"Development of leadership skills in all areas of life"
Some people do seem to naturally possess qualities that automatically set them out as 'leaders'. People often flock to particularly confident, charismatic, knowledgeable or inspiring individuals for support and guidance.
Everybody has the potential to become a successful leader. Certain research dismisses the idea that leaders need to be heroic or bold, or to stand out from the crowd and that the true value of leadership lies in subtlety. Leadership isn't about taking center stage or delivering awe-inspiring, history-writing speeches, it's about acting responsibly and influencing others with a passion to do something good.
Life coaches do not aim to completely transform their clients, they aim to help individuals understand their own personal qualities and to utilize these in the best possible way. Leadership is about understanding yourself and trusting yourself, which can be significantly aided with professional development coaching. Developing the mindset of a leader is often the most important and most difficult stage in leadership development. A life coach will provide the support and guidance you need at this time.
Personal skills are the skills you need to maintain a healthy body and mind. These skills are essential building blocks for all other skills. Learn some key skills that will help you to feel more energized, feel better about yourself, be more motivated and increase your self confidence.
These are the skills we use when dealing with other people, either as individuals or in groups. We all have interpersonal skills but most people recognize that some people are better than others at utilizing them. Learn how you might develop your Interpersonal and Communication Skills, essential to all relationships, personal and professional life.
Learn how to plan, organize, write and deliver a presentation. Follow tips and step-by-step guides to improve your presentation skills and reduce your nerves.
Whether we like it or not, at some point in our lives we will almost certainly need some fundamental leadership skills. Learn how to become more charismatic and a successful leader.
The ability to write coherently and correctly is important both in business and in your personal life. Last but not least, the word ‘mathematics’ is scary for a lot of people; many people have a less than perfect understanding of basic numeracy and maths. By developing some basic numeracy skills you can save time and money, analyse and understand data and as a result improve your wellbeing.


Motivated by the need to introduce e-learning opportunities to disadvantaged communities and children in developing countries in Asia, The Patatas developed the idea of using tablets as a platform for educational applications and materials. The Patatas combined mobile technology and gamification in education to supplement traditional classroom learning to make the learning process more engaging.
The Patatas visited Tiwala Kids and Communities during September 2014 to kick start the trial e-learning program. 5 tablets were pre-loaded with an educational application and workshops were conducted for the Tiwala teachers to learn how to use the tablets to improve the learning process. Appreciating the instability of the local power supply due to regular inclement weather, The Patatas also brought in mobile solar panels to charge the tablets.
Together with Tiwala Kids and Communities, The Patatas conducted two separate trials to test the programs in different settings such as in schools, slums and rural islands. The trials also gave insight into defining the timing and frequency of using the tablets, which grade levels would benefit most and measuring the budget needed. A total of 106 students took part in the two trials that ran from October to December 2014 and January to March 2015.
With the learning points from the initial two trials, The Patatas then returned to Tiwala in April 2015 with 5 more tablets for an extended trial session. Understanding that the project was best carried out in schools, partnerships were forged with two public schools in Legazpi and a selection criteria was in place. Students needed to be at least Grade 2 level, a family income below the poverty threshold and to have a commitment to the program.
This extended trial session also provided initial data analytics insight and they showed a marked improvement in literacy and numeracy skills – more than average 30% class improvement! The Tiwala teachers provided feedback that the participating students have improved in their reading, listening and vocabulary. Students also found that they are able to solve Math problems quicker. The extended trial session, with 98 students participating, is still currently running and will continue till April 2016.
The Patatas will continue to expand both the e-learning program and our network of collaborative partners in other communities in Asia. To find out more information about Digi-Eskwela, please click here for the summary report.
You can find out more about Tiwala Kids and Communities here and get updates from their Facebook Page.


By Nikki Gamble
This e-book is predicated at the trust that deep topic wisdom of language and literature presents a origin for powerful educating and learning.
Read or Download Exploring Children's Literature: Teaching the Language and Reading of Fiction (Paul Chapman Publishing Title) PDF
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Greater than the other textbook out there, Play and baby improvement, Fourth version, ties play on to baby improvement. The authors deal with the whole spectrum of play-related themes and seamlessly mix study, thought, and functional purposes all through this developmentally-based source.
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Extra info for Exploring Children's Literature: Teaching the Language and Reading of Fiction (Paul Chapman Publishing Title)


Violin/fiddle and folk music education resources, including:
- Facts for students - information about the history of the violin/fiddle and the different parts of the instrument.
- Lessons & activity sheets - violin/fiddle and folk music curriculum-linked, cross-curricular lesson and activity ideas and student activity sheets, including SMART Notebook files.
- Extra resources - 3D violin animation, an interactive map, quiz and links to additional violin/fiddle and folk music resource material.
Go to this contributor’s page for more information about them and a list of other education resource material available on this FTfs website.


The reflective leader and practitioner carefully measures their actions and responses of the students to knowledge they have acquired. Based on this information, teachers are able to adjust their teaching to meet the needs of the students. Kinsella (2007) refers to this as knowing in action. The same principle applies to educational leadership as leaders need to adjust learned theories and mold them to the unique characteristics within their organization (Copland & Knapp, 2006).
These principles have been applied toward an educational pursuit as new theories have influenced the methods of instruction, assessment and overall design of courses as well as lesson plans. Each course has substantiated my belief that educators need to focus on individuals and then content. As the individual student has been placed at the forefront of planning sessions through the application of differentiated techniques, the targeted knowledge has been learned by my students with a greater efficiency as well as with the greater ability to apply it.
Additionally, the principles of differentiated learning propel educators toward a desire to study self-directed learning in greater depth. These theories not only aligned with educational philosophies but also permitted teachers to examine further applications. The development and understanding of differentiated instruction within the realm of self-directed learning can be applied to a variety of educational maladies as the focus on education returns to individuals and gives them responsibility for their education pursuits in creating passionate lifelong learners.
Differentiated instruction and self-directed learning require educators and educational leaders to guide individuals through the learning process (Gibbons, 2008). Such a practice defines the principles of a reflective leader as educators mold learning and leading theories to individual needs. Through the process of reflection, planning and teaching (Copland & Knapp, 2006).
Copland, M., & Knapp, M. (2006). Connecting leadership with learning: A framework for reflection, planning, and action.
Gibbons, M. (2011). Tips to journal keeping. Retrieved from www.selfdirectedlearning.com/tips.html
Kinsella, E. (2007). Embodied reflection and the epistemology of reflective practice. Journal of Philosophy of Education, 41(3), 395-409.
By Tracy Atkinson
Tracy Atkinson, mother of six, lives in the Midwest with her husband. She is a teacher, having taught elementary school to higher education, holding degrees in elementary education and a master’s in higher education. Her passion is researching, studying and investigating the attributes related to self-directed learners. She has published several titles, including Calais: The Annals of the Hidden, Lemosa: The Annals of the Hidden, Book Two, Rachel’s 8 and Securing Your Tent. She is currently working on a non-fiction text exploring the attributes of self-directed learners: The Five Characteristics of Self-directed Learners.


Musician Teacher Producer
5 Steps to Mastering Sight-Reading
It goes without saying that sight-reading is an important skill to have as a musician. You sight-read new pieces in your rehearsals, you need it when you sub for a big band, and it’s a dreaded part of the audition process. It is by no means the most important skill to have as a musician, but if you want to be a “working” musician, it is something that you definitely need.
The Benefits of Music Education By Laura Lewis Brown
Whether your child is the next Beyonce or more likely to sing her solos in the shower, she is bound to benefit from some form of music education. Research shows that learning the do-re-mis can help children excel in ways beyond the basic ABCs.
“We favor the inclusion of music in the curriculum on an equality with other basic subjects. We believe that with the growing complexity of civilization, more attention must be given to the arts, and that music offers possibilities as yet but partially realized for developing an appreciation of the finer things of life.”
—First Resolution of the Dallas Meeting of The Department of Superintendence, 1927


Section 12(1)(c) within the Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Act 2009 ( RTE) mandates that 25 percent of entering class seats be opened up for children from weak and disadvantaged groups in all non-minority unaided private schools. This progressive policy has the potential to put roughly 1 crore children across India on a different life path in the next 5 years, making it the single largest opportunity seat scheme in the world. When we juxtapose this with data from UNICEF report which states that 8 crores Indian children, of the 20 crores enrolled, are likely to drop out of school before completing elementary education, it poses a grave concern. Research reveals that ingrained discrimination in schools can be a major factor for children dropping out. This report developed by INDUS ACTION, and supported by CSF assesses the current reality of Section 12(1)(c), the benefits of socially inclusive classrooms, case studies and recommendations to make social inclusion a reality in private schools.


