You can also view the presentation here:
- Vocabulary Microblogs: Students can use Posterous or Tumblr to make sense out of their vocabulary words. This allows students to use multimedia representations for the words (video for a total physical response, a picture, an audio pronunciation), labels (according to subjects, types of words, parts of speech) and sharing / commenting. Plus, it's portable, because it's a webtool and an app.
- Blogging with Sentence Stems: Students can practice their grammatical structures in meaningful ways through blogging. We use sentence stems that they can copy and paste, both in the post itself and in the comments.
- Grammer Slideshows: This is a great chance to practice a particular verb tense sequentially. Students can annotate each page sequentially, so that they see how a verb tense changes through the past, present and teacher. Or they can find various parts of speech in their world.
- Math Discourse Podcasts: Teachers help students engage in math discourse by providing sample question stems. Students practice asking follow-up, clarifying and critical thinking questions. Afterward, they rate themselves on both the conversation and on the math problem-solving. This is a great way to compare and contrast strategies or hash out connections between concepts.
- Verbs in Context: Students use programs such as Comic Touch Lite to take pictures of their world and then apply the particular verbs within that context.
- Critical Thinking Slideshows: Teachers ask students to practice a particular structure in a way that encourages critical thinking, so that students do a topical slideshow while practicing a grammatical skill.
- Reading Fluency: Students use the audio recording devices to practice fluency and Google Forms to rate themselves on their own rubric.
- Summary Videos: Summary videos are a quick, lower-tech method of summarizing information in a way that practices both writing and speaking. Students create a picture for each main idea and then explain it in the video.
- Reflective Blogs: While this sounds simple, I have found that students thrive when they are able to reflect upon a particular skill or concept they have learned through blogging. This becomes a part of their portfolio. We also use blogs for critical thinking questions, for the writer's workshop, for visual prompts and for vocabulary.
- Self-Assessment with Forms: Students engage in self-assessment with Google Forms. It's a faster, more permanent method of doing exit slips - and it allows for more customization.
Bonus: Four More that Aren't on the Presentation (because they tend to work better on full-sized computers rather than mobile devices)
- Semantic Concept Maps: Students use concept mapping programs to connect words, concepts and systems to one another. This can range from content to academic language. Afterward, they blog about the connections in language. More advanced students can analyze the semantic environment according to types of language (economic, political, informal, etc.)
- Annotation on Google Docs: Students often use Google Docs for little more than word processing. However, with shared documents, they can annotate a text, add comments, pose questions, and link to vocabulary words. The text become interactive.
- Writers's Workshops: Students Google Docs and Blogger to go through the writing process in a writer's workshop.
- Blogging Literature Circles: Students use a shared blog as a quasi-wiki, where they interact with literature. It becomes the hub where they can post podcasts, videos, and written reflections.


Food For Thought
Dates: June 2nd-13th
How much does your meal cost the environment? Have you ever wondered where the apple in your lunchbox came from? In this module, we’ll explore where the food that we eat comes from and how it impacts our individual ecological footprints. We’ll visit local farms to learn about varying farming techniques and practices. We’ll explore the different techniques farmers use to maximize yield during our short growing season and keep pests away. We will also do some of our own gardening, as we study photosynthesis, respiration, and the carbon cycle. We will develop and conduct an experiment to measure the carbon dioxide emitted from our gardens. We will also investigate the impacts of large-scale grocery operations and the fast food industry, and compare them to our local choices, which include subsistence foods, such as berries, fish, and wild game. We will learn food preservation techniques and analyze the environmental impact of canning food compared to storing it in the freezer. Students will leave this module with a greater understanding of how the food they eat affects their personal health and the health of their environment. And yes, we will be sampling some of our local foods, so some days they will even leave with a full belly!
Sally Kieper has a B.A. in Elementary Education and Environmental Education. She also has a B.S. in Natural Resources: Environmental Education and Interpretations with a minor in Camp and Youth Agency Administration and Programming. In addition to her education, Sally has extensive experience as a teacher and is currently a teacher for the Fairbanks North Star Borough School District. Aside from her teaching experience in a classroom, Sally was also the Program Head of Hidden Villa Summer Camp and an instructor for Upham Woods 4-H Environmental Education Center, where she taught ecology lessons and led outdoor activities for youth grades K-12.
Rebecca is a M.S. student in the Biology and Wildlife department at UAF. Her research focuses on boreal wetland ecology and permafrost thaw cycles. Currently, much of interior Alaska is underlain with discontinuous permafrost but climate change is taking its toll on frozen soils. Increases in disturbance events, such as drought and fire, warmer air temperatures, and longer summers, have created widespread thaw of permafrost throughout Alaska. As a result, ecosystems shift from frozen spruce forests to soggy wetlands and lakes. Rebecca is monitoring these shifts by studying changes in soil conditions, plant growth, and nutrient cycles to gain a better understanding of the possible effects of climate change.
Before attending UAF, Rebecca work on a variety of science ventures, both as an undergraduate and as a technician. At George Washington University in Washington D.C., she earned a B.S. in Environmental Science, and went on to work for the USGS, the US Forest Service, the state of Colorado, and private consulting firms on various wildlife and ecology survey, monitoring, and research projects. Additionally, Rebecca can often be found running, skiing, and generally frolicking on trails throughout the Fairbanks area, with the occasional stop to pick berries, identify a rare flower, or just take in the beauty of Alaska.


Lial/Hornsby/McGinnis’s Intermediate Algebra, 8e, gives students the necessary tools to succeed in developmental math courses and prepares them for future math courses and the rest of their lives. The Lial developmental team creates a pattern for success by emphasizing problem-solving skills, vocabulary comprehension, real-world applications, and strong exercise sets. In keeping with its proven track record, this revision includes an effective new design, many new exercises and applications, and increased Summary Exercises to enhance comprehension and challenge students’ knowledge of the subject matter.
Review of the Real Number System; Linear Equations and Applications; Linear Inequalities and Absolute Value; Graphs, Linear Equations, and Functions; Systems of Linear Equations; Exponents, Polynomials, and Polynomial Functions; Factoring; Rational Expressions and Functions; Roots, Radicals, and Root Functions; Quadratic Equations, Inequalities, and Functions; Exponential and Logarithmic Functions; Nonlinear Functions, Conic Sections, and Nonlinear Systems
For all readers interested in intermediate algebra.
This textbook reviews the mathematical symbols and operations of algebra, and reinforces function and graphing concepts for future courses. The authors cover polynomial, rational, radical, exponential, and logarithmic equations, and both linear and nonlinear systems. The eighth edition introduces functions and graphs of linear equations earlier in the text. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)
New edition of a text that overlaps between typical beginning and intermediate algebra texts. Lial (American River College) and Hornsby (U. of New Orleans) have organized the 14 chapters to accommodate the early introduction of functions and graphing lines in a rectangular coordinate system, thus providing students with important concepts that will be an integral part of later mathematics courses. Subsequent chapters cover linear equations, lines and graphing, lines and inequalities, sequences and series, and other related topics. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)
Marge Lial Marge Lial was always interested in math; it was her favorite subject in the first grade! Marge's intense desire to educate both her students and herself has inspired the writing of numerous best-selling textbooks. Marge, who received Bachelor's and Master's degrees from California State University at Sacramento, is now affiliated with American River College.
Marge is an avid reader and traveler. Her travel experiences often find their way into her books as applications, exercise sets, and feature sets. She is particularly interested in archeology. Trips to various digs and ruin sites have produced some fascinating problems for her textbooks involving such topics as the building of Mayan pyramids and the acoustics of ancient ball courts in the Yucatan.
John Hornsby When John Hornsby enrolled as an undergraduate at Louisiana State University, he was uncertain whether he wanted to study mathematics, education, or journalism. His ultimate decision was to become a teacher, but after twenty-five years of teaching at the high school and university levels and ten years of writing mathematics textbooks, both of his goals have been realized. His love for teaching and for mathematics is evident in his passion for working with students and fellow teachers as well. His specific professional interests are recreational mathematics, mathematics history, and incorporating graphing calculators into the curriculum.
John's personal life is busy as he devotes time to his family (wife Gwen, and sons Chris, Jack, and Josh). He has been a rabid baseball fan all of his life. John's other hobbies include numismatics (the study of coins) and record collecting. He loves the musicof the 1960s and has an extensive collection of the recorded works of Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons.
Terry McGinnis - A native Midwesterner, Terry received her Bachelor's of Science in Elementary Education (Mathematics concentration) from Iowa State University. She has taught elementary and middle school mathematics, and developed and implemented the curriculum used with her students. Terry has been involved in college mathematics publishing for over 15 years, working with a variety of authors on textbooks in developmental and precalculus mathematics. After working behind the scenes on many of the Lial/Hornsby textbooks and supplements for the past ten years, Terry most recently joined Margaret Lial and John Hornsby as co-author of their developmental mathematics series that includes Introductory Algebra, Intermediate Algebra, and Introductory and Intermediate Algebra, all published by Addison-Wesley. When not working, Terry enjoys spinning at a local health club and walking. She is a devoted parent of two sons, Andrew and Tyler.


