How interesting to read about the research Effect of Music-Based Multitask Training on Gait, Balance, and Fall Risk in Elderly People (abstract), an article published in the Archives of Internal Medicine. The article is not freely available from the medical journal, so to read it you will need to speak with a librarian or go to a hospital library.
The article points out that most seniors’ falls occur when people are performing concurrent tasks and that “each year more than a third of the population 65 years and older experiences at least one fall.” The Swiss medical researchers wondered whether participation in a music-based program involving concurrent tasks of movement and music might have a positive effect on the factors that can cause a fall — gait and balance — thereby reducing the frequency of falls.
The music activity they chose for their research is eurhythmics, a program of music education that combines music and movement, developed by composer Emile Jaques-Dalcroze in Geneva in the early 20th century. Not surprisingly, at least not from my perspective as a college music major and life-long very amateur musician, people who participated in six months of Dalcroze eurhythmics reduced both the rate and the risk of falling by the end of the program compared to a control group that did not take the class but carried on with life as usual. When the control group subsequently took the class for six months, the researchers found the same results.
A November 22, 2010 Reuters Health article, Music Based Exercise Class Cuts Seniors’ Fall Risk by reporter Amy Norton, comprehensively covers this research, and in the article she describes a bit about what an exercise class might be like.
A class typically involves improvised piano music, with participants adapting their movements to the music’s rhythmic changes. In the current study, the classes started off simply — by having participants walk in time to the music — then gradually became more challenging over time. Besides footwork, participants sometimes had to perform upper-body movements or work with some object, like a percussion instrument or a ball, while moving.
How many people have ever heard about the Dalcroze methods? Quite a few, actually, though most of them are musicians or parents of young musicians who take Dalcroze classes as a part of their musical training. According to the Dalcroze Society of America, “… the Dalcroze approach teaches an understanding of music’s fundamental concepts, expressive meanings, and deep connections to other arts and activities. Performers, teachers, dancers, actors, children, and senior citizens can all benefit from this approach which incorporates rhythmic movement, aural training and improvisation.”
Here’s a video of adults participating in a Dalcroze class.


Why practice phonograms?
Systematic and explicit phonics instruction is a key component of effective reading instruction. Knowledge of letters and their sounds is essential.
Research studies report that systematic and explicit phonics instruction significantly improves word recognition, spelling, and reading comprehension.
The Phonogram Page, a free service of Johnny Can Spell, is designed to promote phonics and handwriting awareness, parent involvement, and student mastery of the 70 common phonograms of the English language.
N.I.N.E. Enterprises, Inc. was founded in 1987 by Alice Nine to support excellence in education. Since then, N.I.N.E. Enterprises has sponsored hundreds of literacy training events nationally and internationally for educators, parents, and interested people.
Alice Nine firmly believes teachers and parents must have thorough knowledge of our language and appropriate strategies to teach our children sequentially the subskills of writing and reading. To that end, N.I.N.E. Enterprises offers training and materials.
For more information, a calendar of training events, and a complete listing of our products, visit us at www.nine-enterprises.com
The next step, SpellDrill.com
Once students have been introduced to the sounds and symbols of English, it is necessary to begin to blending and segmenting by decoding and encoding words. For this reason, N.I.N.E. Enterprises is currently developing SpellDrill.com, a daily spelling session.
Who uses PhonogramPage?
Anyone learning to read, write, or speak English profits. Children and adults alike benefit from the phonics practice provided by PhonogramPage. People around the globe use it daily.
What is Johnny Can Spell?
Johnny Can Spell, a systematic, explicit phonics program, presents the phonograms (the sound-symbol correspondences) initially in isolation but develops mastery through daily application in spelling, reading, and writing. Read more ...
Phone: (800) 791-8962


Maternal depression significantly influences parent-child interactions. While the existence of this impact is well established during playtime, little research has been conducted on the way that maternal depression relates to shared book reading. This is a particularly important activity because it relates to children’s language and literacy development. The present study has two goals. First, it aims to provide a fine-grained analysis of the conversations that take place while parents and children share books. Few studies have evaluated such characteristics. Second, it seeks to determine whether maternal depression or demographics can account for some of the differences in shared book reading. One hundred and five mother-child dyads participated in the study. Maternal depression was assessed by Zimmerman’s Diagnostic Inventory of Depression (DID). Videotapes of each parent-child dyad engaging in a book sharing episode were evaluated. The number of conversational turns taken by the mother and child were recorded and the content of each utterance was coded. In addition, the number of extratextual words uttered by the mothers and the length of reading times were calculated. Dramatic quality of the mothers’ reading and fluctuations in pitch were also noted. Analyses revealed that the positive features of shared book reading were highly intercorrelated with one another. Three distinctly different reading styles emerged based on the content of maternal utterances. Further, support was found for the previous findings that depressed mothers are less sensitive and positive and more preoccupied in their interactions with their children. In addition, demographics, particularly maternal education and age, also predicted book reading characteristics. These negative impacts of depression are particularly concerning when considering the important benefits that shared book reading confers on children’s literacy and language development. Future work should seek to better understand how shared book reading might mediate the relationship between maternal depression and literacy development.
|School||STATE UNIVERSITY OF NEW YORK AT STONY BROOK|
|Subjects||Social psychology; Reading instruction; Clinical psychology; Individual & family studies|
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Psicologia: Reflexão e Crítica
Print version ISSN 0102-7972
MEDEIROS, José Gonçalves and SILVA, Rosária Maria Fernandes da. The purposes of reading tests over generalization in teaching of reading to children. Psicol. Reflex. Crit. [online]. 2002, vol.15, n.3, pp. 587-602. ISSN 0102-7972. http://dx.doi.org/10.1590/S0102-79722002000300013.
The present study aimed at investigating reading and writing acquisition, based on studies on stimulus equivalence. It was carried out with 7 children ranging from 7 to 16 years old, during literacy development, with the specific objective of investigating the effects of reading tests presented during the phases of a matching procedure. Two sets of reading tests were used during the phases of pre and post-tests and of learning. All participants involved in the research learned the taught words, although only 4 were able to generalize them. The reading tests did not produce differential generalization within the groups. Based on a functional and structural analysis of the words used, the successes are discussed taking into account the effects of the syllabic recombination and of the temporal contiguity with reinforced and non-reinforced attempts; the errors are attributed to the abstract nature of the generalization words, suggesting, for the tests, the use of words belonging to the participants' everyday vocabulary.
Keywords : Stimulus equivalence; matching to sample; school failure; reading tests.


Reading Eggs Publishes Five Tips for Teaching Young Children to Read
Teaching children to read from an early age can be achieved through active parental involvement supplemented by game-like educational computer programs. Reading Eggs, the purveyor of a popular online reading program for children aged 3 to 13 has published the top 5 tips for how to teach reading.
Included among the suggested tips are active recommendations such as reading aloud frequently with your child to give them a vocal model of fluent reading of which they can try and emulate. Stylistic tips include making the process of learning to read fun and exciting because children learn most effectively when they are fully engaged and enjoying the learning experience.
Many of the tips focus on developing comprehension and writing skills and how to effectively supplement school learning with a fun online reading program, such as Reading Eggs, that provides online lessons and activities that are game-like in nature, infusing play with learning to keep children eager to learn.
Developed by educators with over 25 years' experience, Reading Eggs online lessons instruct children in the five areas crucial to literacy development - phonemic awareness, phonics, vocabulary, fluency and comprehension. Reading Eggs focuses on a core reading curriculum of skills and strategies essential for sustained reading success and is suitable for children aged 3 through 13. Since launching in the United States and Canada in 2011, Reading Eggs has signed on more than 500,000 subscribers and presented more than 15 million lessons in North America.


