List of Education Acronyms
Blue links will lead you to more information.
Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 is a civil rights statute which prohibits discrimination against individuals with disabilities. A 504 plan is an individual education plan for a special-needs student.
American Association of School Administrators
Adult Basic Education
Prior to 1996, known as the American College Testing Program. ACT offers a college level assessment test.
American with Disabilities Act
Attention Deficit Disorder
Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder
Aid to Families with Dependent Children
American Federation of Teachers
Academic Improvement Plan
Accelerated Reader™. Created by Renaissance Learning
Creating Independence through Student-owned Strategies
Child Study Team
Competency Testing Battery
Deaf/Hard of Hearing
Educable Mentally Handicapped
Education Resources Information Center. Funded by the U.S. Department of Education
“to provide access to education literature and resources.”
Exceptional Student Education. (In some areas of the country known as EEN: Exceptional Educational Needs.)
English as a Second Language. Student’s native language is not English.
English Speakers of Other Languages
Evaluation Team Report
Educational Testing Service
Free Appropriate Public Education
Functional Behavioral Assessment
Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act
Future Farmers of America
Full-time Equivalency Student. Student enrollment.
General Education Development Test. (A GED Diploma may be granted if the individual passes the GED Test.)
Graduate Record Examination
Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. (This is a PDF file. You will need
Acrobat Reader to view it. If you do not have the Reader, you may download
Individualized Education Plan. A legal document required for ESE students.
Individualized Family Service Plan
International Reading Association
Learning Disabilities Association
Limited English Proficiency. Of late, the term "English learner" is being used in parts of the country.
Language Learning Disabilities
The National Association for Music Education
National Art Education Association
National Association of Elementary School Principals
No Child Left Behind. Individual state
National Council for the Social Studies
National Council of Teachers of English
National Council of Teachers of Mathematics
National Education Association
National Science Foundation
National Science Teachers Association
Obsessive Compulsive Disorder
Profoundly Mentally Handicapped
Preliminary Scholastic Aptitude Test
Parent Teacher Student Association
Parent Teacher Student Organization
Parent Teacher Association
School Advisory Council
Scholastic Aptitude Test. Administered by the College Board
Stanford 9 Achievement Test
The Secretary’s Commission on Achieving Necessary Skills
Severely Emotionally Disabled
School Improvement Plan
Speech and Language Impaired
School Resource Officer
Student Services Team
Trainable Mentally Handicapped. Also: Traumatic Brain Injury.
Trainable Mentally Handicapped
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Thomas, Alma Woodsey
Born: Sep 21, 1891? AD
Died: 1978 AD.
1891 - Born on September 22nd in Gerogia. Alma Thomas, an African-American artist, was a successful Washington avant-garde painter, despite the barriers presented by her race and gender.
1921 - She returned to Washington to enter Howard University.
1924 - After graduation, she taught at Shaw Junior High School, where she remained until her retirement.
1935 - She received a Master of Arts degree in art education from Columbia University, New York.
1943 - Thomas had helped Alonzo Aden found the Barnett-Aden Gallery, the site of the first exhibitions of Washington color painters such as Gene Davis, Kenneth Noland, and Morris Louis.
1950-1960 - She took courses in creative painting and color theory at American University, where many of the Washington artists were teachers.
- When Thomas retired from teaching, she devoted herself to painting full-time and was given her first one-person show at Dupont Theater, an art cinema in Washington.
1972 - Both the Whitney Museum of American Art and the Corcoran Gallery of Art held solo exhibitions of her work.
1978 - Thomas died on February 24th in Washington.
Page last updated: 12:59pm, 05th Jul '07


If someone were to give you a maths textbook, what would your reaction be? What about if you were faced with a set of sums to do? Or told you cannot graduate until you have taken a certain number of maths classes?
If these scenarios make you feel nauseous, you are probably an HMA – someone with a high level of maths anxiety. For some people, the threat of a maths test is equivalent to the prospect of walking down a dark alley in an unfamiliar city. People with extremely high levels of mathematics anxiety even experience physical pain.
We know this thanks to a study published, appropriately enough, on Hallowe’en. The research involved recruiting volunteers who rated high and low in maths anxiety. They were put into a magnetic resonance imaging scanner and given a range of tasks to do. Some involved maths quizzes; some tested verbal skills.
In the most illuminating part of the study, the volunteers were told whether it was maths or language tests coming up. The prospect of having their verbal skills tested provoked nothing remarkable in the brain scans. For those who were highly maths-anxious, the signal that a maths test was coming up created a surge of activity in the bilateral dorso-posterior insula. This is a region of the brain associated with the presence of physical pain and the reaction is the same as to a physical threat – you experience the urge to get the hell out of there.
Though many papers reported the research as justification for a fear of maths, it goes far deeper than that. The most important finding from the study is that when the volunteers started to do maths, all that anxiety and pain went away. The prospect of maths scares and sometimes pains us; doing maths is strangely enjoyable. Proper maths, that is – not the endless repetition of learned techniques such as multiplying fractions or ploughing through long division.
The way we teach mathematics is leaving many people mentally scarred. Allow students to develop a feel for numbers by letting them solve puzzles, and everything changes. The message from the Computer-Based Math™ Education summit held at the Royal Institution in London this month goes even further. Allow children to learn maths by using computers to solve problems and not only does the subject get easier, but they leave education ready to work in a world increasingly dominated by digital technology.
This idea is anathema to traditionalists, but something has to change. Just under half of the adult population can’t complete even primary-school maths problems. Adults with poor numeracy skills are twice as likely to be unable to find work; it’s no wonder they are also twice as likely to suffer from depression. Innumeracy leads to poor money management and problems with debt. On 7 November, the charity National Numeracy launched a partnership with the Nationwide Building Society to help people develop numeracy skills to manage their finances.
Innumeracy will affect Britain’s ability to compete in a global economy, too. At the beginning of October, the Royal Academy of Engineering announced that the UK can maintain its industrial output only if British universities produce 10,000 more science, technology, engineering and maths graduates every year.
It’s not clear where they are going to come from, because each one will need to leave school with decent maths skills.
If things carry on as they are, we can abandon hope of a role on the world economic stage in the future, all because we’re inflicting pain in maths class. As a doctor might say, if it hurts that much, you’re probably doing it wrong.
Michael Brooks’s “The Secret Anarchy of Science” is published by Profile Books (£8.99)


Buffalo, NY (PRWEB) March 05, 2014
Parents can often take music for granted; we listen to it for joy, relaxation, emotional connection and so much more. However, the melodies, sounds and lyrics are more than just a pleasurable experience. Music has a proven impact on a child’s development.
Doodle Bugs! Children’s Centers, a leader in early childhood education with locations in Buffalo, Rochester, Pittsburgh and Lake Worth, FL, celebrates Music in Our Schools Month yearly through center activities, including musical instrument performances by center families and faculty. However, the musical experience doesn’t end with the school day. Christina Fecio, director of education and training, offers families tips on celebrating music at home:
“Music has so many advantages for young children. From boosting memory skills to evoking emotions to helping learn, music is a critical part in early childhood education. Doodle Bugs! incorporates musical education into our curriculum and daily activities, through intentional use of ‘background music,’ singing songs, learning music from other cultures and music & movement activities,” Fecio said.
Fecio notes that all children, even infants, can learn from music. She lists a few specific activities appropriate for different age groups:
Infants: Sing about new words that you are introducing to your infant. For example, if they have a new toy dog, since about dogs as you hold it up. Learn more about why we sing to baby with this article from NAEYC.
Toddlers: Add your child’s name to songs your toddler already knows. For example, “Old MacDonald” becomes “Old Miss Nadia.”
Preschool, Pre-k, Kindergarten: Play “name that tune” in the car to make drive time fun.
School Age: Play Rock Band (or similar music-focused games) with your children on the Wii or Xbox.
According to the National Association for Music Education (NAfME), March has been officially designated for the observance of Music In Our Schools Month (MIOSM®), the time of year when music education becomes the focus of schools across the nation. The purpose of MIOSM is to raise awareness of the importance of music education for all children – and to remind citizens that school is where all children should have access to music.
Doodle Bugs! Children’s Centers provides education-based care for children ages six weeks to 12 years, including Preschool/Pre-K and Summer Camp programs. The BRAVO! Curriculum®, which is professionally designed and exclusive to Doodle Bugs!, combines theme-related, developmentally appropriate classroom experiences, all-inclusive enrichment activities and a series of center events. Enrichment activities include Tae Kwon Do and Doodle Dance & Fitness.
For more information, visit http://www.doodlebugs.com.