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> For Educators & Parents
For Educators & ParentsWe welcome Educators and Parents, and here are some resources that may be of some help. Please feel free to contact us, for ideas, questions, and more.
|Early Education Longitudinal Study (EELS)|
VL2-Early Education Longitudinal Study (VL2 EELS) is a longitudinal study of deaf children ages 3 - 5 in programs throughout the country to determine the most efficient instructional methods in literacy development.
|Information and Resources for Parents and Educators|
Provides information and links that provide information and support for deaf children and their parents.
The VL2 center publishes research briefs as a resource for educators and parents. The goal is to inform the education community of research findings, to summarize relevant scholarship, and, in the form of practice guides, to present recommendations that educators and parents can use when addressing the multifaceted challenges of educating deaf and hard of hearing children.
|Meet the Researchers|
Interviews with VL2 researchers, on their experience, their interests, and advice from them for students and budding scholars!
|Meet the Students|
Featuring students working within VL2, across the nation, their stories, and how they got into research and why.
|Resources for Educators/School Partner Meeting|
View the various presentations presented at this year's VL2 & Clerc Center School Partners Meeting which took place in March in Delaware.


How Do I Become a Music Teacher?
Becoming a licensed music teacher usually requires music ability and a bachelor's degree in music education. If you love music, you're likely to find a career as a music teacher rewarding because you are responsible for preparing the next generation of musicians. Read on to learn more about the background and education necessary to become a music teacher. Schools offering Teaching & Learning degrees can also be found in these popular choices.
Before a prospective Music Teacher can receive any formal education on how to educate others, the aspiring teacher should have a significant musical background. Most schools, including Ohio State University, www.osu.edu, and Arizona State University, www.asu.edu, require students to complete a successful audition in order to be admitted into a Music Education program. You might get the necessary music experience by taking private lessons or participating in a band or choir through a school, church or community group.
Undergraduate Degrees for Music Teachers
Although anyone with musical ability can give private lessons in the community, the first step towards becoming a licensed Music Teacher is to earn a bachelor's degree in Music Education, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), www.bls.gov. Many schools, including Ohio State University, Arizona State University and the University of Florida, www.ufl.edu, offer bachelor's degree programs in Music Education. Music Education programs focus heavily on music theory, music education and the psychology of education. The undergraduate curriculum at many schools requires prospective Music Teachers to complete a student teaching assignment before graduation.
Music Education Graduate Programs
While students can become licensed Music Teachers after earning a bachelor's degree in Music Education and meeting other state licensing requirements, most university Music Education programs require their professors to hold master's or doctoral degrees, reports the BLS. Ohio State University, Arizona State University and the University of Florida all offer master's degrees in Music Education. Some of these programs, like the one offered at Arizona State University, allow students to choose a specialization like orchestra, jazz or choral music. Graduate programs in Music Education usually conclude with a thesis on a topic of interest to the student.
To continue researching, browse degree options below for course curriculum, prerequisites and financial aid information. Or, learn more about the subject by reading the related articles below:


As I am learning about CCSS I have discovered that it is no longer just about addressing the new standards. It is also important that students work using a collaborative model and no longer are we expecting quiet classrooms where just the teacher is talking and one student is responding. This is a huge shift for many teachers and will be difficult for them to alter. We want students talking to each other, using academic language and being purposeful, helping each other. We know that this is how we all learn best. Why not promote this in our classrooms? In my new role I often collaborate with other teachers and find that I am at my best when I have the privilege to discuss new learning with others. It has made me much more effective and I find myself doing a lot me listening now. All of us need an opportunity to work with others at our grade level and reflect on our teaching practices even if it means laughing at how an activity "tanked" and you had to rethink your lesson! I have been there more times than I care to admit!
What does this have to do with this packet?
First, I had to be sure that the activities were purposeful and differentiated for all kinds of learners. I also made sure that students had opportunities to work collaboratively, often with a partner. I had to provide an opportunity for students to show me their learning with a performance based assessment.
All of these activities can be used during guided instruction for intervention purposes too. Hopefully, these will be highly engaging and fun for students to use. I hope I pulled this off. This packet addresses crucial foundational skills our kids must have to learn how to read and I find myself always looking for new ways to visit letters and sounds. I will post this in my TpT store and TN after the hubs edits it!
What do you think? Are you on board with this?


Wood, Clare; Littleton, Karen and Chera, Pav
Due to copyright restrictions, this file is not available for public download
Click here to request a copy from the OU Author.
|Google Scholar:||Look up in Google Scholar|
This chapter explores the question of how interactive multimedia talking books can promote young children's literacy development. Whilst commercially available talking books can motivate young children to read, there is little evidence that they are linked to the development of skills known to promote reading itself. The 'Bangers and Mash' talking books (Chera, 2000), were designed to address this issue, and we review studies that evaluated their effectiveness as classroom resources that could promote reading-related skills and abilities. We then consider the various barriers to collaborative learning in Early Years classrooms, and describe how resources like talking books could address some of those issues. The chapter concludes with a research agenda that emphasises the need for software designers to take into account the interpersonal aspects of classroom learning, as well as individual differences in children's knowledge.
|Item Type:||Book Chapter|
|Copyright Holders:||2009 IGI Global|
|Extra Information:||Published under the Information Science Publishing (InfoSci) Imprint of IGI Global.|
|Academic Unit/Department:||Education and Language Studies|
|Interdisciplinary Research Centre:||Centre for Research in Education and Educational Technology (CREET)|
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|Date Deposited:||25 Aug 2010 14:25|
|Last Modified:||26 Oct 2012 21:17|
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Many organizations do not require you to have any special skills; simply a good work ethic, an open mind, and a willingness to learn. Here are five voluntourism opportunities that are sure to be eye-opening and impactful.
Volunteering in Mexico: Teach English to University Students
Many non-English speakers in Mexico would like to learn the language, and the most effective way to learn any language is to study it with a native speaker. In Global Volunteers’ host communities of Queretaro and Guanajuato, volunteers teach conversational English to college students, either individually or in small groups, in a fun, informal environment for several hours a day for two weeks.
Volunteers build relationships with the students, and learn about their country and culture while helping them build their English language skills. Here, the emphasis is not on grammar, but on conversation. No previous teaching experience is required. The class will use a syllabus and textbooks.
Volunteering in India: Community Development in New Delhi
Women worldwide are striving for equality in their societies. In New Delhi, you can volunteer at women’s organizations to help provide forums and resources for local women. Ways volunteers can contribute include exchanging ideas on ways to fight for women’s rights, coming up with income-generating projects, teaching basic computer skills, helping with small businesses, providing shelters for victims of domestic violence, or even providing childcare services while mothers run errands.
There is strength in numbers, and when women are fully integrated into their communities as equal citizens, their communities, local economies, and the world at large benefits. Volunteers must commit to at least three weeks and can stay for a maximum of twelve weeks.
Volunteer Vacations in the US: Helping and Exploring New Orleans
Six years after Hurricane Katrina devastated the Gulf Coast, there’s still much work to be done in rebuilding many of the areas affected. In New Orleans, Sierra Club volunteers work under the inter-faith group, Center for Ethical Living, and focus on housing construction and repair, and wetlands restoration. In addition to learning about the importance of wetlands to the environment and the issues that have stalled restoration, volunteers will also have ample opportunity to explore the city on their own and in groups, as well as listen to and facilitate dialogue with speakers on the history of race and class politics in New Orleans.
The trip’s duration will be one week. Check the website for the itinerary, and keep in mind that the program may be subject to change due to weather or other conditions.
Volunteering in Poland: Witness to History
Sixty-six years ago, one of the darkest periods in human history ended, leaving six million Jews, along with millions of other Europeans, dead in its wake. Volunteers who participate in this 10-day journey will help preserve the memory of those who perished during the Holocaust and learn about modern-day Jewish life in Poland.
The program starts in Krakow, where volunteers take a guided tour of the city and are introduced to Jewish culture. Next, they take the bus to Oswiecim, the location of the Auschwitz-Birkenau Concentration Camp. Here, volunteers will work on projects at Auschwitz and the nearby Jewish Cemetery that range from groundskeeping, to working with artifacts. After volunteers complete their service, they return to Krakow.
Volunteers are sure to come away with a deeper understanding of the resilience of Jewish people, and people in general, and humanity’s capacity to triumph over devastating tragedy.
Volunteering in Jamaica: The Music Project
The arts are a vital part of every culture. If you play an instrument and love a wide variety of music, this program is an opportunity to use your expertise to teach music education to children in Jamaica. Volunteers will teach children between the ages of 6-18 how to play keyboard, guitar, drums, flutes, and violins, as well as instruct children on how to read and notate music, improvise melodies, and compose and arrange music. The education and experiences children gain from this program have the potential to not only bring them a greater appreciation of music, but also a better understanding of the connection between music and culture.
This program focuses primarily on traditional Jamaican music, but volunteers will also be encouraged to develop workshops on different music genres for students. Volunteers can choose their own start and end dates, but they must commit to at least two weeks.


