TAMPA, Florida (WFLA) -- Could piano lessons help stop the aging process? Researchers at the University of South Florida say learning to play the piano could be a key component to preserving brain power as we age.
"We are examining stress levels and cognitive performance," said Dr. Jennifer Bugos of USF's Music Education department.
Bugos is working alongside USF's School of Communication Sciences to see how cortisol levels, brain activity, memory and musical aptitude can change after intense training.
Researches grouped participants by age looking at young and old alike.
"I'm 80 years old and I said to myself, I better jump on this," said Rodger Menke who's participating in the study.


A Theme-Based Yearlong Curriculum
All lesson plans © Debi West, Ed.S, NBCT
During one recent school year, my student artists looked at indigenous art from the seven continents. When I began to write this theme-based, yearlong curriculum, I thought about how to make it “work” with their other disciplines to really enhance student learning.
While I always enjoy seeing my students make the “connection,” I also like to keep art for art’s sake. This curriculum I am sharing allows for both. As students “travel” the planet, they’ll see artworks that document our world’s history and, ultimately, this experience will help them better understand who they are.
This multicultural approach to teaching the visual arts is exciting in that every student will have the opportunity to create seven pieces of art while being inspired by art from across the world.
During the school year, I teach approximately 1,100 students, and only am able to see my students for 22 class periods lasting 45 minutes. So, it can be done! The key is early planning and organization.
This series of lessons will aid you in your planning of a yearlong curriculum with an overarching theme. It is my hope that you will springboard off this to create a wonderful art-learning environment for your students.
I have been writing and teaching theme-based, yearlong curricula for 12 years now, and I believe it helps students better understand the art they are creating. It also helps in the planning of your “end-of-the-year” student art exhibit, and is easily followed by the VIPs you invite to this event, such as your local school-board members, legislators, superintendent, parents and the community as a whole.
At the exhibit, the community has the opportunity to see student artworks in themed installations, complete with students’ written reflections and information researched by classes. The students are always so excited to have the opportunity to talk about their art, and that is so much more powerful than simply another pretty picture hanging on a school wall! This curriculum gives art education meaning!
My goal as an art educator is to get my students to think! This happens when they listen, when they look and when they are allowed to question the “whys” of art, as they are being inspired to create their own individual or collaborative pieces.
Creativity, technical skills, art vocabulary, critical-thinking skills—these are all extremely important elements to creating a successful and meaningful curriculum. Sticking with one theme throughout the school year enhances these elements, and the ultimate indicator of success is that the kids “get it.” Students are able to talk about their art and, in the case of the “eARTh ... it’s got ART” curriculum, they can talk about our world, the continents and the different countries they “visited” via PowerPoint presentations and the Web.
They can also make connections to other disciplines so much better due to this hands-on experience. During the coming issues of Arts & Activities, look for the following units: North America; South America; Asia; Africa; Australia; Europe; Antarctica; and a “how-to” guide to planning an end-of-the-year student art exhibit.
Each unit will have a grade-specific, in-depth lesson based on either a country or an element from the featured continent, along with a quick bulleted list of the other grade levels’ lessons, and there will be a number of visual images for you to look to for inspiration.
One other unique feature included in these articles will be my Rhythm-ongs*. These are brain-based rhymes or songs I write to go with each lesson. This is just one more way for students to learn and remember the art facts we are exposing them to. Through hands-on, theme-based curricula and Rhythm-ongs, I guarantee you will enjoy bringing these ideas to your students and watching them make new meaning out of their art class experience!
Painting, drawing, collage, sculpture, still life, markers, printing techniques, crayons, oil pastel, mixed media and more ... students learn how to properly use these materials to create their own masterpieces. They already have the creativity inside them, it is our job to teach them about the planet, about who they are and how they can create the best art they can. Every one of our students should leave our art rooms proud of their accomplishments. There is nothing they can’t do ... through the ARTS!
I hope you enjoy this series of theme-based lessons. See you next month!
Arts & Activities is a publication of Publishers Development Corporation.


(Via Chris Foley)
Yet another study supporting strong music education benefits has been produced this summer by the NAMM foundation. (There’s also a good summary here.)
Many current music education studies are pointing to strong correlations between better academic performance and some kind of musical study. What is interesting here is the emphasis on instrumental study. If you read the article carefully you will note how much better students perform in English and mathematics when they are participating in “top-quality instrumental programs”.
Well, what does “top-quality” mean when it refers to an instrumental program? Here are a few attributes that come to mind for me (I am leaving out choral programs on purpose for now):
--Dedicated, talented, and knowledgeable teachers and directors who can communicate well with students and display a passion for artistic integrity.
--A well-supported budget that can attract those high-level candidates from the music education community.
--Good choices of repertoire and programming that promote musicality and knowledge of many styles.
--A variety of ensembles including orchestra, band, jazz band, etc.
--Standards of proficiency on all the instruments involved in the program. (Often the schools with good music programs will be able to supply qualified private teachers to students at the school.)
--Accomplished performances that convince administrators, colleagues, and the public that students are growing and improving in their study of music.
Other educators would be able to list many more positive attributes than this, but it’s a start. The important point that I get from the article is how the quality of the musical training really plays a role in getting the maximum benefits. It is clear that standards in music education are absolutely necessary for the general health of a given student body, but there are no specific standards set for music education by the No Child Left Behind Act. High standards and expectations should apply not just to the students but also to teachers/directors and the program itself. Lower standards in music education might even unintentionally undermine other parts of the curriculum. (Note in the article how “deficient” music programs are related to poorer general academic performance.)
While this is an article with a positive viewpoint, it is unfortunate that the American educational system is cutting arts programs or allowing them to stagnate. (See a recent report on arts education in California as well a 2004 statement by the Department of Education.) Hopefully those of us who are involved in music education can help spread better awareness of the need for good school music programs in the US. That’s all I’m trying to do with this commentary on the subject.
Update 7/15/07: See also Jason Heath's post on this study, then check out his terrific related post on Hard-Wiring the Musical Mind.
Monday, July 2, 2007
(Via Chris Foley)


The International Association for Jazz Education originally started in 1968. Located in Manhattan, Kansas, many believe that it got its start in a smaller area of Kansas. The organization was known by the name of the National Association for Jazz Education and went by the acronym NAJE from 1968 until 1989 when it changed its name officially to the International Association for Jazz Education.
The International Association for Jazz Education or IAJE originally focused their attention on the United States. By the end they had over 8,000 members worldwide and at least 40 countries represented in their ranks. The purpose or mission of the association was to spread the word of jazz through outreach programs. They also focused on educating others about jazz in the hopes of helping the music grow and develop.
The group was entirely voluntary, with members volunteering to hold the more important seats and they were also listed as a non-profit organization. They ran programs throughout the year, which were used as a way to show the history and heritage of jazz, as well as help others learn how to appreciate the music. They also worked with educators by helping them determine the appropriate curriculum and setup performances in their school.
The International Association for Jazz Education also worked with students interested in jazz music and artists working in the jazz genre. They provided information and helped those interested in a number of ways. They also gave those interested the appropriate resources when needed. Every year in January they held their annual conference, which was known throughout the world. This conference used performances and workshops as a way of helping spread the word of jazz music.
Organizations similar to the IAJE include:
The IAJE no longer exists, but the above organizations work on the same goals that they once had. The National Association for Music Education also works with educators, students and artists, but on all types of music and not just one specific genre. The closing of the organization came as a shock to many.
On January 9, 2008 the IAJE held their 35th annual conference, which took place in Toronto, Canada. The conference was a huge success and members looked forward to the next event. Instead the IAJE shut down on April 18 of that same year. They closed their office and announced that they were filing for bankruptcy. Not long after, they filed Chapter 7 and announced that all upcoming events were gone from the schedule. As of March 15, 2009 the organization no longer exists. Former members claimed that the organization lost money on their last conference and were no longer receiving donations, which led to the closing. There are still many who miss the organization today.


School populations will become increasingly diverse as the United States moves into the twenty-first century. As a result, multicultural education will become a high priority. Music education by virtue of its all-cultural qualities can play a large role in the teaching of cultural understanding.
Can ethnic music be taught in a sensitive manner along with the general music curriculum required by the school district and the state without displacing the European and Anglo-American music which has previously been at the heart of our curriculum? The capstone paper deals with why music can and must take a strong leadership role in multicultural education. General need for multicultural education is examined, as is the need for teaching cultural understanding and acceptance in the elementary music class.
Music educators need to have more resources available to them in the area of multicultural music. In order to more successfully include ethnic music in music classes, teachers need to be able to use these resources in the on-going curriculum. Since music is made up of general music elements, a collection of multicultural songs has been selected which can teach and reinforce specific concepts. Sample lesson plans are also included.


