Differences in the skills and knowledge of teachers are crucial factors in determining where students with disabilities can receive the best education. Regular classroom teachers are expected to know a lot about the academic subjects that they teach. Special education teachers are expected to know how to help students with disabilities to learn most effectively.
Colleges in Pennsylvania often do not prepare teachers to have both sets of skills. The state rules for teacher certification also currently require completely different things for regular classroom teachers and special education teachers.
This problem area could undergo a revolution if the State Board of Education and the Pennsylvania Department of Education can agree on new proposals for how colleges prepare teachers in the future. The proposals could have a big impact on the challenges parents and schools face regarding “mainstreaming” students with disabilities in inclusive classrooms.
For most of this year, the Department studied ways to improve college education programs and teacher certification for teachers in pre-kindergarten and elementary grades. It proposed a requirement that all new teachers in these grades hold “dual certification” – a certificate in special education plus a certificate in either early childhood or elementary education.
But the State Board, which has the power to make final decisions on this issue, has developed a different approach.
The Department says that dual certification would better prepare regular classroom teachers to ease the inclusion of students with disabilities into mainstream classrooms.
But on November 16, the Board’s Chapter 49 Committee rejected the dual certification proposals. The committee expressed its intent to require teachers to take three college classes in special education subjects, instead of earning full dual certification in special education. The Board would also require teachers to take a class in how to teach English language learners. These changes would apply not just to new elementary teachers but to all new teachers from pre-kindergarten through grade 12.
Board members explained that they backed off from dual certification because of concerns that Pennsylvania colleges could not handle such large scale restructuring of teacher education programs. There is also a concern that the extra classes needed for dual certification would force college students to stay in school for an extra semester. Many colleges have pressured the state to allow current programs to continue without major reforms.
On the other hand, at least 20 Pennsylvania colleges already offer successful dual certification programs. Many parents appreciate the extra skills brought to the classroom by dually certified teachers and might question whether three college classes in special education are enough for regular classroom teachers to understand how to teach students with disabilities and other diverse learners.
Despite disagreements about dual certification, we can expect to see approval in March 2006 on a set of teacher certification reforms already agreed on by the Department and the Board that would:
- Split up the K-6 elementary education certificate into two parts, a PreK-3 early childhood education certificate and a 3-6 elementary education certificate. This would allow regular classroom teachers to have more expertise in the grade levels they teach.
- Replace K-12 special education certification with a PreK-6 special education certificate and a 7-12 special education certificate, requiring special education teachers to have more expertise about the grade levels they teach.
- Require all new PreK-6 special education teachers to hold a certificate in either early childhood or elementary education and require new special education teachers in middle and high schools to become certified in an academic subject, such as reading or math. This would prepare special education teachers with more skills to provide academic instruction and to support the work of regular teachers in inclusive settings.
The Board is expected to hold additional public hearings in January 2006. If the Board gives final approval for the new rules at its meeting in March 2006, the first cohort of newly certified teachers could enter the workforce by 2009.
An overview of these proposals is available on the State Board of Education website (www.pde.state.pa.us/stateboard_ed).
You can express your views on these issues to Dr. James S. Fogarty, Chairperson, Chapter 49 Committee of the State Board of Education, 333 Market Street, Harrisburg, PA 17126-0333, 717-787-3787.
To learn more about these issues, contact Baruch Kintisch at the Education Law Center, email@example.com or 215-238-6970, ext. 320.


Our KS2 workshops are a great way of supporting your class as they delve deeper in history. Our workshops cover most of the major periods in British history from the Romans onwards, and the workshops are packed full of hands-on activities such as dressing up, object investigation and crafts, and encompass literacy and numeracy skills.
We can support your class’s post-1066 study through our Tudor, Victorian, WW2 and C20th Life workshops and many of our workshops, especially Victorian Mill and Cultural Diversity, are ideally suited to a local study topic. We have recently added a number of WW1 resources and can offer WW1 workshops focusing on how the Home Front in Trowbridge.
Key Stage 2 Workshops: Some examples of our existing KS2 workshops are listed below – contact us on 01225 754608 or email firstname.lastname@example.org if you are interested in a specific topic, or would like something with a local history focus.


School Arts: Issues in Pedagogy and Curriculum II
45 + tba
Integration of art education theory & practice in secondary school art classrooms that address the question of the role of art in our democratic society. Developing socially & culturally relevant curricula. Researching & planning appropriate instructional strategies that address student interests & issues, including motivation & classroom management through assessment in order to plan &/or modify students? teaching practices. Through a systematic approach such as action research, students reflect on & analyze their own teaching practices & develop a portfolio of their teaching experience, thereby learning to be reflective practitioners.
- Old Course Number: E92.2272


Reading, Writing and Digitizing offers a new theoretical proposal concerning expert and novice readers and writers based on the psycholinguistics of literacy. This book has five specific goals. First, it presents a theory of meta-reading and writing that describes what literacy experts are able to do with written text. They do what the word "meta" describes: go before and after, into and around, beyond and beside written text to understand and create meaning. Second, the case studies presented reveal differences between literacy novices and experts in terms of their awarenesses about texts and their skills; these are clarified as the discussion unfolds. Third, the book provides an analysis of the processing mechanisms people use and the features that texts contain that make literacy possible. A fourth goal is to examine how experts understand and produce texts in both traditional and digital venues. Finally, the book ends with focused strategies for instruction that will be useful to any reader working with people engaged in literacy development. Readers of this book will be better equipped to support the literacy development of others through their enhanced understanding of the psycholinguistics of reading and writing and of the differences between literacy novices and experts.


The proportion of children in the UK who know how to play a musical instrument has almost doubled in the past 15 years, but poorer youngsters are more likely to miss out, according to a report.
The study, by ABRSM, the exam board of the Royal Schools of Music, also found that the piano, recorder and classical guitar were the most commonly played instruments by children and young people, but adds that the drum kit, electric and bass guitar have become increasingly popular. The electric guitar has overtaken the violin in popularity.
Long-term music education is often still the preserve of the rich, the study says, with the cost of learning to play and taking lessons a "major barrier".
The study compares its results with previous research conducted by the organisation. It reveals that, overall, about 5.5 million five- to 14-year-olds (76%) say they know how to play an instrument, up from 3.2 million (41%) in 1999. This is a cause for celebration, the exam board says, especially in England where government initiatives have had a positive impact on music education.
But the study also suggests there are significant gaps between the proportions of rich and poorer youngsters who play an instrument. An estimated 90% of those from the wealthiest backgrounds will have played an instrument, according to the survey, compared with 80% of those from other social backgrounds. Those from richer homes are also more likely to have had music lessons, it adds.
"Children from lower socioeconomic groups continue to be significantly disadvantaged compared with their peers from more affluent backgrounds," the study says. "Sustained, progressive music education tends to be the preserve of children born to wealthier parents. This report shows that adults who had private lessons as children and sat a music exam were much more likely to still play an instrument – and the higher the grade achieved, the more likely they were to continue learning.
"The cost of learning to play and of taking lessons is a major barrier, and children without access to tuition are significantly less likely to carry on playing."
Lincoln Abbotts, director of strategic development at ABRSM, said: "It is hoped the report will be used to influence, change and further improve the circumstances in which children and adults engage with music. The political environment has shifted considerably in recent times with significant government investment, sector lead initiatives and increased enthusiasm among our young people for all the extraordinary joys and benefits of making music."


Legendary artist and civil rights activist Nina Simone was born 79 years ago today, Feb. 21, in Tryon, North Carolina. Named Eunice Kathleen Waymon, Simone aspired to be a concert pianist as a child and was influenced by gospel and classical music, in particular by the works of Johann Sebastian Bach. Her father was a minister and Simone played piano for church revivals and services starting at six years of age.
Simone experienced the inhuman nature of racism as a young woman when a prestigious musical institute in Philadelphia rejected her because she was black. However resilient, she continued to play in clubs to earn money for her music education, eventually signing with a record label.
In 1964, as the Civil Rights Movement began to take on national prominence, Simone put her talents to the equal rights fight, debuting her most famous protest song "Mississippi Goddam," in response to the murder of Medgar Evars and the killing of the four little girls in Birmingham, Ala.
Simone had one daughter, born Lisa Celeste Stroud, who is a Broadway actress and singer known as Simone.
Nina Simone died in France April 21, 2003. Only two days before her death, Simone was awarded an honorary degree by the Curtis Institute, the music school that had refused to admit her as a student at the beginning of her career. Simone had previously received two honorary degrees in music and humanities from the University of Massachusetts and Malcolm X College.
For more information, Africanamericanhistorymonth2012.gov is celebrating the contributions of Black women to American culture and history.