Mahonia Na Dari’s marine education and awareness program has proven to be a powerful tool in building support for conservation, increasing environmental awareness and inspiring local action to protect reefs, waterways, turtle nesting areas, sea grass beds, mangrove areas and cultural sites. It has three main components.
• The Marine Environmental Education Program (MEEP)
• Field excursions
• Outreach activities
The Marine Environmental Education Programme (MEEP)
The Marine Environment Education Program (MEEP) was first developed in 1997 and targeted secondary school children in the Kimbe area.
Today it runs as four programs targeting secondary school students (Intensive MEEP), Grade 9 primary school students (Junior MEEP), primary school teachers, (Teachers MEEP) and Elementary school students (Baby MEEP).
Sections of the MND MEEP manual have been incorporated into the mainstream primary school curriculum under the Curriculum Reform Implementation Project (an AusAid and PNG government initiative), recognizing the value of the program. A draft manual will become an official resource material for primary and secondary school teachers.
INTENSIVE MEEP. currently runs at 9 to 10 day program, repeated 3 times per year with a maximum intake of 20 students per session. Classes spread over 9 to 10 weeks of one day per week, and include classroom theory and extensive practical sessions. The 20 students who are selected to complete the course learn general reef biology, environmental problems of the pacific islands, ways to protect marine ecosystems, and the importance of marine resource management. Students also learn about basic coral reef survey and data collection techniques. When possible visiting researchers and scientists will contribute to the program explaining their research activities and demonstrating practical field biology. Although most of the students come from coastal areas, many are not familiar with the underwater side of the marine environment. Snorkeling and boat trips to a variety of reefs show the students both the fragile nature and abundance of life associated with these environments.
JUNIOR MEEP. The MEEP program has also been adapted to suit students in primary school and each year grade 9 students attend the modified classes.
BABY MEEP. This MEEP program targets elementary school students aged between 6 and 10. Their course is one day per week for three weeks and involves storytelling, reef walks, videos, drawing and puppet shows.
TEACHERS MEEP. Primary teachers do not currently receive any training in marine or environmental studies. Mahonia Na Dari has designed a teachers workshop lasting 5-10 days to help equip these teachers with the information and skills they need. Each year up to 20 teachers from the Talasea, Hoskins or Bialla inspectorates (and further afield if funding is available) attend this workshop.
MEEP Graduates in PNG are encouraged to contact Mahonia Na Dari and let us know how their participation in the Program has influenced them in future endeavors. Schools and community groups interested in participating in one of the MEEP programs, should contact Mahonia.
Field excursions run by Mahonia Na Dari, based at Walindi Nature Centre, take many forms depending on the specific requests from the community and schools. Community groups sometimes want those placed in positions of responsibility regarding marine resources to have the opportunity for hands on experience of coral reefs and their inter-relationship with reef inhabitants.
Similarly, secondary school students with a particular interest in the marine environment can request a Biology Field Excursion or Intensive MEEP. Students then have practical hands on sessions in subjects and issues of their choice.
Primary and elementary students are also catered for along with other interested groups. The participants can come from anywhere in the country or overseas for up to five days at a time. The groups are accommodated in the dormitory style facility at Walindi Nature Centre with options for catered or self catering available. Mahonia Na Dari staff conduct the program with input from visiting scientists and researchers.
Costs and facilities available are listed under the Research page.
In order to deliver its educational message to as many people as possible, Mahonia conducts outreach activities, visiting schools and villages both in West New Britain and further afield.
These outreach activities are suitable for adults and students and are conducted by Mahonia Na Dari staff and trained marine educators. Although style and content will differ to suit both the topic in question and target audience, this work has allowed discussion about important issues including over-harvesting, dynamite fishing and pollution. There is a very popular puppet show, conducted in pidgin, which outlines the damaging effects of “poison rope” and dynamite fishing. “Poison rope” fishing uses a highly toxic substance derived from a local plant known as derris root, which kills fish indiscriminately and also affects corals.


As a parent, I want my kids to have the benefits of music education. My 11 year-old takes drum and piano lessons, my 8 year-old takes violin and piano lessons. And I do not expect them to be a musician when they grow up. I only want them to learn how to solve problems, to work hard, and understand you can not get good at something if you don’t put in the effort.
There is a lot of research that supports the importance of music training. It increases brain function in many areas. Brain activity and acuity is increased in seemingly unrelated areas such as language, science, math and logic. Music education during the critical early stage in your child’s development will increase her mental processing ability and give her the desire and confidence to approach music lessons, school and life in general with a positive attitude.
But don’t take my word for it. Read the supporting research for yourself.
The Dana Foundation is a private philanthropic organization that supports brain research through grants, publications, and educational programs.
BrainFacts.org has some interesting articles as well.
These are only a few of the many studies done that correlate early childhood music education with increased brain functioning. I’m confident that if you do your own research you’ll come up with the same conclusions I have.


There are various assessments that will be taken at the high school level.
End of Course Exam (EOC):
The Florida End of Course (EOC) Assessments are part of Florida’s Next Generation Strategic Plan for the purpose of increasing student achievement and improving college and career readiness. EOC assessments are computer-based, criterion-referenced assessments that measure the Next Generation Sunshine State Standards for specific courses, as outlined in their course descriptions. Currently high school students take EOCs in Algebra, Biology, Geometry and US History. Please see your cohort’s graduation requirements for how these tests will impact your grade or graduation. For more information please visit: http://fcat.fldoe.org/eoc/.
FCAT Reading Changes:
The FCAT 2.0 measures student achievement of the Next Generation Sunshine State Standards in reading. This assessment is in the process of being replaced by another assessment. For more information about these changes please visit: http://www.fldoe.org/pdf/QA-03-17.pdf.
Benchmark Assessment Test (BAT):
The BAT was designed to mimic the conditions that students experience during FCAT administration. All items included on the BAT were designed to the same specifications as the FCAT items. The goal is to identify students’ areas of strength and weakness and to tailor instruction to each student’s specific needs.
The Advanced Placement (AP):
AP courses are college level courses completed at the high school level. At the end of the school year, AP students take a final AP exam in their respective subjects. Students earn college credits for every AP exam they pass. Students also earn two extra quality points on their weighted GPA if they earn a “C” grade or higher. For more information about College Board’s AP program visit: http://apcentral.collegeboard.com/home.
The Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test (PSAT/NMSQT):
The Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test (PSAT/NMSQT) is a program cosponsored by the College Board and National Merit Scholarship Corporation (NMSC). It’s a standardized test that provides firsthand practice for the SAT®. It also gives you a chance to enter NMSC scholarship programs and gain access to college and career planning tools. The PSAT measures critical reading skills, math problem-solving skills and writing skills. Broward Schools administers the PSAT to all 10th grade students. Students wanting to qualify for the National Merit Scholarship must sign-up to take the PSAT again during 11th grade. For more information on the PSAT/NMSQT please visit: (http://www.collegeboard.com/student/testing/psat/about.html).
Broward Schools Testing Calendar:
For a complete list of dates of all the assessment offered by Broward Schools, please visit the Student Assessment and Research site: http://www.broward.k12.fl.us/sar/asmntcal.htm.


Build your students' fluency with division of two-digit numbers by one-digit divisors and their understanding of resulting remainders with this simple game that allows for differentiation in your math class. Perfect for reviewing factors, multiples, and divisibility as well!
• teacher directions and student directions
• "Thinking Questions" for guiding student discussion
• two journal-sized graphic reference sheet (color and grayscale)
• eight spinners
• five recording sheets
This games requires minimal prep – just provide game pawns and a paper clip or plastic spinner. Students spin to find a two-digit dividend and roll the to find a one-digit divisor. They divide the dividend by the divisor and then move the game pawn based on any remainder that results.
The game comes with one gameboard and eight different spinners, each with successively larger numbers for dividends. Assign the spinners to the students based on their proficiency with division.
As students play, they gain an understanding of what dividends and divisors result in remainders and which do not, as well as what pairs of numbers result in larger and smaller remainders. A set of "Thinking Questions" are included in the teacher directions to help guide pre- and post-game discussions. You could also easily turn some of these questions into writing prompts, having your students respond to one of the questions in their journals – great practice with communicating mathematically!
The printables consist of two journal-sized reference sheets and five recording sheets for use during the game. The first reference sheet reviews the terms “dividend”, “divisor”, and “quotient” and gives examples of division equations with and without remainders. You can use this first reference sheet as an introduction to the game, having students glue it in their journals and use as a reference while they play. The second reference sheet reviews the terms “factor”, “multiple”, and “divisible”, perfect for extending students' understanding of number relationships and addressing Common Core Math Standard 4.OA.4.
There are five different recording sheets you can have students use to show their understanding of the mathematics behind the game. Two of the sheets use different notations for division. As students play, they record the number spun (labeled on the recording sheet as “dividend”) and the number rolled (labeled as “divisor”), and then figure out and record the quotient. The other three recording sheets are designed to reinforce the concepts of factors, multiples, and divisibility.
This versatile game will help your students build the foundational skills necessary for standards within the domain of Operations and Algebraic Thinking in the Grades 4 and 5 Common Core State Standards for Math.
I hope your kids enjoy the game! – Dennis McDonald


FREE Music Note Flashcards - such a great tool in helping kids gain fluency while learning music theory for music education, playing piano, learning and instrument and more in kindergarten, 1st grade, 2nd grade, 3rd grade, 4th grade, 5th grade
Missing barline worksheets
60 Time Signature Worksheets, different levels, plus printable board game for music lessons!
this lesson plan is SERIOUSLY AMAZING. what a great way to get kids beyond the "drama." | YourKids Teacher: Erasing Meanness
Behavior Reflection Think Sheet
Download from the Free Resource Library for music teachers. ♫ CLICK through to read more or save for later! ♫
Free resource of educational web tools, 21st century skills, tips and tutorials on how teachers and students integrate technology into education
Welcome to the first ever Stay Tuned Linky Party! Steps on how to link your blog to our party are found at the end of my post. If you are ...
This "I wish my teacher knew" exercise is the most invaluable thing you will ever do for your students. Perfect for back to school. Downloadable freebies. Just print and go!