Students using Indigenous knowledge in video game creation to develop design thinking skills
Anderson, Neil, and Courtney, Linda (2011) Students using Indigenous knowledge in video game creation to develop design thinking skills. In: Handbook of Research on Improving Learning and Motivation Through Educational Games: Multidisciplinary Approaches. ISI Global, Hershey PA, pp. 806-819.
|Image (JPEG) (Book Cover)|
|PDF (Published Version) - Repository staff only - Requires a PDF viewer such as GSview, Xpdf or Adobe Acrobat Reader|
|PDF (Publisher Version) - Repository staff only - Requires a PDF viewer such as GSview, Xpdf or Adobe Acrobat Reader|
This chapter describes an educational intervention to introduce and develop design thinking skills with two groups of Australian Indigenous high school students in Far North Queensland and reports on the first phase of the data collection. The initial data collection involved interviewing key personnel at the two sites to gauge their perceptions about the feasibility of the project. This project represents the first time that Australian Indigenous students have participated in videogame creation with an emphasis on using Indigenous knowledge to develop design thinking skills along with literacy and numeracy skills. During the intervention, Year 10 students will be introduced to design thinking skills in the context of developing computer video games using Australian Indigenous knowledge (e.g., a simulation game involving a fictitious island in the Torres Strait).
|Item Type:||Book Chapter (Reference)|
|FoR Codes:||13 EDUCATION > 1303 Specialist Studies in Education > 130301 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Education @ 30%|
13 EDUCATION > 1303 Specialist Studies in Education > 130306 Educational Technology and Computing @ 70%
|SEO Codes:||93 EDUCATION AND TRAINING > 9302 Teaching and Instruction > 930203 Teaching and Instruction Technologies @ 100%|
|Deposited On:||06 Dec 2011 12:49|
|Last Modified:||19 Aug 2013 15:17|
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National Standards: Raising the Bar for Global Opportunity
Should the United States adopt a set of national education standards? What would they require? Who would set them? Most importantly, are standards the best method to effectively educate all students? These questions and others were addressed at a March 2 panel discussion hosted by the Program on America and the Global Economy (PAGE) with six Einstein Fellows. Kent Hughes, the Director of PAGE and moderator of the event, introduced the panelists and began by praising the breadth of their collective experience.
Arundhati Jayarao, a middle and high school chemistry and physics teacher from Virginia and fellow in the Office of Senator Kirsten Gillibrand was first to speak. Jayarao started off by asserting that "there should be no zip code attached to the education a student receives." While acknowledging that national standards can help ensure exposure and consistency in curricula, Jayarao emphasized the importance of standards primarily in elementary education. Jayaroa explained that by harnessing a child's natural curiosity early, students would continue to feel enthused about learning as they age. While Jayarao suggested that standards could help ameliorate an ever-widening achievement gap, she also expressed concern that the highest achieving students may not be sufficiently challenged by standardized education.
Echoing the potential of properly implemented national standards was Indiana high school biology and environmental science teacher, Kirk Janowiak. Janowiak, who is a fellow at the Department of Energy, also cautioned that national standards could limit curriculum innovation. Given that achievement comes more from accurate assessments than from standardized curricula, Janowiak argued that system-wide assessments tied with standards would provide better results. However, Janowiak explained that national standards still would not reach every student, and thus emphasized the importance of individual relationships among all the relevant actors and greater access to educational opportunities.
Ben Van Dusen, a high school physics teacher from Oregon then suggested that national standards would be extremely helpful for more accurate state-to-state comparison. While noting that standards would improve assessment and comparison efforts, Van Dusen, who is completing his fellowship at the National Science Foundation (NSF), also proposed that standards would benefit students by setting a core curriculum. Though Van Dusen questioned the feasibility of bringing an effective agenda, such as the International Baccalaureate program, to scale on a national level, he recommended considering it as a possible model for educational standards.
Highlighting a more technical and skills-based perspective, John Moore, a high school environmental science teacher from New Jersey, emphasized the need to always keep in mind the main purpose of educational advancement, which is to prepare our students for the workforce. Moore, also a fellow at NSF, argued that any standards should be tied to developing a skilled workforce. He argued that educators should focus on system-wide and results-driven reforms while always keeping in mind this need to adequately prepare our students for our increasingly globalized and competitive economy.
Mark Greenman, a high school physics teacher from Massachusetts and NSF fellow, thought that that the United States should begin to study and consider other educational models and standards in earnest. Coming from a district with recently implemented academic standards, Greenman thought the remarkable improvement in students' scores he had witnessed could be attributed to the framework the new standards offered. Instead of the previously scattered curriculum, Greenman's school district had a unified plan, which benefitted the students immensely. Greenman argued that standards are necessary because of the number of students who are achieving at below basic levels who could be helped by widely implemented standards.
Sarah Yue, a high school chemistry teacher from California and NSF fellow, emphasized the advantages of uniformed curriculum pacing. Noting high student mobility, Yue reasoned that by using uniformed pacing, the difficulty of transitioning between schools could be alleviated. However, she also explained that by setting a uniform pace, time for valuable geographically focused issues, such as geo-science research in California schools on earthquakes, might be lost. Yue acknowledged the limits to implementing national standards and argued that they should be used to set a floor for student achievement, but not a ceiling.
While the issue of national education standards continues to be a controversial issue, the six Einstein Fellows offered practical applications and critiques of standards. Though the panelists expressed differing opinions, they all agreed that standards would not be a panacea, but could serve as a valuable baseline for systemic educational improvement.
By Shelley Harriman
Kent Hughes, Director, Program on America and the Global Economy


Maths should be compulsory until 18, says MP report
Maths should be compulsory for all pupils up to the age of 18 - and should be taught separately from the exam system, says an MP's report.
Elizabeth Truss says maths in the UK is falling behind international competitors and more pupils need to study the subject beyond the age of 16.
She wants the changes in the way maths is taught to accompany the raising of the school leaving age to 18 in 2015.
"Urgent action" is needed to improve maths, the MP says.
The report from Ms Truss says maths is the UK's weakest subject in the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) Programme for International Student Assessment (Pisa) tests - the UK is ranked in 28th place for maths in the most recent survey.International tests
She says the UK is also unusual to have just one out of every five pupils taking maths beyond the age of 16 - as the subject is limited to those taking maths as an exam subject.
To catch up with international competitors, she proposes maths should be taught until the age of 18, in parallel with other academic and vocational exams.
Her research paper suggests maths could be taught at three different levels of difficulty.
Ms Truss, MP for South West Norfolk, believes there is a worrying lack of maths skills in the workforce.
She says social mobility is also being hampered - as pupils in private schools are more likely to take maths A-levels than their counterparts in state schools.
She says not taking maths at A-level - or not even having the option to take maths - becomes a barrier to young people who want to go on to study some science subjects at university.
"The government needs to take urgent action to address the lack of mathematics attainment in schools," she says.
"Current failings are hampering social mobility and the UK's long term competitiveness."
The report echoes the findings of a review by Prof Alison Wolf who called for teenagers without good GCSEs in maths and English to continue studying the subjects up to 18.
Head teachers' leader Brian Lightman said that numeracy skills were of "vital importance to the economy" - but there needed to be a "coherent approach" to changes to the curriculum.
"We need to look at the curriculum as a whole and not add to it incrementally," said Mr Lightman, head of the Association of School and College Leaders.
The CBI business organisation said employers needed more people with maths skills.
"The CBI has called for all young people to be encouraged to continue their maths and numeracy education post-16, to support the UK's need for highly numerate technicians and employees with strong levels of science, technology, engineering and maths skills," said James Fothergill, the CBI's head of education and skills.
"Most businesses need some employees with logical and problem-solving skills, which are grounded in the knowledge of mathematical theory.
"Effective use of statistics and probability, and the ability to do complex calculations and algebra are common currency in modern workplaces."


goodEar Scales - Ear Training
>>>>> EAR TRAINING FOR BEGINNERS TO PROS <<<<<
Professional musicians know, that having a good trained ear is one of the most important skills, a musician should have. goodEar was made to increase those skills and bring you on a new musical level!
It is made for all musicians, whether you are beginner or professional.
• 38 different scales
• All ionian scales (e.g. ionian, dorian...)
• All harmonic-minor scales (e.g. Ionian #5)
• All melodic-minor scales (e.g. Mixo #11)
• 5 Pentatonic Scales (e.g. minor pentatonic)
• 5 Hexatonic Scales (e.g. whole tone scale)
• 7 Octatonic Scales (e.g. Bebop Dominant)
• play them ascending or descending
• Create your own exercises, depending on your personal approach
• Play the exercises on piano or give the answer with multiple-choice
• Watch your progress in statistics
• Make highscores, and try to challenge yourself
goodEar was made with the knowledge of various professional musicians and teachers, for giving you high quality music education on the iPad.
- Fixed problem with user interface
- The answer buttons will now ONLY reorder, when there are more than 8 answers.
- Many fixes
Share with Others
- Last changed:
- Nov 21, 2013
- Average Rating:
- 4.50 (20)
- 16.6 MB


Primary school years
Among one of the leading priorities for the UNICEF worldwide is its commitment to ensure that every girl and every boy completes a quality, primary-school education.
The number of children attending school has gone up many-fold since the time of India’s
But several problems persist.
The environment in which India’s children live, learn and grow frustrates their attempts to have equal access to education.
Among the many contributing factors is the quality of the physical space that children inhabit.
Of India’s 700,000 rural schools, only one in six have toilets deterring children especially girls from going to school, and if enrolled, in remaining there.
In addition are cultural factors: continuing discrimination against the girl child plays a crucial role in creating resistance around sending girls to school.
The persistence of class and caste differences and the prevalence of child labour further complicate this scenario, obstructing both girls and boys from having equal opportunities to education.
Even though the rate of school attendance is better than ever before with more and more children between the ages of 6 and 14 enrolling at schools, the education system is inadequately developed - wracked by a shortage of resources, schools, classrooms and teachers.
Often, due to the resulting, poor quality of teaching, many children drop out before completing five years of primary school and many of those who stay on, learn little.
The government of India is constitutionally committed to ensuring the right of every child to basic education.
Government efforts have been intensified in recent years following the launch of various programmes including the District Primary Education Programme (DPEP) in 1992, the Minimum Levels of Learning (MLL) initiative and more recently the Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (or the National Programme for Universal Elementary Education).
UNICEF strategy is woven around three inter-linked themes: access, quality and equity in basic education.
It supports initiatives that help provide equal opportunities for children from disadvantaged communities including the urban poor and working children.
It implements a ‘quality package’ across 14 states that aims at improving the quality of curricula and classroom environment.
And, it supports alternative learning strategies including bridging courses for adolescent girls, who are out of school.