Hansel & Gretel: Learning about Opera!
Hansel and Gretel: Learning about Opera! is an online educational experience featuring Humperdinck's Opera Hansel and Gretel. Players can control interactive elements in every scene and watch the play unfold. Design your OWN opera!
Parents and children or student groups can experience and enjoy these activities together and learn about opera music and theatre. Music listening guides and music games assist with exploration of the elements of orchestral and opera music. At the end of the story, additional information and resources can be found Backstage at the Opera.
Hansel and Gretel: Learning about Opera is teacher ready! Teachers and educators can download lesson plans featuring music education information and cross-curricular activities on fairy tales.


ERIC Number: ED311632
Record Type: RIE
Publication Date: 1989
Reference Count: 0
Language Arts: Programming Suggestions for Hearing Impaired Students in Elementary Schools. Recommended Resources by the Alberta School for the Deaf.
Alberta Dept. of Education, Edmonton.; Alberta Education Response Centre, Edmonton.
The monograph is designed to assist program planning teams in developing language arts programs for hearing-impaired students in regular classrooms. Topics discussed include promising instructional strategies, description and evaluation of materials, and effective assessment instruments. The first section on instructional strategies covers facilitating individualized services for hearing-impaired students in the regular classroom, basal readers, reading strategies, suggestions for teaching spelling and vocabulary, strategies for developing written English competence, and games for learning language arts. The next section, on materials developed for hearing-impaired students, offers descriptions and evaluations of the following materials or computer programs: "Apple Tree" Language Program; "Communicative Competence" (a functional pragmatic language program); "Many Meanings" (a multiple meaning workbook); "Reading Milestones"; "TSA Syntax Program"; and "T-Language Kits." Ten recommended readings on language arts are listed, as is a booklet on hearing aids. The extensive appendix is a guide to the assessment of communication skills. Guidelines for evaluation of language and reading problems are followed by recommendations for the selection of assessment instruments and summaries of 15 instruments. Each summary includes title, source, a description, uses, problems, and advantages and disadvantages. (DB)
Descriptors: Computer Assisted Instruction, Computer Software, Elementary Education, Elementary School Curriculum, Evaluation Methods, Foreign Countries, Hearing Impairments, Individualized Instruction, Instructional Materials, Language Arts, Mainstreaming, Reading Instruction, Spelling Instruction, Teaching Methods
Alberta Education Response Centre, 6240-113 St., Edmonton, Alberta T6H 3L2, Canada.
Publication Type: Guides - Non-Classroom
Education Level: N/A
Audience: Practitioners; Teachers
Authoring Institution: Alberta Dept. of Education, Edmonton.; Alberta Education Response Centre, Edmonton.


This is an engaging, ready-to-use resource for teachers who want to lead children toward music literacy as well as lifelong enjoyment and participation in music. Designed for the kindergarten classroom, The Music Effect includes a wealth of energizing and imaginative multi-sensory activities, focusing on increasing students' musical knowledge, skill and conceptual development. The lesson activities correlate with the National Standards for Music Education and include connections to speech, language arts, storytelling, visual arts, creative drama, dance, poetry, science, social studies, math, and nature. Assessment charts and reproducible copy masters are included. The accompanying CD contains recordings of all chants, songs and orchestral pieces included in the lessons and activities.
Joy Nelson - Alfred Music Publishing
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Alban Maria Johannes Berg (February 9, 1885 - December 24, 1935) was an Austrian composer. He was a member of the so called Second Viennese School, producing works that combined Mahlerian romanticism with Arnold Schoenberg's twelve tone technique.
Berg was born in Vienna and spent most of his life living there. He was more interested in literature than music as a child, and did not begin to compose until he was fifteen, when he started to teach himself music. He had very little formal music education until he began a six year period of study with Arnold Schoenberg in October 1904. Schoenberg was a major influence on him; Berg not only greatly admired him as a composer, but many people believe that he saw him as a surrogate father (Berg's own father died when he was 15).
For the first two years of his study under Schoenberg, Berg worked as a civil servant, but from 1906 he concentrated on music full time, and in 1907 saw the first performance of his work: three of the Seven Early Songs were given in a concert of music by Schoenberg's pupils in Vienna.
In 1913, Berg's Five songs on picture postcard texts by Peter Altenberg were premiered in Vienna. The piece caused a riot, and the performance had to be halted - a complete performance of the work was not given until 1952.
From 1915 to 1918, he served in the Austrian Army, and it was during a period of leave in 1917 that he began work on his first opera, Wozzeck. Following World War I, he settled again in Vienna where he gave private music lessons. He also helped Schoenberg in the running of the Society for Private Musical Performances.
The performance in 1924 of three excerpts from his opera Wozzeck brought him his first public success. Wozzeck, which Berg had written between 1917 and 1922, was completed at that time, but was not performed until 1925 in a performance conducted by Erich Kleiber. The work is today seen as one of his most significant. A later opera, also critically acclaimed, Lulu, was left incomplete at his death.
Berg is probably best known for his Violin Concerto, which, like much of his work, combines atonality with tonal passages, and uses Schoenberg's twelve tone technique in a way as to admit Wagnerian harmonies. Other well known Berg compositions include the Lyric Suite (thought to be a big influence on the String Quartet No. 3 of Béla Bartók) and the Chamber Concerto for violin, piano and 13 wind instruments.
Berg died on Christmas Eve 1935, in Vienna, from blood poisoning caused by an insect bite.


Back in September, the Washington Township school district implemented a new reading program with hopes of improving the skills of some students.
Read 180, which targets students who may struggle with reading and comprehension, has exercises designated to improve reading scores.
More than half way through the school year, township school officials say they are impressed with progress they have already seen with the program.
Read 180, created by book publisher Scholastic Corporation, uses various techniques to engage students in reading, including group reading with peers and computer instruction.
Each student is given "Lexile points," which help students advance to their current or advanced grade level.
There are two Lexile measures — the reader measure and the text measure. The reader measure represents a person’s reading ability on the Lexile scale. The text measure represents the text’s level on the Lexile scale.
“When used together, they can help a reader choose a book or other reading material that is at an appropriate level,” Director of Elementary Education Bobbi Marciano said. “The Lexile reader measure can also be used to monitor a reader’s growth in reading ability over time.”
As an example of how the Lexile system works, a first-grade reading level ranges from zero to 300 points. So a student with 250 points is on a first-grade level.
Currently five schools in the district, Thomas Jefferson Elementary, Bunker Hill Middle School, Chestnut Ridge Middle School, Orchard Valley Middle School and Washington Township High School, are using the program. The district may also be adding the program to Hurffville elementary and Birches elementary in the future.
“We’re so optimistic with this program,” Marciano said. “The kids are seeing themselves as readers.”
Stephanie Sonnak, a Read 180 teacher at Chestnut Ridge Middle School, told those who attended a recent board of education meeting that she was proud of the improvement students have shown in such a short time.
Director of secondary education, Jack McGee, said the program costs $31,000 per building. However, the district owns the license, so it’s not an annual cost to the district.
“It was certainly worth the cost because the students were suffering with reading and now they see a light at the end of the tunnel,” Marciano said.
Sonnak said the classes are set up to encourage engagement in the classrooms and it builds a community for learners. Every 20 minutes, the students rotate throughout the classroom to utilize each aspect of the program.
According to the Read 180 website, the classroom has different learning sections for the students to concentrate on. There are sections for independent reading, small-group learning, whole-group instruction and computers for the software section.
Sonnak said at the beginning of the school year, the kids were opposed to the class, but as the year continues, they are changing their opinion.
“Now, they come to me and ask for help in other subjects,” she said. “And I love helping them and I love that they are now setting goals for themselves.”
---Contact staff writer Kristina Pritchett at 856-686-3655 or firstname.lastname@example.org