From: Arpi Krikorian
I'd like some feedback for
programs such as these. Are they really assisting children in finding
own style and expression? Is this a good way to enrich the art
Looking at their advertisement/website I found some things troubling:
Art Education Can Improve Scores in Core Subjects Up To 20%! >> Ellen
Winner at Harvard's Project Zero did research that found no such direct
correlation. That is quite a statement to make without a factual basis
listed on the site.
No Art Background Needed To Teach! Step-by-Step Curriculum!>> They are
bragging here that this is "cookbook" instruction, step by step.
Kids Love the Artist Voices, Interactive Assemblies with costumes, era
props and music, hundreds of slide images, and finally
Create-their-own-Masterpiece Art Activity!>> This also sounds
time-consuming. I assume your child's school does not have an art
program? Are classroom teachers going to do this?
<< Young people who participate in the arts for at least three hours on
three days each week through at least one full year are:>>
Is this program going to run 3 hours per week for fifty two weeks?
That must require quite an investment. What is this program costing
the student examples shown did not, with one or two exceptions, use
materials in a way that was even close to what the artist being copied
was doing, ie, sandpaper and crayon to replicate pointillism?
I suppose that kids will learn about famous artists and "illustrate"
what they have heard about in a pre determined manner. It certainly
does not appeal to me! Are the administrators choosing this people
with any sort of art background? I assume that California does not
have visual arts standards for elementary age students?


Founded in 1913 by a group of teachers in Boston's Jamaica Plain neighborhood, Boston Children's Museum began a "hands–on" tradition long before that phrase became commonplace. Through Museum games, clubs, and field trips, curators and docents helped children and youth make sense of and even contribute to the growing collections. In the 1920 annual report, Curator Delia Griffin explained that the Museum’s goal was not just interpreting objects but "training the plastic minds of children to observe accurately and think logically." This focus on skill development, as opposed to content acquisition, has been central to the Museum’s history. As early as 1913, it meant engaging youth in identifying and marking nature walks, preparing specimens, making clay and wax models for exhibits, and even attempting a working model of the metropolitan water system.
Collections were important to the early Museum, but, as a Boston Herald reporter observed in 1929, "Each costumed doll, each bright bird or each gay butterfly [is] not an end in itself, [but] a means of giving young visitors a livelier appreciation and a keener knowledge of the world." Children could try a spinning wheel, look through a telescope, and handle live animals. They could create their own displays of Museum objects, study rare artifacts from around the world, or present plays as a way to teach younger children. More than enjoyable natural or social history lessons, these activities developed skills in how to discover information and learn about the world.
In the 1960's, Michael Spock (Museum director 1962–85) led the institution in revolutionizing the traditional museum experience, getting objects out of cases and into children's hands in exhibit areas where children could interact, experiment, and follow their own curiosity. Hands–on learning is now a part of American education and we are proud to have had a "hand" in it from the beginning.
Today, after 100 years, Boston Children’s Museum engages children and families in joyful discovery experiences that instill an appreciation of our world, develop foundational skills, and spark a lifelong love of learning. As an early museum experience for children, our environment is informal, but our purpose is serious. We want children to grow up feeling secure and self–confident with respect for others and the natural world. We encourage imagination, curiosity, questioning, and realism. We provide opportunities for new insights, involvement with the world and understanding of human differences with world–class exhibits and programs.


Note: To protect the privacy of our members, e-mail addresses have been removed from the archived messages. As a result, some links may be broken.
Teaching the Holocaust Through Art
[ Thread ][ Subject ][ Author ][ Date ]ShimoozA
Sat, 9 Dec 1995 11:38:56 -0500
Dear fellow arts educators, administrators, college instructors, supervisors,
I have been teaching secondary level art for nearly 25 years. For the
past ten years, the Holocaust has been offered as an elective by the Social
Studies Department in the high school where I am presently teaching.
In most areas of the country, however, electives in Holocaust studies
are not readily offered. Unfortunately, there is a general ignorance of the
Holocaust in all its phases among the public. Traditional treatment of the
Holocaust in high school texts has been superficial at best, despite the fact
that the Holocaust resulted in the mass murder of millions of people...
I believe, as do most of my colleagues, that young people must
understand the Holocaust and the phenomenal impact which that event has had
on their world and on themselves. They must comprehend why such events occur
and how they can be prevented from happening in the future. i.e. Bosnia.
Moreover, they must fully understand the significance which issues of
conscience and moral judgment have in their lives..
For the past 3 years, I 've been assisting my social studies colleagues
with their Holocaust program mainly as an arts facilitator. While operating
in this capacity, I have developed some art-related activities which are
employed from time to time to give many high school students unfamiliar with
the Holocaust an opportunity to reflect on what the Holocaust was and what it
teaches them about themselves and about humanity.
I am now writing a grant proposal so that I may continue to develop and
implement my arts-related curriculum on the Holocaust.
I plan to capture on videotape art lessons and art activities that
relate to the Holocaust curriculum as it is used within the school district
where I am presently teaching art.
But I need funding!
Does anyone have any suggestions or recommendations as to how I might
acquire funding for my project. Does the Getty Foundation support such an
endeavor? And, how might I go about tapping into this resource?
Benefit to art education:
My videotape of art lessons and art-related activities dealing with the
Holocaust can be used by art educators in high school painting, drawing,
advertising design, and advanced- placement art classes, as well as high
school social studies classes as part of an interdisciplinary program to
facilitate the introduction of specific lessons dealing with prejudice,
racism, stereotyping, pluralism, cultural diversity, genocide, or the
disintegration of civilized values.
IF YOU CAN OFFER ANY INFORMATION OR WOULD LIKE TO HELP OUT IN ANY WAY, PLEASE
SEND E-MAIL TO ME DIRECTLY AT: ShimoozA
Thanks you, Marc S., New York


Music education is a necessity, not a luxury
At this time of year, many of us gather to hear the sweet voices of children raised in holiday song. And yet, some of these voices are in danger of being stilled, at least in our public elementary schools. More and more public elementary schools statewide are giving up their music programs in answer to the pressures put upon them by No Child Left Behind. Music is not a tested subject, so it is not considered to be a priority.
It seems to many people that having an elementary school music program, taught by a specialist, is just a "pie in the sky" ideal -- not realistic. Most schools are so worried about raising test scores that a great deal of their money winds up invested in reading and math programs, consultants or anything else that can be seen as having a direct effect on those scores. It would be "nice" to have a music program, but it is not "necessary."
Why is it, then, that most public elementary school districts in the rest of the country have retained their elementary music programs, despite being under similar NCLB constraints? Why do our top private schools still maintain rigorous elementary music programs?
Music is not a luxury; it is an important part of a well-rounded education. Countless studies have proven how music education helps to improve IQ and even improves test scores and skills in reading and math. The introduction to music can be a life-changing event for some children, who might develop talents they never would have known they had otherwise. There are public schools in Hawaii that still believe enough in music and the fine arts to make them an important part of each child's education, but they are becoming rarer each year.
That is the crux of the problem -- the decision lies mostly with the school. While Act 51 has done many good things by giving back the power of decision making to the school, it also comes with the weight of having to decide what is important. One can hardly blame a school for being scared and putting most of its money toward resources proven to directly improve test scores. The consequences of not passing Adequate Yearly Progress under NCLB cause anything seen as a luxury to be dismissed.
Although not tested, music and the arts are still considered core subjects under NCLB. The integration of music and the arts into other subjects is being encouraged right now as a partial solution. But while integration is a part of the picture, it does not really address music and the arts deeply enough in their own right. Elementary teachers without music backgrounds do the best they can, but many feel intimidated when required to teach music. While May Day and holiday programs give the students a chance to perform and interact with the community, they do not stand alone as a substitute for a complete music program that addresses the state and national standards.
It should not be an unrealistic goal for every elementary school to have access to a qualified music teacher. Music is an integral part of culture. Every child, no matter their socioeconomic background, deserves to know who Beethoven and Bach are, and to be able to read, sing and play music. They need to have a concept of music that is broader than what they hear on the radio.
Our job as elementary school educators goes beyond the basics, or at least it should. We need to educate the whole child, not just potential test scores, to give our keiki the opportunities that each of them deserves.
Jenifer Tsuji is an elementary school teacher in Hilo, Hawaii.


Foundations of Music Education
Foundations of Music Education is part two of Dr. Whitwell’s three-part series, On Education.
This book traces the history of music education from the ancient civilizations of Egypt, Greece and Rome to the modern era. The reader will see the most natural concepts of the ancient music education as it then passes through the Dark Ages when the Church made music a branch of mathematics and then through the Renaissance when formal music education meant only theoretical teaching. The search for how music communicates emotion during the Baroque Period began the path back toward teaching music rather than teaching about music.
Buy the PDF version of the book — $24.20
8 x 10 inches, 400 pages, color
Softcover versions are available from Amazon.com.