Piano Chord Calculator
1. Introduction and Sample
More of this Feature
If you are teaching people how to play the piano (or another keyboard instrument) then one thing that you will cover is chords. Now I know very little about music myself but with the kind assistance of Music Education Guide Espie Estrella I have managed to create a piano chord calculator script that allows all of the basic chords to be highlighted on a keyboard drawing on the web page either by selecting the chord to be displayed from a couple of selection lists or by entering the formula for the chord into a text input field.
With a copy of this calculator on your music education web site your students and potential students will be able to check out which key to press to get the different chords directly from your site.
Here's a complete working copy of the script:
If you would like to place a copy of this on your own music education site then just follow the instructions to install the Piano Chord Calculator script.


PDF release pending
ERIC Number: ED386423
Record Type: RIE
Publication Date: 1995
Reference Count: N/A
The Effect of the Relationship between Classroom Student Diversity and Teacher Capacity on Student Performance. Executive Summary. Conclusions and Recommendations for Educational Policy and Practice. The Strategic Management of the Classroom Learning Enterprise Research Series.
Lopez, Omar S.
This study investigated the relationship between classroom student diversity (how students differ in their attributes, educational requirements, learning styles) and teacher capacity (skills, abilities, knowledge) to student performance in Texas public schools. Teacher ethnicity and gender, class size, and classroom per pupil expenditure were explored to determine what classroom student diversity/teacher capacity combinations could be suggested to maximize overall classroom student performance for kindergarten through sixth grade. Major findings include: (1) teacher certification and written competency exams for elementary certification do not predict teacher quality in the classroom; (2) no differences in classroom student performance exist between teachers with bachelors degrees and teachers with masters degrees; (3) teacher classroom experience is the most important source of teacher capacity; (4) 6 to 7 years of classroom experience are needed to fully develop the skills and knowledge of a teacher, and teachers peak in their classroom effectiveness after 18 to 19 years of teaching; (5) students are systematically assigned to classrooms based on a teacher's tenure, e.g., novice teachers get harder classroom student assignments while more experienced teachers receive easier assignments; (6) Hispanic and African American teachers are able to maximize student performance for classrooms where the teacher's ethnicity is dominant among the classroom student population; (7) a student's socioeconomic status continues to be a major determinant of student achievement; (8) no differences in student performance have been noted among limited English proficiency, English as a Second Language, and regular classrooms; (9) no differences in student performance have been noted between inclusion and non-inclusion classrooms; and (10) a class size of 13 is recommended to maximize gains in student performance; however to expand the use of a teacher's capacity without negative effect to gains in student performance, a class size of 22 is acceptable. Recommendations for educational policy and practices are included with each finding. (ND)
Descriptors: Academic Achievement, Class Size, Classroom Research, Cultural Differences, Educational Policy, Elementary Education, Elementary School Teachers, Ethnicity, Expenditure per Student, Instructional Effectiveness, Public Schools, Sex Role, Socioeconomic Status, Teacher Effectiveness, Teacher Qualifications, Teacher Salaries, Teaching Experience, Teaching Skills
Publication Type: Reports - Research
Education Level: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers: Diversity (Student); Teacher Knowledge; Texas


February is Black History Month and teachers and homeschooling parents across the nation will be looking for new ways to incorporate it into their lesson plans.
Target and the Smithsonian Institution have developed a free and downloadable curriculum for every grade level.
It's easy to access.
You can download or print straight from the site.
Scroll down and you'll see a Classroom button. Click on it.
Then you'll be able to scroll through and find your grade and select the lessons you choose to use.
It's all free.
Here's an example of a kindergarten through second-grade lesson:
Art and Life of William H. Johnson: Rural Life in South Carolina
This lesson has been adapted from Art and Life of William H. Johnson: A Guide for Teachers, produced by the education department of the Smithsonian American Art Museum (http://americanart.si.edu/education/guides/whj).
These standards are achieved through guided work with the teacher.
U.S. History (from the National Center for History in the Schools)
- Topic 1. Living and Working Together in Families and Communities, Now and Long Ago
- Standard 1. Students understand family life now and in the recent past, and family life in various places long ago.
- Standard 2. History of students’ local community and how communities in North America varied long ago.
Visual Arts (from the National Art Education Association)
- N-VA.3. Visual Arts: Choosing and evaluating a range of subject matter, symbols, and ideas.
- N-VA.4. Visual Arts: Understanding the visual arts in relation to history and cultures.
Language Arts (from the National Council of Teachers of English)
- N.12. Students use spoken, written, and visual language to accomplish their own purposes (e.g., for learning, enjoyment, persuasion, and the exchange of information).
- To examine two works by the artist William H. Johnson
- To understand how a painting can tell a story
- To develop vocabulary using a painting as a prompt
One 45-minute class
- William H. Johnson painted images from his own life.
- A painting tells a story through shapes, colors, objects, and activities.
shapes, colors, objects, activities, family, community
Materials and Reproducibles
- William H. Johnson, Early Morning Work, ca. 1940, oil on burlap, 38 ½ x 45 5/8 in. (97.8 x 115.9 cm). Smithsonian American Art Museum, gift of the Harmon Foundation
- William H. Johnson, Cotton Pickers, ca. 1940, watercolor and pencil on paper sheet, 10 ¾ x 11 ½ in. (27.4 x 29.2 cm) irregular. Smithsonian American Art Museum, gift of the Harmon Foundation
Background Information (for the teacher)
Part One Listing the pictures’ elements
Hand out images of Early Morning Work and Cotton Pickers, or display them on a computer screen. Working as a class, fill in the columns of the graphic organizer (on the board, chart paper, or the computer) in the following way:
- Ask students to identify all the colors found in the paintings.
- Ask them to identify all the shapes.
- Ask them to identify plants, animals, farm equipment, and any other objects.
- Finally, have them list the activities being performed in the paintings. These can include actions that change facial expressions and body posture.
Part Two Creating an artwork
After reviewing the final lists of words, tell students that they will create an artwork (a drawing, painting, or collage) that includes two colors, two shapes, two objects, and two actions from the lists.
Part Three Concluding or extension activity
Working individually, in pairs, or in small groups, students now draw or paint an uninhabited landscape on a large sheet of plain drawing paper or mural-sized craft paper. Next, they cut figures from the prints of Johnson’s works and arrange them on their drawn or painted environment. In this way they “collaborate” with William H. Johnson to create a collage.
A Journey Through Art with W.H. Johnson http://americanart.si.edu/education/johnson/index.html
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Children with special needs often have difficulty retaining what they learn and many will not remember information taught to them without deliberate practice. Deliberate practice is familiar to anyone who plays video games. A few objectives are mastered by gamers that get immediate feedback that helps them learn from mistakes and must master each objective before moving on to the next one.
Children learn academics in much the same way in order to retain what is being taught. This is not the same as drills or repetitive teaching. Those methods are teacher or parent-focused and require the child to only respond. Deliberate practice is child-centered and focuses on how the child performs on a given task with a parent or teacher there to ask him/her questions that will help improve that performance.
For example, if a child is trying to pronounce a word looking at a card with a word that ends with -at, a parent might hold up a word the child already knows, like "cat," and ask the child, "What is this word?" When the child answers "Cat!" the parent might then hold up the other word, which could be "mat," and ask the child, "How are these words alike?" and the child may realize they end the same way and understand that they also have the same sound at the end.
Of course, it's much easier just to tell your child the word when s/he doesn't recognize or know it, but if you want him/her to remember it, the above method of allowing him to use his cognitive skills to figure out the word with help from you works much better. Try reviewing words or other reading-related material with your child as s/he gets ready to return to school and provide him/her with books and other things to read.
Read with your child and point out pictures in his/her books that help tell the story and ask your child to tell you what s/he thinks is going to happen next. Also, get siblings and other family members to encourage your child to read by reading with or to him/her. Point out words your child knows when you go out and see the names of familiar places and things displayed on signs.
Making reading a part of your routine each day, whether by reading your child a bedtime story or asking him/her to read the name of the cereal on the box while preparing his/her breakfast, is an important part of your child's literacy development and should be part of your family's every day routine. Your child may not be able to learn as quickly or read as well as his/her siblings and other people, but s/he can learn to recognize some words and sounds.