At the launch event, three different members from the Storying Sounds team – Lisa Procter (Principle Investigator), Fiona Scott (Research Associate) and Nicky Rose (Artist) – each presented on the project from their different perspectives.
Lisa offered an overview of the original aims of the project and how these have changed/developed through collaborating with the children and practitioners. She spoke about the opportunities that the Sounds Toolkit presents for educational practice, particularly in relation to literacy learning, but also for architectural practice, asking the question – how might design practice change if we have a better understanding of how young children perceive sound in the built environment?
Fiona then reflected on the research process with the young children and their parents, she offered detailed accounts of how each of the young children seemed to relate to environmental sound and the ways that they engaged with the different research activities. She also reflected on the ways that sound was perceived and experienced differently by children and adults, suggesting that further research is needed to explore what adults could do differently in practice when they better understand the role of sound in children’s lives and learning.
Finally, Nicky reflected on the ways in which the research process led to the development of educational resources to support imaginative storytelling. These resources were generated from observing how the children were engaging with the research methods, and the ways that they all seemed to want to play with sound in creative ways. The sounds toolkit and sounds booklet have been developed and designed to scaffold children’s literacy development by drawing on activities that had resonance for the children involved in the study.
The full presentations can be accessed here.


When I was an undergraduate studying art education, we spent lots and lot of time discussing process versus product in the art room: What is more important in an art lesson, particularly in the younger grades…the creative process in which children engage or the final product that they create? Opinions vary on this topic, and volumes have been written about it. My thoughts on the matter tend to be that it’s a continuum; process matters almost exclusively in the early years of art-making, and as children grow, develop, and become more aware of their abilities as an artist, they begin to use their skills to create something specific, often with a message. This is when product begins to matter as much as process.
As a parent, however, the answer isn’t so clear. Pinterest, where I spend an embarrassing amount of my free-time pinning party ideas, home decor, fashion inspiration, and of course, projects for my kids, is chock full of product-oriented projects for young children. These are the projects we so often see on bulletin boards in schools and daycares; there are rows and rows of construction paper trees, each looking just like the one before it, clearly created from a teacher’s model. I can see value in this sort of project: children are practicing cutting, gluing, fine motor skills, following multi-step directions…but is it really an art project? I’m unsure.
It’s been interesting to watch my own sons progress as artists before my very eyes. Just recently, they begged to paint “on real artist canvases” (see above) after school. We broke out the acrylic paints and got to work. My seven year old was nearly 100% product-oriented. He set out to paint a cat, drew it first with a pencil, then carefully painted it, huffing and puffing that “it doesn’t REALLY look like OUR CAT” the whole time before finally feeling satisfied with it. My four year old was peeking at his big brother’s canvas for cues on what to do (note the similar set up of sun/grass/sky) but was so excited about the red being just like Spider-man’s suit that he happily smushed his paint all around, mixing a little red into it all and not caring that his details blurred in the process.
As a teacher and as a parent, I find myself wondering: what do parents want to see coming home from school? Do you look for process or product oriented art? What kinds of projects do you do at home? While I love process art, I also totally understand wanting to do “crafty” projects with my children that lead to cute holiday decorations, but I am realizing this is really more for me than for them. If you’re looking for a great source of open-ended project ideas for your own children, this is a favorite source of mine!
Enjoy, and happy art-making!


Wearing a hood and robe as academic apparel is believed to have originated at the English universities of Oxford and Cambridge during the twelfth and thirteenth centuries. Styling of the robes varies for the bachelor's, master's and doctoral degrees, while the color of the velvet border indicates the type of degree held and the lining designates the official colors of the institution granting it.
Gonfalons are ceremonial flags or banners suspended from a crossbar. The use of ceremonial banners dates back to the 1500s. Italian towns, for example, each have a gonfalon, which is the official emblem of the town, showing its coat of arms.
At Kent Campus commencement ceremonies, student representatives lead their fellow graduates in with their college gonfalons. Each of the college gonfalons are emblazoned with the Kent State seal on an academic color of one of the college's disciplines, established by academic protocol.
The chair of Faculty Senate carries the mace as the official University Mace Bearer. The mace symbolizes academic authority. The Kent State University mace was created and crafted by alumnus Michael V. Jaszczak.
The central motif of the university seal retains the sun of the State seal, signifying state ownership and is symbolic of the light of knowledge and wisdom. The shield suggests the geographic shape of Ohio. The bird, which symbolizes leadership, is the chimney swift, a species that colonizes on campus and seems to be in constant flight. The university colors of blue and gold are incorporated in the enameled piece, which is set on top of a walnut pole, Encircling the pole are eight silver spears, representing the eight campuses of Kent State. The mace rests in a walnut stand crafted by Dr. David Dalton of the College of Education, Health and Human Services.
An expert craftsman in enameling, Mr. Jaszczak received his B.S. in art education from Case Western Reserve University and the Cleveland Institute of Art in 1984. He earned his M.A. in enameling from Kent State in 1994 and an M.F.A. in 1998.
The Presidents Medallion
The President's Medallion symbolizes the responsibility in the Office of the President. Its central motif is the university seal, which retains the sun of the state seal, signifying state ownership and is symbolic of the light of knowledge and wisdom. The shield suggests the geographic shape of Ohio. The bird, which symbolizes leadership, is the chimney swift.
The original Victory Bell, located on the Kent State University Commons near Taylor Hall, has stood as a symbol of Kent State pride since the early 1950s. It was erected to unify the student body with the help of Kent State’s Alpha Phi Omega chapter. The fraternity also built a second, mobile bell deemed “Victory Bell II” a few years later to take the tradition off campus. Both the original Victory Bell and its second iteration were primarily rung after an athletic win.
After years of silence from the tradition, the Kent State Department of Intercollegiate Athletics was approached by Kent State alumni Buzz, ’67, and Marilyn, ’71, Starner to reintroduce a victory bell. Promoting and supporting Kent State traditions was a top priority for the Starners, who have both been active supporters of Kent State Athletics for more than 30 years.
The new victory bell was manufactured by Meneely Bell Foundry in 1915 and previously occupied a church tower. The Starner Victory Bell was dedicated Oct. 15, 2011, at the Homecoming football game against Miami University and rang with victory for the first time on Oct. 21, 2011, by the women’s soccer team (Kent State 2, Akron 0). The 300-pound bell makes its way to and from the majority of Kent State Athletics’ home contests and is rung when a university team is victorious. The honor of who rings the bell after a win is determined by each team. In May 2016, the tradition of ringing the Victory Bell was introduced at Commencement. Graduates ring the bell throughout the day to signify the victory of completing their degree.