Contact: Science Press Package
American Association for the Advancement of Science
Bacteria 'light bulbs' inside coral
Underwater photograph of M. cavernosa exhibiting orange daytime flourescence throughout the colony. The colony is approximately 0.6 m high.
Image © Science.
Click here for the full picture.
Many coral glow, not in the dark, but in the blue light of the ocean. For example, some varieties of the Caribbean Great Star coral, Montastraea cavernosa, give off a sunny orange color.
The orange light comes from pigments that fluoresce, meaning they absorb light in one color (blue) and emit it in a different color (orange). Researchers have now discovered that one of the fluorescent pigments of the Great Star coral doesn't actually belong to the coral, as most of these pigments do. Instead it belongs to bacteria that live inside the coral.
These bacteria offer more than just orange mood lighting, reports the research team, led by Michael Lesser of the University of New Hampshire. They offer nitrogen.
Corals need nitrogen to grow, but most of the nitrogen in the seawater comes in a form that the corals can't use -- like having a can of soup but no can opener. The new study suggests that in exchange for having a place to stay, the bacteria convert the nitrogen in the water into a form that helps the coral.
These bacteria are called "cyanobacteria" or "blue green algae." Corals like the Great Star coral also have a type of algae as tenants, the zooxanthellae. These algae provide the coral with other food items like carbohydrates.
The coral and its partners seem to make up a cooperative system, with each organism offering the other some benefit. The type of nitrogen that the cyanobacteria produce may help the zooxanthellae as well as the coral, according to Lesser. The zooxanthellae may return the favor by giving the cyanobacteria an energy source for their activities.
Why the cyanobacteria glow orange, however, is still a mystery.
The researchers' findings appear in the 13 August 2004 issue of the journal Science.
Q&A: In a new Q&A this week, two kids interview a Science author about whalebone-eating worms.
Back to Science for kids
Science is published by AAAS, the non-profit science society.


Young children choose who to learn from
Infant teachers may be interested in new research which suggests that children have an inbuilt no-nonsense detector which alerts them to unreliable people who they will tune out from and not imitate or take lessons from.
Researcher Diane Poulin-Dubois of Concordia University in Canada looked at 60 infants and conducted a series of experiments which led her to find that the children were far less likely to imitate the actions of a person who was deemed 'unreliable.'
To establish this, firstly the children were split into two groups and each were given what researchers call an emotional referencing task. The first group watched as the researcher searched for a soft toy, smiled and laughed when she found it and then showed it to the children. The second group saw the same actions but this time the researcher did not produce the soft toy. Next the infants watched as the researcher turned on a touch light using her forehead. They were then given the chance to replicate this. Ones who had established the researcher as being credible copied her while those who had been exposed to her showing she was not credible didn't replicate the task.
The new report suggests there is a growing body of research showing children's selectivity in who they choose to learn from. For example, it says children prefer to learn from adults as opposed to their peers, and they prefer to learn from people they are familiar with and who appear more certain, confident and knowledgeable.
Music training affects reading skills
The correlation between reading skills and musical skills has been examined in a German study. The research looks at whether training to play a musical instrument has a positive impact on reading ability. A total of 159 primary children from eight classes in Germany took part in the project.
Children in the experimental group received specialist musical training twice a week for eight months while children in the comparison group had additional training in the visual arts for the same length of time. A third group did not receive any training for the period of the study.
The study discovered that the ability to differentiate rhythmic patterns and tone lengths had a significant correlation with decoding skills when reading. Students who were able to identify and discriminate pitch and melodic patterns, however, did not show any correlation with reading skills. But the specialist music training did have a significant effect on reading accuracy.
More pre-school benefits disadvantaged pupils
Disadvantaged pupils benefit greatly from receiving an additional year of pre-school education, say researchers at Pennsylvania State University.
The authors studied children participating in a pre-school programme who came largely from disadvantaged backgrounds. They compared the outcomes of the children who took part in the programme for two years and those who only took part for one year. Assessments were made of the children simultaneously in the autumn term.
The report concluded that a second year at pre-school led to significant improvements in the children's early literacy and numeracy skills and readiness to attend and benefit from school.


A new toy/musical instrument brings a tactile element to digital music.
With so many innovations being made in the field of digital music production, it can be easy to forget that the sounds many of us manipulate for fun still have a basis in real instruments, the learning of which immeasurably benefits thousands, maybe millions, of people around the world every day in unexpected ways. Sadly, funding for music education in public schools has been under attack for years, and even when kids do learn music in a band at school, they might have only limited opportunities to practice at home or just freely play with the concepts of tone and touch. Enter the Tingle, a small suspended pinboard that may look familiar but provides an unexpected effect when played with in the conventional way: each pin produces its own gradated tone, so pressing multiple ones at once (as a hand or a typical finger would do) creates a chord.
“A side problem is that musical instruments have stayed the same for decades,” the designers at the studio that produced Tingle, Nupky, note on their website. “Any explorations into new musical instruments either became run-offs on older instruments (piano-like instruments) or abstract art installations (footballs that create buzzy clicks when spun). With Tingle, the aim was to make a musical instrument of the 21st century that had a character to its own.” The original version of Tingle, which was displayed at Dutch Design Week ’12, worked with a webcam, but the instrument has been recently simplified to work without one. Hopefully a production model will soon bring joy to the masses. Check out the video below to see it in action.


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Traces of the Hand: Master Drawings from the Collection of Frederick and Lucy S. Herman
Two Figures, 1880s
Black chalk on wove paper
6 x 3 11/16 in, 15.24 x 9.37 cm (sheet)
Inscriptions: (recto) lower left, signature: "C.P."; (verso) "a voir" / "No. 866"
Provenance: Acquired in Paris, gift of Maria Herman-Lania, 1957
Gift of The Frederick and Lucy S. Herman Foundation, 2006.11.45
Camille Pissarro used black chalk to rapidly draw Two Figures in a pocket sketchbook. An avid draftsman, Pissarro’s quick and expressive lines form the abstracted outlines of the two men’s bodies. With their backs to the viewer, they engage in conversation as suggested by their embrace. The extreme lack of detail suggests the ephemeral nature of the pose, and Pissarro varies the pressure of his chalk to increase the energy and motion of the intimate composition. Typical of the artist’s cursory studies made on site, Pissarro economically renders the most basic information about a silhouette or figural relationship. As a kind of aide mémoire, such drawings studying quotidian movements and occurrences acted as a first stage of Pissarro’s preparatory practices, though any given drawing may not have proven useful later in the studio.1
Often considered the "Father of Impressionism," Pissarro ushered in a modern, expressive drawing style, often featuring the human form. His childhood in the Virgin Islands and travels to Venezuela initiated his close encounters with nature and observation of peasant life, two recurring themes in his oeuvre. Following his move to Paris in 1855, the details of Pissarro’s subsequent training remain contested; he most likely studied, however briefly, at the École des Beaux-Arts or the Académie Suisse and perhaps informally under the landscape painter Jean-Baptiste-Camille Corot (1796–1875).2 From early in his artistic education, Pissarro recognized drawing’s importance as a preparation for his oil paintings and as an independent exercise, even as he was increasingly concerned with capturing spontaneity of gesture and the impression of reality. He drew incessantly, making several preparatory studies for almost all of his paintings, reworking complex compositions or gathering visual information.3 Although Pissarro’s drawing practices may seem contradictory to the immediacy of his Impressionistic landscape paintings created en plein air, they reveal the significance of draftsmanship within his oeuvre.
Two Figures is characteristic of Pissarro’s work during the 1880s, in which he often depicts peasants in the fields or at the market. Characteristic of that date, too, is his increasingly abstracted treatment of figures, resembling the quick studies he made at the market. While Pissarro’s subject matter suggests his connection to the themes of rural poverty of his Realist predecessors, reading his political beliefs into these idyllic, agrarian scenes and cityscapes remains disputed. In any case, his rapid drawing style and interest in movement typify Impressionism and look forward to subsequent Modernist art currents.
1. Nicholas Wadley, Impressionist and Post-Impressionist Drawing, Singapore, 1991, 172. Wadley describes three categories of Pissarro’s drawings; each consecutive stage appears relatively more precise and detailed.
2. For the debate on Pissarro’s formal art education, see Michael Reid, Pissarro, London, 7; Joachim Pissarro, Camille Pissarro, New York, 153; Karen Levitov and Richard Shiff, Camille Pissarro: Impressions of City and Country, New Haven and London, 2.
3. Pissarro, Camille Pissarro, 153.
4. See Pissarro, Camille Pissarro, 13; Richard Thompson, Camille Pissarro, Impressionism, Landscape, and Rural Labor, New York, 1990.


