical skills, rhythmic understanding, and quality musical experiences. Many of the National Standards for Music Education can be easily implemented into the classroom setting with the varied components All for Strings has to offer. Book 1 provides a well-rounded course of study for all beginning string students. It begins with "Starting by Rote" and "Starting by Note" approaches to music reading. Photos, diagrams, and logos integrated throughout the book reinforce all new concepts introduced. Carefully selected and composed technical materials and musical selections provide excellent opportunities for learning and growth. Rhythm exercises and theory games are also provided, as well as duets, trios, and ensembles.


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- Professional Development | Grades 7 – 12 | Professional Library | Book
Both Art and Craft: Teaching Ideas That Spark Learning
This lively, readable text offers countless practical ideas for student activities in the areas of literature, reading, writing, and thematic units.
- Professional Development | Grades 9 – 12 | Professional Library | Book
Gendered Fictions helps students explore how fiction and nonfiction texts construct gender by encouraging readers to take up "gendered" reading positions that support or challenge particular versions of masculinity and femininity.
- Professional Development | Grades K – 2 | Professional Library | Journal
Supporting Phonemic Awareness Development in the Classroom
Support literacy development through playful and appealing activities that focus on the sound structure of language.


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One system I've used for assessment of Elementary Education majors' art
work focuses on the criteria all students can accomplish, not based on
talent or artistic ability. I use a rubric that is designed to rate a
student's developmental level. After all, life experiences inform our level
of abiity and talent. Therefore, if students are assessed on "where they
are" on a continuum (naive to sophisticated) based on specific criteria,
they understand that the assessment is not biased, less subjective, or a
no-win. The criteria are task-specific instructional expectations. What
learning do you want students to demonstrate/show evidence? The students
discuss the criteria prior to their assignment/problem--such as the impact
of a conceptualized idea into a form; degree of elaboration/invention,
etc.; degree of technical facility; degree of appropriate
design/composition attributes--whatever relates to the study. They do not
receive letter grades on art work but do so on the completion of a
portfolio of artwork. Hope this helps! Studying the works of Grant Wiggins
(CLASS) and others will offer more complete explanations and support.
I've found students accept this form of assessment for products and written
work (different criteria, of course). They should be familiar with the use
of rubrics when they become teachers of all subjects.


The Learning and Teaching of Reading and Writing
The book provides practice-based examples of how teachers and schools might adapt their delivery for literacy as they move to greater creativity in their teaching of reading and writing. The analysis begins within the classrooms of three expert Key Stage 1 teachers and broadens out in to the wider setting of the schools and their senior management teams.
An important theme running throughout the book is how the three teachers were able to make exceptional provision for their pupils, who were largely second language speakers and from socio-economically disadvantaged groups. The teachers’ successful practice grew from their understanding of both early literacy development and planning for individual need. The information in this book will enable student teachers, recently qualified teachers, and teachers interested in enhancing their literacy teaching to develop their practice in a similarly successful way.
Part One: Learning and Teaching Reading and Writing.
1. How to Read this Book.
2. Teaching Reading and Writing in English Primary Schools: an Historical Perspective.
3. Writing Systems and the Development of Reading.
4. The Development of Writing.
5. Children for whom English is an Additional Language.
6. The Schools.
Part Two: Three Exceptional Teachers.
An Introduction to Part Two.
Rhona Stainthorp is Director of the Language and Literacy Research Centre, Institute of Education, University of London. She has been involved in the professional training of teachers and speech and language therapists for the last 30 years.
- Provides insight into how to develop pedagogy for literacy.
- A creative approach to literacy.
- Includes detailed, practice-based examples.
- Links practice to research-based models of how children learn to read and write.
- Helps plan for linguistic diversity in the classroom.


Story posted Jaunary, 2008
• More than 90% of parents whose children attend this program report that their children do better in school and learn new things because of the program
Students in Genesee County, Michigan have no excuse to be "home alone" after school. A countywide afterschool initiative called Bridges to the Future enrolls more than 17,000 youngsters in safe, organized activities that are designed to support in-school learning - with a healthy emphasis on kid-centered fun.
Genesee County, home to the city of Flint, has seen its share of tough times in recent years, due to a declining economy, increasing poverty, and rising levels of violence and crime. Bridges to the Future is providing the county's students with the attention and the caring they need to rise above these trends and see the way to success.
"Bridges to the Future is a testament to our community's ability to work together and provide enriching and quality afterschool programming for the very students and families who have been impacted most by the declining economy," said Ron Butler, United Way of Genesee County executive director, in an article by Michigan's Center for Educational Networking.
Bridges to the Future is available at no cost to all students in Genesee County schools, from kindergarten through ninth grade. The program is an innovative partnership between United Way of Genesee County, the Genesee Intermediate School District, and the county's 21 public school districts. Other community partners include Big Brothers Big Sisters, Flint's Longway Planetarium and many more. Funding for the program comes from a range of private, foundation and government dollars.
Using an "adaptive youth development model," the afterschool program reinforces the fundamentals learned during the school day by providing fun and creative learning opportunities.
Among the keys to the success of Bridges to the Future: a determination to tailor learning opportunities to the interests of students. (Bridges students made sushi during a recent "Taste of the World" study program at Anderson Elementary in Flint.) Students can choose from more than 250 activities in areas from literacy development to music, community service, fitness and more. And, a Youth Advisory Council (YAC) at each Bridges to the Future site ensures that student input helps guide the program's design and offerings.
According to a recent third-party evaluation, more than 90 percent of parents whose children attend Bridges to the Future report that their children do better in school and learn new things as a result of the program. Bridges to the Future has received a number of accolades and awards; it was named the nation's most outstanding afterschool program by the National Community Education Association in 2003.
Further details about this story can be found in our sources:
Alex Nikoloff, for Michigan Department of Education Leading Change, "Genesee County Offers Bridges to the Future", Fall 2004
Bridges to the Future
For additional information, please contact:
Director of Health, Safety and Nutrition Services
Genesee Intermediate School District
Phone - (810)591-4447
Fax - (810)591-4940
Email - firstname.lastname@example.org
Photo courtesy of the Bridges to the Future