Over the past year, a national committee has been working on K-12 Core Standards for language arts and mathematics. I still need to look through the details, but here is a clip from the introductory material.
Core Standards http://www.corestandards.org/
(From Key Considerations, page 4 of document)
"Grade levels for K–8; grade bands for 9–10 and 11–12
The Standards use individual grade levels in kindergarten through grade 8 to provide useful specificity; the Standards use two-year bands in grades 9–12 to allow schools, districts, and states flexibility in high school course design.
A focus on results rather than means
By emphasizing required achievements, the Standards leave room for teachers,curriculum developers, and states to determine how those goals should be
reached and what additional topics should be addressed. Thus, the Standards do not mandate such things as a particular writing process or the full range of metacognitive strategies that students may need to monitor and direct their thinking and learning. Teachers are thus free to provide students with whatever tools and knowledge their professional judgment and experience identify as most helpful for meeting the goals set out in the Standards.
An integrated model of literacy
Although the Standards are divided into Reading, Writing, Speaking and Listening, and Language strands for conceptual clarity, the processes of communication are closely connected, as reflected throughout this document. For example, Writing standard 9 requires that students be able to write about what they read. Likewise, Speaking and Listening standard 4 sets the expectation that students will share findings from their research.
Research and media skills blended into the Standards as a whole
To be ready for college, workforce training, and life in a technological society, students need the ability to gather, comprehend, evaluate, synthesize, and report on information and ideas, to conduct original research in order to answer questions or solve problems, and to analyze and create a high volume and extensive range of print and nonprint texts in media forms old and new. The need to conduct research and to produce and consume media is embedded into every aspect of today’s curriculum. In like fashion, research and media skills and understandings are embedded throughout the Standards rather than treated in a separate section.
Shared responsibility for students’ literacy development
The Standards insist that instruction in reading, writing, speaking, listening,and language be a shared responsibility within the school. The K–5 standards include expectations for reading, writing, speaking, listening, and language applicable to a range of subjects, including but not limited to ELA. The grades 6–12 standards are divided into two sections, one for ELA and the other for history/social studies, science, and technical subjects. This division reflects the unique, time-honored place of ELA teachers in developing students’ literacy skills while at the same time recognizing that teachers in other areas must have a role in this development as well.
Part of the motivation behind the interdisciplinary approach to literacy promulgated by the Standards is extensive research establishing the need for college and career ready students to be proficient in reading complex informational text independently in a variety of content areas. Most of the required reading in college and workforce training programs is informational in structure and challenging in content; postsecondary education programs typically provide students with both a higher volume of such reading than is generally required in K–12 schools and comparatively little scaffolding.
The Standards are not alone in calling for a special emphasis on informational text. The 2009 reading framework of the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) requires a high and increasing proportion of informational text on its assessment as students advance through the grades."
On the surface, I like what is stated here, as I agree and have argued for this sort of educational philosophy for years. I do hope in practice this approach still prevails. We will need to see what happens during the implementation phase with state Boards of Education. I am sure there will be much more to come on this one.


Teacher support for English
Hamilton has a range of additional reference and advice materials for English.
New Curriculum English Support
Hamilton Grammar Structured Scheme of Work
Older Spelling and Grammar Materials
Grammar for Writing
Support for Spelling
Homework support documents
Hamilton Education sells hard copy teaching resources that support Hamilton plans at very low cost. Group Readers, phonics books, number lines and 'Five Minute Fillers' can help you teach literacy and numeracy skills in your classroom.
Hamilton's Y3/4 English plans cover all of the statutory objectives of the National Curriculum for England for Lower Key Stage 2. The Coverage Chart lays out where these are met across a two-year rolling programme (Set A & Set B). Medium and Long Term Plans summarise books used and grammar taught. Individual plans include an outcomes table.
For Homework and for texts to use with children (Oral Stories and Rhymes) appropriate for this age range, see Year 3 and Year 4.
Using the delightful illustrations and books of Michael Foreman (Dinosaurs and All That Rubbish and I'll Take You to Mrs Cole), children have many opportunities to practice simple, compound and complex sentences with powerful verbs. They then create their own stories based around I'll Take You to Mrs Cole, by Nigel Gray and Michael Foreman.
Children have plenty of opportunities to explore Indian folk tales and myths, read Seasons of Splendour by Madhur Jaffrey, and The Tiger Child by Joanna Troughton, before performing their own oral re-telling and written adaptations. They will learn about adverbial clauses to make their writing more interesting and use commas to organize their writing.
Children will learn about instructions and explanations based around the glitzy world of the game show. They will learn about features of explanations before going on to write their own based on a game show with a special treat at the end.
Children study the structure and language features of non-chronological reports (DK Children’s Book of Sport, and DK Eyewitness Guide: Football by Hugh Hornby) before planning, researching and finally composing their own sports report. At the end of the plan the class explore persuasive language and different points of view, ending in a debate.
Christmas is coming. This fun plan builds up to Christmas with writing letters to Father Christmas, learning about tense, writing in the 3rd person and using powerful verbs, and reading Dear Father Christmas by Alan Durant. Hamilton Group Reader, The Christmas Story, demonstrates how to write a good letter.
Use a selection of poems to explore how to create images using words, Daddy Fell into the Pond by Alfred Noyes (Read Me chosen by Gaby Morgan) The Bug Chant by Tony Mitton (The Works chosen by Paul Cookson) and I Like this Poem by Kaye Webb. Children find and use adjectives and adjective phrases to convert a poem to prose. Use their voice to add excitement to a poem performance and compose poems using the themes of animals and weather.
Children will enjoy these humorous poems about teachers which will inspire learning about powerful verbs, verb tenses, adverbs and adverbial phrases. Children use the poems they read as models for writing their own verses and poems.
I don't know my password


By Wangechi Thuo and Andrew Carlson
The Community Eye Health Journal announced in November that the National Blindness Prevention Programme (PNLC) in Mali, established in 1998, is on track to eliminate trachoma as a cause of blindness by 2015.
Trachoma is a bacterial disease that is transmitted through flies that come into contact with infected people or person to person contact. In areas where people live in close proximity, the disease spreads at an alarming rate, and can quickly infect entire communities. Repeated infection causes eyelids to turn inward and scratch the cornea, leaving an infected individual one unbelievably painful step closer to blindness with every blink they take, a process called trachomatous trichiasis. In 2011 the WHO estimated that 7,260,960 people around the world had this form of trichiasis.
Just before PNLC’s inception, Mali bore a generous portion of the global burden: during a national survey conducted in February 1996-May 1997, an estimated 85,700 people needed trichiasis surgery.
Since then, thanks to a strong commitment by the government of Mali, the PNLC has consolidated support from various partners, including The Carter Center, Helen Keller International (HKI), the United Stated Agency for International Development (USAID) managed by RTI international, The END Fund, and the International Trachoma Initiative (ITI). The PNLC has set a high standard in trachoma elimination that similar national initiatives throughout sub-Saharan Africa strive to emulate.
Three important benchmarks help explain how Mali has achieved this success:
- Distribution of antibiotics: Through district-level mass drug administration, the PNLC has reduced active disease well below the recommended threshold in 84% of the districts in which the disease is present
- Surgical Efficiency: Since 2009, the PNLC almost halved the surgical backlog throughout the country; in 2011 alone, 8,510 trichiasis surgeries were conducted by only a handful of surgeons
- Preventive sanitation: Since 2009, 53,090 latrines have been constructed allowing safer disposal of waste
To foster community awareness, the PNLC has developed a primary school curriculum on trachoma, trained community leaders in trachoma prevention and ensured the dissemination of health messages through radio broadcasts with help from HKI.
PNLC’s successes are even more laudable as they were achieved in spite of the military coup d’état in March 2012, which elicited a considerable decrease in financial support to the Malian government.
With support from partners, Mali is less than one year away from achieving the goal of trachoma elimination and is positioned to celebrate this achievement, five years ahead of the global elimination date. Mali’s success story and lessons learned can provide can also be example for more countries throughout the world.


What does it mean to be educated? With facts available after a quick online search, how can we ensure that we are educating for the future? Traditional curriculum focused on facts, topics and skills no longer prepares students for a world where critical and problem-solving thinkers are needed. I’ll share how a curriculum that is concept-based offers learning that requires depth of understanding instead of content coverage. An alternative to the traditional curriculum models.
Angeline has been a primary school educator since 1999. Her career as an educator started in a state school in Sydney, Australia, before working in Nanjing International School, China. Currently Angeline is the Accreditation Co-coordinator at Berlin International School, Germany. Angeline has taught every grade ranging from 5-12 year olds as a classroom teacher and music specialist.
At Berlin International School, she was the primary school curriculum coordinator for many years. Since April 2007 she has been an International Baccalaureate Primary Years Programme workshop leader and school visitor. Angeline is also a certified Concept-based Curriculum and Instruction Presenter and Trainer. Developing curriculum and teacher training is her passion and when she is not busy being a curriculum-nerd, she enjoys cooking, and spending time with her sons and husband.
Connect with Angeline
- Her personal website: www.angelineaow.com.
- Her Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/educatorangelineaow/
- Her Twitter: https://twitter.com/angeaow
- And, her Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/angeline-aow-b0b6304