Welcome to B14:
B14 is the instrumental music room at Oak Park. The process of Orff-Schulwerk is taught here. Orff-Schulwerk is a way to teach and learn music. It is based on things children like todo: sing, chant rhymes, clap,dance (move), and keep a beat on anything near at hand. These instincts are directed intolearning music by hearing and making music first, then reading and writing itlater. This is the same way we all learned our language.K-1-2: Kindergarten, first, and second grades study steady beat, rhythms, playing xylophones and percussion instruments in song, literature and nursery rhymes through the Orff Schulwerk method. Movement and dance are also included.
Third: Third grade students study recorder. We use a recorder method book to read notation, songs and learn beginning music reading theory.
Fourth: Fourth grade students begin the two year study of the band instrument of their choice. This beginning band performs two major concerts each year.
Fifth: Fifth grade students move from beginning band to advanced band. Here students perform 3 major concerts a year and are invited off campus several times, especially during the winter holiday months.
Music provides students with many extra benefits. Teamwork, dedication, self-discipline and responsibility prepare a child for a successful future in any profession he/she may choose. A variety of research shows that music students are among the academically strongest in their schools and score higher on the SAT than other students. Most colleges and universities now look for more than good grades on a child's transcript. They want well-rounded students that have been able to accomplish more than just textbook knowledge.
“Schools that have music programs have significantly higher graduation rates than do those without programs (90.2% as compared to 72.9%). In addition, those that rate their programs as ‘excellent’ or ‘very good’ have an even higher graduation rate (90.9%). Schools that have music programs have significantly higher attendance rates than do those without programs (93.3% as compared to 84.9%).”
“Students in high-quality school music programs score higher on standardized tests compared to students in schools with deficient music education programs, regardless of the socioeconomic level of the school or school district. Students in top-quality music programs scored 22% better in English and 20% better in math than students in deficient music programs. Students in top-quality instrumental programs scored 19% higher in English than students in schools without a music program. Students in top quality instrumental programs scored 17% higher in math than children in schools without a music program. Students at schools with excellent music programs had higher English and math test scores across the country than students in schools with low-quality music programs. Students in all regions with lower-quality instrumental programs scored higher in English and math than students who had no music at all.”


Early Foundations® Toddlers
Your Toddler's Day
Knowledge Beginnings' toddler-specific curriculum enables your child to grow in confidence and learn to walk tall in their new world.
Toddlers are naturally curious and want to explore the world around them. We have designed our classrooms and equipment to support safe exploration so your child has room to discover, build motor skills, and improve coordination. Activities focus on experimenting with space to develop balance, hand/eye coordination, participation in creative movements to music, and more.
Toddlers need an environment that is interesting to explore, safe, and filled with caring teachers who respond to their emotional and intellectual needs. Our program offers children a variety of fun, stimulating activities, such as matching and sorting, exploring colors, counting, and categorizing objects.
A foundation for reading success begins as early as the first few months of life. Introducing toddlers to books and language nourishes early literacy development. Toddlers focus on first words and phrases, vocabulary development, following simple directions, and identifying and naming familiar items.
Exploring art materials and experiencing music, dance, and drama enrich the classroom. Our experienced teachers reinforce important developmental objectives through these creative, fun experiences. Creative Arts activities are designed to introduce toddlers to cause and effect, self-expression through art and music, and taking on pretend roles.
As toddlers learn more about themselves and their abilities, they become aware of their social setting. With frequent opportunities for group experiences, they gain an awareness of others and a sense of group identity. Daily group-time incorporates a number of activities, such as songs, games, stories, and more.


Posted on Friday 9th August 2013
Birmingham University Physics graduate, Stuart Bahn, turns to creating apps to help music students develop their skills whist waiting for the bus.
Former physics student, Stuart Bahn, left Birmingham with a degree in physics. He then decided to move to London to pursue a career as a professional guitarist. Now a successful guitar tutor and business entrepreneur, Stuart has combined his science background with music to launch the first in a series of Android phone apps to help guitar students learn about the fundamentals behind great music, during otherwise ‘dead time’.
“In my experience, it’s a lack of understanding of music theory, or ‘how music works’, that holds most guitarists back” Stuart says, “The problem is that the subject is seen as dry and some traditional teaching methods don’t appeal to young people drawn towards music. Failure to get to grips with basic music theory can prevent even the most talented students from achieving their full potential. The ubiquity of mobile phones makes them an ideal supplement to good quality teaching. My aim with this app is to give students a convenient and accessible tool that helps them develop an understanding of music, without seeming like hard work or cutting into their practice time. They can now work on gaining their edge anywhere, any time they choose without the use of the dreaded textbook”.
Although physics is unusual pathway to becoming a guitarist, music is surprisingly mathematical and what I learned in Birmingham has been put to good use in my music career. The ability to code applications is another happy spin-‐off from my time in Birmingham, even though I didn’t enjoy the I.T. job I had for a year. Funny how things work out sometimes!.
‘Music Theory Chords in Keys’ is distributed via several channels including the Google Play app store and is available now to buy for 59p or equivalent.
About Stuart Bahn
Stuart Bahn is a professional guitar educator in Ealing, west London and a former Course Leader for The Academy of Music and Sound. He is a memberof the Music Masters Association and UK Association for Music Education.


How Parents Can Raise Creative Thinkers in the Face of Elementary and Middle School Social Pressures
It’s proven through government studies that creativity is a valuable asset best developed through the arts. Creativity is known as the fundamental driver of innovation. Art education develops the critical thinking skills and problem solving abilities necessary to create our future innovators. However, it can be quite difficult for parents to retain the adventurous free spirit of early childhood in the face of elementary and middle school social pressures. How can parents raise the next generation of creative thinkers?
Unstructured artwork is characteristic of pre-school and kindergarten age children. They draw stick figures and love to splatter paint with fingers onto huge sheets of paper. Parents enjoy the self-expressive free nature found in their child’s art. Exploration and risk-taking are encouraged, even if the kitchen floor is a disaster and there are two loads of laundry afterwards.
By third grade it’s clear something has changed. Children become much more cautious with their artwork. Looking at class presentations shows heightened conformity and a great degree of similarity across student artwork. Many seem too perfect to be a typical third-grader’s. Children seem a bit embarrassed by their work, and more concerned with approval than enjoyment of the process. Unless parents and teachers step in, children will continue to lose their inborn creative spark.
So what can parents do to nurture creativity into adulthood? Here are four strategies:
- Children’s physical ability to color inside the lines is seen as a developmental milestone, thus teaching at an early age that creativity has strict rules and expectations. Relying on coloring books leads to the same conformity. Instead of using structured materials such as coloring books, parents should try sketchbooks to help children find their own source of inspiration and ways to communicate through art.
- Peer pressure can influence a child’s artwork the same way it controls what clothes a child wears to school. Our society places high value on creativity, yet children instinctively feel that artwork has to be pretty to be praised. Parents need to be aware of their child’s need for social acceptance, even in art class. Asking about projects can give insight into the amount of peer pressure involved. Try “How is your work different from others in class? Or the same? What do you like / not like about your artwork? What would you do differently next time?” Let you child know that being an individual is important, and that you value an ability to be thinking independently.
- School administrators face pressure to keep art as part of the school day in the face of rising budget cuts. However, a comprehensive standards-based art curriculum isn’t just about making clay dinosaurs or painting with acrylics. A true study of the visual arts is cross-curricular, uniquely connecting the “core” course of math, history, language arts and science. As a parent, don’t let art get pushed aside as being a “special”. If your child has art class in school or as part of an afterschool program, find out just what topics are being explored. It’s not just about what they have made in class, it’s about learning to ask questions and explore the relationship between subjects. If you want children with critical thinking skills and better grades, it’s proven that you should start with art.
- Art needs to stay fun. It develops self-expression that is free from “right and wrong” test-driven coursework. Art explores the basis of human knowledge about our world and is the best way for children to discover their unique place in it. So keep it fun by taking trips to museums, talking about movies or picture books – really anything visual that creates an emotional response, good or bad. Then think, discuss, and ask “Why?” “What did it mean to you?” “Would you change it?” Not only will you have more quality time with your family, you’ll also be developing critical thinking skills.
Teaching children to ask questions is essential towards their creative development. Art should be a place where children can learn, explore and create without right or wrong answers. By nurturing creativity we develop future innovators. So don’t be afraid to teach children to color outside the lines


DATE : 10th August 2011
DAY : Wednesday
TIME : 8.00 am – 5.00 pm
LOCATION : E-Learning Building, UPSI
PARTICIPANT : PE teachers, lecturers,Tutors, coaches, TID officer
8.00 am – 8.45 am : Registration of participant
9.00 am – 9.15 am : Opening ceremony
9.15 am – 11.15 am : Session 1 (Susan Walker)
11.15 am – 11.30 am : Break
11.30 am – 12.30 pm : Oral Presentation
12.30 pm – 2.00 pm : Break
2.00 pm – 4.00 pm : Session 2 (Susan Walker)
4.00 pm – 4.15pm : Closing ceremony
SESSION 1: PHYSICAL LITERACY – HOW IMPORTANT IS IT? CURRENT RESEARCH INDICATIONS
This workshop investigates current research into physical literacy from both a health and performance perspective. Should a physical education curriculum be underpinned by physical literacy and what would that look like? Can the rise in obesity be partly addressed by an effective physical education programme in schools? This course offers delegates the opportunity to experience and develop knowledge in the following areas:
• Physical literacy development
• Philosophy for curriculum design
• Current research indications
• Projects incorporating a physical literacy approach
• Motivation and enjoyment
SESSION 2: DEVELOPING PRACTICAL ABCs – TASTER SESSION
ABCs is a new programme which offers a unique CPD opportunity for infant/primary teachers delivered in a 2 hour workshop led by qualified instructors. The programme is supported by a set of carefully designed resource cards that will enable teachers/AOTTs to select appropriate material to use with specific classes dependent upon pupils developmental level, ability level, age and sex.
The rationale for developing this innovative and exciting programme is based upon substantial research which highlights the need to focus the development of physical literacy on ‘windows of accelerated adaptation’. These are periods of time when physiologically children are more susceptible
to specific physical developments.
This program would be extremely beneficial for those who work with children aged 5 – 14 through physical activity.
What is ABC’s?
Current concerns over an increase in obesity, combined with a reduction in physical activity for both children and adults make the delivery of physical education in schools critical. It has been suggested that the most crucial time to encourage and enable lifelong participation in physical activity is during early childhood and this programme provides a different, fun, appropriate and adaptable way to inspire and motivate young children to develop their physical literacy.
Contact: Dr. Nur Ikhwan Mohamad
Email: email@example.com Phone: 013-373 8394
Sekiranya ada yang berminat dan memerlukan surat rasmi, boleh berhubung dengan nombor telefon di atas.