Department of Elementary Education(DEE)
The Department of Elementary Education (DEE) is the nodal department of the NCERT to advise the Government of India on policies and programmes pertaining to elementary education. It acts as the nodal centre at the national level for the implementation of the Sarva Shiksha Abhiyaan and the Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education (RTE) Act, 2009.
The thrust areas for the department are: Early Childhood Care and Education, Early Literacy Programme and Elementary Education.
The department is playing a lead role in different types of activities such as research, development, training and extension in the context of SSA.
Programme Evaluation is the emerging area in the field of education and the DEE has been making significant contributions towards this new area of research.
Role and Functions
The role and functions of the department pertaining to its major areas are as follows:
Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE)
- Developing exemplar materials for training of the grass root ECE functionaries;
- Developing resource materials for preschool teachers, parents and other interested groups;
- Conducting need based research studies in the area of ECCE;
- Building capacities of the states in the area of ECCE and strengthen SCERTs and DIETs. Six-month Diploma Course in Early Childhood Care and Education is offered every year;
- Conducting training programmes for key functionaries of states in planning, implementation and monitoring of the ECCE programmes and developing necessary materials for children, teachers, teacher educators and parents;
- Disseminating Early Childhood Care and Education - Children Media Laboratory (ECCE-CML) kit to Government run pre-school centres, Anganwadis and private institutions working in the area of ECCE;
- Conducting seminars and conferences on the emerging issues and thrust areas of the Early Childhood Education; and
- Providing resource support to government as well as non-government institutions for the training of preschool teachers.
Early Literacy Programme
- Drawing the attention of policy makers and curriculum designers in the country on the pedagogy of reading in early years;
- Making available a variety of children’s literature and other resource material to support the pilot project in Uttar Pradesh and other states;
- Helping teachers develop an understanding about reading and writing; and
- Monitoring the progress and providing support to teachers and other functionaries.
- Conducting research studies in the priority areas related to elementary education, especially on issues related to improvement in the quality of elementary education;
- Undertaking programme evaluation of various quality initiatives, implemented by the States for qualitative improvement of the elementary education under SSA;
- Developing guidelines for preparation of subject-wise syllabi and curricular materials for children and support materials for teachers for classes I to V;
- Developing the guidelines for Curriculum and Evaluation Procedure in respect of schools owned, controlled and managed by the Central Government and UTs without Legislature in the context of the RTE Act, 2009;
- Popularisation of the Source Books on Assessment at the Primary stage for different curricular areas at the primary level;
- Capacity building of key functionaries in the States/UTs for implementation of syllabi and textual materials based on NCF-2005 for primary level;
- Providing academic support under Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA) and Right to Education Act, 2009 with respect to planning, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of activities especially those related to improving the quality of education;
- Developing awareness and sensitising community on issues related to RTE, Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) and elementary education through various advocacy programmes;
- Organising seminars, conferences and consultative meetings on important themes and thrust areas in Elementary Education; and
- Documenting and dissemination of innovative/relevant materials in ECCE and elementary education through journals and National Documentation Unit (NDU).
National Documentation Unit (NDU) for Preschool and Elementary Education - A Resource Centre
Recent Documents/Reports on Elementary Education
Minutes of the Eighth Meeting of the National Resource Group for SSA
Nodal Officers for Quality issues, Continuous and Comprehensive Evaluation (CCE), Early Reading and Mathematics at Elementary Stage


As a Certified Thinking Maps® trainer, Eileen DeLorenzo’s Classroom Storytelling Programs support teachers in meeting National Common Core Standards in ELA in school districts where teachers are trained in Thinking Maps®.
Eileen integrates Thinking Maps® within six K-8 classroom storytelling sessions. Each Classroom Storytelling in English Language Arts session engages the attention and emotion of students through the creation of images within the shared dynamic between teller and listener. Thinking Maps® are then created individually, in small groups, and/or large groups. Students knowledgeable in their ability to organize their thoughts can fill a blank paper with visual stock containing rich vocabulary, details, organized ideas and literary elements.
Using the shared common story, students practice recognizing and mapping good story elements, rich vocabulary, story sequence, contrast and comparison of characters, cause and effect, and analogies to name a few ways the eight maps are applied. The forty-five to ninety minute sessions focus on literary elements in K-8 curriculum, deepening student knowledge of their ability to create images from the story and organize their thinking using the visual patterns of Thinking Maps®. Suggested follow-up student created Thinking Maps® and/or writing prompts are emailed to teachers prior to each classroom storytelling session.
If You Can See It, You Can Write It!
K-8 – Six Classroom Storytelling Sessions
Visualizing, Thinking Maps™and Writing
- Engage students in the creation of images through vivid storytelling
- Integrate Storytelling and Thinking Maps™ practicing good story mapping and story writing
- Created and completed maps prime, launch and sustain students confidently in the writing process.
Let’s Tell Stories
Early Literacy PreK-2 – Practicing Oracy for Literacy Development
- Connecting students to story through interactions
- Student participation with repetitions, rhyme, and song
- Crafted stories reinforcing and building oral language vocabulary
- Created imagery
- Build story ‘sense’
- Nourish sense of belonging in social language experience


Module 3: Reliability
Scenario - Elementary Education
Mawuse teaches Akan, an African language, at an elementary and middle school that highlights African culture. Parents are very enthusiastic about the school’s high standards and international focus and students are generally eager to excel in their classes. Mawuse administers achievement tests to his students every quarter and he often finds himself explaining the results to parents and students.
How could Mawuse handle each of the situations below? Get out a sheet of paper. Using what you’ve learned about reliability, brainstorm possible answers to these questions. Then scroll over the questions to find sample answers.


The NWT has eleven official languages—nine of these are Aboriginal: Gwich’in, Inuktitut, Inuvialuktun, Inuinnaqtun, North Slavey, South Slavey, Tlicho, Chipewyan and Cree. The health of these languages varies greatly, but most are endangered.
Our languages symbolize, in a very concrete way, the cultural group we belong to. Language embodies culture: we use it to define our world and make sense of it. It shapes the way we look at the world, giving us our worldview. We use language to transmit our culture and worldview from one generation to the next. (Multiple Literacies, NWTLC)
The NWT Literacy Council supports literacy development in all the official languages of the NWT. We do this by working in partnerships with Aboriginal language groups to produce a variety of materials in Aboriginal languages. We also promote the languages, do research, and monitor government policy and funding for Aboriginal languages.
Some things you can do to support your Aboriginal language
- Develop Aboriginal language books and resources.
- Use storytelling in your program and community.
- Create fun games in your language and teach them to families.
- Use your Aboriginal language on the radio and in public places.
- Encourage teachers and early childhood workers to speak to children and young people in your language on the playground and in the halls of the school.
- Create posters with positive messages about speaking your Aboriginal language.
- Set up a language committee that promotes culture and language in your community.
- Make a plan for maintaining and/or revitalizing your Aboriginal language.
- Encourage parents to speak their language in the family.


If you think children from low-income homes don't aspire to attend college, think again. They do, but they often lack the academic background and mentors to keep them on track.
Those are key findings in an eye-opening new report on the condition of college and career readiness from the college-prep testing company ACT and the National Council for Community and Education Partnerships. In fact, students from low-income families (with incomes of less than $36,000 a year) are more passionate about attending college than their counterparts from middle- and upper-class families, the report found, but they still fall short of succeeding in college at alarmingly higher rates.
The reason, the study concludes, is not a lack of motivation or even money, but a lack of key community and high school resources, such as mentors, tutors and access to challenging classes that are available to children from wealthier households. Without these key supports, the report notes, students from low-income homes are significantly less likely to find the path to college and are more likely to struggle if they get there.
For example, of the students from low-income families who took the ACT, about 96 percent said they wanted to continue their education, compared with 87 percent of all tested students overall. However, just 59 percent of students from low-income households immediately enroll in a community college or a four-year school after completing high school, compared with 71 percent of all students.
For those low-income students who made it to college, 70 percent had taken a recommended core curriculum in high school — four years of English and three years each of math, science and social studies — compared with 84 percent of students from high-income households (making more than $100,000 a year).
This problem also shows up in ACT test scores. Only 20 percent of students from low-income families scored college-ready on three of four benchmarks (English, math, reading and science), compared with 62 percent of students from high-income families.
The points made in this report will probably come as no surprise to regular readers of these pages, and they must not be taken lightly. Access to quality courses matters, and helping students in danger of falling behind can't wait until high school. And while foundational skills must be mastered in elementary and middle schools, high schools clearly must do a better job of helping low-income students to get on — and stay on — a college track.
Closing these resource gaps is essential. College readiness is no longer an option in a world where most jobs require at least a two-year degree. When a child has the will to push harder, the worst thing a school can do is fail to offer the opportunity.


Music education is at the core of what it means to educate a child. The goal of Music Education in the PK-12 setting is to develop the musicality of each child: the ability of each child to perceive, process and manipulate music on a personal level. Sequential reasoning skills, temporal/spatial differentiation, and creative problem-solving applications, as well as aesthetic and trans-cultural awareness and positive socialization development are among some of the results which make an appropriate Music Education an essential, fundamental element of the education of every child. Music Education students at VCU are part of an exciting and innovative program designed to guide that musical growth in children.
As students in the Department of Music of the internationally recognized School of the Arts, Music Education majors thrive in an atmosphere of creativity, exceptional musical achievement, and hands-on Music Education methodology and directed field-experiences. Music Education majors at VCU are challenged to demonstrate both excellence through their own personal musicianship as well as superior skills as a preprofessional Music Educator: understanding how music is learned in order to understand how to teach. The VCU Music Education faculty is committed to providing a model of individualized, focused attention to each Music Education major resulting in lasting, positive relationships which continue as each student moves into this stimulating and vital profession.
Successful completion of the Bachelor of Music in Music Education program at VCU leads to Collegiate Teaching Certification by the Commonwealth of Virginia for PK-12 Music Education with either a Choral or Instrumental endorsement. To achieve this, the degree is designed so that each student moves through a prescribed, sequential program of artistic, intellectual, and pedagogical skill development and growth. Appropriate differentiated coursework is designed to support specific demands of either endorsement.
Students who complete the undergraduate curriculum for Music Education receive a Bachelor of Music, with a concentration in Music Education (with a concentration in choral or instrumental), while graduate students are awarded a Master of Music.
Selection and preparation in music education at VCU is based upon an important yet extremely simple premise that every person involved as a learner should have the best instruction possible. This premise implies that every prospective teacher should be committed to the subject of music and its use with people.
VCU is dedicated to developing the most effective teachers for tomorrow’s music classroom. The curriculum is structured to develop personal competencies in music performance, improvisation, conducting, composing, arranging, analysis, history, repertoire and other musical skills. Additionally, students are exposed to teaching techniques and current structures, systems and practices through field experiences of various grade levels — preschool through secondary levels — and student teaching internships.
Music Education majors will find that the department maintains a close partnership with Virginia school districts and has consistently maintained a 100 percent placement rate for students pursuing public school teaching positions.
VCU Music also has the largest collegiate chapter of MENC: The National Association for Music Education in the state. The CMENC chapter provides a forum for future music educators, sponsors numerous service and outreach opportunities and is a significant part of the total pre-professional music education program at VCU.
The Music Education program at VCU Music has a reputation of producing outstanding practitioners and leaders in the profession. Graduates include Daryl Kinney, Ph.D., music education faculty member at Ohio State University; Sherri Matthews, president-elect of the Virginia Choral Directors Association and Henrico County Music Educator of the Year for 2006; Paul Bakeman, nationally recognized leader in Orff-Schulwerk; and Tiffany Hudson, recently appointed to VMEA’s Future Leaders program.
Interested in auditioning? Please view the audition tips.


Mukherjee, Dipa (2004): Educational Attainment in India: Trends, Patterns and Policy Issues. Published in: Journal of Educational Planning and Administration , Vol. 19, No. 4 (October 2005)
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Education is the basic requirement and the ‘Fundamental Right' of the citizens of a nation. While Higher Education is important, the Elementary Education system serves as the base over which the Super-structure of the whole education system is built up. This paper tries to analyse the trends, patterns and interacting factors affecting the quantitative and qualitative aspects of School Education System in India in recent years. It is observed that complete Literacy has not been achieved and this has far reaching socio-economic impacts. Enrolments in schools have improved substantially in recent years but the Retention rates are poor, and only a fraction of enrolled students completes even the Primary classes. Completion of Middle and Secondary levels are still lower. Substantial Gender-bias in both access to, and completion of education is a major cause of concern. Wide regional variation exists even within this sub-standard performance of the Basic Education system. While few states have performed moderately, others have done abysmally, and continue to do so. Factors like poverty, presence of a wide child-labour market, absence of assured employment after schooling, and infrastructural problems are identified as responsible for the ills plaguing the elementary education system in India. Providing incentives for attending schools, making the schooling process attractive to the children, streamlining the middle and high school curriculum to make it more vocational and job-oriented, and providing better infrastructure for the schools are some of the policies likely to improve the scenario.


The brain's executive function is a kind of internal "air traffic control system" that is a group of skills that helps us to focus on multiple streams of information at the same time, monitor errors, make decisions in light of available information, revise plans as necessary and resist the urge to let frustration lead to hasty actions. The development of solid executive function is one of the key learning tasks of early childhood, and a significant contributor to later success in life.
In his recent webinar on the topic, Scientific Learning Chief Scientific Officer and Co-Founder Dr. William Jenkins dug deep into the three interrelated skills which comprise this air traffic control system: working memory, inhibitory control, and cognitive/mental flexibility. These three skills help us keep information in mind, master our impulses, and remain flexible in the face of change—and are crucial building blocks for the development of both cognitive and social interaction skills in young children.
Dr. Jenkins outlined a number of reasons that parent should take an interest in helping their children develop sound executive function skills in early childhood:
1. Strong executive function skills provide the best possible foundation for school readiness.
In many ways, executive function skills could be called the "biological foundation" for school readiness. It has been shown that children with strong working memory, inhibitory control, and cognitive/mental flexibility skills make greater gains in academic areas than peers with weaker executive function skills. Coming to school with these foundational skills well-developed is just as important, if not more important, than fluency with letters and numbers.
2. Executive function skills begin at home.
Executive function skills are not automatic. These skills are built over time through practice, and can be observed in infants as early as six months, when some infants can understand and obey a simple directive such as "don't touch that plate." Parents can support (or "scaffold") the development of these skills from early childhood by teaching and reinforcing common concepts such as taking turns and using "inside" and "outside" voices. In addition to the home, executive function skills continue to be developed in childcare programs, pre-schools, elementary school classrooms, and other social settings, into adolescence.
As Dr. Jenkins notes in the webinar, elementary school teachers are keenly aware of the importance of executive function. Parents who are actively, consciously participating in the development of their child’s executive function skills will have a richer understanding of the importance of all activities and expectations revolving around classroom life, from the way one lines up for lunch to the way one studies for a spelling test. This has the potential for a dynamic, integrated educational experience for the student, teacher, and parents, working together to build a better brain for each child.
4. Executive function skills help lay the foundation for the kind of student, citizen, and social being a child will become.
Ultimately, the skills that cohere into executive function are the skills we use to navigate family, school, and work settings for our entire lives: retaining and using information, filtering thoughts and impulses, focusing on a task at hand, recognizing errors, changing plans, and understanding how different rules apply in different settings are all skills that require stewardship from birth to adulthood. Parents armed with this knowledge are more apt to take an active part in the development of these skills from an early age.
5. Understanding executive function gives parents a fuller understanding of a child who is struggling.
It is a mistake to immediately brand a child who struggles with things like inhibitory control as a "bad kid". Understanding the concepts behind executive function gives parents a fuller picture of what is happening with their child when he or she is having difficulty controlling impulses, focusing on a given task, or understanding that different rules may apply at different times. This will help parents decide if outside help may be needed to help their child (studies show there is at least short-term effectiveness in interventions that support executive function development).
Interested in learning more? Listen to Dr. Jenkins’ webinar herefor more in-depth information on all aspects of executive function and its importance in early childhood development and brain fitness.


Musicians Spot Mistakes Easier than Non-Mucisians
A study has found that musicians are more efficient at processing information in general, which makes them — uh, us — better at identifying errors and mistakes.
The study, which was led by Dr. Ines Jentzsch of the University of St Andrews and published in the journal Neuropsychologia, also found that learning to play a musical instrument could also help to slow or even prevent ageing-related mental decline.
Dr. Jentzsch says the results “suggest that higher levels of musical training might result in more efficient information processing in general (indicated by faster overall speed across tasks without accuracy tradeoff), and confirms earlier reports indicating a positive link between mental speed and musical ability.”
The study also points to the benefits of music education in schools, and notes that in times of economic hardship, music education funds are often amongst the first to be cut. “This is particularly worrying given both anecdotal and limited research evidence suggesting that music can have strong positive effects on our physical as well as psychological functioning,” Dr. Jentzsch said.
For further reading:
Brian May Reaches for the Stars


There are several ways exercise can improve the brain. First exercise will increase blood flow to the brain, providing the brain with essential nutrients such as glucose and oxygen. Abnormal glucose tolerance can lead to brain impairments, and exercise helps regulate blood sugar levels.
In children, exercise has been shown to improve cognitive function, and improve motor skill development. Children who are active do better on standardized tests and have better grades. In adults, especially as we age, regular physical activity increases memory and slows the aging process of the brain. Studies show that very active people who engage regularly physical activities have much lower rates of memory loss, dementia, Alzheimer’s and do better on cognitive function tests over time.
- Q Why is it good to exercise?
- Q How can I protect my skin from the elements when exercising?
- Q Does more physical activity yield more health benefits?
- Q What are the benefits of biking to work?
- Q How can exercise benefit my brain as I age?
- Q How much exercise do I need to feel any benefits?


The camera was first invented in 1826, and since that time its use has evolved from capturing real images to capturing new perspectives on reality. Figures such as Robert Capa, Henri Cartier-Bresson, and David Hockney are associated with some of the world’s most famous 20th Century photography. This art form adapts and adjusts with the advent of new technologies, sometimes even going backwards to revisit earlier methods. Photographic subject matter and perspectives have also adjusted to changing views of the world and trends in the visual arts. The infographic below, created by University of Florida’s Online Master of Arts in Art Education program, takes a closer look.
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EMIL HARTMANN (1836 - 1898)
Emil Hartmann was the eldest son of J.P.E. Hartmann, by whom he was given a private music education at home. Thus, Hartmann began composing even before he could talk properly, but his real debut was not until the year 1859. The year after his debut, Emil Hartmann went on a study trip to Germany, and he continued to divide his activities between Germany and Denmark. In Germany he experienced great success as a result of his great ambitions and his frequent concert tours to conduct his own works, but in his native Denmark, Emil Hartmann was often pigeon-holed as “his father’s son and Niels W. Gade’s brother-in-law”. Emil Hartmann was primarily a church musician, but he had great interest in stage music and composed both ballet scores, operas and singspiel. For the concert halls, he composed both choral works and symphonies as well as chamber music and piano works.


Anytime a school board starts discussing budget cuts, the knife is typically aimed at “inessential” programs in schools, a category that usually will begin with the arts. Unlike math, science, and history, curricula for art, music, and drama are considered somewhere between extracurricular and useless by budget cutters in many national, state, and local governments.
But spend 10 minutes with a child of any age who is singing or playing an instrument, and it’s quickly apparent that something a lot more serious than playtime is going on here. “When children learn music it exercises both sides of their brain,” says Mary Ann Cool, a music teacher and chorus director at Mt. Hebron Middle School in Montclair. “Music exercises the right side of the brain responsible for imagination, arts awareness and creativity, and the left side responsible for reasoning, number skills and speech. It’s a discipline that teaches children to focus on a task and master it. It is no surprise children who study music tend to have higher test scores.”
Just as we understand that kids playing sport teaches more than how to score a touchdown (e.g., cooperation, commitment, how to win/lose well, etc.), kids playing music are doing more than trying to be the next Green Day. In other words, some children can internalize more math by moving from a 4/4 to 3/4 time signature than by memorizing a handful of equations.
Leslie Lucas, who is the director of Music Together of Montclair and Summit & Chatham, believes that keeping music in the curriculum benefits everyone down the line. “In his State of the Union speech, the President was talking about how far behind in math and science our country is,” she says. As music and art are taken out of education, “it creates people who don’t know how to use their creative brains. So much of business is about creativity, and if you have been exposed to music, it stimulates your creative brain. In any discipline, thinking creatively can start with music education.”
So if there’s less music in school, what can parents do to make sure their children are thinking musically? The simplest thing is to make family time for music: sing along to your favorite songs with your child, play an instrument for them if you know how, or just sit down and make up songs together. “If we passively put on some music, they won’t learn as well as making the music themselves,” says Lucas. “Sing a song about brushing their teeth…or buy a little drum or some shakers, something so you can sit and make music together. Have a little jam session!”
Every child can get basic benefits from this kind of family-based exposure to music, and over time parents can be on the lookout for signs that a child has a particular interest in or talent for music. “I think when children independently are drawn to an instrument or independently like to sing, that shows an interest to be encouraged,” says Cool. “I also think some children naturally have a musical ear: They are able to follow melodies and sing them back accurately.” Lucas adds that a child around age 5 who can accurately find the beat in a song is showing signs of being musically adept.
But the best sign that you’ve got a child with an interest in playing music is fairly direct: “If someone really has a musical inclination, they’ll usually tell their parents,” says Lucas. “They’ll ask for piano lessons or something like that. I find that you will know if the child is ready for formal lessons.”
The best thing for parents to do is just make sure music is part of a child’s life in one way or another. A pre-verbal baby who sings along with a simple tune to nonsense “doo doo doo” lyrics and claps to the beat is learning essential skills that can carry over to so many other aspects of their educational and social lives. And older children who can make up a song or learn to master an instrument will be tapping into a valuable tradition that dates back to the earliest days of humanity. “In the old days before TVs, people would sit around and make music together,” says Lucas. “It was a basic life skill, everyone knew how to make some music, play some songs as enjoyment. It’s something everyone should know how to do.”
How are you making music a part of your child’s life? And is your child’s school doing enough to provide basic musical education?


Research on the literacy and language development of Spanish-speaking English language learners
Vocabulary Instruction and Assessment for Spanish Speakers (VIAS)
The Vocabulary Instruction and Assessment for Spanish Speakers (VIAS) project was a program of research funded through grants from the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) and the U.S. Department of Education, Institute of Education Sciences (IES) from September 2007 through May 2013, led by Principal Investigator Dr. Diane L. August. The grants supported research on the literacy and language development of Spanish-speaking English language learners (ELLs) conducted by investigators at the Center for Applied Linguistics and its collaborators, Harvard University, Boston College, the University of Connecticut, and the University of Houston.
The VIAS program consisted of four research subprojects and two cores (research and administrative):
Subproject 1: Predicting Growth in Spanish-speaking Children’s Reading: PreK to Eight
This longitudinal study examined the patterns of reading and language development of Spanish-speaking children reading in English, the factors that predict their developmental trajectories, and the specific skills that are susceptible to change.
Subproject 2: Early Childhood Intervention Study: Improving the Language and Literacy Skills of Spanish-English Bilingual Kindergarteners
This longitudinal intervention explored the oral language proficiency and literacy development of kindergarten children from Spanish-speaking backgrounds. The intervention attempted to improve childrenís language and early literacy skills through the implementation of a program that combined English and Spanish treatments.
Subproject 3: Developing Vocabulary in Spanish-Speaking Children: The Acquisition of Vocabulary in English Project (AVE)
This subproject consisted of a series of research studies that investigated third grade ELL and English proficient studentsí knowledge of high frequency academic vocabulary then examined the relative effectiveness of several methods of vocabulary instruction on second-grade Spanish-speaking ELL studentsí acquisition of high frequency content vocabulary.
Subproject 4: Enhancing Vocabulary through Cognate Awareness (EVOCA)
This study investigates the effects of two cognate-based interventions on the development of literacy skills among Spanish-speaking adolescent students.
The Administrative Core supported the program of research through management of grant documentation and reporting, supporting communication and collaboration among the researchers, disseminating the programís progress and results, and sharing of researcher-developed resources.
The Research Core supported the subprojects in selecting and developing assessments and protocols for their research and by providing technical support to the research team on data analysis.


The Imagination Tree
Creative play and learning for kids
As Seen on
Nursery Rhyme Singing Basket: baby and toddler play
The importance of rhyme in early literacy development
Here Comes the Sun- Beatles Sight Word Practise
Nursery Rhyme Party for Baby’s 1st Birthday
5 Speckled Frogs Natural Small World Play
Five Little Ducks Storytelling Water Play
30 Days to Hands on Play Challenge: Music Making!
Cotton Bud Painting on Cards and Pebbles!
DIY: Baby Size Rain Sticks
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Bedtime stories and book reports
Title: Bedtime stories and book reports : connecting parent involvement and family literacy
Author: Catherine Compton-Lilly & Stuart Greene (eds.)
Publisher: New York: Teachers College Press, c2011
Call no.: LB1048.5 .B436 2011
From the Publisher: This book brings together the newest research on parent involvement and family literacy–two strands of research that rarely exist in conversation with one another. The discussion highlights how race, class, gender, and history serve as potent factors that shape children’s school experiences. Each chapter offers portraits of real families and schools that illustrate parents’ awareness of their children’s school progress, their perceptions of teachers, and their involvement in teaching their children life lessons that extend beyond school achievement. Translating theory into action, this resource extends conversations about parent involvement and family literacy across time and multiple spaces–home, school, church, and community; challenges accepted notions by listening to parents’ counter-stories of how they are involved with their children both in and out of school; and highlights the significance of race, class, gender, religion, sexual preference, and history in literacy learning and schooling.
About the authors:
Catherine Compton-Lilly is an assistant professor in curriculum and instruction at the University of Wisconsin Madison and the author of Re-Reading Families: The Literate Lives of Urban Children, Four Years Later.
Stuart Greene is associate professor of English at Notre Dame University and co-editor of Making Race Visible: Literacy Research for Racial Understanding.
“Bedtime Stories and Book Reports is the right book at the right time… The editors have gathered an impressive group of researchers and practitioners to provide insights into working with families in productive and empowering ways. . . . Happy reading!”
—Patricia A. Edwards, president, International Reading Association, 2010-2011
“The fundamental ideological orientation of the volume’s authors is to set right the prevailing parents-as-problem orientation sometimes put forward by school administrators, teachers, and policymakers.”
—From the Afterword by Shirley Brice Heath, professor emerita, Stanford University
“Children can’t reach their full potential for literacy development without the participation of parents. The editors have brought together an excellent group of authors who provide new information and a hopeful look at family literacy. This is a must-read.”
—Lesley Morrow, Graduate School of Education, Rutgers University
“The content of the book is a call for schools and teachers to recognize and value the diverse knowledge that culturally and linguistically different children bring from home as a stepping-stone to new learning. This will support all students’ transition into schooling, and will enhance the learning opportunities and success for all children.”
—Flora V. Rodríguez-Brown, University of Illinois at Chicago