Should I Be Concerned?The goal of Get Ready to Read! is to ensure that all young children become successful early readers. It is important to remember that children take different paths while learning to read. They develop early reading skills at different rates and through different kinds of experiences. For some children, learning to read may seem effortless. Other children may struggle with the same kinds of learning that appears to come naturally to other children their age. It is the responsibility of parents, early childhood professionals and health care providers to observe children carefully and to share information with each other. Sharing information about children's skills and about possible concerns will avoid later frustration if a child shows signs of struggle. It is equally important to seek the help of a qualified early reading professional if there are concerns about a child's development.
We know that the year before kindergarten is a time when children typically show real growth in early literacy development. When looking at a child's score on the Get Ready to Read! screening tool, you should take into account how close the child is to entering kindergarten. Also, be aware of what types of literacy experience he or she has had at home and in other child care settings. If the child is a year away from starting kindergarten and will spend the next year in a literacy-rich early childhood program, a low score on the screening tool shows that he or she is beginning to make progress towards learning to read and write. On the other hand, if the child is just weeks away from kindergarten, a low score may indicate that he or she needs extra help and attention.
The chart below can give you a few ideas about what to do next.
|If the child at age 4:||I should be concerned that:||What I should do is:|
|Doesn't know the parts of a book or how to use a book||
|Doesn't recognize any letters of the alphabet||
|Doesn't know the sounds of the letters of the alphabet.||
|Doesn't like to be read to or has difficulty sitting still and paying attention during reading activities.||
This activity is provided by the National Center for Learning Disabilities, Inc. Get Ready to Read!, a program of the National Center for Learning Disabilities, Inc, aims for all preschool children to have the skills they need to learn to read when they enter school. For more information go to Get Ready to Ready!
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Emergent Computer Literacy
A Developmental Perspective
Routledge – 2009 – 198 pages
Series: Routledge Research in Education
The United States is currently grappling with how to prepare our students to be computer literate citizens in the competitive technological world we live in. Understanding how children develop computer knowledge, and the ways that adults are able to guide their computer learning experiences, is a vital task facing parents and educators. This groundbreaking book is an attempt to fill a gap in current understanding of how we become computer literate and proposes a theory of how computer literacy skills emerge in computer users.
A Choice Outstanding Book of 2009
"The book is essential for anyone studying literacy or looking for suggestions on curricular inclusion of computer literacy. Quantitative and qualitative researchers will find this book valuable for the design and execution of the study. Robinson’s text is incisive and most immediately complementary to scholarship in education, English, psychology, sociology and information science… Highly recommended."—L.H. Taylor Jr., Choice (2009), Vol. 46, No. 11
"Emergent Computer Literacy is an admirably concise study with a number of important implications for future research on children and computer literacy in the "information age". The book will enlighten both researchers and parents alike and ask them to reconsider the development of their children and their assimilation into a technologically driven society. I recommend this book to researchers and also parents as an important starting point to consider the role of the new digital literacies affecting children’s education around the world."--Jeremy White, International Journal of Emerging Technologies and Society ( 2009), Vol. 7, No. 2
1. Introduction 2. Review of Related Research and Literature 3. Research Study 4. Research Findings 5. Research Implications 6. Supporting Early Computer Literacy Development 7. Summary, Issues, And Future Research. Epilogue
Helen Mele Robinson is Assistant Professor in the Education Department at CUNY, The College of Staten Island. She has published journal articles in Perspective: The New York Journal of Adult Learning.


- Kalimikeraki, Katerina, et al.
Computers as thinking tools for the acquisition of second language
Ingår i: Educator as researcher. - 2nd Bureau of Elementary Education of East Attica, Koropi GR. - 960-631-215-1 ; s. 139-149
Bokkapitel (populärvet., debatt m.m.)abstract
- Many different approaches have taken place recently to facilitate second language learning in elementary schools throughout the world. Research in this area shows that teachers have to use the suitable motivators to stimulate pupils' thinking in order to achieve their educational goals. Children live in a world dominated by information technology therefore computer games may be used for educational purposes and to create a successful and pleasant learning environment. Our main hypothesis is that learning and use of Greek language demand real activities in a Greek language environment, and that systems of information technology have the ability to create such an environment that supports learning.


Are you an art education teacher preparing for a discussion on oil painting in your class? What if you are reading an art magazine for inspiration and are impressed by one of the paintings and are eager to know more about the painting beyond the information provided (history, painter)? How about using your cellphone and taking a picture of the painting? It is as simple as that; you can search the Internet using the camera function of your phone and have results displayed on your screen!
Don’t believe it is real? You have to try Google Goggles!
Search by taking a picture!
Until now, the only option for web search has been through typing or speaking into a search engine. Google Goggles lets you search about the world by taking pictures with the smart phone camera (Android or iOS 4.0). This visual search engine works with the phone camera to capture visual information that can be read by Google’s various applications (i.e. Search, Maps, Earth, Translate and etc.). It helps you identify what you are looking at and point you to the relevant information online.
Does it identify everything you see?
Since visual search technology is still in its early stages, the range of items you can identify with Google Goggles is still limited. It works best on books & DVDs, artwork, landmarks, logos, business cards, products, barcodes, and text. But it doesn’t work well yet on things like food, cars, plants, animals, furniture, or apparel. As this technology advances in the coming years, expect visual searches to become prevalent on more mobile devices and be able to identify what they cannot today.
How can you use it in teaching and learning?
Visual search technology brings exciting implications for teaching and learning since it has the ability to access information in various locations, which static books cannot. Students are no longer constrained to their classrooms or desks and they can search the Internet every moment and everywhere. For example, students could easily retrieve the history of an antique object they saw on a museum field trip, learn a new Spanish dish name at the restaurant by searching for its translation in English, or research more about an international association they noticed on a poster in the hallway. It is exciting just thinking about all these options!
Requirement and updates
Google Goggles is enabled only for English-speaking users and since it requires an auto-focusing camera, it is only supported on Android, iPhone 3GS and iPhone 4 running iOS 4 or above. Since its launch in December 2009, Goggles has had several updates with the most recent version being able to read barcodes faster, identify print ads in magazines, and put any Sudoku champion to shame.
It is reasonable to believe that the range of the items Goggles can identify will be extended and it will gradually be appearing in more mobile application stores.
Can’t wait to try it out?
Check out more on Google Goggles at the Google webpage – CLICK HERE.


If you walked by Cogswell Hall this morning, you might have heard "Louie Louie" ringing through the halls. A lot of "Louie Louie." As in, a full hour of "Louie Louie." After all, it's "Louie Louie" Day in Gen Choral.
"Gen Choral" is what students call Music professor Laura Ferguson's General/Choral Methods class. And although Ferguson admits it has a reputation as "the rock band class," it's actually a class that teaches music education students the "very traditional" skills they need to lead choirs and choruses--along with general musical training to help them work with the many other ensembles they may be asked to lead, including world drums, microphone techniques, steel drumming, and, yes, rock band.
The mix of skills taught in Gen Choral derives from new thinking about what school music programs should provide for students. "There's this real disconnect between the kinds of music we make in schools and the kind of music we find authentically in our culture," notes Ferguson. Instead of making students fit the mold of what we already have--concert band, choir, orchestra--why not fit the mold to them? Why not open the door wider so more students participate in school music programs?
Ferguson is not the only music educator asking these questions. More primary and secondary schools are bringing popular music into their music curricula each year, and there is a growing body of research on the approach. In Britain, an organization called Musical Futures trains teachers to build upon students' "existing passion for music." And in the U.S., Little Kids Rock supports "teaching methods that are rooted in children's knowledge of popular music forms such as rock, rap, blues, hip-hop, and more." (Check out the New York Times's "Fixes" blog for more on Little Kids Rock.)
But Ferguson believes she is the first person to create a college course for music educators that revolves around these new approaches to teaching music.
A key element of Ferguson's approach to the rock band part of the course is separating music students from the instruments they have spent years learning to play. It's not an easy transition for many, as years of musical training have convinced them that they should not play music at all unless they can play it very well. But not playing the instrument they usually play forces music ed students to be more "like their future students."
Hence "Louie Louie" Day.
Within a single class session, Ferguson's students pick up the electric guitar, electric bass, and sit at a drum kit for the first time. They learn their first three power chords and start playing a recognizable song. For many, it's a completely new way to learn music--and they are surprised to see how quickly beginning music students can start making music that they enjoy.
It's a lesson these future educators will take with them when they graduate. So don't be surprised if you hear "Louie Louie" coming from the choir room at a high school near you.
A Gen Choral Sample
While "Louie Louie" Day isn't open to the public, the Gen Choral concert is. This final class activity is a concert where students direct each other in choir performances and play music on the instruments they started playing only a few weeks earlier.
Below, you can enjoy a now-legendary (among IUP music students) performance from one of those concerts: "Lorraine's Lament," an ode to Lorraine Wilson, professor emeritus and former chair of Music:


