The use of “textisms” can improve literacy among pupils by giving them extra exposure to word composition outside the school day, it was claimed.
The conclusions come despite fears that the use of abbreviations such as “CU L8R”, “Gr8” and “innit” can undermine children’s reading and writing.
Critics have suggested that text messaging can blur the boundaries between colloquialisms and standard English, with some teachers claiming that slang is now creeping into children’s school work.
But academics from Coventry University said there was “no evidence” that access to mobile phones harmed children’s literacy skills and could even have a positive impact on spelling.
In the latest study, researchers recruited 114 children aged nine and 10 from primary schools in the Midlands.
The pupils, who did not already use a mobile phone, were split into two groups.
Half were given a handset to use for texting over weekends and during the school holidays over a 10-week period. The remaining pupils formed a control group.
Academics then gave pupils a series of reading, spelling and phonological awareness tests before and after the study. Pupils’ reading and spelling was also monitored week-on-week.
The research, to be published in the Journal of Computer Assisted Learning next month, found evidence of a “significant contribution of textism use to the children’s spelling development during the study”.
This study, which took account of individual differences in IQ, found higher results in test scores recorded by children using mobile phones after 10 weeks compared with the start of the study.
According to the report, the association between spelling and text messaging may be explained by the “highly phonetic nature” of the abbreviations used by children and the alphabetic awareness required for successfully decoding the words.
“It is also possible that textism use adds value because of the indirect way in which mobile phone use may be increasing children’s exposure to print outside of school,” said the report, funded by Becta, the Government’s education technology agency.
Prof Clare Wood, senior lecturer in the university’s psychology department, said: “We are now starting to see consistent evidence that children’s use of text message abbreviations has a positive impact on their spelling skills.
“There is no evidence that children’s language play when using mobile phones is damaging literacy development.”


“When are we going to do art again?” asks a brown-haired girl as I walk into the elementary school courtyard. It’s been two years since Sarah was my student in art class, but she greets me every morning at drop off. She’s not the only one. Last year, a little red-haired boy clung to my legs after school on more than one occasion, begging me to go with him to day care to do art projects. Another mom comes up to me at a child’s birthday party and tells me how her son talks constantly about “Miss Grace’s art lessons.”
I’m not a certified teacher. Nor am I a trained artist. In fact, I haven’t taken a course since high school. I am a volunteer art docent, and my lessons come from a binder of photocopied instructions provided by the PTA. I share these anecdotes in hopes of illustrating how much young children enjoy art and crave the chance to create it.
With my own children, I began creating art before they could even hold a crayon. Is that too early? When should parents introduce their children to art? “As early as possible,” says Dr. Kerry Freedman, Head of Art and Design Education at Northern Illinois University. “Children learn visually before they learn textually.”
Simple Ways That Art Can Bring Parents and Children Closer Together
Talk with kids about their creations. The key is to describe what you see in their work and ask open-ended questions, instead of asking if their scribbles are a bird or a tree.
“This tells the child that you are looking carefully and are interested in their ideas, developing their feelings of competence and confidence,” says Molly H. Campbell, Programs and Operations Manager of the San Francisco Children’s Art Center.
Make art together—at home and in the classroom. With budget cuts and increasing constraints on public school curricula, art education is often one of the first subjects to go. If you are able, ask your child’s teacher if you can volunteer to help provide art lessons. And if you’re not able to visit the classroom, you can still provide basic art supplies at home. Sit down with your child and create something together. “It’s very encouraging for children to know that their parents are willing to participate in activities with them,” says Adrianne Russell, a Kansas City, Missouri-based arts consultant, “especially if it’s something the adults have never done before or have little experience with.” Painting, drawing or sculpting force us to stop multitasking and focus on the project at hand, as well as the person we’re doing it with.
Show youngsters art as an expression of culture. Tangible objects make the abstract idea of tradition real to preschoolers. Point out the different styles of textiles, pottery, or painting used in your family’s heritage and in traditions from different parts of the world. Holidays often bring excellent opportunities for multicultural crafts, such as decorating sugar skulls for Dia de los Muertos or making kites for Japanese Children’s Day.
Visit art museums as a family. Gone are the days when galleries were by definition child-free zones. “In the past ten to fifteen years, there has been a growing consensus among museums that providing informal learning experiences for young visitors is vital,” explains Russell. Many establishments, from the Metropolitan Museum of Art to local institutions, now have hands-on workshops or storytelling programs geared to the smallest guests. Log on to the museum’s website ahead of time to check for children’s events and to see if there are any family visitor’s guides to download. Preview the current exhibits with your children and let them help decide which ones to visit. Weekday mornings are often the least crowded time for museums, and often when preschoolers are most attentive.


Focus on Irish History: From the 1913 Lockout to the 1916 Easter Rising
The exhibitions Understanding 1916 exhibition, the 1916 section in Soldiers and Chiefs and the temporary exhibition 1913 Lockout: Impact and Aftermath explore these key periods in Irish History.
Find out how you can make the most of your Museum visit...
Tour: Understanding 1916
Students get a general introduction to the political, social and cultural events leading up to the Rising, the Easter Week in Dublin and its aftermath. Students will see key artefacts, such as the 1916 Proclamation of the Irish Republic.
This session can also be tailored to focus on the curriculum strand 'Working as an Historian' and the interpretation of primary sources, by referring to the objects, photographs and written documents on display.
Duration: Approximately 30 minutes.
Primary School Curriculum Links
- Politics, conflict and society
- Language and culture in late 19th and early 20th-Century Ireland
- Eras of change and conflict
- Changing roles of women in the 19th and 20th Centuries
- 1916 and the foundation of the state
- Working as an Historian
Self Directed Visits
Please note that all group visits must be pre-booked. Groups who arrive unnannouced may not be able to access galleries as groups who book will be given precedence. Contact us to make a booking.
The following exhibitions have a strong links to the curriculum strands listed above:
- Soldiers & Chiefs traces Ireland's military history from 1550 to the present day, including key events such as the 1798 rebellion, the Irish in the American Civil War, World War One, the Easter Rising and the War of Independence. The exhibition also explores the daily life of the soldier, the changing technology of warfare, why soldiers join up and life for women and families during times of conflict. These themes are further investigated in activity books for schools.
- Understanding 1916 focuses on the period from 1913 to 1923 and aims to put the Easter Rising into its social, economic and cultural contexts as well as describing the main events of the week and the aftermath.
- 1913 Lockout: Impact and Aftermath documents life in Dublin in 1913. Meet the key actors and events surrounding the Lockout, including Jim Larkin and William Martin Murphy. Download the activity sheet for schools and the teachers information sheet below. The activity sheet is designed to enable students’ deeper engagement with the artefacts on display and themes of the exhibition through group work.The Museum recommends you make the most of your visit with a follow-up session in our Learning Resource Room, where you can discuss or explore the suggested activities outlined in the teachers’ information sheet.Dublin Lockout worksheet (0.48 MB, Adobe PDF) Information Sheet Lockout (0.45 MB, Adobe PDF)Please remember you must book your visit through the Booking Office.
Follow these steps to get the most out of a self-directed visit.
We are currently developing an online resource for Schools which will be available by September 2014.
In the classroom, there are several follow-up activities you can do with your class. We suggest:
- Design a new Irish flag, which symbols and colours would represent Irish people now?
- Write a diary entry before and after the Rising, as one of the figures involved, for example a young person like Molly O'Reilly or Sean Healy, or one of the central figures like Patrick Pearse or Countess Markievicz
- Have a debate in the classroom; which organisation would you have joined and why?
For more tips, see our guide on how to plan a visit
We're continually improving and adding to our online Museum resources.
Looking for information on the Easter Rising: Understanding 1916 exhibition and collections?
Take a look around:
You may also be interested in:
Want to look up a particular artefact? Try our Artefact Search.


|Purchase at Future Horizons|
Winner is peridot8003!
- Your mental attitude and the importance of taking care of yourself
- Making time for your marriage
- How to help your child with their sensory issues in their room. (Types of sheets to buy, clothing, how to adjust their surroundings for comfort).
- Behavior and Communication
- Diets that may help and how to learn what foods possibly might affect them negatively. How to find out yourself.
- Hygiene (I loved how it suggested to relax about toilet training. Chaz did not learn till he was over 4 years old how to potty in the toilet).
- Tips for keeping your possessions clean and protected
- Tips on teaching manners
- Protecting your "escape artist". (I still remember when Chaz escaped when he was two. He was furiously peddling on his tricycle to 'grandma's house' which was about a mile away. I was scared out of my mind)
- Social outings and interacting with their peers. What places help teach typical play with their peers.
- Tips for eating out with your ASD child
Kathy continues to work on additional books in The Child with Autism series, including The Child with Autism Learns about Faith (2011), The Child with Autism Goes to Florida (2011), and The Child with Autism Learns MORE about Faith (in progress).
LaNita Miller is the author of beginning textbooks, and received her bachelor’s degree in Elementary Education with a minor in Early Childhood Education from Austin Peay State University, and her master’s degree in Special Education from George Peabody College, which is part of Vanderbilt University. She is currently completing her certification in behavioral analysis. She has over twenty years’ experience in the special education classroom.


