Autism Treatment and Speech Language Occupational Therapy:
What benefits can be found with Autism Treatment?
Autism treatment includes speech therapy and occupational therapy as an integral part of care. These services should be carried out by qualified speech-language pathologists and occupational therapists who are experienced in working with children diagnosed with Autism. Learn about how speech-language pathologists help these children. To start, you may want to read more about autism, its definition and symptoms. Autism âaffects a personâs ability to communicate and interact with othersâ (Autism Society of America), and can include such symptoms as having trouble talking about their feelings, having delayed speech and language skills, and repeating words or phrases over and over.
Once a diagnosis of autism has been made, experts agree therapy and treatment should begin immediately. Because patients with autism have difficulty in communicating, and these difficulties span a wide range, the benefits of working with a Speech-Language Pathologist (SLP) and Occupational Therapist (OT) are significant. A speech-language pathologist can diagnose the type of communication disorder that a child has, and then suggest a plan of treatment. The occupational therapist can do the same for occupational skills including activities of daily living and motor skills.
The correlation between communication, ADLâs and successful social interaction is self-evident, and a child who learns to communicate effectively is better able to form relationships. Research shows children who undergo speech-language therapy and occupational therapy may make significant gains in these areas.
There are many research based therapeutic approaches that speech-language pathologists and OTs can utilize to help children who are diagnosed with autism. Most of the approaches include increasing a childâs joint attention and social referencing. Joint attention occurs when the child shares interest in an object or event with another person. This can be seen by the childâs visual attention to an object, and also to another person who is interacting with the child and object. Social referencing refers to the child showing interest in what another person is doing. These are the foundational skills for social skills, and communication. Therapeutic approaches also include methods to increase a childâs language including vocabulary, grammar, use and understanding of language. Techniques help children to attend, and learn the basics for application to conversation.
There are a variety of methods to achieve speech and language goals and occupational goals with children who are diagnosed with autism. At Baron Therapy Services, LLC we work with each child as an individual. Through discussions with parents / caregivers, and assessments, therapists can determine which methods might be best for your child. Examining data and outcomes supports the decision making process.


Parents and educators are grappling all the time with how much young children should be exposed to using technology and interactive media. How appropriate is it for 4-year-olds, for example, to be using applicationsâeven educational onesâon iPads?
Well, the National Association for the Education of Young Children and the Fred Rogers Center for Early Learning and Childrenâs Media at Saint Vincent College have jointly issued a new guidance to help early educators ensure that they use digital media and technology in ways that are developmentally appropriate for children from birth through the age of 8.
At the outset, the statement acknowledges that digital technology is ubiquitous and is only likely to become even more pervasive in childrenâs lives. It also lays out the need to measure how much âscreen timeâ children get on a daily basis and to ensure that time spent with screens such as those on smartphones, tablets and even digital cameras are included in that measurement. Itâs important, the statement says, for early childhood educators not to use technology just for the sake of technology and that using screen media as a replacement for active play, engagement with other children, and interactions with adults is inappropriate.
At the same time, the guidance explains that young children need to develop âtechnology-handlingâ skills in their early-childhood settings that are associated with early âdigital literacy,â especially for poor children who are less likely to have access to such technologies in their homes. Those technology-handling skills are akin to the âbook-handlingâ skills associated with early literacy development.
The guidance also includes very specific principles for early educators to apply when making decisions about how to use technology.
And though the guide is designed for early educators, it is packed with useful information for parents who have to make similar decisions about what happens with their children at home.
A version of this news article first appeared in the Early Years blog.


Summer break is here and so are the plethora of opportunities for family-friendly fun and entertainment. The weather is warmer, the sun is out longer, and students are soaking up their freedom before school starts again in just a few months.
However, just because school is no longer in session doesnât mean the learning has to stop. There are an increasing number of fun and educational opportunities for children that keep their minds engaged and sherp. Experts recommend that students participate in educational activities during the summer so that they better retain the skills and information gained during the school year. One study found that students may lose between 17 and 34 percent of the prior yearâs learning during summer break, so it is important to keep the mind active, even during vacation.
One easy and accessible activity for children is listening to podcasts. Podcasts are educational, entertaining, and provide an alternative to television or screen time when children are stuck indoors. Podcasts can be paused and listened to at any time, and the audio medium allows children to draw, clean, move, or engage in other activities while listening.
Here are five of the best childrenâs podcasts available this summer:
- Brains On! An award-winning science podcast for kids and curious adults, Brains On! covers wide-ranging topics such as sound, viruses, feelings, cuteness and the weather.
- But Why. From National Public Radio comes the podcast for children that answers questions about topics like nature, words and even the end of the world. Children can send in a voice recording with their question to have it answered on the show.
- The Past and the Curious. A history podcast for children, The Past and The Curious shares stories of inspiration, humor and achievement.
- Eleanor Amplified. This adventure series follows the story of fictional radio reporter Eleanor Amplified who outwits villains and foils plots in pursuit of âthe big story.â
- Noodle Loaf. Geared toward children aged 3-9 years old, Noodle Loaf is an interactive, musical podcast created by a music education specialist father and his children. The 10-minute episodes invite the whole family to get creative together.
TeachPar is the online platform that keeps teachers organized, parents informed, and students on track. With a modern, intuitive, responsive interface, TeachPar seamlessly connects parents and teachers for improved student learning and better organization.


If you are interested in other science themed gifts, be sure to stop by the other posts in this series: Fun and Educational Gifts for the Young Scientists on Your List.
Build Your Own Science Kit
With a little creativity you can build your own science kit with inspiration from Share it! Science activities, like Spies and CSI's, Balloon Rockets, Hidden Colors in a Leaf, 5 Ways to Make a Real Rainbow, Science with Christmas Leftovers, Dreidels and other Spinning Tops, or any other of my Saturday Science Experiment series. Or, put together one of these science kits from some great kids bloggers!Science Kit for Kids Gift Idea. This great science kit idea is complete with a free printable: "Fascinating Science for Kids" full of experiments that can be easily accomplished at home. The whole kit can be put together for under $20!
Little Bins for Little Hands: Homemade Kids Science Kit with 20 Experiments. A supply list of items that are easy to acquire at the grocery or dollar store and links to some great simple at-home science experiments!
Fun at Home with Kids: DIY Science Kit Gift for Kids. A science kit to accompany the author's book: The Curious Kid's Science Book. Great ideas, simple materials!
The Kitchen Pantry Scientist: Homemade Science Lab. All the supplies you need to turn your kitchen into a science lab!
Playdough to Plato: DIY Home Science Kit. Put together a simple science kit and print out some cool science kit cards to get you started on your science adventures!
Teach-a-roo: Send Home Science Kit. Although geared toward teachers, this at home science kit could be adapted for a gift. Also a great idea for an educational gift for your students if you are a teacher!
Science Sparks: All You Need for Science At Home. A thorough list of the everyday items that complete the at-home science lab. Great experiment ideas too!
Kids Activities Blog: Totally Awesome Kids Science Kit. 3 super fun experiments that require things you probably already have lying around the house.
Mama.Papa.Bubba: DIY Science Kit for Kids. Filled with items from the grocery store or dollar store. Uses "The Curious Kids Science Book" as a guide.
Glue Sticks Blog: Homemade Science Kits for Kids. Great DIY kit with a ton of experiments and experiment "recipe cards" with directions. Would make a great family gift!
DIY Tinkering and Inventing Kits
Katydid and Kid: A Kids' Tinkering Kit. Ideas to make a kid's tinkering kit with real tools!
Left Brain Craft Brain: Portable Tinkering Kit for Preschoolers. A nice little kit designed to keep a young one busy when you are out and about.
Little Worlds: Upcycled Inventor's Box, A DIY STEM Activity. A nice DIY kit full of recyclables, craft supplies and tools. Hours of good fun and learning.
The Educators' Spin On It: Build an Inventor's Box: A STEM Activity for Kids. Ideas for an inventor's box that will keep your tinkerer busy!


Early Childhood Program
Preschool to Kindergarten (Ages 3-6)
Maria Montessori called this the age of self-construction.
Intercultural offers a bilingual Montessori preschool and kindergarten program for children aged 3-6 in Chicago. Our curriculum is tailored to meet the needs of each individual child.
During the Early Childhood learning cycle, children build and refine their physical coordination and construct their intellect. Through practical life activities like pouring, sewing, and scrubbing, children develop fine and gross motor coordination. As a result, they learn how to concentrate and develop confidence and independence.
Dr. Montessori described the way children ages 3-6 learn is like a sponge. They absorb knowledge with all their senses. For example, sensorial activities like the pink tower teach sequencing, which lays the foundation for mathematical thinking. The Early Childhood math curriculum develops the mathematical mind as children learn precision, logic, analysis and classification. Strong concrete experience in the formative years help students develop the problem solving and critical thinking skills needed for higher level mathematics.
In addition to mathematics, Language and literacy are integrated into all areas of the Early Childhood curriculum. Children develop a diverse and wide-reaching vocabulary in English and the target language (Chinese, Spanish or Japanese). Practical life and sensorial activities give children the coordination to write. Therefore, students master the phonetic composition of words with the moveable alphabet. Additionally, they learn to sound out words, and as their curiosity for literature grows, reading begins. Self-expression is encouraged, setting the foundation for analysis and creative writing.
Music, art, and cultural subjects are part of studentsâ daily experience and are woven throughout the curriculum. All activities are designed to nurture self-confidence, concentration, and independence. Students learn how to be part of a community by practicing respect toward one another and the environment.
Our students enjoy a social lunchtime with teachers and friends, daily time outside and nourishing snacks. The youngest students nap in the afternoon according to their developmental needs.
Get to know our diverse and phenomenal teachers and their Classroom Communities, named for inspirational cultural concepts and figures:
The Early Childhood school day is from 8am â 12:30pm (half day) or 8am â 3pm (full day) with extended day available until 6:00pm.


