With Barbara Ford Doyle
Sunday, February 16, 2014
Time: 1pm – 4 pm
Location: Griffin Museum of Photography
One of the criticisms of digital art is that there isn’t uniqueness to it because each image can be printed over and over—true especially of giclèe prints. On the other hand, computers have put the medium of digital photography in dialogue with painting, printmaking, and other kinds of art. Barbara Ford Doyle’s interest is to combine digital photography with various hands-on transfer printmaking processes.
About the workshop:
“How did you do that?” This is a question Barbara Ford Doyle is asked often about photo transfers—especially transfers to limestone “paper” or metal.
She will discuss the use of a computer, Adobe Photoshop, and inkjet printers for printing on specially coated DASS™ film. She will demo transfers to mulberry paper, limestone “paper” and have examples of images on metal and transfers coated with encaustic—with remarks about unwanted variables! She will offer suggestions for finishing and presenting work and prepare a list of resources.
Doyle was born and raised on a small farm in Connecticut where her family always had one or more dogs. She attended UMass and Southern Connecticut University majoring in art education. Moving to Cape Cod, she taught art and photography in public schools and was well known as an illustrator of poster calendars. She maintains a website of Alternative Photo Imaging at: www.bfdoyle.com and is a member of the collaborative digital artists group, ArtSynergies, www.artsynergies.com.
Barbara’s Working process:
Beginning with Raw negatives or iPhone images, Doyle uses Adobe Photoshop and additional software plug-ins to edit her work. Her digital equipment includes a computer with tons of memory and back-ups, a graphics tablet, an iPhone, an iPad and an Epson Stylus Pro3880 printer. Specialty products for transfer printing include DASS™ film, which acts as a arrier plate and is printed with water soluble inkjet pigments. Inks are transferred to various substrates—BFK Rives, mulberry paper, limestone paper, or metal. There is unexpected “lift-off” on rough surfaces and soft, muted imagery on waterleaf and Japanese papers. Images transferred to limestone paper are similar to Polaroid emulsion transfers where the “skin” can be stretched and twisted. Images transfer printed on oxidized metal are reminiscent of 19th-century tintypes.
Her Irish terrier, Ruddy, reminds her of the important things in life.


ANDREW Ikupu speaks 11 languages; an elegant and measured English among them. It’s hardly surprising when you consider that he is a native of Papua New Guinea, the country with the most diverse linguistic heritage in the world.
Papua New Guinea is home to more than seven million people and 875 local languages, the result of the country’s rugged and often impenetrable geography of deep valleys and high mountains which have kept small pockets of people isolated from each other.
The greatest number of speakers of a local language is 300,000; the smallest less than 200. Judged against the UNESCO atlas, it is a success story with only 88 of its tongues in danger.
The country has also absorbed many waves of colonisation. In the 1880s the British, Dutch and Germans carved up the land with the British claiming the south-eastern section, the Germans the northeast and the Dutch the west which is now Indonesian.
Each colony left a language heritage: the British favoured the pidgin Motu, the Germans another English-based pidgin Tok Pisin which continued as the lingua franca when the Australians took over in 1906. By the time the Independent State of Papua New Guinea was declared in 1975, English was firmly in place as the language of the elite and those aspiring to be.
Mr Ikupu, who serves as an advisor to the Department of Education on elementary education and travels the country championing early education in the mother tongue, takes up the story.
“During the 1950s missionaries had provided most of the education and it was firmly linked to the religion,” he explained. “When the Germans, French and English left, the legacy of education from each power left us wondering if languages were worth preserving. The elite who had benefited most financially from colonisation encouraged their children to speak only English.
“But after 30 years of independence we said; ‘Hang on we are becoming a society with neither a good command of English nor of our own languages’. Parents could see their children being alienated from their own culture as a result of the loss of their languages and disorientated by a culture based only on money.”
There were other difficulties in a society that remains overwhelmingly rural in its makeup.
“To avoid intermarrying within tribes, people go to the next tribe to court a partner and acquire land but for that you need to speak the language of the larger, outside tribe. So languages become extinguished by those that surround them,” Mr Ikupu said.
In the 1970s the government stepped in with a radical program to systemise language learning and offer the first three years of basic education in the vernacular. It established 3,500 schools across the country from the most remote to urban areas offering three years of basic education in the mother tongue, a locally created curriculum and teachers drawn from the community.
In 1991 the education system was reformed again and a ‘cultural bonding’ curriculum was introduced with even greater emphasis on locally produced educational materials. There were other hurdles to overcome. Only 420 of the local languages had an alphabet so the 26-letter alphabet was adopted and translation of oral sounds into written language began. Now the basic education curriculum is delivered in 250 languages with state backing and community involvement.
“Languages act not only as a cushion but a bridge between cultures,” said Mr Ikupu. “People want English for money and employment but they also want to feel that they have a cultural heritage. We teach children in their mother tongue using a cultural calendar which talks about the seasons and their lives.”
Mr Ikupu, who embodies the modern Papua New Guinean living in the city of Mt Hagen but keeping a grass hut only reached at the end of an 11-hour drive, said the majority of parents were eager for their children to keep hold of their languages but the lure of working outside the country for more money was strong for young people. How did he try to convince them?
“I tell them they will be nothing without their mother tongue. Culture and identity are wrapped up in your language. You are nothing without your identity. I say you will be like the African Americans or Australian aborigines cut off from your own identity. You must keep your languages so that you can stand tall in the world and go to forums like the one at UNESCO and say I am from Papua New Guinea and I speak this language.
“People ask if the investment in so many languages is worth it or realistic but we know that the child learns best when the language of explanation is understood. I am a product of this system. I learned in my own language and then went on to learn English. It is like asking the question is it worth it to keep your identity and cultural heritage?”


Family Support Services are offered FREE through the Family Resource Centers of the Tempe Elementary and Kyrene School Districts. Parent Liaisons work within the Resource Centers as a direct contact for parents in their community.
Research indicates that early language abilities are directly related to later reading abilities. In other words, building those skills which are a precursor to reading is very important. The interactions that young children have with such literacy materials as books, paper, and crayons, and with the adults in their lives are the building blocks for language, reading and writing development. Early literacy experiences support the critical processes occurring in your young child’s brain.
According to Zero to Three, a nationally recognized leader in early childhood,” Early literacy skills are essential to literacy development and should be the focus of early language and literacy programs.” Thrive to Five offers several educational opportunities for parents and caregivers to learn and understand how to help develop their child’s early literacy skills.
There are no upcoming events at this time.
Ever wonder if your child’s development is on track? Families who are wondering about any aspect of their child’s development can complete a brief screening called “Ages & Stages” with one of our screening staff. The questionnaire takes about 10-15 minutes to complete. The screener will score the survey and discuss with you right away. The survey can accurately identify infants or young children who may be in need of further assessments. Most often, parents are relieved to learn that their child is absolutely average!


Bachelor of Science Degree
See also Elementary Education
Become an Effective Educator
Many people consider their teachers from junior and senior high school to be significant influences on their lives. Teachers who have a heart for students, mastery of their subject areas, and skill as educators possess tremendous opportunities to inspire secondary students both academically and spiritually.
Education students begin their studies by forming a strong biblical philosophy, designed to teach them to exercise discernment as they analyze educational trends. Studying traditional teaching methods and gaining extensive teaching experience both with their classmates and in actual classes at Pensacola Christian Academy, students become highly trained, effective instructors who are ready to enter the classroom immediately after graduation.
The culmination of the education degree is an internship at Pensacola Christian Academy, where senior education majors refine their skills under the mentorship of experienced advisory teachers.
To give each graduate many opportunities for ministry and employment, every secondary education student chooses both a major concentration and a second teaching field. With a strong background in more than one academic area, alumni are capable, flexible teachers who can easily adapt to the needs of employers. The leadership, management, and communication skills cultivated in the education program, as well as proficiency in the student’s chosen teaching fields, open doors for countless possibilities after graduation.
PCC helped prepare me for teaching because of the practical knowledge that the teachers instilled in me during student teaching. Perhaps the greatest preparation was learning how to manage a classroom successfully by setting boundaries and routines to help students succeed. Then as a student teacher, I had the chance to put that knowledge into practice during my internship at PCA.
PCC prepares Christian school teachers to be servants, which is essential in being a part of a Christian school ministry because you could be called upon to do many things above and beyond the normal teaching duties.
—Wesley Courser (’93 History Education grad) Principal, Coshocton Christian School


Interesting Facts about Music Education
The publication "Academic Preparation for College: What Students Need to Know and Be Able To Do" states that preparation in the arts will be valuable to college entrants whatever their field of study.
The very best engineers and technical designers in the Silicon Valley are, nearly without exception, practicing musicians. This was found in "The Paradox of the Silicon Savior" by Grant Venerable.
Physician and biologist Lewis Thomas studied the undergraduate majors of medical school applicants. He found that 66 percent of music majors who applied to medical school were admitted, the highest percentage of any group. In comparison, there were 44 percent of biochemistry majors admitted.
Students who study music and the arts score higher on the verbal and math portions of the SAT than students with no arts coursework or experience.
- A survey of band parents found that 96 percent of them agree that "many people don't know or understand the benefits of band." In fact, 95 percent of the non-band parents surveyed felt that band provides educational benefits not found in other classrooms and that 78 percent of the same group felt that band is more educational than extracurricular.