Global Prospects for Education: Development, Culture, and Schooling
Within Global Prospects for Education, several teams of researchers discuss their work in East Asian countries and identify effective teaching techniques associated with high mathematical achievement. Other authors describe how cultural beliefs and the social expectations of parents and teachers influence children to work persistently to understand mathematical concepts.
In addition to mathematics, literacy development is analyzed from several perspectives; authors examine factors that affect how young children learn to spell and study how exposure to print influences literacy. Still other authors identify literacy tasks that can be used to assess children's cognitive strategies, consider what educators can do to enhance long-term retention of literacy after formal schooling ends, and discuss what can be done to enhance teacher training.
Throughout the volume, authors share an interest in using the principles of developmental psychology and basic research to foster better conditions in and out of the classroom.


|Wedgwood Institute - Queen Street (Burslem)||
|Queen Street is named after the pottery ware
Wedgwood made for Queen Charlotte in 1765.
More on Queen's Ware.
The Institute stands on the site of the Brick House pottery works which was rented by Josiah Wedgwood from 1762 to 1770 - this was the second of his potworks in Burslem (the first being the Ivy House works).
The foundation stone was laid by future Prime Minister - William Gladstone on 26 October 1863. The frontage of the Institute contains twelve huge terracotta tiles depicting the months of the year. Also displayed are the carvings of the people of the Potteries performing their different skills, together with a statue of Josiah Wedgwood.
The Institute was built with funds raised by public subscription to make arts, science and literature available to all, not just the rich who had previously had the only access. It was also designed to be the main centre for arts activity in the Six Towns of the Potteries.
The Institute was highly successful and extended into two new wings before the demand for art education necessitated the building of a new purpose built School of Art on the opposite side of Queen Street.
During the late nineteenth century the Institute played its part in producing ceramic artist, William Moorcroft; author, Arnold Bennett; and pioneer of radio, Oliver Lodge. The Institute also features regularly in the works of Arnold Bennett.
The Institute continued as a successful seat of learning in its own right through most of the 20th Century before becoming an annex for Staffordshire University and most recently Stoke-on-Trent College. In 1993 the building was inspected in the light of new fire escape regulations and its use was consequently restricted to the ground floor. The College ceased using of the Institute later that year leaving only the Library in
Statue of Josiah Wedgwood over the entrance to the Wedgwood Institute.
The side of the Wedgwood Institute is in 'Clayhanger Street' (after Arnold Bennett's novel of the same name).
In Bennett's novels the small passageway was called 'Buggs Gutter.
On the 1898 map this passage is named 'Baker Street'
Wedgwood Institute featured in Arnold Bennett's novels as 'The School of Art'
Photos: Dec 1999
Burslem Photo Index | Burslem 1898 Map
1963 aerial photo of Burslem
[ Comments / Questions? email: Steven Birks ]


Powerful Content Connections
Nurturing Readers, Writers, and Thinkers in Grades K–3
Jennifer L. Altieri
Expect more, achieve more—make powerful content connections with your early learners!
The implementation of Common Core Standards means we have to rethink what we are teaching and how we teach it. Children are expected to dive deeper into more challenging texts, especially informational texts, right from the start of their school years. This book shows you how to create powerful connections that can strengthen primary-grade students’ literacy skills while deepening their content knowledge.
In her down-to-earth style, Jennifer Altieri takes a closer look at what the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) for the English Language Arts require of our students, and then provides scores of practical strategies you can use to incorporate the reading, writing, and thinking skills inherent in the CCSS across content areas and throughout the school day. She focuses especially on helping you teach from informational texts effectively with your students.
In these pages, you’ll learn
- How and why powerful content connections are necessary, and how you can start making those powerful connections today
- The crucial role of informational texts, and how to determine which informational texts are best for your students
- How foundational skills—such as concepts of print, phonological awareness, phonics and word recognition, and fluency—connect to the overarching goal of creating content area connections
- Ways to assess text complexity with the texts you use in your classroom, as well as ideas for addressing the needs of every learner individually
- What it means to really know a term, and how to help students use vocabulary knowledge to increase word knowledge
- Strategies for nurturing students from learning to write to writing to learn
© 2014 | 200 pp.


Education for All
Around the world, 57 million primary school aged children are still not in school. And many more children who are in school are failing to acquire even basic reading, writing and numeracy skills. The world has made astounding progress since 1999, when 108 million primary school aged children were out of school. However, progress has stagnated in the last several years.
Unless more effective policies are implemented and there is greater international financial support, more children may be out of school in 2015 than in 2008. Millions more will receive a low-quality education and not be able to read, write, and counts. A renewed commitment is needed to not only get children into school, but ensure they are learning once they reach the classroom.
Because of the progress we have made, the most marginalized and hardest to reach children are often the ones that have been left behind. Of the 57 million children not in primary school, an estimated one-third of these children live with a disability, and approximately 40 percent live in conflict-affected and fragile states. Over half of out of school children live in sub-Saharan Africa — 30 million.
Moving forward, it is vital that the global community focuses on: improving access for the most vulnerable children, particularly those in conflict affected states, children with disabilities, girls, and other marginalized populations; and improving the quality of education through increasing teacher effectiveness and resources for education so children in school gain the skills needed to become productive, contributing members of society.
RESULTS is working to address these global challenges by advocating for increased U.S. support for the Global Partnership for Education, the only multilateral initiative focused on ensuring all children have access to a quality basic education, and improved United States government policies through the passage of the Education for All Act.
Since 2002, RESULTS has supported the Education for All campaign out of the belief that education is critical to eliminating poverty, empowering active and healthy citizens, and building sustainable solutions to the greatest development challenges of our day: HIV/AIDS, environmental degradation, economic deprivation, inequity, violence.
**Photo Credits this page: All images, Allison Grossman**


Proposals on education for 11 to 14 year olds in Northern Ireland are aimed at creating "a more relevant, motivating and enjoyable curriculum," an examining body has said.
CCEA launched proposals on education for 11 to 14 year olds
The Council for the Curriculum, Examinations and Assessment (CCEA) began a consultation on its plans on Wednesday.
CCEA's chief executive, Gavin Boyd, called for teachers and the wider community to support the proposals, which include scrapping the national curriculum tests.
"Over the last few years we've listened closely to what we've been told by parents, teachers, employers and pupils, and in response we've put the most important issues at the centre of the proposals set out today," he said.
Mr Boyd said there was "little educational value" in the current Key Stage 3 tests for 14 year olds.
The tests, which have been in place for more than a decade, are not popular with pupils and teachers, as preparing for the examinations means focusing on a narrow range of subjects.
CCEA proposes replacing them with "a
well-supported system of teacher assessment".
Under the new proposals, schools would publish an annual report focusing on specific requirements for each pupil, after they had been assessed by their teachers.
This continual term-time assessment would be used to support learning across different areas and subjects.
A broader curriculum would allow teachers to concentrate on developing pupils' communication and numeracy skills.
Schools would be allowed to customise these reports as long as their statutory requirements had been met.
The proposed changes would be phased in over a number of years from September 2005 onwards, following a number of planned pilot schemes.
The CCEA was set up by the government to advise and support teaching and assessment in Northern Ireland.


Importance of Religion and Spirituality in the Lives of African Americans, Caribbean Blacks and Non-Hispanic Whites
Taylor, Robert Joseph, Chatters, Linda M., The Journal of Negro Education
This study examined the importance of spirituality and religion in daily life (i.e., only religion, only spirituality, both religion and spirituality, and neither religion nor spirituality) among a nationally representative sample of African Americans, Caribbean Blacks and non-Hispanic Whites. A majority in each group felt they were both important, suggesting the constructs are largely congruent. However, African Americans and Caribbean Blacks were more likely than Whites to indicate "both religion and spirituality" are important and less likely to indicate "only spirituality" or "neither" is important. These findings and others are discussed in relation to previous research on spirituality and religiosity. Practice implications for the use of spirituality and religiosity to promote student well-being are also discussed.
Keywords: Race, religiosity, Black Church
The U. S. is distinctive among developed countries for the extent to which the population states that religion is important in their lives. Recent data (Crabtree & Pelham, 2009) indicated that 65% of Americans state that religion is important, as compared to an overall median of 38% among other developed nations. Within the American populace, there are well-established subgroup differences (e.g., race, age, gender) in public, private, and attitadinal indicators of religiosity (Taylor, Chatters, & Levin, 2004) with African Americans consistently demonstrating higher rates of religious involvement (e.g., prayer service, attendance) than their White counterparts (Chatters, Taylor, Bullard, & Jackson, 2009; Levin, Taylor, & Chatters, 1994; Taylor, Chatters, Jayakody, & Levin, 1996). The purpose of this study is to examine demographic correlates of self-assessments of the importance of religion and spirituaUty in one's life among African Americans, Caribbean Blacks and non-Hispanic Whites. This article augments several studies on spirituality and religiosity among these groups (Chatters et al., 2009; Chatters, Taylor, Bullard, & Jackson, 2008; Chatters, Taylor, Lincoln, & Jackson, 2008; Taylor, Chatters, & Jackson, 2009) and provides a bridge for researchers in the field of education to contemporary research on Black American religion and spirituality.
RELIGION AND AFRICAN AMERICAN LIFE
A long tradition of research and scholarship documents the prominent and pivotal role of religion and religious institutions in die Uves of African Americans (Billingsley, 1999; Lincoln & Mamiya, 1990). This work provides a solid foundation of social historical and ethnographic scholarship on the Black Church and its role in the development of African American communities and civic, social, and educational institutions. Black churches have a long tradition of spearheading social, educational, and health services to their congregation and surrounding communities, including youth programs, economic development initiatives, programs for the elderly and their caregivers, income maintenance, and job training programs, to name a few. These programming efforts reflect a particular worldview of African American religious traditions that emphasizes the communal nature of worship, the collectivity of the church, and the role of the Black Church in mediating the broader social environment (Lincoln & Mamiya, 1990).
Religious institutions have had a particularly rich tradition of involvement in educational efforts for African Americans. In the antebellum period, these initiatives included efforts to redress the exclusion of Blacks from access to elementary education. Following emancipation, Black churches were involved in establishing and supporting secondary schools and colleges (Jones, 1979). Religious institutions played a pivotal role in the founding of coUeges and universities serving Black students ("White House Initiative on HBCUs," 2010) and over 50 of the current 105 institutions of higher education that are …
Questia, a part of Gale, Cengage Learning. www.questia.com
Publication information: Article title: Importance of Religion and Spirituality in the Lives of African Americans, Caribbean Blacks and Non-Hispanic Whites. Contributors: Taylor, Robert Joseph - Author, Chatters, Linda M. - Author. Journal title: The Journal of Negro Education. Volume: 79. Issue: 3 Publication date: Summer 2010. Page number: 280+. © Howard University Summer 2008. Provided by ProQuest LLC. All Rights Reserved.
This material is protected by copyright and, with the exception of fair use, may not be further copied, distributed or transmitted in any form or by any means.