Each H.E.L.P. workbook uses clean, vocabulary rich, socially relevant lyrics that introduce various social justice and literacy development activities that can be used across all subject areas. Pre- and Post-test assessments are available to help determine students' reading levels.
1. Introduce featured artist and song within H.E.L.P. student guide.
2. Students will read the lyrics as the song is being played aloud.
3. Students will briefly discuss song's themes and vocabulary words, then work independently or in cooperative reading groups to complete over 60 literacy activities scaffolded across 4 reading levels, K-12.


|Product #: CTP7229EB_TQ|
Phonics Fun Stick Kids Workbook: Grade 1 (Resource Book Only) eBookGrade 1
Please Note: This ebook is a digital download, NOT a physical product. After purchase, you will be provided a one time link to download ebooks to your computer. Orders paid by PayPal require up to 8 business hours to verify payment and release electronic media. For immediate downloads, payment with credit card is required.
Learning to read is a fun and exciting time in a child's life, and being able to decode words is an important skill that gives young readers the confidence and the ability to read new and unfamiliar words. Phonics is a method of teaching beginning readers to decode by learning the spoken sounds associated with written letters and letter pairs. To become skilled readers, children must internalize these associations in order to read words without having to sound them out letter by letter or part by part. In addition, phonics instruction gives new readers the tools necessary for making the important connection between sounds and their spellings. Becoming fluent or automatic with these skills helps develop reading fluency and builds a strong foundation in reading comprehension, an important skill for academic success.
Whether students need extra practice with grade-level skills or a head start on next year, Stick Kids Workbooks offer engaging activities, games, and puzzles that help make learning lots of fun. Each 56-page book features full-color activities, a list of the skills, and an explanation of why those skills are important for development. Also included are helpful tips, an answer key, a handy tracking sheet, and appearances by the lovable Stick Kids!
Submit a review


Cognitive Capacity – Why The 8 Core Cognitive Capacities
ACTIVATE™ is based on the latest cognitive capacity research of the scientific community into the basic cognitive functions that form the groundwork for all learning. Educators that are familiar with Bloom’s Taxonomy will recognize the importance of foundational skills such as remembering and understanding for the ability of students to engage in higher-level skills such as analyzing and synthesizing. The scientific community is beginning to both understand the neurological basis for learning skills, and to develop new ways in which these skills can be strengthened through specially designed exercises. ACTIVATE™ is a product of this research, and designed to strengthen the following Core Cognitive Capacities.
Sustained Attention is the basic ability to look at, listen to and think about classroom tasks over a period of time. All teaching and learning depends on it. Without attention, new learning simply does not happen, and issues of understanding and memory are of no relevance.
Response Inhibition is the ability to inhibit one’s own response to distractions. Imagine two children paying close attention to a lesson, when there is a sudden noise in the hall way. One loses her attention while the other does not.
Speed of Information Processing
Speed of Information Processing refers to how quickly a learner can process incoming information. Some scientists consider speed of information processing a central aspect of IQ. Many children with attention problems often are unable to keep up with the lesson plan presented by the teacher.
Cognitive Flexibility and Control
Cognitive Flexibility and Control is the ability to change what you are thinking about, how you are thinking about it and even what you think about it – in other words, the ability to change your mind. Cognitive flexibility is required in multiple ways throughout the school day.
Multiple Simultaneous Attention
Multiple Simultaneous Attention is the ability to multitask with success. It is the ability to move attention and effort back and forth between two or more activities when engaged in them at the same time. It makes demands on sustained attention, response inhibition and speed of information processing, and also requires planning and strategy.
Working Memory refers to the ability to remember instructions or keep information in the mind long enough to perform tasks. We use simple working memory when we look at a phone number and keep it in mind while we dial it. Working memory is the sketch pad of the mind where we put things to think about and manipulate.
Category Formation is the ability to organize information, concepts and skills into categories, and forms the cognitive basis for higher-level abilities like applying, analyzing, and evaluating those concepts and skills. Categories are the basis of language and organization of the world.
Pattern Recognition & Inductive Thinking
Pattern Recognition and Inductive Thinking is a special ability of the human brain to not only find patterns, but figure out in a logical way what those patterns suggest about what will happen next. In a broad sense, pattern recognition and inductive thinking form the basis for all scientific inquiry.


By Jessica Koch
|A group of Tibetan children stand outside
their ome in the Tibetan Children's Village.
The home is one of around 40 in the village.
The educational organization of the Tibetan Children's Villages is strikingly similar to that with which we are familiar in the United States. After evolving from a simple nursery into a full-fledged and internationally recognized system of boarding schools, the TCVs have become the preferred method of education for the Tibetan child.
The kindergarten of the TCV accommodates the children ages three to five years and follows the Montessori method of teaching; the students engage in more activity and skill-oriented programs with a Tibetan cultural focus. From that program, the children graduate to the Junior School, grades one through five.
The Junior School initially followed the Indian school model and curriculum, which required that classes be taught in English. This changed in 1984 when the Tibetanization program was introduced. Tibetanization sought to battle the loss of Tibetan culture and identity by teaching the basics of elementary education in the Tibetan language, in conjunction with an intensive cultural study. The Education Development and Research Center of the TCVs began to write and publish textbooks in Tibetan at this time. Basic subjects like math, science and language arts, along with textbooks on Tibetan culture and language are revised and reviewed periodically by the EDRC and specialized committees.
Beginning with grade six, the language of instruction is gradually replaced by English. The sixth, seventh and eighth grades represent the Middle School, in which there is a combination of Tibetanization and Indian curriculum and Tibetan and English language.
|A stack of textbooks lies outside the steps of the
education development and resource center of the
TCV. The books are in native Tibetan in efforts to
preserve the culture and language.
The syllabus becomes strictly Indian in the Senior School, for students in grades nine through twelve. The Indian Central Board of Secondary Education administers a national exam to students in their tenth year, a requisite of all students receiving primary education in India.
The Plus Two program is reminiscent of the European style of higher education, in that it offers vocational and collegiate preparation in the form of two optional years of schooling following the tenth year. These two additional years, grades eleven and twelve, respectively, are referred to as the Plus Two level of Tibetan education. Should a student opt to attend the Plus Two program, the student is asked to choose from three specializations: humanities, commerce or science. From the Plus Two program, a student is free to pursue a preferred vocation or higher education in Indian universities.
The ratio of male to female students in the TCVs is nearly equal.
The dropout rate of less than 5 percent, and the literacy rate among schooled Tibetans is 98 percent. Relative to an American literacy rate of 97 percent, a British rate of 99 percent and a German rate of 99 percent, the Tibetan literacy rates are comparable on a world scale.


Improving early literacy is essential to increasing high school graduation rates allowing students to be successful in postsecondary education and ensuring the prosperity of all Americans, according to a report released by the National Governors Association (NGA).
A Governor’s Guide to Early Literacy: Getting all Students Reading by Third Grade examines the gap between research and policy and describes the five policy actions that governors can take to ensure all children read at grade level by the end of third grade.
States can increase the number of children who are proficient in reading by third grade by including three major and widely embraced results of educational research in their efforts:
- Differences in literacy and language development in early childhood can lead to achievement gaps as early as kindergarten;
- Reading proficiency requires a focus on interrelated skills and knowledge taught over time; and
- Parents, primary caregivers and teachers have the most influence on children’s language and literacy development.
To learn more, please visit http://www.nga.org/cms/center/edu.


additional searches of quantitative and qualitative research. We include English language learners and adults with disabilities in describing the population of adults with literacy development needs but discuss the research on instruction with these populations in subsequent chapters. The chapter concludes with a summary of the extent of current knowledge of effective practices in adult literacy instruction and directions for future research.
There are many reasons why individuals seek to develop their literacy skills as adults. Some study to obtain a high school equivalency diploma; others seek to help their children and families with education, health, and other practical life matters; and others seek to learn English or enhance skills for new job responsibilities. Others may have a higher level of literacy but have not yet developed the reading and writing skills needed in college. Adults who wish to develop their literacy receive instruction in two main types of settings: adult education programs and developmental courses in college, especially in community colleges. Two types of adult education are found in college settings: (1) adult literacy programs for individuals who wish to complete their secondary education and (2) developmental education1 for students formally enrolled in college programs.
The U.S. Department of Education reports that nearly 2.6 million adults enrolled in federally supported adult education programs during the 2006-2007 fiscal year, the most recent year for which complete data are available. Adult education programs are largely supported by federal and state funding, which together provides about two-thirds of the funding for adult literacy programs, according to a national survey of adult education programs (Tamassia et al., 2007). Other sources of funding are local governments, private donations, and, to a small degree, fees and tuition paid by the participants. The U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Vocational and Adult Education administers the federal funds, which are appropriated to designated state agencies in a competitive granting process, consistent with the Workforce Investment Act, Title II, Adult Education and Family Literacy Act (AEFLA). Each state must provide matching funds to qualify for this allocation.
The Adult Education Program Survey (AEPS; Tamassia et al., 2007) provides information on a nationally representative sample of adult edu-
1 We use the term developmental education (also called remedial instruction) to refer to the broad array of services and specific courses provided to college students with weak skills.