Two Great Benefits of Montessori Education
Benefits of Montessori: reasons why Montessori is right for your child.
Everybody knows that Montessori is a great way to educate children, but not everyone may understand the benefits in detail. Here are two great reasons.
- Your child learns how to focus and concentrate. One of Maria Montessori’s goals was to teach children how to concentrate. This is one of the foundational skills for learning, and one that is largely ignored in traditional school systems. A Montessori day is structured so that a child’s focus is never interrupted by having to move on to the next lesson before finishing the current one.
- Montessori accommodates all learning styles. This is important because some children are visual learners, some are auditory learners, some learn through body movement and feeling, and some use a combination of several learning avenues. Montessori teachers are trained to use all the senses; the use of the didactic materials in the classrooms reinforces this.
Visit Benefits of Montessori to learn more.


Balancing the Common Core: Leveled readers vs. complex text
The art of teaching requires many careful balancing acts, and implementing the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) for literacy offers an opportunity for one more. We’ve heard a lot about the CCSS’ focus on complex texts; however, this doesn’t mean texts matched to students’reading levels aren’t still important. It takes both to build competent and fluent readers.
Elementary classrooms and libraries across the country are filled with leveled readers, or books categorized into reading levels. During literacy blocks, many teachers carefully and systematically ensure that each student is assigned to a reading group or given a selection of texts for independent reading based on his or her assessed reading level. This is common practice in reading instruction and is, in fact, the centerpiece of popular curricula such as Lucy Calkins’ Reading and Writing Project.
On the other hand, Reading Standard 10, which underlies all of the reading comprehension standards in the Common Core, expresses an expectation that all students comprehend complex texts on a continuum that leads to college readiness by the end of high school. This expectation certainly is a shift—not because college readiness and reading comprehension weren’t previously our goals, but because many of us thought that we could achieve higher student reading comprehension scores solely by enticing students to read more.
In my own teaching practice, I felt that if I coaxed a non-reader to pick up a magazine or graphic novel or just about anything, I was succeeding. I tried to get them to fall in love with reading and learning by allowing them time to read whatever they wanted. I still believe offering such choices is important, but I have now come to understand that a balance is needed.
The Common Core’s Publishers Criteria states that scaffolding reading instruction should not include using easier versions of the same text (pp. 8–9), but rather teachers should model reading strategies and provide other supports, like guided questioning and vocabulary development, when students struggle. However, the CCSS also state in the K–5 domain for Reading Foundational Skills that students need to build fluency—which comes as they read self-selected texts and texts matched to their level.
Research doesn’t offer much clarity on the effectiveness of either. In a recent blog, Timothy Shanahan, a literacy professor and researcher, notes the surprising lack of research proving the effectiveness of using leveled readers: “Research shows that matching kids to books does not guarantee big learning gains. In fact, in the two best and most recent studies on the topic, one study found minor benefits of a good book match on one measure only, and the other study actually found that kids made better progress in the frustration level books!” (For a rebuttal on the research on frustration level books, read this blog by literacy consultants Jan Burkins and Kim Yaris.)
I advocate for the middle ground. We do not need to take all of the choice out of classroom literacy instruction in order to meet the Common Core’s expectation for text complexity, but we do need to deliberately guide student reading so that all students have supported opportunities to engage with rich literature and build complex knowledge with informational texts. Sometimes the best thing to do is not to listen to all the hub-bub about the standards and just read the standards themselves:
Students need opportunities to stretch their reading abilities but also to experience the satisfaction and pleasure of easy, fluent reading within them, both of which the Standards allow for (The Common Core State Standards, Appendix A, p. 9).
A former English language arts teacher, Susan Ryan is a standards consultant at McREL and co-author of Common Core quick-start guides published by ASCD on English language arts and mathematics standards at the elementary, middle, and high school levels.


David Fisher, DEN Guru from Florida, led an amazing session during the Fall VirtCon, titled Full S.T.E.A.M. Ahead, where he shared a huge collection of ideas for using technology to build a multicultural learning experience. Here are a few of my greatest take-aways! If you are looking for a way to bring something new and fresh into the new year, this is the recap for you! Watch the full episode for more great ideas for implementing these tools, and more!
– Start with what you know! Comfort with a device leads to less anxiety, which leads to more productivity. We have our hands on our phones every day, so why don’t we take the connection that we have with our smartphones and bring it in to the classroom. Also, if you aren’t sure about handing your phone over to your students, don’t forget about all those phones that are taking up space in your desk drawers (and those of your students’ families). Even if they aren’t still being connected to cellular service, they will run on wifi. If you have wifi at your school, you have a lot of FREE potential at your fingertips.
– Make paper slide videos. The phone is a great way to do this because it’s a no mess upload! This are great for sharing and assessing content, but it’s also a great way for everyone to participate because it eases anxiety. Here is David’s YouTube tutorial.
– Create Stop Motion videos for capturing changes over longer periods of time. Check out apps like iMotion HD (iOS) or Stop Motion (Android). Here are some extra resources for using Stop Motion in the classroom.
– Record your oral reading assessments using an audio recording. You can develop an audio portfolio, check back for errors, show growth, and more.
– Create Photo Conversation Starters from graphics, and use them as prompts for getting great talks started. Using your own photographs will help build familiarity and connections with our students, especially those who are developing language learners. These conversations can then lead to great writing prompts.
– Make Music…. Videos! Discovery Education and Dr. Lodge offer amazing ideas for developing curricular understanding through music. Another great resource that my students love is Mr. Parr’s YouTube channel. He has tons of science songs written to modern songs.
– Video Scavenger Hunts are a lot of fun, too. Try letting students hunt down concepts to share, like a geometry hunt.
Wait, there’s more!
– Check out http://transl8it.com/ for building your own language puzzles to engage students.
– Padlet (the artist formerly known as WallWisher) is excellent for sharing ideas, collaborating among peers, and breaking down barriers for our students who aren’t as comfortable speaking. These are easily shared and archived for reference later! Padlet also easily allows control of visibility for outside people.
– Fake iPhone Text would be a fun way to show a conversation between historical figures or book characters. Short snippets of writing samples, like this, allow students to build confidence and foundational skills.
– Audacity can be a bit intimidating at first glance, but it’s really pretty simple to use. Students can use these to monitor their own reading for fluency, or partner up for a rich experience. Here’s a bit on the basics. Recordmp3 is a super simple alternative, that is web-based.
– Blabberize is another fun way to bring animation to a still image, clip art or photo. Some more recent updates include the ability to create a “group blabber.” Students can share their learning, post to the class website, and more. The possibilities are endless! This would be fun for building characterization of story characters!
– Google Story Builder is an excellent option for understanding story building and character interaction in a fun way. Students must have a clear plan and ability to concisely convey an idea. The music options are also a great way for students to begin gaining command of considering mood when publishing a story.
Learn more with David on Twitter – @davidfisher65


Think about the planets in the Solar System; Saturn has rings, so do Jupiter, Uranus and Neptune. So what about Mercury? Does planet Mercury have rings?
Sorry, Mercury doesn’t have rings right now. I say right now, because it’s possible that Mercury has had rings in the past, and it could have them again in the future.
There are two ways that scientists think a planet can get rings. The first is the icy rings around Saturn, Jupiter, Uranus and Neptune. Scientists think that Saturn’s rings come from an icy object or moon that was crushed under Saturn’s gravity, becoming its rings. It’s also possible that the ring material just formed in place back when the Solar System formed. We also know that some of Saturn’s moons, like Enceladus, are continuing to spew fresh material into the rings.
Unfortunately, Mercury could never get rings like this. That’s because it’s too close to the Sun. The powerful solar winds blast out from the Sun, and would melt and destroy any icy rings around Mercury. In fact, ice can’t exist closer to the Sun than the asteroid belt, unless it’s hidden in shadow, or protected by an atmosphere like we have on Earth.
The second way for a ring to form is for an asteroid or moon to get too close to a planet and be torn apart by gravity. For a few million years this crushed asteroid would appear as a ring around Mercury, until the chunks finally fell down onto the planet. Astronomers predict that the Martian moon Phobos will eventually suffer this fate, be torn apart by Mars’ gravity, and form a ring for a while.
Mercury doesn’t have any moons, and there aren’t many asteroids that might interact with it, so it might never get a ring – but maybe one day. One thing’s for sure, though, there are no Mercury rings today.
How many rings does Mercury have? Zero.
We have written many stories about rings here on Universe Today. Here’s an article about the Martian moon Phobos might only have 10 million years to live, and here’s an article about what Saturn’s rings are made of.
We have also recorded a whole episode of Astronomy Cast that’s just about planet Mercury. Listen to it here, Episode 49: Mercury.
NASA Science for Kids


Sir Jim Rose, the former head of schools inspection body Ofsted, who was asked to review the primary school curriculum by ministers, said children should be able to "recognise when to use formal language" and also change their tone to reflect the circumstances.
A draft version of the report – the final document will be published on Thursday – recommends pupils are taught how to "adjust what they say according to the formality of the context and the needs of the audience".
Sir Jim also said speaking and listening should be treated as subjects in their own right to help children with a poor vocabulary, which can hinder learning and the ability to make friends.
"I will be making a very strong play on this," he said.
"There's more and more evidence coming from research and practice to establish the need for support for children from certain backgrounds that don't offer the right kind of development of speaking and listening. It needs to be put right."
Anna Wright, director of children's services at Reading Council, said: "Children from poor homes have smaller vocabularies, which don't contain many abstract ideas.
"This makes it more difficult for them to make connections between words and to move to abstract concepts and to higher-order thinking about causes, effects and consequences."
The report also recommends that computing skills should be given the same importance as literacy and numeracy with pupils studying "wikis and twitters" as well as books.