Young children’s experience of visual displays of their artwork
Boone, Danielle J. (2008) Young children’s experience of visual displays of their artwork. Australian Art Education, 31 (2), 22-45, 31(22), pp. 22-45.
The practice of displaying children's artwork in early childhood classrooms poses a number of questions about the child and his or her visual artwork. This paper focuses on young children’s experiences with the display of their own visual artwork. Following Giorgi's (1985a; 1985b) approach to conducting phenomenological psychological research, 13 children between the ages of 4 and 6 years attending an independent school outside metropolitan Detroit, Michigan (USA) participated in semi-structured interviews as a way of uncovering their lived experiences of seeing their artwork displayed. The study yielded 12 essential themes and from these three key issues and their implications for early childhood art education are explored.
Impact and interest:
Citation counts are sourced monthly from and citation databases.
Citations counts from theindexing service can be viewed at the linked Google Scholar™ search.
|Item Type:||Journal Article|
|Additional Information:||For further information, please contact the author: Dr Danielle Twigg, Faculty of Education, School of Education and Professional Studies, 176 Messines Ridge Road, MT GRAVATT QLD 4122, Queensland, Australia. Telephone +61 (0) 7 3735 1021. Email: firstname.lastname@example.org, Room: M10_4.02C, Griffith University - Mount Gravatt, www.griffith.edu.au|
|Keywords:||art education, phenomenology|
|Subjects:||Australian and New Zealand Standard Research Classification > EDUCATION (130000) > CURRICULUM AND PEDAGOGY (130200) > Creative Arts Media and Communication Curriculum and Pedagogy (130201)|
|Divisions:||Current > QUT Faculties and Divisions > Faculty of Education|
|Copyright Owner:||Copyright 2008 the author.|
|Deposited On:||24 Sep 2009 04:53|
|Last Modified:||09 Jun 2010 14:02|
Repository Staff Only: item control page


As the daughter of an art teacher, I am well acquainted with the argument for the preservation of art education. The defense is noble and multifaceted. It is championed most passionately and dedicatedly.
However, the argument is not working. The art program is too often justified on vague, right-brain premises. Its lack of success is because it does not resonate with the logical, left-brain thinking that is needed, and exercised, in making budget cuts in schools. (The brain is divided into two distinct hemispheres; some people are more inclined to think with their left hemisphere, and some more with their right. Left hemisphere thinking is scientific, logical, analytical and objective, whereas right hemisphere thinking is artistic, holistic, subjective and creative.)
The Argument for Art has both a moral and a practical side. Morally, advocates argue that kids now, more than ever, need a break from standardized testing at school. Art, with its therapeutic and meditative qualities, enhances the child by assisting in self-expression. Art classes allow kids to "find their voice." Art education nurtures important habits of the mind, including creativity, divergent thinking and social competency. Also, an entrepreneurial point of view emphasizes the practical importance of an institutionalized introduction to art.
For some, exposure to art simply makes for a more well-rounded education, but for others who are destined to go into the art field, the introduction is absolutely essential. Advocates of art education argue that the depletion of art programs, along with taking a toll on children's cultural consciousness, may also have serious impacts on the future workforce. Makes sense, right?
While well-meaning, these advocations are insufficient; they make art education seem complementary instead of necessary. That is why I found Daniel Pink so revolutionary. Actually, when I first picked up his New York Times bestseller, "A Whole New Mind: Why Right-Brainers Will Rule the Future," I disbelievingly put it down. Fortunately, a rainy day eventually led me to curl up with it, and after a few pages, my skepticism changed to excitement.
Pink's argument is something that all advocates of art in the public school system should explore and analyze. "A Whole New Mind" suggests that the three trends of material abundance, globalization and automation will eradicate left-brained dominance and enhance the need for creative thinkers.
His logic is based on the facts that, because modern consumers have so much choice and option, aestheticism is just as important as function; that because of globalization, we are outsourcing many jobs than can be reduced to a series of steps, (therefore needing more creative, synthetic thinkers in the workforce); and lastly, that improved automation is bestowing machines with the capability to do repetitious, sequential, left-brain jobs (again emphasizing the need for conceptual, not sequential thinking).
For all of those out there who believe in the necessity of art education, I implore you to read the book. It is a gem and it is a rarity. Pink's use of logical, socioeconomic rationality in championing artistry depolarizes the great debate and appeals to the left-brained budget-cutters whose minds we need to change.
Augusta Mery is a senior at Salisbury High School.
Want to write for iThink? High school and college students can send an email to firstname.lastname@example.org.


METHODS OF TEACHING ART IN THE ELEMENTARY/MIDDLE SCHOOLS
2013 Fall Term
A study of the contribution of creative expression in art to the development of a child and the role of visual arts in the elementary school curriculum. Through studio experiences, lecture - discussions, and media presentations, all of the areas of art basic to the elementary/middle school program will be explored and curriculum materials developed. The observation and analysis of children's art activities will be included. Required of all Early Childhood, Elementary and Dual Elementary-Special Education Majors.
Other Requirements: PREREQ: PROFESSIONAL EDUCATION ADMISSION AND ARTSTDIO 121; RESTRICTED TO STUDENTS WITH CURRICULUM ELEMENTARY EDUCATION
There are no sections offered for this course and term that meet your criteria.


Teaching Through Text: Reading and Writing in the Content Areas
Teaching Through Text provides a broad range of techniques to enhance students' literacy development and learning across the curriculum. McKenna and Robinson focus on describing, illustrating, and applying both teacher-directed and student-centered strategies. Student-centered strategies are illustrated through graphic organizers, concept bridges, and applicable exercises.
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The Importance of Literacy in Content Areas
A Literacy Processes
5 Getting to Know Your Students Your Materials
14 other sections not shown
actually answer approach appropriate Ask students background Bassum begin borite chapter Charon classroom cloze comprehension concepts consider construct content area content literacy definitions dents describe developed diagram direct instruction discussion DR-TA effective encourage students example facts feature analysis chart Figure format global plans grades graphic organizers Hispanic homework ideas important inferential International Reading Association introduced involve language learning lesson literacy guides literal Lowell Observatory material means methods offer photosynthesis planet Pluto postreading practice predictions prereading presented prior knowledge problems purposes for reading questions readers reading ability Reading Activity reading and writing reading assignment reading guides reading selection require response result role schemata semantic map Semantic web sentence setting purposes skills sociogram specific SQ3R steps strategies suggest task techniques textbook tion topic tree diagram unit Uranus Venn diagram vocabulary words


research from the fields of literacy, learning, cognitive science, neuroscience, behavioral and social science, and education. The committee identifies factors that affect literacy development in adolescence and adulthood in general and examines their implications for the populations in adult education programs.
In keeping with its charge, the committee defined literacy as the ability to read, write, and communicate using a symbol system (in this case, English) and using appropriate tools and technologies to meet the goals and demands of individuals, their families, and U.S. society. Thus, literacy skill includes but encompasses a broader range of proficiency than basic skills. The focus of the committee is on improving the literacy of individuals ages 16 years and older who are not in K-12 education; this focus is consistent with eligibility for federally funded adult education programs. The report includes research with adolescents of all ages but discusses the implications of this research (as well as research with children and adults) for instruction to be used in adult literacy education.4
There is a surprising lack of rigorous research on effective approaches to adult literacy instruction. This lack of evidence is especially striking given the long history of both federal funding for adult education programs and reliance on the nation’s community colleges to develop and improve adults’ literacy skills. Sustained and systematic research is needed to (1) identify instructional approaches that show promise of maximizing adults’ literacy skill gains; (2) develop scalable instructional programs and rigorously test their effectiveness; and (3) conduct further testing to determine for whom and under what conditions those approaches work.
In the absence of research with adults whose literacy is not at high levels, the committee concluded that it is reasonable to apply findings from the large body of research on learning and literacy with other populations (mainly younger students and relatively well-educated adults) with some adaptations to account for the developmental level and unique challenges of adult learners. The available research provides guidance about principles of effective reading and writing instruction, principles of learning and motivation, and promising uses of technologies and other supports for learning.
Effective literacy instruction addresses the foundational components of reading—word recognition, fluency, vocabulary, reading comprehension, background knowledge, strategies for deeper analysis, and understanding of texts—and the component skills of writing. It combines explicit teaching
4Given the sponsor’s primary interest in improving adult literacy education, we did not address the question of how to prevent low literacy in the United States. Although the report does not have an explicit focus on issues of prevention and how to improve literacy instruction in the K-12 system, many of the relevant findings were derived from research with younger populations and so they are likely to be relevant to the prevention of inadequate literacy.


Pedagogy, or Pedagogics,
a term Anglicized from the German, signifies the SCIENCE OF EDUCATION OR TEACHING, for the systematic development of the human faculties. It has Mind, Matter, and Method as essential factors, and its ideal is to study the individual natures of youth, in order to ascertain the special functions with which each is endowed, so as to develop them towards perfection by systematized methods of training.
This study is effected under three recognized divisions: physiology, the constitution of the body; psychology, the constitution of the mind; ethics and religion, the moral and spiritual nature.
The psychology of pedagogy embraces the scientific observation and study of children, mental pathology or morbid conditions, comparative psychology, or the growth and grades of intelligence, and empirical and educational psychology, the latter including apperception, or the essential mental operation in the act of learning.
The physiological aspect of pedagogy embraces physical education and hygiene, including anthropometry or body measurements, supervision of eyestrain, spinal curvature, overpressure, stammering, vocal efforts, the ventilation, sanitation, furniture, apparatus and equipment of school grounds and buildings, the gymnastic, calisthenic, Delsartian, Swedish, and other athletic exercises.
The moral and spiritual side of pedagogy embraces ethics or manners, aesthetics which gives inspiration by a taste for and contemplation of the beautiful, and civil and religious instruction, which include Sunday-schools, and initiate the duties and rights of citizenship, the formation of religious sentiment, and the recognition of a supreme moral force.
The principles and practice of Pedagogy comprise elementary, secondary and higher instruction, and school administration.
School administration and management embrace organization and discipline, the question of punishments, amusements and general exercises, the selection of text-books, libraries, and museum collections, supervision of studies, elective systems of study, examinations and degrees, legislation, and endowments, including federal and state aid, land grants, and private benefactors.
Elementary instruction is typified by the kindergarten--children's garden or child-study institution, giving instruction in the rudiments of language, number and arithmetic, nature study, object lessons, geography, drawing and music. To the elementary also belogns the education of orphans and neglected children, of colored children--negroes, Indians, Eskimos, etc., and of defective children, blind, deaf mutes, mentally deficient, truants, incorrigibles and offenders, and compulsory education to combat illiteracy.
Secondary and higher education comprise the advanced forms of elementary education, together with ancient and modern languages, history, economics, politics and sociology, mathematics and science.
Higher education also embraces night and continuation schools, public lectures, college settlements, university extension courses, self-culture, and home education. Other forms of high pedagogy are found in the methods for manual and industrial training, typified in the sloyd, slojd, or Swedish series of manual exercises.
The highest pedagogic forms embrace the college and university courses for professional education, including training for teaching, theology, law, medicine and its sub-divisions--surgery, dentistry, pharmacy and nursing; fine arts comprising sculpture, drawing, painting, engraving, music and architecture; science embracing technology, agriculture, commerce, military and naval training; modern colleges for the education of women, and post-graduate courses.
The literature on every branch of Pedagogy is enormous and continually increasing. Reference to any special department is best made by consulting: the "Catalog of Educational Literature of the U.S. Bureau of Education," Washington; the "Bulletin of the Books on Education in the Libraries of Columbia University," New York city; or the excellent bibliographies of Education by Prof. W.S. Monroe, by G.S. Hall and J.M. Mansfield and others.
CHARLES LEONARD STUART
Entry from Everybody's Cyclopedia, 1912.