27.02.13 | Paul Marshall
The future of the book trade depends on future generations reading and writing books.
It may seem self-evident, but this future is far from secure when you consider that 20% of England’s 16-year-old pupils have literacy skills below the level expected of an 11 year old.
The Tail: How England’s schools Fail One Child in Five: And What Can Be Done (Profile), brings together thought-provoking contributions from leading educational policymakers, practitioners and academics.
The contributors analyse the cost of the bottom 20%—or ‘tail'—of achievement in England’s schools both to its members and to society as a whole. That cost is large and enduring and deeply damaging.
The 'tail of underachievement' exists in every local authority and across every type of state school. It includes children from a range of backgrounds, not just the poorest.
Being in the ‘tail’ means you lack the reading, writing and counting skills needed to succeed in life. You are significantly less likely to find a job (let alone a well-paid one) and are less likely to stick with that job. Many school leavers who end up in the ‘tail’ succumb to long-term unemployment and are then unable to escape their circumstances.
Being in the lowest-achieving 20% at school also dramatically increases your chances of getting in trouble with the law. It is telling that over half the prison population in the UK has worse literacy and numeracy skills than a primary school child.
More worrying still, the effects of the ‘tail’ are passed down from one generation to the next. Children whose parents left school with bad or no qualifications are much more likely to face the same fate. This is not only a disaster for these children but for the rest of us too.
The economic inactivity of individuals in the ‘tail’ represents a significant barrier to growth. We identify in the book that bringing below-average pupils to the national average could add £14bn a year to GDP by 2030 and a staggering £140bn by 2050.
Much work is needed between now and then. At 20%, England’s ‘tail’ is a lot larger than in other OECD (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development) countries and is therefore a bigger challenge to address.
In general, we urge policymakers to learn from and adopt best practice. In just eight years, the flagship London borough Tower Hamlets—which has the highest free school meal entitlement in the country—more than doubled the proportion of pupils obtaining five good GCSEs from 25% to 61%. This is a brilliant achievement that we should seek to replicate elsewhere.
More specifically, we suggest that the coalition government’s policy for tackling disadvantage and underperformance—the pupil premium—should be better targeted. Primary schools that fail to educate children in receipt of the pupil premium to a basic level of literacy should be required to pay for a remedial intervention when those children start at secondary school.
Approaches like these, which draw on best practice and create the right incentives for pupils to excel, will lay the groundwork for an education revolution in England’s schools. We hope that policymakers listen.
Paul Marshall is chairman of ARK Schools and the management board of CentreForum, the liberal thinktank.


Week of the Young Child by handing out free copies of their brand-new Fingerplay Fun rhyme booklet. These little books contain dozens of fun and infectious nursery rhymes that are designed to encourage movement, language and literacy development. As an added bonus, WCCLS has filmed a number of their librarians performing the rhymes. To view these fun and helpful videos, visit wccls.org/rhymes (for rhymes in English) or wccls.org/rimas (for rhymes in Spanish).
To get your free copy of the booklet (while supplies last), simply stop by any WCCLS
member library during or after Week of the Young Child (April 22-28).
Booklets are available in both English and Spanish.
Research has shown that talking, singing, sharing books and playing are all important activities that can help children become successful readers. In particular, fingerplays and rhymes are wonderful literacy builders because they encourage all of these activities and feature words and concepts that lead to conversations. Above all, they are built around a love of books and play. For more information on helping kids get ready to read, please visit our early literacy information page.
WCCLS will be donating copies of Fingerplay Fun to every child enrolled with the Washington County Head Start and Washington County Healthy Start - Healthy Families programs. This project was made possible through the generous funding of the Oregon State Library’s Ready to Read program.


George's Top Matches
About George William Skinner
George William Skinner (simplified Chinese: 施坚雅; traditional Chinese: 施堅雅; February 14, 1925 – October 26, 2008) was a leading American anthropologist and scholar of China. Skinner was a leading proponent of the spatial approach to Chinese history, as explained in his Presidential Address to the Association for Asian Studies in 1984. He often referred to his approach as "regional analysis," and taught the use of maps as a key class of data in ethnography.
Skinner was born on February 14, 1925, in Oakland, California. His father, John James Skinner was a pharmacologist and his mother, Eunice Engle Skinner, taught music and became the director of music education for the Berkeley school system. Skinner spent two years at Deep Springs College, a small college founded to educate small cohorts of young men into the life of the mind in a self-sufficient, disciplined manner. After Deep Springs, he joined the Navy V-12 Program in 1943, then attended the U.S. Navy Oriental Language School for 18 months at the University of Colorado, Boulder, where he studied Chinese. In 1946, Skinner headed for Cornell University to complete his B.A. degree. He graduated in the following year with his B.A. (with distinction) in Far Eastern studies, and remained there for his Ph.D. in anthropology (1954) under the supervision of Lauriston Sharp.
Skinner’s first job was as instructor in sociology at Cornell in 1949. Between 1951 and 1955, he was field director of the Cornell Southeast Asia Program, then a research associate at Cornell. He became assistant professor of anthropology at Columbia University in 1958. Two years later, Skinner was hired back at Cornell as associate professor and then promoted to full professor in 1962 — an unusually fast track to that status. In 1965, he left for Stanford University, moving again in 1990 to the University of California, Davis, which had hired his wife, China historian Susan L. Mann. Skinner retired from teaching in 2005 but maintained an active research program until his death three years later.
Perhaps his best-known influence on Chinese Studies was his delineation of the Physiographic macroregions of China. He made fascinating discoveries about local organization in China as well, including an extension of central place theory to explain how a hierarchically organized urban system could evolve under conditions of increased population density. In later years he was instrumental in the establishment of the China Historical Geographic Information Systems project at Harvard and Fudan Universities. His papers and maps are archived in the library collections of Harvard, Cornell, the University of Washington, and Fudan University.


Ackerman, P.L., and Beier, M.E. (2006). Determinants of domain knowledge and independent study learning in an adult sample. Journal of Educational Psychology, 98, 366-381.
Ackerman, P.L., and Rolfhus, E.L. (1999). The locus of adult intelligence: Knowledge, abilities, and nonability traits. Psychology and Aging, 14, 314-330.
Ackerman, P.L., Bowen, K.R., Beier, M.E., and Kanfer, R. (2001). Determinants of individual differences and gender differences in knowledge. Journal of Educational Psychology, 93, 797-825.
ACT. (undated). College readiness standards. Iowa City, IA: American College Testing. Available: http://www.act.org/standard/ [Feb. 2010].
Adams, M. (1990). Beginning to read: Thinking and learning about print. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press.
Adams, R., and Burt, M. (2002). Research on the reading development of adult English language learners: An annotated bibliography. Washington, DC: National Center for ESL Literacy Education. Available: http://www.eric.ed.gov/PDFS/ED467498.pdf [Sept. 2011].
Ainley, M., Hidi, S., and Berndorff, D. (2002). Interest, learning, and the psychological processes that mediate their relationship. Journal of Educational Psychology, 94, 545-561.
Ainsworth, S. (2008). How do animations influence learning? In D.H. Robinson and G. Schraw (Eds.), Recent innovations on educational technologies that facilitate student learning (pp. 37-67). Charlotte, NC: Information Age.
Ainsworth, S., and Loizou, A.T. (2003). The effects of self-explaining when learning with texts or diagrams. Cognitive Science, 27, 669-681.
Airasian, P.W. (1994). Classroom assessment (2nd ed.). New York: McGraw-Hill.
Akamatsu, N. (2003). The effects of first language orthographic features on second language reading in text. Language Learning, 53, 207-231.
Akkus, R., Gunel, M., and Hand, B. (2007). Comparing an inquiry-based approach known as the science writing heuristic to traditional science teaching practices: Are there differences? International Journal of Science Education, 29(14), 1,745-1,765.
Al Otaiba, S., and Fuchs, D. (2002). Characteristics of children who are unresponsive to early literacy intervention: A review of the literature. Remedial and Special Education, 23, 300-316.
Alamprese, J. (2009). Developing learners’ reading skills in adult basic education programs. In S. Reder and J. Brynner (Eds), Tracking adult literacy and numeracy skills (pp. 107-131). New York: Routledge.
Alamprese, J., MacArthur, C., Price, C., and Knight, D. (2011). Effects of a structured decoding curriculum on adult literacy learners’ reading development. Journal of Research on Education Effectiveness, 4(2), 154-172.
Albert, M., Jones, K., Savage, C., Berkman, L., Seeman, T., Blazer, D., et al. (1995). Predictors of cognitive change in older persons: MacArthur studies of successful aging. Psychology and Aging, 10, 578-589.
Albin, M., Benton, S., and Khramtsova, I. (1996). Individual differences in interest and narrative writing. Contemporary Educational Psychology, 21, 305-324.
Aleven, V., Stahl, E., Schworm, S., Fischer, F., and Wallace, R. (2003). Help seeking and help design in interactive learning environments. Review of Educational Research, 73, 277-320.
Alexander, P.A. (1997). Mapping the multidimensional nature of domain learning: The interplay of cognitive, motivational, and strategic forces. In M.L. Maehr and P.R. Pintrich (Eds.), Advances in motivation and achievement (vol. 10, pp. 213-250). Greenwich, CT: JAI Press.