Early Literacy: Building Vocabulary to Build Literacy
Creating a world of words in the classroom
- Grades: Early Childhood, Infant, PreK–K
Words and their meanings are the building blocks of literacy development. They're the key to children's comprehension of stones and information books. Just about any fun experience, from learning-center activities to a field trip to sharing picture books, offers many opportunities to build children's vocabulary.
Children who acquire a substantial vocabulary are often able to think more deeply, express themselves better, and actually learn new things more quickly. Generally speaking, the larger a child's vocabulary, the better a reader he will be. This may be partly because children who know a lot of words have probably been read to more than children who know fewer words. But there are other reasons, as well. It turns out that the more words a child knows, the more words he'll be able to recognize when he sees them in print. As children learn to sound out words, they'll reach into their store of words to figure out what they mean.
Building Phonemic Awareness
There's yet another reason why children's vocabulary words relate so strongly to reading achievement. As children begin to pick up new words, they'll begin to distinguish similarities and differences between them. You'll often hear children make alliterative rhymes with words, like "bibbily bobbily boo," or other rhymes and rhythms. As they experiment with words, they begin to focus on the individual speech sounds within them, breaking words into their sounds and blending them back together again. This ability to hear, segment, and manipulate individual sounds in spoken words (known as phonemic awareness) is strongly predictive of reading and spelling success.
Creating a world of words, where children are encouraged to talk, to ask questions, and to explore their understanding in new ways, creates an environment that enriches what children hear.
You can help children build vocabulary by stretching words out, saying them slowly enough so that children can hear their component sounds. Starting now will give children plenty of time to develop and practice this skill on their own. By kindergarten and first grade, they'll be moving beyond phonemic awareness to mapping these sounds onto letter names-the process known as phonics. Research has consistently shown that all of these skills are related to children's vocabulary development and reading achievement.
Keep on Reading
Explore different types of books, formats, and subjects. Note and savor the interesting words that you encounter. Talk about what these words mean and help children pronounce them. And remember to talk, talk, talk during the school day. Conversations with children are a great way to organically introduce new words.


Teacher Education is a continuing process and its pre service and in service components are inseperable. To strengthen the two dimensions of teacher education: Pre-Service and In-service-area, District Institute of Education and Training (DIET) was established across the nation. More precisely to provide academic and resource support at the grass-roots level for the success of the various strategies and programmes with special reference to Universalisation of Primary/Elementary education. The vision of the institutes is to provide better academic input for teachers in service as well as prospective teachers. These Institutes are closer to the field and hence more aware of its problem and needs.
About teachers, the Education Commission (1964-66) had observed, "of all the factors that influence the quality of education the quality, competence and character of teachers are undoubtedly the most significant". In a view to strengthen the teacher education, the National Policy on Education (NPE 1986) and Programme of action (POA 1992) envisaged a District level Institute in the shape of District Institute of Education and Training (DIET).
Prior to the adoption of NPE, National level and State level Institutions like NCERT, NUPEA and SCERT provided support to the elementary Teacher Education particularly in the area of pre service teacher educaion. As per the guidelines of NPE, a Centrally sponsored Scheme of Restructuring and Reorganization of Teacher Education was approved in October 1987, thereby a third-distric-level-tier i.e. District Institute of Education and Training Institutes were formed throughout the country in all districts.
Notice and form for D.El.Ed. Course


Sent to the Taipei Times, November 3, 2011
Lii Ding-tzann (“Reading your way to true wisdom,” Nov. 3) argues that reading in a way that connects to your own life makes a powerful contribution to our intellectual development. Research strongly supports his position: Studies show that wide, self-selected reading is related to our literacy development, our knowledge of the world, and achievement: People who read more read and write better, know more, and accomplish more in life.
Creativity researcher Dean Keith Simonton has concluded that "omnivorous reading in childhood and adolescence correlates positively with ultimate adult success.” Strong evidence comes from cases of highly successful well-read individuals with little formal education: Famous examples include Thomas Edison, who profited from reading books in his father's home library as well as the Detroit public library, and Michael Faraday, who had the good luck to work for a bookbinder, and became an enthusiastic reader.
School can either encourage or discourage the development of a reading habit. The over-emphasis on testing, a disease that seems to spreading world-wide, inhibits intellectual development by not allowing time or opportunity for students to develop their own interests by reading widely. But school could help students by exposing them to many different ideas, allowing them time to explore their interests, and by providing access to a print-rich environment.
University of Southern California
Original article: Reading your way to true wisdom


Henri Matisse | Painting with Scissors
from the Lesson Zone Index
Students will be introduced to the art of French modern artist Henri Matisse, and will recreate a work of their own after one of his cut-outs. This free lesson plan is in fulfillment of Standard #4: K-4 and Standard #4: 5-8 of the National Standards for Art Education: Understanding the visual arts in relation to history and cultures.
Colored Construction Paper
Tell students, "We will be learning about the art of French artist Henri Matisse. This modern artist created a collection of artworks with a technique he referred to as "painting with scissors."
Show students Matisse's cut-out collages, Icarus (1947), Japanese Mask (1950), and The Snail (1953) as examples of this style.
Tell students, "These works were created late in Matisse's life when he was confined to a wheelchair, and could not paint anymore."
Tell students, "While these cut-outs look very simple to make, it takes a special talent to cut out and arrange these shapes, as well knowing which colors will work well together to make the most interesting picture."
Tell students, "Our art project will be to create your own version of one of these art masterpieces."
Tell students, "At your tables you will find construction paper in a variety of colors. Begin by deciding which cut-out you would like to recreate.
Tell students, "Take a sheet of white paper from the middle of the table, and place it in front of you. This piece of paper will be the paper to which all of your cut out shapes are glued."
Tell students, "Select the construction paper that you will need to complete the project. Sketch the shapes lightly on the construction paper with your pencil. When the shape looks right, cut it out and place it on the white paper."
Tell students, "When you are happy with your collage, glue all the pieces in place."
As the students work, you can quiz them on a few facts about Henri Matisse.


Children who study in noisy classrooms with poor acoustics suffer academically, a new study claims. Experts say that while classroom chatter is unavoidable, many students and teachers suffer needless levels of noise because of badly designed classrooms that exacerbate the problem, or poorly insulated rooms that fail to block outside noises such as aircraft and traffic.
They warn that government proposals to relax noise control rules when picking new school sites could harm pupils.
A study by researchers from the Institute of Education and the Institute of Acoustics took two age groups of secondary-school students and exposed them to low and high levels of noise while being taught. Tests on their working memory, reading and numeracy skills showed that, in noisy conditions, 14- to 16-year-olds performed at levels no better than 11- to 13-year-olds did in the quiet.
Previous studies have shown primary-school-age children perform worse in poor acoustic conditions, but this is the first evidence that it also affects older children.
In the tests, half of each class listened to 50 decibels of background noise through headphones as they worked, while the other half were exposed to levels of 70 decibels. As a control, after one week they swapped over.
Dr Daniel Connolly, of the Institute of Education, said the study showed that poor acoustics were very bad for learning. "In a lot of tasks, higher noise levels take the older age group back to the same level as the younger age group. There will always be a certain amount of noise in a school, but if you put students in an acoustically poor room it will amplify that."
In a government-wide drive to reduce unnecessary red tape, Education Department officials are reconsidering a requirement that stipulates schools must be "suitable" acoustically.
Kathryn Harper-Quinn, head teacher of Hounslow Heath Infant School, which is in the flight path of Heathrow airport, has direct experience of the importance of protecting a school from a noisy environment.
"It is something the Government needs to worry about because, if they don't take acoustics into account, then they will be facing a big problem. We have planes going over about every minute. It has taken us many years to get the building sorted so they aren't a distraction but there's still a long way to go.
"Since we insulated the building we've noticed a big improvement in concentration, but ideally schools would be built in a place where noise isn't an issue."
Tomorrow sees the start of Noise Action Week, aimed at highlighting the damaging impact a loud environment can have.
Mary Stevens, of Environmental Protection UK, which sponsors the initiative, said: "There's a big drive for deregulation at the moment, but if we lose acoustic planning requirements for schools then we'll lose valuable protection from noise, which would have a serious impact on teachers and pupils."