Mathematics for young learners, could there be a more straightforward subject to teach?
I think it’s relatively safe to say that almost everyone who has had an average elementary school experience also has workbook memories. While other subjects seemed to require different reading materials and critical thinking skills, the handy dandy math textbook was always there in the back of your locker, like an old and trustworthy friend that had long since run out of ways to surprise you.
Thankfully, for the math-inclined student, many teachers and educators do not believe that math has to be dusty or boring. Math surrounds us and is integrated into many important parts of our lives!
Sure, workbooks have their place among many outstanding tools that are at your student’s disposal, but who says they have to be the end all? Programs like Biteslide are adaptable which makes them easy to integrate into a large range of curriculum.
Biteslide Can Enforce Basic Math Skills
Math literacy takes time. It also is built up around basic and foundational math skills- mainly addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division. For students that are wired for visual processing, Biteslide offers both educators and parents the opportunity build slides based around workbook problems and a student’s particular interests. Below is an example of a basic slideshow that details a subtraction problem from a workbook.
As the student progresses in his or her understanding of a particular concept, it is okay to let go of the reins and ask them to build a slideshow explaining the steps they took to get to their eventual answer.
Biteslide Can Enliven Word Problems
Word problems are literally haunting. They show up in all levels of math curriculum and are generally assumed to be helpful when trying to explain to a student that, sigh, math is actually a subject that he or she will use.
Word problems are great ways to think critically. They can also seem very daunting.
Working through a word problem on Biteslide encourages students to use all facets of learning to solve every day problems. (Yes, you can draw a picture to solve an equation!) Slideshow presentations allow students to get creative while also zoning in on a particular task. The combination should leave your students feeling empowered to tackle word problems from several possible angles.
Below is an example of a slideshow that was started by a teacher and then solved by a student.
Biteslide Can Connect Math to the Every Day
After your students have a solid and foundational understanding of the basic mathematical concepts you are trying to convey, why not have them explore the everyday application of their newly acquired knowledge?
Biteslide is not only easy use; it is also easy to share. Breaking away from the textbook for exciting and interesting presentations is a good way to break up the week and to make students feel like their knowledge has applicable power. Here is an excellent presentation that uses basic math (addition and patterns) and applies it to Fibonacci’s sequencing.
Math doesn’t have to solely reside in between the pages of a textbook. Biteslide offers ways that for students to be involved in their learning process. Visual learners will benefit from the tactical nature of the program while learners of all varieties will have fun extending their newly acquired knowledge into a stunning and shareable platform.
Register now so your students can start their own math projects.
And please do get in touch to let us know the exciting ways are you using Biteslide to promote math skills.
Kathryn Rose is a full-time educator turned full-time mom and writer focusing on parenting and educational topics. After completing her Elementary Education Certification through North Park University, she taught middle school Social Studies in Chicago, IL. She still teaches part-time and loves putting together engaging lesson plans and activities that keep kids engaged and moving.


One thousand miles (1600 km) northeast of Pehuajo, the first station of the Argentine Mennonite Mission, lies central Chaco where a Mennonite Indian mission is located. The Indians of the Chaco were nomadic collectors, fishermen, and hunters. While their way of life was modified by contact with the whites, they found it hard to cast aside their agelong superstitions and tribal customs, including witchcraft and quackery. A bit of haphazard farming, a lot of roving around, and the pursuance of occasional jobs on cotton plantations—this was the life of the remaining 10,000 or fewer Indians of the Argentine Chaco in the mid-1950s.
In government-controlled reductions for the Indians, such as Napalpi, 40 miles (65 km) from the Mennonite mission, efforts were made to aid the Indians through cattle raising, farming, and elementary education, but nothing had been done for their moral and spiritual uplift. Even Catholic missions so vigorously developed in past centuries had all but disappeared. Protestant efforts of the past 60 years so nobly made in Paraguay and northern Argentina by the Anglicans and later by a few independent groups were still alive and growing in 1950, but were inadequate to meet the pressing needs of the Indians.
In March 1943 the Shanks and Holdermans, appointed by the Argentine Mennonite Mission, began their travels over the great northern region of Argentina in search of unevangelized groups of Indians. Finally by May central Chaco was chosen as the most strategic region for the new mission. Two months later work was begun in a Toba Indian colony of some 300 souls near Tres Isletas and within a month work on a church-school building was started. Some months later land was purchased some 18 miles (30 km) farther south and nearer the thriving town of Saenz Pena. Here a new Indian colony was formed. This became the central station under the name "Nam Cum," where the Mennonites aimed to emphasize preaching, Bible training, medical and nursing service, day school, better farming and industrial work. The third station 18 miles (30 km) to the east was opened in 1944. In rustic buildings of their own construction the Indians gathered for services and afterward brought their sick out under the trees for treatment.
The personnel of the mission during its first years was as follows: Calvin and Frances Holderman, 1943-1946; J. W. and Selena Shank, 1943-1950; John and Edith Tuck, 1947-1949; Una Cressman, 1948-1952; Samuel E. and Ella May Miller, 1949-52; Mabel Cressman, 1950-1953; Albert and Lois Buckwaiter, 1951- ; John and Maryann Litwiller, 1953- .
The 1953 membership was 82.
|Author(s)||J. W Shank|
 Cite This Article
Shank, J. W. "Chaco Mennonite Mission (Argentina)." Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. 1953. Web. 28 Aug 2014. http://gameo.org/index.php?title=Chaco_Mennonite_Mission_(Argentina)&oldid=86628.
Shank, J. W. (1953). Chaco Mennonite Mission (Argentina). Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. Retrieved 28 August 2014, from http://gameo.org/index.php?title=Chaco_Mennonite_Mission_(Argentina)&oldid=86628.
Herald Press website.
©1996-2014 by the Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. All rights reserved.


Playful Learning: Concerns about the British Primary School Curriculum Made Their Way onto the Political Agenda Last Year with the Publication of the Interim Rose Report. with the Full Report Imminent, Richard Willis Looks at the History of Progressive Education and Ponders Its Future
Willis, Richard, History Today
Rousseau's philosophy of allowing school children to 'develop their senses without restraint' has not been a priority of UK education policy in recent years. Testing the 'three R's' (reading, 'riting and 'rithmetic) ad infinitum has been more the trend. But, it now seems that the use of so-called progressive methods in early years education is experiencing a revival. The government is supporting small-scale initiatives using the holistic, child-centred approaches to learning promoted by such education luminaries as Jean-Jacques Rousseau, Johann Pestalozzi, Friedrich Froebel, Rudolf Steiner and Maria Montessori. So what did these thinkers see as the true benefits of progressive education and how is it being applied today?
Rousseau (1712-78) published Emile, his collection of thoughts on education, in 1762. The work has had a huge impact on educational theory and practice and is still highly regarded. Rousseau's original theories linked education to nature and countered the view of the child as an object to be managed totally by adults to fit in with adult society. Education had previously been dominated by what historians refer to as a 'traditional' approach underpinned by authoritarian precepts and corporal punishment. Instead, Rousseau regarded children as human beings who should be allowed to develop their natural goodness and individuality, and not be controlled by parents. He wrote that, as toddlers began to learn to walk and talk, they should be free from 'unnatural' restraint and that children should be allowed to develop their five senses without restriction.
Johann Pestalozzi (1746-1827) implemented Rousseau's ideas at the school he founded in Yverdon, Switzerland in 1805; and he wrote about his methods in How Gertrude Teaches Her Children (1801). He wanted children to learn through activity and play, and to be taught in a way that would allow the learner to be free from the constraints of more traditional forms of learning: children would rely more on discovering for themselves and less on the 'corrupting passions' and 'second-hand opinions' of others, whether derived from books or society. Pestalozzi elaborated on Rousseau's theories and underlined the principle that an individual's mind, when faced with a mass of confused objects, would endeavour to discover three things: how many and what kinds of objects are presented to him; their appearance, form, or outline; and their names--how he may represent them by a sound or a word.
The German educationist Friedrich Froebel (1782-1852) believed that children should be educated in a way that promoted creativity and he is sometimes referred to as 'the Playmaster'. Froebel's techniques are still valued and supporters claim that his theories are as relevant to university education as they are to nursery instruction. His system, explained in The Education of Man (1826), was based on instructive play. Inspired by Rousseau and Pestalozzi, Froebel's enduring legacy was the 'kindergarten' system, which emphasised play and the use of 'gifts' (play materials) and 'occupations' (activities) rather than prescriptive learning. A committed Christian, Froebel considered that the individual was essentially productive and creative and that self-fulfilment is achieved through individual creativity. He also thought that learning should be fun. Deprived of a mother at an early age, he had had a difficult upbringing with a father who seemed to care little for him.
Froebel's concepts were supported and put into practice by such educators as Bertha von Marenholtz-Bulow (1810-1893) and the philosopher Friedrich Diesterweg (1790-1866). The American educational commentator W.H. Kilpatrick, writing in 1916, said Froebel affected people's whole perception of childhood. The International Froebel Society was formed at a conference in Dresden in October 2002 and continues to develop his child-centred philosophy, providing opportunities for research and debate on early childhood education. …