Literature for Young Children is designed to support preservice as well as inservice teachers by helping them recognize high-quality and developmentally appropriate children's books to share with PreK-3 children. Other goals of this text include explaining how to use children's literature to help develop children's language skills and their intellectual capacity, how to encourage healthy social and moral development, and how to nurture children's creativity. Text discussions cover both contemporary and classic literature for young children and provide teachers, parents, and child-care professionals opportunities to talk about reading while engaging children in experiences with good books. Teachers and day-care professionals will find myriad practical strategies, extensive book lists, and relevant websites valuable for PreK-3 curriculum planning.
Cyndi Giorgis is an Associate Professor at the University of Nevada Las Vegas where she teaches courses in children's and young adult literature.
Table of Contents
|Defining Literature for Children|
|Evaluating Literature for Children|
|The Literature Curriculum|
|Supporting Children's Language Development|
|Supporting Children's Intellectual Development|
|Supporting Children's Personality Development|
|Supporting Children's Social and Moral Development|
|Supporting Children's Aesthetic and Creative Development|
|Planning Your Program|
|About the Author|
|Table of Contents provided by Publisher. All Rights Reserved.|
Literature for Young Childrenis written for early childhood teachers and child-care professionals to help them learn to recognize high-quality children's literature and effectively use it to support emerging literacy development in preschool and primary-age children. The text not only exposes the literary merits of early childhood literature but also explains how to use children's literature as a teaching tool, offering a myriad of developmentally appropriate strategies for sharing literature with young children.The Fifth Edition provides: An evaluation of various genres and criteria for selecting and using high-quality literature with young children. Discussions of classic and contemporary literature appropriate for preschool and primary-age children. Explanations and strategies to demonstrate how literature supports the development of children's language, cognitive skills, personality, social and moral development, and aesthetic and creative development. Effective strategies for sharing literature to support emerging literacy skills. National professional standards aligned with state and local standards for early childhood literacy. Suggestions for integrating a variety of literature into the early childhood curriculum. Educational theory and research pertinent to the topic of each chapter. Strategies to extend learning beyond the chapter's focus. Developmental goals, teaching suggestions, and recommended literature gathered together and presented in a table format.New to This Edition: Boxed lists of developmentally appropriate books sprinkled throughout chapters to present extensive examples of literature aligned to chapter concepts. Web sites related to authors, illustrators, organizations, and other information related to children's literature. Detailed explanations of how to implement a yearlong theme and the literature that supports it. ORGANIZATION OF THE TEXTThe first three chapters introduce the range of literacy typically developed with young children, demonstrate how standards of literacy excellence can be applied, and provide suggestions for child-care professionals and teachers working with parents to select good literature. Chapter 4 focuses on the successful integration of literature into the curriculum, whereas Chapters 5-9 center on how literature addresses the development of children--their language, their personality, and their cognitive, moral, social, and creative skills. The final chapter, Chapter 10, presents a detailed, step-by-step look at how to use one specific book with preschoolers and one with primary-age children. DISCOVER THE COMPANION WEBSITE ACCOMPANYING THIS BOOK The Prentice Mall Companion Website: A Virtual Learning EnvironmentTechnology is a constantly growing and changing aspect of our field that is creating a need for content and resources. To address this emerging need, Prentice Hall has developed an online learning environment for students and professors alike--Companion Websites--to support our textbooks.In creating a Companion Website, our goal is to build on and enhance what the textbook already offers. For this reason, the content for each user-friendly website is organized by topic and provides the professor and student with a variety of meaningful resources. Common features of a Companion Website include: For the ProfessorEvery Companion Website integratesSyllabus Manager , an online syllabus creation and management utility. Syllabus Manager provides you, the instructor, with an easy, step-by-step process to create and revise syllabi, with direct links into Companion Website and other online content without having to learn HTML.


In a message dated 2/10/01 2:28:12 AM Eastern Standard Time, Donzart@aol.com
> She continued
When an adult claims that he or she "can't do art", I explain that it's
probably because an art teacher somewhere along the way made you feel that
way. Years ago, in the "old school" of art education, many art teachers
modeled a drawing, etc. and directed and expected the students' work to look
like theirs. When the expectations weren't met, students felt like failures.
Important lesson for us modern art educators: make every child feel
successful by encouraging them to make their own decisions about how they
want their art to look! Discouraging feelings of making "mistakes" and
encouraging divergent ways to creative solutions promotes a healthy attitude
about making art. But, we all know this as art teachers. She just doesn't
have a clue.
Can you invite her to join a class as a hands-on participant to prove to
herself that she CAN do it? I bet the kids would love it too. Ask her to do
the painting lesson with the tape, you know there are only successes with
that one. That'll change her attitude! Classroom teachers in my school have
been asking me to do a workshop to teach them how to do this painting (and
the birch tree one), so adults are interested, too.
Susan on Long Island
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The Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia (English: National Academy of St Cecilia) is one of the oldest musical institutions in the world.
It is located at the Auditorium Parco della Musica in Rome, Italy, and was founded by the papal bull, Ratione congruit, issued by Sixtus V in 1585, which invoked two saints prominent in Western musical history: Gregory the Great, for whom the Gregorian chant is named, and Saint Cecilia, the patron saint of music.
It was founded as a “congregation” or “confraternity” — a religious guild, so to speak — and over the centuries, has grown from a forum for local musicians and composers to an internationally acclaimed academy active in music scholarship (with 100 prominent music scholars forming the body of the Accademia) to music education (in its role as a conservatory) to performance (with an active choir and symphony orchestra).
The first seat of the Congregation from 1585-1622 was the church of Santa Maria ad Martires, better known as the Pantheon. Successive relocations were to the church of San Paolino alla Colonna (1622-52), Santa Cecilia in Trastevere (1652-61), San Nicola dei Cesarini (1661-1663), Chiesa della Maddalena (1663-85), and, finally, San Carlo ai Catinari in 1685.
During the first century of existence, the Congregation was the workshop of a number of prominent musicians and composers of the day, including Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina. The institution in that period was often in rivalry with the other important musical organization of Papal Rome of the day, the Sistine Choir. Rivalry centred around the rights to control access to the musical profession, to train musicians, and to publish music. The rivalry never really ended and can be said to have lasted through the entire existence of the Papal States, that is, until 1870, when the so-called “temporal power of the Church” was ended by military action of the new nation state of Italy.
The early 1700s are considered to have been a particularly glorious time for the Accademia. Among names associated with the organization during that period are Arcangelo Corelli, Alessandro and Domenico Scarlatti, and Niccolò Jommelli. In 1716, Pope Innocent XI decreed that all musicians practising their profession in Rome were required to become members of the Congregation. The Accademia suspended operations during the revolutionary period of the Napoleonic Wars but opened regularly again in 1822 a few years after the Restoration brought about by the Congress of Vienna.
The years between that reopening and the end of the Papal States in 1870 were ones of great change. The organization opened its membership to hitherto excluded categories, such as dancers, poets, music historians, musical instrument makers, and music publishers. In 1838, the Congregation of Santa Cecilia was officially proclaimed an Academy and then a Papal Academy. The list of active and honorary members of the Accademia during that period is formidable and includes Cherubini, Mercadante, Donizetti, Rossini, Paganini, Auber, Liszt, Mendelssohn, Berlioz, Gounod, and Meyerbeer. Among the crowned heads of Europe who were honorary members was Queen Victoria.
After the unification of Italy, the Accademia reestablished itself with the formation of a permanent symphony orchestra and choir, beginning in 1895. It went from being the seat of a Liceo musicale—a music “high school"—to being a full-blown conservatory; also, it hosts the “Eleonora Duse” Drama School, as well as a centre for experimental cinema. The most recent innovation has been the digitisationand cataloguing of centuries of musical documents — including an important collection of traditional music in the ethnomusicological archives — and their preservation and eventual display in the Accademia's multimedia library also available to the public online. The Accademia also maintains a musical instruments museum (the MUSA).


Scientific Work and Photomicroscopy, America, early 1950s-late 1970s
Nature has explained to me many things that books alone could not give me. Science and nature have given me the most interesting hours of my life.
From his earliest years as a biology and zoology student in Moscow, Vishniac pursued his lifelong passion for photomicroscopy. His innovative use of polarized light and high magnification allowed him to capture unique images of the microscopic world. By the mid-1950s, Vishniac had established himself as a pioneer in the field and was regularly commissioned by government agencies, scientists, and institutions to document and research microorganisms and biological phenomena. A major profile on Vishniac in The New Yorker in 1955 celebrated both his groundbreaking scientific photography and his earlier Eastern European photographs.
Vishniac also achieved renown as an accomplished cinemicroscopist, creating numerous scientific films now housed in the collection of the University of South Carolina. A generation of students learned biology from these films. Vishniac's color photography appeared in hundreds of magazine and journal articles and on dozens of covers, including Life, OMNI, Nature, and Science, and his research provided vital visual resources to world-renowned scientists. In the 1950s, he became a professor of biology and art education; scientific research, teaching, and photomicroscopy would remain the focus of Vishniac's work inAmerica until his death in 1990.
In the final days of his life, as his health rapidly declined, Vishniac was visited by his son-in-law, the physicist and Nobel Laureate Walter Kohn, who showed him prints made by one of his colleagues using a scanning electron microscope depicting individual atoms lying on metallic surfaces. Vishniac, weak and exhausted, leaned forward slightly and asked, "What magnification?" When told "about ten million fold," he slumped back into the bed, declaring, "Then they have beaten me."
The exhibition includes a slide show of more than 90 color and black-and-white science transparencies from the early 1950s to the late 1970s—many digitized for the first time—showing Vishniac's original captions wherever available. The original slides and science prints are now in the collection of the International Center of Photography.
Maya Benton, Curator
NOTE ON SLIDESHOW CAPTIONS
The captions included in Vishniac’s science slideshow were derived from the photographer’s original annotations on his slides and color prints. Slides that did not include annotations are left uncaptioned. Conflicting captions exist in some cases. Dating is also a challenge; Vishniac’s color photomicroscopy shown here spans the early 1950s to the late 1970s, but exact dates are difficult to establish.
Vishniac’s science slides, now in the collection of ICP, have not yet been digitized. As the work becomes publicly available, we hope that broad access and further research will help to resolve dates and captions and contribute information on his science work. We invite anyone with information or identifications associated with the material in this slideshow to submit a comment to the Roman Vishniac Archive at [email protected].