Teaching Tips: iPods in Education
These sites focus on integrating iPods in elementary education. Find many possibilities of using iPods in education and learn how teachers incorporate iPods into regular and special education classrooms. Includes lesson plans and video clips. There are also links to eThemes Resources on Podcasting: Educational Examples and Technology: Audios for Podcasting.
iPods in the Classroom Celebration Page
This school district page includes teachers stories and lesson plans involving iPods.
iPods in Education wiki site
This site has some basic information on using iPods in classes. It gives a few lesson plans for different age groups. NOTE: links to outside sites, can be edited by anyone.
iPods in the Classroom
Read an interview transcript with Robert Craven, education technology coordinator for the Orange County Department of Education in California, talking about educational possibilities of using iPods in a classroom. NOTE: This site includes a banner-ad.
iLearn Technology: iPods
This is an edublog written by a K-5 technology teacher. The site has reviewed technology resources, such as Pinky Dinky Doo, Vista Zoo, and Audible Kids, and provides suggested ideas for integration into classroom teaching. NOTE: This site includes ads and has links to external sites.
iPod for Teachers and Parents: Ideas of Use
Read how other teachers use iPods in their classrooms. Scroll down to find several links for ideas to integrating iPods in the classroom. NOTE: This site includes ads and has links to external sites.
iPods in the Classroom Project
This site has a collection of lesson plans, for elementary and secondary levels, developed by classroom teachers.
Video iPods in Special Education
Watch an eight-minute video showing how special education teachers use the iPods in special education classrooms for children with intellectual disabilities and language or hearing difficulties. NOTE: This site includes ads and a forum.
eThemes Resource: Podcasting: Educational Examples
These sites offer ideas and examples of using podcasts for an education purpose. Includes podcast programs created by students, podcasting tutorials, and resources. There is a link to eThemes Resource on Technology: Audios for Podcasting.
eThemes Resource: Technology: Audios for Podcasting
These sites combine free audio resources for using in Podcast production. Includes songs by genres, moods, background music, sound effects, and kids' music in MP3 and midi formats to download.
Request State Standards


Rio students work with area schoolchildren
January 9, 2014
Gary Stewart's Music in the Classroom students visited Rio Grande Elementary on December 13 to present lesson plans to first grade students. Fifteen college students worked together to present two different lesson plans, one at 9:30 and the other at 2:30pm. A total of 49 first graders were present in all the groups and micro teachings were taught using singing, movement and playing instruments.
The Music in the Classroom course prepares Early Childhood Education majors to teach music to students from kindergarten through 3rd grade. Mr. Stewart is an Assistant Professor of Music at the University of Rio Grande, with over 30 years of experience at all levels of music education.


Literacy Development for Transient Students
Out of the 1400 - 1500 students enrolled at SJCOE Court and Community Schools (More specifically the one.Program,) approximately one-third of the expelled and adjudicated youth attending remain enrolled for 90 days or longer. This fact is coupled with the fact that students are referred to the one.Program deficient in credits as well as in their academic skills, often experiencing large gaps in their education when they are truant or otherwise absent from school Other challenges including physical and emotional abuse, drug abuse by students and/or their parents/guardians or abandonment have led many students in the one.Program to prioritize basic survival over their studies. Data from the one.Program's Measure of Academic Progress (MAP), an online assessment tool maintained by Northwest Evaluation Association, indicates that the average grade level equivalent in reading of students entering the one.Program is 4.75.
With this said, how can we improve literacy for such a transient population while maintaining rigor and academic continuity to those students who continue beyond the 90-day norm?


EarthDesk presents this image by Charles Henry Alston to honor our veterans, more than 100,000 of whom are homeless this Christmas Day (EarthDesk, December 24). Alston was a painter, muralist, illustrator and sculptor. A central figure in the Harlem Renaissance Movement, he was also companion to some of the towering musical figures of the day: “I knew Ella Fitzgerald when she was a kid. I went with Billie Holiday to her first recording, and I used to sit in Bessie Smith’s rumble seat when she was going to record . . . I was sitting on [Duke] Ellington’s piano when he finished ‘Sophisticated Lady.'” He created this image while staff artist for the Office of War Information in 1940. More on Charles Henry Alston below.
Charles Henry “Spinky” Alston was born in Charlotte, North Carolina on November 28th, 1907. Early artistic influences included illustrated courtship letters by his father, Reverend Primus Priss, to Charles’ mother, Anna Miller. Alston also recalled his older brother’s drawings of cars and trying to copy them. After the death of his father, Alston’s mother married Henry Pierce Bearden (Romare Bearden’s uncle) in 1913 and the family moved to New York City.
Alston earned a Masters degree in art education from Columbia’s Teachers College. While still a student, he illustrated album covers for jazz musician Duke Ellington and book covers for poet Langston Hughes. Alston played a major role in the Harlem Renaissance Movement of the period. During the Great Depression, he and sculptor Henry Bannarn directed the Harlem Art Workshop which was funded by the Works Progress Administration Federal Art Project.
Alston painted murals throughout Harlem, including depression-era murals as part of the WPA. One of his best-known murals was created by Alston and other Harlem artists for the Harlem Hospital Center. He later taught at the Art Students League and the City College of New York (CUNY).
This biographical information and more can be found at The Art of Charles Alston website.
A 1965 oral history interview with Alston is here.
Wikimedia Commons has an extensive collection of Alston’s works here.


Zoltán Kodály (16 December 1882 Kecskemét – 6 March 1967 Budapest) was one of the most outstanding personalities of 20th century Hungarian culture: composer, ethnomusicologist, music pedagogue and linguist. His internationally acknowledged concept of music education is the basis for general music teaching in Hungary and also plays an important role in the training of professional musicians. Zoltán Kodály played a prominent role in Hungarian public life, holding several public posts and being a member or head of numerous boards and committees. He was also acquainted with many influential public figures (musicians, artists, scholars and politicians).
Follow the links on the right to find out more about Zoltán Kodály and his lifework.
Visit the Hungarian Museum of Photography website for Kodály photos and their copyright information.


Education/Newsletter/June 2014/Wikipedia Primary School Project
Wikipedia Primary School Project
The Wikipedia Primary School project is an endeavor which seeks to understand whether or not Wikipedia articles meet the needs of primary school education.
This research aims to define and select relevant articles which address primary school curriculum, to facilitate the production of high quality new content which will be compatible with Wikipedia, and to assess existing articles linked to primary education, with a focus on Africa. The project will involve the Wikipedia community, partners, volunteers, scholars and experts in the field of education.
While numerous research projects have looked at Wikipedia contents and have consulted the Wikipedia community, this research utilizes methodology that involves a number of external people and entities.
The research is being conducted by two teams of researchers: one from SUPSI in Switzerland and one from the University of Cape Town. The programme partners are the Africa Centre and Wikimedia Switzerland (WMCH).
Various school systems were evaluated to understand how they work and to determine the differences between them, with the idea that what children study in African countries can be different than what children study in European countries. The point is understanding the main topics which primary schools teach in the countries that were observed.
The research team seeks to find out if content on Wikipedia answers questions that children, parents, and teachers ask in context of primary school learning. For example, Wikipedia has articles about continents and countries, but do those articles adequately cover climate, geography, biology, history such that there is sufficient information to support students in their studies?
The teams will compile a list of articles, both existing articles as well as articles that have not yet been created. Academic journals will peer review existing articles or issue calls for papers for experts to write articles in their fields and release them under a free license so that the information can later be made available for use on Wikipedia. The results of the peer review will be published in the project journal which will be linked to on the assessed articles' talk pages. The teams will not be publishing any information directly on Wikipedia, but they will notify the community of their availability, should they wish to refer to them. Documentation is available on Meta.


What does a career in elementary education look like?
By the second grade, most students are well-adjusted to the standard school routine, so you will focus much of your time on finding ways of adding your own innovative twist on teaching core subjects such as math, English, science and social studies. With new advancements in classroom technology — paired with your creative spirit and energy — you are in a position to truly inspire! Outside the classroom, elementary education professionals can find great success in settings like zoos and museums, as tutors, in a variety of camp settings and with government organizations.
- Our faculty, programs and clinical experiences all make the connection between theory, practice and research.
- Clinical faculty members in these programs are exceptional and experienced teachers who are very grounded in practice.
- Students are placed in school settings very early in their academic careers, often during their first or second semester.
- Many of our methods courses in science and math are taught on-site at partner schools.
- Many of our world-class faculty members have been recognized with awards from the National Council of Teachers of English and the National Association for the Education of Young Children.
Your course work
In addition to the core curriculum that you will likely complete during your first two years, your elementary education course work will also include reading assessment and literacy instruction, nature and management of elementary classrooms, and classes specific to teaching math, science, social studies and an integrated curriculum.
Many of the elementary education methods courses are offered in a wide variety of school settings including urban, suburban and rural schools. Your experience is capped off by student teaching, where it's time to apply what you've learned! For a complete list of courses, please review the academic bulletin.


Died: 1963 AD
1895 – Paul Hindemith Composer, born on the 16th of November in Hanau, WC Germany. He was a German composer, violist, violinist, teacher, music theorist and conductor.
1915 – 1923 – He studied at Frankfurt, then played violin in the Rebner Quartet and the Opera Orchestra, which he often conducted. His works include operas, concertos, and a wide range of instrumental pieces.
1922 – His pieces were heard in the International Society for Contemporary Music festival at Salzburg, which first brought him to the attention of an international audience.
1927 – He taught composition at the Berliner Hochschule für Musik in Berlin.
1937 – 1970 – Wrote a theoretical book The Craft of Musical Composition, in which, amongst many other things, he ranks all musical intervals from the most consonant to the most dissonant.
1934 – His music was banned by the Nazis, and he moved to Turkey, the UK, and the USA.
1935 – He was commissioned by the Turkish government to reorganize that country’s musical education, and, more specifically, was given the task of preparing material for the “Universal and Turkish Polyphonic Music Education Programme” for all music-related institutions in Turkey, a feat which he accomplished to universal acclaim.
1941 – He was appointed professor at Yale.
1943 – His most popular work, both on record and in the concert hall, is probably the Symphonic Metamorphoses of Themes by Carl Maria von Weber.
1953 – Appointed professor in Zürich.
1963 – Died on the 28th of December in Frankfurt, Germany.


ERIC Number: ED380270
Record Type: RIE
Publication Date: 1993-Jan
Reference Count: N/A
Place Value Concept: How Children Learn It and How To Teach It.
Sharma, Mahesh C.
Math Notebook, v10 n1-2 Jan-Feb 1993
The development of the place value system and its universal use demonstrate the elegance and efficiency of mathematics. This paper examines the concept of place value by: (1) presenting the historical development of the concept of place value in the Hindu-Arabic system; (2) considering the evolution of the number zero and its role in place value; (3) discussing the difficulties children have in understanding place value; (4) describing strategies to teach place value and 12 teaching activities that utilize manipulative materials and hands-on approaches; (5) discussing how the suggested activities make the transition from concrete experiences to symbolic understanding of place value; and (6) suggesting ways to assess children's understanding of place value. (Contains 16 references.) (MDH)
Descriptors: Arithmetic, Cognitive Development, Concept Formation, Elementary Education, Evaluation Methods, Learning Activities, Manipulative Materials, Mathematics History, Mathematics Instruction, Number Concepts, Place Value, Teaching Methods
Center for Teaching/Learning of Mathematics, P.O. Box 3149, Framingham, MA 01701 (single issue, $2).
Publication Type: Collected Works - Serials; Guides - Classroom - Teacher
Education Level: N/A
Audience: Practitioners; Teachers
Authoring Institution: Center for Teaching/Learning of Mathematics, Framingham, MA.
Identifiers: Cuisenaire Materials


It is my sincere desire that if you have a struggling reader or your child is beginning to learn to read you will read through this entire blog post.
If you have been keeping up with the latest news in education reform you’ll most likely have “Common Core State Standards” buzzing around in your head. CCSS, a U.S. education initiative, is or will be affecting the way your children learn core subjects like reading and math. So what are the Common Core State Standards and are they beneficial to our children? Well, an alarming number of parents have little knowledge of them and even fewer know the research and principles that are behind them.
The lack of understanding has brought some doubts about whether this initiative will bring positive change in education. To be honest, since the beginning of an organized system of schooling many initiatives for education reform have been proposed and implemented with the majority having less than satisfactory results. It is no wonder parents and the public are a little hesitant of another initiative. Now parents, before you tune out and say there is nothing to learn from the CCSS initiative, I’d like you to hear me out.
Common Core State Standards and other learning initiatives we’ve seen in the past all have or had the intent of bettering education in some form. They’re typically backed by extensive research and assessment, and a lot of time is dedicated by professionals to figure out what makes education effective. It isn’t my goal to determine why these reforms sometimes fail despite the efforts made. I’d rather focus on the research and assessment that’s done in the name of these initiatives, particularly the research done on reading instruction, and see what we can learn from them.
In 2001, Reading First (another initiative) had high hopes of changing education for the better. A body of professionals was gathered, called the National Reading Panel, and they set out to find the most effective ways to teach reading. The panel’s research did in deed find out the most effective approaches to reading instruction, but like CCSS, parents knew very little about the approaches and how to apply them.
What is known by the panel and those who created the CCSS, but not to parents and the general public, was that five key skills largely predict reading success. Those skills are: phonemic awareness, phonics instruction, fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension; which the panel dubbed, “The Five Pillars of Reading.” The research the panel gathered showed that to effectively teach the five pillars, instruction needed to be taught in an explicit, systematic way. Students who saw the greatest success in reading were taught in a sequence that allowed them to understand more fundamental parts of language first (phonemic awareness, phonics, and fluency) and then build an understanding of the more complex parts of language (vocabulary, grammar, and full-text comprehension). The research gathered by these initiatives show a consistent pattern of instruction that creates strong readers, regardless of ability or age.
This wasn’t the first time professionals gathered this information and had an “Ah-ha!” moment. Nearly a hundred years prior, an approach was created from extensive research on children with reading disadvantages. This approach, called the Orton-Gillingham Approach, not only used that same consistent pattern for successful reading instruction, it has been effectively helping the most struggling readers for over 75 years. The Orton-Gillingham approach is the most well-known and used approach for struggling readers. However, it’s used largely in remediation programs instead of a standard approach to teaching reading.
If we’ve known what works for so long, why haven’t we been able to improve our illiteracy rates and reading scores? The answer is that research done by these large initiatives is unknown to most parents and the principles found in the Orton-Gillingham approach are mostly used in remediation. Parents are lacking the knowledge of key principles of effective literacy instruction and how to apply them. This lack of understanding isn’t something we can quickly fix, but as parents we can make an individual effort to learn more about effective reading strategies. There are so many resources available to learn these principles. Reading Horizons has several free resources and there are plenty more available on the web and at your local library. To start, get to know what the Common Core State Standards are for Reading. Last month we had a webinar on the grades K through 3rd standards. Take a look at the webinar here. Kathy Muncy, who is very knowledgeable on the subject, gives some great information and ways to apply foundational reading skills.
If you’re interested in learning more or you have questions, leave a comment or email me, I would love to help or direct you to some resources.


Could Testing Be Good For Kids' Confidence?Sierra Black
There’s a tension in American schools between those who want more testing on academic subjects and those who want less. The testing faction supports accountability and academic rigor. Those oppose it want to save teachers and students from the deadening effects of “teaching to the test”, and instead promote self-esteem and creativity.
I’ve always been firmly in the latter camp. What if tests are really good for kids, though?
The New York Times ran an essay this week about the Chinese approach to elementary education, which is a sea of tests. The author found that her kids thrived in their high-test environment, only to flail when they returned to New York and were enrolled in a progressive, non-testing school here.
The theory in favor of a lot of small tests is pretty straightforward. It measures student’s progress, and gives them the chance to fail without that failure mattering much. As Gregory Cizek, a professor of educational assessment, told the New York Times:
What’s best for kids is frequent testing, where even if they do badly, they can get help and improve and have the satisfaction of doing better. Kids don’t get self-esteem by people just telling them they are wonderful.
The problem with that theory though is that tests may teach kids the wrong things. That kind of frequent testing is an effective way to help kids improve at the skills they are being tested on, but it won’t teach them to think creatively or critically.
Now, I’m not a professor of educational assessment. I learned enough in school to know that professors often know things I don’t, so this guy may know more than me.
But. I went to a college where there were no tests. Not only did I learn a lot there, I learned how to learn. The things I had to do in college were things I’ve often had to do in real life: read critically, write clearly, do research. Never once have I needed to fill out a multiple choice exam for professional purposes.
Photo: Casey Serrin


Living the Questions: Technology-Infused Action Research in Art Education
McKay, Sara Wilson, Art Education
Chill bumps erupt on your arm as you watch a 7th grade student use her finger to trace the cross-hatching on a John Biggers' reproduction while explaining the importance of the artist's mark to a fellow student.1 A flutter moves in your chest as you listen to three 4th graders in the museum construct the narrative of a soldier's departure and return in a pair of paintings, watching them celebrate their visual analysis skills as they read the title and confirm their vivid interpretation.2 A warm feeling washes over you as a 2nd grader rushes up to you the day after art class and excitedly describes the patterns in his living room because he had never noticed them before.5 Wonderful moments like these, evidence of learning in art, suggest that we are indeed doing many things well in the art classroom, but they are unfortunately moments that are difficult to quantify, expect, or reproduce predictably due to extreme variability in art education and its contexts.
Viewing this variability as a strength rather than a weakness, imagine a vast and diverse digital collection of student artworks, art teacher reflections, videos of students explaining an aspect of art in their world, a museum educator's personal reflection on a school tour with 3rd graders, comments from parents, principals and classroom teachers about their observations of a child's art learning. What would be possible if we started collecting a wide array of evidence of student learning in art? What might such a collection show us about learning in art generally?
In Texas, a project is underway to build and use such a digital collection of evidence of student learning in art. Conceptualized at the moment on the state's essential knowledge and skills (TEKS) in art (recently required teaching by state legislation), the digital collection will include multiple examples and varied types of evidence to show student learning in art. Using the TEKS as a guiding principle for initially collecting evidence according to grade level and competency, participants identify and propose their contextualized evidence of learning targeting a specific outcome. For example, a digital photograph of a student's artwork with an audio recording of the student describing her process might demonstrate an 8th grader's ability to "apply design skills to communicate effectively ideas and thoughts in everyday life," (TEKS 8.2b) or a video snippet of a class critique might show Art IV high school students' ability to "analyze a wide range of artworks to form conclusions about formal qualities, historical and cultural contexts, intents, and meanings" (TEKS IV.4b).A scan of a parent's written correspondence might illustrate how a 3rd grader is able to "relate art to different kinds of jobs in everyday life" (TEKS 3.3c).A goal of the project is to have many examples in the collection for each of the TEKS so that there is varied evidence of many ways to show student learning in art.
Living the Questions in Search of High Quality Art Education
The project described in this article seeks to interrupt the isolation of art educators-a corps of dedicated professionals each trying our best to feel our way into doing good work in art education. But what is "good work" in art education? In a time when numbers and percentiles define much of what counts as learning across the country-/Vo Child Left Behind (NCLB)- how is it that we know what counts as knowledge and learning in art? Would we know if we committed to exploring the role of standardized tests in art, or is it better to argue vehemently against such measures because art is such a different animal? Does good art teaching mean a mandate to teach visual culture or rather a strong focus on observational drawing skills? ' Add into the mix the fact that much about art is considered to be inexpressible and difficult to characterize, especially given the shifting boundary-pushing quality of art. Multiple interpretations of art also yield multiple versions of art education, and what looks like learning in one context may not be the same learning in another. …


Here's the latest article from the Special Needs Children site at BellaOnline.com.
Scaphocephaly and Craniosynostosis
Scaphocephalyis, the most common type of craniosynostosis, is most often diagnosed in newborns who have ridged, missing or quickly closing 'soft spots' or fontanelles, or unusually shaped skulls growing too slowly. Immediate medical attention by a pediatric neurologist or surgeon may be required.
Please visit specialneedschildren.bellaonline.com for even more great content from the editor of the Special Needs Children website by searching the archives at http://specialneedschildren.bellaonline.com
Explaining Down Syndrome to Children
Deciding how to explain Down syndrome to young children may challenge the beliefs and expectations of adults who see more differences than similarities among children with Down syndrome and their mainstream peers.
Easter Craft Ideas
Easter and Children with Disabilities
Wearing Glasses in Early Childhood
Children with Disabilities in Movies, Ads and Television
Recognizing Early Signs of Autism
Grandparents of Children with Special Needs
Home Accessibility and Visitability
Down Syndrome Awareness Month - March or October?
Teens with Disabilities - Transition Planning
Reflux - Pediatric GERD, Infant GER and EER
Preparing for Emergencies - Children with Special Needs
Signing, Reading and Spelling
Oral Health and Dental Visits for Children
Cutting with Scissors and Other Fine Motor Skills
Printing and Cursive Handwriting for Children with Special Needs
Teaching Handwriting to Children with Special Needs
Person Centered Planning
Communicating with Babies
Music Education - Every Voice Heard
Cousins of Children with Special Needs
To participate in free, fun online discussions, this site has a community forum connected to the Special Needs Children website located here -
Please let me know what topics you want included at the SNC website, in response to this email or at the forum bulletin board above.
Feel free to share this newsletter and any resources you find helpful or informative with family, friends, educators, therapists, staff or medical professionals. I would love to have feedback from those communities as well.
Thank you for your interest, support and advocacy for children.
Pamela Wilson, Special Needs Children Editor
Find other great sites at BellaOnline.com / Family
Click Daily! Support Charity!
Humor - Preparing for the IEP Meeting


Clarification of Eligibility Factor
Poor social skills of the child (22-28- 106 (1) (a.5) (VIII) C.R.S.).
This eligibility factor encompasses all aspects of a child’s social and emotional
- The ability to form satisfying relationshipswith adults and peers.
- The ability to understand and express emotions in socially acceptable
- The ability to resolve conflict, and cope with challenges.
- The ability to meet developmentally appropriate social and behavioral
expectations including self-regulation and social problem solving
How It May Be Documented
- Exclusion or expulsion from other preschool/child care programs or
- Social services or medical referrals
- Parent interview questions/report
- Staff documentation on home visits or developmental assessments
Significance of Factor in regards to School Readiness
- Early learning and early social and emotional development are closely connected. Social and emotional development involves the acquisition of skills needed to play and work with peers, to regulate emotions in prosocial ways, to communicate with adults, to control negative emotions and be aware of social customs within one's community.
- A child’s emotional status affects early school performance, which in turn, predicts later school outcomes. Children who have difficulty with the following do less well in school:
- Paying attention
- Following directions
- Getting along with others
- Controlling negative emotions of anger and distress (Raver, 2002)
- When children’s challenging behavior persists, the problems are likely to worsen and become compounded by related problems including peer and adult rejection and coercive relationships. Early appearing behavior problems in a child’s preschool career are the single best predictor of delinquency in adolescence, gang membership and adult incarceration.
Center for Evidence-Based Practice. (2004) Facts about young children with challenging behaviors. Retrieved August 25, 2009 fromhttp://www.challengingbehavior.org/do/resources/documents/facts_about_sheet.pdf.
Hymel, S. & Ford, L. (2003). School completion and academic success: The impact of early social-emotional competence. Encyclopedia on Early Childhood Development. Retrieved on July 2, 2009, from http://www.enfant-encyclopedie.com/pages/PDF/Hymel-FordANGxp.pdf
Huffman, L. C., Mehlinger, S. L., & Kerivan, A. S. (2000). "Risk factors for academic and behavioral problems at the beginning of school," as found in A Good Beginning: Sending America's Children to School. with the Social and Emotional Competence They Need to Succeed (monograph). Bethesda, MD: The Child Mental Health Foundations and Agencies Network. Retrieved June 2, 2010, from http://www.eric.ed.gov/PDFS/ED445810.pdf
Logue, M.E. (January 2007). Early childhood learning standards: Tools for promoting social and academic success in kindergarten. Children & Schools, 29(1), 35-43.
Raver, C. & Knitzer, J. (2002). Ready to enter: What research tells policymakers about strategies to promote social and emotional school readiness among three- and four-year-old children. National Center for Children in Poverty. Retrieved July 2, 2009, from http://nccp.org/publications/pdf/text_485.pdf
Additional Resources for Families and Staff:
Technical Assistance Center on Social Emotional Intervention for Young Children,
Me, You, Us: Social-Emotional Learning in the Preschool by Anne Epstein
Set for Success: Building a Strong Foundation for School Readiness Based on the Social-Emotional Development of Young Children,
Promoting Children’s Social and Emotional Development Through Preschool Education,


Successful physics teacher preparation programs share certain key elements, and exist within a supportive institutional context. These contextual and programmatic components build on one another to provide teachers with a complete educational experience, from recruitment through training in pedagogy and content to induction and mentoring.
Follow the links below to learn more about the individual components, as well as strategies that specific institutions have used to build and improve their programs.
- Early Teaching Experiences
- Pedagogical Content Knowledge
- Learning Assistants
- Induction & Mentoring
Elementary Teacher Education
Many institutions that are leaders in high school physics teacher preparation have also improved the physical science course taken by elementary education majors.


Browse all items in the collection
Instrumental music education was in its infancy during the first decades of the twentieth century. Hale A. VanderCook and Hubert E. Nutt founded the VanderCook College of Music, pioneering a curriculum and instructional methods for preparing the music teacher. VanderCook articulated the approach in monographs on musical expression and teaching the high school band, correspondence courses in cornet performance and conducting, and annotated musical compositions. His pupil, colleague and, eventually, "adopted son" Hubert E. Nutt (nicknamed "H.E.") amplified upon the method and was responsible for weaving the approach into a four-year college curriculum in undergraduate music teacher education, and a four-summer graduate curriculum that was taught at the VanderCook College of Music for much of the twentieth century.
H.E. Nutt was also very active with band camps and clinics throughout the United States, for which he created over 100 unpublished worksheet-type presentations ranging from one to several pages in length. The variety of topics in these worksheets includes in-depth coverage of conducting technique with a systematic approach for developing conducting mastery; extension of VanderCook's ideas on musical expression; principles for organization and classroom discipline; a process for vocal development; a process for string development; diagnostic tests to be used with the various instruments; a published set of articles dealing with high school student leadership; theory and arranging worksheets; music library organization; philosophical "thought questions" pertaining to a myriad of issues in music education; and discussions on various components of musical basics such as a "half-truth" series; musical values; a system of understanding musical scales; chordal exercises; fundamental ideas for mastering musical instruments. His work even includes a detailed system on baton twirling and dance band style drumming.
Of particular note is H.E.'s work in conducting. Known for the outstanding quality of his own ability to work with ensembles, he was dedicated to the process of teaching others to be conductors. Like VanderCook, Nutt provided a precise task analysis of the process of conducting, what he called "semiotics," the language and science of gestures. This included detailed instructions on the function of the director, how the director achieves results, meaning of motions, holding the baton, details of starting positions, and motions through various patterns, style and its relationship to pattern, volume, left hand work, starting notes, holds, cues, phrasings, metronome markings, facial expression, body posture, subdivided beats, score study, and stage routine and appearance. The denseness of his worksheets sometimes suggests a crib sheet for study - and in many respects that is what they were - concise, thorough, capturing the essential elements of a complex task in a simple yet thorough and relatively uncomplicated manner.
H.E.'s original worksheets, notebooks, and other papers now reside in the H.E. Nutt Archives at VanderCook College of Music.
- Adapted from "The H.A. VanderCook - H.E. Nutt Collaboration: Seventy - Five Years of Partnership in Music Teacher Education" by Roseanne K. Rosenthal, Presented at the 13th National Symposium for Research in Music Behavior, Montreal, Quebec, April 1999
Questions about this collection? Contact:
firstname.lastname@example.org or 1-312-225-5211 x301


Below you will find resources that I have found helpful in my own reading instruction and would like to share with you.
A tool for assessing individual students so that they can be grouped according to instructional needs.
The Learning Record is an open record of literacy achievement, K-12, maintained and monitored by the classroom teacher to provide evidence that students are moving toward agreed upon goals and standards.
What Are Developmental Scales?
Reading Scale 1 - K-3: Becoming a Reader (English)
ESCALA de LECTURA 1 - Escalas de lectura, de K a 3: Lector en cierne
Writing Scale 1 - K-3: Becoming a Writer (English)
Spelling and Vocabulary Development
Information on research, assessment, and instructional strategies.
Systematic, Explicit Phonics Instruction
Information on research, assessment, and instructional strategies provided by Partnershp for Reading.