Three Approaches to Teaching Art Methods Courses: Child Art, Visual Culture, and Issues-Based Art Education
Chang, Eunjung, Lim, Maria, Kim, Minam, Art Education
Within art education, many researchers are concerned with teacher preparation in order to understand current practices, to recognize what is working well, and to determine future directions for changes (Henry & Lazzari, 2007). One area of neglect is the course taught at most colleges and universities that offer art education - that is, the service course in art education for elementary education majors. Although scholars wrote in this area in the 1990s and early 200Os (Gaudelius & Speirs, 2002; Grauer, 1998; Smith-Shank, 1993a, 1993b, 2001 ), little has been published on this topic since that time.
In this article, three art educators reflect on their ideas and experiences in developing and implementing innovative projects for their courses focusing on art for elementary education majors. At the 2009 NAEA National Convention in Minneapolis, we realized that we all taught this service course for our departments. We shared our expectations for the course, teaching strategies, and class activities. Our conversations developed into a cohesive presentation for the 2010 NAEA National Convention in Baltimore, and resulted in this paper. In this article, we explore three different approaches for an art methods course for elementary education majors. Each of the three authors will focus on one aspect of this course and we will conclude with a critique and recommendations.
The three areas that will be discussed in depth include: understanding child art, visual culture, and issues-based art education. Minam Kim uses her students' early artistic experiences and art products to (re)consider the artwork of other children. Eunjung Chang focuses on visual culture from three different entry points including an interdisciplinary focus, as a contemporary phenomenon, and as a substantial field for inquiry. Lastly, Maria Lim shares the importance of an issues-based approach for teaching art and illustrates techniques for implementing this concept with elementary education majors.
Elementary education majors may not have the depth of experience in child art, visual culture, and contemporary cultural issues that we see in art education majors. It is often difficult for them to incorporate their art-related experiences, interests, and knowledge into their teaching because of their lack of artmaking techniques. We do, however, believe that through the use of any of the three curriculum techniques presented in this paper, elementary preservice teachers will gain confidence with art.
Child Art Based Approach
"What do you expect to learn from this course?" Every semester, I start my first day of teaching with this question. Then, most of my elementary education majors give very similar answers: "I want to know many fun and creative art projects for enjoyment and therapeutic purposes in my future classroom," "I want to learn how to use art to teach other subjects more easily," or "I want to know how to incorporate art into my classroom" (classroom discussion, January 18, 2010). Many students add these words: "BUT, I'm not good at art. . " or "I can't draw well." Although these preservice elementary teachers believe art is important, they are also afraid to teach art because they lack art skills, techniques, and confidence. Check (2002) found similar concerns from in-service elementary teachers he worked with: "They were afraid of art; afraid of their own art skills. They were afraid to do anything where they could not control the outcome" (p. 53). Many elementary preservice teachers expect their university instructor to help them develop art skills and others simply want to have fun, using easy art activities that do not require sophisticated techniques. This was the way I felt before.
I majored in elementary education in college. I questioned my artistic ability and had no confidence in my ability to teach art. My instructors seemed to be worried about me too, so they made sure I had a variety of art projects to practice studio techniques. …


Massachusetts College of Art and Design is the oldest art school in Boston, but its library is even older than the college itself.
In 1871 the Massachusetts Board of Education created a "traveling museum." Plaster casts, drawings, paintings, and art books were transported by horse-drawn wagons to towns across the state. The purpose was to spread art knowledge throughout the citizenry. It was the first collection of visual reference materials in the United States created to support public art education.
The rigors of travel damaged the collection. Within a year the need for its safe storage became an arguing point for founding a state art school. Although we can’t be certain if this was a deciding factor, in 1873 the legislature did create Massachusetts Normal Art School (now called Massachusetts College of Art and Design), and the traveling collection did indeed come to rest under its roof.
As MassArt developed, and the field of art education evolved, the collectionalso grew and developed: more books were acquired, and then journals, slides, films, videos, and digital images. In 1988, the library was named for the late Morton R. Godine, a Vice President and Trustee of the college. This exhibit celebrates the library’s 133 years of democratizing access to art and design information. Unlike the treasures in some libraries, the Godine’s most valuable books and portfolios are worn and spattered. They’re used heavily to support research conducted with paint, clay, wood, plaster, furnaces, and kilns, as well as with pencils, paper, and keyboards.


Why learn piano and why start young?
Recognized benefits for children from learning piano:
Children gain a solid musical foundation for learning any instrument as they:
Here Hanhan, Alisa and Milana are 3 years old
And here, at age 4, they perform in a recital
3 tutor books – recommended order of study:
After finishing material in Nursery Rhyme Blank and Book 2 Blank child is ready to prepare for prep tests for any of the major exam boards (for example ABRSM Prep Test or Trinity Initial Exam)
The "Dogs and Birds" approach has been developed over the last fourteen years by Elza Lusher. As a native Hungarian, her music education was based on the Kodály principles from the start. She was trained as a piano teacher at the Liszt Academy in Hungary.
However, it was only through her piano teaching experience (both in Hungary and in England) that she came to appreciate fully the importance of singing and the inner ear.
In Hungary all students study solfege for at least a year before starting to learn an instrument, therefore all instrumental teachers assume a basic level of musicianship.
During her teaching in England Elza discovered that it was necessary to build basic musicianship into her piano lessons. The result of this is the "Dogs and Birds" method.
Elza has been living in England since 1991 and she has been teaching the piano for over thirty years. She has a wide range of teaching experience, from very young children to diploma level, and has also was the tutor for piano teachers on the Kodály Institute of Britain's teachers' course.
In addition to giving one-to-one piano lesson to children as young as two and a half, during the development of “Dogs and Birds” Elza taught groups in a Montessori nursery school, getting excellent results. Here children as young as three years old learnt to sing the notes and understand the music using the "Dogs and Birds" approach. She also taught "Dogs and Birds" in a local infant school, to groups of ten children using five keyboards.
Elza has produced three volumes of pieces using this method together with her husband Chris. The books contain delightful full colour illustrations, by the award-winning illustrator, Mark Chambers, which really capture the child's imagination and enhance the learning experience.
The tutor books are supplemented with other resources – a guide to Book 1 for parents and teachers, and a set of small animal tiles and coloured staves (to help visualize the notes) which significantly speed up learning notation. There is also a sol-fa book, written from a pianistic point of view, which helps students to progress from singing animal names to singing sol-fa.


ERIC Number: ED442170
Record Type: RIE
Publication Date: 1996
Reference Count: N/A
Judy Blume's "Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing": Adapted for the Stage by Bruce Mason. Cue Sheet.
Molloy, Dawn Eddy
This performance guide is designed for teachers to use with students before and after a performance of Judy Blume's "Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing," adapted for the stage by Bruce Mason. The guide, called a "Cuesheet," contains seven activity sheets for use in class, addressing: (1) The Story (offering a brief introduction to the plot and characters and some lines from the play to listen for); (2) Adaptation: Turning a Novel into a Play (looking at how novels are changed into plays, and offering some class activities); (3) Meet the Characters (listing all the characters in the play and looking at how 6 actors play 17 characters); (4) Being a Fourth Grade Nothing (looking at feelings in the play); (5) Behind the Scenes (looking at how director, designers, crew, and stage manager all collaborate to create a play); (6) The Final Collaborator Is... (looking at the audience's important role in creating theatre); and (7) Meet Judy Blume (offering background information about this well known author of children's books). Resources for further information are listed. (SR)
Descriptors: Audiences, Class Activities, Cultural Activities, Elementary Education, Novels, Playwriting, Production Techniques, Theater Arts
Publication Type: Guides - Classroom - Learner
Education Level: N/A
Sponsor: Department of Education, Washington, DC.
Authoring Institution: John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, Washington, DC.
Identifiers: Blume (Judy); Drama in Education
Note: Additional funding provided by The Kennedy Center Corporate Fund and The Morris and Gwendolyn Cafritz Foundation.


Global and national agendas for quality education have led to reforms in Papua New Guinea’s (PNG) elementary education, but criticism of the learner-centred Western pedagogies has emerged. One key influence on quality teacher education relates to perspectives of teaching. Existing research shows teachers’ beliefs and perceptions of teaching influence their practice, however to date little research has investigated perspectives of teaching for elementary education in PNG. This single exploratory case study investigated the perspectives of teaching for eighteen elementary teacher trainers as they studied for a Bachelor of Early Childhood (Teacher Education). The study, drawing on an interpretivist paradigm, analysed journals and course planning documents using a thematic approach. The findings revealed that while the trainers’ perspectives of teaching children tended to reflect a learning-centred perspective (focused on what the teacher does), their perspectives of teaching adults were both learning-centred and learner-centred (what the learner does). Based on these findings, a culturally connected perspective of teaching is advocated for PNG elementary teacher education. This perspective enables the co-existence of both the learning-centred and learner-centred perspectives of teaching in the PNG cultural context and has implications for teacher education and the communities involved in elementary education in general.
Brownlee, J. M.,
& Petriwskyj, E. A.
Elementary Teacher Education in Papua New Guinea: Towards a Culturally Connected Perspective of Teaching.
Australian Journal of Teacher Education, 37(4).