May 08, 2009
Music From a Different Perspective
Films and poetry may not be the first things that come to mind when you think of a music class, but Professor Gil Seeley has taken a new approach to teaching music at Lewis & Clark. His technique is to emphasize writing, through poetry and essays, rather than exams. By engaging students creatively and getting them to think critically, Seeley brings them to a new understanding of music and its greater relationship with culture.
Religious Studies major Kansei Ishihara took Seeley’s Introduction to World Music one summer. Kansei was interested because “the music class was one of the general requirements and I had heard of Professor Seeley’s strong enthusiasm and passion for music and music education. He has broad knowledge and he never forced us to believe a certain kind of theory. He introduced as many types of music as possible and tried to let us think for ourselves. We learned not only about music but also we learned the background of music and the cultures behind the music. His class was an eye-opener.”
Seeley teaches the history of a place as it pertains to its music. In Introduction to World Music, he explains, “We take 10 cultures from around the world and look at them in relation to the music. You can’t ignore the culture; you can’t teach music at all without dealing with history.”
Kansei particularly liked this emphasis on culture: “I particularly enjoyed the Asian music. Although I am a student from Japan, there are many traditional or indigenous cultures related to music which I don’t know. Professor Seeley introduced Japanese traditional music, Taiko (Beating Drum) performance to us. The class was very helpful to understand even my own culture.”
Seeley also innovates by using media other than musical recordings to give students an understanding of the global importance and impact of music. One film that Seeley shows in his course is Amandla: a revolution in four part harmony, which is a documentary on black South African freedom music and its role in the struggle against apartheid. Through films, sound recording, and the exploration of history and culture, Seeley is able to expose the true depth of music and its ability to transform culture.
Kansei says, “We sometimes do not notice other minorities living in our own countries because we are separated from these cultures or regions. This likely causes us to have prejudices against them. The class provides us the opportunities to understand other cultures through music. The class is beyond just a music class.”
Seizing the opportunity
During the spring and fall semester, Seeley’s music classes almost always overfill with students, but smaller class sizes during summer give his students the opportunity to have more intimate interactions. According to Seeley, “Having 10-15 people is such a different thing than having 40.”
Seeley’s music course is just one of over 30 courses offered at Lewis & Clark this summer. Courses range from Quantitative Research Methods, which fulfills requirements for several different majors, to Astronomy and Field Paleontology of Oregon.
An assortment of students wander the wooded paths of Lewis & Clark during the summer. They include Lewis & Clark students meeting graduation requirements, high school seniors getting a head start on college, undergraduates visiting from other schools, and lifelong students exercising their love of learning. Summer students enjoy small class sizes, the ability to focus on just one or two courses, and Portland’s beautiful summer weather.
“I strongly recommend the class to other students. It will provide you with new opportunities to touch new things beyond music. You can understand how music is related to the long history of human works. Professor Seeley is a good instructor to lead you to the new stage of your self-development,” concluded Kansei.


How To Become A Teacher
It is the supreme art of the teacher to awaken joy in creative expression and knowledge. ~Albert Einstein
Becoming a teacher is more than just attaining a degree. Choosing a career as a teacher is a dedication to the ideals of teaching. It involves a personal commitment to continual learning and education, and sharing your own joy for creative expression and knowledge with young minds. If you have ever wanted to know how to become a teacher, this guide will help you, but keep in mind that there is a difference between becoming a teacher, and becoming a great teacher.
Although there are general requirements to become a teacher, each state has its own processes for teacher certification. We have listed those by state below. General requirements include:
- A bachelor's degree
- Student teaching experience
- A teaching certificate
Undergraduate Teacher Preparation Programs
In order to attain the necessary degree to become a teacher, you'll want to select an undergraduate teacher preparation program. Almost every college or university offers a degree in education. However, if time is a factor, or if you are choosing a career in teaching, there are many online education degree programs that will allow you to work while attaining your ultimate goal of becoming a teacher. You may wish to start with an associate degree in education online. However, because most states won't certify you with an associate degree, you'll want to continue working toward your bachelor degree in education online in order to attain licensing as a teacher. Many states also recommend attaining a masters, as you will earn more money as a teacher, and there are many masters of education online degrees to choose from. When you are selecting a program of study, its important to consider the major areas of study related to education, these include early childhood education, elementary education, secondary education, ESL, and special education. In order to specialize in an area of teaching, you'll want to choose a degree that corresponds to your intended area of study. These might include:
- Early childhood education degree online
- Elementary education degree online
- Secondary education degree online
- ESL degree online
- Special education degree online
Become a Teacher - State Guide
In order to make sure you're following the correct education path to become a teacher, click on one of the links below to find out how to become a teacher in your state, or a state where you're interested in teaching.


A Powerful Connection: Music and Poetry
For teachers of Grades 3-6
Maximum number of participants: 30
Music has great potential for helping students comprehend, respond to, and interpret poetry. In this workshop, teachers examine a process for integrating music and poetry in the classroom by exploring their natural connections. Participants learn ways to help students use musical instruments, voice, and body movement to explore elements of music (such as dynamics, tempi, and timbre) and then apply their understandings to create a musical composition for a poem. The artistic process of composing music for a poem will draw on essential reading comprehension strategies and result in a powerful and personal learning experience. No previous musical training is necessary. Led by Kennedy Center teaching artist Deborah Sunya Moore.
Thursday, March 7, 2013
Order Form (PDF)


Training Requirements to Be a Teacher's Aide
Teacher's aides, also called teacher's assistants, assist teachers in the classroom. Most often found in elementary schools and special education centers, teacher's aides help with tasks like attendance, grading, preparing classroom materials and supervising field trips. Many teacher's aides receive their career training on-the-job, though educational programs are available.
Unlike teachers, teacher's aides are not always required to have an undergraduate degree and often receive the bulk of their training on-the-job. A high school diploma may be enough to get a job as a teacher's aide in some districts, but those who earn a college degree often have better opportunities for advancement. On-the-job training typically covers learning the rules and operating procedures of their school, computer and AV equipment training, record keeping and classroom material preparation.
Teacher's aides in Title I schools, however, are required by Federal law to have some college training or proven academic skills. Title I schools are those which have a large portion of students that come from low income households. The Federal law states that these teacher's aides and assistants must have at least a 2-year degree, two years of higher education experience or pass an assessment exam.
Prospective teaching assistants who wish to enter a formal education program have several options to choose from. Some of the more common paths include a teacher's aide certificate or associate degrees in paraprofessional education or child development.
Teacher's aide certificate programs typically last less than one year and provide the same core curriculum of an associate's degree without any additional liberal arts courses. Courses in a teacher's aide certificate program include psychology, physical education, speech communication and an introduction to education.
Associate of Applied Science in Paraprofessional Education
Some community colleges also offer an associate's degree in paraprofessional education designed to train teacher's aides. Aspiring teacher's aides can choose to concentrate their studies in areas such as developmental disabilities or learning. Courses in a teacher's aide associate degree program often include sign language, developmental disabilities, elementary education, child development and educational psychology.
Associate of Applied Science in Child Development
Child development associate degree program are another common path for those wishing to pursue a career as a teacher's aide. An associate degree in child development helps to prepare students for teacher's aide positions in daycare centers and organizations that work with children. Courses in a child development degree program often include nutrition, safety, community relations and family relations.
Related to Training to Be a Teacher's Aide
- Recently Updated
Learn how to become a consumer science teacher. Research the job description and the education and licensing requirements, and...
Teachers at the postsecondary level are usually required to have a master's degree or higher. While the same is not required in...
The path to becoming a drama teacher is similar to that of other teachers, typically requiring college education and...
Agriculture teachers can be found in public schools, technical schools, adult and business education programs, colleges,...
- Online Spanish Teacher Certification Information
- Could Ms. Frizzle Be a D.C. Teacher?
- 5 Great Ideas for Teacher Appreciation Week
- Bachelor's Degree in Bio Technology
- The Best Online Journalism Schools: List of Universities
- Top Albuquerque School for Medical Laboratory Technology Degrees
- Best Cardiology Schools: List of Top U.S. Schools


The Effects and Importance of Music Education in Early Childhood
More and more studies are being conducted on the importance of music education for students of all ages. Learning an instrument requires dedication: practice makes perfect, as they say. But the biggest waves are being made in early childhood music education, as it proves again and again to improve the overall quality of life for children.
The Benefits of Music for Children
As science fairs all over the world will attest, music is good for living things. Plants grow more quickly and more fully when their owners play music for them. But the benefits of music for children are even greater than a couple of inches in height.
What is the “Kindie Rock” Movement?
You’ve probably heard of “Indie Rock,” but how about “Kindie Rock”? It’s a lot more popular than you might imagine. The most popular new trend involves creating rock music for kids – it “melds the sensibility of the singer-songwriter with themes aimed at kids under 10,” according to Salon.com.


ED 3090 - Science Curriculum and Instruction
Focuses on science curriculum and instruction with the goal of promoting critical thinking skills and a constructivist approach to teaching and learning. Emphasizes inquiry based science methods and science experiences. Science education incorporates 4 standards-based strands including knowledge and proficiency in earth/space science, physical science, life science, and science process skills. Candidates research instructional strategies and processes that incorporate a variety of resources, materials, and technologies. Not open to students who have earned credit for ED 3070. Falls and Springs. Prerequisite(s): completion of Cluster I; Elementary Education major or full acceptance to the Teacher Certification Option. Corequisite(s): ED 3060, ED 3080, MA 3070, RL 3070, and SE 3070.
*All course information is from the 2013-2014 Catalog.


