In Australia and many other countries around the world, art education is considered a significant aspect of early childhood education. As Jalongo (1999) asserts, teachers who are not confident with their own artistic ability will negatively influence the art of their own students. Therefore, teachers of all stages of their careers need to be provided with training in relation to the art. Through ongoing professional development, teachers will develop basic skills to assist themselves in managing young children’s artistic learning.
In 2010, the authors completed a self-study of experiences from entering early years classrooms. Using reflective practice in a narrative approach, key themes emerged about skills and techniques needed in art education. This paper offers ways to support early childhood teachers to become more confident in their dealings with young children and their art experiences at school based on these findings. It provides guidance to teacher educators, schools and policy makers interested in improving quality Art education experiences for all students in early childhood education.
|Keywords:||Early Childhood, Arts, Teacher Education|
Lecturer, School of Education and Professional Studies, Griffith University, Mount Gravatt, Queensland, Australia
Lecturer, School of Education and Profesisonal Studies, Griffith University, Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia
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Tool will serve students in general education, special education, Title I, and state-funded Learning Assistance Programs
In the state of Washington, school districts can receive state funding for a Learning Assistance Program (LAP) to provide supplemental instruction and services to K-12 students who do not meet reading, writing, and mathematics standards.
To accelerate student growth in reading and help students build the foundational skills they need to succeed in all subject areas, districts are eschewing traditional reading interventions and turning to the neuroscience-based Fast ForWord program from Scientific Learning Corp.
One of the most recent districts to launch the Fast ForWord reading intervention is Ocean Beach School District (OBSD) in Long Beach, Wash. “We had been using different reading improvement strategies but student growth had flat-lined,” said Amy Huntley, program coordinator for interventions, assessment and curriculum for OBSD. “We began looking for something different that could meet students’ needs in a more efficient way and that wouldn’t require one-on-one instruction from a teacher or paraprofessional.”
The district began with a small pilot of the Fast ForWord program in June 2015. “By the fall, our schools wanted to expand Fast ForWord because of the results they were seeing and because they wanted to get more students on the program,” said Huntley.
Since then, OBSD has expanded the Fast ForWord program to every school in the district. Fast ForWord remediates the underlying difficulties that keep struggling readers and English language learners from making progress. It starts with cognitive skills such as memory, attention and processing speed and works from the bottom up, using the principles of neuroplasticity. After Fast ForWord, students can improve their language and reading skills by up to two grade levels in as little as three months, simultaneously boosting performance across all areas of study.
“In the past, our interventions primarily focused on reading fluency but that doesn’t necessarily help with comprehension or other components of literacy. Fast ForWord allows us to hit a much broader spectrum of skills that students need to become good readers and to improve their performance in all areas,” said Huntley.
For more information, visit www.scientificlearning.com.


It is painfully obvious to proclaim that gangs and drugs go hand-in-hand as a sort of wretched partnership. It is also remarkably true when I share with you that gangs and the illegal drugs that accompany them will continue to expand and entrench their evil effects within any community when two very important things happen. Firstly, when the community in question refuses to believe gang culture and illegal drug interactions are not happening at some level every day. Secondly, that there are no effective methods to positively address the challenge of significantly reducing the gang and drug subcultures’ effect on young lives, community standards, and educational goals.
Beloved, this is not something we ought to be hiding from. Even in our area this evil partnership of drugs and gangs is steadily expanding in most sectors of our community. Even though the practical display of gang memberships are skewed toward local area demographics, according to the “Juvenile Offenders and Victims: 2006 National Report” — 49 percent of gang members were Hispanic, 37 percent were black, 8 percent were white, 5 percent were Asian, and 1 percent had other ethnicity.
According to the Department of Justice’s 2005 National Gang Threat Assessment, there are at least 21,500 gangs and more than 731,000 active gang members. While gangs are less prevalent in rural areas, in major cities, gang violence is responsible for roughly half of all homicides. Gangs are also becoming more savvy, using computers and other technology to commit crimes.
Why do youth become part of any gang? As you might expect, the answers are varied. Major contributing factors often include:
• A community’s overt sense of hopelessness in its future;
• Core family problems pertaining to a weak sense of personal value, group identity, and acute conflict;
• A weakened partnership between public schools, parental involvement, and community standards that ignore truancy, learning disabilities, failing grades, and a strong sense of disenfranchisement between student and teacher;
• And, finally, strategic influences from existing gang members, gang affiliates, compliant supporters, and the drug subcultures.
It cannot be emphasized enough when a negative self-image is partnered with both an inadequate “healthy” group identity and unattainable or unrealistic life goals; the results are always going to be negative to the community and to the individual. Multimedia (television, Internet, music videos, etc) is a critical issue when trying to fight this battle. By the end of the elementary education experience, children will have witnessed 8,000 murders and more than 100,000 other acts of violence via television alone. By the time teenagers complete their high school experience the typical young person will have a 50:1 ratio of negative-to-positive exposure involving both police personnel and other authoritative figures within the culture they are typically exposed to.
There is also one more culprit in the growing gang and drug partnership in our area. It is our churches. Most churches have all but abdicated their biblical role within the community at-large. Let someone’s house burn down in the middle of the night and their three cute little children be seen on the evening news and 20 churches will show up with blankets, housing, food and a check. Let a natural disaster happen within a 30-minute drive of the front door of somebody’s church and Christians will be right there doing the right thing — for the right reason.
Where is the church’s righteous response concerning the growing epidemic of drugs and gangs? Where are the churches? Where are the messages of God’s character and authority over evil? Where are the mission teams offering God’s love in abundance? Where are all the “good people” when we need them?
So, what is Pastor Ed saying? I am saying there is in just about every community in our country a formidable expansion of illegal drug acceptance, as well as a growing destabilization provided by gang members, affiliates, sponsors, and facilitating households, and businesses. Beloved, it is a growing problem and if we don’t get a handle on these two connected concerns of drugs and gangs, every school system, their families, churches, businesses, and community organizations will continue to pay an every expanding price for our inaction.


Educating Learners with Down Syndrome: Research, Theory and Practice with Children and Adolescents (BOK)
1 319,00 1 31900
Sendes vanligvis innen 5-15 dager
For individuals with Down syndrome, the extent of the effect of intellectual disability depends largely on the degree of provision of appropriate support and intervention. In Educating Learners with Down Syndrome, editors Rhonda Faragher and Barbara Clarke have brought together a number of expert contributors, whose chapters review recent findings in the field of DS education, highlight promising practices, and identify areas for future research. While the emphasis is primarily on the school years, links to early intervention and to life post-16 are made, with chapters organized into three parts: conceptual overview of issues in learning and teaching, learning mathematics, and literacy development. The book is also united by the cohesive themes of assessment, evidence-based practice, and inclusive practices. Educating Learners with Down Syndrome importantly incorporates the voices of individuals with Down syndrome, whose personal narratives add significance to the research mission of the text and demonstrate the authors' inclusive philosophy. Aimed at researchers, teacher educators, higher degree students, and policy makers, this book is the first of its kind to provide a compendium of research on educating learners with Down syndrome.
Taylor & Francis
|Dimensjoner||17,4cm x 24,6cm x 2,3cm||Vekt||660 gram|
|Leverandør||Bertram Trading Ltd||Andre medvirkende||Barbara Clarke, Rhonda Faragher|
|Emner og form||Teaching of specific groups & persons with special educational needs|