September 15 to October 15 is National Hispanic Heritage Month
The Library of Congress, National Archives and Records Administration, National Endowment for the Humanities, National Gallery of Art, National Park Service, Smithsonian Institution and United States Holocaust Memorial Museum join in paying tribute to the generations of Hispanic Americans who have positively influenced and enriched our nation and society.
About National Hispanic Heritage Month
Each year, Americans observe National Hispanic Heritage Month from September 15 to October 15, by celebrating the histories, cultures and contributions of American citizens whose ancestors came from Spain, Mexico, the Caribbean and Central and South America.
The observation started in 1968 as Hispanic Heritage Week under President Lyndon Johnson and was expanded by President Ronald Reagan in 1988 to cover a 30-day period starting on September 15 and ending on October 15. It was enacted into law on August 17, 1988, on the approval of Public Law 100-402.
The day of September 15 is significant because it is the anniversary of independence for Latin American countries Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua. In addition, Mexico and Chile celebrate their independence days on September 16 and September18, respectively. Also, Columbus Day or Día de la Raza, which is October 12, falls within this 30 day period.
Pablo Cano: The Toy Box Revival
September 28 @ 7 pm
October 13 and 14 @ 12 pm & 2 pm
November 3 @ 2 pm
MOCA will present a revival of Pablo Cano’s 2004 musical marionette production, The Toy Box with five public performances September to November. Featuring marionettes and a stage set created from found objects by Miami performance artist Pablo Cano, The Toy Box is based on Claude Debussy’s 1913 children’s ballet La Boite a Joujoux, a solo piano piece that was intended for marionettes, but never realized during the French composer’s lifetime.
Latina Women and the Body
October 3, October 10, October 17 @ 7 pm
Presented by MOCA’s Women on the Rise! program in partnership with
Florida International University’s Women Studies Center
Wednesday October @ 7 pm
Ni Pardo, Ni Prieto: Presentations of Skin Color Influencing Hispanic Women’s Self Identity
Dr. Dionne Stephens, Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychology, Affiliated Faculty member of Women’s Studies Program and Latin America & Caribbean Studies Center, Florida International University
Wednesday October 10 @ 7 pm
Panel Discussion: Making Art Out of Excess: Exploring Latina Styles and Sexualities.
- A Chonga Manifesto: Thinking, Embodying, and Re-Imagining Latina Girlhood - Jillian Hernandez, MOCA Education Outreach Coordinator and Ph.D. Candidate in Women’s and Gender Studies at Rutgers University
- Cuban Beauties: Assets in Excess - Crystal Pearl, Visual artist and MOCA educator
- Moderated by Anya Wallace, Ph.D. student in Women’s Studies and Art Education at Penn State and MOCA educator
Wednesday October 17 @ 7 pm
Latinas in Hollywood: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly
Dr. Myra Mendible, Professor in the Language and Literature department, Florida Gulf Coast University
(This lecture will be followed by a book signing with Dr. Mandible in the MOCA Shop of From Bananas to Buttocks: The Latina Body in Popular Film and Culture, University of Texas Press, 2007).
Latina Women and the Body is made possible through sponsorships from FIU’s Women’s Studies Center, Department of English, and Latin American and Caribbean Center.
MOCA by Moonlight: Arts for All: Frida Kahlo
Wednesday, October 24 @ 7 pm
Members $10, Non-members $15
Hands on art project inspired by Frida Kahlo
ART TALK: Claudia Calirman Brazilian Art under Dictatorship
Tuesday, November 2 @ 7 pm
Latin American Art historian Claudia Calirman will discuss the strategies and achievements of three Brazils most important contemporary artists—Antonio Manuel, Artur Barrio, and Cildo Meireles – who flourished in that country in the late 1960’s and 70’s by devising new and subtle modes of artistic intervention to express themselves and disguise political protest
Image: Jorge Pardo, Six Lamps (multiple), 2010-2011 , Mixed media, Various dimensions , Gift of Barbara, David and Casey Herzberg. In memory of Sophie Miller


Note: To protect the privacy of our members, e-mail addresses have been removed from the archived messages. As a result, some links may be broken.
"A counterpart to the base line appears in drawings as a sky line. This is
usually drawn at the top of the page, and the space between this and the
base line is identified by children as being air. As adults we usually
think of the sky in pictures as coming down to ground level; however, this
is actually an optical illusion. Not only does the sky never actually meet
the ground, but of course there is no tangible sky, only an accumulation of
air over a dark background. The concept of the sky above, ground below,
and air between is just as valid as our concept that the sky and ground
meet. Both are illusions."
CRAIG ROLAND. Associate Professor-Art Education.
Department of Art, University of Florida, Gainesville Florida.
32611-5801. (352) 392-9165 - Art Ed Office (352) 392-8453 - Fax


formance. In this rapidly growing sector of education, there are many choices to be made concerning goals, pedagogies, programs, and means of ensuring quality.
America has come late to mass preschool education compared with other wealthy industrialized countries. Some Western European countries have long had nearly universal enrollment of young children in preschools, with high standards of teacher training and impressive curricula. What was until the mid-19th century a matter of private charity, became in the course of the 20th century a public responsibility. In most of Europe, public financing is at this point the dominant mode of support and these early childhood programs are increasingly viewed as a public obligation (Kamerman, 1999). In some countries, preschool service is free regardless of parents’ employment status or income; in others, the programs combine government funding and income-related parent fees. France, for example, provides free preschool programs for all children ages 2–6. Germany and Italy make preschool available to all 3- to 6-year-olds and social welfare child care to the children under age 3, with something less than 20 percent of costs borne by parents (see Table 1–1).
But as the United States embarks on a voyage previously taken by others, certain advantages are evident: we have a strong research community investigating early childhood learning and development and producing evidence on which to base the design, implementation, and evaluation of programs. We have a tradition of experimentation and observation in preschools that gives us access to a wealth of experience before preschool attendance becomes a universal feature of American childhood. Thus we can begin the latter part of the voyage with better maps and navigational instruments than might be expected at this point in our history; we are better able to know where we’re going and how to measure our progress. This report is intended to help prepare for the journey by reviewing what is known about early childhood development and preschool programs and suggesting how to proceed in educating young children in the 21st century.
At present, more than 60 percent of American mothers with children under age 6 are in the labor force (U.S. Department of the Treasury, 1998; U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 1999). There are approximately 3.8 million children in each age cohort with


Despite the recent call for systematic, intensive phonics instruction, phonemic awareness, and decodeable texts, many educators continue to bring students and books together in transforming ways. Talking About Books is being reissued because it is clear that a focus on dialogue about books within a literate community remains important to teachers.
Classroom teachers and teacher educators tell why they chose literature as a focus for creating literate communities, how they approach literature through read-aloud and small-group discussions, and how they view curricular decisions involved in supporting talk about books. Authors discuss situations in classrooms in urban, suburban, and rural areas. No index. Annotation c. by Book News, Inc., Portland, Or.
Kathy Gnagey Short teaches courses in children's literature and curriculum at the University of Arizona. She continues to work with teacher study groups on a wide range of topics, including literature circles and curriculum as inquiry. She is coauthor of Creating Classrooms for Authors and Inquirers, Second Edition (Heinemann, 1996), with Jerome Harste and Carolyn Burke, and coauthored Learning Together Through Inquiry with several contributors to this book.
Kathryn Mitchell Pierce currently teaches in a multiage primary classroom at Glenridge Elementary School in Clayton, Missouri. She continues to work in her own classroom and with other teachers interested in exploring literature discussion groups and small-group discussions on mathematical inquiry. Pierce coedited, with Carol Gilles, Cycles of Meaning (Heinemann, 1993), in which many of the contributors to this book share their further explorations of talk in literature discussions and other curricular structures.