The Outdoor Toddler Activity Book by Krissy Bonning-Gould
100+ Fun Early Learning Activities for Outside Play
Rockridge Press (April 2, 2019)
Age 1-3 years
Childrenâs/Activities, Crafts, & Games/Outdoors
Take Your Toddlerâs Education Outside
Thereâs almost nothing better for toddlers than outdoor play. It promotes creativity, strengthens muscles, enhances social and emotional development, and most importantly, it makes learning fun. So grab The Outdoor Toddler Activity Book, take your toddler outside, and watch the joy of learning in the fresh air.
Spring or winter, rain or shineâthese simple-to-setup toddler activities are designed to make the most of being outdoors no matter what the season or weather. And with chapters devoted to the type of outdoor activity, you can let your toddler be as messy, loud, or active as they want. Best of all, skill-building icons show what each activity teaches your little one so you can help guide their growth.
The Outdoor Toddler Activity Book includes:
- TONS OF WAYS TO PLAYâFrom âMake it Messy!â to âEmbrace Nature,â discover 5 categories of outdoor fun featuring more than 100 educational toddler activities.
- ACTIVITIES FOR EVERY SEASON, ANY WEATHERâKeep going year-round with toddler activities designed for more than just sunny spring days.
- A GUIDE TO TODDLER DEVELOPMENTâDevelopmental milestones help you determine your toddlerâs level of readiness for each activity. Skill-building icons tell you what your toddler is learning.
Get your toddler ready for preschool and beyond with these fun and educational outdoor toddler activities.
The main job of a toddler is to play! Almost anything a toddler does they are learning and developing new skills. This activity book makes keeping them busy outside easy with wonderful ideas that require little to no prep time. No activity is longer than 20 minutes which is about the limit of a toddlerâs attention span. This is not a summer time idea book â this has year-round, all weather, outdoor activities. They are broken down into 5 different themes ( Make it Messy; Run, Jump, and Play; Embrace Nature; Get Wet; and Outdoor Art). The book is laid out well with indicators of the skills used, materials needed, prep instructions, and the steps to the activity. So many sensory activities for toddlers and bigger kids too! Very well-done activity book. An excellent resource for child care providers, teachers, and parents.
Reviewed by Comfy Chair Books/Lisa Reigel (March 7, 2019)
ARC provided by Publisher
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
KRISSY BONNING-GOULD is a former art teacher with a masterâs degree in K-12 art education. After becoming a mother, Krissy discovered a passion for blogging and connecting with fellow moms. Over the past ten years, she has grown B-InspiredMama.com into an extensive resource of inspiration for kidsâ crafts, learning fun, kid-friendly recipes, and creative parenting. Follow her educational fun at www.B-InspiredMama.com


8 x 2 min episodes
Preschool - Bridging
Four super cute Pencil Pals (pencil topper characters) learn about writing and story conventions through the lens of stories written by a young girl.
Four super cute pencil topper friends - an Alien, a Bee, a Cockatoo and a Dinosaur read stories written by a young girl and learn foundational skills in creative writing and literacy.
Each adventure begins when a young girl walks in and sits down at a writing desk in a beautiful writing studio full of hundreds of books. As the Pencil Pals chatter excitedly the girl leans forwards and selects one from the cup. She makes her choice and begins to write. Each time she writes itâs a new story, complete with a new literacy lesson.
It could be a story about two competitive princesses with a lesson about superlatives. Or a story about a pirate trying to sell his ship with a lesson about homophones. Or the tale of a friendly stray dog with a lesson about past and present tense.
As the girl writes the story is read aloud by one of the Pencil Pals (animated in claymation), and comes to life as 2D animations on the page of her notebook. The Pencil Pals explore and discuss the topic to help communicate it simply and clearly. Stage One Learners will love this fun filled interstitial series due to its super cute characters and the way in which it playfully brings lessons on literacy and storytelling to life.


Tom Roza on âWisconsin and the Civil Warâ
Every state in America came to be involved in the Civil War. In the years leading up to the Civil War, Wisconsin was strongly abolitionist. Then during the war, Wisconsin men and women made important military and economic contributions that became crucial to the Union winning the war. Tom Roza, a Wisconsin native, will retrace his home stateâs history, then describe the part Wisconsin played in the Civil War.
Tom Roza has been a student of history for over 60 years. His interest in history in general and the Civil War began with his elementary education in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and has evolved ever since. As an officer and the Secretary of the South Bay Civil War Roundtable, Tom has made numerous presentations on the topic of the Civil War to both his Roundtable organization and other historical organizations in the Bay Area. Tom is also a published author of the book entitled Windows to the Past: A Virginianâs Experience in the Civil War, which has been accepted by the Library of Congress into its Catalog; Tom is currently working on a sequel entitled Lost Cause â Justice Found.


The intent of our Music curriculum is that children gain a firm understanding of what music is through listening, singing, playing, evaluating, and composing across a wide variety of styles, traditions, and musical genres. Our objective at St Roseâs is to develop a curiosity for the subject, as well as an understanding and acceptance of the validity and importance of all types of music, and an unbiased respect for the role that music may wish to be expressed in any personâs life. We want children to see the importance that Music plays in helping us to worship God. We are committed to ensuring children understand the value and importance of music in the wider community and are able to use their musical skills, knowledge, and experiences to involve themselves in music, in a variety of different contexts. Through the Early Years Foundation Stage and the Key Stage One Curriculum, we aim for the children to be taught the principles of Music, of being able to use their voices expressively, play tuned and untuned instrument, listen with concentration and understanding to a range of music and experiment with, create, select and combine sounds using the interrelated dimensions of Music.
Music is embedded in classroom activities and singing assemblies ensuring that children are able to enjoy and express themselves through Music, whether that is as a listener, performer or creator. It helps our children to also develop an understanding of culture and history both individually as well as ethnicities around the world. We follow the principles of the Early Years Foundation Stage curriculum for Nursery and Reception and the 2014 National Curriculum objectives for Key Stage One, ensuring a clear progression of skills.
âMusic is a universal language that embodies one of the highest forms of creativity. A high-quality music education should engage and inspire pupils to develop a love of music and their talent as musicians, and so increase their self-confidence, creativity and sense of achievement. As pupils progress, they should develop a critical engagement with music, allowing them to compose, and to listen with discrimination to the best in the musical canon.â National Curriculum 2014


Established in 2015, the Independent Science Research Program at Hackley provides students with a passion for science the opportunity to participate in authentic scientific research in a genuine setting.
This three-year program is designed to give students first-hand experience in conducting research, thus bridging the gap between a traditional high school science curriculum and the process behind real-world scientific discoveries.
Students accepted in the program will spend each summer after their sophomore and junior years working closely with research scientists to conduct self-designed experiments, either in an academic, medical or industrial lab. The program culminates with the students submitting their results to regional, national and/or international science and engineering fairs.
Students prepare for the challenges of conducting research during the school year by learning foundational skills such as performing proper literature reviews, reading and analyzing data, and presenting results. The program also aids students in identifying and contacting potential mentors at universities and research facilities. Once a student has paired with a mentor, they work together to design an experiment to be carried out over the summer. Ideally, the mentor and student find the experience mutually rewarding, so they can continue working together throughout the academic year in preparation for future experiments during subsequent summers.