Separating twins in kindergarten — a common practice in schools across the country — can be traumatic for children and is often against the wishes of both the children and their parents, according to a new study by California State University, Northridge education professor Lynn Melby Gordon.
Gordon’s study, “Twins and Kindergarten Separation: Divergent Beliefs of Principals, Teachers, Parents, and Twins,” was published last week in the journal Educational Policy and is the first to explore the separation of twins in kindergarten by directly comparing and examining the beliefs of elementary school principals, kindergarten teachers, parents and twins.
“To put it simply, my research does not support the mandatory school-separation policies for all twins that are so prevalent in school districts across the country,” said Gordon, a professor in CSUN’s Department of Elementary Education and parent of twins herself. “School leaders should know that when a pair of twins has a genuine preference to stay together in school, it does not necessarily indicate a pathological co-dependence, a lack of individuality or an inability to make friends with other children. It is, more likely, simply indicative of a healthy, supportive relationship.”
As part of her research, Gordon surveyed principals, kindergarten teachers and preschool- and kindergarten-age twins and their parents about separating twins when they begin their formal educational experience in kindergarten.
She found that principals are much more likely to believe that twins should be separated in kindergarten than the young twins themselves, their parents and even kindergarten teachers. While a majority, 71 percent, of the principals she surveyed said they felt twins should be separated in kindergarten, only 49 percent of the teachers, 38 percent of the parents and 19 percent of the preschool and kindergarten twins agreed.
“A troubling finding from the group of principals surveyed is that over half of separation-favoring principals believe that twins do better academically when they are placed in separate classes, and almost one quarter erroneously believe that twins do better academically when they are placed in separate classes,” Gordon said. “The presumptions are not supported by the existing body of twin research. Instead, studies tend to show either no difference in the academic achievement of twins placed together versus apart or that academic achievement tends to be better when the twins are placed together.”
She found that 81 percent of preschool and kindergarten twins want to stay together in kindergarten, but about 58 percent of twins are separated into different classes. Female identical twins are most likely to report wanting to stay together in the same class in kindergarten.
Gordon said that most parents favor joint placement of twins in kindergarten.
“Perhaps not surprisingly, 95 percent of parents believe they know their kids best, and believe that schools should try to honor their class placement requests for twins,” she said.
She noted that kindergarten teachers would not mind having a set of twins in their class.
Three percent of all twins who are placed in separate classes are very traumatized by kindergarten separation, and an additional 17 percent are somewhat traumatized, according to parents. In the meantime, 69 percent of principals believe that separation is probably a little traumatic, and six percent believe that separating twins is very traumatic.
Gordon said there are instances when twins are likely to benefit from class separation.
“For example, when twins display pronounced behavior problems with one another at home or in preschool, parents recognize this to be a clear and practical reason to separate those individuals at least for a few hours a day while they are in school,” she said. “But the study’s primary conclusion is that, unless there is a compelling reason to separate twins, it is often best to keep them together, at least in kindergarten.”


Computer-based instruction is often ideal for kids with learning disabilities. They can replay an educational game or video as many times as they need, and can pause it when they need time to digest information before moving on. For some kids, online programs let them focus on learning without the negative social distractions they encounter in school.
Literacy is the ability to read fluently and understand what was read. It is both the cornerstone of education and one of the skills many kids with learning disabilities struggle with. There are many valuable online literacy programs such as starfall.com and Reading Planet, that teach everything from basic phonics instruction to critical thinking and reading comprehension. Online dictionaries such as dictionary.com are helpful tools, because they isolate the information. Kids who struggle with reading don't have to wade through pages of tiny print trying to find the one word they need, losing track of what they were originally reading.
Kids with attention problems have a hard time learning in a typical environment where they are expected to sit quietly while a teacher lectures. Online programs are an effective way for these kids to learn. They tend to be visually interesting and move quickly from one point of interest to the next, keeping easily distracted kids engaged.
For younger students, pbskids.org and jumpstart.com offer effective multimedia games that teach reading and other basic academic skills. Older kids may find National Geographic Kids useful for research and reinforcing the material and skills that were taught in class.
If your learning disabled child is not thriving in a typical school environment alternative online home schools are available in some areas. These schools cover all the same material that a public or private school would teach, but they do it in ways that accommodate your child's unique strengths. Most online classes are taught in interactive classrooms that allow the students to converse with each other and the teacher–just as they would in a regular classroom.
Before enrolling your child in an online school, research your state's requirements for alternative education, including home schooling. Ask about the school's accreditation and staff support for your student, just as you would with any private school. Finally, decide whether an online classroom would allow your child to excel by removing barriers, or simply let him hide from conflicts at school that he could eventually work through.


This course will help your child become more successful in school and life! You will learn how to create appropriate expectations in academics, extracurriculars, and technology, start a tradition of family meetings, and discover how to implement study and organization practices based on brain research.
Your personal level of home stress will decrease at the same time! You will learn how to develop a plan, with your children, that will gradually increase their level of responsibilities for tasks related to their school and activities, removing the burden from your shoulders. This will happen naturally as you begin a tradition of regularly scheduled family meetings where a team approach will soon become the place to resolve family issues.
Invaluable supplemental resources include a worksheet for parents/families to use when setting expectations, a sample script for children to use when learning how to solve their own problems, and a list of materials to include in a newly created home study area.
BONUS INFORMATION includes current brain research as it applies to study and organization, and multitasking.
Get a head start in helping your children develop study and organization skills that will grown into LIFE skills, enabling them to reach their greatest potential. It is NEVER too late to start these strategies!
BRAIN SCIENCE: Multitasking, doing more than one thing at a time, reduces the effectiveness of brain power and results in taking a longer time to complete work and a lower-level product. In other words, listening to music, texting/emailing friends, or checking social media while doing homework takes you longer to complete the work and you don't do as well as you might have otherwise.
EXTRA TIP: Have all the technology recharge in a common area beginning at a certain time each night so kids don't stay up late each night texting, emailing, checking social media, etc. The National Sleep Foundation recommends preschoolers get 10-13 hours of sleep each night, school age children 9 - 11 hours, and teens 8-10 hours. (https://sleepfoundation.org/sites/default/files/STREPchanges_1.png)
Home Study Area:
Decide with children, and increase as they age and mature:
Parents need to continue providing oversight as children go through school. Maintain/initiate communication, as appropriate and necessary, with:
Implement 1-2 new procedures at a time. Once everyone is used to the new procedures, then add more in.
It takes time and patience to get everything working the way you'll want it to.
Key Points to Remember:
Thanks for taking this class! If you found the information to be helpful, I'd really appreciate your posting a positive review. And don't forget to let me know if you have any questions or concerns.
Dr. Susie Wolbe was a classroom teacher in both public and private schools before serving as K-8 principal in a private school for fourteen years. She has a B.S. and M.S. in Elementary Education, holds an Ed.D. in Educational Supervision with a Concentration in Curriculum and Instruction, is a Certified Academic Language Therapist, and is certified as a Mindful Schools instructor. She currently works with adults and children in both group and individual settings and is a continuing education provider for the state of Texas (CPE# 902209).
Dr. Wolbe has used mindfulness strategies to learn how to manage life’s sometimes-overwhelming demands. She is now committed to helping other people do the same, especially as it applies to students, educators, and parents. Beyond the classroom, Dr. Wolbe has manufactured children’s clothing and holds a real estate broker’s license. She and her husband have five children and seven grandchildren.
D. Wolbe is the author of The Empowered Teacher: Proven Tips for Classroom Success and PROTECT PROJECT EMPOWER.


Of all the subjects in school, science is the most creative. Creative Science workshops offer an extraordinary strategy of engaging young minds with the wealth of science and assisting them to understand clearly the world around them. It awakens the innate creativity of the students.
- To provide straightforward picture of present and possible depiction of happenings together their consequences and the related options and risks in the learning crossroads of mathematics and science; as well as pre-school creativity to include also early primary education years up to 8-year old pupils; and
- To change the knowledge produced via channel into a solid concrete contribution to instruction given to staff of preschool and teachers of the primary school to empower in the exploitation of their possible creativity they acquired from early learning of science and mathematics.
Science Creative Workshops
During summer time, kids have to acquire new skills and activities. It is the right time for kids to know something new. So many schools and centers organized workshops for kids to explore their creative side. These science based workshops assist young minds to become masters in the area of science.
Some interesting topics
- Amazing science for kids
Learn all kinds of amazing science facts about the weather, wild animals, highly radioactive metals, odorous flowers and more. Get the most from kids’ activities as well as unique images, extraordinary trivia, cool videos and others. You have free access to resources used by teachers that provide parents and children to explore the amazing world of science.
- Robots for kids
Robotic topics are so interesting such as artificial intelligence and the total circuits. Enjoy videos and pictures of the coolest robots around. For more activities, there are lesson plans and worksheets for teachers. Parents are provided ideas and a whole host of free teaching resources for anyone interested in learning about robots and science online.
- Technology for kids
All kids love computers, cell phones, engineering and all kinds of interesting technology topics. Activities for children are integrated in the lesson plans for teachers with ideas disseminated for parents. Free teaching resources are given to anyone interested in technology and learning about science online.
- Weather for kids
Climate change is the challenge. Young minds should be keen about clouds, rain, wind, snow and all kinds of interesting weather topics. Activities are not only for kids but there are plenty of lesson plans and worksheets for teachers. Parents too are given ideas plus whole host of free teaching resources for anyone interested in the science subject of weather.
Benefits for those attending science workshops
- Sharpen skills to learn new ideas and approaches to science and math.
- Meet experts and influencers face-to-face.
- Grow in an entirely new space.
- Network to mix and mingle with others.
- Explore new ways of working.
- Break out of your comfort zone.
- Get greater focus on important matters.
- Absorb the energy of like-minded individuals.
- Get access to pre-conference workshops:
- Have fun!
Attending a creative science workshop is a good way to entertain your child and to learn about science and maths. But the benefits also include your own to get wider perspective on how your life is effective by science.


Free Education Montreal’s mandate is based on principles of social justice and stems from Article 26 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which states in part:
(1) Everyone has the right to education. Education shall be free, at least in the elementary and fundamental stages. Elementary education shall be compulsory. Technical and professional education shall be made generally available and higher education shall be equally accessible to all on the basis of merit.
(2) Education shall be directed to the full development of the human personality and to the strengthening of respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms.
Although the Declaration insists on free education primarily at the elementary levels, it is impossible to make higher education equally accessible to all without eliminating fees for education at all levels. It is also impossible for education to be geared towards the full development of the human personality if less wealthy students must choose their course of study based on the burdens of poverty and the need to pay back student debt.
Free education benefits not just young people, but all members of society, as it fosters innovative, creative and unbiased research of benefit to everyone, as well as students who leave their institutions not just with new skills, but as critical thinkers with a fuller understanding of humanity and their role in society.
What do we mean by ‘free‘?
Learn, teach and research creatively:
Everyone should have free access to high quality education and lifelong learning. Educators and researchers should have resources, institutional support and academic freedom.
Study for educational fulfilment:
Everyone should have the freedom to pursue education for personal growth and the common good.
Govern our educational institutions:
Educational institutions should be governed by those who study and work there in cooperation with the community.
Students should be able to pursue their studies without the physical and emotional burdens of poverty and debt.
Students should be able to pursue their studies in an environment free from excessive marketing and profiteering on textbooks and class materials, foods, etc., and advertising on the university campus. Students, researchers and educators should be free from profit-driven influence on grants, funding.
Students, researchers and educators should be free from corporate interference in governance, academic and student life.
Our purpose and objectives
The purpose of Free Education Montreal is to encourage students and other community members in the Montreal area to think critically and hopefully about education and the role and responsibility of educators and students, as well as tosupport and bring together student and other community groups fighting the rising costs and deterioration of education.
Our short-term goals are to prevent further tuition and fee increases and profit-driven influences at our educational institutions in Quebec, and to have more accessible grants and supports for students, greater transparency in our educational institutions’ budgets and participation in their governance.
Our long-term goals are to eliminate tuition and fees in educational institutions and increase the quality of education through public re-investment in and the democratization of Canada and Quebec’s education system, as well as to strengthen educational institutions’ positive impact on social justice through research, teaching, and community involvement. In the pursuit of this goal, we will join with other groups across Canada and throughout the world fighting for social justice, equality of opportunity and properly-funded networks of public goods and support them in their work whenever possible.
Who We Are
We are a group of students, researchers, professionals, artists, parents, workers and community members who believe that education is a societal right and responsibility, not a business. We are open to people of all linguistic backgrounds, and to those who may not prioritize the abolition of tuition but oppose the immediate program of increases planned by the Quebec government.
We came together in June 2009, when Concordia University’s Board of Governors decided to increase tuition for international students once again and without notice, resulting in great hardship for many of our fellow students. As a response, members of the Concordia Graduate Students’ Association called for help to students across Montreal – CEGEP and University, anglophone and francophone, graduate and undergraduate, including the Concordia Student Union (for undergraduates), the Association for Solidarity among Student Unions (ASSÉ) and the Quebec Federation of University Students (FEUQ) – to demonstrate outside Concordia’s Board of Governors meeting. We then formed Montreal Students Against Tuition Increases (MSATI), which became known as Free Education Montreal (FEM) in January 2010. Since then we have been working to expand our membership to include other educational institutions and community members in Montreal.


Bibliographic Information: Hank Green’s SciShow. Why Do Dogs Pant? 2014.
Panting is the main way that dogs release heat from their bodies. Humans do this by sweating; dogs only have sweat glands on the pads of their paws. Dog tongues are wide and flat, giving them a larger surface area for saliva to evaporate off of, removing heat quickly. This does dehydrate them, so on hot days dogs need lots of water that they can use up.
Quantitative Reading Level: Flesch-Kincaid Reading Ease: 77.9
Qualitative Reading Analysis:
This video is presented mainly in second-person, focusing on why dogs pant and the scientific reasoning behind it. The media is 3rd grade level.
Content Area: Science-Biology
Content Area Standard:
- CCSS for Literature for K-5: #1 Ask and answer questions to demonstrate understanding of a text, referring explicitly to the text as the basis for the answers; #4 Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, distinguishing literal from nonliteral language; #7 Explain how specific aspects of a text’s illustrations contribute to what is conveyed by the words in a story; #10 Read and comprehend literature in grade level text complexity range.
- CCSS for Informational Text for K-5: #2 Determine the main idea of a text; recount the key details and explain how they support the main idea; #4 Determine the meaning of general academic and domain-specific words and phrases in a text relevant to a grade 3 topic or subject area; #7 Use information gained from illustrations (e.g., maps, photographs) and the words in a text to demonstrate understanding of the text (e.g., where, when, why, and how key events occur).
- CCSS for Foundational Skills for K-5: #3 Know and apply grade-level phonics and word analysis skills in decoding words both in isolation and in text; #4 Read with sufficient accuracy and fluency to support comprehension.
This is a great short video to use in Science Curriculum. It is best suited to 2nd grade through 5th grade. It explores dog biology.
Supporting Digital Content:


Do we ‘read’ or ‘speak’ music? And what does the answer mean for transmitting knowledge in general?
In the July 2017 issue of the British Journal of Music Education (BJME), co-editor Martin Fautley’s editorial focuses on musical notation: when, why, and how it should be taught. Reviewing previous BJME articles, Fautley separates the argument into:
teachers who believe western classical stave notation should be taught on its own, both in advance of and in isolation from any other musical activity; and
teachers who expect there to first be a need to acquire this knowledge, who believe that acquiring it in isolation is not useful.
Fautley points out that being able to ‘read’ but not ‘speak’ the notes – that is, to be able to say what the names of the notes are on the page but not what song they become – leads to the music’s meaning being lost.
Some feel the notational system is anachronistic, despite its prevalence in learning systems around the world. Others feel music education should include understanding and appreciation of culture from prior generations. And, of course, for there to be understanding, “representations cannot be arbitrary” – there needs to be agreed-upon standards so people can communicate with one another.
Musical notation here is therefore a case study for knowledge in general: how can and should information be transmitted, to be best understood by the widest number of people? It’s a question that resounds far beyond musical teaching.
For the full editorial, please click here.


Promoting English and literacy is at the heart of everything we do.
Our teachers develop pupil’s spoken language, reading, writing and vocabulary as integral aspects of the teaching of every subject. English is both a subject in its own right and the medium for teaching; for pupils, understanding the language provides access to the whole curriculum. Fluency in the English language is an essential foundation for success in all subjects.
We believe that language is at the centre of children’s learning. In both spoken and written form, it is the tool for the communication of idea, the medium by which we think and the means through which we establish relationships. Language is the gateway to other subjects and is learnt indirectly through all subjects as well as through direct teaching and learning during explicit literacy lessons. We have high expectations of all children and regularly assess pupils’ literacy development in order to tailor work to the needs of both groups and individuals.
The staff are committed to promoting language development as one of the school’s main priorities. Every teacher promotes and supports progression of children’s talking, listening, reading, writing and thinking skills in a variety of meaningful contexts in all curricular areas.
Below you can look at overviews describing which high quality books each class will read and study at different points of the year - this ensures that pupils are exposed to books that will help to develop their understanding as well as their love of literature. The broad topic (the genre or text type) is identified in each case too.
To ensure that essential grammar, punctuation and spelling skills are introduced at the appropriate stage in each pupils' development, we have devised the following two documents. If you are unsure of the meaning of any of the terms, the link below the two documents (for the National Curriculum) has a very helpful glossary of literacy terms on page 80.
You can read more about the content of the various class's literacy lessons by clicking on the links below which take you to the curriculum letters page for each class; these documents help to describe the type of activities that the pupils will engage in to develop their English skills and knowledge.
Read More About Our Approaches to Literacy and Phonics Teaching
Below you can read more about our literacy philosophy; our approach to phonics instruction; how we ensure that literacy and English skills are practised across the whole curriculum; and how we work with parents to ensure that pupils are reading regularly and happily at home.


Learning, the Write Way
To become better beginning readers, children have to write in every
That is the implicit message in a study published in the March issue of the journal Educational Leadership. As part of a decadelong study on children's literacy development that began in 1990, researchers David K. Dickinson and Lori Lyman DiGisi have been sitting in on the 1st grade classrooms of 69 children--most of whom come from poor families--in 11 school districts in the greater Boston area.
In addition to observing the children's classroom environments, the pair tested the students' reading and spelling skills. The 1st graders who performed best on the tests, the researchers found, came from classrooms in which teachers had integrated writing into a range of activities, from journal writing to science experiments and math lessons.
"It's less common to find writing connected to social studies or science, but it was really the single best indicator of student achievement," says Mr. Dickinson, a senior research scientist at the Education Development Center Inc., a research group in Newton, Mass. Getting experience in writing across the curriculum was even more important, the authors found, than whether students used basal readers or were drilled in phonics.
But Mr. Dickinson said his study shouldn't be viewed as favoring one side or another in the debate over the best way to teach reading. That long-running debate has centered on whether to emphasize teaching children to link letters to their correspondent sounds or to immerse them in reading and writing and thus more naturally ignite a desire to learn to decipher. The findings, the researchers say, argue for a balanced approach to teaching reading and for more science and social studies in primary-grade classrooms that may be too narrowly focused on teaching basic math and reading skills.
"While there is little doubt that children need to learn how to connect sounds to symbols, and that phonics helps some children make this vital connection," the researchers write, "it also is imperative that children have reasons to use print."
The 'Need' To Cheat
Middle school students are more likely to cheat if they believe that their schools stress grades and performance over learning, a study concludes.
Psychologist Eric M. Anderman and graduate students Tripp Griesinger and Gloria Westerfield, all of the University of Kentucky, explored the motivations for cheating of 285 science students at an unidentified middle school in the Southeast.
They found that students who reported that they cheated--and who believed that cheating was acceptable--tended to:
- Worry about school;
- Perceive their school as focused on grades and ability;
- Believe that they will get a reward for doing well in class, such as getting out of homework;
- Blame their failures on others or on outside circumstances; and
- Avoid trying different ways to solve a problem or otherwise thinking too deeply about schoolwork.
The results, the authors say, suggest that middle schools can reduce cheating by decreasing the perceived need to cheat. Middle schools should focus more on the intrinsic rewards of learning and less on tests, grades, and ability, according to the researchers.
"Typically, I think, when kids get to the middle school, the environment immediately becomes an environment of testing and ability grouping. But middle schools can make that transition less of a tumultuous time for kids," says Mr. Anderman, an assistant professor of education and counseling psychology at the university's campus in Lexington. Tests, for example, could be graded to reflect effort and improvement as well as performance, he says.
The study appeared in the March edition of the Journal of Educational Psychology.
--DEBRA VIADERO email@example.com


When I saw that the National Association for the Education of the Young Child (NAEYC) endorsed the National Science Teacher Association's (NSTA) position statement on early childhood science education, my interest was piqued. I respect both of these organizations and the work they do. I find a lot of comfort in NAEYC's commitment to developmentally-appropriate practices and I know that NSTA is wholeheartedly committed to making science education both important and accessible to people across the country. And when I read the NSTA's statement I was equally excited and terrified.
I was very excited to read NSTA's remarks about the underestimated abilities of our youngest scientists and preschool engineers out there:
"Current research indicates that young children have the capacity for constructing conceptual learning and the ability to use the practices of reasoning and inquiry (NRC 2007, 2012). Many adults, including educators, tend to underestimate children’s capacity to learn science core ideas and practices in the early years and fail to provide the opportunities and experiences for them to foster science skills and build conceptual understanding (NRC 2007, p. vii)."Indeed, given the time and space, I have watched my now two year old perform little acts of science discovery. Just today she picked up a stick, threw it in a river and exclaimed, "it floats!" In that small act of childhood play she demonstrated the curiosity that must exist for science learning to happen. She performed an experiment when she threw the stick into the water and she made a little observation that it floated. Had I the time and interest in having her round out her science learning, I would have brought along a notebook where we put sticker pictures of things that floated on one page and sticker pictures of things that didn't float on another page but I am not that mom. Her play is enough and I choose very carefully when I intervene.
My four year old son, on the other hand, probably would like completing the entire scientific method (which is what we called science inquiry in the old days). Stickers work for him but he really likes to draw pictures of his science ideas...but his drawings appear pretty nonsensical to me. Taking pictures would be a more "reliable" record for him to share with his friends or family or even using his audio recording device might work, too. Even so, I feel extremely cautious about imposing a lesson plan on a four year old. Again, I consider his play enough. When he suggests recording his findings then we will proceed from there.
Which brings me to the part of the position statement that I simultaneously liked and disliked. They say:
"Adults play a central and important role in helping young children learn science."
"Young children develop science skills and knowledge in both formal and informal
settings."As parents and teachers and other caregivers, we provide the opportunities for our preschool engineers to develop their pre-STEM learning. But I truly believe that those opportunities need to be exclusively play... Sure, play in different places with different materials using different tools, but it needs to be independent child-centered play. No judging, no right or wrong, no assessing...just good old fashioned play.
Luckily, the NSTA statement continues with the following, play-centric declarations about the future of early childhood science education:
NSTA recommends that teachers and other education providers who support children’s learning in any early childhood setting should
• understand that science experiences are already a part of what young children encounter
every day through play and interactions with others, but that teachers and other education
providers need to provide a learning environment that encourages children to ask
questions, plan investigations, and record and discuss findings;
• tap into, guide, and focus children’s natural interests and abilities through carefully
planned open-ended, inquiry-based explorations;
• provide numerous opportunities every day for young children to engage in science
inquiry and learning by intentionally designing a rich, positive, and safe environment for
exploration and discovery;"
So you can see why I feel ambivalent about the statement. I LOVE that "inquiry," "exploration," and "open-ended" recur throughout the statement. I feel nervous about the possibility that Kindergarten and first grade expectations will be pushed onto day cares and places of early childhood learning and that someone is going to start assessing preschool students and their teachers. But at the end of the day, I am excited that NSTA, NAEYC and many others are beginning to see the STEM learning in early childhood play.


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Transcript of Basic Education-Philosophy
Based on the new implementing curriculum, it is composed of one year Kinder (pre-elementary education), six years in elementary and another six years in high school.
Mainly, these institutions are handled and managed by the Department of Education. Basic Education ESSENTIALISM "No Child Left Behind Act"
Schools that use the essentialism philosophy encourage academic competition. This type of educational approach tends to create longer academic days, school years, and the need for challenging textbooks.
The students are taught factual information
Both the teacher and the administrators decide what is best for the student. This creates an atmosphere where students do not expand their minds creatively.
Teacher is the center of the instruction. PERENNIALISM Stimulates thought provoking discussions from different topics presented to the student.
Students' input is important.
The educator was responsible for teaching principals not facts. Their goal was to open the students mind to scientific reasoning, and that factual information may be proven false.
This will help the individual thinker in each student blossom.
PROGRESSIVISM This is the first philosophical approach that takes into consideration the three learning types (auditory, visual and kinesthetic learners) of students.
You can see thought provoking games, books, manipulative objects, experimentation and social interaction between the students of a progressive classroom.
Uses field trips outside of the classroom
By using this approach our schools systems take into consideration the abilities of the whole student population. This approach is suitable for the diverse population of students that attend today's schools Basic Education is an "essential education". It is a formal education deemed necessary for somebody to function properly in society. THERE ARE FIVE KEY EDUCATIONAL PHILOSOPHIES EXISTENTIALISM "not just the mind that needed to be educated, but the whole person."-A.S. Neill, J.P. Sarte, S. Kierkegaard, and F. Nietzche
An existentialism school didn't enforce formal education. Instead it nurtured the creativity, and individuality of the student.
Children would be given a variety of subjects to choose from.
The student pursued the subject of their choice, learning method, and worked at their own pace. They received one-on-one guidance from their teacher. BEHAVIORISM It may be used to change negative behavior.
The student may not earn a point for that day if they use an inappropriate manner. On the other hand a teacher may reward the class with stickers for doing a good job.
Motivating a student.
There are many different forms of philosophy used in our education system today. It is not unusual to see more than one philosophy incorporated in a school or classroom setting. Basic Education offers a constant changing curriculum. This is to make sure that education follows the trends of a changing world but still education must be inclined with its roots for success and those roots will definitely be... PHILOSOPHY Mrs. Forever Lee Saniel-Sombillo
Reporter Thank you for listening!