One might think that the proponents and guardians of Indian education would be committed to eliminating ignorance. Not so. On one key point they are passionately committed to ignorance: they strongly believe no one must know what Indian children know.
The annual Indian ASER assessments,which cover a large sample of villages,have mobilised volunteers since 2006 to gauge how much children learn. This assessment produces an estimate for each district and state of childrens reading and arithmetic capabilities. The ASER report is made available for the general public so that it has additional information on progress in education. Who could oppose this civic engagement in the nationally vital domain of basic education?
Yet there is a section of opinion ranged against it. Vinod Raina,a prominent education advocate and advisor to the ministry of human resource development (MHRD),compares the controversial No Child Left Behind (NCLB) testing in America with ASER. But ASER is a non-government,sample-based,in-home,low-stakes assessment,while the NCLB is a universal,government-administered,in-school,high-stakes (for students and schools) test. ASER is more like Americas National Assessment of Education Progress (NAEP),which is a sample-based,low-stakes tracking assessment. Opponents of high-stakes testing are ardent supporters of NAEP as it provides them with a yardstick and evidence to disprove the efficacy of high-stakes testing. Yet ASER is not an American import: it is a homegrown exercise that emerged from the NGO Prathams efforts to raise learning levels. It is now an Indian export,adopted in Africa and Pakistan.
ASER is a straightforward,voluntary civic exercise that absorbs no public monies. The assessment involves low stakes for the student and is done in a friendly environment. The Indian middle class resentment against high-stakes board exams and university entrance tests both mandated by government policy cannot be directed against a low-stakes-for-the-student assessment of system-wide performance.
The MHRD has consistently opposed independent assessments that measure or track learning performance and strived to keep their findings out of government and other reports. At one point,it even threatened to cut funding to states that participated in a nation-wide assessment by education initiatives. For years,the MHRD insisted that the external partners in Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan not mention ASER results,even in their own reports. Perhaps this is because ignorance helps protect ideology and interests.
Actions in the MHRD are driven by the notion that quality education is associated with better inputs. This has led to a massive,and expensive,effort to expand inputs. Government reports are full of numbers about inputs. Since they want to advocate inputs,they want lots of information about inputs. But it is essential to the circular inputs are quality logic that there be no independent measure of learning.
What drives the education establishment to its furious opposition to measures of learning it cannot control is the fear that its basic premises will be shown to be erroneous. The ASER results for 2012 show that measured inputs are getting better but learning profiles (the extent to which the childs capabilities expand from year-to-year) are getting substantially worse. Children in the fifth grade in 2012 are less able to do simple math than children in 2011,and both are less adept than children in the fifth grade in 2010. Rather than accept that its input-ideology might be wrong,the education establishment prefers ignorance.
It also defends keeping access to the highly paid jobs of government teachers under its control by pretending that high quality teachers means civil service teachers trained in government institutions. Independent evidence of the highest rigour,showing that contract teachers with no formal education training do just as well for students is,well,inconvenient. A recent study in Uttar Pradesh showed students learned only half as much from civil service teachers,who cost over three times more than others. The education establishment knows a policy of half as much learning for three times the cost can be supported by Indian taxpayers only if they are kept ignorant.
The commitment to a selective ignorance about learning progress that allows the ideology and interests of the education establishment such free play would,in a perverse way,be impressive if it were not utterly tragic. Each year,Indian children are emerging from their schooling experience unequipped with the basic literacy and numeracy skills of the 19th century,never mind the 21st-century skills they need. The Indian education establishment is not committed to fixing this problem. It is committed to denying that this is a problem and to keeping the Indian public in the dark about it.
Lant Pritchett is professor of the practice of international development,Harvard Kennedy School and author of the forthcoming book,The Rebirth of Education


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New York City, Feb 16, 2013 - On Thursday, New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg proposed banning polystyrene food packaging. He made the statement while giving the Mayors State of the City Address.
The idea of banning polystyrene food containers is not new. Way back in 1989, Sonoma County, California banned polystyrene food packaging. Then in 1990, Freeport, Maine banned polystyrene foam food containers.
Freeport's ordinance was called the “Styrofoam Ordinance” even though STYROFOAM™ is a trademarked brand of the Dow Chemical Company and is not used in foam food containers.
In recent years, numerous cities on the west coast have banned polystyrene food containers including Menlo Park, California, whose polystyrene ban took effect last November. Many other municipalities are planning polystyrene bans including San Jose, California.
Excerpt from Mayor Bloomberg's State of the City Address:
Expanding Waste Reduction and Recycling and Seeking to Ban Polystyrene Foam
“We’ll also take major new steps toward another important sustainability goal that we’ve set: Doubling the city’s recycling rate to 30 percent by 2017… It starts with making recycling easier for everyone by putting 1,000 new recycling containers in streets on all five boroughs this year… We’ll also tackle New York City’s final recycling frontier: food waste… So with Speaker Quinn and the City Council, we will work to adopt a law banning Styrofoam food packaging from our stores and restaurants. And don’t worry: the doggie bag will survive just fine.”
- Put 1,000 new recycling containers on streets in all five boroughs this year.
- Work with Speaker Quinn and the City Council to adopt a law banning polystyrene foam food packaging from stores and restaurants.
- Finalize a major new facility in South Brooklyn that will accept all kinds of plastics, have a state-of-the-art education center to teach children about recycling and one of the largest solar installations in the city.
- Begin recycling food waste, nearly 200,000 tons of which fill landfills every year at a cost of nearly $80 per ton. That waste can be used as fertilizer or converted to energy at a much lower price.
- Launch a pilot program to collect curbside organic waste from single family homes in Staten Island for composting.
Ban Would Affect A Variety of Food Vendors
Banning polystyrene food containers would affect not only restaurants, deli's and coffee shops, but also grocers and food trucks. What would food retailers use to replace the polystyrene?
Actually, there are many enviro-friendly alternatives available in the market today. One successful idea has been "Go Box" in Portland, Oregon. Go Box caters mainly to Portland's food trucks to reduce the number of disposable containers used each month. Read the story: Go Box Reduces Food Cart Waste in Portland
Mayor Bloomberg is known for implementing health initiatives in his city. He participates in the National Salt Reduction Initiative, has successfully banned trans fats in New York eateries, and last year, was successful in implementing an ordinance which limited the size of the container that could be used when selling sugary soft drinks.
Considering the Mayor's past successes, New York food merchants probably should start to get prepared.


Like Yin and Yang: Inquiring and Knowing in Learning about Art
The critical inquiry methods used to facilitate learning about art works favour fertile negotiated understandings, multiple perspectives and personally relevant meaning-making. But are these appreciations always valid? What are valid appreciations of art works? This paper argues that combining open inquiry conversations with other, complementary, learning modes can promote informed understandings of art works.
||Visual Thinking Strategies, Critical Inquiry, Socratic Method, Transmission Learning, Art Knowledge
International Journal of the Arts in Society, Volume 6, Issue 2, pp.211-224.
Article: Print (Spiral Bound).
Article: Electronic (PDF File; 893.977KB).
Senior Lecturer, College of Education, University of Otago, Dunedin, Otago, New Zealand
David Bell is the Lead Teacher in Art Education at the University Of Otago College Of Education. His research and teaching interests also embrace the theory and history of art in Japan. He has drawn on these complementary interests to develop a number of presentations on art learning, aesthetics and culture. Recent book publications include Explaining Ukiyo-e and Hokusai’s Project, both investigations into the aesthetic phenomenon of ukiyo-e, the ‘floating world pictures’ of Japan. This paper is informed by findings in his recent research into practice in museum situated art education.
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As someone who loves to organize by making and using lists, I wanted to make a list of everything my first graders need to know. We test our students on the NWEA three times a year. I don't like standardized tests, but I really like the learning continuum on the site. It helps me to know where my students are academically and what they need to learn. This checklist is just for print concepts, I will be adding more checklists soon. For each skill, I included the K-2 NWEA RIT score and the common core standards associated with it. Use this help with lesson plans or assessing your students! The checklist skills include:
~sentence & word concepts
This is a free sample of the foundational skills checklist I have created. If you would like to purchase all three foundational skills checklists, please go to this link:
Foundational Skills Checklists
Thank you so much! Feel free to leave questions, comments, or suggestions.


Project-based learning is often associated with STEM learning, but PBL is a powerful context for literacy learning as well. Many research-supported practices for developing literacy can be seamlessly embedded into projects. A meaningful and engaging context, as in PBL, can make instruction in research-supported practices even more effective (Guthrie et al., 2004; Guthrie et al., 2008).
Strong readers pay more attention than weaker readers to how texts are structured or organized. Fortunately, paying more attention to text structure is something that we can teach to all readers. Research shows that this practice helps many readers, even young children and those with learning difficulties (Gersten, Fuchs, Williams, & Baker, 2001; Shanahan et al., 2010). Consider the following seven steps to teach informational text structures within a project:
1. Project-Related Texts
Select a text that one or more students are using in a project. Early on, consider using shorter texts, such as articles, that have a single, easy-to-identify structure, such as compare/contrast. In later lessons, you can move to longer texts with multiple and more complex structures.
2. Graphic Organizers
Consider using a graphic organizer, such as a Venn diagram, flow chart, hierarchical diagram, or timeline, to help students learn that structure. While many graphic organizers are available online, you can also develop organizers in most word-processing software or concept-mapping apps. With young children, it may help to make a large graphic organizer and use objects rather than texts at first. For example, you might introduce the idea by sorting classroom objects into a Venn diagram made of hula-hoops.
3. Uncovering the Structure
Begin the lesson by explaining that uncovering the structure of a text can help students understand and gather information for their projects. The more students connect this skill to success in their project, the more motivated they are likely to be as they learn and apply it.
4. Identifying the Structure
Work with students to identify the structure of the text that you selected, explicitly teaching not only about the structure, but also about how to recognize it in a text. Consider using common clue words as in the table below (adapted from Improving reading comprehension in kindergarten through 3rd grade: A practice guide).
5. From Structure to Practice
Encourage students to identify the structure of texts that they'll be reading during that day's project time. Circulate the room as they work so that you can support them in this process. Consider pulling together small groups of the students using the same or similar texts to work together on text structure identification. Many students will find it helpful to draw the structure of the text.
6. Review the Practice
Pull students back together to share the structures they found and how those structures helped them understand and find information for the project. Review key points from your initial lesson, and plan opportunities to follow up in later lessons. Encourage students to let you and their peers know when they uncover particularly interesting or accessible structures, such as information organized into an alphabet book or a question-and-answer format. Just as we create a word-conscious classroom by modeling and encouraging an interest in words, we can create a text-structure-conscious classroom by modeling and encouraging an interest in how authors organize their texts.
7. Extend Text Structure Instruction to Writing
Students are likely to understand text structure more deeply if you also draw their attention to text structure in writing. For example, you might invite students to use the same graphic organizers for project writing that they have been using in their reading.
With all that we need to accomplish not only in STEM, but in literacy development as well, we should take advantage of any opportunity to incorporate practices that research has shown to be effective, and to amplify that effectiveness through a PBL context.