PDF release pending
ERIC Number: ED235167
Record Type: RIE
Publication Date: 1981
Reference Count: 0
The Child With Cerebral Palsy in the Regular Class.
This handbook was developed to help the teacher deal successfully with physical problems involved in having a child with cerebral palsy mainstreamed into the regular classroom. Characteristics of cerebral palsy are described, and it is pointed out that most children with this affliction have average or above average intelligence. Classroom activities are described which will prepare nonhandicapped children mentally and emotionally for the arrival of their handicapped classmate, and which will demonstrate to them ways in which they can be helpful. Suggestions are made on obtaining resources from associations which offer services to the physically disabled. Possible modifications in classroom arrangement are discussed as well as ways in which instructional materials may be adapted for easier manipulation. A detailed description is presented of the functions and potentials of wheelchairs. A bibliography of books for children, parents, and teachers is included as is a list of organizations which provide additional resources for the physically handicapped. (JD)
Descriptors: Adaptive Behavior (of Disabled), Cerebral Palsy, Class Organization, Classroom Communication, Communication Aids (for Disabled), Elementary Education, Instructional Materials, Mainstreaming, Peer Acceptance, Physical Mobility, Student Characteristics, Teacher Role, Teaching Methods, Wheelchairs
Publication Type: Guides - Non-Classroom; Reports - Descriptive; Reference Materials - Bibliographies
Education Level: N/A
Audience: Teachers; Practitioners
Sponsor: Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services (ED), Washington, DC. Div. of Personnel Preparation.
Authoring Institution: American Federation of Teachers, Washington, DC. Teachers' Network for Education of the Handicapped.
Note: For related documents, see SP 023 083-088.


Developmental Phonics Instruction with Touch User Interface Technology: Moving Toward a Multi-Sensory Approach for Grades Pre-K-2
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World Conference on E-Learning in Corporate, Government, Healthcare, and Higher Education (ELEARN) 2004
Washington, DC, USA
Janice Nall & Robby Robson
More Information on ELEARN
Table of Contents
Early childhood general and special educators and administrators are in a continuous process of discerning which research-based and newly emerging methods for teaching of phonics are most viable and engaging for the children in their classrooms and district-wide. This paper proposes the use of the Touch User Interface (TUI) technology platform to create a multi-sensory phonics program "workbook" with digital elements and will discuss the benefits of the use of this "smartpaper" technology. The phonics workbook sits in an electronic cradle and can call up video, audio, or other multimedia content designed to facilitate and reinforce standards-driven phonic understanding using multiple meaning based symbol systems by sending an infrared signal to a nearby internet-connected computer or a DVD player connected to a television. The ability of the learner to process phonic information via visual and verbal modes will enhance the phonological understanding via meeting the diverse learning styles of children.
Mott, M. & Barkeloo, J. (2004). Developmental Phonics Instruction with Touch User Interface Technology: Moving Toward a Multi-Sensory Approach for Grades Pre-K-2. In J. Nall & R. Robson (Eds.), Proceedings of World Conference on E-Learning in Corporate, Government, Healthcare, and Higher Education 2004 (p. 1395). Chesapeake, VA: AACE. Retrieved December 5, 2013 from http://www.editlib.org/p/11526.
- Teaching for Application: A Model for Assisting Pre-Service Teachers With Technology Integration
- The Effects of the Use of Interactive Whiteboards on Student Achievement
- A New Teacher Tool, Interactive White Boards: A Meta Analysis
- Toward Technology Integration in the Schools: Why It Isn’t Happening
- Teachers Facing ICT The Case of Greece
- Professional learning during a one-to-one laptop innovation
- What ICT-related skills and capabilities should be considered central to the definition of digital literacy?
- Can technology transform teaching and learning? The impact of interactive whiteboards.
- Managing Teachers’ Barriers to ICT Integration in Singapore Schools
- Itching to Engage Pre-Service Teachers and Students in Activities That Will Help Them to Learn Math? – Try Scratch!
Comments & Discussion
Comment on the paper above. You must be registered to participate. Registration is free.


He did it without anyone’s help, and without any formal music education. He wrote “God Bless America” in 1918 while serving in the Army. But it didn’t lead to anything. He set it aside for 20 years and returned to it only in 1938, after Hitler rose to power. Kate Smith recorded it. The rest was history. The song became America’s unofficial national anthem, along with “America the Beautiful.”
That would have been enough success for any musical mortal. But this man was writing for the ages. He also went on to write one of the most popular songs of all time, “White Christmas.”
And here’s the most remarkable part of his story. The man who gave us “God Bless America” was not born in America; he was born in Russia. The man who gave us “White Christmas” was not a Christian; he was Jewish.
If you made his life story into a movie, critics would say it was too improbable. It is that American.
Irving Berlin came to America like so many before him, seeking refuge from religious persecution. He was born Israel Beilin, on May 11, 1888, one of eight children born near Mogilev in what is now the Republic of Belarus. His father, a cantor in a synagogue, uprooted his family after their village was destroyed in a violent anti-Semitic pogrom.
His family settled in New York City in 1893. According to his biographer Laurence Bergreen, as an adult Berlin admitted to no memories of his first five years in Russia except for one: his father “lying on a blanket by the side of a road, watching his house burn to the ground. By daylight the house was in ashes.”
But that was not the last tragedy to befall young Irving. His early life had more sad stories than the Old Testament, none worse than the loss of his father when he was eight.
With few other options available, the young man took to the streets of New York to help support his family. To say those streets were tough would be an understatement. A poverty the likes of which poor people in America today would not even recognize gripped the Lower East Side of New York, the neighborhood where young Irving lived.
Rudyard Kipling thought it worse than anything he’d seen in the slums of Bombay, the poverty he witnessed when he visited the tenements of the Lower East Side. But he was impressed by the Jewish families in particular, noting the young immigrant boys saluting the Stars and Stripes. Kipling wrote, “For these immigrant Jews are a race that survives and thrives against all odds and flags.” Which proves the point that is often lost on us today: You can have very little in material wealth but still not be poor.
By the time he was 20, Berlin had stumbled by accident upon his life’s work. He took a job as a waiter in Chinatown, where he discovered that his tips skyrocketed when he hummed various songs of the day. Singing cover tunes a capella at dinner tables soon turned into a stint at songwriting. He collaborated with friends at first, and soon got his break as a staff writer with a music-publishing house in New York.
His meteoric rise as a songwriter in Tin Pan Alley and then on Broadway started in 1911 with “Alexander’s Ragtime Band,” which would become a hit by various artists, including Bessie Smith and Louis Armstrong. The song topped the charts when Bing Crosby recorded it.
But ragtime music was not where Berlin’s heart was. He wanted to create his own version of American music, one that embraced and appealed to the diversity and richness of his adopted nation, so that his music would be accessible to as many Americans as possible. He described his aspirations:
My ambition is to reach the heart of the average American, not the highbrow nor the lowbrow but that vast intermediate crew which is the real soul of the country. The highbrow is likely to be superficial, overtrained, supersensitive. The lowbrow is warped, subnormal. My public is the real people.