Every day, American young people spend more than four hours watching television, DVDs or videos; one hour using a computer; and 49 minutes playing video games. In many cases, youths are engaged in two or more of these activities at the same time. Little wonder this era has become known as the "digital age," and Americans born after 1980 have become known as "digital natives."
Yet it might be equally accurate to refer to the current era as a visual age. Although many digital tools rely on sound and text, most disseminate images, and youths who spend a third of their waking hours in front of a screen are saturated with images. The ubiquity of images in young people's lives has transformed the way they learn and perceive the world. And their use of images has created a demand for new skills to enable all young people to make sense of the visual world.
The predominance of visual images and demand for new abilities has also transformed the workplace. In the "flat" world that the journalist Thomas L. Friedman describes in his influential book, The World Is Flat, aesthetics and creativity are just as important as technical knowledge in the new economy. "The secret sauce comes from our ability to integrate art, music, and literature with the hard sciences," Friedman says. "That's what produces an iPod Revolution or a Google. Integration is the new specialty. That is what we need to prepare our children to be doing."
These transformations place a premium on the types of abilities visual arts educators develop: visual-spatial abilities, reflection, and experimentation. They suggest that schools and their community partners need to strengthen visual arts education as a content area and to integrate the arts into other areas of learning to ensure that all young people become knowledgeable and skillful in the visual age.
Yet in a short-sighted effort to help make children competitive in a global economy, many schools have reduced visual arts instruction in favor of a greater emphasis on mathematics and science. These actions in some cases have resulted from accountability policies that measure school performance on a narrow set of abilities
This report is the result of a year-long -- and ongoing -- conversation within NAEA that included discussions in board meetings, conversations with Association members, and a three-day summit of leading educators from across the nation (held in August 2008 in Aspen, Colorado). This document examines evidence about the capacities that art education develops in students and what it can prepare them to do. It explores what high-quality instruction looks like and takes a look at some environments in schools and in other settings in which excellent visual arts instruction takes place. The report concludes with recommendations for federal policy makers that will strengthen visual arts education to help ensure that all young people can thrive in the visual age.
This web page is marked up with Schema.org microdata. Much of the necessary microdata is embedded within the HTML that creates the display you see above. The data that shows below is formatted for machine-reading and rounds out the complete descriptive set for this resource. Want more info about all of this? Go here. You can also view the complete dataset for this resource the way a machine sees it here .
Title: Learning in a Visual Age: The Critical Importance of Arts Education
Publication date 2010-04-10
Publication Year 2010
National Art Education Association
North America / United States
, visual arts
, arts instruction
, studies in art
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R’s Early Literacy Development
R has been showing an interest in books lately and I can begin to see her put her finger under each word, mimicking reading (I call it “play read”). I think it is a wonderful time to explore how I can develop this further and also hopefully connect with others who have similar experiences. Basically, we started out looking through Jolly Phonics at 15 months. We picked up the pace of doing it everyday at around 18 months and at 25 months, she knows all the letter sounds (42) in English but has not shown an interest or ready-ness to blend or pick out other letter sounds away from the books such as signs around her.
I am curious to know when they will be ready (although I know each child is different)- or what the average age onset is for blending. I remember the literature that I have read puts it at 3. I was hoping that since we have gone through the letter sounds, maybe she would progress onto blending but no. She’s just not ready yet.
Early Literacy is not about Reading Early
Early literacy skills are developed during the preschool years and do not necessarily equate to “reading at an earlier age”.
The skills that are focused on include *:
- Phonological awareness- understanding the different sounds, that words have syllables and phonemes (42+ in the English language)
- Alphabet knowledge- recognising the 26 letters and knowing their names
- Letter writing- knowing how to write letters
- Print knowledge- includes decoding and alphabet recognition
- Oral language- spoken language, grammar and vocabulary
Before my current occupation, I was a literacy instructor and studying to qualify for a mid-career change in Speech Language Pathology. So I’ve always had an interest in speech and learning and literacy was one of my pet subjects. When I became a mum myself, I thought that I would just try (very casually with not much expectations) teaching R what I taught other kids using this really popular phonics system known as Jolly Phonics.
Jolly Phonics started in the UK and is used by the majority of schools there as its literacy programme. It is also popular in Australia and I personally decided on using this system as I was very impressed by the pedagogy and accessibility of it as a trainer learning it.
Basically the system is about teaching that letters (alphabets) have their equivalent sounds. You do not learn the names of the letters but its sound. Each letter has an accompanying action which is part of a story and this is really fun for younger kids like mine.
Jolly Phonics in a nutshell:
- learn an action to accompany each letter sound
- begin with the most commonly used letters in English, including vowels
- teach lowercase letters first
- 7 groups of letter sounds – making it a total of 42 that represent the main sounds in English
- children can start blending simple (putting words together) after they have done the 1st book
- covers tricky words – words that cannot be decoded by how they have learnt to read the others (meaning they cannot apply the code)
- learn letter formation by the supplementary materials
*Barbara Goodson and Carolyn Layzer, Abt Associates, with Peggy Simon and Chris Dwyer, RMC Research Corporation. Early Beginnings: Early Literacy Knowledge and Instruction. National Institute of Literacy. 2009.(https://www.nichd.nih.gov/publications/pubs/documents/NELPEarlyBeginnings09.pdf


Historically, STEM fields (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) have shown to be less appealing to girls and women. In an attempt to appeal directly to females learning the science of circuits, Utah State University added a new soft circuits lab involving sewing circuits using conductive thread. Building upon the work of the Georgia Tech computing camps, attitude changes due to this soft circuits lab were studied. A Utah State University physics course for elementary education majors comprised the test group. The test group was largely comprised of females, who as a whole showed a significant positive response to building circuits through craft activities.
McKinnon, Darren, "Soft Circuits: Improving Attitudes Toward Circuits Through Crafternoons" (2014). Physics Capstone Project. Paper 6.


Verbal, Non-Verbal and Media Communications Graduate Teaching Assistant, Sarah Cress Art Ed 4273
MoStep Madness Agenda…• Xtranormal Video – Go Jim!!• Sketchbook Prompt• Sketchbook Discussion• Something to Consider?• MoStep Seven, Can I Have a Volunteer?• Non Verbal Communication• Break• Verbal Communication• Media Communication• Consideration of All Participants• Fostering Good Communication Skills Among Our Students• Issues Inherent in the Art Classroom Space
Sketchbook Prompt… Create a list detailing the manners in which your instructor communicates with you, verbally, non-verbally and utilizing media. Create a second list detailing the manners in which you personally have communicated with your students during internship verbally, non-verbally and utilizing media.
Something to Consider?... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jXytQOkNaq4
MoStep Seven…• 1.2.7 The preservice teacher models effective verbal, nonverbal, and media communication techniques to foster active inquiry, collaboration, and supportive interaction in the classroom.• Performance Indicators: The preservice teacher – 22.214.171.124 models effective verbal/non-verbal communication skills; – 126.96.36.199 demonstrates sensitivity to cultural, gender, intellectual, and physical ability differences in classroom communication and in responses to students communications; – 188.8.131.52 supports and expands learner expression in speaking, writing, listening, and other media; – 184.108.40.206 uses a variety of media communication tools.
MoStep Seven Rubric…The pre-service teacher uses clear and articulate verbal, nonverbal and media communication tools in all interactions with students, parents, colleagues and the community. The candidate demonstrates exemplary communication tools and techniques to support the learner’s development of effective communication skills and to foster active inquiry, collaboration, and supportive interaction in the classroom. Use of communication/media technology is appropriate and varied.
Non-Verbal Communication…• Begins with an attitude• How one dresses and composes oneself• Posture• Enthusiasm• Energy level• Hand gestures• Eye contact• Body movement
What are We Communicating Right Now?? Split up into pairs, choosing a partner that you know and trust. Once situated, your pair will be provided two storybooks. Find a private space in which the two of you can take turns reading a storybook to one another. While one partner reads, the other must study their every move. Using the components covered previously, make notes regarding your partner’s non-verbal communication.
Additional Non-Verbal Tactics…• Organization of lessons and sequence• Organization of classroom space• Your treatment of classroom materials and resources• Your interactions with other teachers• Your interactions with visitors that come into the room• Your interactions with other students
Reading Our Students’ Non-Verbal Communication… • Welcome each student at the door • Digest the student’s appearance…is it out of the ordinary? • Observe their general demeanor • Observe their reactions to you • Observe their reactions to others • If you feel the need to address concerns, do so privately
Verbal Communication…• Demeanor• Vocal range/volume• Use of voice to control student response• Vocal speed• Use of proper language• The avoidance of the almighty “UMMMM…”• Confidence in material• Emphasis when needed• Visual aides that communicate verbally
How Have You Grown Personally? Thinking back to those first few microteaching experiences, consider your own personal goals for improving your presentation style. How have you addressed those concerns in internship? Have you noticed improvements? How so?
Media Communication…• Print materials• Web presence• Email correspondence• Phone conversations• Your own art making
Consideration of All Participants…Consider how you communicate with:• Students• Fellow teachers• Administrators• Parents• Community membersConsider how you communicate during:• Parent teacher conferences• Committee meetings• Staff meetings• Community meetings• Board meetings
Fostering Good Communication Skills in Our Students… Within pairs, consider some exercises that you would employ to help foster good communication skills among your students.
Issues Inherent in Art Education… • Sketchbook entries • Mature topics • Questions that may throw you for a loop • Feeling of insecurity How would you react as teacher?
Artifact Brainstorm…Artifact Brainstorm… Now, let’s brainstorm some ways we can demonstrate our newfound knowledge.