|ISBN: 9781412981149||Paperback||Suggested Retail Price: $27.95||Bookstore Price: $22.36|
|ISBN: 9781452206691||Electronic Version||Suggested Retail Price: $27.95||Bookstore Price: $22.36|
About This Title
"This book helps the practicing educator turn research into seamless classroom practice. The practice exercises can be implemented immediately to help build student success."
—Katina Keener, Science/Social Studies Teacher, T. C. Walker Elementary School, Gloucester, VA
Launch young learners on positive pathways through school!
The early school years provide critical opportunities for children to develop foundational skills and positive attitudes toward learning. This book, the first in the Classroom Insights from Educational Psychology series, gives current and prospective PreK–3 teachers valuable insight into how young children feel, think, and learn.
Denise H. Daniels and Patricia K. Clarkson show how current research and theory from educational psychology can be applied to create a child-centered learning environment and to develop best practices for instruction. Readers will gain a deeper understanding of:
- How children develop from the early years to middle childhood
- The importance of fostering positive teacher-child, child-child, and caregiver-child relationships
- Developmentally appropriate classroom practices that foster learning
- Children’s experiences with technology and outdoor environments
Vignettes and case studies, practice exercises, suggested games, and reflection questions make A Developmental Approach to Educating Young Children a valuable asset in helping teachers design stimulating learning experiences for young children.
Should you need additional information or have questions regarding the HEOA information provided for this title, including what is new to this edition, please email firstname.lastname@example.org. Please include your name, contact information, and the name of the title for which you would like more information. For information on the HEOA, please go to http://ed.gov/policy/highered/leg/hea08/index.html.
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Thousand Oaks, CA 91320


Alternate Activity 3: The Wonder of Water, through Science
Activity time: 0 minutes
Materials for Activity
- Books on the science of water
Preparation for Activity
- Peruse books and online resources to ground or refresh your knowledge of water science and gather visual aids to share with the group. Some sources:
- Science With Water by Helen Edom (Usborne Books, revised 2007), for ages 4-8
- The Everything Kids' Science Experiments Book: Boil Ice, Float Water, Measure Gravity-Challenge the World Around You! by Tom Robinson (Adams Media Corporation, 2001) for ages 8-12
- Water science for kids pages on the website of the United States Environmental Protection Agency
- United States Geological Survey's Water Science for Schools website
- Optional: Invite a guest speaker with water science expertise.
Description of Activity
Share your knowledge of water science in a way that supports the curriculum and activates the interest of scientifically inclined participants. If science is not your strength, find books and other resources to share with participants that explore the science of water.
For a more substantive experience, invite a science teacher, a marine biologist, an environmental engineer or other knowledgeable person to talk with the group. A visitor might bring one or more microscopes so participants can examine the complexity within a drop of water. Or, a visitor might speak about water ecology and stewardship in your area.
To give a knowledgeable visitor plenty of time with the group, consider scheduling a separate event to explore water indoors and out. You might hold the meeting at an outdoor location near fresh water and/or combine it with a casual meal with a fresh water theme (such as watermelon).
Share, Print, or Explore
For more information contact email@example.com.


Keep them off the couch and get them outside before they become D.A.S.E.D. (Declining Attention Spans from Electronic Devices). When it comes to competing for kids’ attention, teachers can’t match the virtual power of video programmers. They over-stimulate. They are virtual hypnotists . . . mesmerizing kids for hours with their mental candy. School doesn’t mesmerize many. How can teachers compete? If you want better teachers for your kids, start by limiting how much time they play video games and watch television.
Tags: Better schools, child obesity, elementary education, parenting, teachers
Tags: Gen Y, millenniums, parenting
Will kids have what it takes to slip from the shackles of their enabled, entitled, and instant gratified upbringing and meet the challenges of life head on, or will you hunt aimlessly for the reset button that real life can never offer?
Tags: athletes, mental training, Motivation, sports, sports pyschology
Play to win. When you get the lead, don’t let up. If you’re going to win, you must maintain the mental hustle that got you there. Keep the game face on. The momentum will change quickly if your opponent senses a letdown. Keep the pressure up but don’t over pursue. Stay on your toes and off your heels. Protect the lead but look to score. Play to win, not to lose.
Tags: baseball, family bonding, family communication, little league, parent involvement, sports, youth sports
There’s more to having a catch with your kids than just having a catch. It’s a time when you have their undivided attention. It’s your chance to open up a line of communication that will last a life time. As your kids get older, it will become more difficult for you to create an environment where they will open up to you. You must create one while they are young.
As you toss the ball back and forth, spend most of the time talking about something other than baseball. Find out what happened in their life today. Set the tone. Get them to talk, to open up. Engage with them. Show them you are interested in them and are there to listen. When they get older, they’ll always know that they can talk to you about their problems, concerns, or issues over something as special as “having a catch.”
Tags: athletics, fitness, sports, sports motivation, sports psychology, young athlete, youth sports
Winners have learned to go full speed ahead all the time. No matter if it’s in practice or the real thing, they take it on with a full head of steam. They never have to give a second effort because they only play with continuous effort. Winners don’t have a middle gear. They don’t know what half speed is all about. Like an Iditarod sled dog, winners only know one speed – flat out.
Tags: baseball tips, cal ripken, espen, little league, little league world series, mlb, sports, youth athletes, youth sports


News & Policies >
Policies in Focus >
The Need to Improve Teacher Quality and
Enhance the Teaching Profession
Recent studies offer compelling evidence that confirms what parents have always known the quality of a teacher is one of the most critical components of how well students achieve. Studies in both Tennessee and Texas found that students who had effective teachers greatly outperformed those who had ineffective teachers. For example, in the Tennessee study, students with highly effective teachers for three years in a row scored 50 percentage points higher on a test of math skills than those whose teachers were ineffective.
The Challenge of Improving Teacher Quality
Teacher Preparation: Many new teachers do not feel ready for the challenges of todays classrooms. Fewer than 36 percent feel "very well prepared" to implement curriculum and performance standards, and less than 20 percent feel prepared to meet the needs of diverse students or those with limited English proficiency.
Teacher Retention: New teachers are often left to "sink or swim," not receiving the nurturing and support they need. Not surprisingly, about 22 percent of new public school teachers leave the profession in their first three years.
Mastery of Content: Teachers in 35 States are required to pass a test of subject area knowledge. Often the passing scores are set so low that a candidate can pass the test by getting fewer than half of the test items correct. Low expectations such as these do not address the realities of higher academic standards. Research has demonstrated a clear connection between a teachers subject matter preparation and student academic achievement. Teachers with strong preparation in the subject matter they teach have the knowledge and ability to help their students meet the challenges of new and more rigorous standards.
Teacher Recruitment: Over the next decade, school districts will need to hire 2.2 million additional teachers. But States and school districts face the challenge of attracting a greater quantity of people to the teaching profession while also increasing teacher quality. While States and educational organizations have begun to pursue different ways to recruit high quality individuals into the field of teaching, more help is needed.
Starting Early. Research has shown the importance of children acquiring pre-reading and numeracy skills early on in life. The more prepared children are when they enter school, the more likely they will be able to read and perform on grade level by the end of the third grade. Teachers need specific training to enable them to successfully teach young learners.
The Need to Enhance the Teaching Profession
As we expect more and more of teachers, we have an obligation to ensure that they are treated like the dedicated professionals they are. Unfortunately, fewer than 20 percent of public school teachers report that they are "very satisfied" with the level of esteem society accords them. Teachers also report that they have problems maintaining order in the classroom and face the threat of being sued when they enforce reasonable standards of discipline. Additionally, low pay and the burden of student loans and other expenses related to teaching can contribute to teachers feeling dissatisfied with their work environment.
The No Child Left Behind Act and Teachers
Every child deserves highly qualified teachers. The No Child Left Behind Act requires States to have a highly qualified teacher in every public school classroom by the end of the 2005-2006 school year. For example, all new teachers will have to be licensed or certified by the State, hold at least a bachelors degree, and pass a rigorous State test on subject knowledge and teaching skills. Existing teachers will also have to meet similar criteria.
Reaching this goal will require reform of traditional teacher training, which is usually conducted in colleges of education, as well as through the innovative expansion of alternative routes to teacher licensure. It will also require more effective in-service training and professional development for teachers currently in the classroom.
The historic No Child Left Behind Act, signed into law by President Bush in January 2002, provides a variety of new tools to enable the Federal Government, States, and local districts to improve teacher quality and elevate the teaching profession. These needed reforms are backed up with historic levels of funding for teacher quality initiatives in President Bushs FY-03 budget. These reforms are the foundation of the Bush Administrations agenda to improve teacher quality and enhance the teaching profession.