COLUMBUS, Ohio, Feb. 4, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Writing is no longer a strong suit for our younger population, according to one of the nation's senior writing researchers. According to Steve Graham, Ed.D., a professor at Mary Lou Fulton Teachers College, Arizona State University, a focus on teaching reading and math has left little time for teachers and students to devote to writing instruction and practice.
Published by Saperstein Associates, Dr. Graham's newly released white paper—It All Starts Here: Fixing Our National Writing Crisis From the Foundation—argues that writing must be made a priority early in a child's education. "We barely teach composition and we spend little time on teaching writing strategies and skills," said Dr. Graham. "We have to make it a priority."
According to the College Board, while participation in college admission exams is at an all time high, only 43 percent of the class of 2012 who took the SAT are ready for college-level work.
The National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) tells a similar story: In 2011, only 27 percent of 8th and 12th grade students scored at or above proficient on the writing portion of the NAEP. In the same assessment, 20 percent of 8th graders and 21 percent of 12th graders scored "below basic," meaning they were unable to perform at even the minimum standard for their grade level.
According to Dr. Graham, these statistics point to a national writing crisis. "Writing is one of the primary ways we persuade and inform both socially and professionally. We interact through tweets, texts, blogs, emails, presentations, and other forms of formal and informal writing."
Dr. Graham suggests writing instruction is critical for the following reasons:
- Students face new standards and assessments
- Writing increases academic success
- The 21st century workplace demands writing competence
According to a growing body of research, foundational skills such as handwriting, spelling, and vocabulary development help set the stage for writing achievement in higher grades. Dr. Graham recommends fixing the foundation at the earliest grades with the following suggestions:
- Provide ample time for writing
- Use frequent assessment to inform instruction
- Explicitly teach writing skills and strategies
- Write across the curriculum
- Integrate appropriate technology
- Establish a positive environment for writing
"If we want to set our students up for success on the new assessments and the Common Core State Standards, not to mention for success beyond the classroom, we can't afford to skimp on writing instruction. Students need to have ample time and explicit instruction in writing across all grade levels," says Dr. Graham.
The research for this white paper was funded by Zaner-Bloser and the full document can be viewed at www.sapersteinassociates.com
About the Author
Steve Graham, Ed.D., is the Mary Emily Warner Professor in the Division of Leadership and Innovation in Teachers College at Arizona State University. Dr. Graham is the former editor of Exceptional Children and Contemporary Educational Psychology as well as the current editor of Journal of Writing Research. He is the author of numerous articles and coauthor of several books, including Handbook of Writing Research, Handbook of Learning Disabilities, Writing Better, and Making the Writing Process Work.
About Saperstein Associates
Saperstein Associates is a research firm based in Columbus, Ohio. Using time-honored and innovative research methodologies, its veteran staff transforms data into information, and information into intelligence. Saperstein Associates provides clients with a valuable tool for making data-driven decisions. To learn more, visit sapersteinassociates.com.


Celebrate this Mothers' Day by helping West African moms secure an education for their children!
We’re starting a seven-week preschool summer camp in rural Mali. By providing teacher training and a classroom curriculum, the project supports aspiring women teachers and boosts essential early childhood education programs.
Our organization, A Place in the Sun Foundation, Inc., works to improve childhood literacy in West Africa. Over the past year and a half, our team has developed a curriculum and a teacher training course, tailored to rural preschool teachers and their students.
This camp will serve as a pilot program for a permanent preschool in Mali. We’ll test out our training programs and curriculum on the ground. Then we’ll evaluate the success of the programs using top-notch metrics. Soon after, we’ll raise the funds to start a year-round school.
Today, only 33% of adults can read and write in Mali. That’s the lowest literacy rate in the world.
Illiteracy stunts opportunity for promising students in West Africa. Entire communities are held back from accessing information and jobs that could lift them out of poverty. As a result, nearly half of Mali still lives on 85 cents a day.
Simply being able to read and write would empower the next generation of Malians to build up their local communities. It’s a cheap and effective solution—and it will serve as an investment in solving an expensive and dangerous problem.
“Preschool” might remind you of naps, picture books and Play-Doh, but there’s some important science to it. Essential brain development happen in preschool, and as President Obama mentioned during his State of the Union address, it’s linked to economic growth decades down the line. By lacking preschool education, Malian kids are behind their global peers—even at age 4—and from there, only fall further behind.
Making matters tougher, kids in Mali are hindered by a language barrier between their first language and the national language of instruction. Instead of receiving instruction in Bambara (the language most commonly spoken at home) students immediately begin learning in French. Without an academic foundation in their first language, many students fail to make the transition to French language and miss out on learning the content they will need to pass national exams and succeed in school.
A Place in the Sun Foundation's curriculum addresses this core problem by teaching children lessons in their local language--Bambara--which is critical first step to literacy development. Children are also given lessons in French, which will help them transition to primary school with greater success.
To begin, we are launching our inaugural pilot project in the village of Touna, in central Mali. Over the course of seven weeks this July and August, we will work with 5 young women who are aspiring women preschool teachers. These women will then work with a classroom of 15-20 preschool students in a training program led by two experienced A Place in the Sun volunteers, Kate Needham and Abdourahamane Doucouré.
Touna, a small village located about 65 km from the regional capital of Segou, has a population of around 2,000 people. From 2010 to 2011, A Place in the Sun Foundation's Curriculum Director, Kate Needham, served as a seventh grade literacy teacher in Touna.
Through testing various training techniques and teaching models, this pilot program will help us to further improve and refine our training courses and curriculum.
About a Place in the Sun Foundation
A Place in the Sun Foundation, Inc. was started by Peace Corps Volunteers Mike and Marisa Conway, who served together in Mali from 2009 to 2011. Our organization seeks to improve the quality of education in rural West African communities so that children can learn to read and succeed in school. Our team of a dozen volunteers has spent the past fifteen months developing an early childhood education curriculum and teacher training model that is designed specifically for Malian children ages 3-6. This pilot is the first step in a strategy to engage with communities throughout Mali to identify challenges to quality education and devise solutions with community leaders. In the next five years, A Place in the Sun Foundation hopes to establish multiple clusters of early learning centers throughout Mali.
Please join us in putting children on the right path to a quality education by making a donation to our campaign.
A Place in the Sun is a 501(c)(3) pending non-profit organization. 100% of your donations go directly toward our pilot preschool program in Touna, Mali.
We've minimized costs by working through our Malian networks so that our total project budget is only $9599 (see below). Thanks to other fundraising initiatives, we will be able to launch the pilot upon reaching our $5100 tipping point.


Second Language Acquisistion Program ResearchThe SLA program encompasses four major categories of research that draw on the strengths of faculty in Modern Languages:
Literacy development in second languages:
- Does literacy development differ among first- and second-language learners?
- How do literacy skills acquired in one language affect learning to read in another language?
- How does oral language proficiency relate to literacy development in a second language?
- In what ways is learning to read similar (or different) across languages?
- What type of intervention and scaffolding can content teachers provide to help language learners develop their academic literacy?
Social dimensions of learning a second language (context, identity, culture):
- Do different learning contexts (e.g. the formal language learning classroom, study abroad settings, intensive domestic immersion programs) promote different types of language learning? In what specific ways do students profit from each?
- How do learners develop control over pragmatic mappings of form, function and context of use? How can the development be measured? Do the individual and contextual factors affect the development?
- What does it mean to be a bilingual professional?
- How does interaction in a multilingual classroom contribute to the construction of a bilingual professional identity?
- How are monolingual English-only ideologies in the U.S. challenged by individual and institutional practices that support bilingualism?
Instruction and learning of second languages (classroom-based research, program evaluation, impact of instruction on learning):
- How can we apply some of the positive results of study abroad experiences to classroom instruction in stateside learning programs?
- How can we use multimedia materials to help students learn languages?
- Is it true that countries that have one, and only one, official language are economically better developed than countries that formally encourage multiple language use?
- Can children who participate in school-based (K-12) second language programs develop bilingual proficiency and cross-cultural awareness and sensitivity?
- Does participation in Heritage Language programs (i.e., Saturday or weekend schools) help children to develop literacy skills and a sense of their ethnic identity?
Cognitive aspects of learning a second language (processing, memory):
- How do bilinguals manage to keep their two languages separate? Are they stored separately in the brain?
- In groups of people who speak two or more languages, how do people decide which language to use when?
- How can simultaneous interpreters manage to listen in one language while speaking in another?
- Why are some people better at learning second/foreign languages than others?
- What are some of the strategies that successful language learners use to improve their learning?
During the academic year, students are expected to devote an average of 20 hours per week to activities such as supervised teaching of language courses and assisting in faculty research projects. Third and fourth year students may have an opportunity to devote their full 20 hours to working as research assistants depending upon availability of extramural research support for faculty projects.


Drawing On Science For Kids
According to the reports two young girls were caught in a rip tide. Coincidentally, this was the topic I chose for the present column. Rip tides or undertows are actually rip currents. Most people are familiar with them, but not how and why they form.
Rip currents are very powerful "rivers" of water flowing away from the shoreline.
They may reach speeds more than three miles per hour. They can carry a lot of sand and shells along with them. Rip currents can also trap and carry away a swimmer.
Rip currents form as waves approach the shoreline where they begin to break forming the surf. The breaking water rises up on the beach's
surf zone and continues on to the upper beach. This moving water and sand are called swash. At some point gravity or some sort of barrier slows down the forward movement of the swash. The water will then move straight back toward the sea in a
backwash. This backward flow can be either weak or strong as it moves below another wave coming up onto the beach.
But, of course, waves rarely approach the shore head-on. They will approach at an angle due to the fact that the winds that generated them move randomly in any direction out at sea.
When waves approach at an angle and break on the shore the swash will move up-beach at an angle, too. But when its movement is slowed it will, again, return straight back. Now, consider the next series of waves, beyond the line of breakers. These waves are, naturally, pushing water toward the shore. But backwash is also pulling this water back into the ocean. This results in water moving somewhat parallel to the beach in what is called a longshore current. Now if the surf brings in more water than the backwash can return, a buildup of water can occur. This is the key to a rip current.
If too much water builds up in the surf zone, and the backwash increases in speed, a portion of the longshore current may begin to move rapidly seaward by overcoming the incoming waves. This forms the rip current. So rip currents typically extend from the shoreline out past the incoming breakers. Any beach may experience rip currents whether it is located on the ocean or a lake.
When you're on the beach you may be able to spot a rip current. Since they carry a great deal of sand they may appear whiter than the surrounding water. Also the waves in the vicinity of a rip current are usually steeper than the other waves. Once caught in a rip current it's best to "ride" it out. Allow it to carry you seaward and as it slows down begin to swim parallel to the shore. Once it stops swim directly back to the beach.
Since rip currents can occur at any time it is not advisable to go swimming unless a lifeguard is on duty, and obey all of his/her warnings. Check out the United States Lifesaving Association, NOAA's National Weather Service, and the National Sea Grant for information on rip current safety and awareness.
Questions/comments? E-mail Steve: Drawingonscience @ aol. com


KMS follows a progressive academic curriculum that incorporates skills-based AND project-based learning. Skills-based learning tailors lessons to each child’s individual needs and learning style. Project-based learning, fosters skills in open-ended inquiry, reflection and critical thinking.
The core of our curriculum is aimed at engaging youngsters across the spectrum of intelligence types, visual to verbal, spatial to kinesthetic, and providing each child with a range of tools for expression and discovery. Our infant care, preschool and elementary education programs incorporate a wide variety of the arts including dance, visual art, music, foreign language…the list keeps growing.
Age-appropriate lessons, taught in multi-age classrooms, allow each child to progress at his or her own pace which can vary from subject to subject. Youngsters experience far less frustration over projects they need extra time with, and less boredom when they don’t have to wait for others to catch up. Because learning is most engaging, effective and enduring when it springs from exploration and discovery, students are encouraged to take appropriate risks in the knowledge that making mistakes is how human beings learn. As a consequence, our students learn self-confidence, gain good social skills, including respect for self, others, and the world around them.
KMS wants to empower students to be involved in their learning process. Thus, they are encouraged to initiate projects and/or activities that are of particular interest to them personally.
Our approach to learning is a continuum; lessons introduced during the student’s preschool years are developed and deepened through the fifth grade. Youngsters who begin with us as infants and toddlers benefit from this continuity in educational approach, gaining a strong foundation that will serve them well as they progress to middle school and beyond.
THE ARTS PLAY A BIG PART AT KMS. We believe early and repeated engagement in the arts contribute to the growth and development of the whole child including their academic advancement.


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


Children's speaking and singing voices are one voice: evidence from perceptual analyses of independent voice parameters
Abstract:Traditionally, children's speaking and singing voices have been regarded as two separate entities, each being used for a distinct vocal behaviour. Nevertheless, according to the voice-scientific and evolutionary perspectives, children use the same voice for generating all vocal behaviours. Due to such an evident contradiction, the intension of the study was to investigate whether pre-pubertal children's speaking and singing voices are perceptually connected. Voice recordings were conducted with 76 7- to 10-year-old children. Each child performed a set of speaking and singing tasks and their vocal output was recorded with high-quality technological equipment. Subsequently, each voice sample was analysed perceptually with the use of a specially designed perceptual voice assessment protocol. The key finding was that the participant children's voice quality and vocal characteristics correlated statistically significantly between the two vocal behaviours, as evidenced through general voice quality and individual voice parameter analyses. The findings therefore imply that children's speaking and singing voices are perceptually connected. It can be argued, then, that children possess one voice that is used for generating speaking and singing behaviours.
Document Type: Research Article
Affiliations: Institute of Education, University of London.
Publication date: December 1, 2009
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- The Journal of Music, Technology and Education (JMTE) explores the issues concerning the use of technology in music education. It examines pedagogy at all levels and across genres such as composition, musicology, performance and music production. It is the only journal specifically dedicated to the educational aspects of music technology and the technological aspects of music. Peer-reviewed, with an international editorial board, JMTE aims to draw its contributions from a broad community of educators, researchers and practitioners who are working closely with new technologies in the fields of music education and music technology education.
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Experimental Education Programme
The objective of the education programme of the Urban Majorities Project 1900-2025 is to integrate the approach to artistic, cultural, and political research, expressions, and representations within the melting pot of the great cities, which are considered essential actors and crucial spaces for interaction in the 21st-century world. The historic establishment of a global society will depend to a large extent on how the paths of people who meet in the great cities are woven together. The first initiatives under the programme are aimed principally at secondary school pupils.
Artistic representations. The programme seeks to pose questions that can give works meaning and to do at school what is best done at school (such as combating prejudice and providing relevant information), so that afterwards, pupils will visit museums and art institutions with a perspective allowing explanations to be as free as possible, which will in turn encourage a more direct and personal appreciation of the works. The museum goes to school (and give classes), and then the school goes to the museum (and the experience is much different when the class actually comes face-to-face with the works).
This is the format described in the initiative Interior Worlds and Public Commitment, which was completed over a full school year. The exhibition Barcelona, A Right for All, presented at the Fundació Antoni Tàpies in May 2007 and including 480 posters, was the culmination of a work aimed at building perspective and encouraging creative experimentation among nearly one thousand pupils at twenty-one schools. These pupils began the school year by viewing the exhibition Forms for the 21st Century, Recent Works by Antoni Tàpies and then making it their own. After that they undertook an in-depth exploration of the show The Posters of Tàpies and the Public Sphere. The format adopted by the art education initiative under the Urban Majorities Project 1900-2025 also inspired experimentation by other Barcelona museum institutions that since have updated their education programmes.
Urban representations. The initiatives involving secondary schools and universities (including the Hochschule für Gestaltung und Kunst of Zurich), which had already given place to the trajectories of the project Tourismes. The Defeat of Dissent produced by the Fundació Antoni Tàpies in 2004, have begun to take shape in different Journeys through Barcelona, of which the route From La Mina to Pedralbes through the Heart of the City is already operational. This trajectory takes the form of an itinerary with different stop-overs, and is conceived as a tool for developing a cognitive and aesthetic approach which will then weave personal narratives and imaginaries into the historic studies and systematic analyses of the complexities of large cities.
In cooperation with other institutions forming part of the Urban Majorities Project 1900-2025 network, a seminar will soon be held to draw conclusions from the experience. This process is expected to articulate new lines of action in the same field, thus affecting the metropolitan city as a whole.
Political representations. The objective of the Besòs Youth Parliament is to help test new ways of providing education in democracy by teaching participants about the culture of assembly, political representation, and negotiation; by distinguishing and making social use of the different forms of discourse (analysing, questioning, evaluating, wishing, proposing, etc.); and in ascertaining limits to action such as the effective meeting point between ethics and politics, because the microcosm of youth is no less complex than the world of adults.
As part of the education programme of the Urban Majorities Project 1900-2025, the Besòs Youth Parliament initiative is closely linked to others which focus on the arts and the urban experience. In future, the experience will continue to be promoted in other parts of the metropolitan area through dialogue with programmes sharing the same objective, even if some of them adopt a different format, such as the public audiences for children from Barcelona and the youth councils in other townships have done.