Music Resources for Teachers
Midwest Marching is the central resource for all that’s marching band in and around the central states. You can find a listing of various upcoming marching band competitions, as well as past competition results.
The International Foundation for Music Research (IFMR) was founded in 1997 to support scientific research to explore the relationship between music and physical and emotional wellness, with particular attention to the elderly population, the impact of music making on at-risk youth, and music education and the effect of music and music making. IFMR also convenes scientists, educators and others around critical issues in music research and disseminates research through its publication, IFMR News, and various on-line research referral services and archives.
SupportMusic.com is a public service initiative that intends to critically impact, resolve, and support music education in local communities around the United States. SupportMusic.com is an advocacy effort that unites various national and regional organizations with parents and community leaders to improve access and opportunity in music and arts learning. Go to SupportMusic.com for tools and resources for saving music programs in your local community.
VH1’s Save The Music Foundation is a non-profit initiative with two primary missions: To restore music education programs in America’s public schools AND to raise awareness of the positive impact music participation has on students. To see benefiting schools, programs, news and events, visit Save The Music Foundation.
The Music Achievement Council is a non-profit organization of music industry leaders dedicated to developing and retaining instrumental music students and teachers. For tools, tips and resources on how to recruit and retain music instructors visit Music Achievement Council.
www.allmusic.com is a comprehensive and in-depth resource for finding out more about the albums, bands, musicians and songs you love.
On www.allclassical.net you can search on classical composers, periods and genres. This directory houses a great deal of information on classical musicians and classical music over time.


The different grades students’ understanding levels of the concept of religion in turkish elementary education
- The aim of this study is to examine the different grades students’ understanding levels of the concept of religion in elementary education. A total of 107 different grades students taken from elementary schools were asked the concept in using open ended question developed by the researcher. Obtained data showed that students couldn’t understand the concept correctly and scientifically and the majority of the students had a misconception about the concept such as worshipping, worships, being ethical, ethical behaviours and obligatory behaviours. Furthermore, some students had specific conceptual confusions about the concept.


- The meaning of midterm elections
After his party received a drubbing in 1982, Ronald Reagan went on to a landslide victory in 1984. Bill Clinton shifted to the center after the disastrous 1994 midterms and became a popular two-term president. Midmorning looks at the lessons past presidents have learned from midterm elections.9:06 a.m.
Ron Elving: Senior Washington editor for NPR.
Russell Riley: Associate professor of history at the University of Virginia and chair of the Miller Center's Presidential Oral History program.
William Doyle: Author of "Inside the Oval Office: The White House Tapes from FDR to Clinton."
- How music can affect perception
This political season, candidates' ads have used music to frighten, inspire, and motivate voters to get out to the polls. Music can do a lot more to communicate a message in TV, films, and other multimedia. Midmorning's experts explain how.10:06 a.m.
Joel Dodson: Director of broadcast production at Olson, a Minneapolis advertising agency.
Scott Lipscomb: Professor of music education in the University of Minnesota's School of Music. He studies the role of music in multimedia.
You can follow Kerri Miller on Twitter at @KerriMPR
Download each day's Midmorning to your computer or portable MP3 player. Each hour addresses a different topic. To receive both hours every day, you need to subscribe to both hour one and hour two.
Subscribe directly with iTunes:
You can also copy and paste these URLs into your podcast software:


Schools get children talking the Stellar way
Role play helps to hone pupils' ability to speak clearly and confidently
Published on Mar 31, 2014 8:12 AM
Four pupils sit facing their classmates, their lips tightly pursed, looking ready and certain of what is to come.
"How did you feel when you met your long-lost daughter?" "Who did you decide to stay with in the end: your foster or birth parents?" Questions poured forth.
The Primary 6 pupils from Punggol Primary were having a mock press conference, with some posing as reporters and others as characters in a story about Sallamah, a Chinese girl adopted by a Malay family.
"Sometimes I got stuck but I used my imagination to answer questions, based on how I thought the character would feel," said Nivrithi Ganesh, 12, who played Sallamah.
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"I pick up interesting phrases as I read and use them in my compositions."
- Da Qiao Primary pupil Celyna Teo, 11, said she has learnt to read the news through a weekly 30-minute segment where everyone presents newspaper articles
COURAGE TO TALK
"I used to be very shy in lower primary, especially during show-and-tell when everyone was looking at me. But presenting in front of my class helps me to be brave. I can now talk to people I'm not familiar with like some relatives."
- Punggol Primary pupil Lim Jin Kai
KNOWING HOW TO SAY IT
"We're looking at a new economy in Singapore, where communication skills - the ability to express what you know - are really important."
- Dr Elizabeth Pang, MOE's programme director for literacy development
"We're testing pupils on their ability to speak off the cuff and think on their feet, which are critical life skills."
- Madam Shakila Jamal Mohamed, 45, an English teacher at Da Qiao Primary


This series exposes fluent readers to a variety of genre and text structures to learn to compare and contrast nonfiction and fiction in two parts. The first part is a unique side-by-side format that provides the opportunity to develop multiple reading comprehension strategies and increase fluency.
- Innovative mix of nonfiction and fiction
- Variety of longer, complex sentences
- Full range of punctuation
- Variety of text layouts and print styles
- Full-color Photographs
- Full-color Illustrations
- Fact or Fiction Quiz
- Fact or Fiction Speed Read sectionsThe second part of the book includes three sections: a fun FACT or FICTION Quiz that helps reinforce what is real and not real; FACT and FICTION Speed Read pages which contain text-only versions of each story along with useful word count rulers for fluency practice and assessment; and a Glossary of higher-level vocabulary and concepts.
- Multiple lines of text
- Challenging vocabulary
- Meet state and federal funding criteria
- Correlate with national K-3 language arts standards
- "Think-Aloud" model for comprehension strategy instruction
- Activities for before, during, and after reading the books
- Vocabulary instruction of multiple meaning utility words
- Differentiated (multilevel) opportunities for students to read, write, listen, and speak
- Ideas for reinforcing word solving, comprehension, ELL vocabulary emphasis, writing and fluency assessments, and graphic organizers
- Size: 8.5 x 11, Pages: 80 $29.95/$20.95 each
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Hum 101 Final
1. Describe how recent advancements in technology (since 1975 or so) have changed the arts and arts education.
Since 1975 or so there has been many changes in technology that have affected arts education. Advancements in technology such as the internet, computers, and more art education programs have played a major effect. Before this era students could not really get the full picture of visual arts unless the instructor has the actual prints. The students did learn about colors, elements, and the ideas of art, but not students are not only learning about these things, but they can actually see these important elements. This came about primarily due to the internet. Students now can log on the internet and find pictures made by any artists. Also, since this era art has become very important in the concept of learning. I believe that people now realize that art education isn't just for fun, but it's a way that students can think beyond the books and explore the world through art. Computers have played a major role in this development of art. It's very important because students can learn the different eras of art such as the neoclassical era and romanticism. I know that when I think of art I just think of drawing and painting, but now I believe that art can relate to almost anything. Everything in life is art and with the advancements of technology students can see that this is true. Art history is very important because we can see how the advancements of art have changed over time. For example in music there used to be barely any instruments and composers would make art through voice and now since we have advance so much in technology music today is very complex, usually filled with many instruments and heavy sound. Art education and the arts itself have changed dramatically throughout the years due to the advancements in technology.
2. Describe (A) the stylistic trends and innovations and (B) the...


The law recognizes Sami (formerly known as Lapps), Swedish Finns, Tornedalers, Roma, and Jews as national minorities. The law permits and the government supports minority languages. The discrimination ombudsman received 514 complaints regarding ethnic discrimination in 2012 compared with 594 in 2011. Of the complaints, 507 related to the labor market.
Societal discrimination and violence against Arab and Somali immigrants and Roma continued to be a problem during the year.
Police registered reports of xenophobic crimes, some of which related to neo-Nazi or white-power ideology. Police investigated and the district attorney’s office prosecuted race-related crimes. Official estimates placed the number of active neo-Nazis and white supremacists at 1,500. Neo-Nazi groups operated legally, but courts have held that it is illegal to wear xenophobic symbols or racist paraphernalia or to display signs and banners with inflammatory symbols at rallies, since the law prohibits incitement of hatred against ethnic groups.
The government estimated the Romani population at 50,000. In 2010 a special commission reported that a majority of Roma lived as outcasts: The unemployment rate among Roma was 80 percent, elementary education for Romani children was rare, and a Rom’s life expectancy was significantly lower that the country’s average. In 2012 authorities identified 215 hate crimes directed against Roma.
On September 21, the media reported that the Skane County police had compiled a dedicated database on approximately 4,000 Roma in the country. The ethno-centric database tracked family ties between individuals and appeared to violate the law, the European Convention on Human Rights, and the European Charter of Fundamental Rights. The police involved claimed the database had nothing to do with ethnicity, but that it mapped criminal activity moving across county borders. That many Roma with no criminal records ended up in the registry was due to the mapping of the criminals’ contact network, which is legal according to the police. No ethnic markers were in the registry. Police said a large part of the database covered four different clans. On November 15, the Commission on Security and Integrity Protection (SIN), an authority that supervises the use by crime-fighting agencies of secret surveillance, qualified assumed identities, and associated activities, determined that the registry had “several illegal aspects,” even if the database did not have ethnic markers. The SIN also concluded there had been no need to add all the names in the database, which Skane County police said was originally put together to keep tabs on Roma. The SIN review looked into a random selection of 1,235 of the 3,413 names on the list who were not children of deceased and found that the original intention was to map social and family networks around persons suspected of crime. The dominance of Romani names could “give the impression” that its sole focus was ethnicity. Two police officers were under investigation for malpractice; penalties range from a warning to up to two years in prison.
In 2011 the government announced a 46-million-kronor ($7.1 million) supplement to the 2012 budget aimed at improving the situation of Roma over a four-year period. In 2011 the government announced a new 20-year strategy for Romani inclusion, which included a series of proposed measures to improve the condition of Roma in six focus areas: education, work, housing, health and social care, culture and language, and civil society. The overall goal of the strategy was to equalize the opportunities available to young Roma and non-Roma by 2032.
The discrimination ombudsman handled three mediation and court cases involving Roma after Swedish Radio News reported several instances when Roma tried to rent cars at various gas stations and were told there were no cars available. When the radio reporter asked the same question a little later, cars were available. The most common complaint was against landlords who refused to rent apartments to Roma. Conciliation with financial compensation to the Roma was the most common outcome.


Issue Number 2; Spring 2003
"Growing up audiophile," by Andra McCartney and Anna Friz, considers the importance of early life and formal training experiences in the construction of gendered identities and relationships with sound technologies. Using dialogic ethnographic techniques, each of the authors act alternately as ethnographer and research subject, interacting in a conversation composed around open-ended questions stimulated by the key words sound, technology, and education. The approach draws attention to the way in which the past structures and facilitates our present. It also asks us to consider how the present colours and tints our memories and understanding of that past.
In "Girls' and Boys' Technological Toys: Music Composition in the Computerized Classroom,"
"Evoking Beliefs about Music Teaching and Learning," Lori-Anne Dolloff
turns our attention to the underlying belief and value structures shaping the
student teacher's identity. Concerned in particular with designing research
strategies that will enable students to connect theory and practice, she uses
student teachers' pictures and visual illustrations of "music teacher"
as a space for dialogue. The approach reveals important distinctions between
elementary and secondary music teachers that are consistent with cultural
stereotypes concerning the nature and value of music education at different
stages of development. It also captures the sense in which the construction of a
teacher identity is unique to the individual, an evolving work of art.
Laurie Stras and Abigail Wood review Music and Gender.
Sponsored by Grime International
This page was last updated on 01/02/03.


How Does the Program Work?
To earn your Master of Education, you must complete a minimum of 33 hours in one of the concentrations listed below. If you are seeking teacher certification and have not completed an introduction to special education course, you may be required to complete an additional 3 hour course.
All students, regardless of your concentration area, will complete 5 "core" courses. These courses provide all students with foundational concepts such as:
- basic framework of differentiated instruction in today's classrooms;
- cognitive psychology and its role on learning;
- the processes of using action research to improve instruction;
- applied instructional approaches to teaching students from diverse backgrounds; and,
- using differentiated instruction with students with disabilities.
These 5 courses are intentionally composed of both general and special education teachers in order to provide practical activities to foster better collaborative relationships between educators. Upon completion of the "core", students will then select a specialized "concentration" area.
Differentiated Instruction in Elementary Education
The Differentiated Instruction in Elementary Education focuses equipping K-6 educators to work with diverse classrooms. It addresses using assessment to guide instruction, instructional strategies for English Language Learners, differentiated instruction in content areas (math, science, reading, and writing), and using emerging technology to meet the needs of students. All course activities can be connected to YOUR classroom throughout the program.
For complete details, refer to the Degree Requirements to review the curriculum for the Differentiated Instruction in Elementary Education concentration.
Special Education: Autism Spectrum Disorder
The Special Education: Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) focuses on developing competent educators to work with students with ASD in a variety of environments. It provides instruction in using assessment and behavioral applications and assistive technology to plan and support instruction, collaborating with other stakeholders, and transition planning. While ASD will be the primary focus of this program, the concepts learned in this program will prepare educators to work with most students with severe disabilities.
For complete details, refer to the Degree Requirements to review the curriculum for the Special Education: Autism Spectrum Disorder concentration.


The government seems to have woken up from a long long sleep and introduced the much awaited Right to Education Act that was enacted by the Indian parliament on 4th August 2009 and finally came into force on 1st April 2010. The enforcement of this act made India one among the 135 nations that have made education as one of the fundamental right of every child.
The amendment to Article 21 of the Indian constitution is made by inserting Article 21 A . This Article provides for free and compulsory education for all the children between the age group of 6 and 14. The following are the salient features of the Act.
- Children between the age group of 6 to 14 are entitled to free and compulsory education.
- Until the completion of elementary education no child shall be expelled, held back
- After the completion of the elementary education (up to 8th grade) the child must be awarded with a certificate.
- The teacher student ratio has to be fixed.
- This Act is applicable for the whole of India except the State of Jammu and Kashmir.
- The Act requires that a reservation of 25% for the economically disadvantaged communities in all the private schools for the purpose of admission to the Class One.
- One of the mandatory provision of this Act is the improvement of the quality of Education.
- The Act also requires that the teachers in the school must have an adequate professional qualification.
- The schools are under the obligation of providing proper infrastructural facilities. If this condition is not followed the recognition of the school stands canceled.
10. The financial expenditures will be shared by the Central and the State government in their respective ratios.
I think that the government needs to put in rigorous efforts in implementing this law in the rural areas where there is a limited access to the schools and parents and children prefer working to education. There is a dearth of trained teachers in the rural areas too. Steps have to be taken to provide for good, well trained teachers in the rural areas who can impart proper education to the people. The schemes designed by the government for educating the girl child must be followed on strict basis.
By enacting this Act the parliament of India has taken its first step to provide quality education to the children in India. Let us hope that in the years to come we find that no child is found to be illiterate and deprived of the fundamental right to education.


Speaking Multiple Languages
Q: My only child is 3 years and 4 months old. We speak four languages at home. My daughter knows her alphabets in two languages, can name and recognize more than ten colors, count up to 100, draw smiley faces, sing and capture tunes extraordinarily fast, and work on simple puzzles. But she does not express herself in more than two or three familiar words. She repeats questions addressed to her if they are more than four words long, or if she hears unfamiliar sentences that contain familiar words. Also, she seems not to understand verbs and other abstract concepts. Is she autistic? What are the advantages of knowing two languages?
What are the advantages of knowing two languages?A: There is considerable debate in the United States today over the issue of bilingualism and how it affects children's general cognitive abilities and also chances for success in school. What is clear, however, is the ability of young children to learn more than one language, beginning right at birth, when they are exposed to multiple language in consistent and meaningful ways.
In my own home, for example, our twins are learning Spanish and English simultaneously. They hear and speak only Spanish with their father, while I communicate with them in English. There are other successful patterns, of course. For example, children often acquire a language other than English as a first language in the home and learn English through social interactions outside the home. This can occur simultaneously or with English as a second language.
The advantages to learning two or more languages include certain cognitive gains in which children seem to have a greater communicative depth that may boost thinking skills. There is also a cultural advantage, as language and culture cannot be separated. Therefore, children are better equipped to be sensitive to differences in others, respond to different ways of social interactions, and carry traditional knowledge that is uniquely part of a particular culture.
In children as young as 3, it is not unusual for their speaking vocabulary to be smaller in each language than the speaking vocabulary of English-only children. This difference minimizes by age 6 and some research shows that by this time, children who speak more than one language actually have larger vocabularies in both languages than their English-only counterparts.
It is thought that children are using these incredibly important first years to process both languages and their receptive-language skills will pace ahead of the expressive. When you hear your child repeating words or phrases after you, it is part of that cognitive processing she is engaged in. It would not, under normal circumstances, indicate any kind of autism. Autism is unrelated to the learning of multiple languages.
Susan Canizares holds a PhD in language and literacy development.


"30,000-10,000 BC Palaeolithic Culture, Euro-African
finger painting on mud and rock cave walls. Animal fat
mixed with native pigments, yellow, brown and red clay
with bone and charcoal soot black. So even cavemen had
created and used dyes!"
(My son got a kick out of this. He said finger
painting began with cave painting)
As far as modern art education goes:
"Ruth Faison Shaw died (in 1969) after a long life
dedicated to art and art education. One of her major
contributions to the world of art education was the
development of modern finger paint and finger
painting. She discovered this new medium while
teaching English to Italian students in Rome. When a
boy in her class cut his finger, she treated it with
iodine. A little later she found him in the bathroom
making designs on the wall with the red pigment of the
iodine, hence finger painting was discovered. After
her discovery she went to New York City to teach at
the Dalton School. Shaw later opened the Shaw Finger
Paint Studio and continued contributing to the world
of art education."
"Liu Duojun, the grandson of Liu Xiling, a premodern
master of finger painting in China, said finger
painting, or ink painting with fingers directly on the
paper instead of a paintbrush, covers all aspects of
traditional Chinese painting, including
landscapes,flowers and birds, and animals."
"He said finger painting dates back to the Tang
Dynasty (618-907BC) and the art entered its golden
period in the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911 AD)."
Well...that is about as much as I care to find. If
anyone else finds anything - please post.
> On the history - this is all I could find
> easily...Fingerpainting originated in China with
> watercolor paint.
> Post anything you find.


Antony T Smith
B EDUC 510
Helps teachers meet the educational and linguistic needs of students with diverse needs or limited English language skills. Emphasizes instructional strategies consistent with a variety of approaches to curriculum adaptation and second-language learning. Examines strategies for classroom adaptation.
This course is designed to help teachers meet the educational and linguistic needs of students with diverse needs or limited English language skills. Emphasis is on instructional strategies consistent with a variety of approaches to curriculum adaptation and second-language learning. We will also examine strategies for classroom application. This course is one in the series offered for the reading endorsement as part of the M.Ed. program.
Student learning goals
1: Language. Know, understand, and use the major concepts, theories, and research related to the nature and acquisition of language to construct learning environments that support ESOL students’ language and literacy development and content-area achievement.
2: Culture. Know, understand, and use the major concepts, theories, and research related to the nature and structure of culture to construct learning environments that support ESOL students’ language and literacy development and content-area achievement.
3: Instruction. Know, understand, and use standards-based practices and strategies related to planning, implementing, and management of ESL and content instruction, including classroom organization, teaching strategies for developing and integrating language skills, and choosing and adapting classroom resources.
General method of instruction
Class assignments and grading
The course is designed for substantial student participation. In addition to using a variety of resources to provide a basis for common knowledge, students will work in groups to explore the issues that are raised. Course grades will be based on assignments listed below. Criteria for each assignment will be distributed during class. Strong work is indicated by careful analysis of text, scholarly treatment of the issues, and substantial participation in class discussions. Prompt and regular attendance is expected. If you know in advance that you’ll miss a session, or if you anticipate any difficulty in meeting assigned due dates, it is important that you contact me immediately. Please proofread—by having someone else read your papers—prior to handing in written work.
Coursework elements: 1. Participation: Read course readings before class; Discuss readings and issues in class; Participate in writing group conferences in class and online 2. ELL student profile 3. Lesson and reflection


in the UK
This practical book, written by experienced practitioners, will help teachers of pupils with Special Educational Needs assess, record and improve the literacy skills of their pupils. The creation of the National Literacy Strategy and the Literacy Hour has put additional demands upon teachers, particularly those concerned with Special Needs. The book covers all aspects of literacy development through the Early and Primary Years including early skills, reading, phonological skills, writing, spelling and handwriting. This resource pack includes advice and ideas on record keeping with Individual Education Plans, assessing pupils' skills and strategies for future learning. It contains photocopiable checklists and assessment sheets for both teacher and pupil to complete and has clear child-friendly illustrated worksheets throughout. An indispensable resource for all classrooms.
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Ideas for parents:
Parents can find great ideas to help their children improve their literacy and numeracy skills in the Parent Support section.
Literacy video — Language and literacy in the 21st century:
Professor Christie and Professor Simpson discuss the crucial role that literacy plays, social responsibility and writing development.
A successful literacy idea — Auburn West Public School:
To celebrate National Literacy and Numeracy Week, Auburn West Public School has organised two author visits.
Numeracy video — Mathematical reasoning
In this video, Professor Kaye Stacey explores reasoning that establishes why mathematical results are true.
A successful literacy idea — Clarke Road Special School, Hornsby:
Clarke Road School will be holding a Literacy Day where students, staff and community members are invited.
Death by Decimal
Professor Kaye Stacey, Foundation Chair, Mathematics Education, University of Melbourne
Avoiding the Shallow Teaching Syndrome
Why use maths?
How to spot patterns in numbers
Dr Jennifer Way, University of Sydney
Creativity is the solution: Teaching maths creatively
Kristen Tripet, Mathematics Education Consultant
Teaching measurement K-6
Dr Diane McPhail, Numeracy K-6 Consultant, NSW Dept of Education and Communities
Student motivation and engagement in mathematics Parts 1-2
Assoc. Professor Janette Bobis, University of Sydney
Development of chance concepts and skills
Mental computation for numeracy
Dr Shelley Dole, University of Queensland
The problems with fractions
Dr Peter Gould, NSW Dept of Education and Training
Effective mental computation
Professor Alistair McIntosh, University of Tasmania
Maths in the real world
Dr David Wilson, University of NSW
Numeracy in the home: Children's access to kindergarten
Dr Thelma Perso, NT Dept of Education and Training
Teaching the empty number line
Critical numeracy in context
Click here for transcript of the video
Dr Jane Watson
Everyday numeracy K-4 (for parents)
What is NAPLAN?
For more information about NAPLAN, click here
| Copyright | Technical Requirements | Accessibility | Technical Help


Is your kid in the high school band? If they are, that’s great news for the brain. Researchers at the University of California found that kids who play an instrument score 27% higher on math tests, and 57 points higher on the SAT’s verbal section. So why are the musically inclined a bit brainier? Because, according to Canada’s McMaster University, learning to play an instrument develops the reasoning and spatial centers in the brain. Music also maximizes brain development in the areas related to language and social skills.
So what happens after graduation, when there’s no more band practice? They can apply for a music scholarship in college. MusicScholarships.US offers a laundry list of music scholarship opportunities. Regardless of the instrument your kid plays or if they want to get into music education, there's an opportunity for just about everybody.
- Like the Arts Competition Scholarship. They’ll pay up to $10,000 toward a college education.
- Drummers, there’s a scholarship from the Percussive Arts Society for $3,000 to help fund young drummers' studies.
- The next scholarship is perfect if your kid is like one of the kids on Glee. It’s called the Educational Theatre Association's Thespian Scholarships and it’s awarded to future musical actors and educators.
- If your kid is like me and plays the piano, MusicScholarships.US offers a ton of scholarships for pianists. Most of the prizes are awarded through competitions, but they do provide scholarships like The Bach Organ and Keyboard Music Scholarship.
You can find listing for all of those at MusicScholarships.US, but you can also find more opportunities at Scholarships.com – they have a music scholarships page and at FinAid.org. They have listings for Arts, Music, Dance and Theater scholarships.


Reading Comprehension Strategies
By Faith Berens, MA
The main comprehension strategies readers use are:
- Picturing (using sensory images, making a movie in your mind)
- Noticing the important parts
- Synthesizing and inferring (Figuring out)
- Predicting and guessing (part of inferring)
- Monitoring (noticing when you stop understanding)
Teach your child these strategies, explicitly and systematically.
Ways to Teach Comprehension
Model the reading strategies you, as an adult reader, use. Do this during your family read aloud time.
Example: Ust the “think aloud” technique: “I wonder what it going to happen next?” “I think
is going to
.” “This story reminds me of the time
.” By doing this you are modeling making connections and predictions.
- Choose texts/books carefully for modeling strategies. Use picture books!
Use supervised “Internet Workshop” to provide your child with opportunities so sharpen their critical thinking skills, motivate them, and give them an opportunity to share their discoveries.
Steps to do an internet workshop:
- Locate sites that are appropriate and connected to the content or unit of study; bookmark them.
- Develop an activity requiring your child to use the sites, such as finding out three interesting facts about Greek civilization. (This is often called a “webquest”—think of it as a treasure hunt on the websites.)
- Assign this activity to be completed during the week.
- Have your child share his or her work and discoveries, questions he or she still has, and new insights at the end of the week or on the weekend (over pizza on family night!)
Reciprocal Questioning Strategy (ReQuest) developed by Manzo:
- Parent/teacher and child read.
- Student/child questions teacher.
- Parent/teacher questions students.
- Student/child predicts the story’s outcome.
- Parent/teacher and child finish reading to check predictions.
Reciprocal Teaching—Parent and child read a passage together. Parent models and guides child in summarizing, discussing parts that were not clear/not understood, tricky vocabulary, etc. Parent and child share questions and predictions. The goal of this technique is to help readers internalize these steps so that they can then apply them independently during silent reading.
Teach sequence relationships and sequence signal words such as, before, after, finally, first, initially, following, earlier, afterward, next, later.
Teach cause and effect relationships and signal words and phrases such as, because, so, therefore, hence, thus, since, as a result, consequently, on account of, accordingly.
Directed-Reading-Thinking Activity (DRTA):
- Predicting—Tell me what you think the story/book will be about? Where might it take place? Who do you think will be in the story?
- Reading—Have child read silently to a predetermined point, at which time the child’s earlier predictions should be checked.
- Proving—Ask child to draw conclusion and explain his or her reasoning. Ask child to evaluate the evidence in relation to their predictions. (Was your guess correct? Why or why not? What do you think now? Why? Why do you think X happened? What do you predict will happen next?
Read aloud a passage, poem, part of a story. Then pause, and ask the child to sketch what he or she is imagining in his or her head. Who is in the movie in his or her mind? Where does the story happen? What is happening?
Use Graphic Organizers, such as story maps, flow charts, webs, venn diagrams, etc.
Books and Resources:
- 7 Keys to Comprehension: How to Help Your Kids Read It and Get It by Susan Zimmerman and Chryse Hutchens
- Constructing Meaning by Nancy Boyles—Comes with reproducibles on CD
- Subjects Matter: Every Teacher’s Guide to Content Area Reading by Harvey Daniels and Steven Zemelman
Bringing Words to Life: Robust Vocabulary Instruction by Isabel L. Beck
- Strategies that Work by Stephanie Harvey and Anne Goudvis
- Improving Comprehension with Think-Aloud Strategies by Jeffrey Wilhelm, PH.D.
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Music Education Courses
MED 110. Foundations of Music Education. This course is a study of foundational matters that shore up an understanding of the music education process in schools, framing philosophical issues cross-culturally and comparatively, so that prospective teachers might grasp a broader and more varied view of music in education across time and place. It will include a balance of the strong traditions of school music programs with the program transitions that are unfolding as society expands into technology and mediates popular culture. One component of the course will be a weekly field experience (two hours per week, minimum) to orient students into practical matters of curriculum and instruction linked to philosophical and theoretical issues.
MED 223. Brass Techniques. A study of the brass family. Emphasis on pedagogical techniques. Mixed brass ensemble experience.
MED 227. Percussion Techniques. A study of the percussion family.
MED 280. Field Practicum in Music Education. Optional supervised field experiences in appropriate settings.
May be repeated for credit.
Prerequisite: MED 110 and permission of instructor.
MED 330. Woodwind Techniques. A study of the woodwind family.
MED 331. String Techniques. A study of the string family.
MED 333. Methods and Materials, General Music: Elementary. A comprehensive study of general music teaching at the elementary school level, the philosophy of music education, varied approaches for developing conceptual learning and music skills, creative applications and analysis of materials.
MED 334. Choral Literature and Methods. A study of literature, materials and approaches appropriate for choral and general music classes in grades 5-12.
Fulfills general education requirement:
MED 335. Instrumental Literature and Methods. A study of literature, materials, philosophy and methods applicable to the teaching of instrumental ensembles (including marching band) from elementary through high school levels.
MED 337. Music Teaching and Learning I. This course is designed to introduce theories of learning with application to music education. Topics include stage and phase theories, theories of musical play and socialization, constructivist theory of meaning making, social learning and reinforcement theories, learning style theories, and theories/strategies of instruction. One component of the course is a weekly field experience in the local schools (one hour per week, minimum) to orient students into practical matters of music instruction and curriculum linked to principles of learning. Current and emerging education technology will be infused in the course.
MED 437. Music Teaching and Learning II. This course is designed as the application of learning theories to the teaching of music, with particular focus on elementary/middle (gr. 4-8) and secondary (gr. 9-12) education. Topics include curriculum design, contemporary practices, and instructional materials, with an emphasis on current and emerging technology. One component of the course will be a weekly field experience (one hour per week, minimum) in the local schools.
MED 441. Student Teaching: Instrumental. Music education majors spend a semester in the music department of a school district under the supervision of cooperating teachers.
MED 442. Student Teaching: Vocal. Same as MED 441.


Although school is out for the summer, music does not have to stop being part of your child’s life. In fact, parents often seek ways to keep children entertained yet still focused and productive during the summer months, and music is the perfect solution.
Not only is music exciting and uplifting, but a steady program of music education can positively impact a child’s intellectual development, particularly at a young age. With all the fun they will have playing a musical instrument this summer, they will not realize how much they are also stimulating their brains.
Dr. Milton Allen is a conductor, clinician, speaker, author and tireless advocate on behalf of music education. He serves as an educational consultant for Music & Arts, the nation’s largest school music company, specializing in instrument lessons and repairs, as well as sales and rentals of musical instruments, with a special focus on the beginning and student musician.
Allen and Music & Arts collaborated to develop an engaging and inspiring collection of videos to help guide parents of student musicians. These videos, in addition to Allen’s tips below, will help parents keep their children focused on music until school starts:
* The instrument - Invest in or rent a good, brand-name instrument and make sure it’s the right one for your child. When choosing the instrument, consider the physical characteristics of the musician needed to be successful, such as arm and finger length, dental structure or lip formation. Without the correct physical attributes, success on the instrument may be difficult.
* Daily routine - Help your child find a time and place to practice every day. This will help develop positive repetition and create the right mindset. Since school is out, mornings can be rush-free during the summer. Use this time to kickoff the day with music practice sessions at home. For beginners, think about two or three five-minute sessions, and then extend the time from there – they don’t have as much to practice yet, and this will also help strengthen embouchure or finger muscles.
* Performances - Create outdoor opportunities during which your child can perform. Summer-time gatherings with friends and family, July 4th and Labor Day celebrations, backyard barbecues – nothing is more exciting than performing for people, no matter how simple the song. Take advantage of the beautiful summer weather and encourage your child to perform outside.
* Lessons - Summer is a great time to begin practicing an instrument. If your child is just starting out, make sure to find a reputable teacher with experience and patience. For students who already play, even a few private lessons can help prepare them, at any level, for the upcoming school year or just simply advance their skills. A good teacher can provide a few reminders and new things to focus on in addition to what the student already knows.
* Take advantage of summer concerts - Research indicates numerous benefits of listening to live music, and not simply because of how it makes us feel. To the school-age musician, it’s a great example of not only the power of music, but modeling. Young musicians who attend performances by professionals can’t help but evaluate the actual performers and how they approach their instrument. Plus, it’s a great way for the whole family to enjoy a night out together.
* Get involved - Once school resumes, become active in the school’s music activities or booster organizations. Your help is not only important in its own right, but it sends a strong message to the student about the importance of music.


Reading RecoveryReading Recovery is an early intervention literacy program designed as a second chance for children whose literacy achievement levels in Year 1 are a cause for concern. The program aims to reduce the incidence of children in the early years experiencing difficulties in reading and writing. Reading Recovery procedures are derived from research on children's acquisition of reading and writing skills and are analysed in relation to current theories and practice to provide strategies for the development of literacy.
The program's goal is to assist children to develop independent reading and writing strategies to bring them to the level of their peers. The program is supplementary and short-term.
Current competencies are assessed and form the starting point for planning individual programs. Programs are on a one-to-one basis of daily instruction, which are additional to regular classroom literacy activities. The focus is on comprehending messages in reading, and the construction of messages in writing.
Reading Recovery in South Australia
Reading Recovery is one aspect of the South Australian Department for Education & Child Development (DECD) Early Years Literacy Program and schools are strongly encouraged to consider how they can use Reading Recovery programs as their methodology for one to one targeted intervention for Year 1 children.
One hundred and twenty one teachers have been trained in DECD schools. In 2003 a purpose built Reading Recovery Centre was built at Clapham. There are currently two tutors employed as part of the South Australian Early Years Literacy Program.
The aims of Reading Recovery are:
- to improve the literacy outcomes for those children most in need of additional assistance to accelerate their literacy learning
- for experienced Reading Recovery trained teachers to support classroom teachers to develop teaching strategies that support children's literacy development within a classroom context.
For further information contact:
Reading Recovery Centre
Phone: 8177 1266
Fax: 8177 1244
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Picasso once said, “Every child is an artist. The problem is how to remain an artist once we grow up.” A quick glance around an African-American friend’s home recently showed me that he and many of his relatives have, delightfully, not grown up. At least, not in the way that concerned Picasso.
This was a home where important values were taught, including honesty, courage, and respect, and these same values could be seen on walls and pedestals around the house revealed in paint, pencil, fabric, wood, and stoneware, to name but a few of the media utilized in the work of so many creative family members, including the two children.
Art is an essential form of expression for humans. For students, the Three A’s—Academics, Arts, & Athletics—are all core to a well-rounded education. I was disheartened to read an Education Week article today that reports a decline in art education for minority students. The National Endowment for the Arts has recently issued a new analysis of federal data that suggests a disproportionate plummeting of art instruction for Hispanic and African-American children. Only about one-quarter of these minority students receive any art experience in their lives whatsoever. Many public school districts trace the beginning of the decline to 2002, when No Child Left Behind became law and schools had to shift increasing amounts of class time to test prep, stealing it from the visual and performing arts.
Because a majority of Hispanic and African-American children receive most if not all of their art education in schools rather than in private lessons, art camps, or other extracurricular experiences, the loss of class time devoted to the arts has a particularly devastating effect on these students.
I know I bash NCLB all the time, but how else am I to communicate such sad news? When will this country get the education reform it really needs? What kind of country will we have if entire racial and cultural segments of our society no longer receive the education they need to inspire artistic creativity and production throughout their lives? What would my friend’s home have looked like if he and his wife had not received the art education they did?
Every single child, regardless of race or socioeconomic status, deserves the same beneficial experience of artistic inspiration, and multiculturalism through art is not expendable.


Looking at the prints and paintings of Dow, one can see the strong influence of the Post-Impressionists and, especially in his prints, Japanese woodcuts. This particular work shows an affinity to the suggestive, open compositions of Japanese prints. Dow was especially drawn to Japanese art because of the emphasis not on perfection, but rather beauty in a finished artwork, especially in utilitarian art. This coincided with the Arts and Crafts insistence that art and utility be wed in all art forms. These ideas formed the basis of Dow’s teaching: no matter what was created, whether a basket, a bowl, or a painting, the result had to be beautiful.
After returning to Ipswich, MA in 1889 after studying art in Europe, Dow began teaching art and producing and selling his own prints and paintings in Boston and Ipswich. In 1891 he opened a summer school where he offered courses in painting, printmaking, photography, ceramics, basketry, and other miscellaneous arts. His insistence on beautiful design, no matter what the medium, meant that no one art form was given more precedence over another, unlike the conservative art academies of the earlier nineteenth century in which painting was favored.
The summer school lasted until 1907 and attracted many famous artists, including photographer Alvin Coburn and artists from the famous Newcomb Pottery studio in New Orleans. Dow subsequently taught at the Pratt Institute in Brooklyn (where Georgia O’Keeffe, Gertrude Kasebier and Max Weber were his pupils), and Columbia University’s teacher college.
In 1899 Dow published Composition, a resource book for artists and educators that quickly became a handbook for art education in the early 20th century for elementary, middle, and high schools. Many of Dow’s pupils (including many women) were inspired to become art teachers themselves, and spread Dow’s art education theories across the country.
Take a look at some more of Dow’s beautiful prints.
Correlations to Davis programs: School Arts Magazine January 2011 - Place: Looking and Learning; Explorations in Art Grade 1: 1.2, 4.22; Explorations in Art Grade 2: 1.5; Explorations in Art Grade 3: 5.27; Explorations in Art Grade 4: 1.5, 4.21, 4.22; Explorations in Art Grade 5: 4.23, 6.32; A Personal Journey: 5.1; A Community Connection: 8.2; The Visual Experience: 9.4, 16.5


It is so important that teachers learn about ALL of the methods of
teaching art. It took me almost 20 years to finally land on an
approach that was right for me. It finally hit me when taking a studio
course myself (in 1997). It is so important that the students create
something that THEY like. It doesn't matter so much if you like it.
Your lessons need to be flexible - not rigid recipes.
My approach to teaching was a combination of Comprehensive Arts and
Choice Based. DBAE (Discipline Based Art Education) got a bad rap by
teachers doing it wrong. DBAE originally included aspects of
Comprehensive Arts (but that part was not done very well by most
I did purchase the Getty DBAE Teaching manual (maybe in 1991?), read
through it - but never did a lesson out of it. It is important to put
yourself into your teaching. I took a course in summer of 1998 that
recommended the DBAE manual, so I loaned mine out to members of the
class. We had to write a comprehensive lesson for that course.
I highly recommend that any art methods course include Choice Based
Art Education. Students need ownership of their art. The work must be
their ideas! I hear all the time about the woes of students leaving
artwork behind. Did they ever ask themselves the question "Why?" When
the artwork is their idea, they can't wait to take it home!
You folks are so lucky now! There is a very affordable - easy to read
"textbook" (In quotation marks because book is only around 100 pages.
Many textbooks are huge - full of stuff you don't need -- smiles. You
need this book) for Choice Based Art Education!
Engaging Learners Through Artmaking: Choice-Based Art Education in the
Classroom ~ by Katherine M Douglas and Diane B. Jaquith.
Teachers College Press ISBN 978-0-8077-4976-0
Yes - that is our "Two Ducks" Kathy ("Quack-Quack" to you Kathy, if
you see this post).
A while back, I helped out answering a survey on art teaching methods.
The more I answered, the more frustrated I got. Good art teaching can
not be channeled into one approach. There must be art history content
(what they wanted was DBAE approach there), social awareness - art's
role in society (can't remember what they called that approach now),
how the arts relate/interact (Comprehensive Arts - which their survey
omitted) - and student centered (Choice based). Oh and don't forget
"Brain Based". I think that approach came out of Iowa in the early
90's - but don't remember for sure now...... Then there was also
"Visual Culture". Good art teaching does all of that. Save the
students almost twenty years. Teach this right from the beginning
(smile). Actually, I kind of came full circle. My first teaching
experience was mainly Choice Based - but then I wasn't as good about
integrating art history and the other arts. Certainly couldn't afford
it on my measly salary of $8,000 a year (chuckles).
As always, if you reply to this message, remove my email address
before you click "Send".


What's NewVarious Bug Fixes
App DescriptionIntroductory Price: 50% OFF!
Come watch your childâ€™s understanding of addition, subtraction, multiplication and division grow with their very own pets! Pet Bingo is a playful game for Kindergarten through Fourth Grade, that is aligned with Common Core State Standards for Math.
Kids will visually learn and practice addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division! Pet Bingo includes unique educational hints that teachers have developed to help kids understand different math concepts. Play the mixed math mode that adapts to each kid's level to make sure that they're understanding the concepts while still having fun. If you're learning multiplication, you can choose different times tables to practice. Pet Bingo includes a Report Card section where parents and teachers can monitor progress and find additional skill-building activities.
PLAY CATEGORY: Early Learning/Curriculum
DEVELOPED WITH EDUCATORS:
- Developed in conjunction with Stanford University Educator, Jennifer DiBrienza, PhD in -
Early Elementary Education and former NYC public school teacher (K-Grade 2)
Kids will learn the following math skills based on Kindergarten through Fourth Grade Common Core State Standards and much more:
ADDITION & SUBTRACTION:
- Add and subtract up to 10, 20, 100, 1000 and more
- Add up to four digit numbers
- Add and subtract multi-digit whole numbers
MULTIPLICATION & DIVISION:
- Practice times tables 1 to 12
- Multiply and divide by 100
- Multiply whole numbers by 10
- Represent whole numbers on an equally spaced numberline
- Understand concepts of area and relation to multiplication and addition
PARENT REPORTING: Includes a Report Card section where parents and teachers can monitor progress and learn about new skill-building activities.
COMMON CORE STANDARDS: K.OA, 1.OA.6, 1.NBT.4-5, 2.OA.2-3, 2.NBT.5-6, 2.NBT.8, 2.MD.6, 3.OA.7, 3.NBT.2-3, 3.MD.5, 4.NBT.4-5
Duck Duck Moose, an award-winning creator of educational apps for children, was founded in 2008 by three parents who share a passion for children, education, music, design and play. To date, we have created 18 top-selling titles and have won 16 Parentsâ€™ Choice awards, 16 Childrenâ€™s Technology Review Editorâ€™s Choice Awards and a KAPi award for the â€śBest Childrenâ€™s Appâ€ť at the International Consumer Electronics Show. We work with educators and play-test with children to ensure our apps are frustration-free for little fingers and full of whimsy, wonder and educational content for all to enjoy.
Visit us: www.duckduckmoose.com
Email us: email@example.com
Like us: www.facebook.com/duckduckmoose
Watch us: www.youtube.com/duckduckmoosedesign
November 13, 2013 New version 1.0.1
November 02, 2013 Price Decrease: $1.99 -> $0.99
October 31, 2013 Initial Release


Life Skills Learned in Music
In discussing life benefits of music study, the authors report, “The most heavily reported life preparation skill was self-discipline, with respondents acknowledging that the hard work and dedication that are integral to participation in school music groups teach the valuable lesson that if ‘you stick with something and practice,’ the rewards will be bountiful. Other students conceded that the concentration required for learning music and the process of memorizing music pieces had honed those skills in other areas of their schoolwork.
“Music was frequently described as a force for building one’s character, and many students expressed their belief that music was capable of directing them in shaping their broader sense of self, who they were becoming, and how they might succeed in the world. The respondents highlighted confidence, responsibility, compassion, pride, patience, and respect as aspects of their character they feel they owe, at least in part, to music.”
Patricial Shehan Campbell, Claire Connell, and Amy Beegle (2007), “Adolescents’ Expressed Meanings of Music in and out of School,” Journal of Research in Music Education, 55(3), p. 229.


El Sistema is a tested model of how a music program can both create great musicians and dramatically change the life trajectory of hundreds of thousands of a nation’s neediest kids. Among its graduates, El Sistema Venezuela has nurtured international musicians such as Edicson Ruiz and Gustavo Dudamel and the world-renowned Simón Bolívar Youth Orchestra.
Many begin attending their local El Sistema center, called a “nucleo,” as early as age 2 or 3, with the vast majority continuing well into their teens; attending up to six days a week, three to four hours a day, plus retreats and intensive workshops. Participation is free for all students. The country now has over 500,000 students with plans to expand it to serve 1,000,000 annually.
El Sistema’s approach to music education emphasizes intensive ensemble participation from the earliest stages, group learning, peer teaching and a commitment to keeping the joy and fun of musical learning and music making ever-present. The backbone of El Sistema training is preparation for participation in orchestral ensembles, which are the soul of the nucleo community and culture. Of equal importance are choral singing, folk music, jazz, special needs programs, and various other ensembles, which adapt well to a diversity of musical genres and origins.
Click the link to learn more about El Sistema!
About | El Sistema in Venezuela (El Sistema USA). (n.d.). Retrieved November 3, 2014, from http://www.elsistemausa.org/el-sistema-in-venezuela.htm


Are you inspired to learn and teach about the vivid cultural history of Missouri? What about a unique sampling of America through the dynamic color palette of one of America’s foremost regionalist painters? Then why not take a trip through history via a portrayal by America’s most accomplished, prolific muralist and visual historian — Thomas Hart Benton — as he memorializes cultural history and mythology in a factual, poetic and mesmerizing style?
Visualize your students collaborating in cross-curricular lessons combining social science, history, communication arts and humanities, as outlined in the educator's guide, and stepping into the past while comparing and connecting it to the present.
Packed full of vibrant historic references, the Benton mural images reveal the transportation, politics, economy, landscape and music of ordinary people. In addition, the complex social conditions are revealed, representing the racial and cultural diversity of a time and place.
Benton’s curvilinear rhythms of line, shape and color are rendered with the skill of Michelangelo and the Midwest grit of the pioneer spirit, making the stories jump off the wall. This artistry highlights the diversity of characters in both his factual and mythological narratives of Missouri history. The panels depicting Huckleberry Finn, Jesse James and Frankie and Johnnie are unified symbolically by the echoing shapes throughout the landscape. These visual and social elements are joined in an exemplary way, culminating in a powerful stimulus for teaching students of every age and discipline. The “Tom Benton’s Missouri“ mural documentary is the perfect accompaniment to the study of Missouri history.
The curriculum offers valuable resources to accompany the mural documentary, and this educator's guide is available on the Downloads page.
About the curriculum developers
Lucille J. (Luce) Myers is a full-time studio and lecturer of art at Missouri School of Science and Technology, and she has spent twenty years as an art educator in public schools. Myers is also a songwriter of lyrics published in several journals and has produced five CDs, including a children’s album about art and the environment. She is active in her community, serving in various organizations and with educational arts programs. In addition to her work developing this project, Myers and her husband Rich offer music assemblies on the song and art of "Tom Benton’s Missouri" in Missouri Public schools.
Abbey Trescott is an art specialist at Rock Bridge High School in Columbia, Mo.
Kathleen Unrath is an associate professor of art education at the University of Missouri and a widely-exhibited fibers artist. Her published research focuses on how art education students emerge into the teacher self and the role of reflection in the process of meaning making. Unrath received the NAEA Women’s Caucus Mary J. Rouse Award in 2004, the 2008 Missouri Higher Education Art Educator of the Year, the University of Missouri Provost’s Teaching and Advising Award in 2005, and the 2012 Maxine Christopher Shutz Award for Distinguished Teaching. Her work on the Benton project combined this devotion to the arts and excellence in education techniques.


AN INVESTIGATION OF NOVICE MIDDLE AND HIGH SCHOOL BAND DIRECTORS' KNOWLEDGE OF TECHNIQUES AND PEDAGOGY SPECIFIC TO THE HORN
The purpose of this study was to determine novice middle school and high school band directors’ knowledge of techniques and pedagogy specific to the horn. Ten band directors currently teaching middle or high school band and who were in their first through fourth year of teaching were interviewed. Questions were derived from current brass methods textbooks and placed in one of the following six categories: (a) collegiate background; (b) teaching background; (c) embouchure, posture and right hand placement; (d) construction of single and double horns; (e) muted, stopped and miscellaneous horn pedagogy; (f) care and maintenance. Findings from this study indicate that novice middle and high school band directors have varying amounts of knowledge and expertise of the horn and, in general, are lacking fundamental knowledge of specific horn techniques. In addition, it appears that directors have more knowledge and understanding of concepts relating to the horn that are common to all brass instruments as opposed to concepts associated specifically with the horn.
School:Bowling Green State University
School Location:USA - Ohio
Source Type:Master's Thesis
Keywords:instrumental music education horn methods classes technique secondary instruments pedagogy brass band
Date of Publication:01/01/2006


From CONACULTA (Consejo Nacional para la Cultura y las Artes), this site showcases authentic audio materials on cultural and educational news from Mexico (México). Advanced intermediate through advanced students.
This NEH-supported site draws from the Philadelphia City Archive, one of the country's largest municipal archives. Discover 2 million photographs, dating from the late 1800s, with gorgeous images of Philadelphia and its arts, history, culture, and people. Apps for iPhone and Droid.
From Dirección General de Culturas Populares, a section of a larger site focusing on holidays celebrated in Mexico and their wider significance. Intermediate through advanced students.
Writings, heroes, history from Educarchile (portal educativo chileno). The site surveys the history, literature, and cultures of Chile. Intermediate through advanced students.
Virtual_Oaxaca is a virtual representation of Oaxaca, the city, surrounding archeological sites, and arts communities. Created by teachers in an NEH-funded Summer Institute. Plan a lesson, watch a video, and peek at Oaxaca on Second Life. More to come!
Introduction and access to children’s audio tours as a fun way to learn about the masterpieces of the museum’s rich collections. Intermediate through advanced students.
From the Secretaría de Educación Pública (México), a searchable and downloadable online textbook on art education, including visuals, photographs, vocabulary words, analyses of works of art and art appreciation. Intermediate through advanced students.
From the Ministerio de Educación de España, Instituto de Tecnologías Educativas, a site on astronomy and the mythology of the heavens, with music and readings on figures of Greek mythology, the stars, and constellations. Intermediate through advanced students.
Smithsonian Institution, National Museum of American History, showcases the life and art of Cuban-born Pop singer, Celia Cruz, with documents, photographs, and video and audio clips of her performances. Intermediate students.
From the Secretaría de Educación Pública (México), a searchable and downloadable online textbook on art education rich with images, to teach vocabulary and the appreciation of the arts, with spaces with activities for the students to analyze aspects of art education. Advanced beginning through intermediate students.


Bilingual learning benefits second and third generation children
By Mike Hanlon
March 12, 2007
March 13, 2007 Bilingual learning can provide substantial benefits for second and third generation children whose families speak a language other than English, according to ESRC-funded research by Goldsmiths, University of London. Even when children have grown up with English as their stronger language, using both languages aids cognitive development and strengthens their identities as learners.
A conference has been called on Friday 23 March 2007 to consider the implications of the research. Lid King, Director of the National Languages Strategy, and Jill Catlow of the Primary National Strategy are amongst the speakers. The conference is jointly organised by Goldsmiths, University of London and London Borough of Tower Hamlets Children's Services, who are partners in the research.
Dr Charmian Kenner of Goldsmiths explains: “Children who live their lives bilingually can access the curriculum through both languages. Learning a mathematical concept in Bengali and English, for example, deepens understanding as ideas are transferred between languages. Or children can compare how metaphors are constructed in a Bengali poem and its English equivalent. The children in our project expressed a strong desire to use their community language in school and teachers were able to tap into their pupils' full range of cultural knowledge.”
The research was conducted with children from Years 2, 4 and 6 in two Tower Hamlets primary schools. Children were observed learning their mother tongue in community language class. The research team then worked with community language teachers, mainstream teachers and bilingual assistants to develop bilingual activities as part of the primary school curriculum.
Children who were particularly successful at mainstream school were found to also have a strong background in mother tongue. They showed a high degree of linguistic awareness and could translate rapidly between languages. Tower Hamlets' own statistics demonstrate that pupils who attend mother tongue classes perform better in Key Stage One and Key Stage Two national curriculum tests than pupils who do not. However, the research discovered that many second and third generation children are in danger of losing these skills if they do not have opportunities to develop their mother tongue through academic work at school.
Charmian Kenner comments: “It is crucial that schools support children's mother tongue through bilingual learning activities connected with the mainstream curriculum. Now that the National Languages Strategy promotes early language learning and the Primary National Strategy recognises the value of bilingualism, policymakers need to encourage good practice in schools. Otherwise the potential benefits of bilingual learning will be lost to future generations.”Share
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What is education, Education Reform and what is education reform
Education reform is something that has been evolving for many years, and it is a way in which to make education better for everyone regardless of economic status, race, sex, or age. Reform of the education system has taken on many faces throughout the years and under different political administrations. The fact is that education is always progressing and one administration will add to its reform to better the current educational system for everyone.
Under President Obama’s education reform, or the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, there is quite a bit of monies that are investing in education to make it a better overall system. The very high dollar amount is an estimated $5 billion dollars that are being invested in early childhood learning programs, which includes programs such as Head Start, and programs that are specifically for special needs children.
Moreover, this new Act gives $77 billion to reform and strengthen both elementary and secondary educational programs. Of this amount, some $48 billion is to help with state budgeting as a way of helping states stabilize their educational systems. These provisions are a way to help attract and train highly qualified teachers as well as preparing students to continue on to college. Moreover, those schools that have been notoriously low performers will have money to help improve their performance through training and other necessary interventions.
In addition, the new education reform provides a whopping $30 billion dollars in order to make college more assessable and affordable to all students. However, the focus of the new Act is on early childhood education because this is the time in a child’s life that is very formative and without the proper education to guide them, they can easily fall by the wayside. However, with stronger education in the early years, it sets the stage for students to succeed in higher educational programs because it lays a good foundation to continue education.
In addition to the monies set aside by the new Act, the education reform of the 21st century is a way to create curriculum that makes education a time of critical thinking, problem solving, and other preparatory measures to help younger students prepare for college. The reform will also include top assessment tools and as well as accountability systems that can quickly gain information in the progress of each student.
Education reform is nothing new and under most presidents’ administration in America, there is always a need to help shape and reform the education system in American. One of the reasons for this is that America falls short in areas of math and science, which is an area where students need to excel, and by offering a more challenging curriculum, it can begin to bring about children that embrace these subjects rather than running from them for fear of failure. Setting the foundation of education with younger children in the key to seeing more of them attend college in the future.
what is education reform
News about what is education reform : Wyoming education reform bill up for haggling Billings Gazette