06 SES 07 A, Making School in the Age of the Screen
Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) are new forms of teaching and learning that have attracted a lot of media attention in the last years. MOOCs radically challenge the established structure of higher education since they allow everyone to learn what they want, when they want it and how they want it, independent from any institute or fixed location. Generally the basic assumption behind these new forms of online education is that education primarily involves knowledge transfer or knowledge construction, and that the learning process has to be efficient and productive. Apart from sharing knowledge and information, and making it accessible for everyone, art education also involves the educational experience of exposure with certain forms of curiosity, imagination and materiality. The creation of a space of exposure and exposition is what constitutes the core of the artistic educational practice. Bearing this point in mind, we explore how to introduce artistic elements into a MOOC. Our starting point is thus to find out how screen-learning can foster educational experiences of exposure and exposition. In short, we explore how (and whether) we can turn the screen into a space that makes us think with eyes and hands. We want to open up the artistic potentiality of screen-based learning by highlighting the b-(âbildendeâ) site of the MOOC (b-MOOC). We focus on the results of the first phase of our b-MOOC-project, which includes (a) an inventory of elementary building blocks and navigational vectors of e-courses and (b) digital traces of an artistic voyage of students and lecturers in Visual Arts by means of online peer instructions. Instead of looking for a compromise between the findings of (a) and (b), we try out the possibility of moving between these two. Our hypothesis is that this art-project allows us to translate âelementary particlesâ of a course from a programming language into a common language.
RanciÃ¨re, J. (2013). Aisthesis. Scences from the Aesthetics Regime of Art. London/New York: Verso Sandeen, C. (2013). Integrating MOOCs into Traditional Higher Education: The Emerging âMOOC 3.0â Era. Change: The magazine of Higher Learning, 45:6, 34-39 De Baere, N, Dziwior Y., Esche C., Niemann K., Nollert, A., Roelstraete, D., Watson, G., (s.d.) A.C.A.D.E.M.Y. Frankfurt am Main: Revolver Obrist, H.U. (2013). Do It. The compendium. New York: D.A.P.
The programme is updated regularly (each day in the morning)
- Search for keywords and phrases in "Text Search"
- Restrict in which part of the abstracts to search in "Where to search"
- Search for authors and in the respective field.
- For planning your conference attendance you may want to use the conference app, which will be issued some weeks before the conference
- If you are a session chair, best look up your chairing duties in the conference system (Conftool) or the app.


FEED YOUR MIND
Information Papers is divided into the following sections:
Sensorimotor covers movement and positioning, and sensory processing and integration as they relate to feeding and oral-motor skill development.
Feeding addresses oral-feeding development, issues surrounding tube feedings, diet and nutrition, and oral-motor development for feeding and speech.
Learning provides specific suggestions and strategies to create an environment that supports maximal communication and learning.
Check out our information papers and come back often. This section will grow monthly. Contact Suzanne Evans Morris, Ph.D if you have questions. Please let us know what topics you would like to see covered in this section.
Information Papers are available as PDF documents that you can download into your computer. This gives you a way to print out professionally formatted articles for your personal library or to share with a colleague.


The mission of Raising Readers in Story County is to improve language and literacy development in children from birth to age eight and nurture healthy parent-child relationships.
Raising Readers in Story County is committed to a future in which generations of young children get a solid foundation in reading, communicating, and learning. This will help prepare them to become successful students, citizens, and workers.
Children starting at birth will have experiences that help them thrive, come to school ready to read and learn, and read at or above grade level by the end of third grade.
Families will provide caring and stimulating environments that nurture the language, literacy, and emotional development of their young children.
Communities will help by providing effective early care and education, good books for children, reliable literacy information, and support for families.


Youâre probably aware of the makerspace trend sweeping across schools around the country. Partially, itâs an effort to engage students through exploration, itâs also an effort to prepare students with 21st century skills. The goal of a makerspace is to create spaces where students can develop new skills and explore their curiosity in a flexible and safe environment.
Is the Art Room a Natural Makerspace?
What some people have forgotten is that art rooms have been âmakerspacesâ for decades and can be your greatest resource in this venture.
When you think of the most innovative and creative members of the faculty, you are probably drawn to the art teacher and their room. Isnât that what weâre looking for when establishing a makerspace? And yet, the misconception persists that science and engineering should lead the way in the makerspace movement.
Why the Art Room Makes the Makerspace
There are few classrooms within the core subject areas that were built to get dirty. Meanwhile, art classrooms are a blank canvas, so to speak. Most art rooms already feature large, durable tables that are perfect for collaboration and experimentation, flooring that promotes safety, and lighting to help with even the most delicate tasks. Those existing features are much more cost-effective than retrofitting a traditionally-furnished classroom.
Art teachers have led students to explore their creative impulses throughout their careers, accompanying them on a journey to create award-winning products of growth. That is a special skill in which not every teacher excels. Art teachers have to develop that guidance as a course of action.
To those who say art teachers cannot assist students through the more technical aspects of makerspaces, their idea of a makerspace is too narrow. It is a popular misconception that in a makerspace, you hand students a bunch of circuit boards and a soldering gun and wait for the creativity. First of all, in the elementary grades, soldering is not possible. For younger students, makerspaces tend to look more like art rooms, with paper, scissors, glue, and other tools.
In the secondary years, art teachers are as capable as any other teacher with a soldering gun. Most art rooms already contain potentially dangerous materials that require safe and careful use.
Art education itself has become more complex in the 21st century as a reflection of technology as an artistâs creativity often leads them to explore more technology-based skills. Thereâs no reason to believe an art teacher cannot maintain a safe, orderly, and productive makerspace.
A Makerspace that Fits Your School
This is all not to say that students should only be given time to explore their interest in the devoted makerspace time during art class. Teachers should adopt this more engaging philosophy across the disciplines. But if youâre considering a more formal makerspace arrangement in your scheduling, the discussions should begin in the art room.


My grandfather used to say that most of the work a parent puts into the salvation of a soul and the development of the person happens in the first three years. Later, the study of brain growth and anatomy would reveal that the most of a childâs brain is hardwired by the age of three. He simply observed his eleven younger brothers and sisters, nieces and nephews, and his own three children to come to this conclusion. As an early childhood music specialist and homeschooling parent, I have researched this topic extensively. In the end, we can spend a lot of time teaching children many things, but it is the first few years of life that establishes the brain synapses that set up a childâs aptitude for language, music, math, art, physical and psychological achievement.
We also now know that the brain is integral in religious and spiritual experience, with evidence that the frontal lobes are utilized in spiritual exercise. So it is safe to assume that the brain will also respond to spiritual stimulation in its development, allowing a child to develop a proper aptitude toward the eternal. Studies have shown that atheists tend to have heavily developed parietal lobes and less developed frontal lobes, while the deeply spiritual have unusually strong frontal lobes. Keep in mind that the frontal lobes connect intimately with our physical movements and are responsible for much of our personality and identity, so it is vital to introduce the faith to our children as the brain is hardwiring.
With this heavy on my mind, my husband and I spent several years developing the Making Music Praying Twice program, bringing early childhood music practices together with a curriculum that integrates the Catholic faith. We found, as parents, that our parish had programs for children and adults of all ages, but not much for children and their parents in this key time of development. We soon discovered that there were other parishes with the same challenge, unsure of how to reach out to the youngest parents and youngest children. I continually ponder the Biblical metaphor warning us that a proper foundation is vital to the success of a building. We need to invest the foundations of our families, marriage and the earliest years of parenthood and childhood, if we expect to grow strong, healthy Catholics for the future of our Church.
Over the past two years, we have revised and streamlined the Making Music Praying Twice program to an affordable and device-friendly digital edition. We hope to bring the gift of faith-integrated early childhood music education to as many families and parishes as possible. There is a parish kit to help parishes offer a program for littles with a parent or caregiver or for use with playgroups, co-ops, or parish preschool and daycare programs. There is also a version for families to use at home or with friends.
While I encourage families, ministers and teachers to explore what we created, I also challenge you as parents, grandparents, and faithful Catholics to consider how important being a part of Church and a living faith is for children in the very earliest years. I challenge you to consider how you can help increase the culture of faith in the lives of these children in our families and communities.


National Education Policy 1986 Vs National Education Policy 2020 â A Comparative Study
International Research Journal on Advanced Science Hub,
2020, Volume 2, Issue Special Issue ICAMET 10S, Pages 127-131
AbstractEducation is continuing its journey since man is on earth. It may be the nature taught man in the yester years, gurukulas in the golden period of many kings, Government Schools and collegesâ post-independence era and convents, international schools, deemed universities in the 21st century, its common objective of all these institutions is to educate the human race. Education is not just reading the books and getting a degree from a University, it is the holistic development of an individual physically, mentally, financially and economically. The aim of education is to bring overall development of an individual and make him today a productive citizen, for tomorrowâs nation. Every country develops its education system to express and promote its unique socio-cultural identity and to meet the growing demand of job and career opportunities. The country has reached a stage in economic and technological progress and efforts must be made to ensure that the fruits of change reach all the sections of the society. The National Education Policy- 1986 focused on common curriculum framework that contains a common core along with other components that are flexible. Child-centric approach is given prominence in elementary education, followed by secondary education giving prominence to girl child education and SC, ST and BC categories of education. The National Education Policy-2020, which is reformed after 34 years, emphasized more on holistic approach with multi-disciplinary courses and students are facilitated with bucket system of choosing subjects of their interest. This paper focuses on the comparative study on the highlighted aspects of NEP of both 1986 and 2020.
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Extracts from the Education Act, 1921 covering school leaving age; nursery education; vacation education; scholarships; religious education. (Catalogue ref: RG 48/560)
Practical and advanced instruction
- It shall be the duty of a local education authority so to exercise their powers under this Part as to make, or otherwise to secure, adequate and suitable provision by means of central schools, central or special classes, or otherwiseâ
(i) for including in the curriculum of public elementary schools, at appropriate stages, practical instruction suitable to the ages, abilities, and requirements of the children; and
(ii) for organising in public elementary schools courses of advanced instruction for the older or more intelligent children in attendance at such schools, including children who stay at schools beyond the age of fourteen.
- The powers of a local education authority for elementary education shall include power to make arrangements forâ
(a) supplying or aiding the supply of nursery schools (which expression shall
include nursery classes) for children over two and under five years of age, or such later age as may be approved by the Board of Education, whose attendance at such a school is necessary or desirable for their healthy, physical, and mental development; and
(b) attending to the health, nourishment, and physical welfare of children attending nursery schools.
A.D. 1921. Vacation &c., schools
- The powers of a local education authority for elementary education shall include power to provide, for children attending a public elementary school, vacation schools, vacation classes, play-centres, or other means of recreation during their holidays or at such other times as the local education authority may prescribe, in the schoolhouse or in some other suitable place in the vicinity, so far as the local education authority, in the case of a schoolhouse not belonging to them , can obtain for the purpose the use of the schoolhouse or place:
Provided that in any exercise of powers under this section, the local authority may encourage and assist the establishment or continuance of voluntary agencies, and associate with themselves representatives of voluntary associations for the purpose.
Powers for the education of children in exceptional circumstances.
- Where a local education authority for the elementary education are satisfied in the case of any children that, owing to the remoteness of their homes or the conditions under which the children are living, or other exceptional circumstances affecting the children, those children are not in a position to receive the full benefit of education by means of the ordinary provision made for the purpose by the authority, the authority may, with approval of the Board of education, make such arrangements, either of a permanent or temporary character, and including the provision of board and lodging, as they think best suited for enabling those children to receive the benefit of efficient elementary education, and may for that purpose enter into such agreement with the parent of any such child as they think proper:
Provided that, where a child is boarded out in pursuance of this section, the local authority shall, if possible, and, if the parent so requests, arrange for the boarding out being with a person belonging to the religious persuasion of the parents.
Provisions with respect to scholarships, bursaries, &c.
- The powers of a local education authority for elementary education shall include a power to aid by scholarships (which term includes allowances for maintenance) or bursaries the instruction in public elementary schools of scholars from the age of twelve up to the limit of age fixed by this Act for the provision of instruction in a public elementary school
Conduct of School
A.D.1921. Public Elementary School
27.â(1) Every elementary school which is conducted in accordance with the following regulations shall be a public elementary school within the meaning of this Act; and every public elementary school shall be conducted in accordance with the following regulations (a copy of which regulations shall be conspicuously put up in every school); namely:â
(a) It shall not be required, as a condition of any child being admitted into or continuing in the school, that he shall attend or abstain from attending Sunday School, or any place of religious worship, or that he shall attend any religious observance or any instruction in religious subjects in the school or elsewhere from which observance or instruction he may be withdrawn by his parent, attend the school on any day exclusively set apart for religious observance by the religious body to which his parent belongs:
(b) The time or times during which any religious observance is practised or instruction in religious subjects is given at any meeting of the school shall either be at the beginning or at the end or at the beginning and the end of such a meeting, and shall be inserted in time-table to be approved by the Board of Education, and to be kept permanently and conspicuously affixed in every schoolroom; and any scholar may be withdrawn by his parent from such an observance or instruction without forfeiting any of the other benefits of the school..


Teaching kids a new language can be a difficult, stressful experience, especially if you canât seem to keep to your lesson plan. When youâre teaching an exotic language such as Arabic, youâre in constant danger of veering off to other sections, because youâre excited about it and eager to show the kids how much fun it can be. But how do you get the kids to think the way you do using your Arabic lesson plan?
Build your lesson plan step by step. What are you planning to teach for the day? Is it nouns, verbs, adjectives? How are you going to approach the class? Will you use a lecture style or presentation style? These are all issues to consider as you work on your Arabic lesson plan.
Walk into the class and set up your course material. If itâs a presentation class, youâll have to set up your physical props or your photo presentation. Set up the screen, and load the presentation. Take a few minutes to sort it out in a precise manner so you donât get confused or veer off the topic of study.
Begin the class by introducing the concept of the lesson plan for the day. If youâre teaching the kids to read each word in Arabic, associate it with the noun and then write it down, explain this beforehand. This helps understanding and reduces confusion.
Objectify each sentence. Use visual depictions to aid understanding of the words and their meanings. Any word in this language can be explained by one or a series of pictures, which is especially important when youâre teaching young kids Arabic.
Teach the art of writing by example. Arabic is a difficult language to write. You have to first concentrate on teaching the sounds of the language before attempting to write the Arabic alphabet. In Arabic, the written word tends to begin on the right side of the page, flowing to the left. How do you write Kitaabun in Arabic? If youâve been teaching young kids Arabic for awhile, and your students already know the letters of the alphabet and how to link them, your job becomes easier. If not, then writing in Arabic becomes a lesson plan for another month.
Arabic is not an easy language to teach, since its alphabet is quite dramatically different from English. To teach an Arabic lesson plan, youâll have to have quite a bit of patience and enthusiasm for the language. Also, before embarking on your lesson plan, ensure that the kids are in their comfort zone. This helps them understand and grasp the subject matter faster.
- Arabic is not an easy language to teach, since its alphabet is quite dramatically different from English. To teach an Arabic lesson plan, youâll have to have quite a bit of patience and enthusiasm for the language. Also, before embarking on your lesson plan, ensure that the kids are in their comfort zone. This helps them understand and grasp the subject matter faster.
Since 2008 Kaycee Whitney has been tutoring students in the areas of English and mathematics and has more recently started working as a copywriter in Florida. She is working on bachelor's degrees in elementary education and criminology from the University of Miami.


Early Literacy development begins from birth to three years old and is closely linked to a childâs experience with text and oral language. The interactions that young children have with literacy materials and caregivers in their lives are the building blocks for language, reading, and writing development. In WCCUSD, Early Literacy instruction is based on the areas of reading comprehension, fluency, vocabulary, phonemic awareness and writing in grades Pre-K through 2nd grade.
Reading at level by the third grade is the most important predictor of high school graduation and career success. We know early literacy starts well before third grade which is why we want to ensure that every child has the power of literacy and the opportunity for a lifetime of success.
WHY IS EARLY LITERACY IMPORTANT?
Where are we now?
Current Number of Prek-TK students enrolled in WCCUSD Pre K and TK classes is 885.78% of PreK are ready for Kindergarten level Literacy/Language Development standards.*80% of TK are ready for Kindergarten level Language/Literacy Development standards.**Based on our Desired Results Developmental Profile (DRDP) data results, of 941 PreK and TK students enrolled last year
Where Are We Headed?
Three Key Strategies:
- Building a Stronger Data Culture.
- Focus on instruction through a Workshop Model of Teaching for Differentiation and Equity.
- Focused community partnerships for Early Literacy.
West Contra Costa Unified School District
1108 Bissell Ave.
Richmond, CA 94806


Researchers found that children aged 2-5 years old who spent more time in front of screens fared worse in child development screening tests in a new study that shouldnât surprise anyone. The reason for their poor performance is quite simple. The more time children spend in front of screens, the less time they spend talking, being active, or playing â the activities that help them develop their basic social skills.
The study, conducted by psychologists from the University of Calgary and published Monday in the journal JAMA Pediatrics, examined the effect of screen time at three specific time intervals during a childâs growth. The researchers recruited 3,388 mothers for the study and evaluated their childrenâs performance at 24, 36, and 60 months. Caregivers reported average screen time and also filled out standard questionnaires on motor and communication skills.
The results were pretty straightforward: âGreater screen time at 24 months was associated with poorer performance on developmental screening tests at 36 months, and similarly, greater screen time at 36 months was associated with lower scores on developmental screening tests at 60 months.â
The results were unidirectional, as kids with more screen time usually had lower scores, but kids with lower scores didnât necessarily have more screen time.
Researchers explained that kids who spend more time in front of screens miss out on practicing vital interpersonal, communication, and motor skills. For example, when kids are watching TV, they sit down, so their motor skills arenât being properly put to the test. Kids who are sedentary often have delays in motor skill development.
Kids can also develop antisocial tendencies when they spend less time interacting with their caregivers, both verbally and nonverbally. The communication that the children miss out on is extremely crucial for optimal growth and development.
Some researchers argue that itâs important to judge the quality of screen time and not the quantity, but this research doesnât go into that discussion. But other researchers have noted that screen time doesnât have to be detrimental to development, especially when used to interact with other people (such as through video chats).
Young children should spend their time interacting with the environment and being mobile, and luckily, screen time can be controlled. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that a childâs earlier years be spent on activities to help them develop their basic physical, social, and emotional skills.
The study shows that some children were spending an average of two to three hours a day staring at a screen time, but it doesnât specify whether this number is excessive or normal. The researchers believed that it was just one of their studyâs limiting factors and something they will analyze in future research.


Math Instructional Videos created by Jessamine/Woodford County
The Basic Math Videos Project was born from an acknowledgment that Mathematical Reasoning is an Achillesâ Heel for many GEDÂ® students. By focusing on the Basic Math Skills, Jessamine Woodfordâs product directly addresses the need for foundational skills as one of the prerequisites for GEDÂ® attainment in the student population.
Begun during the Workshop Wednesday session GEDÂ® Concepts: Scope and Sequence for Math (January 27, 2021), this Padlet curates KYAE instructorsâ favorite math resources. Feel free to add to the Padlet if you do not see your favorite resource.
Crosswalks align CCRS Standards, TABE Blueprints, GEDÂ® Performance Level Descriptors, and new TABE Skill Descriptions from student diagnostic reports.
Pace Learning System's Test Translation Table shows connections between TABE test items, their TABE domain and skill descriptors, and CCR standards and sub-skills tested by TABE. This resource is intended to increase understanding of the competencies measured by each TABE test form, level, and test item. Analyses are currently available for TABE 11 levels E, M, and D. Content is restricted to site members, but users can create free member accounts.
Exclusively for Kentucky Adult Educators, the math Google Classroom provides downloadable lessons and unit plans aligned to GEDÂ® High Impact Indicators. Classroom codes are located in PLC Google Classrooms, from Jo (email@example.com).


It is a very reasonable fear for parents to be concerned about how much time their children are spending on the internet. New parents may be wondering at what ages they should become more flexible with the screen restrictions that they place on their kids.
The screen time guidelines for kids, according to the American Academy of Pediatrics, are as follows:
- Children under age two: Keep the screen time very limited and only with adult guardians participating in ed activity with them.
- Children between ages two and five: Screen time needs to be no more than one hour per day of educational and positive content played with adult supervision.
- Children over age five: Established a personalized screen limit plan for your child with device-free times and zones, such as bedrooms, dinner tables, and during homework.
Remain aware of your childâs screen-related activities, set child-protection controls on their devices and social media accounts, and keep reminding your children that whatever they post online stays online, even if they delete it.
If you are looking for appropriate exceptions to the screen time rules that you have put in place, here are five times that make sense to break screen time limits.
1.) Gratitude Cards
One teachable moment for parents to offer their kids is teaching children how to be grateful. Gratitude isnât something that kids can learn in one swift lesson, such as â1 + 1 = 2.â Learning how to be grateful requires observing this positive behavior being consistently shown over a long period of time.
To help children how to say âpleaseâ and âthank youâ and call their family members who send them birthday gifts requires educational activities such as creating gratitude cards and having a mother or father of a child ask direct questions to assist children with figuring out how they think and feel about the things and people that they have gratitude for.
2.) Take a Motion Break
One way to allow your child to break their screen time limit is by having them give the technology a rest and have your kid take a break from screen time. Kids can hurt their necks while being hunched over their tablets and laptops, which can lead to reduced blood flow to the brain.
Giving your child some extra screen time by having them stand up and even exercise by walking in place can help them prevent reduced blood flow to the frontal lobes that cause poor focus and learning. Make physical activity breaks a part of your childâs online internet experience.
3.) Learn a Musical instrument
Children learn the English alphabet through a song often referred to as the âABCsâ Kids also learn songs through movies, television songs, car radio speakers, and nursery rhymes. It is clear from the smiles on their faces and their dancing legs that music brings joy to their little lives.
Imagine how excited they could become if your kids were able to place music themselves. Learning to play a musical instrument doesnât mean that they have to join a band or pour all of their eggs in one basket and strive to become a composer as their career. On an instantly attainable level, music education has numerous benefits to increase their creativity, concentration, and their ability to think and reason.
Giving your child the chance to learn how to play the piano can help young players develop better concentration skills, improved self-esteem and motor skills, and decreased stress.
The violin can be considered a more complicated instrument to learn, which can help your kid become more disciplined and learn perseverance, coordination, pitch, and tone.
If you want your child to pick up an instrument with a perceived fun factor and to be able to learn the fundamental basics of music, the guitar is the way to go.
4.) Doggie Dots
Doggie Dots is among games to play on Facetime that can help kids get better at math. With Doggie Dots, little math learners will be able to practice their numbers, match the number to the name of that number, and keep numbers in their proper sequential order.
After your child connects each number to a picture will be revealed to regard them for their successful effort.
When it is all said and done, monitoring your childâs online screen time is important in order for them to realize that it is a privilege and something to look forward to instead of a place to spend all of their time. The longer that their eyes are glued to a subject screen, the higher the chance they have to become more antisocial or wander into adult content or get harassed by a creepy stranger through social media. Use these five methods to break the limitations that you have placed on their screen time to show them positive ways to use the internet.


8. Creativity and Culture
The most important public funded arenas offering young people the exposure to culture and creativity are arts in school education, basic art education (see Glossary) and cultural youth work. The non-governmental organisations and municipalities organise cultural activities and events for citizens of all ages, but there are also those especially offered to young people. What is preferred as culture by young people is continuously changing. The challenge is for the state aid structures to keep in step with the pace and direction young people are going. So, when it comes to young people as both the creators and consumers of culture, the new governmentâs promise to 'support the expansion of new artistic fields in addition to the visual arts' is an important one for the next generations. Equally as important is the governmentâs aim of investing tens of million euros to guarantee opportunities for every child and young person a genuine opportunity to pursue a leisure activity of their choice free-of-charge (Finnish model for leisure activities). (More about the Government Programme (2019-2023) in Youth Wiki/Finland 8.3 National strategy on creativity and culture for young people).


Must-Attend Conferences for Elementary Educators
- Montessori Observation and Record Keeping Workshop
- Comprehensive Literacy and Reading Recovery Conference
- Unconventional Teaching Workshop
- Southern Conference on Children
- Opening Minds Conference
For educators tasked with shaping the paths of elementary level students, conferences serve as a pivotal nexus in which they can meet, learn, and share their experiences. Education is not a profession in which one can do everything, discover new approaches, and stay abreast of the constantly shifting standards of the field, without the support and inspiration of peers or mentors. Below are five conferences that recur annually and will bring innumerable benefits to educators who attend them.
Montessori Observation and Record Keeping Training Conference
While not all early childhood educators are working with Montessori institutions, the central tenets behind this ideological and pedagogical structure can offer benefits to each of them. Because education of the young involves a more intensive relationship with parents, caregivers, and guardians of pupils, learning to use the strategies and interpretive lenses common with the observation of student progress is beneficial. It also provides a closer look at enhanced communication strategies with parents and guardians of young students, which comes in handy for parent-teacher interactions.
Comprehensive Literacy and Reading Recovery Conference
Literacy skills are paramount for students of all abilities and cultural backgrounds. The Comprehensive Literacy and Reading Recovery Conference is held January 23-25, 2019 at Chicago Magnificent Mile Marriott and provides elementary educators with a host of opportunities to confer with peers, learn new teaching strategies, and attend panels of experts in the field. The importance of the ability to read and understand the material, to internalize and utilize printed information, and to be able to use written language to express complex ideas cannot be overstated. In the past, many students who fell behind in these early phases of literacy were allowed to move forward without these essential skills. But today, elementary educators are provided with the tools and skills to ensure each student is prepared for future challenges.
Workshop for Unconventional Teaching
Held in Phoenix, Arizona on March 9, 2019, this day of intensive workshops will provide elementary educators with a new take on the traditional skills they employ. The elementary years are fraught with moments of becoming, and students cope with these new experiences in a variety of ways, some of which are inappropriate. In addition to learning how to maximize the depth of student learning, several vital lessons featured focus on curbing inappropriate behavior and creating a respectful, collaborative, and fun classroom environment.
The Southern Conference on Children
Held in January of each year on the campus of Georgia Southern University in Statesboro, the Southern Conference on Children (SCOC) focuses on several key issues. Every elementary educator knows that teaching children academic subjects is only a portion of their role. SCOC focuses on social and institutional factors, such as the political or cultural climate of a school and how teachers can manage their responsibilities to both children and the institutional framework. However, they also focus on creating an enriched environment that promotes healthy personal student development. Many of their workshops offer the latest techniques to encourage empathy in children, community interaction, and provide positive suggestions for story time or crafting activities.
The Opening Minds Conference
Many conferences for educators tend to focus on educators. While that makes perfect sense, when students are young, it helps to take a broader view. The Opening Minds Conference is held in Chicago each year, bringing together the top voices in medicine, childcare, nursing and medicine, social justice and social service, parks and recreation, policy, tech, business, and library science to name but a few fields. It is indeed an interdisciplinary event. However, each of these professionals or experts has a singular goalâto enrich and nurture young learners within and outside of the classroom.
Related Resource: 15 Cheapest Online Programs in Educational Leadership and Administration
Teaching the young is an enormous responsibility that requires educators to devote vast reserves of energy and care. Conferences and workshops serve as opportunities to recharge enthusiasm for elementary education, set new goals, and reinforce professional relationships that provide support and inspiration for teachers across the country.


Virtual Mentoring Through Storytelling and Hip Hop
When we think of literacy within music education, many of our conservatory-trained minds jump to a Western-notated staff: Every Good Bird Does Fly, four 16th notes in a quarter note and loosely translated Italian terms. But being âmusically literateâ can mean so much more than replication within a single cultural context.
What if literacy meant creating something new? What if music literacy meant:
- Directing a music video that tells a story.
- Changing the words of a song to alter a message.
- Manipulating sound to convey a chosen emotion, mood or message.
In an effort to expand our understanding of music literacy, Dr. Marta Albert, Dr. Judy Lewis, and Naira Sidi designed two collaborative projects between fifth-seventh grade middle school students at Sackets Harbor Central School (NY) and pre-service music educators at SUNY Potsdam.
Storytelling Project: In conjunction with Dr. Albertâs Literacy Education and the Arts Disciplines course, this project involved making listening maps and creating parodies to a song of choice. Students combined English language arts (ELA) knowledge â narration techniques, figurative language and syllable use â with musical ideas to create a new product.
Hip Hop Project: Driven by Dr. Lewisâ Secondary General Music class, this project allowed students to create raps, experiment with rhyme schemes and perform spoken word to a beat.
We used Seesaw as our virtual platform to exchange ideas in these projects. Seesaw allowed students to show and share work through video, pictures, text and/or audio. Each week, college students posted assignment prompts, models and feedback for the middle school students. It was easy for students to show complete work (or incomplete ideas) throughout the process. Click through the slider below to see screenshots of interactions on the platform.
Key Findings and Benefits
Digital Technology: Undergraduate students developed critical tools for incorporating digital technology into the music classroom. This included using pre-recorded âinfomercialâ videos to introduce the younger students to musical topics, guiding and facilitating student use of digital composition technology, and a blog as a tool for critical reflection on the part of the middle school students. As a result, the middle school students also developed digital technology skills as a powerful tool for music learning.
Hip Hop: Hip Hop is documented as the most listened to musical genre of middle and high school students worldwide1. Through participating in the Hip Hop unit on Seesaw, the sixth and seventh grade students were offered the opportunity to engage with and create original music in this impactful genre. Given that music teachers-in-training are not given a lot of tools for incorporating Hip Hop into their classroom curricula, the undergraduate students in this cooperative endeavor were given a first chance to explore Hip Hop pedagogy with adolescent music students.
Literacy Concepts: The middle school students learned new vocabulary and wrote in several genres for authentic audiences. They also developed reading fluency through repeated, shared and choral readings of songs by artists they love, as well as their own compositions. The college students gained insights into reading and writing concepts and strategies to enhance literacy learning.
- Music literacy became a rich, tangible concept for pre-service educators to incorporate into their curriculums.
- Pre-service teachers interacted with and guided K-12 students aside from practicum experiences.
- Students at Sackets Harbor Central School received feedback from multiple perspectives.
- The middle school students created original songs and raps. They combined words and musical ideas into messages that meant something to them.
- Pen-pal relationships began to form through back-and-forth dialogue. The college students continued to mentor the middle school students, answering their questions about college and giving them a glimpse at life after high school.
The combined perspectives of middle school students, undergraduates, two professors and a K-12 teacher sparked a link between literacy and music learning. By the end of these projects, music literacy was not just regurgitation; it meant creating, understanding and encoding messages within multiple cultural contexts.
1Shabazz, R. (2021). âWe gon be alright:â Containment, creativity, and the birth of hip-hop. Cultural Geographies, 28(3),447-453


Schools, in Ireland and in the United States, have progressively become isolated from their surrounding landscapes and communities. Children learn the nearby is mundane and insignificant; whatâs faraway is glamorous and important. Instead, especially in the primary years, education should be rooted in whatâs local and unique about their places.
The primary school curriculum has great scope for a local learning focus. The importance of connecting children to their place, environment and community is becoming ever more pressing as our world becomes ever more globalised.
Ãitbheo Primary is the successor to Ecobeo, a place-based learning programme which was designed, developed and delivered by Burrenbeo Trust, to the benefit of over 1500 primary level students and their teachers in the Burren region for over a decade. The objective of Ãitbheo Primary is to contribute to an increased sense of awareness, informed pride and responsibility for their local place and to encourage active stewardship.
Burren Wild Child Field Trips
Want to bring your students on a Burren school tour or fieldtrip? Our focus is on getting students to understand the weird and wonderful world that is the Burren â all while using fun games and activities.
Burren Wild Child School Visits
If youâd like to learn more about the Burren but canât visit for a field trip you might want to book a Burrenbeo heritage expert school visit.
The Burren Wild Child Summer Camp is a fun and interactive 3 days for children where they learn to explore the natural, cultural and built heritage of the Burrenâs hedgerows and pavements through games, scavenger hunts, treasure hunts, fossil finding & much more.


The Benefits of Early Art Education
Development of the right and right/left brain connections
We all have two hemispheres in our brains. The left hemisphere is verbal, analytical, logical, rational and linear. The right hemisphere is intuitive, creative, holistic, spatial, and visual. In order to function anywhere near our full potential we need to utilize our entire brain and to train the two hemispheres to work together, yet most schools spend over 95% of the time in left-brain activity and almost no time developing the right brain and the connections between the two hemispheres. This results in âCookie-Cutter Kidsâ instead of âcreative students who can think outside the box.â It is generally agreed that training in the Arts offers the best approach to developing the right brain.
Development of other intelligences
Howard Gardner, Professor of Education at Harvard and Professor of Neurology at Boston University Medical School has shown that we have seven intelligences or ways of learning and expressing ourselves. Two of them (Linguistic and Logical/Mathematical) reside primarily in the left brain. On the other hand, five (Spatial/Visual, Musical, Kinesthetic, Intrapersonal and Interpersonal) reside primarily in the right brain.
Improved performance in school
An increasing number of independent studies have established strong correlations between an arts education and performance in other subjects giving high SAT scores, reduction of drop-out rates and feelings of self-confidence. Given the roles that the Arts play in developing creative problem-solving and right-left brain function and coordination, this is not at all surprising.
Improved success in oneâs career
According to Robert Root-Bernstein, professor of Physiology and MacArthur Prize Fellow at Michigan State University: âStudies show that neither mathematical nor verbal reasoning tests are useful indicators for future careers in science and technology, but high visual imaging ability is. One study found that high aptitude in arts and music is much more predictive of career success in any field rather than the results of grades, IQ, or any other standardized measures. The arts, despite a reputation for being subjective, emotional and non-intellectual, make science and invention possible.â
Learning to see and to experience
Seeing and experiencing with the right brain is very different from seeing or experiencing with the left brain leading to a richer and more fulfilling life. âHow very dull, how very drab our childrenâs lives would be, if they looked but did not see, touched but did not feel, listened but never took a curtain call.â


The 4 specific areas are:
- Literacy development â encouraging children to read and write, both through listening to others reading and beginning to read and write themselves. Children must be given access to a wide range of reading materials â books, poems, and other written materials, to ignite their interest.
- Mathematics â providing children with opportunities to practise and improve their skills in counting, calculating simple additions and subtractions, and to describe shapes, spaces, and measures.
- Understanding the World â guiding children to make sense of their physical world and their community through opportunities to explore, observe and find out about people, places, technology and the environment.
- Expressive Arts and Design - involves supporting children to explore and play with a wide range of media and materials, as well as providing opportunities and encouragement for sharing their thoughts, ideas and feelings through a variety of activities in art, music, movement, dance, role-play, and design and technology.


This is especially true at the elementary level, where we spend a ton of instructional time on teaching students to read and write. For multilingual learners (MLs), this learning is an essential piece of achieving English proficiency.
But who is ultimately responsible for ensuring MLs become skilled readers and writers? Is it the classroom teacher who works to address the diverse needs in one classroom? Is it the reading specialist with expertise in literacy? Or is it the English language teacher with their knowledge of second language development?
Who should teach literacy to multilingual learners?
The truth is, any teacher with a ML on their roster is responsible for building both language and literacy. It's a huge job! We must help our students learn grade-level content and become readers and writers. What's more, we must accomplish these goals in a language that students are still developing.
Under the Response to Intervention (RtI) framework, English as an Additional Language (EAL) services are considered part of the core curriculum. That means that MLs are entitled to language support in their regular classroom and in any small-group or individual interventions.
At the Tier 1 level, classroom teachers provide the majority of a student's literacy instruction. But classroom teachers who have limited experience working with MLs may be unsure how to modify their instruction to meet the diverse language needs of their students. How do you help a newcomer understand a read-aloud? How can you assess their comprehension? How can you encourage participation? How much of your instruction are your MLs truly understanding?
In Tiers 2 and 3, reading specialists provide additional support for students as they learn to read and write. They may wonder how their instruction should change when working with a student who is still developing English. Are any of the errors a ML makes a result of language development, and not a problem with literacy development? How can we evaluate reading comprehension if a student is not yet speaking or writing very much? How can we prepare them to read grade-level texts while they are still learning English? Is it even appropriate to provide literacy intervention for language learners, or should we wait until their oral English skills have time to develop?
English as an Additional Language (EAL) teachers can (and should!) provide support for MLs throughout the RtI tiers. But the truth is, graduate programs for Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL) do not focus on early literacy. While we often know how to scaffold comprehension, boost oral language development, and build vocabulary when discussing books, most of us have not received enough training about how children learn to unlock the written code. How do we help MLs develop concepts about print, especially when these concepts may be different in English than in the students' first languages? How do we teach letter sounds and sight words and help MLs understand why they need to know them? How much of our instructional time should be devoted to literacy? How can we use reading and writing instruction to help develop English language proficiency? And what about students who have strong oral English, but aren't able to exit the ENL program because of low literacy skills?
How can all educators support multilingual learners in literacy?
Our students deserve high-quality instruction that integrates best practices from the fields of literacy and English language development. As teachers, we can only provide this instruction when we develop expertise in both fields.
Here at Away We Go, we believe that teachers who are empowered go on to empower their students. And as the saying goes: knowledge is power! Our hope with this blog is to share the knowledge you need to make a difference for your students as they learn to speak, read, and write in English.
Early literacy for multilingual learners is a true passion for us. While we began our teaching careers as EAL teachers, we have since completed specialized training and earned additional degrees in leadership and in literacy. Whether the students in front of us are newcomers, long-term MLs, or on the cusp of exiting the EAL program, we believe they are best served by teachers who are informed about literacy development and language acquisition.
Through this blog, we offer a framework for approaching early literacy instruction for MLs. With training in both fields, we share what you need to know about second language acquisition to support your MLs on their journey toward English proficiency. On the flip side, we suggest best practices in literacy to support your MLs who are beginning to read and write in English.
Bringing together best practices across disciplines allows us to navigate the complexity of the job we have as teachers of elementary MLs. We're excited to make those connections with you for the benefit of our students!
We'd love to know: What questions do you have about teaching literacy to MLs? What has been most challenging for you? What have been your greatest wins? Leave us a comment below!


The words "affect" and "effect" are among the most commonly misused words in the English language.
Both can be used as either a noun or a verb, but affect and effect are not interchangeable because the words have different meanings. To use affect and effect correctly, you must know each definition.
What Does Effect Mean?
as a noun:
Use "effect" as a noun when you mean a change or result or the way something acts upon something else.
- a phenomenon that follows and is caused by some previous phenomenon.
- an outward appearance
- an impression (especially one that is artificial or contrived).
- (of a law) having legal validity
- a symptom caused by an illness or a drug
as a verb:
- act so as to bring into existence
- the central meaning or theme of a speech or literary work
How to Use Effect in a Sentence
Note the subtle difference in the use of effect as a verb, which means to cause something to happen or to bring about a result.
Substitute the words "bring about" to see if you are using effect as a verb correctly.
- The stimulus checks are designed to effect a better economic status for the country.
- The stimulus checks are designed to bring about a better economic status for the country.
Example sentences using effect:
- Noun: The change in weather was an effect of global warming.
- Noun: Global warming has a detrimental effect on the weather.
- Noun: Hyperbole is an overstatement or exaggeration of speech for an effect.
- Verb: Protesters want to effect change in government handling of clean-up.
I love that feeling of being in love, the effect of having butterflies when you wake up in the morning. That is special. - Jennifer Aniston
What Does Affect Mean?
As a noun:
Define affect as a noun when you work in a medical or social service field.
As a noun, the word describes an aspect of behavior, or the way emotion relates to cognitive thinking.
Though the patient is coherent and oriented, his affect is inappropriately flat.
As a verb:
Affect means to have an influence on or to produce a change. The verb Affect is used to show the noun acts upon the object. From the dictionary definitions at synonym.com, Affect means:
- to have an effect upon.
- to act physically on
- make believe with the intent to deceive
- connect closely and often incriminatingly
- have an emotional or cognitive impact upon
Canines, like people, can have allergies and experience allergic reactions that sometimes affect their ears.
How to Use Affect in a Sentence
Choose "affect" in most sentences requiring a verb.
Substitute the word "influence" or "change" to test if your choice makes sense:
- "influence" or
- "We want to see whether driving in the dark affects safety." vs.
- "We want to see whether driving in the dark influences safety."
Affect vs. Effect: Tips to Choose the Right Word
For the most part, that you can use effect as a noun and affect as a verb.
- When something is caused by, use effect. Think cause and effect.
- When something will alter, change, or influence something else, use affect. For example, Not requiring test scores for college applicants will affect the number of high school test takers.
Amanda Morin served as a kindergarten teacher and early intervention specialist for 10 years, working with special-needs children and teaching parenting classes. Since becoming a freelance writer, she has written for a number of publications, including Education.com, the Maine Department of Education, ModernMom and others. Morin holds a Bachelor of Science in elementary education from the University of Maine, Orono.


This class is no longer available, but we found something similar!
5.0 (1) Â· Ages 5-9
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Preschool Animal Class! Learn Interesting Facts About Your Favorite Animals!
In this ongoing class, preschool students will learn about a new animal each week. Students will learn their physical characteristics, diet, habitat and interesting facts about each animal. Great for Preschool Students!
Nicole Abercrombie, M.Ed.
95 total reviews for this teacher
2 reviews for this class
Completed by 32 learners
There are no upcoming classes.
Once per week
learners per class
per learner - per class
How does an "Ongoing" course work?
Meets on a weekly schedule, join any week, no need to catch up on previous material
Live video chats, recorded and monitored for safety and quality
Discussions via classroom forum and private messages with the teacher
Automatic payment every Sunday, cancel any time
Great for clubs and for practicing skills
How Outschool Works
There are no open spots for this class.
You can request another time or scroll down to find more classes like this.
In this ongoing class students will learn about a new animal each week! Students will learn the physical characteristics, diet, habitat and interesting facts about different animals. This class is perfect for students who love to learn about different animals. Students will learn about the animal through games, pictures and videos. Students will also discuss if they would like to have this animal as a pet or not based on the facts we learned in the class. Some animals we will learn about...
Students will be able to list the physical characteristics, diet, habitat and interesting facts about the animal of the week.
Provided coloring sheet or students can use a pencil and paper.
25 minutes per week in class, and maybe some time outside of class.
Nicole Abercrombie, M.Ed.Hello Learners!
95 total reviews
67 completed classes
My name is Nicole Abercrombie and I am so excited to meet your student! I am a former 2nd grade teacher and elementary school counselor with seven years of teaching experience! I have a Bachelor's Degree in Elementary Education from the College of...


Welcome!Welcome to music at Gray's Woods Elementary! I am one of your music teachers, Mrs. Youmans. During our time together, we will sing, play instruments, dance, improvise and compose our own music! The music room is an active and dynamic space where everyone is encouraged to think creatively, ask questions, learn about cooperation and self expression, and experience the joy of music. Iâm looking forward to a fantastic year!Please feel free to contact me with any email@example.com
Music class incorporates the nine National Standards for Music Education which I have listed below:
National Standards for Music Education
1. Singing, alone and with others, a varied repertoire of music.
2. Performing on instruments, alone and with others, a varied repertoire of music.
3. Improvising melodies, variations, and accompaniments.
4. Composing and arranging music within specified guidelines.
5. Reading and notating music.
6. Listening to, analyzing, and describing music.
7. Evaluating music and music performances.
8. Understanding relationships between music, the other arts, and disciplines outside the arts.
9. Understanding music in relation to history and culture.


As you work on your Assignment, refer to Chapter 4 of your Course Text and the articles presented in this moduleâs Learning Resources.
Note: Because both of your Assignment options use voiceover, you are required to submit the transcript for your presentation. If you create a PowerPoint with voiceover, you must use the âNotesâ section to transcribe the words that you speak on each slide.
Q: Why are scripts and notes required?
A: People who have vision, hearing, or speech disabilities (âcommunication disabilitiesâ) use different ways to communicate. For example, people who are blind may give and receive information audibly rather than in writing, and people who are deaf may give and receive information through writing or sign language rather than through speech.
The ADA requires that title II entities (state and local governments) and title III entities (businesses and nonprofit organizations that serve the public) communicate effectively with people who have communication disabilities (U. S. Department of Justice, 2014). The goal is to ensure that communication with people with these disabilities is equally as effective as communication with people without disabilities.
â¢ Includes key concepts about brain research as it relates to language and literacy development
â¢ Provides a rationale for the audience explaining why the information is relevant to them
â¢ Draws on and cites current research and scholarly articles
â¢ Recommends at least three current resources and/or websites that your audience would find informative
Cite appropriate references in APA format to substantiate your thinking.
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A Leadership Shift
The âwhatâ and âhowâ of thinking pre-Kâ3.
By L. Earl Franks, Ed.D., CAE
Research has proven what educators have long known: Quality early childhood learning experiences set students up for a lifetime of academic success, and without a smooth transition in the early grades, achievement gaps only widen over the years. While investment in aligned systems that provide a continuum of learning for children from birth through grade 3 has gained momentum, a critical component remains an area for growth: professional learning opportunities to understand the âwhatâ and the âhowâ of pre-Kâ3 principal leadership.
Principals must rethink their connection to early childhood education, especially as it relates to leadership competencies such as:
- Embracing the pre-Kâ3 early learning continuum;
- Ensuring developmentally appropriate teaching;
- Providing personalized learning environments;
- Using multiple measures of assessment to guide
- student learning; and
- Making school a hub for families and communities.
And finally, the concept of âbuilding professional capacity across the learning communityâ is woven throughout these competencies, which are outlined in Leading Pre-Kâ3 Learning Communities: Competencies for Effective Principal Practice (NAESP, 2014).
Learning Continuum, Learning Community
Embracing the early learning continuum includes, among other strategies, expanding the concept of the âlearning communityâ to include community-based preschool programs such as social service agencies, parents, and churches.
For example, across the country, more than 400,000 children enter kindergarten from Head Start programs each year. NAESP recently urged education leaders to use OctoberâNational Principals Month and National Head Start Awareness Monthâto visit their local Head Start program office to discuss school readiness goals and strategize new ways to collaborate with directors.
Help keep this momentum going by making a leadership shift in the way you think about Pre-K learning communities. The students entering Pre-kindergarten will thank you for the smooth transition.
L. Earl Franks, Ed.D., CAE, is Executive Director of NAESP.
- Following the publication of Leading Pre-Kâ3 Learning Communities, NAESP developed the first national, blended-delivery professional learning program to provide principals and other leaders with an ongoing, job-embedded professional learning experience focused on mastering effective instructional leadership practices that are developmentally appropriate. NAESP launched its Pre-Kâ3 Leadership Academy in 2017 with a state cohort in Alabama, and a second cohort was introduced in 2018 in Michigan. Academy participants experienced significant growth in each of the six Pre-Kâ3 leadership competencies, and 90 percent reported that the academy helped them to âbetter meet the needs of vulnerable children.â
- NAESP is proud to have received an ASAE Power of A Silver Award for the Pre-Kâ3 Leadership Academy. The award recognizes associations that distinguish themselves with innovative programs and activities that positively impact America and the world. Learn more about the Academy at www.naesp.org/prek3-leadership.
- NAESP supports the Power to the Profession initiative as a national task force organization. The national collaboration is defining the early childhood profession by establishing a unifying framework for career pathways, knowledge and competencies, qualifications, standards, and compensation. Learn more about the initiative at www.naeyc.org/our-work/initiatives/profession.
Originally Published in the January/February 2019 issue of Principal magazine.


When the Spirit of Harmony Foundation uses the term âmoral imperative,â we are doing so in response to the massive amount of empirical evidence that makes a strong case for Music Education being so good for children, it is necessary for no child to be denied the opportunity to learn music. Music Education levels the playing field for children, so their particular life circumstances and challenges can be mitigated by the benefits derived from learning music.
One of the most compelling sources of evidence for our âmoral imperative of music educationâ concept comes from Dr. Nina Kraus, director of the Northwestern University Auditory Neuroscience Lab, who has recently published research indicating that, with as few as two years of sustained music education, students were able to maintain standardized reading assessment scores, in contrast to their peers who showed marked losses in demonstrated reading ability over the same span of time. While research has long showed the benefits of music education programs on the reading comprehension and vocabulary acquisition abilities of students in general, this is the first longitudinal study to find a significant relationship between music education and academic growth on these metrics for students from impoverished backgrounds. In simple terms, comprehensive music education literally changes the way the human brain processes and retains information.
Whether an orchestra, marching band, small ensemble, or garage rock band, young people involved in music programs develop the skills required to work with others, embracing teamwork and fostering socialization. Engagement in positive activities such as music increases kidsâ resilience to the negative influences they encounter in life, and increases the likelihood they will make positive life choices. Music programs give young people an opportunity to interact closely and consistently with teachers and other musicians, who become mentors and role models over time. While students typically have an academic teacher for one year or one term at a time, a music teacher might well be interacting with a student for 4-8 or more years.
Music education motivates kids to stay in school. High school principals strongly believe that music education promotes the academic success of their students, according to a study released by NAMM and NAFME (The National Association for Music Education). A key finding of the study, conducted by Harris Interactive, shows that the vast majority of school administrators interviewed believe that music education has a powerful and lasting impact upon their students, making music education an essential element of every childâs education. In fact, 96 percent of public school principals interviewed believe that participating in music education encourages and motivates students to stay in school longer, and 89 percent agree that music education contributes to higher graduation rates.
Music education helps young people acquire the life skills, traits, and attributes necessary to broaden the horizon of career opportunities in any field of endeavor, not only for careers in music performance or the music industry. The positive effects of music (higher graduation rates, better grades, more positive choices, and relationships with mentors) increases the overall lifetime economic prospects for individuals who have had music education in their lives.
Based on the results of the Spirit of Harmony Foundationâs informal survey on the perspectives of Americans regarding music education programs, our hypothesis is that there is significant benefit for students who have been exposed to music education programming in terms of college admission and career viability. We are currently in the process of designing a study, in concert with existing university partnerships, in order to examine these relationships. If discovered, a significant relationship between these variables would undoubtedly change the way that key stakeholders view the importance of robust music education programs in public schools.
Arts at the Core: A Guidebook and Planning Tool: How can you ensure every student at every grade level has access to all the arts? Committing to Quality in EducationâArts at the Core: A Guidebook and Planning Tool will help you create an arts education plan and turn it into official school policy. This booklet is written for the state of Illinois, but the information is excellent for all states.
The NAMM Foundation is your source for advocacy resources, including news of the latest music research, including a handy list of cited facts and quotes to help make your case for supporting music education in schools. Feel free to share the link to this page or to print and share this PDF. However you use this fact bank, please remember to include the sources provided. MusicFacts2018final


These printable Cornucopia coloring pages are the perfect Thanksgiving activities! Download & print these Cornucopia coloring pages for an enjoyable afternoon filled with coloring fun! These cornucopia basket coloring pages include two coloring sheets to give to your little ones. Let the fun begin! These Cornucopia coloring sheets are perfect for use at home or in the classroom.
Our coloring pages here at Kids Activities Blog have been downloaded over 100k times the last year. We hope you love these Thanksgiving Cornucopia coloring pages too!
Cornucopia Coloring Pages
This printable set includes two Cornucopia coloring pages. One shows a cornucopia facing right filled with fruits and vegetables. The second shows a cornucopia facing left also filled with fruits and vegetables.
When the Pilgrims were giving thanks during the first Thanksgiving, they used the cornucopia as a symbol of abundant harvest that they were thankful for.
Also called the âhorn of plentyâ, cornucopia was a symbol of abundance presented as a large horn-shaped container filled with fruits, vegetables, nuts, and flowers. Since the cornucopia is a very important symbol of Thanksgiving, we knew we had to create these cornucopia coloring pages for kids to color during Thanksgiving.
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Cornucopia Coloring Page Set Includes
Print and enjoy coloring these cornucopia coloring pages to celebrate Thanksgiving and fall!
1. Cornucopia Coloring Pages Filled With Produce
Our first cornucopia coloring page features a simple cornucopia with some fruits and vegetables. This coloring page is perfect for younger kids in preschool or kindergarten as it has large spaces to color in. The cornucopia can be colored brown with colored pencils or watercolor, while the fruits and veggies can be their regular colors â green pear, purple eggplant, and so on!
2. Coloring Page of Cornucopia With Fruits and Vegetables
Our second cornucopia coloring page features a cornucopia with fruits and vegetables. How many can you recognize? I see an apple, corn, pumpkin, grapesâ¦ Use your most colorful crayons to make this coloring page pop!
Download Print Free Cornucopia Coloring Pages PDF FIle Here:
This coloring page is sized for standard letter printer paper dimensions â 8.5 x 11 inches.
SUPPLIES Recommended FOR CORNUCOPIA COLORING SHEETS
- Something to color with: favorite crayons, colored pencils, markers, paint, water colorsâ¦
- (Optional) Something to cut with: scissors or safety scissors
- (Optional) Something to glue with: glue stick, rubber cement, school glue
- The printed cornucopia coloring pages template pdf â see blue button below to download & print
Developmental Benefits of Coloring Pages
We may think of coloring pages as just fun, but they also have some really cool benefits for both kids and adults:
- For kids: Fine motor skill development and hand-eye coordination develop with the action of coloring or painting coloring pages. It also helps with learning patterns, color recognition, structure of drawing and so much more!
- For adults: Relaxation, deep breathing and low-set up creativity are enhanced with coloring pages.
More Fun Thanksgiving Coloring Pages & Printable Sheets from Kids Activities Blog
- We have the best collection of coloring pages for kids and adults!
- This cornucopia craft preschool is perfect for Thanksgiving.
- Download & print this printable horn of plenty to learn about gratitude.
- We have the cutest Thanksgiving coloring printables for kids!
- Here are over 60 free Thanksgiving printables to celebrate together.
- These DIY Thanksgiving placemats are so fun to make and color.
- Want more placemats? Here are more Thanksgiving printable placemats for you!
- Check out all the Thanksgiving crafts for kids and the entire family!
Did you enjoy coloring these Cornucopia coloring pages?