To have a hand in helping students find their voice and passion is the most important thing to me as a teacher librarian. At Van Meter our students are accomplishing this by THINKING, LEADING, and SERVING. This will assist them in becoming 21st century learners and thinkers.
The teacher librarian is one of the most important individuals within a school system. They are held at the heart of the school and should be seen as a valuable resource for all people to come to within and outside of the school. "As the essential link who connects students, teachers, and others with the informational resources they need, the library media specialist plays an unique and pivotal role in the learning community" (ALA, 1998, p.4). The teacher librarian fulfills the role of "teacher' in a vast number of ways. Teacher librarians need to be advocates and experts in technology. We must serve as coaches and assist students, teachers, parents, and community members with integrating technology into the curriculum within and outside of the classroom. Every teacher librarian needs to become a literacy leader through a variety of ways such as leading students to appropriate books and electronic resources, modeling reading, searching for and accessing appropriate materials, talking about books, offering a variety of books and knowing the reader's ability (Cart, 2007). I am a firm believer that we must be a information and technology literacy leader at all times to students for them to become lifelong readers and learners. This ties in with what is stated in IP2, "Librarian's roles as a teacher is to create a dynamic program that challenges students to crate personal meaning from information and to participate in a collaborative culture of learning" (ALA, 1998, p. 4).
We must surround people with quality, rich resources and tools and hook them to become lifelong learners that we as teachers are thriving for within a school. As a teacher librarian, we must constantly be using our teaching skills and be aware of natural opportunities to educate our learning community. We must encourage creativity and noise of all kinds. We need to make our library and school a place where learning is student-based engaging them in the learning process at all times. Librarians also must teach the nine informational literacy standards as stated in IP2. The librarian engages with all the students and teachers, teaching them how to locate, evaluate, and exchange the information held within the various types of resources and technology available. This is one of the most important ingredients in forming lifelong learners within our school. A librarian in the teacher role is continually learning and updating the knowledge the posees, therefore they are an invaluable resource for everyone to come to for current research on learning, technology, teaching, and literacy. This also makes them an expert on the curriculum within the school. Therefore, as the teacher, the librarian turns the library into an active learning center within our school, which by engaging our students, they are molding them into independent, lifelong learners.
I have a degree in Elementary and Art Education from the University of Northern Iowa. I also have a K-12 Reading Endorsement from Viterbo University. I incorporate my love for art and learning into everything I do with our students at Van Meter. I love making connections with others outside of our building and find lots of opportunities to use these resources in my classroom. I have a passion for technology and also intertwine this into everything I do, which is an amazing way to connect to our 21st century learners. As you will see in the exhibits below, technology, creativity, reading, voices, and noise are common themes in our library, throughout the school, and beyond!
EXHIBITS OF TEACHING OF THE
CURRICULUM BASED ON THE AASL STANDARDS OF THE 21st CENTURY


This document is part of a joint project of the Singapore Art Museum and the Honours Core Curriculum, National University of Singapore. This image and accompanying text appears here with the kind permission of the Singapore Art Museum.
Another pillar of Singapore art in the 1930s, formed as part of the proliferation of modern art education in China according to May Fourth aesthetics, is the Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts (NAFA). Established in 1938, three years after the Society of Chinese Artists, the Academy was initiated by the Singapore alumni of Jimei School in Xiamen.
Penang-based artist Yong Mun Sen, who lived in Singapore during the late-191Os, was amongst those who proposed an art academy in Singapore (Yeo Mang Thong, pp.71-5), but it is widely recognised today that the founder of NAFA was Lim Hak Tai, a teacher at the Xiamen Academy of Art and Jimei Teachers Training College before initiating NAFA in Singapore. There is a Portrait of Lim Hak Tai by Xu Beihong painted in 1939 in the Singapore Art Museum collection.
The Chinese art academies were the models for NAFA and, in its initial years, its lecturers were almost entirely graduates of art academies in Shanghai, Beijing, Xiamen and Paris. It is interesting to note that as much as Singapore was a receptor from the Chinese art academies in north and south China, the modern educational institutions in the Xiamen area were largely initiated and funded by overseas Chinese, including those in Singapore. The curriculum was divided into Western oil painting (Academic Realism and the School of Paris in its Post-impressionist, Symbolist and Fauvist aspects) and traditional Chinese ink painting.
The dichotomy of Western and Chinese art traditions in the Shanghai art school curriculum was repeated in NAFA in Singapore. Amongst the early ink painting teachers at the academy were Lu Heng, Wu Tsai Yen and See Hiarg To. Wu Tsai Yen studied at Xinhua Academy of Fine Arts from 1931 to 1934 and specialises in finger painting. The pine tree, an evergreen and a symbol of longevity, is a favourite subject of Chinese art. Wu has captured the various nuances of a solitary Pine Tree, contrasting the texture, strength and tenacity of the trunk with the softness and delicacy of the leaves.
Amongst the early Western art teachers at the academy were Chong Pai Mu and Chen Jen Hao whose respective works Fish and Rocky Coast are illustrated here.
NAFA may be seen as a manifestation of the proliferation of art education in China, a trend driven by the new communicative aesthetics which required a formal (i.e., modem classroom education) approach.
The educational philosophy in the early years embraced both Chinese nationalism and Nanyang regionalism as both themes existed concurrently in Singapore before the 1950s, with Chinese nationalism having emphasis before the Sino-Japanese War and Nanyang regionalism thereafter.
In the late 1930s, before and during the Sino Japanese War, Chinese literary efforts in Singapore, inspired by Chinese rationalism, focused on resistanceliterature, The early activities of the Society of Chinese Artists and NAFA were correspondingly centred on wartime efforts in aid of the resistance against the Japanese invasion of China. Nanyang regionalism, on the other hand, refers to a conception of Nanyang, or Southeast Asia, prior to national divisions.
The term "Nanyang Style" first appeared in literary criticism. Relative to the visual arts, literary activity of Singapore Chinese migrants had an earlier beginning with the publication of Xinguomin zazhi, the associate magazine of the daily newspaper Xinguomin ribao in 1919. By the late-1920s, there was a tendency towards vernacularism in literary works. Emphasis was placed on local (Nanyang) subject matter and this gave birth to the term "Nanyang Style". The term was a generic one which was used to characterise the subject matter of such writings, Nanyang Style did not denote a specific aesthetic paradigm as did notions of linguistic vemacularism (as in the May Fourth Movement), Social Realism or aestheticism. In the late-1920s and 1930s, some proponents of the Nanyang Style associated writing with the articulation of a Nanyang/Overseas Chinese identity and took the literary discourse even further to deal with the larger social issue of a Nanyang regionalist culture.
Yeo Mang Thong. Xinjiapo zhanqian huaren meishushi lunji. Singapore Society of Asian Studies, 1992.
Last updated: May 2000


Big BRICs, Weak Foundations: The Beginning of Public Elementary Education in Brazil, Russia, India, and China, 1880-1930
Executive Summary — In deducing why some nations are more developed than others, it makes sense to look at their educational systems. While comparative studies on the subject focus either on developed nations or on differences between developed and developing economies, this paper hones in four of the largest developing nations at the turn of the twentieth century: Brazil, Russia, India, and China (BRIC). Research was conducted by Aldo Musacchio of Harvard Business School, Laktika Chaundhary of Scripps College, Steven Nafziger of Williams College, and Se Yan of Peking University. Key concepts include:
- BRIC comprised half of the world's population in 1900, but only 14, 21, 9, and 4 percent of school-age children in Brazil, Russia, India, and China, respectively, were enrolled in primary school, compared with more than 75 percent in Germany, the United Kingdom, and the United States.
- In BRIC, decentralized political structures and lack of accountability led to situations in which public resources were funneled to educate the elites. Meanwhile, poor communities had to rely on insufficient private contributions to fund their schools.
- However, in many areas, the elites supported the expansion of mass education, either because they wanted to produce skilled labor for their companies or because they perceived political benefits from an educated population.
- Their results explain why it has been so hard for BRIC countries to catch up with the education levels developed countries in the twentieth century. While the United States, Germany, and the United Kingdom had two hundred years to get to their current levels of education, BRIC countries had a late start. Additionally, the paper highlights the importance of having centralized education balancing education deficiencies in distant localities or in provinces in which elites that are not interested in educating the masses capture the government.
Our paper provides a comparative perspective on the development of public primary education in four of the largest developing economies circa 1910: Brazil, Russia, India, and China (BRIC). These four countries encompassed more than 50 percent of the world's population in 1910, but remarkably few of their citizens attended any school by the early twentieth-century. We present new, comparable data on school inputs and outputs for BRIC drawn from contemporary surveys and government documents. Recent studies emphasize the importance of political decentralization and relatively broad political voice for the early spread of public primary education in developed economies. We identify the former and the lack of the latter to be important in the context of BRIC, but we also outline how other factors such as factor endowments, colonialism, serfdom, and, especially, the characteristics of the political and economic elite help explain the low achievement levels of these four countries and the incredible amount of heterogeneity within each of them.


The Columbia Museum of Art, located on Main Street in downtown Columbia, SC, implemented a renewable energy project using a recently installed solar panel array on the roof of its building which is reducing the amount of energy the museum has to purchase. The Museum received a $213,500 grant from the Budget and Control Board’s South Carolina Energy Office to fund the 177 solar panels, special installation equipment, 6 electrical inverters and a web based monitoring system. A special educational webpage at (www.columbiamuseum.org) provides visitors with fun facts, live readings of energy saved, photos and interactive games for kids.
The Solar Panels will:
PRODUCE 10-20% of the Museum’s daily usage
OFFSET 40 tons of carbon every year
SAVE 379 trees per year
GENERATE 53,340 kilowatts per hour
“The South Carolina Energy Office is very excited to be a part of such a great project,” Ashlie Lancaster, director of the energy office, said. “This project demonstrates the value of using solar in a facility that has a lot of visitors. We are glad the Columbia Museum of Art is using this opportunity as an educational tool for the public as well as creating a source for clean energy.”
This scalable project fosters market penetration of renewable energy technology by promoting the benefits of solar power production. As a downtown anchor, the Museum endorses a cleaner, healthier environment by utilizing a renewable resource to reduce and displace its traditional electricity consumption. This is the only solar project of this size in the city of Columbia.
“We are thrilled to be making technological advances that are greatly impacting our environment in a positive way. Additionally, this project allows us to reduce our utility costs and to redirect those resources toward programs that advance our educational mission,” Museum executive director, Karen Brosius, said.
The South Carolina Energy Office (SCEO) provides a broad range of resources designed to help citizens, businesses and public entities save energy and money. In recent years, the SCEO has helped save South Carolina over $250 million through public and private energy-saving measures and new energy technologies. The SCEO is a unit of the South Carolina Budget and Control Board. Additional information can be found at (www.energy.sc.gov). These projects are funded through a grant from the Department of Energy under Award Number(s) DE-EE0000158.
The Columbia Museum of Art is South Carolina’s premier international art museum and houses a world-class collection of European and American art. Founded in 1950, the Museum opened its new building on Main Street in 1998 with 25 galleries. The collection includes masterpieces of the Italian Renaissance, Baroque and Rococo from the Samuel H. Kress Collection, porcelain and works by significant furniture and silver makers, as well as American, Asian, and modern and contemporary art. In recent years the Museum’s collection of Asian art and Antiquities has grown through generous gifts to the collection. Of particular interest are Sandro Botticelli’s Nativity, Claude Monet’s The Seine at Giverny, Canaletto’s View of the Molo, and art glass by Louis Comfort Tiffany. The Museum’s newly commissioned Chihuly chandelier is now on view in the Museum’s David Wallace Robinson, Jr. Atrium. The Museum offers changing exhibitions from renowned museums as well as educational programs for all ages that include art classes, art camps, lectures, films and concerts. It is the recipient of a National Art Education Association award for its contributions to arts education and an Elizabeth O’Neill Verner Governor’s Award for the Arts for outstanding contributions to the arts in South Carolina. Generous support to the Museum is provided by the City of Columbia, Richland County, the South Carolina Arts Commission and the Cultural Council of Richland and Lexington Counties.
For further information call the Museum at 803/799-2810 or visit (www.columbiamuseum.org).
Tags: Ashlie Lancaster, Columbia Museum of Art, Columbia SC, Karen Brosius, SC Budget and Control Board, Solar Energy, South Carolina Energy Office, US Department of Energy, Visiting Columbia SC. Visiting South Carolina


UWSP Library resources
Creating Strategic Readers
Call Number: LB 1050 .E42 2005 (first floor Reserve Desk)
These teaching techniques show how to foster active, strategic reading by implementing the five components of reading instruction identified in the 2000 National Reading Panel report - phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension.
Making Content Comprehensible for English Learners: The SIOP Model (4th Edition)
Call Number: PE 1128 .A2 E248 2012 (fourth floor)
In this new fourth edition, the authors explain the popular SIOP®(Sheltered Instruction Observation Protocol) Model and provide lesson plans and instructional activities to help teachers implement it in K-12 classrooms.
Phonics and Word Study for the Teacher of Reading
Call Number: LB 1573.3 .F69 2014 (fourth floor)
A self-paced, self-instruction program designed to help teachers independently develop a comprehensive background in phonics, syllable and accent patterns, onset-rime, the morphemes that contribute to word meaning, and phonological and phonemic awareness. Throughout the book, readers see how to connect the information they're studying with grade-specific learning expectations described in the Foundational Skills strand of the Common Core State Standards.
Self-Paced Phonics: A Text for Educators
Call Number: LB 1573.3 .B34 2013 (fourth floor)
A resource for pre-service and in-service teachers to get practical instruction that helps them develop a sound understanding of both the content and pedagogy of phonics.
Phonics, Phonemic Awareness, and Word Analysis for Teachers
Call Number: LB 1050.44 .W55 2012 (fourth floor)
This self-paced tutorial gives pre-service teachers practical information about phonemic awareness, phonics, and word analysis, and provides in-service teachers with a helpful approach to updating their knowledge, preparing for teacher certification, or studying for competency tests.
Teaching for Comprehending and Fluency
Call Number: LB 1573 .F645 2006 (fourth floor)
Teaching for Comprehending and Fluency describes appropriate expectations for comprehension, fluency, and vocabulary development. The authors will give you a firm understanding of your students' reading levels: where they are, where they should be, and what they need to do to get there.
Interventions That Work: A Comprehensive Intervention Model for Preventing Reading Failure in Grades K-3
Call Number: LB 1525 .D655 2012
Literacy experts Linda J. Dorn and Carla Soffos guide teachers and administrators in implementing effective reading interventions for children in kindergarten through third grade. Based on the authors' Comprehensive Intervention Model (CIM), the authors present a portfolio of small group interventions for meeting the diverse needs of struggling readers.


Gustav Klimt included colorful shapes in his magical paintings, along with areas of shining gold and silver. Your child can create a beautiful collage in the style of Klimt using some silver and gold paper, along with some bits and pieces of construction paper!
What You Need:
- Scrap construction paper
- 1 8"x10" sheet of silver paper
- 1 8"x10" sheet of gold paper
- White drawing paper
What You Do:
- Start by looking at artwork by Gustav Klimt by either visiting your local library or looking online with your child. One of Klimt’s most famous works is The Kiss, showcasing a couple kissing amidst a collection of shimmering shapes, which was part of Klimt’s classic Art Nouveau style.
- Invite your child to gather bits and pieces of construction paper to reuse for this exciting art activity. Not only is it a fun project, but also a way to use up all those scraps!
- Offer your child a pair of scissors and encourage him to cut as many squares as he can out of the construction paper as well as the sheets of gold and silver paper. Klimt’s artwork seemed to glow from his use of shimmering paints! He can cut small squares, around ½ inch in diameter and up to 2 inches square.
- Once he’s got a good collection of squares, invite your child to begin gluing his colorful squares onto a sheet of white paper. He can position them in a linear, or straight, design and in either a pattern or random design.
- After he’s created several rows of squares, invite your child to fill any gaps with additional squares until he satisfied with his shining Klimt inspired creation.
Sarah Lipoff has a K-12 Art Education degree and enjoys working with kids of all ages.


The Elementary Education Language Arts Concentration area is an extension of the study of Language Arts (listening, speaking, reading, writing, viewing, and visually representing) and Children's Literature begun in the required Elementary Education courses for the English Language Arts area, specifically English 311 (Language Arts Methods) and English 204 (Children's Literature). The concentration area has two purposes. The first purpose is to extend elementary ELA Candidates' knowledge and understanding of the study of English Language Arts. The second purpose is to provide an opportunity for Elementary ELA Candidates to apply and critically exmine knowledge and understanding of all the English Language Arts as delineated in the Indiana Academic Standards for grades 1-6 and in the academic standards developed by the National Council of Teachers of English and the International Reading Association.
The following courses are required for this concentration:
ENG 285 Introduction to Creative Writing (3) Introduction to the craft, terminology, and techniques of multiple genres, including fiction, poetry, and creative nonfiction.
ENG 401 Concentration Seminar (3) Requires students to investigate in depth a problem or issue related to the teaching of elementary English Language arts, reflecting on best practices vs. common practices in relation to the NCTE/IRA Standards for the English Language Arts.
Prerequisite: ENG 311; senior standing or permission of the department chairperson. Open only to elementary education majors.
Choose one of the following writing courses:
ENG 304 Teaching Writing in the Elementary Grades (3) Focuses on theory, research, methods, strategies and program models for teaching writing in the elementary classroom; includes a guided laboratory experience that develops reading/writing connections, and includes listening, speaking, viewing and visual representing.
Prerequisite: ENG 204
ENG 213 English Studies and Technology (3) Exploration and application of technology in the teaching, learning, and disciplinary identity of English Studies
Choose one of the following literature courses:
ENG 302 Developing Elementary English Language Arts with Multicultural Literature (3) Focuses on the development of reading writing, listening, speaking, viewing and visual representing using multicultural literature. Includes guided laboratory experience.
Prerequisite: English 204
ENG 318 Literature for Young Children (3) An introduction to literature for young children from pre-K to third grade.
ENG 414 Young Adult Literature (3) Recent literature suitable for students of varying abilities in junior high/middle and secondary schools.
Choose one of the following language courses:
ENG 220 Language and Society (3) Addresses major social issues related to language use in America. Learn through case studies to identify hidden assumptions, frame questions requiring research, and do the research necessary to make informed decisions about linguistic issues in our society.
ENG 321 English Linguistics (3) Modern English grammar with special attention to phrase and sentence-level syntax.
For further information, contact your advisor or Peggy Rice, Department of English
Copyright © 2015 Ball State University 2000 W. University Ave. Muncie, IN 47306
800-382-8540 and 765-289-1241


Imagery and Text
A Dual Coding Theory of Reading and Writing
Routledge – 2000 – 248 pages
Imagery and Text: A Dual Coding Theory of Reading and Writing presents, for the first time, a unified theory of both reading and writing that derives from and is completely consistent with the Dual Coding Theory of cognition, one of the most influential and empirically sound theories of cognition ever developed. This is the first book to take a systematic theoretical approach to all of the central issues of literacy, including decoding, comprehension, and memory in reading; and planning, drafting, and reviewing in writing. Additionally, theoretical accounts are provided for such profound and elusive literacy concepts as meaning, engagement, inspiration, and persona. Dual Coding Theory is unique in theorizing how both verbal and nonverbal cognition are woven throughout all aspects of literacy.
An outstanding advancement in understanding literacy, Imagery and Text: A Dual Coding Theory of Reading and Writing:
* Explains the major aspects of both reading and writing from an empirically well-established cognitive theory that embraces both language and mental imagery, emphasizing the powerful role of nonlinguistic knowledge and mental imagery in literacy;
* Offers a human alternative to current computer-based theories of cognition and literacy derived from artificial intelligence, treating literacy as an essentially human activity that includes imagery and affect;
* Provides moment-by-moment accounts of both the reading process and the writing process and comparisons with other theories; and
* Presents an extensive review of educational research on the application of dual coding theory.
"…an important addition to the study of reading and writing theory. It is the first text to present a unified theory consistent with the Dual Coding Theory (DCT) of cognition….Imagery and Text offers readers a concise and useable text. This book is on the 'cutting-edge' and is recommended for graduate classes covering literacy theory, remedial reading, development of assessment strategies, and literacy education in general."
—Journal of Adolescent & Adult Literacy
"…reading the book is a pleasure: It is short, well organized into eight coherent chapters, and well written….Imagery and Text belongs on your bookshelf if you are interested in the cognitive psychology of mental representations and its implications for the educational psychology of reading and writing."
—APA Review of Books
"The strength of this book lays in its precision, accuracy and clarity…It is meticulously researched and logically structured-the treatment of memory and remembering in chapter five is particularly well structured. In writing this volume the authors have chosen to value knowledge that has derived from empirical research…Their focus on reading and writing points to the need for further research in areas such as the use of visual imagery by indigenous story tellers, individual differences in imagery ability including differences in subjects ability to manipulate or think with images, and classroom based research into the role of imagery in language and literacy development…Imagery and Text is a welcome addition to the field of education and psychology. It will, no doubt find a place as a set text for these courses."
—Reading and Writing: An Interdisciplinary Journal
Contents: Preface. Introduction: A Unified Theory of Literacy. Historical and Philosophical Background. Dual Coding in Literacy. Meaning and Comprehension. Memory and Remembering. The Reading Process. Written Composition. Educational Implications.


All That Jazz Is Good For Your Brain: 3 New Studies
I was treated to an outstanding jazz concert just the other night, and listening to the members of the ensemble spontaneously converse through their instruments was so incomparably stimulating that I felt I was in another universe. I was. But before I could keep the promise I made to myself that I would take up jazz piano, I found some related reports of recent research on music, jazz music, and the brain conducted by neuroscientists and psychologists at Johns Hopkins University and the University of Liverpool.
But first, there has been much research supporting music education for young children and its effects on language learning and response time to auditory cues. In fact, studies have shown that those with early music training benefit from that training long into their adult years, and there are correlations between early music training and improved neural response to speech sounds in elderly persons, for whom these signals are generally the first to go. (source)
These three most recent studies help explain why musical training might be so important to the retention of language skills...
The first study of interest, led by Dr. Charles Limb of Johns Hopkins, involved 14 proficient jazz pianists, and was undertaken to learn what areas of the brain were involved in communication between the musicians. Jazz music was chosen for the study because it often involves spontaneous communication between players, unlike, for example, classical music, which is scripted.
The musicians were asked to improvise four bars of music ("trading fours") while their brain synapses were monitored by a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) machine for 10 minute periods. The MRI recorded brain signals not only when each musician was playing his 'fours', but while he was listening to another's fours. (All subjects in this study were males.
What Limb and his researchers found was that the same areas of the brain activated by language processing and syntax were activated by the music, but they did not involve the areas that processed semantic language (or meaning).
Similar results were found by researchers at the University of Liverpool's Institute of Psychology, Health, and Society; its studies showed that both spoken language and music lit up the same areas of the brain, although the specific style of music was not emphasized. The first study they conducted compaired the MRI images of 14 musicians and 9 non-musicians while they participated in a word generation and music perception task.
Although each group was given the same exercises to perform, the musicians' MRIs showed shared brain pathways for the word generation and the music perception exercises, while the non-musicians did not show shared brain pathways.
These results led to another study: a different group of non-musicians was given 30 minutes of music training before being observed by MRI while performing word generation and music perception tasks. The results astounded even the researchers....
After only 30 minutes of muscial training, the MRI's of the non-musicians showed the similarities in blood flow as the musicians MRIs had shown in the prior study, that is that language and musical imput followed the same brain pathways.
Supervisor of the study, Dr. Georg Mayer, said "This suggests that correlated brain patterns were the result of using areas thought to be involved in language processing.... We can therefore assume that musical training results in a rapid change in the cognitive mechanisms utilised for music perception, and these shared mechanisms are usually employed for language."
These most recent studies add to the volume of previous studies on music and brain plasticity for persons of all ages, and form the underlying basis for the considered success of music therapy in treating a realm of disorders of the young and old - a subject for another day.
Please sign up for my latest articles here.


Growing Language Awareness in the Classroom Garden
For four years, Pat Paugh, a university teacher educator, and Mary Moran, a teacher researcher, collaborated on action research by systematically studying literacy development connected to the latter’s third-grade community gardening and urban farming curriculum. Their goal was to support an existing classroom culture that valued students’ development of literacy as a social practice for contributing to community and society, while also finding pathways for academic language instruction. Two social theoretical frameworks, Critical Pedagogy of Place (Gruenewald, 2003), and Systemic Functional Linguistics (Halliday, 1978) helped them bridge what was often dichotomized in the urban district as explicit language instruction vs. student-centered and relevant curriculum.
This article from Language Arts (March 2013) illustrates how two aspects of the theory of functional grammar, genre and register, provided linguistic tools that supported Mary’s professional knowledge and her students’ linguistic growth. Together, Mary and her students connected their literacy learning to their involvement in their community.
Access to this resource has been provided by the National Council of Teachers of English, an NCLE Stakeholder Organization.
|Growing_Language_Awareness_in_the_Classroom_Garden (PDF)||1.81 MB|


Practice in the standing position in front of a hard, solid surface like glass, a mirror, or a cement wall. This will allow you to hear more of the tone as it reflects back at you. By standing, you will be able to breathe deeper to support the tone. When seated, try to hold the sax as much in front of you as possible rather than to the side. Sit at the front edge of the chair with the sax suspended between your knees. This will promote better breathing as well as muscular balance between the two hands as you try to hold the sax as stationary as possible. When the sax itself moves while you’re playing, the pressure on the reed becomes uneven.
Your embouchure is comprised of the many muscles around your mouth. While playing, adjust your mouthpiece so the reed is perfectly level with the floor. You absolutely must apply even pressure to both sides of the mouthpiece and across the surface of the reed. Don’t overdo it when it comes to tightening around the mouthpiece but work on building the muscular control that produces a clear tone.
#3 Technique--Apply With Precision!
Practice scales and various exercises slowly at first while focusing on perfect precision of timing. The fingers need to move quickly and precisely even when the notes are long and sustained. The tongue must be perfectly coordinated with the finger movement. When you can play an exercise or scale precisely at a slower tempo, playing it fast will become less of a hurdle. Don’t make speed your most important goal--build precision first and the speed will come.
#4 Sight Reading--It Matters!
Don’t practice the same music or exercise “all the time.” You need to spend time every day reading music you haven’t seen before. Sight reading is one of the most important skills and is, unfortunately, too often neglected. Sight reading skills allow you to perform in an ensemble without struggling to just find the correct notes and rhythm. It also instills intricate rhythmic concepts in the subconscious that can be called upon to enhance anything and everything you do as a saxophone player. Sight read every day.
#5 Listen--As Often As You Can!
Find time to listen to the saxophone players who’ve come before you. Listen to the great players from bygone eras even if you don’t really want to sound like them. They’re legends for a reason: creativity and originality. When it comes to developing your own playing style or your own “sound”, start by listening to the masters and absorbing what they’re doing. You can then be a conduit for expressing those ideas anew in the combination that results in your own identifiable sound.
Subscribe to our blog! Watch for future articles from The ZOEN about specific recommendations for the areas discussed above. We’ll be looking at alternate fingerings, learning the altissimo register (the super high notes), improvisation skills and much, much more. As a sax player with 45 years of experience, as well as providing online saxophone lessons, I’m excited to share my expertise and be a contributing part of this music education community.
-- Wayne Land, ZOEN Saxophone Instructor
See also: 3 Elements of Sax Success


Note: To protect the privacy of our members, e-mail addresses have been removed from the archived messages. As a result, some links may be broken.
If you haven't looked into it already, you may want to read information
pertaining to visual culture and cultural studies.
Visual culture is a fairly recent term and as a body of all
cultural images, and the study of those images it usually rejects the
notion of a singular discipline and crosses the boundaries of art,
architecture, and film, while intersecting with models of anthropology,
media studies, philosophy, and cultural studies. Visual culture is the
study of the social construction of the visual experience and shifts from
the history of art to the history of images while intersecting with
critical theory, philosophy, and political discourses of identity
formation: it focuses on the cultural construction of visual experience in
everyday life as well as in the media, representations, and visual arts.
Cultural studies argues strongly that the role of media
culture-including the power of the mass media, with its massive apparatuses
of representation and its mediation of knowledge-is central to
understanding how the dynamics of power, privilege, and social desire
structure the daily life of a society.
Visual culture and cultural studies embrace the analyzation of
assorted images from the media, popular culture, films, advertising, mass
communications, fine art, and architecture. Although both cultural
studies and visual culture's rubric consists of a hybridization of multiple
disciplines and territories, it is conspicuously absent from the art
educational dominion. Although advocates for DBAE have campaigned for an
inclusive view of visual arts, current DBAE practice rarely addresses
popular images from visual culture on their own terms and when it does
occur, it is usually presented on in a cursory manner or critiqued from a
There have been some recent discussions (although few and far between)
about the role of these areas within art education. I have constructed
curriculum and facilitated instruction using models from both areas.
E-mail me if you want more info.
here are some recommended readings:
Bryson,N., Holly, M., &Moxey, K. (eds). (1994). Visual culture: Images and
Interpretations . Hanover:Wesleyan University Press
Visual culture questionnaire, "October, 77" (1996).
Duncum, P. (1997) Art education for new times, Studies in Art Education, 39
Freedman, K. (1997). Critiquing the media: Art knowledge inside and outside
of school, Art Education, 50 (4), 46-51
Freedman, K. (1997). Visual art/virtual art: Teaching technology for
meaning, Art Education, 50 (4), 6-12
Freedman, K. (1997). Curriculum inside and outside of
school:Representations of fine art in popular culture, Journal of Art
&Design Education , 16 (20), 6-12
Giroux, H. &Simon, R. (eds). (1989). Popular culture: Schooling and
everyday life. New York: Bergin& Garvey
Giroux, H. (1994). Disturbing pleasures. New York: Routledge
Giroux, H. &Shannon, P.(eds). (1997). Education and cultural
studies:Towards a performative practice. New York: Routledge
Kinchloe, J., & Steinberg, S. (eds). (1997). Kinderculture: The corporate
construction of childhood. Boulder: Westview Press
Mitchell, W.J.T. (1995). Interdisciplinary and visual culture, Art
Bulletin, 77(4), 540-544
Good Luck. Kevin
Kevin Michael Tavin Ph.D. Candidate
Dept. of Art Education
The Pennsylvania State University
School of Visual Arts


Southwest Human Development brought Reach Out and Read to Maricopa County in 1997. The program currently serves 59 pediatric clinics and distributes nearly 90,000 new, age-appropriate books to low-income children annually.
Reach Out and Read promotes early literacy by bringing new books and information about the importance of reading aloud into the pediatric exam room. Reach Out and Read targets children who are growing up in poverty and often at risk for reading and school failure.
The concept is simple and includes four basic components:
- Pediatricians are trained in the theories of early literacy development and specific strategies to promote literacy in young children. During the well child check-up, they use this knowledge to advise parents on the importance of reading with young children and give them “prescriptions” for reading with their children every day.
- At every regularly scheduled well child check-up, from six months to five years of age, children receive a new, developmentally and culturally appropriate book to take home and keep. Over time, children can receive up to 10 books for their home library.
- In literacy-rich waiting room environments, often staffed with volunteer readers, parents and children learn about the pleasures and techniques of looking at books together.
- As an added component, gently used books are available in the waiting room for siblings and other children to take home and keep.
Reach Out and Read Works!
- Research shows that Reach Out and Read parents are four times more likely to share books with their children.
- Children in the Reach Out and Read program show significant increases in language ability, one of the most important predictors of later reading success.
- Parents involved in Reach Out and Read are twice as likely to report that reading is one of their child’s favorite activities.
Reach Out and Read is cost-effective, easy to implement and helps give children with limited resources a home environment that stimulates early literacy skills and fosters a love of books and reading.
Reach Out and Read also offers age-appropriate resources for parents, including tips on reading aloud and choosing books for young children.
Reach Out and Read Maricopa County is a member of the Reach Out and Read Arizona Coalition, part of the National Reach Out and Read program, which was created in 1989 at Boston Hospital to help fight illiteracy in impoverished communities.
For more information about Reach Out and Read, please contact
Kendra Smiley at (602) 633-8748 or firstname.lastname@example.org.
Reach Out and Read
provided in part by
Southwest Human Development is proud to partner with


“The students learned about deforestation and the problems this causes the surrounding ecosystems and they learned how the Rainforest Alliance works to help stop the deforestation and restore the rainforests to healthy ecosystems,” said Monroe Elementary visual arts teacher Adrian Hawk.
Club members designed buttons to sell to their friends and family. Through the selling of the buttons, the AEC members were able to raise awareness and inform others of the devastating happenings within the Earth’s rainforests.
“Everyone who purchased a button wore them on Earth Day to show their love and support for our Earth. The grand total of money raised by the AEC members for the Rainforest Alliance’s Adopt-a-Rainforest program was $380.16,” said Hawk.
The project was organized by Monroe’s student teacher Emily Clyburn, an art education major at Northern Kentucky University.


Music meaning and transformation: meaningful music making for life
Dillon, Steven C. (2007) Music meaning and transformation: meaningful music making for life. Cambridge Scholars Publishing, Newcastle, United Kingdom.
This book and the series which builds on the philosophy examines the musical experiences that students find meaningful and ways in which teachers, parents and community music leaders might provide access to meaningful music education. This is particularly relevant today because school music often fails to provide sustainable access to music making for life, health and wellbeing beyond school. The book seeks to reframe the focus of music education within a pragmatist philosophy and provide a framework that is culturally and chronologically inclusive. The proposed book is aimed at current and pre-service music teachers, community music leaders and coaches and designed to be a useful professional development tool and reference resource for teacher/community arts workers. Secondary audiences for the book would include all general and trainee elementary school teachers and interested teachers in disciplines other than music particularly those from the community arts concerned with music, cultural health and wellbeing in community settings. Another secondary market would be private music teachers in the community and recreational music-making coaches who need strategies and techniques for the provision of culturally inclusive music experiences within complex multi cultural and cross cultural settings.
Impact and interest:
Citation counts are sourced monthly from and citation databases.
Citations counts from theindexing service can be viewed at the linked Google Scholar™ search.
|Additional Information:||Posted with the permission of the copyright owner for your personal use only. No further distribution is permitted without permission of the copyright owner.|
|Keywords:||Meaningful engagement, Student as maker, Teacher as Builder, constructivism, Music and flow|
|Subjects:||Australian and New Zealand Standard Research Classification > STUDIES IN CREATIVE ARTS AND WRITING (190000) > PERFORMING ARTS AND CREATIVE WRITING (190400) > Musicology and Ethnomusicology (190409)|
|Divisions:||Current > Research Centres > Australasian CRC for Interaction Design (ACID)
Current > QUT Faculties and Divisions > Creative Industries Faculty
Past > Institutes > Institute for Creative Industries and Innovation
|Copyright Owner:||Copyright 2007 Steven C. Dillon|
|Deposited On:||28 Mar 2008|
|Last Modified:||10 May 2012 22:37|
Repository Staff Only: item control page


Reference Information on
International Society for Technology in Education
National Educational Technology Standards
National Education Technology Plan
Prezi Presentation about the UMass Amherst IT Program Computer Competency Cerfication
The U.S. Department of Education's The National Education Technology Plan, Transforming American Education: Learning Powered by Technology, calls for applying the advanced technologies used in our daily personal and professional lives to our entire education system to improve student learning, accelerate and scale up the adoption of effective practices, and use data and information for continuous improvement. This plan asks "that we focus what and how we teach to match what people need to know, how they learn, where and when they will learn, and who needs to learn".
The National Education Technology Plan states: "The challenge for our education system is to leverage the learning sciences and modern technology to create engaging, relevant, and personalized learning experiences for all learners that mirror students' daily lives and the reality of their futures. In contrast to traditional classroom instruction, this requires that we put students at the center and empower them to take control of their own learning by providing flexibility on several dimensions."
Today, many students' lives are intertwined with technology giving them mobile access to information and resources every hour of every day, enabling them to create multimedia content and share it with the world, and allows them to participate in online social networks where people from all over the world share ideas, collaborate, and learn new things. Outside school, students are free to pursue their passions in their own way and at their own pace. The opportunities are limitless, borderless, and instantaneous. However, there is no requirement to teach information technology in public schools.
The fact that many students have various types of technology available to them, does not mean that they are able to take advantage of the opportunity to enrich their learning, enhance their work and fulfill their individual potential.
What are the basic remedial workforce skills employers are seeking, specifically? There are ten. They are having basic knowledge and applied abilities in: oral and written communication, diversity, creativity, social responsibility, collaboration, problem solving, leadership, professionalism, self-direction, and the application of information technology.
Of surveyed employers, 17% reported that students from four-year colleges were deficient. (Casner-Lotto, et al., 2010). Specifically in regard to technology, employers desire employees who have the skills to “select and use appropriate technology to accomplish a given task”, and to “apply computing skills to problem solving” (Casner-Lotto, et al., 2010, p. 22). In fact, 24.5% of surveyed employers in this study report a high-need for training their new employees in information technology.
It is well documented that a majority of schools 'teach to the test'. That is, their curriculum is focused on ensuring the largest number of students pass standardized tests prior to graduation. Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System (MCAS) was amended in
2006 to include Science, Technology and Engineering (STE test). It is a composite of four sub-tests. The technology portion of the STE test is nestled within the forty-five-question engineering test. In a sample technology/engineering MCAS test provided by the Department of Education, only three questions of forty-five (7%) were technology related, (Massachusetts Department of Secondary and elementary Education, 2011).
Many, if not most, of students coming to UMass are not prepared to fully take advantage of what technology offers them in support of their academic experience. The Information Technology Program has been a leader in providing curricular vigor. However, we must look for ways to support a larger number of students and enhance the quality, abilities and competitiveness of our graduates.


Parents Urged to Track Motor Development Skills at 9,18,30 Months of Age to Detect Delays: AAP
Each child is unique in how long it takes to develop motor skills including sitting, walking, and speaking. A new clinical report from the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), said Monday that early recognition of delays can help optimize positive outcomes.
The report published in Pediatrics, medical experts say pediatricians need to thoroughly evaluate young children who are considered to be experiencing an obvious delay in motor skill development. The guideline report suggested developmental screenings at 9, 18 and 30 months of age, and again at four years of age. The AAP said treating any developmental issues early on may ultimately improve the child's ability to catch up and help families gain additional support.
"Identifying children with delays and motor abnormalities, theoretically or hopefully would set them on a better trajectory," said Meghann Lloyd, who studies motor development at the University of Ontario Institute of Technology in Oshawa, Canada, according to Reuters Health.
This is "a really big step forward for the field," added Lloyd, who was not involved with the report.
A motor skill is any action that involves a child using his muscles. Gross motor skills are larger movements a baby makes with his arms, legs, or feet, or his entire body. This includes crawling, running and jumping are gross motor skills. Meanwhile, fine motor skills are smaller actions which includes picking things up between his finger and thumb or wriggles his toes. This also includes using his lips and tongue to taste and feel objects which develops fine motor skills. The report authors said that both parents and their pediatrician should be involved in looking for signs of developmental motor skill delays, and that it is important for pediatricians to address concerns of the child's family.
During well child checkups, pediatricians should measure head size and look at muscle tone, reflexes and eye movements, which can be signs of motor skill delays, the authors urged. Children who are diagnosed with a developmental disorder should have access to early intervention and special education resources.
Having poor motor skills in general "sets you on a trajectory for low levels of physical activity, which of course is related to obesity," Lloyd said. "The prevention of these delays or the promotion of motor ability can actually impact your health for your lifespan."
Below is an average checklist of motor skill developments:
- 6 months - can sit straight
- 12 months - takes first steps
- 24 months - can jump
- 36 months - can cut with scissors; runs on toes
Click here for a detailed list of motor skill development with an age breakdown.


Citizens in the cradle
Mary Diskin outlines the case for wider state intervention in order to break a cycle of educational underachievement that has entrapped some working class communities.
The recent publication of ‘Educational disadvantage and the Protestant working class: A Call to Action’ is a much broader assessment of how poverty and inequality impact on educational achievement than its title may infer.
Its principle finding, based on local, UK and international research, is that differences in educational performance lie, to a very large extent, outside the school system. The research includes a London School of Economics study, which analysed nearly half a million individual pupil attainment paths. It found that prior attainment, gender, free school meal entitlement and English as an additional language accounted for 92% of the variance in later attainment in secondary schools. Such findings, the ‘A Call to Action’ working group state, demonstrate that ‘systemic educational improvement will require comprehensive, long-term responses to inequality’ including increased health spending, better housing, innovative childcare strategies, and moves towards a living wage.
Early years and childcare strategies are key to improving educational performance according to the group. The most significant period for a child’s development, learning capacity and wellbeing is during pregnancy and the first three years of life. Risk factors which affect brain development before birth are strongly associated with, or exacerbated by, poverty. Yet the state funded Sure Start programme aimed at reducing child poverty is underdeveloped and underfunded in Northern Ireland compared to the rest of the UK. Children who need this support but have been denied it will often show limited concentration skills, inability to cope with challenge or failure, and challenging behaviour during their primary school years. They will often leave primary school with limited literacy and numeracy skills.
The OECD in its Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA 2009) has also indicated that participation in pre-primary education is particularly strongly associated with reading performance at age 15. The PISA 2009 study found that in the republic students with a family background in the top third social and economic class had an average reading score that was significantly higher than students in the bottom third. Students whose parents have a lower level of education had a significantly lower average reading score than students whose parents have third level education. In Ireland, students in lone-parent families (one of the high-poverty risk groups) had a significantly lower average reading score than students in other family types. PISA 2009 indicates that the gap in the lone-family group’s reading attainments in Ireland is higher than average across OECD countries.
It is within this context that the A Call to Action’ Working Group examined the comparative underachievement of disadvantaged Protestants and in particular Protestant males in Northern Ireland. De-industrialisation and the loss of traditional labour markets and skills has had a huge negative impact on this group. Generations of working class Protestants were heavily involved in manufacturing industry and viewed getting a trade as the main form of educational requirement.
There was a perceived lack of need to gain educational qualifications through the college/university route with the result that many are unable to compete for jobs requiring educational qualifications and skills linked to computerisation. They are now reliant on low wage and casual employment or dependent on benefit.
Cultural factors are likely also exacerbating educational disadvantage in other working class communities and deserve their own studies. However what existing research is clear on is a large number of children from less well off backgrounds, in both jurisdictions, leave primary school very poorly equipped in the areas of basic numeracy, literacy, language and communication skills with the result that they remain poor and marginalized as adults.


|by Linda McConnell
Teaching with technology is not a new concept, beginning in the early 1800's with our nation's first foray into correspondence schools, which used postal mail to deliver education or "correspond" with students at a distance. As new technologies arose, such as TV, computers, the Internet, and the World Wide Web, innovative educators began to see ways to apply these new resources to help meet expanding educational needs. Computers and the use of the Internet are still relatively new instructional tools, yet they are becoming an integral resource to distributed learning enabling many students to gain better access to education that might otherwise not be easily available. An increasing number of college departments are now attempting to go fully online with their courses and program, providing opportunities for students to attain a degree without ever having to step on campus. The UH Music Department is one example of this new and exciting trend.
Universities across the nation are now offering some form of online education, be it as an enhancement for a face-to-face class in which presentations, class notes or a syllabus is readily available or total web-based where communication, interaction and instruction takes place fully online. Many schools have adopted software that enables faculty to upload materials and manage students. These applications range from simple discussion boards and email tools to complex, full course management systems.
At the University of Hawaii, WebCT (Web Course Tools) is the licensed course management software used for distributing learning system wide. WebCT is comprised of a variety of tools and features that can promote interaction, facilitate communication, assess performance, engage and manage students. UH currently hosts an estimated 2000 courses in WebCT for a variety of disciplines and sections each semester.
Dr. Barbara McLain, Associate Professor of Music, program founder and current director began an innovative, online program a few years ago and has graduated the first student from California in August who received an “online” M.A. degree in Music Education. The online M.A. degree is offered via a partnership between the UH Graduate School, Outreach College, and College of Arts and Humanities. Development of their online courses was funded by $50,000 in combined grants. The program targets inservice band, choir, orchestra as well as general music teachers worldwide.
The online degree program is taught by five faculty, teaching 30 credits of graduate courses in WebCT. Instructors incorporate a variety of WebCT tools in combination with other technologies to provide asynchronous (anytime, anywhere) access to videos, mp3 libraries, voice over presentations, learning objects, printed materials, assessment tools and additional resources. Students, using collaborative tools such as Discussions, Student Presentations, Course Modules, etc., communicate, interact and present scholarly work throughout the semester.
According to Dr. McLain, twenty-four students from Hawaii and around the U.S. have been admitted to the program to date with the department receiving an ever increasing number of applications as the word of this unique, accredited online program spreads.
DLUS (Distributed Learning & User Services) a section of ITS (Information Technology Services) offers a summer institute and free semester based workshops focusing on integrating technology in teaching, incorporating WebCT and exploring a variety of distributed educational issues. To view course topics, dates and times of an upcoming WebCT or software application workshop visit our web site: http://www.dmc.hawaii.edu


The early years of a child’s life are crucial when it comes to education, and this is a time at which information can most effectively be absorbed. In order to ensure that our children – the future of our society – get the best education possible, it is vital that appropriately qualified, skilled, and knowledgeable educators are available to provide this knowledge and development and deliver it in the most effective way.
An Early Childhood Education Degree offers the ideal solution for those wanting to get into a career in childhood teaching. This can be a very rewarding and enjoyable career, but it is essential that you have the necessary skills and qualifications to enter this career. You will help youngsters to learn and develop skills and knowledge, helping them to succeed and shaping their future. An Early Childhood Education degree will give you the skills and knowledge required to enable you to do this effectively.
Early childhood learning is a specialist area of education requiring specialist skills, which is what you can develop through an Early Childhood Education program. These degrees are ideal for those that want to work with younger children and provide a valuable service in education. With an Early Childhood Education degree you can look forward to a rewarding career in this area and you can improve your chances of progression within childhood education.
You can get different levels of Early Childhood Education degree programs, and the one you take will depend upon your current qualifications and eligibility. You will find a range of institutions offering Early Childhood Education degree programs, and you can also take an Early Childhood Education degree program online.
You will find that these degrees cover a wide range of issues relating to childhood education, from development and growth to learning methods and communication.