Gujarat Board – Gujarat Secondary and Higher Secondary Education: The Gujarat is a state that is situated in the western part of India. It shares its north-western boundary with Pakistan.The neighboring states of Gujarat are Rajasthan,Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh . Gandhinagar is the capital city of the Gujarat.
Ahmedabad is the largest city and the main commercial hub of the state. Gujarat houses a wide variety of industries and is considered as one of the best industrialized states of the nation. Gujarat is also home to few of the valuable educational institutes of the country.
The education department of the state pays special attention to the improvement of elementary education in Gujarat. The government of the state has also launched many district primary education programs for making compulsory primary education and free for all students up to a certain age limit.
It has also taken up several measures for checking the rate of dropout students at schools in Gujarat. The uniform structure of 10+2 education that is followed in the schools of Gujarat is similar. The GSHSEB stands for Gujarat Secondary and Higher Secondary Education Board.
The Gujarat constituted the Gujarat Secondary and Higher Secondary Education Board in 1972.It have the following the enactment for the Gujarat Secondary Education Act during 1972.The State Government appoints its Chairman and Deputy Chairman . It has 16 ex officio members, and 44 other members drawn from academic organizations,civil society and legislative bodies.
There are various Committees with specific responsibilities which function under the Board.These committes are such as the Finance Committee, Education Committee, Examination Committee, Executive Committee and Magazine Advisory Committee.
The GSHSEB provides the State Government guidance about the policies that can help in governing secondary education, its development and qualitative enhancement. In an overview, its duties are: Preparing the curricula & syllabi.It also helps in Registering new Secondary schools . It monitors schools performance on a continual basis.
The GSHSEB provids developmental guidance.It also organise many training programmes for teachers and principals-up measures .There are many instances to integrate Gujarat’s students with the Information Technology-enabled global village.
The GSHSEB Board has introduced Computer Studies among regular curricula. School Education i.e. in both private and government schools that operate in Gujarat. One can also come across among schools that are run by the several municipal corporations and trusts in Ahmedabad. The GSHSEB is incharge of the schools that are run by the state government.
However, there are many of the private schools in Gujarat that are affiliated to the Central Board of Secondary Education and Council for the Indian School Certificate Examination board.The main medium of instruction in the state-run schools is Gujarati medium .While the schools run by other boards use English as their medium of study.
The government of the state also gives special importance to the women education in India . There are several famous universities functioning in Gujarat which offers both undergraduate and postgraduate programs in various disciplines. The only English medium university in Gujarat is the Maharaja Sayajirao University of Baroda .
It was ranked by India Today that was issued on August 2011 at the Tenth Place in its list of India’s Best Universities while it was ranked at sixth place by Hindustan Times ranked . Apart from it, there are many universities and institutes like Gujarat University, Bhavnagar University , Saurashtra University,Hemchandracharya North Gujarat University,Veer Narmad South Gujarat University and Kachchh University are the leading State Universities.
The four agricultural universities in Gujarat are especially devoted to the agricultural study and other subjects related to it. Apart from these, Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad, Sardar Vallabhbhai National Institute of Technology, Surat and National Institute of Design, Ahmedabad are some of the other important centers of higher learning in Gujarat that was famous all over india.
The state also has best engineering institutes in country like Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel Institute of Technology, Dhirubhai Ambani Institute of Information and Communication Technology among others.
The Central Salt and Marine Chemicals Research Institute is an reputed institute that is operating in Gujarat .These institutes does various research works on inland lake salt, marine salt and sub-soil brine.


Physics A Level
Physics is a subject which allows students to explore the building blocks of the universe. Students will come to understand how and why the world and everything around us behaves as it does. Through experimentation and theory, students learn to explore and communicate ideas.
A Physics A Level is one of the most respected A levels there is, as it shows that students are numerate and can handle a demanding course to a high level. There are many useful skills that can be developed whilst studying physics; such as problem solving, reasoning, practical skills, communication as well as the obvious numeracy skills.
Achieving a good grade in physics (when combined with other appropriate A level subjects), can help one to go on to further study and get into careers such as food scientist, climatologist, radiographer, ergonomics expert, geophysicist, architect, pilot, oceanography, audio technician, engineering as well as medicine.
Head of Science
The A level Physics course delivered at Heartlands is AQA’s A level Physics. The units covered are:
- Unit 1: Measurements and their Errors
- Unit 2: Particles and Radiation
- Unit 3: Waves
- Unit 4: Mechanics and Materials
- Unit 5: Electricity
- Unit 6: Further Mechanics and Thermal Physics
- Unit 7: Fields and their Consequences
- Unit 8: Nuclear Physics
- Unit 9: Astrophysics


IUSD schools, in partnership with Team Kids, the Irvine Unified Council PTA and Jumpstart, will join a national effort to set a new world record for the most people reading the same book on the same day as part of “Read for the Record” on Thursday, Oct. 7.
Launched in 2006 by Jumpstart, a national nonprofit, the Read for the Record campaign seeks to promote literacy and early education. Each fall a different book is picked for kids and adults to read on the same day, and this year’s choice is “The Snowy Day” by Ezra Jack Keats. The 1962 classic is about – spoiler alert! – a little boy’s adventures in a neighborhood blanketed by snow.
As in years past, dignitaries from IUSD and the City of Irvine are making plans to visit local elementary schools to read the book aloud to children in kindergarten and first grade. In addition, elementary students in Irvine will hold a special book drive to benefit kids throughout the county who don’t have age-appropriate reading material at home.
We’re told that gently used books will be collected throughout the day and delivered to the Early Childhood Learning Center between noon and 5 p.m. There, they’ll be sorted and counted by IUSD students and members of Team Kids, a local group that facilitates service-learning projects.
Children and their parents are invited to drop by the ECLC, located at 1 Smoketree Lane in Irvine, after 2:30 p.m. on Oct. 7 to help count books and to hear Assistant Superintendent Cassie Parham read “The Snowy Day.”
To learn more about “Read for the Record,” or to pledge to read on Oct. 7, click here.


1. Choose one of the 12 new pictures and project the image in the classroom. Before the students see the image, tap on the picture so that the caption is hidden.
2. When the children come into the room, have them take paper (could be a worksheet, or could be just scrap) and have them record the following: 4 details, 3 questions, 2 connections and 1 inference.
3. After a few minutes (no more than 10), have the students turn and talk to their elbow partner.
4. Then, invite pairs of students to share their ideas with the rest of the class. Discuss how looking for important details, questioning, making connections and inferring are all reading comprehension strategies that will help them to be a better reader.
5. At the end of the class, tap the image again and the caption will be seen. Now it's time for a discussion about an event from the previous day.


…SMS text messaging to capture learner voice:
Using a variety of methods, including text messaging, Northampton College successfully engaged with its learners to build a better relationship with them so that their views are heard and built into their learning experience. This recent case study looks at how a variety of technologies contributed to this:
Northampton College: Learner voice and technology
… hand held games consoles to improve health and wellbeing
ETEC Development Trust purchased various computer games consoles for learners at its drop-in centre in Sunderland. ETEC hopes the games will help to improve their learners' literacy and numeracy skills as well as their general health and wellbeing. One learner has already improved his vocabulary skills through the use of a Nintendo DS.
ETEC Development Trust: Game-based learning brings skills to life
…a virtual world for creating alternative learning environments
e-Learning staff at Barnfield College have created a revolutionary learning environment in Second Life. Barnfield College has been involved in a collaborative project with Museums Luton to create a virtual museum. This has helped drive a culture of innovative and engaging learning in the College and has helped to raise the profile of local museums in Luton.
Barnfield College: Informal learning through collaborative Second Life project
...screen-capture to create animated how to guides
North West Kent College is not alone in trying to solve the various challenges associated with IT-based staff development. Using Adobe Captivate to quickly and efficiently create a series of animated ‘How To' guides, this College has found a highly effective way of providing anytime, anywhere and on-demand IT support for both staff and students alike.
North West Kent College: ‘How to' raise IT skills
To read more of Wobble click here.


Zoltán Kodály (1882-1967) (pronounced kŏ-dī) was born in Hungary at a time when its language and culture was subservient to German and Austrian tradition. His passion for the rediscovery of the Hungarian spirit resulted in extensive folk-song research. Kodály was an untiring writer, a powerful critic, and a lifelong folksong activist of unrivalled energy. His own musical compositions were inspired by Hungarian melody and folk-lore and works like Háry Janos, Psalmus Hungaricus, and Dances of Galanta have found a home in concert halls all over the world.
Kodály came eventually to embody the artistic aspirations of his own country and is arguably the greatest music educationalist of the twentieth century; the astonishingly high standard of choral singing and musical achievement in Hungary was attained thanks to his innovations and teaching methods. These are the inspiration behind an approach to music education, which has gained world recognition.
“A child who plays an instrument before he sings may remain unmusical for a lifetime. That is why we encounter so many skilful pianists who have no idea of the essence of music.” Zoltán Kodály
For more information and articles on Zoltán Kodály please see our Resource Articles page.


Portrait of a Literacy Educator
Literacy faculty of the Department of Early Childhood Elementary and Literacy Education are committed to the development of literacy educators who:
I. Continue to inquire into the nature of teaching and learning and reflect upon professional practice.
- Know philosophies and theories of literacy instruction.
- Possess knowledge of reading process, language development, and learning.
- Demonstrate knowledge of selection process as it pertains to literacy resources and materials.
- Demonstrate knowledge of assessment principles and techniques.
- Demonstrate knowledge of appropriate instructional strategies.
- Are effective communicators who share information about reading with colleagues, parents, and the community.
- Are technologically literate and know how technology facilitates learning and enhances literacy.
II. Possess the skills and dispositions necessary to create literacy environments, which stimulate critical thinking and inquiry.
- Can organize and plan effective literacy programs for classroom, school, and district levels.
- Instill enthusiasm in others, for the delights and rewards of literacy development.
- Possess the interpersonal skills and dispositions to work cooperatively and collaboratively with colleagues.
III. Understand the principles of democracy and the roles of literacy and critical thinking within a democracy.
- Possess the literacy and critical thinking abilities associated with the concept of an educated person.
- Plan instruction to promote critical reflection about the ideas, values, and practices of citizenship based upon democratic principles.
IV. Understand and are committed to the professional and ethical responsibilities of those who work in educational settings with diverse populations.
- Believe in the educability of all children regardless of race, class, gender, religion, ethnicity, sexual orientation, and special needs.
- Seek to ensure equitable learning opportunities for every student.
- Provide a nurturing and caring environment for all students.
V. Model respect and empathy for individual differences and an appreciation of the basic worth of each individual.
- Plan instruction and select materials with sensitivity to issues of race, class, gender, religion, ethnicity, sexual orientation, and special needs.
- Work to foster an appreciation of diversity among students, colleagues, and parents.
VI. Are committed to renewal and best practice in the schools.
- Lead, implement, and/or support change in literacy, teaching and learning.
- Possess passion and commitment to lifelong learning and literacy development.
- Build and participate in communities of inquiry related to literacy development.
[Adapted from the Montclair State University Portrait of a Teacher and Standards for Reading Professionals. (1992). IRA & NCTE.] 11/07/03


A recent article in the New York Times asked the question: Is music the key to success? Of course, at Kindermusik, we would answer a resounding: Yes! We wouldn’t be alone in that exclamation either.
The body of music education research continues to grow concerning how musical learning can increase social-emotional abilities, math skills, language development, inhibitory control, collaboration, empathy, creativity, cultural understanding, and so much more. Studies show music can decrease pain during medical procedures, lower blood pressure, and lift our overall spirits.
Getting personal about the benefits of music
However, the music education research only tells part of the story. Music is personal as much as it is social. Take the case of United States Congresswoman Gabby Giffords. A bullet to her brain left her in critical condition and unable to speak. However, through music therapy, she is learning how to speak again.
In the above television interview, Dr. Oliver Sacks, Professor of Neurology and Psychiatry at Columbia University sums up the benefits of music on language by explaining: “Nothing activates the brain so extensively as music to it to have been possible to create new language areas in the right hemisphere.”
The New York Times article provides more personal stories from individuals who credit the benefits of music to their success in other areas:
The television broadcaster Paula Zahn (cello) and the NBC chief White House correspondent Chuck Todd (French horn) both attended college on music scholarships.
Larry Page, a co-founder of Google, played saxophone in high school.
Steven Spielberg is a clarinetist and son of a pianist.
Condoleezza Rice trained to be a concert pianist.
Alan Greenspan, former chairman of the US Federal Reserve, was a professional clarinet and saxophone player.
The former World Bank president James D. Wolfensohn has played cello at Carnegie Hall.
(Source: WorldBank.org James Wolfensohn performs with Bank/IMF Choral Group at Christmas Concert, 2004)
Music provides balance, explains Mr. Wolfensohn in the New York Times article, who began cello lessons as an adult. “You aren’t trying to win any races or be the leader of this or the leader of that. You’re enjoying it because of the satisfaction and joy you get out of music, which is totally unrelated to your professional status.”
So, again, we answer the question, “Is music the key to success?” with a resounding, Yes…and so much more!


Researchers have long argued the importance of shared book reading and its potential impact on future reading growth. With the increasing popularity of e-books and the introduction of interactive iPad books, more and more parents are sharing books with their children in digital format. This may have a direct impact on the nature of the interactions that occur during young children's early book sharing experiences. This multiple-case study examined the nature of the interactions between six mother-child dyads as they read a story on an iPad compared with the interactions that happened during a traditional book reading. A coding system was developed to categorize behaviors during the reading sessions. The categories included (a) meaning talk, (b) text and print talk, (c) technology talk, and (d) the nature of the affective climate.The results of this study indicate that mother-child traditional read-alouds and digital iPad read-alouds are different experiences. During digital readings there was an increase in the number of vocabulary-related (a subcategory of meaning) interactions but a decrease in the number of interactions related to text and print. The results also showed that as the dyad shared a digital storybook, they engaged in many interactions about the technological elements of the iPad texts, which may be important to the development of digital literacies in young children. The findings also indicate that a child is more engaged with digital texts than with traditional texts, which is important because engagement is an essential component in literacy development. However, sometimes the child's increased engagement with the digital texts resulted in both members of the dyad being less sensitive to the other. Digital storybook reading is a relatively new experience for many parents and thus, they may not know how to interact with their children in ways that promote the development of traditional and digital literacies.
College and Department
David O. McKay School of Education; Educational Inquiry, Measurement, and Evaluation
BYU ScholarsArchive Citation
MacKay, Kathryn L., "Does an iPad Change the Experience? A Look at Mother-Child Book Reading Interactions" (2015). All Theses and Dissertations. 6000.
electronic books, family literacy, shared storybook reading, mother-child interactions, digital literacies, emergent literacy


"Music is in my soul" ...
Music is an expression which doesn't require any words; you hum & express what you are feeling. Music expresses love, beauty, sadness, happiness, loneliness, togetherness & all other expressions which are there in this beautiful world. No one in this world has hatred for music; they carry so much of love & affection when the ears grab a beautiful tone passing by.
When we talk about music, it's a combination of rhythm, tone, tabs, chords, notes, instruments all working together & forming a beautiful song. Whether in India or outside world, there are some people who are passionate about music. They consider it as their life. They get themselves indulged in musical activities, concerts, learning music & instruments; want to become the musical sensation one day. So certain musical courses are launched in few universities. Few examples of the musical courses running are:
1. Doctor of Musical Arts, Music Education
2. BME (Bachelor of Music Education)
3. Bachelor of Music Education, Instrumental Teaching-Band
4. Specialist in Music Education, & so on.
Few learning centers presented all over the world are: Bienen School of Music - Northwestern University, Eastman School of Music, Jhankar Beats, Vibration Music Academy, Tansen Musical Academy, Etc.
Importance of learning music:
1. Music expresses all are emotions. What you need is to feel what you express.
2. Music opens your mind & enhances your grabbing & learning abilities, helps in academics as well.
3. Music helps you being fit. You can say it's one of the fitness mantras.
4. Music helps you developing your overall personality & your confidence level increases.
5. Music is the best mode of relaxation. Many students who are stressed due to studies, learns music instruments which releases tension from their minds. For example, you must have seen Engineers getting involved in playing guitar is very common example.
6. Music helps your brain to exercise, becomes fresh & happening all the time, allows incoming of pure & positive thoughts.
7. Music also gives you a kind of motivation to live your life happily even if you are facing hard ways.
8. Music teaches you coordination, synchronization & team work.
9. Sometimes music also expresses the patriotism feeling which carries love & respect for your motherland.
10. It also helps you in spirituality. It's a part of our culture. Imagine worshiping god without singing jingles, aarti & spiritual music. We can't even think of. Music adds beauty to our prayers as well.
11. Nowadays, students are creating their own musical Bands & carrying the art of music everywhere. So it's a Good Career option also.
12. Few musical courses & gharaanas are creating best of the singers, musicians, composers, writers, etc.
13. English Music lessons also improve the vocabulary.
Students, who are involved in this form of art, are blessed & happy as compared to students getting indulged in professional studies. Also getting paid high. Art of Music, somehow is a part of everyone's life. So make yourself a part of this beautiful world of music.


Uncovering the Logic of English
A Common-Sense Approach to Reading, Spelling, and Literacy
Now in its second edition, Denise Eide's multiple-award winning book reveals the phonograms and spelling rules that explain 98% of English words. The rules are explained in an easy-to-read, straightforward manner and illustrated with numerous examples.
Uncovering the Logic of English also explores the roots and repercussions of America’s literacy crisis, discusses leading brain research on reading and what the findings teach us about effective literacy education, and demonstrates the vital need for this knowledge in our homes, classrooms, businesses, and society.
Discover the revolutionary literacy instruction method that Dr. Temple Grandin called “really helpful for teaching reading to children who are mathematical pattern thinkers...”
Uncovering the Logic of English unveils the simple answers to questions like:
- Why is there a silent final E in have?
- Why don't we drop the E in noticeable?
- Why is confusion spelled with -sion rather than -tion?
Why do we need the Logic of English?
Most native English speakers believe, based on their education and prevailing assumptions in our society, that the spelling of English words has little or no logical basis. Predominant reading education methods require students to break the complex code of English intuitively, without help — an attainable leap for intuitive learners but an often insurmountable hurdle for more literally-minded ones. This gap in our language instruction has been a major contributor to low literacy rates and explains why many highly educated professionals cannot spell.
Uncovering the Logic of English offers a new view of English as a complex and powerful tool. Learning the Logic of English simplifies spelling and aids emerging readers with decoding. By revealing the logical patterns underlying 98% of English words, Uncovering the Logic of English eliminates the need to guess and provides a logical solution to English spelling.
This revolutionary knowledge is desperately needed to solve the literacy crisis in America today. It should be as foundational to our education system as 1 + 1 = 2.
Who should read this book?
Uncovering the Logic of English is not a curriculum or textbook, nor does it require the use of Logic of English® curriculum materials. It provides answers to basic questions about English reading and spelling and offers a compelling argument for the need for intensive phonics instruction to ensure the success of all students. The book can serve as a source of information for educators teaching any reading or spelling curriculum or simply as a personal reference for those wanting to better understand how English works. It is sure to be a favorite among Scrabble® players, word lovers, and anyone who wants to better understand the logic of English spelling.
2nd Edition (2012)


- ESL – (English as a Second Language)
Reading/Writing/English. Reading is the common factor in all subject areas. When a child is struggling in reading, it can negatively affect all school studies, especially in the elementary levels. Academic Advantage Tutoring tutors have experience in subject correlation and can bring a student’s reading skills and comprehension up to academic level. For younger students, our writing and language arts tutors can help to improve spelling, handwriting, and creative writing skills. Academic Advantage Tutoring tutors will help older students understand and appreciate different literary genre and assist with advanced writing projects.
Our reading program teaches students all areas of Phonics instruction including the following:
- Oral Reading
- Writing Ability
- Reading Fluency
Students learn the skills of letter recognition and letter sounds. Students practice with their instructor to master all consonant and vowel sounds.
We use research proven strategies for developing vocabulary, reading fluency, and reading comprehension.
Our Tutors also prepare students to successfully pass the Language Arts and Writing portions of the Georgia High School Graduation Test. Students may also enroll in a Speed Reading Course.
Research shows that the personalized one-on-one attention of tutoring allows students to make significant improvements in academic achievement and builds self-esteem and confidence.


Bachelor of Science in Elementary Education (Grades K-6)
The Bachelor of Science in Elementary Education (Grades K-6) prepares students to pursue careers as educators of young children. Using a faith-based foundation, students will study about God and what it means to see a vocation as a ministry. Students will study the various skills and methods used in teaching children many different subjects. Besides the educational needs, the program will emphasize the spiritual and emotional needs of children which can affect their learning potential. Because of the hands-on experience involved, students will gain teaching practice in a local classroom as a part of the requirements.
The general education courses are taken from the major disciplines and center around Christian values and ideas. Students will begin their journey to understanding their place as God’s stewards and see how their faith can play out in all aspects of life besides their vocation. Major core courses will educate on child development and various methods for teaching children at different ages. Students should also learn about assessing learners, the use of instructional technology, and classroom management. There are courses on teaching specific topics such as social studies, mathematics, and language arts. Other topics of study include creative expression in children, exceptional learners, and linguistics.
The program consists of three field studies where students can have some teaching practice in a school setting. Field studies will have certain tasks such as teaching or preparing lessons. The final semester consists of a student teacher position where students will teach full-time in a K-12 setting. There will also be seminars offer students additional support and insight into the issues that occur during their teaching experience.
Degree Level: Bachelor
Delivery Format: Hybrid
Accreditation & Licensing
Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, Commission on Colleges
Southeastern University was established in 1935 in Alabama with the purpose of training pastors and missionaries, and later relocated to Lakeland in 1946. Today, the co-educational, private, not-for-profit liberal arts university continues to promote Christianity through well-rounded programs, including regularly scheduled chapel services, volunteer service, music programs, clubs and organizations, and intercollegiate and intramural sports.
Southeastern University offers associate's, bachelor's, master's, and doctoral degrees, and has developed an online program to cater to the needs of working Christian adults pursuing bachelor's and master's degrees.
This program has not been ranked.
Be the first to write a review. Click the link below.


Curriculum | News
New Elementary Math Curriculum Features Real-time Data Tracking
The company also offers a custom learning management platform, called ClassVINCI
Vinci Education is launching a new game-based digital math curriculum for elementary education, mapped to the Common Core and featuring real-time data-tracking features designed for tablets.
The curriculum is supported by a custom learning management platform and designed for use on the company’s own education-focused Android tablets. In the curriculum, Common Core concepts and requirements are broken down into small steps, and a series of learning games has been designed for instructional and reinforcement learning.
The learning management platform, called ClassVINCI, allows teachers to schedule courses and track students' progress in real time, displaying, for example, how many questions a student answered correctly versus how many attempts the student made. Data can be viewed for a specific date or a range of dates and can be printed or saved as a PDF file.
"Interactive and personalized teaching is the only way to help students to be ready for college and careers," said Dan Yang, the company’s founder and creator of the blended learning program in a statement. "Real time data and reports serve like a GPS for teaching, enabling individualized and effective learning."
Stephen Noonoo is a reporter, contributing editor and consultant specializing in education technology. He is on Twitter @stephenoonoo.


Engaging parents in their children's early literacy development has been shown to improve children's outcomes and help to narrow the gap between disadvantaged and other children.
Making it REAL (Raising Early Achievement in Literacy) is an award-winning programme that works with practitioners to support children’s early literacy and development.
The programme helps practitioners to build parents’ knowledge and confidence so that they can help their children with reading and writing and create an early home learning environment.
What is the REAL approach?
Making it REAL draws evidence from the original REAL project delivered by Professors Cathy Nutbrown and Peter Hannon at the University of Sheffield.
REAL uses a framework called ‘ORIM’ (Opportunities, Recognition, Interaction and Model), which is based on the idea that there are four main ways in which parents can help their children’s literacy development.
Teachers and practitioners share ORIM with families through a series of home visits and literacy events to support them to think about how they can use it to support their children’s early literacy.
How Making it REAL has developed
Making it REAL operated in Sheffield and Oldham between 2009–12. It was originally funded by the Big Lottery and set up in collaboration with the University of Sheffield.
Since 2013, the programme has been funded by the Department for Education to support local authorities and a range of non-statutory, private and independent early years settings and childminder groups across England.
We have since worked in partnership with eight local authority areas – Blackpool, Haringey, Luton, Oldham, Peterborough, Sandwell, Sheffield and South Tyneside – to support them to establish and maintain the Making it REAL approach locally.
Our evaluation of Making it REAL 2013–15 shows that it had a positive impact on children’s outcomes.
Helping children with additional needs
Our evaluation of Making it REAL found that it supports the early identification of children’s additional needs and increases the number of families who are referred to specialist services for further help.
- 71% of practitioners said that the intervention had at least 'some impact' on connecting children and families to other services and 68% said it had helped them identify additional needs in one or more of the target children.
- Practitioners also said that the intervention had 'some' impact (37%) or 'a great' impact (18%) on the earlier identification of additional needs in siblings.
Increased contact with families, especially through home visits, made practitioners aware of other agencies involved with the family, such as social services or speech and language support, and provided an opportunity to discuss wider needs and get agreement to make referrals.
There was also evidence of issues being looked at for the first time, including the need for speech and language therapy or of family-wide issues such as domestic violence and housing need.
Making it REAL in your area
We offer training courses and consultancy packages to new areas that would like to be a part of Making it REAL. Find out more about them here.
For further information on Making it REAL, please contact Helen Wheeler: email@example.com.


Individual differences |
Methods | Statistics | Clinical | Educational | Industrial | Professional items | World psychology |
Dr. Jim Cummins is a professor at the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education of the University of Toronto where he works on language development and literacy development of learners of English as an additional language. In 1979 Cummins coined the acronyms BICS and CALP to refer to processes that help a teacher to qualify a student's language ability.
BICS (Basic Interpersonal Communicative Skills)Edit
- Main article: Basic Interpersonal Communicative Skills
BICS refers to the basic communicative fluency achieved by all normal native speakers of a language. It is cognitively undemanding and contextual and is better understood as the language used by students in informal settings, say, on a playground or cafe. Research by Cummins as well as Virginia Collier suggest that it typically takes language learners 1-3 years to develop BICS if they have sufficient exposure to the second language.
CALP (Cognitive Academic Language Proficiency/Academic Language Proficiency)Edit
- Main article: Cognitive Academic Language Proficiency
CALP refers to the ability to manipulate language using abstractions in a sophisticated manner. CALP is used while performing in an academic setting. CALP is the ability to think in and use a language as a tool for learning. Cummins's and Collier's research suggest that K-12 students need 5 to 7 years to acquire CALP in the second language if the learner has native language literacy. Learners who do not have strong native language literacy often need 7-10 years to acquire CALP in the second language.
Jim Cummins's Work with the University of Toronto's TEFL OnlineEdit
Cummins is the founding Academic Director of the University of Toronto’s TEFL certification program. The course, a 100-hour online program, certifies educators in the field of Teaching English as a Foreign Language. TEFL Online is a collaborative effort between the University of Toronto and Teach Away Inc., a leading international teacher recruitment agency.
|This page uses Creative Commons Licensed content from Wikipedia (view authors).|


Waukee students will become strategic learners who are actively engaged in using literacy habits to process information, construct knowledge, make judgments, and appreciate literacy within and beyond the classroom.
In July, 2010, the state of Iowa adopted the national standards called the Common Core. The formerly mandated Iowa Core Curriculum became Iowa Core, which is the national Common Core plus a few additional SBOs (no more than 15%).
The Language Arts Committee has worked very hard to horizontally and vertically align the Iowa Core for K-12. In addition to this alignment work, the committee has developed supporting documents, progress reports, and correlating SBO documents.
The new language arts and writing SBOs were presented to Waukee’s Board of Education in spring of 2011 and were implemented at all grade levels during the 2011-2012 school year.
Standards, Benchmarks, & Objectives
Standard 1: Reading Literature (K-12)
Standard 2: Informational Text (K-12)
Standard 3: Foundational Skills (K-1)
Standard 4: Word Work (K-5)
Standard 5: Fluency (K-5)
Standard 6: Writing (K-12)
Standard 7: Language (K-12)
Standard 8: Speaking and Listening (K-12)
Language Position Statement
Teachers in Waukee utilize the language standards defined by the Common Core to identify grade-specific language skills. These skills are integrated across all content areas through reading, writing, speaking, and listening. Active exploration of language allows students to acquire essential skills for effective communication. Exploration includes noticing and interacting with exemplars, experimenting with key concepts, and reinforcing skills through personal writing. Providing students with authentic opportunities to explore vocabulary, conventions and craft inspires curiosity and interest in language.
Iowa Core College and Career Ready
To be college and career ready in language, students must have firm control over the conventions of standard English. At the same time, they must come to appreciate that language is as at least as much a matter of craft as of rules and be able to choose words, syntax, and punctuation to express themselves and achieve particular functions and rhetorical effects. They must also have extensive vocabularies, built through reading and study, enabling them to comprehend complex texts and engage in purposeful writing about and conversations around content. They need to become skilled in determining or clarifying the meaning of words and phrases they encounter, choosing flexibly from an array of strategies to aid them. They must learn to see an individual word as part of a network of other words—words, for example, that have similar denotations but different connotations. The inclusion of Language standards in their own strand should not be taken as an indication that skills related to conventions, effective language use, and vocabulary are unimportant to reading, writing, speaking, and listening; indeed, they are inseparable from such contexts.


Nine Things that Music Taught Me
by Susan Parsons
Making music is a mental, physical, emotional exercise that improves students’ ability to perceive, comprehend, relate, self-regulate, and remember. Nothing matches music education in its comprehensiveness. It embraces everything. Like spokes on a wheel intersecting its hub, everything intersects through music. Research shows that when children make music, more parts of their brain light up than in any other intellectual pursuit. That is because music integrates both hemispheres of the brain, activating feelings, fitness, and computation.
Music taught me:
Civic identity and responsibility. John Philip Sousa, holiday parades, concerts in the park and at assisted-living facilities instilled in me a deep sense of community and civic pride. Travel abroad showed me the American band is a uniquely American tradition. Band is as American as apple pie and the Fourth of July. It nurtures cultural unity. A community without a band is missing something essentially American.
Math and science. In band, I learned to count, divide, and multiply, identify patterns, compare and contrast, predict, and gauge vibrations, sound intervals and velocity. Music is computational, physical, and abstract science; Physical fitness. Making music, especially in marching band, is physical exercise. Children in the computer screen age need it more than ever. Research on aging shows that people who stay musically engaged live longer than those who don’t.
Personal discipline and self-control. Learning to play an instrument involves a long learning curve. Like math, it is a cumulative subject with no shortcuts. It requires practice and patience.I got out of it what I put into it. This is critically important for today’s children, because they are so bombarded with high-speed technology and messages of instant gratification.
Group dynamics. Ensemble music made me work with others, share what I knew, and regulate my tone and emotions. Musicians must cooperate with the conductor while listening to one another, all the while balancing their musical and emotional parts in relation to everyone else’s.
Language. Musical notation is a type of representational language, and Italian is music’s lettered language. Music is a universal language. It is a cross-cultural experience. Music has connected me to many cultures and people across the United States and the world.
Psychology. Music allows me to channel my emotions. Anger, joy, sadness, pain — all get expressed in constructive ways through music. Children in today’s complex, test-driven, and stressful world need this emotional, creative outlet more than ever.
History and geography. I learned to link musical genres, such as jazz, ragtime, and rock ‘n’ roll to an American timeline, and composers, such as Mozart, Beethoven, Tchaikovsky, and Strauss to other countries and time periods.
Public “speaking.” Musical performance at solo and ensemble contests takes guts. It taught me to focus. I learned to center myself through breathing and step into performance with courage. Performance is about sharing something you love and have worked hard to attain.
Humility. No matter how good I thought I was getting, musical bloopers always popped up — some worse than others. They kept me humble.
Music has enhanced my life beyond all expectation. The music education I received in Streator schools led me to an acclaimed college choir that performed at the National Cathedral, and now, as a children’s librarian, I successfully incorporate rhyme and rhythm in all my literacy programs. Every “Bounce and Tickle” storytime ends with babies, toddlers and parents marching to Sousa’s “Washington Post.”
No activity integrates a child’s heart, body, and intellect better than music, and nothing links children to community. tradition, and national identity more effectively than music, which is why I urge you to vote to retain the band program for Streator’s grade school children.
SUSAN PARSONS, Ph.D, of Crest Hill, is a 1976 graduate of Streator Township High School and a children’s librarian.


Experts support the PNS curriculum with its focus on the students’ intellectual, social and emotional development without limiting them to basic, rudimentary skills.
Harvard University, Rutgers University, Columbia University, The American Academy of Pediatrics and the State of New Jersey Department of Education recommend the PNS curriculum and approach specifically.
The No Child Left Behind Act strongly recommends that early childhood education develop literacy and numeracy skills in order to prepare children for kindergarten and elementary school. Numerous educators and researchers report the importance of this type of preschool in helping students succeed throughout school.
Listed below are resources and their recommendations. You can also borrow books from the Parents’ Library at PNS.
The curriculum and program at PNS follows the recommendations of the State of New Jersey Department of Education Standards of Quality for Early Childhood Education. Among other specific elements, strong emphasis is placed on family involvement, multifaceted development and unstructured play time. Developing strong language, literacy, math and science skills by using the activities and methods found in the PNS program is also strongly recommended. For a complete description of their expectations visit www.state.nj.us/njded/cccs
A 2006 report from the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) says free and unstructured play is healthy and - in fact - essential for helping children reach important social, emotional and cognitive developmental milestones as well as helping them manage stress and become resilient. The PNS program implements this recommendation throughout its curriculum. For more information visit www.aap.org/pressroom.
The Harvard University Graduate School of Education has a special webpage on Early Childhood Education which contains current research and recommendations relevant to educators, parents and children. The importance of a child’s social, physical, cognitive and emotional development is emphasized in many of the articles. For more information visit www.ed.gov/teachers/how/early/edpicks.jhtml
The website for the No Child Left Behind Act has developed a section entitled “Helping Your Preschool Child” which describes numerous activities for helping young children develop the skills necessary for success throughout school and life. Parents and teachers are encouraged to read to, play with and otherwise engage the children in their lives to prepare them for a lifetime of learning. For more information visit www.ed.gov/teachers/how/early/edpicks.jhtml?src=qc
"The Savvy Source: Where parents and preschool teachers share their savviest ideas on how best to help your child learn and grow" is a website full of information, activities, resources and opinions for families with young children. For more information visit www.savvysource.com.


Toucans – The Birds With Long, Brightly Colored Bill
Toucans on television commercials love fruity cereal, but in real life, toucans would choose fruit over cereal. Toucans live in the rainforests of South America, where they spend their days eating fruit, insects and the occasional egg or small bird.
Toucans have a long, brightly colored bill. It looks sharp, but it’s not designed for fighting. Instead, toucans use their bills to pick fruit.
Fun Facts about Toucans for Kids
- Toucans lay their eggs in holes in trees. Both the father and mother take care of the babies.
- Toucan babies don’t have big bills. The bills become larger as they grow.
- Toucans weigh just a little over 1 pound.
- These popular birds live in small flocks. They call and hoot to each other loudly.
- Some people keep toucans as pets.
- Commercial: advertisement
- Rainforest: dense, wet forest
- Bill: beak
- Flock: group
Learn More All About Toucans
Watch this episode of Birds of Paradise:
A National Geographic documentary about toucans.
Question: How big is a toucan’s bill?
Answer: A toucan’s bill can be as long as his entire body.
Question: Are toucans related to parrots?
Answer: Toucans are related to woodpeckers.
Cite This Page
You may cut-and-paste the below MLA and APA citation examples:
MLA Style Citation
Declan, Tobin. " Fun Toucans Facts for Kids ." Easy Science for Kids, Aug 2017. Web. 23 Aug 2017. < http://easyscienceforkids.com/all-about-toucans/ >.
APA Style Citation
Tobin, Declan. (2017). Fun Toucans Facts for Kids. Easy Science for Kids. Retrieved from http://easyscienceforkids.com/all-about-toucans/
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Countless studies have shown art education improves children’s cognitive development and academic success. It’s not just about teaching them to sing or dance. It’s about teaching them teamwork, time management, focus, discipline, confidence, and so much more.
We are dedicated to providing safe spaces for students to learn and grow through the arts:
By exploring stories, students begin to shape their views and voices in the community.
By working with their peers toward an end goal, students learn the value of cooperation.
By participating in performative experiences, students gain self-esteem and the courage of self-expression.
To provide the most comprehensive educational programming, we serve youth (ages 5-18) on a broad spectrum. That spectrum explores two facets of theatre.
First, our programs focus on process-oriented drama. Through exercises like character development, improvisation and role-playing, we actively engage our students. We create an environment where students take ownership of their learning experience, becoming leaders and gaining invaluable like skills—to listen, to enunciate, and to make eye contact. Through this process, students strengthen focus, critical thinking, and self-expression.
Second, our programs explore performance-oriented theatre. We encourage “education through experience,” where students are actively engaged in staged productions. Our students hone their performative talents while participating in culminating experiences—to create theatre for kids, by kids. Through this process, students develop in creative expression, collaborative skills, and self-confidence.
Outreach Residencies integrate arts education into community environments for youth.
Skill Building Classes are non-auditioned, weekly programs, held 4-6 weeks during after-school hours. Our curriculum is developmentally appropriate and for students who have an interest in drama.
Camps are full-day intensive programs held during spring, summer, and winter breaks.
The RMTC Conservatory
The RMTC Conservatory is a yearlong program for talented young artists to hone their craft through performing in an acclaimed RMTC Performing Ensemble.
Youth Performance Opportunities
Performance Opportunities are available throughout the year for young people interested in being on stage—includes the Emerging Artists program and Discovery Theatre Shows.


The first pilot study in Australia to give musicians the skills and training to critically assess music by what they hear rather than what they see begins this month at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music.The study aims to address a lack of skill and formal training in the industry that enables music judges to critically assess sound - an important skill when it comes to auditions and judging music in the 'real world'.
Leading the research is Dr Helen Mitchell, a senior lecturer in musicology at the University of Sydney's Conservatorium of Music, following a grant received by the Federal Government in June this year.
The study builds on previous research by Dr Mitchell in 2011 and 2012, which found that musicians are not reliable in recognising the sound quality of individual performers and use limited descriptors to articulate sound.
"Music judges or assessors are generally not well equipped to assess sound. The difficulty lies in the availability of common descriptors or language to express what we hear. People find it hard to critically quantify or qualify sound or what they are hearing when listening to music," said Dr Mitchell.
"We take for granted that musicians can readily discriminate between performers playing the same instrument. Remarkably, research¹ has shown that judges often can't identify individual performers from a homogeneous line-up of musicians.
"In the real world, we not only rely on expert musicians to differentiate between performers but, more critically, judge performances to determine an individual's suitability for a specific music role."
There is a growing body of evidence to suggest that even expert musicians are unable to judge audio-only and audio-visual music performances in the same way. Recent research² has found that judges are often influenced by the 'vision' of performers, at the expense of what they hear.
"Whilst it is consistently recognised in the industry that sound is the critical factor when evaluating music performance. Judges still turn to visuals as their primary source of information for evaluating a performance. In fact, music examiners have been noted to cite a performer's dress and stage manner ahead of describing sound quality."
The pilot project will see tertiary students from the Sydney Conservatorium of Music take part in a series of practical sessions, playing the roles of judge and performer. They will experience performances both visible to a judging panel and behind a screen - replicating the blind audition process, which removes all visual factors that may influence judges.
The verbal and written critique delivered by judges in the study will be shared with Australian experts in music auditions and examinations to reflect on the best practice in performance evaluation.
"This project will also enable music students to experience the complexities and pitfalls of performance evaluation. They will learn from music industry experts and develop training strategies to advance their listening acuity for performing and performer evaluation," said Dr Mitchell.
The findings of the Australian study will inform future music education curricula to ensure that there is a high standard of music assessment delivered by the next generation of music leaders and experts in this country.
Explore further: Appearance means more than sound when judging music, research finds
¹Mitchell & MacDonald 2011, 2012, 2014


As the World Education Forum sets the new global education agenda, India has a unique opportunity to help the marginalised children in the country.
Two years ago, 10-year-old Madhu walked up to the microphone at a public hearing and related how she was chased away from a government school in Patna by teachers because she was a Musahar Dalit and considered “dirty” by them.
Dozens of parents and children from marginalised communities had gathered to share their grievances at that hearing called by visiting officials from the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights in charge of monitoring the implementation of the Right to Education Act. After hearing Madhu’s story, the commission intervened and 50 Dalit children from her slum were enrolled in an adjoining government school.
But a year later, while the school’s register included the names of the Dalit children, nearly all of them were out of the classroom, working as rag pickers. They were just not welcome there.
Madhu’s story and countless such tales highlight an important lesson learnt from the last set of global education goals: providing access alone is insufficient. There have to be concerted efforts to keep marginalised children in school and ensure their learning by providing quality education.
There is a chance to remedy this now. On May 19, India will join other countries at the World Education Forum in South Korea to discuss the new global education agenda to succeed the Millennium Development Goals, which expire this year. During discussions last year, countries had agreed that the overarching goal of the 2015-2030 education agenda will be to “ensure equitable and inclusive quality education and lifelong learning for all by 2030”.
This presents an important opportunity for India to address a key barrier to fulfilling its goal of education for all: discrimination.
Discrimination against children from Dalit, tribal, and Muslim communities in government schools means millions of the poorest and most vulnerable are getting left out. Lack of effective monitoring mechanisms to check prejudice by school staff means, at worst, ill-treatment and, at best, neglect. This, despite India’s Right to Education law banning discrimination in schools.
There are other problems too. Protecting the rights of children living with disabilities, ensuring their ability to access education, remains a distant priority among school authorities. Also, not enough is being done to bring and keep girls in the classroom.
High dropout rate
India has made significant progress toward universalising elementary education since the enactment of the 2009 Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Act. Its various schemes, such as the mid-day meal programme, benefit millions of children daily. It is a great achievement that more and more children are being enrolled into schools.
But the sad truth is that not all stay there. According to government’s own estimates, six million children remain out of school – and more crucially, two out of five drop out before completing elementary schooling. Numbers are much higher for children from disadvantaged groups.
Apart from helping prepare the global agenda, the Indian government is also planning to draw up anew education policy. The Ministry of Human Resource Development is currently seeking input on 13 school education issues, including on inclusive education for marginalised groups.
However, while the government’s consultation paper acknowledges “lower learning outcomes” for children from historically disadvantaged and economically weaker communities, it fails to note the exclusionary practices that contribute to this.
Access to childcare
To succeed in bringing and retaining marginalised children in schools, the government will have to ensure zero discrimination in classrooms. Girls and children with disabilities will need even more attention. For this, any future teacher training should go beyond improving learning outcomes to focus on inclusive learning practices that are effective, ensure greater participation of children from marginalised communities and healthy interaction among children from different backgrounds. Civil society groups can be important government allies in this venture.
It is also time to expand the Right to Education so that all children are entitled to 12 years of free and accessible education by 2030. Equally, there needs to be universal access to early childhood care and education to guarantee children’s long-term development, health and well-being. These goals are part of the proposed global agenda and India too sees them as priorities. The government should set an example at the World Education Forum by announcing special commitments toward implementing these goals.
India has a unique opportunity to offer a better future to Madhu and millions more children. It should not squander this chance.
Jayshree Bajoria is a researcher at the Human Rights Watch and author of the report They Say We’re Dirty: Denying an Education to India’s Marginalized. Her Twitter handle is @jayshreebajoria.


A favorite art activity/science experiment for Wild Thing is what he and I call Magic Milk Painting. This simple activity involves putting milk in a dish (pie dish, baking dish or similar) and then adding a few drops of dish soap and of food coloring. The result is awesome - the color magically moves. The swirl happens on its own, no mixing or stirring is required.
The magic happens because the detergent lowers the surface tension allowing the food coloring to move through the milk. The detergent disrupts the protein and fat in the milk. Steve Spangler explains the scientific reaction quite well and shows the proper method (using a Q-Tip), but we never do it that way! We decided to see how the movement of the colors might change if we used different milks, since we happened to have almond milk and soy milk at home. (Many stores have a small box of soy or almond milk for $1 and many dollar stores now carry soy milk if you want to try this out and do not already have those milks on hand). Here are images of how the different milks reacted and differed - in general, we saw the most motion from the cow milk and the least from the almond milk. We used blue, yellow and green in order to evoke an image that, perhaps (we hoped) looked something like the Earth, and the cow milk one created in a pie plate eventually did.
|At the beginning, this is how it looked.|
|After a few minutes, this is what the three trays looked like.|
|Our most Earth like image from the day.|
|Wild Thing took this photo close up of the cow milk tray.|
|He enjoyed also blowing the liquid and encouraging even more motion.|
Sharing at: Montessori Monday, Tuesday Tots, Discover & Explore, Artsy Play Wednesday, Mom's Library, It's Playtime
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William E. Harmon Foundation
The Harmon Foundation was established in 1922 by wealthy real-estate developer and philanthropist William E. Harmon (1862-1928). It originally supported a variety of causes, including playgrounds and nursing programs, but is best known for having served as a large-scale patron of African-American art that helped gain recognition for African-American artists who otherwise would have remained largely unknown. Mary B. Brady was the director of the foundation from 1922 until its cessation in 1967.
The William E. Harmon Foundation Award for Distinguished Achievement Among Negroes was created in 1926. It was known as an award for excellence in the visual arts, but was offered for distinguished achievement in many different fields among Negroes or in the cause of race relations. This helped art education programs grow in many areas. Among the many recipients of the awards were Hale Woodruff, Palmer Hayden, Archibald Motley (his winning piece was The Octoroon Girl), Countee Cullen and Langston Hughes.
In addition to the awards, the Foundation is well known for its traveling exhibitions. An annual Exhibition of the Work of Negro Artists, conceived by Mary Brady, was held in 1927 through 1931, 1933, and 1935. Laura Wheeler Waring was one of the artists featured the first year of the exhibitions, and the Foundation commissioned her to do portraits of prominent African Americans. The traveling exhibitions awarded "substantial prizes" together with gold, silver and bronze medals. According to Gates and Higginbotham, "...submissions in the fine arts category was the chief venue open to African American artists."
The Foundation operated until 1967.
- List of winners of the William E. Harmon foundation award for distinguished achievement among Negroes
- William E. Harmon Foundation award for distinguished achievement among Negroes
- "Breaking Racial Barriers: African Americans in the Harmon Foundation Collection, Smithsonian National Portrait Gallery.
- Anne Evenhaugen, "African American Art and the Harmon Foundation", Smithsonian Libraries - Unbound, February 22, 2013.
- Gates & Higginbotham, p. 3.
- Driskell p. 87.
- Driskell, David C. (2001). The Other Side of Color: African American Art in the Collection of Camille O. and William H. Cosby, Jr. Pomegranate. ISBN 978-0-7649-1455-3
- Gates, Henry Louis, & Evelyn Brooks Higginbotham (eds) (2009). Harlem Renaissance Lives: From the African American National Biography. Oxford University Press, USA. ISBN 978-0-19-538795-7
|Wikimedia Commons has media related to Harmon Foundation.|


Alma del Mar provides a content-rich curriculum that serves to build foundational skills while providing our scholars with critical background knowledge on a variety of topics. The skills our scholars have mastered by the end of each grade level include the following:
- By the end of Kindergarten, scholars can compare and contrast the experiences of characters in fairy tales. They can also explain and do addition up to 10 and count to 100 by tens. They can also describe the culture of the Wampanoag Tribe.
- By the end of first grade, scholars are able to write a letter to an elected official about an issue important to them. They can also add and subtract a two-digit number and a one-digit number by using drawings and manipulatives to represent the place value and can identify the ways in which an organism’s habitat provides for its basic needs.
- By the end of second grade, scholars are able to write a five paragraph informational essay. They can also draw a bar graph to represent a data set with up to four different categories and explain the adaptions of the most common species of whales.
- By the end of third grade, scholars can use descriptive language in their fiction and nonfiction writing to support their thesis. They can also measure and estimate liquid volumes and masses of objects, and can explain the relationship between the moon and the tides on Earth.
- By the end of fourth grade, scholars can write persuasive personal essays based on a current event. They can also explain the way force is used in simple machines, such as pulley systems, and can identify the major battles of the American Revolution.


How is the test administered?
AABL is delivered on an iPad either one-to-one or in small groups of children. ERB recommends a 1:1 child/proctor ratio when administering to the youngest applicants, for entrance to PreK. We recommend a 4:1 child/proctor ratio when administering to Kindergarten applicants, and no more than a 6:1 child/proctor ratio when administering to Grade 1 applicants.
Is the test timed?
The administration is untimed and may take approximately 30 to 40 minutes for the Kindergarten and Grade 1 applicants and approximately 40 to 50 minutes for your youngest applicants.
Where is it administered?
ERB can administer AABL in our NYC office, but we are looking for test sites around the United States. If you would like your school to become an AABL test site, the test site application may be found here.
Is there a minimum age requirement to take AABL?
Yes. Applicants have to be a minimum of four years of age at the time of testing.
What constructs will be measured?
Verbal Reasoning, Quantitative Reasoning, Early Literacy, and Mathematics.
What school readiness skills does Verbal Reasoning assess?
Verbal reasoning assesses children's understanding, reasoning, and problem-solving skills using concepts that are presented in pictures. It does not require reading and is understandable to both readers and non-readers.
- Verbal Analogies
- Verbal Classification
- Sentence Completion
- Verbal Inference/Deductive Reasoning
What school readiness skills does Quantitative Reasoning assess?
This section assesses a student's ability to use numerical concepts and numbers to solve problems. Specifically, it does this by prompting the child to:
- Recognize and apply addition, subtraction, or another numerical concept
- Infer or deduce solutions to novel problems
- Compare and contrast quantities
- Identify shapes and patterns
What school readiness skills does the Early Literacy section assess?
Early Literacy assesses the foundational skills needed for reading: phonemic awareness, knowledge of phonics, and emerging reading skills.
- Blending phonemes into words
- Recognizing phonemes in isolation
- Manipulating phonemes
- Letter-sound knowledge
- Decoding words
- Word and sentence reading
What school readiness skills does the Mathematics section assess?
Mathematics assesses a child’s skill with numbers and operations, pre-algebraic concepts, geometry, and measurement.
- Recognizing and naming numbers
- Counting and skip counting
- Determining ordinal position
- Adding and subtracting
- Identifying basic shapes
- Recognizing common measurement tools
How will the test be scored?
ERB determines a raw score, based on correct answers. We then convert the raw score to a scaled score, ranging from 40 to 160, with a mean of 100. Scaled scores allow for comparisons across children taking different forms of the test. In addition to the scaled score for each test, we provide norms for each age category.
What will the report look like?
The report will look similar to the ISEE score report, but with age-appropriate information. For each section (Verbal Reasoning, Quantitative Reasoning, Early Literacy and Mathematics), reports will include the raw score, scaled score, percentile rank, and stanine.
Will there be any on-site preparation for applicant test-takers?
Yes. Test administrators will review the directions with the child before beginning the test. This will ensure that each child receives on-site tutorials on how to respond to the three types of questions: multiple-choice, drag and drop, and touch. Families can go here to access free online guides and videos for each level, to help prepare for test day.
How much does it cost?
The cost is $65.00 per child, paid for by the parent as he or she signs up his or her child to take the AABL. Fee waivers will be provided as necessary.