Qualifications are useful because they make skills visible. It is confidently assumed that the holder of a school-leaving certificate can read and understand instructions, and make calculations, and that those with university degrees can do much more.
English, PDF, 2,371kb
There are an estimated 9 million working aged adults in England (more than a quarter of adults aged 16-65) with low literacy or numeracy skills or both. This reflects England’s overall performance in the Survey of Adult Skills - around average for literacy, but well below average for numeracy relative to other OECD countries in the Survey (OECD, 2013).
English, PDF, 457kb
This brief was prepared for the publication of the Skills beyond School Synthesis Report, a review of post-secondary career, vocational and professional training covering 20 countries, including the United Kingdom.
English, PDF, 4,200kb
A Skills beyond School Review of England. OECD Reviews of Vocational Education and Training. This book examines vocational education and training programmes in England, including coverage of how they are changing, how they are funded, how they are linked to academic and university programmes and how employers and unions are involved.
England should expand the provision of postsecondary vocational training in order to meet the changing needs of students and employers, according to a new OECD report.
English, , 2,645kb
The 2011 edition of Education at a Glance: OECD Indicators enables countries to see themselves in the light of other countries’ performance.
English, , 412kb
This review of vocational education and training (VET is part of ―Learning for Jobs‖, the OECD policy study of VET – a programme of analytical work and individual country reviews designed to help countries make their VET systems more responsive to labour market needs.
English, , 169kb
This 2009 edition of Education at a Glance includes first results from TALIS, a survey on teacher practices, new analysis of the social benefits of education, new information on long-term unemployment and involuntary part-time work among young adults, and new data on the benefits of education.
English, , 81kb
This paper gives an update of the Country Background Report of the United Kingdom that was prepared in the framework of the OECD Thematic Review of Tertiary Education
English, , 238kb
This note contrasts key findings for the United Kingdom with global trends among OECD countries, under the headings: quantity and quality challenges, equity challenges, and resource and efficiency challenges.


Music Appreciation for Home-Schoolers
A course covering the essentials of How Music Works and The History of Music, appropriate for a two-semester (1 credit) study.
Self-contained on four disks, minimal internet connection useful but not a necessity.
Complete with over 100 musical examples illustrating every principle discussed.
All examples directly linked to each discussion for ease of access.
Includes interactive study-quizzes for each unit, along with four major exams with printable answer sheets and answer keys, and a link to an online score calculator.
Help and support with all aspects of the course permanently available.
How Music Works
- Properties of Sound
- Musical Form
The History of Music
- The Middle Ages
- The Renaissance
- The Baroque Era
- The Classical Era
- The Romantic Era
- Musical “Impressionism”
- “Modern” Music
Hello, and welcome to Music Appreciation for Home-Schoolers! I have designed this course specifically with the home-school student in mind, but anyone who loves music and wants to know a little more about it will benefit. I hope you’ll take a few minutes and read through the paragraphs below to see what it’s all about!
This course is the result of 36 years’ experience teaching music at all levels from middle school through university, and hundreds of hours spent developing the materials contained in it. It is suitable for students from middle school age to adults. Even though a lot of material is covered, each new concept presented is done so in a simple, easy-to-understand manner, using lots of visual aids and musical examples.
The course is presented in two sections: How Music Works and The History of Music. This approach presents the material an educated person in today’s world needs to know in order to fully enjoy the musical experiences open to him or her. The student will be exposed to the major musical eras in our Western heritage, and representative masterworks from each era. The material is appropriate for a two-semester (1 credit) course at either the high-school or middle-school level.
A Little Bit About the Compiler of Music Appreciation for Home-Schoolers: Everett Johnson, Jr. is a professional music educator with undergraduate and Master’s degrees in Music Education from the Troy State University School of Music. He has been teaching for 36 years and has taught many different courses in music, but specifically Music Appreciation at the middle school, high school, community college, and university levels. Most importantly, however, he is a home-school Dad who believes very strongly in the benefits of home-education. His daughter, after attending Christian schools for several years, was home-schooled starting in the Fourth Grade. It was a decision he and his wife have never regretted. Noticing that there was a definite lack of comprehensive materials for teaching the basics of music and music history to home-schoolers, he decided to create this course to meet that need. He is not a web-designer (as should be obvious!), nor an internet expert, marketer, or salesman…..just a Dad and a music teacher wanting to be of service to other home-school families, and to support his family in doing so.
This course is being offered for $40.00 complete. Compared to other music courses and considering the amount of material included, this seems a reasonable price, and hopefully within the means of most families. I hope you will consider purchasing it. We are happy to accept checks, money orders, or you may purchase using PayPal by clicking the “Buy Now” button below. If you use PayPal, please also send me an email stating this, and specifying if you will be using a PC or Mac for the course.
To order, or if you have any questions about the course, please email us at home.school.music.course
@gmail.com and we will quickly get back to you.
Thank you so much!!!


The Indigenous Literacy Foundation works as an initiative of the Australian Book Industry with the support of:
About the Indigenous Literacy Foundation
Can you imagine not being able to read a newspaper, a road sign or directions on a bottle of medication? Sadly, this is a reality faced by many Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders living in remote communities today.
WHO WE ARE
The Indigenous Literacy Foundation (ILF) is a national charity that was founded and set up by members of the Australian book industry in 2005. It draws on the skills and expertise of the book industry to address children's literacy levels in remote Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities.
The ILF's work is done through three core programs: Book Supply, Book Buzz and Community Literacy Projects. The ILF also advocates to raise community awareness of Indigenous literacy issues.
Since 2011, the ILF has worked as a not-for-profit charity without any government support or major corporate funding. It works with the support of the Australian Publishers Association, the Australian Booksellers Association and the Australian Society of Authors, along with a team of ambassadors, volunteers, and three full-time staff members.
Indigenous Literacy Day
The major fundraising and advocacy day, Indigenous Literacy Day, will be held on Wednesday 7 September in 2016. The aim of Indigenous Literacy Day is to spread awareness about the need to improve literacy levels and opportunities for Indigenous children living in the most remote and isolated parts of Australia. The funds raised on the day go towards buying books and literary resources for these communities.
The ILF's vision is to make a positive difference in the lives of Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children by focusing on ways to improve their literacy levels. We believe that children's future educational experiences can be greatly improved through enjoyable, positive engagements with books in family and community environments.
It is the ILF's purpose to improve literacy levels in the lives of young Australian Indigenous children, to enable them to make the most of educational opportunities.
OUR CORE STRATEGIES
OUR CORE PROGRAMS
The ILF's three core programs – Book Supply, Book Buzz and Community Literacy Projects – are as follows.
The Book Supply sees books and literary resources delivered to remote communities.
The Book Buzz program supplies culturally and developmentally appropriate books and First language translations for babies and toddlers in remote communities.
The Community Literacy Projects see Australian authors and ILF ambassadors team up with major publishers and students from remote communities to write and publish books in English and First languages.
These books are cherished in the community and sold by the ILF to schools and libraries.
We place the utmost importance on the value of early literacy development, understanding that strong literacy skills enhances the potential for greater choice as children grow up.
The ILF acknowledges and respects the unique place of Australia's first peoples and commits its energy and resources to ensuring Australian Indigenous children have every opportunity, early in their lives, to do well in their school years.
OUR CONSTITUTION AND STRATEGY
You can download a copy of the following documents by clicking on the links below.


Let's face it: anything that a human can do a robot can do better. Whether it's teaching our youngsters, giving physical therapy to our oldsters, or reading bedtime stories, robots are coming out on top. Researchers at Osaka University have developed two new devices recently called M3-neony and M3-synchy ("M3″ stands for "man-made man," while "neony" refers to the word neonate, and "synchy" to synchronized communication). The former is essentially a baby simulator that will be used to test machine learning software designed to shed some light on fine motor skill development. It is equipped with a pair of CMOS cameras for sight and microphones for hearing, gyro and accelerometer sensors, and tactile sensors. And it can crawl! The latter robot was developed to study communication through use with object recognition, speech recognition, and speech synthesis software. On the hardware end, this guy sports a head-mounted CCD camera, two microphones, a speaker, and fifteen LEDs (for making the robot blush). Needless to say, these are both very adorable -- so much so, in fact, that we might not even notice if they weaponize themselves. Let's just say the future just got a little cuter. And a little deadlier. Video after the break.


In this course students explore the first development of the idea of "freedom" in classical Greece, with a particular focus on Athens and its radical democracy in the late fifth-century BCE. Freedom requires practice, discipline, and an understanding of "the rules," so that one may use, manipulate, and break the rules; thus students study the arts of grammar, rhetoric, and logic--the foundational skills of the liberal arts--so that they may speak, reason, and practice freedom more effectively. Students test their newly acquired skills through close reading and analysis of texts from the Greek tragedy, comedy, history, rhetoric, and philosophy. Students put new skills into action through daily discussions, weekly debates, and performances of Greek drama. Students also participate in a four-week role-playing simulation of the Athenian assembly in which students have to decide on the best form of government, putting their notions of freedom into practice. This course thus offers students an authentic foundation in the liberal arts and in doing so prepares them for their life as a free person. Affiliate department: Classics.


What We Know About Early LiteracyEarly literacy (reading and writing) does not mean early reading instruction or teaching babies to read; it is the natural development of skills through the enjoyment of books, the importance of positive interactions between babies and parents, and the critical role of literacy-rich experiences.
Literacy development begins at birth and is closely linked to a baby’s earliest experiences with books and stories. Babies learn language through social literacy experiences - parents interacting with them using books. These experiences also serve to associate books with parental affection, attention, and approval.
Read to Succeed!A study of 3- to 5-year-olds who had been read to at least three times per week found the children:
- Two times more likely to recognize all letters.
- Two times more likely to have word-sight recognition.
- Two times more likely to understand words in context.
The Early Childhood Longitudinal Study found that 62% of parents with a high socioeconomic status read to their children every day compared to only 36% of parents with a low socioeconomic status.
Source: National Institute for Family Literacy, 1999.
Following are links to a variety of studies and resources that show how early childhood literacy positively impacts success in school.
- Parent Involvement and Early Literacy
- Differential Effects of Home Literacy Experiences on the Development of Oral and Written Language
- Telecollaborative Project (A compilation of research, strategies, and resources for teachers and parents.)
- Dr. Eugene W. Hickok, Under Secretary of Education Testimony Before the House Committee on Education and the Workforce Subcommittee on Education Reform Hearing on The Dawn of Learning: What's Working in Early Childhood Education
Teaching Our Youngest: A Guide for Preschool Teachers and Child Care and Family Providers
- National Institute for Literacy:
Parental Involvement in Early Literacy
- Schools, Skills, and Synapses by James J. Heckman
- National Evaluation & Technical Assistance Center for the Education of Children and Youth Who Are Neglected, Delinquent, or At-Risk: NDTAC Issue Brief: Reading Literacy
- National Center for Education Statistics: Literacy Behind Prison Walls


In order to help us grasp the expectations of the Common Core State Standards we decided to display the grade level specific Common Core skills on bulletin boards in our classroom. In order to do this in a student-friendly way we came up with the phrase Literacy SkiLLS for LIFE. Literacy SkiLLS for LIFE stands for all 6 domains addressed in the Common Core ELA State Standards. Speaking & Listening ; Language Standards ; Literature; Informational Text; Foundational Skills; Experience Writing
Each snapshot is in 1 page chart and holds ALL the standards that are to be met throughout the school year. This teacher/ student tool is for Third Grade specifications.
This Download Includes:
Suggestions Page - How to use Literacy SkiLLS for LIFE
Literacy SkiLLS for LIFE Snapshot


We are musicians. We have spent countless hours in practice rooms refining our technique and nurturing our musicianship. But for so many of us, improvisation, the art of spontaneous musical creation, is not a part of our artistic essence. We all too often equate improvisation only with jazz, and usually instrumental jazz at that. But musical improvisation transcends both genre and instrument. So why is improvisation such a foreign concept in our classical music training? It seems as if this would be the epitome of musical self expression. Yet, the vast majority of classically trained musicians are inextricably tied to the notes on a page, unable to express their musical ideas beyond the confines of the musical staff. Think about that for a moment. What if we compared this to our mastery of language. What if the only way we could convey our thoughts and feelings were to read passages from someone else’s book? Would we praise a person for their sublime mastery of language if he were only a really good reader? Of course not. The notion is laughable for language, but sadly, not for classical music.
When it comes to language, we are all master improvisers. We can say what we want, how we want, using a myriad of subtly nuanced word choices, sentence structures, and vocal inflections. Every day each of us creates sentences that we have never spoken before, spontaneously, instantaneously, and seamlessly. With language we can converse, responding directly and instantly to others’ questions and comments. It is a marvelous example of our creative abilities at work. More importantly, we take it for granted. We expect everyone to reach this level of mastery, and it doesn’t take years in a practice room to make it happen. Wouldn’t it be wonderful if we could “music” as freely as we speak? There really isn’t any reason why this can’t be a reality.
Not so long ago, our own classical music tradition once revered improvisation. Bach, Mozart, Beethoven, Mendelssohn, and Chopin, just to name a few iconic figures, were all masters of musical improvisation. Today, the once spontaneous musical outpourings of the past are petrified into preludes, fantasias, impromptus, and cadenzas. In less than one hundred years, the proud tradition of improvisation slowly vanished.
Once improvisation started disappearing from our musical training, its complete disappearance became almost inevitable. Teachers without improvisational fluency didn’t feel comfortable trying to teach it to their students, who then became improvisationally illiterate, and were unlikely to even try improvisation let alone try to teach it. Now, it is high time we reclaim our musical heritage and honor this once proud feature of our musical art.
We must reverse this trend and reintroduce improvisation into our musical repertoire. My goal is raise the importance of improvisation at the Lawrence Conservatory of Music. I want every student in our conservatory explore improvisation during their time at Lawrence. Luckily, we are well positioned to do just that. First, we have a world renowned jazz studies department, where improvisation is foundational and beginning improvisation courses are open to students no matter what their primary area of study. Second, we have Matthew Turner on our faculty.
Matthew is one of the world’s leading improvising cellist and teachers of improvisation. He goes into secondary schools across the country to introduce improvisation to students that have never improvised one note in their lives. There isn’t anyone better suited to reintroduce improvisation into the classical music conservatory. At Lawrence, he is currently the director or IGLU the Improvisation Group of Lawrence University. In this ensemble students can explore improvisation in genres other than jazz. Currently the ensemble has 30 members representing nearly every department in the conservatory. It is a wonderful thing to see students diving in to improvisation for the first time and embracing both its challenges and rewards.
At Lawrence, we are also focusing on introducing improvisation and improvisation pedagogy to our music education majors. This is key if we want our youngest music students to accept improvisation as a natural part of their musical development. Through our educators we have the best chance to reintroduce improvisation back into every student’s musical vocabulary. I will devote another blog to strategies for making this possible, but until then we can keep dreaming of a world where all musicians have the ability to leave the printed page behind and directly convey their musical thoughts and dreams through spontaneous improvisation.


Much has been made of the ever-expanding world of educational apps for mobile devices, but there has been relatively little fanfare surrounding apps that align with the Common Core State Standards (CCSS).
The CCSS Initiative is a state-led effort coordinated by the National Governors Association Center for Best Practices (NGA Center) and the Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO). The standards were developed in collaboration with teachers, school administrators and experts in order to provide a clear and consistent framework to prepare our children for college and the workforce.
While Apple certainly offers the lion’s share of educational apps, Android has a burgeoning catalog of classroom-appropriate titles, and both brands offer apps that were developed with the Common Core in mind. EducationWorld did some digging and found a few standout CCSS-friendly apps on both platforms.
Android- National Geographic Explorer is a robust classroom resource that aims to connect students to the world. It supports Common Core science and language arts standards and boasts highly interactive content with videos, audio, photos and leveled text. The app provides students with an authentic learning experience that engages while it teaches.
iOS- Alphabet Zoo is designed to teach kindergarteners letter-sound association, an essential literacy skill. More importantly, kids can have fun playing with the animals and creative sounds. Competencies supported by the app are aligned to Common Core standards for phonics and word recognition under Foundational Skills for Reading at the kindergarten level.
Android- Know Your Math Facts helps children memorize addition and subtraction math facts with sums/differences to 20. The app uses two proven teaching strategies that enable children to remember and quickly recall math facts in preparation for timed tests.
A math triangle and fact families develop understanding of the relationship between addition and subtraction, helping kids learn multiple related facts simultaneously. The app aligns with the Common Core and targets one of the four critical areas in mathematics.
iOS- Learn Math1 lets users visit the island of Mondiso, where friendly monsters help them learn math. Funny characters, excellent instructional videos and intuitive games allow students to gain math skills in a fun way. All three of the app’s levels meet Common Core standards. Level 1 links to standards for kindergarten and first grade, while Levels 2 and 3 align with second and third-grade standards.