Colorado Springs, CO (PRWEB) November 22, 2011
Cognitive First (Cog1st, the CogRead Literacy Campaign) announces a grant in support of a groundbreaking study being conducted by Virginia State University and funded by the National Science Foundation. The study, underway at Waskom Independent School District in Waskom,Texas, has the potential to help every student in that district and will provide valuable information to the fields of science and education.
A $1 million grant from the National Science Foundation will fund the largest part of the study which takes place at the high school level and examines how cognitive skills training can help students improve their learning ability and physically change the brain.
“This is an amazing opportunity to boost the learning skills and potential of every single student at our school with no cost to parents or the district,” says Waskom High School Principal Stuart Musick. “The cognitive testing alone will provide valuable information for our teachers and families regarding each student’s strengths and weaknesses, and will give us the insight we need to help strengthen those skills to improve grades and performance.”
Every student in the district completed testing with the Gibson Test in October to evaluate his or her cognitive skills—the mental tools we all use to think, learn, reason, read, remember and pay attention. These skills include things like memory, attention, logic and reasoning, auditory and visual processing and processing speed. Significant grants from Cog1st helped cover the cost of testing and will also pay for online brain training for some students at the elementary level.
According to Larry Hargrave, founder of Cognitive First, access to online reading readiness and learning skill development tools is a critical ingredient to improve reading proficiency and graduation rates. “We are pleased to be donating access to evaluations and online exercise sets being used in this study. Our nonprofit currently offers any parent free access to an exercise that strengthens phonemic awareness skills and helps to prevent reading difficulties. We also sponsor teachers, schools and community organizations with a reading readiness exercise set, along with cognitive skill evaluations (2nd grade and above) and comprehensive online brain skill training packages for under-resourced and at-risk children.”
The study is more in-depth at the high school level where principal investigator Dr. Oliver Hill, Jr. and other researchers from Virginia State University will oversee the study which includes brain scans for some students. High school students will be randomly placed into three groups: a control group that gets normal academic instruction, a second group that receives extra online brain training at school for 15 weeks, and a third group that will undergo 15 weeks of one-to-one cognitive skills training with their own personal brain trainer from LearningRx.
“We know this brain training methodology brings dramatic improvements in learning and reading ability for students of any age and academic ability,” says Donesa Walker of LearningRx Shreveport. “We’re thrilled to be a part of this extensive study that will not only help the students of Waskom ISD, it will help students everywhere by showing how this type of training can physically change the brain to be faster, smarter and more efficient.”
Changes in the brain will be measured with functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) before and after the 15 week period by university researchers who are collaborating on the study. Participants will be randomly chosen for the brain scans.
Cognitive First is joined by administrators, researchers, cognitive skills experts and brain trainers to make this opportunity happen. More information about the possibility of sponsored programs for children in your community is available at the Cog1st.org website.
Cognitive First™ (Cog1st, the CogRead Literacy Campaign) is a nonprofit organization dedicated to helping under-resourced and at-risk students become proficient readers and learners. Cog1st provides parents, schools and community programs with online screening to evaluate core learning skills and with online exercise sets to help ensure that children have the foundational skills to empower their educational success. Program grants for Title 1 schools are available.
About LearningRx® brain training specializes in treating the cause – not the symptoms – of learning struggles. The programs’ game-like exercises and 1:1 trainer-to-student ratios provide guaranteed dramatic improvement. With more than 75 centers across the country, LearningRx brain training can help anyone – from 5 to 85 – increase the speed, power or function of their brain.
About the Gibson Test
The Gibson Test of brain skills is the online cognitive skills assessment used by Cog1st and in the Waskom ISD study. Pediatric visual processing specialist Dr. Ken Gibson developed the assessment as an affordable option to uncover cognitive weaknesses that contribute to reading and learning struggles. In less than 40 minutes the online test can uncover weak skills and give parents or teachers a guide to make learning easier.
# # #


Music Education Courses
Music Education Orff Ensemble
Students will learn a series of pieces to be played on Orff instruments. Pieces will be organized around arrangements of authentic folk music, pieces from the Orff/Keetman publications, and student compositions. Improvisation will be included in most pieces. Development of polyphonic awareness (singing a song while playing an instrument) will be an objective. Students will develop the basic technical skills for pitched percussion.
Survey of Instrumental Literature
A survey for music education majors of literature written for, and/or performed by, bands and orchestras in the elementary and secondary public schools. Note: This course is recommended to be taken concurrently with ME-431.
Survey of Choral Music Literature
A survey for music education majors of choral literature for and/or performed by solo, small, and large ensembles in the elementary and secondary public schools. This course is recommended to be taken concurrently with ME-321.
Methods and Materials for Marching Band
An overview of basic marching band techniques. Emphasis on the study of commands and maneuvers, color guard techniques, and charting procedures necessary for the development of half-time shows.
Instrument Repair 1
This course will address instrument repair for brass, woodwind, string, and percussion instruments used in traditional ensembles.
Instrumental Methods and Materials
An overview of the instrumental instruction program in the K-12 schools. Detailed examination of teaching techniques for beginning instrumental students. Survey of appropriate methods books for instrumental instruction.
Assigned practical experience in elementary and secondary schools of the Greater Boston area. Minimum of 45 hours field work at the site. Evaluation of teaching experiences through group discussion at seminar meetings. Guest lecturers from the teaching profession. Final written report required.
Student teaching experience in elementary or secondary schools. A minimum of 450 clock hours practice teaching in kindergarten to grade 12 is required. Critique and evaluation of problems encountered in student teaching certification assignments in the public schools. Weekly seminar meetings are supervised by the Music Education Department chair.
Music in Early Childhood
This course will introduce students to music education for young children, from birth through the first five years of life. Early childhood cognitive, physical, and social development will be discussed. Age-appropriate skills, concepts, and activities will be a primary focus. Practical strategies for working with young children and their parents will be addressed. Issues pertaining to the development of a well-rounded, comprehensive, and effective curriculum for preschool age children will be central to the course.
Composition, Technology, and the K-12 Student
The study of composition is fundamental to understanding the expressive qualities of music. It provides an ideal framework for exploration and experimentation with the basic materials of music. MENC recognizes the role of creativity and the importance of composition by including composing and arranging as one of the nine National Standards for Music Education (Standard #4). Collaborative and creative music composition can be facilitated in the classroom using music production and notation software. This course focuses on ideas and concepts for individual and group composition projects in the K-12 music classroom, as well as teaching and assessment strategies. DAW, notation, and instructional software, as well as myriad online resources, will be discussed and explored to create age-appropriate composition activities. In addition, special emphasis will be placed on how other media elements, such as text, graphics, audio, and video, as well as web-based tools, can enhance the music composition process for K-12 students.
Instrument Repair 2
Part two of ME-387, this course addresses the rebuilding of woodwind, brass, string, and percussion instruments, especially those needing significant work.
Instrument Repair 3
Part three of ME-387 and ME-P388, this course covers keyboard instrument repair, including minor tuning of standard pianos.


We offer a three-block approach to literacy learning in all classrooms, grades K-4. There is reading instruction, writing instruction, and language and word study skill instruction. The rationale underlying this is grounded in the importance of the reading/writing connection; the fact that reading and writing are language based; the value of literature in expanding literacy learning; and the woven thread of content learning throughout all three blocks of the framework.
Daily reading instruction includes:
Read Aloud: the teacher Reads Aloud across a variety of genres; modeling and discussing what was read. This usually happens with the whole class. The goal is to introduce students to genres, good literature, and models of fluent reading
Teacher-Guided Reading: teaching reading comprehension strategies with instructional-level text - across a variety of genres. This usually happens in small, flexible groups. The goal is to teach students strategies for reading a variety of genres.
Independent/Self-Selected/Silent Reading: Students read independently every day. The goal is to increase breadth and depth of reading, strengthen ownership/interest in reading, build stamina as readers, and build a community of readers.
Literature Study: Students learn to use literary devices and tools to analyze literature across a variety of genres. The goal is to help students become familiar with and appreciate a variety of types of literature - and use knowledge of literary devices and features to analyze and interpret quality works of literature (grades 3 and up).
Writing Instruction includes:
Teacher-Guided Writing: This happens across genres and content areas, and explicit teaching of specific features of writing, specific skills and processes, and writing for different audiences. The goal is to teach students the processes and forms of writing.
Independent Writing: Students writing independently across genres with a balance of choice and "on-demand" kinds of writing (some pieces have multiple drafts; some just one). Teachers have individual conferences with students for revision and editing of writing pieces as needed. The goal is to build fluency and flexibility of writing, as well as ownership.
The goal of Language and Word Study is to help students build skills and processes of oral and written language. Instruction includes:
Word and Language Study: systematic teaching, guided practice, discovery work and independent practice of phonemic awareness, phonics and decoding, spelling, word origins, vocabulary expansion, grammar and other conventions.
Spelling: phonemic awareness, phonics, word families, syllable spelling, spelling patterns, sight words
Vocabulary: careful word selection, concept-based instruction, morphology, repeated practice and application
Grammar, Usage, and Mechanics: parts of speech, noun-verb agreement, sentence structure
Oral Language: opportunities for active listening and speaking throughout the content areas


What would the world be without music? In FasTrack®Music, 2 – 4 year olds get to move, sing, pretend, and share their love for music. As children engage in the music program, they improve their memory, cognitive development, learning skills and their ability to express emotion. This early learning program is a fun and energetic way to introduce children to the creative world of music. Through the award-winning ABC Music & Me™curriculum, children learn musical terms such as forte (loud) and piano (quiet). Children also learn group social behaviors such as taking turns, cooperation and listening. Children are encouraged to explore instruments, which increases auditory discrimination and a foundation for future musical interests. Optional monthly parent kits are available so that children can continue the fun while at home.
The advanced program for 4 – 6 year olds is based on the same concepts as the 2 – 4 year old program, but the curriculum is focused on preparing children for formal music lessons while still having a fun, positive experience. Children are introduced to composers, songs and musical styles such as classical and jazz while learning notation, new instruments and music vocabulary. Children are also introduced to the keyboard and learn basic keyboarding techniques. The advanced program can act as a precursor for formal music lessons if the child is interested. These lessons provide a solid foundation for music education and a lifelong appreciation of music and movement.
Research shows music helps children become better learners, and that even a newborn emotionally responds to music. Research also shows that there is a link between mathematical abilities in students and their musical awareness. The fun, energetic FasTrack Music program is the perfect way to start a child’s lifelong educational career.


> I am looking for Preschool Activity Ideas to teach
> young children an appreciation for the elements of
> design. Any Ideas? I would also be interested in
> anyone's insight on how to educate parents and
> co-workers on the value of art with young children,
> and the value of learning the elements of design in
> a preschool setting.
I know you and I are on the same wavelength here. I am
posting your question to Getty list and Art Education,
too. I have talked about this with folks - but mainly
off list. I don't have my posts on this machine.
The elements must be made meaninginful to the wee
ones. That will make the job of the elementary art
teacher so much easier. For line, take them on a "line
hunt" - really ham it up. Even get a pithe helmet. For
colors - have them act them out. How they make them
feel, etc - what kind of sounds?. For shapes - have
them hunt for shapes - then move their bodies to form
shapes. Make shapes hats (see Jeryl Hollingsworth's
site for her K hats -
They will wear their shapes hats all day! Get them
singing fun little songs about line- shape - color
The more you can involve movement the better. Learning
the language of art is like learning any kind of
language. If they learn it while they are young, they
will never forget it. Read books about the elements
and design an activity. Tammi posted Cat's Colors
(students collected color samples from magazines -
then glued on an orange and black stripe cat).
Folks - post your ideas on how to make the elements
and principles meaningful to pre-school and I will
compile for Early Childhood lesson plan page.


Your Name and Title: Paul Treadwell - Distance Learning Advisor
School, Library, or Organization Name: Cornell Cooperative Extension
Country from Which You Will Present: United States of America
Language in Which You Will Present: English
Target Audience : Secondary school teachers, youth development professionals
Short Session Description: Drawn from projects involving youth working in the United States and Latin America, three case studies will focus on technology as mediator for the “re-presentation” of the world by learner-teachers, and the facilitation of that process by the teacher-learner.
Full Session Description :
Drawn from projects involving youth working in the United States and Latin America, three case studies will focus on technology as mediator for the “re-presentation” of the world by learner-teachers, and the facilitation of that process by the teacher-learner. Project work with digital photography and video as tools for digital literacy development will be highlighted.
Using a method of digital literacy development that is grounded in the lived situation of the learners shifts the focus from technology as subject to that of technology as a means of expression and communication. Embedding technical learning in a larger social context provides an approach to digital literacy learning that places the instructor in a position of peer – with each participant engaging in teaching and learning. The instructor holds the concrete practices that will enable learners to fully utilize technology for dialog and creation. The learners hold the as yet articulated “re-presentation” of subject that will flow through the tools. In this way the disequilibrium present in traditional teacher learner relationships can be unseated and new ways of working and learning become possible.
Each of the three presented case studies will expand on this vision and illustrate effective practices for approaching digital literacy training in this way. By exploring a variety of learning contexts and a diversity of participants the underlying principles will be illustrated. The range of technologies employed as tools for the organized, systematized and developed "re-presentation" of topics and materials rising from the learners will be discussed.
Websites / URLs Associated with Your Session:


This year, Math III was introduced to 11th-graders as part of a seven-year process to revolutionize math instruction in Georgia middle and high schools.
Where math classes once were delineated by a particular discipline, such as algebra or geometry, courses now combine them.
"It's no longer students just plugging numbers into a formula to calculate an answer," said Kimberly Belcher, a Math III teacher at Lakeside High School. "Students are now learning multiple concepts to see the relationship between and discover for themselves why those formulas work."
Belcher's student Taylor Goodin, 16, likes the multiple-concepts approach to math.
"You can be weak in algebra, but if you're good at geometry or statistics you still can pull out a good grade," she said as she calculated the geometric changes of a fractal image called a Koch snowflake.
But relying on a mastery of one math discipline to overcome a weakness in another did not help thousands of Georgia students last year. Nearly half of Georgia's sophomores failed Math II. Test scores were so poor that the state Board of Education recently introduced Math III support classes so struggling students could relearn concepts from previous courses while still earning credits.
In Aiken County, administrators also have been keying in on math. In the past year, officials have implemented initiatives to beef up curriculum to keep students ahead of state standards. After several years of testing pupils in third through eighth grades with a Measures of Academic Progress accountability test, several areas, including math curriculum, stood out.
In the past year, third-grade math and the transition to eighth- and ninth-grade algebra have been the focus. Michele Conner, Aiken County's elementary education director, said that after a dip in third-grade math scores on the Palmetto Assessment of State Standards, teachers have started finding new ways to teach without the textbook. The current South Carolina third-grade text was introduced last year.
"There are no new textbooks this year, but we're changing the mindset so the textbook is just one resource," she said.
Second-grade teachers are also being encouraged to take their teaching past state requirements so their pupils are prepared for third-grade content, Conner said.
The district has also created an Algebra Institute with instructors from the University of South Carolina Aiken and Aiken Technical College to ensure that eighth- and ninth-graders are prepared for high school math and can have smoother transitions into college.
Another change includes swapping end-of-course test science requirements from physical science to biology. Students are required to pass English 1, Algebra 1, a science and U.S. history to graduate. Area 5 District Superintendent Randy Stowe said students already enrolled in physical science will be grandfathered into the new requirements.
In Columbia County, support classes in math are being offered in the form of power periods -- 30-minute classes during the school day for students to receive remediation or enrichment. The school system also offers students computer programs designed to address their particular deficits, and instructional coaches help educators better teach the concepts.
Rose Carraway, the system's director of high school student learning, said that such innovative methods helped 82 percent of last year's Math II students in Columbia County pass the class. Though Carraway admits that teachers first struggled to implement the new math curriculum, she believes it's a necessary change to better prepare students for college and the work force.
"The kids have to think (problems) through and determine what math (discipline) applies to them," she said. "It's not just number-crunching anymore."
For instance, fractals are math concepts often used in computer programming and broadcasting, Belcher said. The new curriculum, she said, places more emphasis on statistics, which she believes were neglected in the former curriculum.
Tougher math standards are also applying in Richmond County, where math has been a tough subject lately. The most recent AYP results showed that six of nine middle schools missed AYP only in math and that all but one elementary school missed AYP only in math. Richmond County schools have partnered with Augusta State University's math department to provide content courses for math teachers.
Dr. Shelly Allen, Richmond County mathematics coordinator, said that because there is a more common lesson plan for math at the high school level this year, there is more collaboration on lesson planning among teachers. She said data are being used at a greater level to identify students in need of extra math instruction.


Table of Contents
PART I: Introduction to Social Studies Education
Chapter 1: Social Studies Education: What and Why
Chapter 2: Teaching Diverse Children
PART II: The Social Studies Curriculum
Chapter 3: Democratic Citizenship Education
Chapter 4: History, Geography, and the Social Sciences
Chapter 5: Powerful Tools: Maps, Globes, Charts, and Graphics
Chapter 6: Current Events and Public Issues
PART III: Planning and Teaching Social Studies
Chapter 7: Assessing Student Learning
Chapter 8: Planning Units, Lessons, and Activities
Chapter 9: Five Great Teaching Strategies
Chapter 10: The Literacy—Social Studies Connection
Chapter 11: Social Studies as the Integrating Core
Chapter 12: Four Great Resources
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Social Studies in Elementary Education, CourseSmart eTextbook, 14th Edition
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From the Publisher
"This is a valuable addition to any K-6 school library media center or professional development library where there is an interest in cross-disciplinary lessons complete with a library or information literacy component."
"For teachers of primary, elementary, and middle school grades, teachers and storytellers Norfolk et al. present 64 essays, lesson plans, and activities designed to enhance literacy development using storytelling. The contributing teachers and storytellers, who are mostly from the US, also discuss key aspects of speaking and listening, reading and writing, visual literacy, and information literacy, and provide plans that address national standards, assessment, using puppets, ESL classes, integrating art, rhythm, and movement, vocabulary, using picture books, and other ideas."
- Reference & Research Book News
Reference & Research Book News
"This excellent essay collection connects storytelling to music, poetry, art, social studies, math, science, and physical education and provides sample stories and hands-on lesson plans for pre-school through middle school-plus classrooms. . . . It is a fascinating collection with useful, creative surprises for classrooms and library programs."
"Educators at any level will find this book a valuable resource to guide them in crafting lessons rooted in storytelling. For schools looking for innovative ideas, the editors offer a tried and true way to engage students. For teachers desiring to hone their personal storytelling skills the book provides multiple opportunities with strong educational underpinnings. Recommended."
- Library Media Connection
Library Media Connection
"This work has very original, stimulating material principally for classroom teachers, but it could have relevance for teacher librarians and for public librarians conducting holiday programmes for children and early teens. Many of the discussions from the contributors offer inspiration and fresh approaches through a very wide interpretation of storytelling."
- Australian Library Journal
Australian Library Journal