Ruth Shagoury Featured in Head Start Webcast
March 16, 2010
Ruth Shagoury shows how literacy can come to life for young dual language learners in an innovative national webcast from Head Start, the national program that prepares young children and their families for school through education, health and nutrition, and social services.
The webcast—which features conversation among national experts in literacy, along with videos and current research—is part of a year-long series of professional development opportunities for national Head Start teachers called Ready for Success: Supporting Dual Language Learners in Head Start and Early Head Start. It is meant to bolster a nation-wide effort to improve and support the healthy development and learning of students who speak languages other than English from a young age. The series is targeted at Head Start program and classroom leaders, Migrant and Seasonal Head Start American Indian Alaska Native programs; and others in the early childhood community.
The webcast is presented through the Early Childhood Learning and Knowledge Center.


January 8, 2009
Statement by Randi Weingarten,
President, American Federation of Teachers,
On the National Early Literacy Panel's Final Findings
The National Early Literacy Panel, which convened in 2002, today issued its final report. Its findings show that young children's exposure to and mastery of several emergent literacy skills, such as knowing the alphabet, understanding how books work, and awareness of the sounds in words, are strong to moderate predictors of their later reading skills.
WASHINGTON–The National Early Literacy Panel's finding reinforces what the AFT has been advocating-that all children must have access to a high-quality early childhood education that focuses on phonological awareness and exposes them to stories, books and rich language in order to develop strong reading skills, an essential component to student achievement.
Through programs such as Reading Rockets, www.readingrockets.org, the AFT has long been committed to assisting parents and early childhood providers to build these necessary pre-literacy skills in young children. We also helped develop Colorín Colorado, www.colorincolorado.org, a nationwide initiative providing a wide array of free resources for young English language learners, their parents and their teachers. Recognizing that early childhood education and elementary education must be better aligned, we partnered with the National Center for Learning Disabilities to create and distribute the Transitioning to Kindergarten toolkit for educators and parents.
These programs are a great start, but much more must be done at the local, state and federal levels to ensure that parents have access to affordable, high-quality early childhood education, and that all early childhood educators receive the best training and professional development to help all children gain the skills they need to begin school ready to learn.
# # # #
The AFT represents more than 1.4 million pre-K through 12th-grade teachers; paraprofessionals and other school-related personnel; higher education faculty and professional staff; federal, state and local government employees; nurses and healthcare workers; and early childhood educators.


AN INVESTIGATION OF NOVICE MIDDLE AND HIGH SCHOOL BAND DIRECTORS' KNOWLEDGE OF TECHNIQUES AND PEDAGOGY SPECIFIC TO THE HORN
The purpose of this study was to determine novice middle school and high school band directors’ knowledge of techniques and pedagogy specific to the horn. Ten band directors currently teaching middle or high school band and who were in their first through fourth year of teaching were interviewed. Questions were derived from current brass methods textbooks and placed in one of the following six categories: (a) collegiate background; (b) teaching background; (c) embouchure, posture and right hand placement; (d) construction of single and double horns; (e) muted, stopped and miscellaneous horn pedagogy; (f) care and maintenance. Findings from this study indicate that novice middle and high school band directors have varying amounts of knowledge and expertise of the horn and, in general, are lacking fundamental knowledge of specific horn techniques. In addition, it appears that directors have more knowledge and understanding of concepts relating to the horn that are common to all brass instruments as opposed to concepts associated specifically with the horn.
School:Bowling Green State University
School Location:USA - Ohio
Source Type:Master's Thesis
Keywords:instrumental music education horn methods classes technique secondary instruments pedagogy brass band
Date of Publication:01/01/2006


Sections / Articles
Web Resources: September/October 2013
Bright and Early – Sam Oertwig & Sharon Ritchie
- The PreK-3rd Grade National Work Group website provides information briefs and webinars regarding policies and practices from experts across the country.
- The May/June 2011 issue of Principal focused on Early Learning, with articles on the impact on the achievement gap, measurement and assessments, and principal preparation.
It’s Playtime! – Joan Almon
- The Literacy Guide, developed by Bank Street College, describes the stages of literacy development in preschool, kindergarten, and the early grades, and what to expect from children at each stage.
- Crisis in the Kindergarten: Why Children Need to Play in School, a report by the Alliance for Childhood, examines new research on how much time kindergartens spend on cognitive instruction vs. play-based learning and some of the ill effects of current practices.
Building a Foundation for Literacy and Learning – Kathy Ward-Cameron
- Watch a short video in which David Dickinson discusses Vanderbilt University’s research on learning in preschool.
- Read the transcript of an interview with Robert Pianta on early literacy.
- Listen to the NAESP Radio podcast, “Early Moves That Create a Continuum of Learning Success,” where host Gail Connelly discusses the state of early learning with Deborah Leong.
Power of Pre-K – Rebecca Stephens
- Visit the FirstSchool Initiative website for an in-depth description of the program’s philosophy and framework.
- Explore NAESP’s Early Childhood Education webpage to find resources and policy statements on P-3 alignment, including recommendations from NAESP’s Task Force on Early Learning.
World-Class Collaboration: Q&A With Maureen Keithley
- Listen to Maureen Keithley’s entire interview about English-language learners on NAESP Radio.
- Visit the Principal magazine archive to access Nancy Protheroe’s Research Report, “Effective Instruction for English-language Learners.”
Going Green – Fred Barch
- The Department of Education’s Green Strides Webinar Series provides school communities with tools to reduce environmental impact, improve health and wellness, and teach effective environmental education.
- NAESP’s Green Schools page provides resources for school leaders to improve environmental literacy and foster 21st century skills.


Crazy Tech Lets You Make Musical Instruments out of Paper
What was your first musical instrument? A recorder? A cheap guitar? The family piano? Well, what if it was a simple piece of paper?
Yep: a musical instrument fashioned out of paper.
That's the promise of a prototype kit from Italian startup MusicInk. Using the kit's conductive ink, you first paint lines on a piece of paper using one of the supplied stencils, which come in the shape of a trumpet, a guitar, piano keys, or other instruments. Then you attach the paper via cable to a magical electronic box, which runs off an app (for an explanation of the box/app magic, see WIRED's detailed report on this). Courtesy of some programming and electronic whiz-bangery, the painted paper becomes an instrument that triggers sounds recorded by the London Philharmonic Orchestra.
This won't become the next MVP of the world's symphony halls, but it could make a simple, affordable way to teach young children about the basics of music. It's kind of surreal to see sheets of paper come sonically alive in the above video, both for the adults and the children.
The project is still in prototype form now, but, according to WIRED, its designers hope to make the system simpler and more customizable in the future (possibly by making it wireless), then release a product that helps children better get their heads around music-making. With so many studies showing the benefits of music education and practice (and not just on the young), this could be a way to democratize its benefits even further. And you just know that when it comes out, some arty musician grown-ups are going to find a use for it, too.


Like Mother, Like SonIt is not unusual for a son to follow in his father's footsteps. Art history is full of references to "the elder" and "the younger" used in discussing various fathers who no doubt taught their sons how to paint. Even today, as with Andrew Wyeth and his son Jamie, art talent and careers are sometimes passed down from one generation to the next. It's a little more unusual, however, for a boy to have art training and a career passed down to him by his mother. Unusual or not, that was just the case for a young Parisian boy by the name of Maurice Utrillo. He was born in 1883, the son of a young Parisian girl named Marie-Clementine Valadon who was herself not yet eighteen at the time. Aside from his last name, little is known about Maurice's father. His mother, who went by the name, Suzanne, had left home and school at the age of fourteen, working briefly with a circus before becoming an artist's model. She is known to have posed for both Renoir and Toulouse Lautrec, through whom she met Edgar Degas, who encouraged her to become an artist herself.
It's never easy being a working mother, raising a son alone; and a hundred years ago, on the rough streets of the Paris artists' district of Montmartre, it was especially treacherous. There was no welfare, no social safety net, and the opportunities for a largely uneducated woman to earn a living were limited pretty much to waitressing, domestic work, and prostitution. And indications are young Suzanne may, at various times, have engaged in all of the above. However she had going for her the fact that she was young, attractive, and smart. She quickly parlayed her work as an artist's model into an art education she could never have got or afforded any other way. Her early work included paintings of women and children not unlike those of her near contemporaries, Mary Cassatt and Berthe Morisot, but with a decidedly lower-class flavour imbuing them with a sense of loneliness and despair typical of her surroundings. In 1894, at the age of twenty-nine, she had some of her drawings accepted by the Salon and after that, became a regular fixture at various galleries and juried exhibitions including the group calling themselves Femmes Artistes Modernes (Modern Women Artists).
All this time, she was also raising her son, Maurice. Just as there had been no money for her own art training, the same was true for her son. She took it upon herself to become his one and only art teacher, and for years, his only artistic influence. Initially, his Paris street scenes were purely Impressionist, which was not surprising, given his mother's informal association with some of that movement's best. And though he gradually assimilated various Cubist tenets into his style, his paintings never lost the sorrowful empty feeling passed on from his mother's work. Many of his early paintings were done in palette knife employing the heavy use of white (which came to be known, not surprisingly, as his White Period). He survived two world wars, both of which found their way into his art. A French farm burned by the Germans as they advanced toward Paris during the First World War is among his most searing images. During his life, he succeeded in enveloping himself with the mystique of the Bohemian Paris street artist, his work after the Second World War gradually attaining respectable prices. His mother died in 1938, her son in 1955. His life, as well as hers, and their art, is one of the most remarkable and inspiring stories of success at beating the odds to be found in all of art history.
Contributed by Lane, Jim
17 August 1999


Gr 6 Up-A combination of autobiographical commentary and background information. Facts about the Chippewas' northern Minnesota lake-country home and occupations are explained and illustrated with photographs and DesJarlait's paintings, but most of the text is devoted to the artist's own words. He tells his story from his birth on the Red Lake Indian Reservation in 1921 through his education and career as a commercial artist. He makes clear his need to develop a personal style with which to record and interpret the customs and crafts of his people, a style that seems influenced by Diego Rivera and the Cubists. This book is useful in its respectful delivery of information about the Chippewas in mainstream America and in demonstrating that individuals of any ethnic group need not develop stereotypes in order to honor that group or to make a successful career in art. The layout incorporates full-color reproductions of DesJarlait's paintings with black-and-white historical photographs and an easy-to-read typeface. However, the historical material is printed on a birchbark background that partially obscures the text.-Kenneth Marantz, Art Education Department, Ohio State University, Columbus
This biography, based on taped interviews, relates the story of Patrick DesJarlait, an artist noted for his paintings of his people, the Chippewa of Red Lake Indian Reservation in Minnesota. The revised edition of a book first published in 1975, this volume features many more illustrations than the original, including photographs of people and places as well as more full-color reproductions of DesJarlait's art.


WHY MUSIC – Part 2B – Music and the Brain: Rhythm and Playing
“Music is a moral law. It gives soul to the universe, wings to the mind, flight to the imagination, and charm and gaiety to life and to everything.” – Plato
Behind the Beat
The oldest known musical instrument, other than the voice, is the drum. Man’s use of the drum since the dawning of civilization may help explain why our brain is so innately attuned to respond to rhythm. Music with a steady beat serves as an auditory control mechanism for organizing all kinds of thought and movement – from opening the door to remembering where you left your keys.
Rhythm itself has served as a primary source of communication throughout certain periods of history. This can be witnessed in the message-encoded drumming between African slaves, with the role of military drummers on the battlefield, and through one of the earliest forms of electronic communication – Morse code. The human brain is wired to recognize and organize our thoughts into rhythmic patterns.
Our systems naturally entrain to the pulse of the music. From our early days in the womb when our inner rhythm entrained to the beat of our mother’s heart, to the countless times we moved and sang along to our favorite song, to those nights in the club dancing to a steady beat with 1000 strangers – our nervous system, our brain and our metabolism were being programmed by the rhythm.
Unlike visual stimuli, music has a remarkable ability to drive rhythmic, metrically organized motor behavior. This is why it is much easier to tap along in accurate time to an audible beat, than to a flashing image or light.
In addition to engaging nearly all the parts of our brain required for active listening (see Music and the Brain Part A: Active Listening), physically playing a rhythm, or any instrument for that matter, helps us create a complex neuro-feedback loop between the auditory cortex and the motor cortex that controls the movements of our bodies. When a musician performs, at least three basic motor control functions are required: timing, sequencing and spatial organization of movement.
The Musician’s Brain
New developments in neuroscience and technology such as FMRI, are unveiling new discoveries every week and reaffirming theories that many scientists, philosophers and musicologists have held for centuries. It appears that highly trained and proficient musicians may even have different brain structures than the rest of us, especially those that started training as children. Recent studies show that long-term musical training and expert level performance are associated with enhanced features of the brain’s actual anatomy in both auditory and motor regions.
It is especially inspiring that the insights gained from scientists and doctors studying these processes are being applied to groundbreaking treatments for people suffering from autism, ADHD and Parkinson’s disease, as well as being used to help with stroke rehab and other learning disorders.
Whether you are a professional musician or a beginner, a therapist or a parent, it is important to realize that playing music can engage more areas of the human brain than any other known human activity. In addition to acting as a mega-vitamin for a healthier brain, playing music can enhance your and your loved ones’ overall well being and quality of life.
Benefits of Playing Music
The benefits of playing music could fill several books, but here are a few key points that might encourage you to dust off that favorite old instrument and enjoy a little time communing with music, to support music education programs – starting with ones for your own children, or to begin taking those lessons you have been promising yourself for years. Playing music can contribute to:
• Refined motor control skills
• Greater ability to focus
• Increased sense of balance and relaxation
• Stronger pattern recognition
• Improved spacial organization
• Better memory of sequential movements
• Stimulate multiple areas of the brain
• Enhanced cognitive abilities
• Improved verbal intelligence & executive function
• New treatments for neurodevelopmental disabilities
Playing for Inner Peace
I find playing music to be one of my strongest personal therapies, not only from the state of being I can achieve while playing, but also from the energetic balancing and mood enhancing effect on my mind, body and spirit throughout the day. Playing with other musicians and for appreciative audiences has become one of my most fulfilling ways to connect to and reap the benefits of community. I have even come to include my instruments as an integral part of my spiritual practice, starting by interweaving my guitar playing and singing voice into my morning meditations.
View this article on Huffington Post.


Drawing the Line: Free HS Lesson Plan Download
Editor’s Note: Today we welcome Jackie, the newest member of the AOE team. We heard your plea for more High School ideas, lessons and conversations. Jackie teaches at the secondary level and has a great deal of expertise to share with all of you. Read her bio and be sure to give her a warm welcome.
Level: High School Art Education Lesson Plan
Art Elements: Line
Art Skills: Drawing
* Get more free lessons like this, on our Lessons Page
Here is the original image that was used for this particular drawing activity. Be sure students find a very simple object so the line types become the star of the show once they draw in the grid.
Varied Applications for this lesson:
•With new vocabulary, using the grid helps students visually organize information; not to mention it looks cool.
•Apply the grid model to learning the elements and principles of design, media exploration or art history.
•Use the grid for formative assessments in drawing. Every month complete a drawing in one box. Outline drawing with black marker and date.


Area Art: Ethnomathematics For The Twenty-First Century
Overview | Activities
In this self-guided lesson, learners will review a variety of geometric shapes and ways of calculating area, and begin to understand how patterns can give us insight into art and culture. Many people take the basic principles of geometry for granted, yet the rules for solving problems in geometry can often help us solve real-world challenges. In fact, contractors, architects and artists often use these rules to create their work. As part of the PBS mission to "inform, inspire and educate," this lesson seeks to promote cultural awareness and competence, examining specific patterns in Islamic art, promoting cultural literacy and making connections to math content.
Content Area: Math
Grade level: Adult (ABLE, GED), Intermediate
Learners will be able to:
- develop numeracy skills/greater visual-spatial sense using geometric figures
- identify and describe real-world uses of geometry principles
- calculate values of congruent objects given various angle and side measures
Students will understand the concepts of and become proficient with the skills of mathematics; communicate and reason mathematically; become problem solvers by using appropriate tools and strategies through the integrated study of number sense and operations, algebra, geometry, measurement and statistics and probability.
Students will judge the reasonableness of results obtained from applications in algebra, geometry, trigonometry, probability and statistics.
Standard Deviants School Geometry: Figuring Out Area, Segment 3 "Area of Combined Shapes & Review"
EdVideo Online is one of the many resources Thirteen makes available to educators in New York at no cost. Once users register for the service, they will have access to thousands of downloadable video clips, curriculum resources, images, lesson plans and more to support learning, enhance presentations or conduct research in a user-friendly, Web-based environment right from home. (Windows Media and Quicktime formats available).
STANDARD DEVIANTS PRODUCT GEOMETRY 2 INSERT CARDS
This resource is included with individual copies of the Standard Deviants home video for Geometry. Cerebellum Inc. makes many of their product inserts available online; check their catalogue at http://www.sdlearn.com/category_s/94.htm
This site clearly explains how the areas of polygons and circles are calculated. Each explanation is immediately followed by an example problem to try along with its solution.
Math Playground: Do the Math
This interactive Web site allows users to measure rectangles and calculate perimeter and area with a Web-based ruler that can be manipulated. GREAT practice and review!
These practice items will give learners practice completing tasks similar to those required for the GED Math test.
This packet of teaching resources is provided through the University of Exeter (UK); it has templates for creating your own patterns, a glossary of geometry-related math terms and interesting facts that explain how geometry relates to various cultures.
Area and Perimeter in Islamic art
This link allows learners to get more practice identifying basic shapes as part of more complex polygonal forms and outlines while also challenging learners to practice determining area and perimeter of these irregular polygons.
This site provides an overview of Islamic art as applied math. The definition for "geometry" is provided and insight into the history of math from a cultural perspective makes this a unique Web space for interested learners.
Islamic Tiling templates
These templates provide a basic outline of the elements found in many Islamic art forms.
This informative site gives a description of the art of quilting and the geometry it uses.
Anna Grossnickle Hines Quilting Page
This interactive site allows users to create their own virtual quilts using various colored triangles to form the patterns.
- Computer with Internet access
- Notebook or paper (optional)
- Ruler (optional)
- Compass (optional)


TeachTown: Basics is an early intervention program for students developmentally 2 to 7 years old. The curriculum addresses early childhood learning standards and helps educators address commonly used IEP goals and skills measured in standardized assessments. Our On Computer Lessons and Off Computer Activities include over 800 lessons in six key learning domains:
The Adaptive Skills domain teaches your student independent life skills. Lessons in Adaptive Skills focus on teaching your student self-awareness, self-care, self-help skills, and fundamental daily living skills. Lesson subjects include learning about body parts, food types, clothing items, time, money, safety, and the community.
The Cognitive Skills domain teaches your student deductive reasoning, critical thinking, and logical reasoning skills. Lessons in Cognitive Skills focus on teaching your student problem solving, following multiple step directions, and organizing items into categories. Lesson subjects include learning about topics such as shapes, comparisons, matching, sequencing, and associations.
The Language Arts domain teaches your student early reading skills. Lessons in Language Arts focus on teaching your student the foundations of reading comprehension. Lesson subjects include phonics, upper and lower case letter identification, sight words, language comprehension, spelling, and basic narrative structure.
The Language Development domain teaches your student communication skills. Lessons in Language Development focus on teaching your student new vocabulary, enhanced word recognition, listening skills, and other fundamental language skills. Lesson subjects include learning about words, parts of speech, conjunctions, the fundamentals of grammar, and how to answer questions.
The Mathematics domain teaches your student math skills. Lessons in Mathematics focus on teaching your student the basics of number recognition and mathematical principles. Lesson subjects include number awareness, counting, matching quantity to numerals, number patterns, addition, subtraction, fractions, numerical sequences, and comparisons (more and less).
The Social and Emotional Skills domain teaches your student basic social knowledge as a foundation for more complex social interactions. Lessons in Social and Emotional Skills focus on teaching your students how to identify emotions, recognize the causes of emotions in others, and attending to relevant social information. Lesson subjects include recognizing facial expressions, following eye gaze, and identifying good friend habits.
"The kids love TeachTown, and are very motivated to learn!"
Teacher, Baltimore, MD


Academic journal article
By Volk, Terese M.
Journal of Historical Research in Music Education , Vol. 15, No. 1
In educational research today there is certainly more acceptance of both qualitative and quantitative methods than ever before. In 1990 these were known as the "humanistic" and "social-scientific" methods. The paradigms behind these two methodologies are diametrically opposed. Where the humanist seeks to document unique experiences, the social scientist is problem oriented, looking for uniformity of behaviors across a population in order to predict the solution to the problem. The humanist tends to prefer small-scale, individualized interpretation to the social scientist's documentation of variations from the norm of a population of individuals. The humanist writes in a flowing, narrative style, while the social scientist uses the structure and language of an experimental report.
These same polarities occur in music education research. Although the first publications of Journal of Research in Music Education were heavily historical, research in music education developed primarily through the methodologies of the social sciences. Today researchers have breached the quantitative world of "The Effect of __ on __," and opted for the direct observation and narrative writing style of qualitative methods. There are even a few working in that middle ground who employ both methodologies for a more balanced view of the research problem. Some researchers even recommend methods from other disciplines to help better understand what happens in music education classrooms. (1)
Like the historical disciplines of other subjects, historical studies in music education have always been predominantly a qualitative field. Indeed, most of the literature about historical music education research solidly defends the humanistic approach. George Heller and Bruce Wilson emphasized the need for the narrative form. (2) They stated that music education history does not seek to isolate causes but "to explain complex relationships." (3)
However, there are various way to try to "explain complex relationships" and qualitative methods are only one of them. While not many in number, there are quantitative research articles in music education history. (4) This change in methodology parallels the research of historians across the country. To help understand the methodological possibilities, this research paper compares the approaches described in Charles Tilly's article "How (and What) are Historians Doing?" (5) with applications in historical music education research. Some of the examples Tilly cited do not have exact parallels in music education research. In those cases, I found studies that employed a similar approach, or otherwise fit into Tilly's categorical descriptions. To further develop this comparison, I also describe various methodologies for historical research (immersion/saturation, oral history, content analysis, collective biography, and the use of genealogical and government sources) and apply them to music education research, as ways to document music education history--to look back in time.
Approaches to Historical Investigation
In 1990 Charles Tilly described various types of investigative modes available to the historical researcher, each of which represented a valid, but alternative, view of history. To help clarify his ideas of alternative histories, he divided research into four areas or quadrants, one for each approach to uncovering history. These are: small-scale, humanistic; large-scale, humanistic; large-scale, social-scientific; and small-scale, social-scientific. (6) To better understand these quadrants, Figure 1 is a comparison of research in historical music education with the examples in Tilly's article.
Tilly first addressed the small-scale, humanistic approach, represented by Carlo Ginsberg's The Cheese and the Worms: The Cosmos of a Sixteenth-Century Miller. (7) This is essentially a study of one man, a miller named Dominco Scandella, in one place and time, an Italian village of the sixteenth century. …


The literacy and numeracy skills of 16 to 24-year-olds in the UK are among the lowest in the developed world, a major international study revealed today.
A survey by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development has shown that England and Northern Ireland have some of the highest proportions of adults scoring no higher than Level 1 in literacy and numeracy.
ITV News' Rageh Omaar reports:
The survey, of 9,000 people in 24 countries, put young people in England 22nd for literacy and 21st for numeracy in a list of 24 countries.
This places England far behind countries like Japan, Finland and the Netherlands.
– OECD Report
The implication for England and Northern Ireland is that the stock of skills available to them is bound to decline over the next decades unless significant action is taken to improve skills proficiency among young people.
These skill shortages could explain why employers have expressed difficulty at finding the right people to fill their vacancies.
– John Lamb, Birmingham Chamber of Commerce
There is a huge demand for people with those basic skills - and we just can't find them.
Key facts from the report:
- 24.1% or around 8.5 million people scored at or below Level 1 in numeracy (basic sums), compared with an OECD average of 19%.
- 16.4% or around 5.8 million people scored the lowest level in literacy (simple texts), compared with an OECE average of 15.5%.


Kids have a natural love of music. They love to dance, shake and explore sounds and movement. Like with so many things in their lives, music is much more fun when it is shared with the grownups and siblings in their lives! Music can help focus their attention, music can lift their spirits and research shows that music can help make them smarter!
Many researchers believe that the earlier kids are exposed to music, the more their sponge-like brains absorb and respond to tones. In Early Literacy research, this is beneficial to their pre-literacy development and is known as Phonological Awareness. There are lots of ways you can help build this skill in and with your child including:
Good Kids music is not something that is easy to find. A lot of the albums are hit or miss with quality and enjoyableness for the grownups who have to listen to it too. We read a blog called Kids Music that Rocks and are introduced to lots of new artists and albums through there. Kiera wrote a piece a while back with links to some of her favorites from our collection like Elizabeth Mitchell, They Might be Giants and the Terrible Twos. To her list, I'd to add some World Music presented by Putumayo (Kids):
|Reggae Playground||Folk Playground||African Playground|
And now I leave you with some fun music from Feist from a guest appearance on Sesame Street. Have fun listening to music with your little one!!!


Band is a SCIENCE: It is exact, specific, and it demands exact acoustics. A conductor’s score is a chart, a graph which indicates frequencies, intensities, volume changes, melody, and harmony all at once with the most exact control of time.
Band is MATHEMATICS: It is rhythmically based on the subdivisions of notes into fractions which must be done instantly, not worked out on paper.
Band is a FOREIGN LANGUAGE: Most of the terms are in Italian, German, or French; and the notation is certainly not English – but a highly developed kind of shorthand that uses symbols to represent ideas.The semantics of music is the most complete and universal language.
Band is HISTORY: Music usually reflects the environment and times of its creation, often even the country and/or racial feeling.
Band is PHYSICAL EDUCATION: It requires fantastic coordination of fingers, hands, arms, lip, cheek, and facial muscles, in addition to extraordinary control of the diaphragmatic, back, stomach, and chest muscles, which respond instantly to the sound the ear hears and the mind interprets.
Band is all of these things, but most of all,
Band is ART: It allows a human being to take all of these dry, technically boring (but difficult) techniques and use them to create emotion.That is one thing science cannot duplicate: humanism, feeling, emotion, call it what you will.
"WHO SAYS MUSIC MATTERS?"
Links to opinions & perspectives from various walks of life regarding the value of music education.


College education has been increasingly important in today’s economy. A college degree gives more opportunities to an individual for personal growth and career development. Normally, a college graduate would have a higher chance of promotion than a high school graduate. Unlike in the past, many high school graduates today find it hard to land a high-paying job. Industrial jobs are now driven by technology that requires higher or specialized education.
A recent survey shows that 2 out of 3 Americans believe that obtaining a higher education is vital to getting a good, well-paying job while 7 out of 10 Americans say it is important for financial security. However, a lot of Americans cite the high cost of education in the United States as the main hindrance in getting a college education.
In fact, the cost of education in public colleges is rising faster than in private colleges. There are a number of reasons for this including significantly reduced state funding which has been diverted to support Medicaid, elementary education and prisons. High administrative expenses, salary increases and campus renovations are partly to blame for rising costs of state colleges.
However, tuition fees alone do not determine the entire cost of a college education. Other expenses include house rental and food. Obviously, students can save a lot of money by living with their parents. However, this is not always feasible and most students prefer moving out to experience independence.
Campus housing can be dorms or apartments. The cost of house rental will depend on the type of housing chosen. Students living on campus are also usually required to pay for a meal plan per semester. The average cost of room and board ranges from $9,200 in public colleges to $10,400 in private colleges. Students can also live off campus and choose to have their meals on campus.
Other things you’ll be spending for during college are textbooks, reading materials and any other special equipment needed for certain courses. Students also need to factor in the cost of a laptop and school supplies which can all quickly add up. It is estimated that spending for college books and supplies cost around $1,200 a year.
Transportation, clothing, entertainment and personal items are other miscellaneous expenses to expect when going to college. It is estimated that average miscellaneous expenses ranges from $2,500 at public colleges to $3,200 at private colleges.
These expenses can be overwhelming but there are ways to help you keep them down. Financial aid can help you reduce college expenses. If you find a good college, try to apply first and see if your financial aid can help lower down the cost. Don’t be scared that getting an education will not be worth its price tag. Make the most out of your college
Guest post by Marilee Moss. Ms. Moss is a retired financial planner who provides information and advice on money matters for financial blogs and money management sites like this: moneymutualcomplaints.com.


Nationally known leaders in music education offer insights and suggestions for improving the musicianship of your elementary or middle school band, and the series' signature Teacher Resource Guides offer invaluable insights to 55 of the best newer works for beginning band in print.
Each Teacher Resource Guide includes information on the composer, the composition, historical background, technical requirements, stylistic considerations, form and structure, and suggested recordings and references. A high-quality recording of these works is available separately ( ). In addition, chapters by leading beginning band educators include: "Establishing an Effective Rehearsal Procedure for Middle School Students" by Erin Cole; "Beginners or Musicians: Risk/Reward of Musicianship" by Dennis W. Fisher; "Confessions of a Music Junkie" by Cheryl Floyd; "Great Beginnings: Warm-Up Strategies for Success" by Linda J. Gammon; "Nurturing Creativity" by John O'Reilly; "A Journey to Creativity through Musical Changes" by Marguerite Wilder.
Titles include: Dimensions (Ford) · Starship (O'Reilly) · Greek Folk Trilogy (McGinty) · Our Kingsland Spring (Hazo) · and more.


Illustrations by: Amarjeet Malik
Born on December 26, 1893 into a well-to-do peasant family in Shaoshan (Shao-shan), Hunan province, Mao graduated from the Hunan First Normal School in 1918. He worked briefly as a library assistant at Beijing University. In 1919, Mao returned to Hunan, where he engaged in radical political activity while supporting himself as a primary-school principal.
Mao understood how to win peasant support for a national and progressive movement. Attacked by Chiang Kai-Shek, in October 1935 he led his followers by the Long March to North West China, from where they issued to defeat both the Japanese and Chiang, and proclaim a People’s Republic in 1949. During the early 1950s, Mao served as chairman of the Communist party, chief of state, and chairman of the military commission. His international status as a Marxist leader rose after the death of Soviet leader Joseph Stalin in 1953.
Mao's uniqueness as a leader is evident from his commitment to continued class struggle under socialism - a view confirmed in his theoretical treatise "On the Correct Handling of Contradictions among the People" (1957). Dissatisfaction with the slowness of development, the loss of revolutionary momentum in the countryside, and the tendency for CCP members to behave like a privileged class led Mao to take a number of unusual initiatives in the late 1950s. In the Hundred Flowers movement of 1956-57 he encouraged intellectuals to make constructive criticism of the party's stewardship. When the criticism came, it revealed deep hostility to CCP leadership. At about the same time, Mao accelerated the transformation of rural ownership by calling for the elimination of the last vestiges of rural private property and the formation of people's communes, and for the initiation of rapid industrial growth through a program known as the Great Leap Forward. The suddenness of these moves led to administrative confusion and popular resistance. Furthermore, adverse weather conditions resulted in disastrous crop shortfalls, severe food shortages, and a famine that cost many millions of lives. All these reverses cost Mao his position as chief of state, and his influence over the party was severely curtailed. It was also during the late 1950s that Mao's government began to reveal its deep-seated differences with the USSR.
During the 1960s, Mao made a comeback, attacking the party leadership through a Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution, which peaked from 1966 to 1969. As tensions mounted and events threatened to get out of hand, Mao was obliged to rely increasingly on the military, under the leadership of Lin Biao (Lin Piao). On the popular level the thrust of the Cultural Revolution was to teach the Chinese masses that it was "right to revolt" - that it was their privilege to criticize those in positions of authority and to take an active part in decision making. During the Cultural Revolution, Mao's sayings, printed in a little red book, and buttons bearing his image were distributed to the masses; his word was treated as an ultimate authority and his person the subject of ecstatic adulation. Despite this temporary assumption of an authority higher than the CCP, Mao continued to state his belief in the Leninist notion of collective party leadership. He showed his opposition to the "personality cult" by explicitly asking that the number of statues of him be reduced.
Toward the end of his life, Mao put forward a new analysis of the international situation in which the world's states were divided into three groups: the underdeveloped nations, the developed nations, and the two superpowers (the United States and the USSR), both of which sought worldwide hegemony. This analysis underscored China's position as a leader of the Third World (that is, the underdeveloped group) and helped to rationalize a rapprochement with the United States. The fostering of closer relations with the United States was looked upon as a way to lessen the influence of the USSR, whose relations with China had continued to deteriorate. In 1972, Mao lent his prestige to this policy change by receiving U.S. president Richard M. Nixon in Beijing. Mao died in Beijing on September 9, 1976.
Mao Zedong - A brief biography [Biographies for kids]
Illustrations by: Amarjeet Malik
Online Mind Games Tic Tac Toe News for Children Antonyms Kids' Magazine Word Play Poems for children Mind Games Discover Earth Ganesh Coloring Pages Tongue Twister Science Magazine Word Search Game Children's Craft Activities Reference Quotations Stories Folktales Learning Math Fiction for Kids Art for Kids Educational Games Coloring Books Quiz Flash Cards Did You Know? Famous People Computer Quiz Coloring Pages Math for kids Children's Books Environment Kids' Activities 5WH Science for Kids Games for Little Kids Riddles Word Match Children's Crossword Jokes for kids Science Quiz


Bummer! Sales have ended.
Unfortunately, tickets for this event are no longer on sale.
While starting school is an exciting time of growth and development for many children, it can be a time of confusion, frustration and fear for children who struggle to develop foundational skills, such as:
- Regulating their bodies and/or emotions
- Using language
- Initiating play with peers
- Understanding social cues
- Following routines
- Making transitions
Unparalleled in the Bay Area, CHC's Preschool Readiness Program (ages 3-4) and Kindergarten Readiness Program (ages 4 1/2-6) are led by Master’s level specialists in education, speech-language and occupational therapy. With immediate access to experts in other disciplines at CHC, including psychology and child psychiatry, program leaders use a whole child approach to help children develop foundational skills.
Learn more about CHC’s School Readiness Programs at an info session with program leaders. Leaders will discuss foundational skill development and provide more detail about each program.
For more info:
Or email firstname.lastname@example.org


Growing up in Tupelo, Mississippi, Elvis Presley was exposed to blues and gospel along with the hillbilly and pop he heard regularly. This informal music education gave him the influences he would need to create some of the very first rock & roll in 1954. An American music giant of the 20th century who singlehandedly changed the course of music and culture in the mid-1950s, Presley used his knowledge of black music to develop a style that was sexy yet innocent, wild yet warm. Working with legendary Memphis producer Sam Phillips, who had already recorded Howlin' Wolf, B.B. King, James Cotton and other Mississippi bluesmen, Presley in 1954 cut a version of Arthur Crudup's "That's All Right" (flip side: Bill Monroe's "Blue Moon of Kentucky") that made blues a primary catalyst in the birth of rock & roll. Presley performed the song with uncontrollable passion and urgency. With a faster tempo, a driving rhythm and shimmering vocals that played out teen melodrama, the record set the stage for rock & roll's arrival. Presley would continue to be influenced by the blues throughout his career, always recalling the delicate balance of black and white music that made rock & roll the greatest and most democratic of all American pop forms.
Courtesy of palmpictures.com
Back to Artists


ICT in Education
How should effective mobile learning initiatives for women and girls be designed? How can they be created in gender-sensitive and sustainable ways? What barriers need to be addressed and what preconditions need to be in place for successful implementation? This presentation will address these important questions as well as initial lessons learned as part of a UNESCO Education Sector's project on “Developing Literacy through Mobile Phones - Empowering Women and Girls”. The project's purpose is to study initiatives from around the world aimed at empowering women and girls through education via innovative mobile technology-based learning and information programmes. It is also exploring what makes existing initiatives effective models of using mobile technologies to support literacy development and improve learning outcomes of women and girls, with the aim of providing a foundation for the future planning and implementation of scaling-up activities in this domain. In this context, UNESCO is producing a global report comprised of regional reviews and in-depth case-studies, and has organized three expert workshops focused on Africa, Asia & the Pacific, and Latin America & the Caribbean. Following the presentation of lessons learned based on these inputs, participants will be invited to join in a deeper discussion of the issues.