Emotion Flashcards (with Emotional Robots)
Emotion flashcards are useful for teaching preschoolers to identify their feelings, using diffrent words to express them or helping them recognize and understand other people’s feeilngs. Learning empathy as well as self-expression in a supportive environment is very important in early childhood learning.
This fun set of emotion flashcards feature ‘emotional robots’ to make this more imaginative and entertaining. Can robots have feelings like people? It’s a fun subject to discuss. Children can use lots of imagination about the feelngs of others and their own in a more entertaining way. You can come up with fun stories about each robot, for example, what could’ve happened to them to make them feel that way. If these robots all know each other, who did what to whom to cause these feelings? Invent your own stories and have lots of fun!
Our free printable files are for personal use only.
Please read our terms & conditions before downloading, thank you!
You will need
Papers (preferably card stock)
Scissors or craft knife & ruler
We have a growing selection of children’s resources for preschool, homeschool & classroom learning activities. Please check back soon to see what’s new. Thank you!


21st Century Artisans believe:
The Arts expand children's creativity and perserverance, and promotes their committment to excellence.
The arts promote positive youth development
Integrating the arts into learning experiences:
»Promotes academic, social and personal development
»Teaches real-life skills, like: organizational teamwork
»Promotes greater compatability with and tolerance towards others
An art education engages students intelectually, emotionally and physically
Art is an essential element for life and a guiding principal for society.
An art education develops perception and understanding of exciting metaphors and visual analogies through the process of developing tolerances for ambiguities that accompany dissimilar elements.
Doodles are mnemonic ideographs, they assist the memory while representing intricate ideas through the use of graphic symbols.
Learning through the arts increases the chance of success.
1373 E. 53rd Street, Chicago, Illinois 60615


EYFS Specific Areas
The specific areas further build on and happen after the essential prime area elements have been embedded. All 7 areas are therefore focussed on in our Cheekie Chimps Room (2-5 years).
Literacy development involves encouraging children to link sounds and letters and to begin to read and write. Children are given access to a wide range of reading materials (books, poems and other written materials) to ignite their interest.
The Children at Cheekie Monkeys will be supported in developing their understanding of Mathematics in a broad range of contexts in which they can explore, enjoy, learn, practice and talk about their developing understanding. We will provide them with opportunities to improve their skills in counting, understanding and using numbers, calculating simple addition and subtraction problems; and to describe shapes, spaces and measures.
Understanding of the World
Here at Cheekie Monkeys children will be supported in developing the knowledge, skills and understanding that help them to make sense of their physical world and their community. They will be given opportunities to explore, observe, and to find out about people, places, technology and environment.
Expressive arts and design
At Cheekie Monkeys we will support the children’s curiosity, exploration and play. They will be provided with opportunities to explore and share their thoughts, ideas and feelings, for example, through a variety of art, music, movement, dance, imaginative and role- play activities and design and technology.


Hello my sewing friends! It’s that time of the week again-a new sewing lesson for the Learn to Sew series! It’s week 4 and this week I am teaching you how to sew a casing for elastic how to add elastic. Perfect for making things like pajamas and kids clothes. And it’s not too hard. In fact, if you have completed weeks 1-3, you have learned the most foundational skills for sewing. Everything from here on out is just the fancy stuff. So congrats on completing that!
Now let’s add elastic!
Lesson #4: How to Add Elastic:
What I am teaching you today will help you so that you can sew things like pajama pants or little skirts or anything that you want to add elastic to. It’s a very easy way to add elastic and really only involves a hem and a straight stitch. Can you handle that? I know you can.
To create what we call a casing for your elastic, you will start out by folding down your fabric almost as if you were going to hem it. So, you’ll fold the fabric so that wrong sides are together. Fold it down about an inch or so:
And then again one more time:
Press that seam or pin it in place (or both):
Now you will sew a straight line along the bottom of that fold. See how my presser foot is lined up to the bottom edge of the fold? Then sew straight along there:
It will look like this when you are done:
Now, grab your elastic (you can get any size as long as it is smaller in width than you casing. I typically use about 1/2 inch width on kids clothes) and your large safety pin and attach the safety pin to one end of your elastic:
Now slide the head of your safety pin into the opening at the end of your casing you just made:
And pull it through using the safety pin to pull on and guide the elastic. BUT, make sure you don’t let the other end of the elastic pull through the end you started on. You can pin it in place or just hold onto it, just don’t let it follow through the hole.
Pull till your safety pin comes out the other side:
And your fabric will now be gathered:
OK, so those are the basics of how to do it. But, generally you aren’t going to be doing it on a flat piece of fabric like that. Usually you are going to be inserting it into a waist band, so your fabric is already going to be in a loop.
Let’s imagine you are doing pajamas (one of the project options for this week). You’ve already sew the pajamas together, now you just need to create the elastic waistband.
You will follow the same steps, just at the top of the pajamas. So, fold your fabric over once about an inch so that wrong sides are together and then again about an inch. Pin it and/or press it to hold it in place. Then sew all the way around BUT-this is important-leave a couple inches of opening:
That’s where you are going to insert your elastic. So, do that. First, measure how much elastic you need for this project (depends on your instructions or he size of the waist you are making it for). Then, grab your elastic and your safety pin and insert it in there:
Pull it all the way around the waist:
And out the hole again making sure that your other end is still outside the hole too (pin it in place if you need to):
Make sure that you elastic did not get twisted up inside. Then sew those two ends of the elastic together. Either use a zigzag stitch to do it or just go over and over and over it about 10 times to make sure it is sewn tight.
Now you just need to close that opening that you had. Stretch out the elastic and sew it shut (making sure not to sew on the elastic, just on the fabric):
OK, so here are your project options this week. Originally I planned this baby skirt for the project with lesson #4. It’s very easy. Just a few hems and an elastic casing then one more seam and you are done! So for those of you who want to try this, great! Do it!
But, after thinking about it a little I decided to provide an alternate project for people without girls or just anyone who wants to try something else. So, as an alternate project I have a pajamas tutorial up for You now too!


|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.


Music Theory Basics 7.21
Music Theory Basics 7.21 Ranking & Summary
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File size: 2.3M
Platform: Windows XP, Windows 2000
Date added: 2008-10-30
Publisher: Center for Art Education (de Plantage)
Music Theory Basics 7.21 description
Music Theory Basics allows you to learn the names of the notes in an easy way. This little program has many added benefits, such as error checking, timing the note-reading speed. The chapters of Music Theory Basics are note reading, note writing, yes or no game (note reading), learn the piano keys, rhythmical dictation, interval dictation (unison, second, third, fourth and fifth), interval ear training (unison, second, third, fourth, and fifth), create a major scale (scales of C, D, Eb, F, G, A and Bb), melodic dictation (containing the intervals above). Theory about note reading, scales, intervals, and rhythm.
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Ed 480 Language Learning With TechnologyPresentation Transcript
Language Learning Highway Using Technology to assist language learning. Presented by: John Jenkins ED 408 Educational Technology Class
CALL Highway 102
What is CALL?
CALL stands for C omputer- A ssisted L anguage L earning.
An approach to teaching and learning foreign languages where the computer and computer-based software are used to present, reinforce and assess material to be learned.
CALL Exit Left
Origins traced back to 1960 and since then has had a “symbiotic relationship between the development of technology and pedagogy.” World-wide web launched in 1993 to the general public, opened up new possibilities in CALL including online versions of software to computer-mediated communication (and now to Web 2.0 interactive applications).
These include: drill programs and task-based activities
Role of Teachers & students in CALL:
Following the constructivist philosophy, teachers take on the “guide-by-the-side” role as opposed to the “sage-on-the-stage”
Students have an active rather than a passive role in the learning process as they develop the 4 skills of language learning competency.
4 Language Learning Competencies include:
CALL can be used for…
What other tasks can you think of that are important for Learning a new language?
Task #1: Vocabulary VOCAB Road This Exit Examples of vocabulary and Grammar exercises
Research indicates that students using computer programs
to learn vocabulary words, outperformed the ones who read
the vocabulary in print form
Research also indicates that the more multimedia (audio,video,
graphics,animation, and interactivity) the higher the outcomes
in vocabulary acquisition 1
Task #2: Comprehension Research also points out that offering Choices in the various types of glosses (multimedia interfaces)-- “better develop vocabularies, greater background knowledge and other reading comprehension strategies.” Comprehension Highway Exit Here (An example of a listening comprehension site)
Examples of Reading (and writing) exercises:
Online discussion boards
Can you think of other authentic reading and writing tasks?
Task #3: Reading & Writing
As with all language learning tasks, authentic writing tasks from the internet, create high motivation for students to learn how to write in their target language.
Click Here for a fun Web 2.0 writing tool demo for language learners
Task #3 Continued
Task #4: Pronunciation Highway 107
Pronunciation is of course best taught using audio software. Ones with audio-recording features are even better (but most require download fee). Language learning websites which include audio examples of pronunciation are of course the BEST!
Pronunciation Park This Exit.
(Example website with audio features)
Advantages of CALL
Adapts learning to the student.
It is authentic.
It increases critical thinking skills.
Problems and criticisms of CALL instruction:
Reluctance on part of teachers
More difficult to evaluate
Lack of unified theoretical framework for designing and evaluating CALL
Language Learning Site This EXIT Visit these other cool sites: