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Valley Public Radio Staff
The Moral Is
Thu April 11, 2013
Commentary: New Curriculum Needs to Focus On the Arts
Later this year, when students return to the classroom after summer break, they’ll be greeted by a new curriculum that aims to replace the goals of No Child Left Behind. On this edition of Valley Public Radio’s commentary series “The Moral Is” Kaye Bonner Cummings says this presents a great opportunity to put the arts back in education.
Over many decades, various research studies have shown the value and effectiveness of arts education in the lives of school children, as well as its correlation to their achievement. And yet, increasingly during this same period, educational decision makers have all but removed art education from the curriculum of most elementary schools. Why? It makes no sense!
This is what we know about why arts education matters: First, being a hands-on activity, the arts increase student engagement, focus on positive achievements and keep kids in school. Second, the arts (including painting, singing in a chorus, dancing and acting) require positive behaviors and attitudes, such as patience, persistence and collaboration; thereby building character. Third, the arts enhance creativity, a requirement of the 21st century workforce and rapidly changing world. An example is the beautifully designed products of the Apple Corporation. Fourth, critical thinking skills are also sought-after qualities in today’s world and the arts foster these higher levels of thinking. For instance, how does one observe a painting, interpret a piece of music, analyze a play? Fifth, the arts develop various language skills, such as learning to read musical notes for singing, composing or playing an instrument; memorizing dance steps, creating a painting or acting in a play. Sixth, the arts provide a fun way to learn math principles, such as creating a work of art using measuring tools. Seventh, the arts can be used to teach about historical periods or make literature come alive. For instance, in one community, Shakespeare plays are used to teach anti-bullying lessons.
There are many other rewards to be found in the arts---qualities such as beauty, joy, grace, emotion, empathy; as well as life lessons such as teamwork and developing a passion for learning. And, finally, a multitude of studies have shown that the arts in the curriculum almost always improve test scores. Therefore, reducing or eliminating the arts in education reduces the likelihood of student success and societal satisfaction.
Fortunately, times are changing. The new national curriculum, the Common Core State Standards, which include arts education as an essential component, is replacing No Child Left Behind. In addition the teaching of the sciences is to be enhanced in a program known as STEM (aka science, technology, engineering and mathematics). In an article in Education Leadership, Robert and Michele Root-Bernstein,, proposed “finding ways to foster arts education alongside science education – and even better, finding ways to integrate the two”.
The purpose of this coupling is “to produce students capable of creative participation in a science- dominated society like ours”. As Max Planck, a Nobel Prize winner and accomplished pianist, said, “The creative scientist needs an artistic imagination”. Indeed, so do our children need and deserve this “artistic imagination”!
Finally- and so importantly- arts education will foster new audiences for the arts, which is critical to keeping alive the symphony orchestras, museums, theaters, operas and dance productions so necessary to the life and health of our communities and our nation!
The views expressed on The Moral Is are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the views of Valley Public Radio.
The Moral Is


The Tuneables is an award-winning children's music education DVD and CD series designed to teach the key building blocks of music at a critical time in a child's development. Sponsored by the Music Intelligence Project, this fun, interactive program engages children in songs and activities that provide a foundation of music understanding and growth in intellectual development. Ages 3-8.
Buy your copy today at: www.thetuneables.com/the-music-shop/
Blog » Music Intelligence Project and Music Education Supporters Contribute to Washington Post Write Up on the Importance of Music Education
The Music Intelligence Project recently contributed along with numerous companies and organizations that support school music education programs to create an eight-page editorial supplement for the Washington Post highlighting the many proven academic, social and wellness benefits for kids and teens who play music.
The supplement was included in the Sept. 21, 2011, issue of the Washington post and was distributed to more than two million people.
Our experts, Drs. Robert and Patsy Johnson provided the article on "Tools for Teaching Young Children ABout Music" on page 6.
Additional highlights of the piece included:
To view the supplement in its entirety, click on the attachment below.


The town was incorporated in 1810 by the proprietor, Daniel Penfield, who purchased the town lands in 1795 and moved to the area in 1809. Penfield is a suburb of Rochester, New York. The town's motto is "A Town of Planned Progress".
There were 13,144 households out of which 34.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 63.4% were married couples living together, 7.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 26.7% were non-families. 22.3% of all households were made up of individuals and 8.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.58 and the average family size was 3.05.
In the town the population was spread out with 25.8% under the age of 18, 4.8% from 18 to 24, 27.4% from 25 to 44, 27.0% from 45 to 64, and 14.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females there were 92.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 88.7 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $63,223, and the median income for a family was $74,959. Males had a median income of $52,282 versus $33,365 for females. The per capita income for the town was $29,576. About 2.3% of families and 3.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 3.9% of those under age 18 and 5.0% of those age 65 or over.
Schools in Penfield
The Penfield Central School District has 4 public elementary schools, including one (Indian Landing) located in the Town of Brighton. The grounds of the Charles Finney School are adjacent to the grounds of Penfield High School as the building housing Finney housed the Penfield High School until it was moved to a newer structure during the 1960s.
The District was included by the American Music Conference in its list, the 2006 Best 100 Communities for Music Education.
|Penfield High School (PHS)||Public High School||9-12|
|Southeast Christian Academy||Christian School||PK-12|
|Charles Finney School||Christian School||K-12|
|Bay Trail Middle School (BTMS)||Public Middle School||6-8|
|Harris Hill||Public Elementary School||K-5|
|Cobbles||Public Elementary School||K-5|
|Scribner Road||Public Elementary School||K-5|
|Indian Landing||Public Elementary School||K-5|
|St. Joseph's||Catholic Elementary School||Pre-School - 6|
Following the American Revolution the lands that became Penfield were included in the Phelps and Gorham Purchase. After passing through several hands, Townships 13 and 14 of Range IV of the Phelps and Gorham Purchase were acquired by Daniel Penfield in several transactions during the course of 1795.
The Town of Penfield was established in 1810 and the first Town Meeting was held on 2 April 1811. The town initially consisted of Townships 13 and 14 of Range IV. A portion of the southwest corner went to the Town of Brighton when it was established in 1814, and Township 14 became the Town of Webster in 1840. So modern Penfield is, with minor differences, Township 13 of Range IV of the Phelps and Gorham Purchase.
The volunteer Penfield Fire Company provides fire protection, rescue and non-transport emergency medical services to that part of the Town included within the Penfield Fire District. Northern parts of Penfield receive these services from the Webster Fire Department.
The Penfield Volunteer Emergency Ambulance Service (PVEAS) provides Basic Life Support with trained Emergency Medical Technicians. Advanced Life Support services are provided by the Southeast Quadrant Mobile Critical Care Unit (SEQ MCCU).


So, you think spelling is hard and boring and there is nothing much anyone can do to make it "un-boring"?
You think the average person can't really ever understand spelling, and "Who needs it?" if you have a spell-checker on your computer!
You need Sequential Spelling
for all these reasons:
Sequential Spelling is
What's more, anyone who wants to learn to spell can. That means:
- incredibly inexpensive
- adaptable to suit your situation
Forget endless lists of words to study for spelling tests!
- Your child or student as young as seven years of age.
- Younger children who have had solid phonics instruction.
- Gifted individuals
- Learning challenged individuals
- People for whom English is a second language
- Teachers who possibly secretly don't really know how to spell because they never learned a logical method.
- Executives, secretaries, authors - just think of the time saved by not having to look up words in the dictionary.
- Even dyslexics! Did you know that the developer of Sequential Spelling is dyslexic and that is how Sequential Spelling came to be developed? Yes, that is a fact!
Sequential Spelling - a new approach
- relieve stress for the student
- build self-esteem
- teach spelling through pattern recognition - the way the brain works best!
that is quick and easy to use. In fact, if you choose the DVD version of the program, you, as the parent or teacher will have very little to do. Let the children learn on their own, quickly and accurately! Read in the Curriculum Overview
all about the exciting features of the Sequential Spelling approach.
Sequential Spelling teaches a logical approach to spelling
Spelling often appears daunting and the rules seem to be endless! Let Sequential Spelling teach you a logical approach to spelling without rules to memorize, word lists to study, and feelings of frustration when you make a mistake. Learn from your mistakes!
The Multi-Sensory Approach
The AVKO name stands for Audio Visual Kinesthetic Oral.
Students learn with Sequential Spelling by:
You need Sequential Spelling. It will help you and/or your students
- Hearing (auditory)
- Seeing (visual)
- Writing (kinesthetic)
- Repetition (oral)
- Right brain approach that makes sense to students.
Additional BONUS FEATURES of Sequential Spelling
- build confidence and self-esteem
- improve their handwriting skills
- develop a love of English and words
Rules, Rules, Rules! Who needs them?
- Big #1 bonus for you, the busy parent or teacher: The program requires no preparation for the teacher and can be very easily customized.
- Big #2 bonus for you, the person who wants to be financially responsible: affordable and economical, no matter which version you choose to use.
Actually, neither you nor your students need endless rules and their exceptions when you learn the logical, patterning approach to spelling.
The rules are followed in Sequential Spelling - you just don't need to memorize them and be bogged down by them to spell correctly. Think of it as freeing up brain space in your grey matter where there are already far too many rules filed away! If you really feel the need to teach the spelling rules, check out Customising Sequential Spelling
for a terrific solution.
Who needs a spell checker when you have Sequential Spelling foundations?
Logic is saying - you need
Sequential Spelling - right now! To confirm that wise choice, read more exciting details in the Curriculum Overview. Who knows, some day you might actually be able to read a newspaper that is not full of spelling errors because your budding writer is the editor. See you at the order page!


The government seems to have woken up from a long long sleep and introduced the much awaited Right to Education Act that was enacted by the Indian parliament on 4th August 2009 and finally came into force on 1st April 2010. The enforcement of this act made India one among the 135 nations that have made education as one of the fundamental right of every child.
The amendment to Article 21 of the Indian constitution is made by inserting Article 21 A . This Article provides for free and compulsory education for all the children between the age group of 6 and 14. The following are the salient features of the Act.
- Children between the age group of 6 to 14 are entitled to free and compulsory education.
- Until the completion of elementary education no child shall be expelled, held back
- After the completion of the elementary education (up to 8th grade) the child must be awarded with a certificate.
- The teacher student ratio has to be fixed.
- This Act is applicable for the whole of India except the State of Jammu and Kashmir.
- The Act requires that a reservation of 25% for the economically disadvantaged communities in all the private schools for the purpose of admission to the Class One.
- One of the mandatory provision of this Act is the improvement of the quality of Education.
- The Act also requires that the teachers in the school must have an adequate professional qualification.
- The schools are under the obligation of providing proper infrastructural facilities. If this condition is not followed the recognition of the school stands canceled.
10. The financial expenditures will be shared by the Central and the State government in their respective ratios.
I think that the government needs to put in rigorous efforts in implementing this law in the rural areas where there is a limited access to the schools and parents and children prefer working to education. There is a dearth of trained teachers in the rural areas too. Steps have to be taken to provide for good, well trained teachers in the rural areas who can impart proper education to the people. The schemes designed by the government for educating the girl child must be followed on strict basis.
By enacting this Act the parliament of India has taken its first step to provide quality education to the children in India. Let us hope that in the years to come we find that no child is found to be illiterate and deprived of the fundamental right to education.


"We were sitting in my office and I just found my eyes going to all the circles around me," she said of a moment earlier this year. "It was like, `There is a circle and there is a circle.' "
At the time, Cifaldi-Morrill, the museum's director of exhibit design and delivery, was giving an overview of the exhibition to a colleague in anticipation of its arrival. As of Saturday, Sept. 28, the "Secrets of Circles" officially will be ensconced at the museum, along with its 18 interactive stations.
"There will be lots and lots of activities," said Cifaldi-Morrill. "It is a very hands-on exhibition."
The 2,000-square-foot exhibition, which will occupy the museum's gallery for traveling exhibitions through Jan. 5, was developed by the Children's Discovery Museum of San Jose (Calif.) several years ago and has since traveled around the country.
The content affords the visitors a chance to test their skills and comprehension of a number of disciplines, including math, science, engineering and art.
Cifaldi-Morrill, who had just set up part of the exhibition before the interview, was excited about what visitors would find once they walked through the doors.
"There is a gigantic wheel that is constantly spinning," she said, adding that it allows for some unique artistic creations.
Visitors can make circular shapes with a lathe. They can test the physics of a bumpy ride. They can make their own gears. And they can make their own glow-in-the-dark circles.
Through it all, they will be learning lessons in such subjects as geometry and physics, art and math.
Cifaldi-Morrill said the exhibition works very well with some of the new educational initiatives, such as the concept of STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics), which integrates science and art education.
As she noted in a recent news release, circles are some of the first shapes very young children first learn to identify. As they get older, circles can help in the comprehension of scientific, technological, engineering and mathematical principles, and further, the arts.
With historical artifacts as part of the display, young people also can explore how circles have transcended time and cultures.
"I think it will be fun for the little ones," she said. "There also are many opportunities for role playing, which is important at that age."
However, given the ubiquitous nature of circles, Cifaldi-Morrill said she suspects this will be an exhibition that appeals to all ages. Make sure to come with questions. Organizers said queries such as why are circles everywhere and what makes them the best shape for pizza and car wheels, can be voiced, and hopefully answered, by spending some time in the gallery.
The exhibition also features a chance to test your language skills. The signs are in English, Spanish and Vietnamese, which reflects the community needs of the exhibition's originator. San Jose, Calif., boasts one of the largest Vietnamese-American populations in the United States.
"The intention of this (travel) gallery is to expose children and family to many different subjects," said Cifaldi-Morrill. "We want it to be educational and fun."
Christina.email@example.com; Twitter: @xtinahennessy
Stepping Stones Museum for Children, 303 West Ave., Norwalk. Saturday, Sept. 28-Jan. 5. Tuesday-Sunday 10 a.m.-5 p.m. (Open select Mondays, including Columbus Day and Veterans Day). $15 adults, children over 1; $10 seniors. 203-899-0606, steppingstonesmuseum.org.


Provo, Utah (PRWEB) September 29, 2011
To help parents and teachers provide engaging educational activities for children of the digital age, Imagine Learning, developer of the award-winning children’s language and literacy software program Imagine Learning English, has released its second mobile learning application, Gamester. The app, which is compatible with iOS devices, is now available as a free download in the iTunes store.
Gamester features three interactive kids’ games designed to help young learners master the letters of the alphabet:
Gamester is designed for both home and school use. “This would be an excellent addition to any early literacy curriculum,” said Clydie Wakefield, executive director of curriculum development at Imagine Learning. “Teachers and students will love the way Gamester makes learning the letters of the alphabet fun and easy for even the youngest of learners.”
While Imagine Learning is best known as the company behind Imagine Learning English, an engaging language and literacy software program that helps students read at grade level, the company has also produced successful mobile apps. Bookster, the read-along storytelling app from Imagine Learning, was recently updated with new books and features. The company sees mobile apps as another way to deliver effective reading instruction to children.
“Kids growing up in the digital age need educational activities that are also engaging and interactive,” said Susan Preator, president and CEO of Imagine Learning. “With Gamester, children can have fun learning critical early reading skills anytime, anywhere.”
Additional games for the app are in development. The company appreciates feedback from parents, educators and kids who use the app. Consumers are encouraged to download Gamester and submit reviews to the iTunes App Store or to apps(at)imaginelearning(dot)com.
About Imagine Learning
Imagine Learning is the company behind Imagine Learning English, an innovative language and literacy software program designed to meet the needs of four key student populations: English learners, struggling readers, students with disabilities and early childhood education students. With first-language support and continual assessment, Imagine Learning English gives students one-on-one instruction and scaffolded support while keeping teachers abreast of student progress through real-time reports.
Visit http://www.imaginelearning.com to find out how Imagine Learning English gives students, parents and teachers essential tools for language and literacy development.


The decade of the 1950s in the United States can seem eerily familiar to us now. It was also a period of unparalleled prosperity for most Americans, a time when America seemed the unquestionable master of the world. Americans showed little interest in international affairs or in politics generally, preferring to live comfortably in their suburbs, to upgrade their cars and other possessions regularly, and to enjoy the continual display of sports and entertainment on their television sets.
When it comes to issues of education, what we are hearing today also recalls the Fifties. At the beginning of that decade, there was harsh criticism of the “progressive approach” that had seeped its way into elementary education. The historian Arthur Bestor blasted American schools in his much-cited Educational Wastelands (1953), and Rudolf Flesch seized the attention of millions of concerned citizens with his explanations in Why Johnny Can’t Read (1955). Today we read analogous denunciations—by polemicists such as Lynne Cheney—of “whole language” approaches to teaching reading and “fuzzy” approaches to the teaching of mathematics. In 1957, the quality of American education was thrown into further doubt by the unexpected launching of Sputnik; today, anxiety is raised by the poor test performances of American children when compared to children in Europe and East Asia.
A far more obscure incident in American education occurred in 1955. That year, Milton Friedman, a rising star among American economists, wrote an essay entitled “The Role of Government in Education” (more widely circulated in his 1962 volume Capitalism and Freedom). Reflecting a widespread view among academics about the generally mediocre quality of American public education, Friedman contended that the schools, sluggish and monopolistic, were inherently incapable of reforming themselves. Friedman called for the opening of education to market forces. If energized groups of citizens were given access to public funds, he argued, they would establish schools that were distinctive and that embraced high standards. Competition among the new schools would serve to elevate their overall level and also stimulate the remaining public schools to reform themselves or risk oblivion. The upshot would be a healthier society, and, not coincidentally, profits for the most enterprising. A half-century before its time, Milton Friedman had written a charter for the changing educational landscape that we are witnessing in America today.
Nearly thirty years later, in 1983, a presidential commission on education issued a deservedly influential report called “A Nation at Risk.” Chairman David Gardner, then at the University of Utah, and his fellow commissioners argued that American public schools were mediocre at best, and in too many cases, disgraceful. They indicted curriculums that were unchallenging and covered too many subjects too superficially. They drew sharp and unfavorable comparisons with the sober, hard-working, high-achieving students in other industrialized countries, both in Europe and in East Asia. In an apt if somewhat hyperbolic passage, the panel declared, “If an unfriendly foreign power had attempted to impose on America the mediocre educational performance that exists today, we might well have …


Music is not just something we listen to on our iPods. Music has the ability to influence how we feel and even how we think. Giving your child the opportunity to take part in musical training can be a great investment in his or her future. New research reveals that providing your child with music lessons early in life can have long-term benefits on the brain.
A study conducted at Northwestern University's Auditory Neuroscience Lab, found music courses had enhanced neurological responses to sounds, a characteristic linked to improved learning and listening abilities.
Since the brain signal is a representation of the sound signal, researchers were able to discern what elements of sound are captured by the nervous system and how it is either weakened or strengthened in different people with different musical experiences and abilities.
With lead study author Nina Kraus, director of the Auditory Neuroscience Lab, a team of researchers tested 45 young adults with varying amounts of musical training. Participants were grouped into three groups based on age, IQ and history of musical training. One group had no musical instruction, another had one to five years and the other had six to 11 years of training.
The two groups with musical training began instrumental practice around the age of nine, the most common age of in-school musical training. Results confirmed musical training during childhood led to more vigorous neural processing of sounds later in life.
"The way you hear sound today is dictated by the experiences with sound you've had up until today," Kraus said. "This new finding is a clear embodiment of this theme."
There have been several programs throughout the years dedicated to save music education in schools. VH1's Save The Music Foundation, founded in 1997, core mission is to restore musical education programs, giving each child the opportunity to enhance their critical thinking skills and their ability to work as a team.
With the presidential election less than three months away, and so many schools undergoing budget cuts to program such as the arts, constituents should take heed to what each presidential candidate can offer in regards to investing in the future of the children.
"We hope to use this new finding, in combination with past discoveries, to understand the type of education and remediation strategies, such as music classes and auditory-based training that might be most effective in combating the negative impact of poverty," Kraus said.


Mission and Learning Outcomes of the UVU Elementary Education Teacher Preparation
The mission of the UVU Teacher Preparation Program is to prepare competent, caring, and qualified individuals who are ready to assume the role of teacher in elementary schools. Students who complete our program meet the InTASC teaching standards.
Throughout the education program you will be required to create lesson plans. The School of Education uses a certain form for lesson plans created in your different classes. Click on the Lesson Plan Template to view the form. The lesson plan rubric will be used to score your lesson plans.
During your student teaching assignment you will complete a senior project. The purpose of this project is to help you continue to understand the teaching/learning process and to demonstrate your skills and abilities as a teacher. Your project will involve teaching a unit, which will include planning, teaching, assessing, evaluating learning and teaching, and reflecting on the teaching/learning process. Completion of the Senior Project is a requirement for graduation and licensure through the School of Education at Utah Valley University.
For directions and scoring guides click on the Senior Project.
The School of Education uses the Senior Portfolio to document our claim to the Utah State Office of Education and to TEAC accreditation board that we are preparing students to be successful beginning teachers. Throughout the program you will be required to complete key assignments. The key assignments make up the Senior Portfolio which is reviewed to ensure all students have been prepared in meeting the INTASC standards. To view the requirements and layout of the Senior Portfolio click on the Senior Portfolio.
Dispositions are important character qualities useful for success in the Elementary Education program and for future success as a professional educator. Once each semester program students will complete and submit an online disposition survey. This will be done during Classroom Management I-IV.
Useful resources for the Utah State Office of Education:
You will find various websites under Professional Organizations to use throughout the Education Program and your teaching career.
This workshop provides a simple but explicit process for phonics instruction to beginning readers, struggling readers, and English language learners.


A Concise History of American Music Education:Co-published by MENC: The National Association for Music Education. A History of American Music Education covers the history of American music education, from its roots in Biblical times through recent historical events and trends. It describes the educational, philosophical, and sociological aspects of the subject, always putting it in the context of the history of the United States. It offers complete information on professional organizations, materials, techniques, and personalities in music education.
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Rent A Concise History of American Music Education 1st edition today, or search our site for Michael L. textbooks. Every textbook comes with a 21-day "Any Reason" guarantee. Published by Rowman & Littlefield Education.


Dec 10, 2013— read in full
Career profile: Teaching Assistant
What is a teaching assistant?
Teaching assistants, also known as classroom assistants or learning support assistants, work in classrooms to support teachers and pupils.
Experience as a teaching assistant can be a good step towards qualifications such as Nursery Assistant and Early Years Assistant, or even training as a teacher if you have the right qualifications.
What does a teaching assistant do all day?
Teaching assistants have a range of tasks, which will vary depending on the school you are working in and the age of the children. Things you might do include:
- Preparing for lessons and tidying away materials afterwards
- Helping to supervise activities and make sure pupils are well-behaved
- Help with school trips
- Helping children who are struggling or upset
You could also become a Higher Level Training Assistant (HLTA), which could mean planning and leading lessons, supervising other assistants and specializing in particular subjects.
Finally, you can also specialize in areas like special educational needs (SEN), numeracy or literacy.
How much do teaching assistants get paid?
There's no national pay scale for teaching assistants, so how much you earn will depend on where you work, but you can expect to earn from £12,000 to £17,000, or £16,000 to £21,000 as a Higher Level Teaching Assistant.
How do I become a teaching assistant?
The qualifications and experience you need will depend on the school you are working in, but wherever you work you'll need some experience of working with children and good literacy and numeracy skills. Any relevant qualifications in childcare, nursing or youth work will also be useful.
An Apprenticeship in Supporting Teaching and Learning in Schools can provide you with extra training to become a teaching assistant.
Before you can become a teaching assistant, you will also need to be checked by the Disclosure and Barring Service. They will check whether you have a criminal record and pass details on to your potential employer.


I have a timely post from e-colleague, Jan Pierce, about how current teacher credential programs prepare students for the technology push they face in schools. Not only has Jan been
a fourth grade teacher for over 20 years, she also owns the website Elementary Education Degree designed to assist students interested in earning a degree in elementary education. She makes some good points. Feel free to ask questions in the comment section:
Are Elementary Education Programs Preparing Teachers to use Today’s Technology?
From smart boards and PowerPoint presentations to iPads, educational technology is becoming more of a regular element of today’s classroom. But are students in education programs being adequately trained and prepared to integrate technology into their classrooms?
When it comes to bachelor’s programs in education, the answers vary. Top education programs around the country ensure that technology training is an integral part of their curriculums, by introducing students to the various forms of technology common to the classroom and techniques for using them effectively. However, many programs still use a traditional approach with classes in school subjects, child development, teaching methods, and practicum experiences, but little or no technology components.
It is important to note that most of today’s college students are comfortable with using technology in their everyday lives, and so they may not require as much technology training as older teachers do. Nevertheless, while younger students have this advantage, education programs still need to do a better job at training students to integrate technology into their lessons.


|Jackie Marsh||University of Sheffield|
|Elaine Hallet||Institute of Education, University of London|
|© 2009||288 pages||SAGE Publications Ltd|
Published in Association with United Kingdom Literacy Association
This second edition is updated to take into account important developments in research, policy and practice, and now covers the 0-8 age range. It also addresses developments in new media and the impact this has upon literacy in young children, and offers chapters on new areas which have emerged in recent years, such as multimodality, media literacy, creative arts and literacy.
Explored in the book are:
- the relationship between play and literacy;
- the role environmental print has in early literacy development;
- the language and literacy development of young bilinguals;
- ideas, suggestions and justifications for the use of poetry;
- a two-year research project, funded by Creative Partnerships; and
- key issues relating to family literacy.


from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition
- transitive v. To declare (a deceased person) to be a saint and entitled to be fully honored as such.
- transitive v. To include in the biblical canon.
- transitive v. To include in a literary canon.
- transitive v. To approve as being within canon law.
- transitive v. To treat as sacred; glorify.
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License
- v. To establish as a formal, standard rule.
- v. To declare (a person) as a saint.
- v. To glorify; to exalt to the highest honour.
from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English
- transitive v. To declare (a deceased person) a saint; to put in the catalogue of saints.
- transitive v. To glorify; to exalt to the highest honor.
- transitive v. To rate as inspired; to include in the canon.
from The Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia
- To enroll officially in the canon or catalogue of the saints; declare to be a saint; regard as a saint. See canonization.
- To admit into the canon, as of Scripture.
- To embody in canons.
- Also spelled canonise.
from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.
- v. treat as a sacred person
- v. declare (a dead person) to be a saint
One technique could be described as "canonize and control."
What is it about Purim that compelled the rabbis to "canonize" this drama, requiring every Jewish community to read the Megila twice each year - accompanied by rituals such as mishloach manot, gifts to the poor, and an elaborate banquet?
(supposing it to be a fact,) is but the correlative of the old one; and since it was Eusebius who was the voucher for that, what additional probability do we establish that the inspired autograph of S. Mark ended abruptly at ver. 8, by discovering that Eusebius is consistent with himself, and omits to "canonize" (or even to "sectionize") what he had already hypothetically hinted might as well be left out altogether?
Could be – but lets wait a few years before we canonize him.
The pope will canonize Australia 's first saint Sunday, the co-founder of an order that works among the poorest.
When the Vatican decided to canonize him, their investigation reportedly revealed that the humble Indian lad had actually been a prince, the son of a king of Texcoco, who helped Cortes defeat the Aztecs.
Likewise, the quick rush to canonize the great Pope John Paul II is another example of a beautiful human life declared not sufficiently inspiring unless it is coated in veneration and sainthood.
Angus: Does the BOA still canonize Schafly and Gingrich and beatify the Heritage Foundation?
Does the BOA still canonize Schafly and Gingrich and beatify the Heritage Foundation?
For months, the once-fabulous musical has stumbled like a mouthwash-swilling transient, wandering far, far away from what it has claimed to be about music education in schools to preach about bullying, canonize Kurt, demonize Rachel and pretty much bum us out.


Eight students fidgeted on the classroom floor, taking their time copying a Louis Armstrong quote on their sheets of notebook paper.
“I don’t let my mouth say nothin’ my head can’t stand.”
Joy Harrell-Goff, a music teacher at Estes Hills Elementary School in Chapel Hill, projected a photo of Armstrong onto the big screen, presenting a larger-than-life grin and bowtie, and asked the elementary-aged children what they thought his words meant.
“Don’t say bad things that will hurt someone.” “Don’t say anything bad about yourself.” “Think before you speak.”
“Then you gotta speak on purpose, right?” Harrell-Goff asked.
The students were participating in the first Durham “BUMP: The Triangle” class Saturday. The new nonprofit music education organization teaches children the history and importance of African Diaspora music, using sound clips, dancing and African drum circles to do it.
On Saturday in the little classroom at Duke Memorial United Methodist Church, Harrell-Goff pulled out a talking drum, smoothing her hands over its cords and animal skin, and showed students how to gently clutch the instrument under their arms.
Without texting and phone calls, she asked the class how a Durham tribe would communicate with a Chapel Hill tribe 1,000 years ago. The children had different ideas, ranging from radios (didn’t exist) to a Pegasus (active imagination) to riding horses to the next town over.
Georgiary Bledsoe, who earned her musicology Ph.D. from Duke in 2002, is the founder of BUMP and began the program in Boston almost 9 years ago. She said the “voice” of the talking drums has been carried into blues music and spirituals, and she said the BUMP program is about teaching students the complex structure of African music, its layers, dance and spectacle.
“Music of the African Diaspora is a particularly powerful tool, not only in the lives of African-American students, but in all students,” Bledsoe said.
She said the goal of the new nonprofit is to bring the 6-week program to schools and community centers.
Marta Sánchez, a research scientist with the Duke Center for Child and Family Policy, and a UNC student took notes throughout the class, details that would be used to evaluate the workshops.
“Through this direct experience, they’re going to discover the history, the geography, the personal relationships made through these instruments,” Sánchez said.
Durham resident Teli Shabu sat with his 3-year-old daughter, Adefunmilayo, on Saturday, watching as his 8-year-old son, DeLacey, tried his hand at the talking drum.
Shabu teaches African drums on a weekly basis. When asked how long he has played, he pointed to his young daughter and said since he was Adefunmilayo’s age.
He said his son started tagging along to his African drum classes.
“I would like for him to play music for his enjoyment, not necessarily for a career,” Shabu said. “… I believe that music is math, and I believe it’s going to help with academic stuff as well.”
The young students learned about tonal language and inflection, or how they use the pitch and volume of their voices to tell a story or share their mood. The drums also are used for such storytelling. Over the speakers, Harrell-Goff played an African work song, in which drums were used to converse with men working in the fields.
When you hear the drums in the song, stand up, she said.
“If you’re really bold, you can stand up and dance.”
To learn more about the “BUMP: The Triangle” program, visit www.bumpthetriangle.org.


Monday, October 25, 2010
Robotics Invention System (RIS) 1.0 & 2.0. When I heard that the MIT Media lab (who had collaborate with Lego on the RIS) had created a programming language targeting k-12 students that had the same type of drag and drop blocks that RIS has, I was dying to work with it. But as with most things, it was pushed to the side and I didn't get a chance to really dive in. This summer I made it a priority at ISTE to take advantage of the workshops on Scratch. Mitch Resnick, the creator of Scratch at MIT, held a BYOL session at ISTE that was one of the best sessions I attended. We did some pretty basic programming in Scratch, but I could see the potential. Now, I just needed to find a faculty member who would be interested in trying out Scratch in their classroom. Luckily, I didn't have to wait too long. Dr. Micha Jefferies came to me asking how we could take an existing project she used with her elementary education students, creating a board game, and using technology to create the game. This was the perfect opportunity for students to use Scratch to create content-based games. The purpose of our technology integration was not to learn how to program, but how to use this technology to teach a specific content. I plan on posting a series about our project and how it is developing this semester.


PrintablesThese experiment cards contain simple instructions for candy experiments. Download and print to pass out to trick-or-treaters or or use at candy experiment parties.
- Acid Test (use with Sour Patch Kids, Warheads, Sour Laffy Taffy, Nerds, Pixy Stix)
- Color Separation (use with M&Ms)
- Floating Letters (use with M&Ms, Skittles)
- Oil Test (use with Starburst)
- 4 Experiments (set of four experiments on one page)
- 8 Experiments (set of 8 experiments on one page)
These candy experiment worksheets, created by Leslie at the Science Gal blog, let children write down their observations as they do the experiments.
WebsitesAmerican Chemical Society
These quality science experiments for children are published by The American Chemical Society (ACS).
- Inquiry in Action: features instructions and lesson plans on topics including molecules, chemical changes, states of matter, and density
- Science for Kids: experiments on chemistry, motion, earth, the body, and art (note: some experiment pages do not open)
KidsHealth provides commercial-free, doctor-vetted, kid-friendly information about nutrition, health, and safety.
- Candy Experiments at KidsHealth: find great experiments licensed from www.candyexperiments.com with extra tidbits about health and nutrition
- The Game Closet: includes games, activities, and experiments
- Halloween Candy Game: Feed candy to a Halloween Pumpkin to find out how much is too much
- 15 Ways to Use Leftover Halloween Candy: Ideas on what to do with extra candy
The Candy Professor
At candyprofessor.com, Samira Kawash blogs about candy's history and place in popular culture, covering subjects such as the game of Candy Land, how candy became linked with Halloween, candy nutrition claims, and new candy creations.
The Science of Sugar Confectionery by W.P Edwards
The online candy store www.candyfavorites.com has put together several pages on the history of candy. My favorites included
- The Retro Candy Timeline, which lists candy developments since the mid 1800's. According to the timeline, the first branded chewing gum was made from tree sap, Starburst candies were originally intended to be a healthy candy, and Squirrel Nut Zippers is the name of a candy bar (I know it as a swing band).
- Pop Rocks: A Discussion of Children's Culture and Candy Consumption, which covers not only about the invention of Pop Rocks but marketing strategies used for both adult and children's candy. (Apparently PEZ started as mints for grown-ups, but PEZ dispensers and fruit flavors made it a better fit for kids.)
- America's Oleaginous Affectation - Wax Lips, which delves into the history of the petroleum industry, how wax lips evolved, and how bankruptcy has recently threatened the candy's manufacture.
This book published by The Royal Society of Chemistry introduces the chemistry behind many well-known candy products.
The Science of Chocolate by Stephen T Beckett
This book published by The Royal Society of Chemistry introduces the process of chocolate making and the chemistry behind the formation of a good chocolate bar.
Chocolate: a Bittersweet Saga of Dark and Light by Mort Rosenblum
Reporter Mort Rosenblum follows chocolate from its beginnings on cocoa plantations and small family farms to its manufacture in big factories or gourmet French boutiques.


The objective of this grand plan is to align the public school system to the need to produce and sell cheap, skilled labor locally and internationally. Will the K+12 program solve the problems confronting Philippine education? What will be its impact on the education system in the country?
By BENJIE OLIVEROS
Everybody agrees that Philippine education is in a state of crisis. And the quality of Philippine education, the shortages in teachers, classrooms, facilities, books and learning materials have worsened year after year, even as the 1987 Constitution mandates that education should be the priority in the national budget. Also worsening is the dropout rate.
In 2008, out of 100 pupils entering grade one, only 66 finish elementary education. Only 58 of the 66 who finish grade school enroll in first year high school, and only 43 of the 58 complete their secondary education. Of the 43 students, only 23 enroll in college and out of this only 14 students finish a degree.
Among those who are able to continue studying, achievement test results are still way below the passing mark.
To address this, President Benigno Aquino III has, since his presidential campaign, been batting for an additional two years of basic education. Education Secretary Bro. Armin Luistro has been laying the groundwork for this, saying that it could be fully implemented by school year 2017-2018.
Will the K+12 program solve the problems confronting Philippine education? What will be its impact on the education system in the country?
The proposal to add two more years to basic education is not new. This is already contained in the Philippine National Action Plan for EFA (Education for All) 2015 Goals (Philippine EFA 2015), which was formulated in 2005.
Much earlier, one of the recommendations of the Philippine Education Sector Study funded by the Asian Development Bank in 1997 is for the government to strengthen and allot more resources to basic education by lessening its exposure in tertiary education.
At first glance, the proposal seems logical. Filipino students do not perform well in achievement tests, then give them more years of education. However, progressive students and teachers’ organizations are correct in saying that it is not as simple as it seems. First, the government is not allotting enough budget for education because it is allocating more for debt servicing and military expenditures.
Kabataan Partylist revealed that in 2009, the government allotted a mere P2,502 ($57.95) per student per year. And at 2.17 percent of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP), the education budget in 2009 is way below the UNESCO recommended standard of six percent of GDP. By adding another two years in basic education, the government would merely stretch a very limited budget. This measure would only worsen the shortages in classrooms, teachers, learning materials, and facilities.
Perhaps, the Aquino administration is banking on local government units to foot the bill because through the Governance of Basic Education Act of 2001, the management of local public schools have been devolved. Local government units allot one percent of their internal revenue allocation to education. These funds are managed by local school boards. For example, in Quezon City, the city government funds the salaries of some teachers — who are considered city-hired as differentiated from those with plantilla positions at the Department of Education — trainings and activities of teachers, and the construction of school buildings.
But what about poor municipalities? Would they have to enter into Public-Private Partnerships? This again is nothing new and was called build-operate-transfer schemes under the previous Arroyo administration. How would poor municipalities pay for it? More taxes?
Pages: 1 2


Education News Archive - September 04, 2005
Key words: educational psychology, teachers, instruction For years, teacher educators have written about the purposes, aims, and goals of educational psychology and have stressed the relevance of the field for the practice of teaching and learning (Alexander 2004; Berliner 1993; Brophy 1974; Woolfolk Hoy 2000).
Key words: grading, education system, assessment What is the purpose of grades? In this article I present one answer to this question from a perspective that many educators might see as somewhat radical or extreme.
ABSTRACT The authors evaluated the effectiveness of explicit reading comprehension strategies instruction, followed by practice in teacher-led whole-class activities (STRAT), reciprocal same-age (STRAT + SA) peer-tutoring activities, or cross-age peer-tutoring activities (STRAT + CA) on 2nd and 5th graders' reading comprehension and self-efficacy perceptions.
Key words: achievement goal theory, TARGET The role of educational psychology classes is often implied because of its inclusion in most teacher education programs; however, the struggle over how to structure courses has often resulted in learning experiences that do not best meet the needs of all students.


Band Expressions, Book One Student Edition (Piano). By Robert W. Smith and Michael Story. Concert Band. For Piano. Band Method; Method/Instruction; SmartMusic. Expressions Music Curriculumâ„¢. Book & CD. Published by Alfred Music (AP.EMCB1017CD).
Band Expressionsâ„¢ is a full-band curriculum that provides music educators at all levels with easy-to-use, exciting tools to meet daily classroom challenges and bring new vibrancy and depth to teaching music. The lessons were written based on the National Standards for Music Education -- not retrofitted to the Standards. The program is both music literacy-based and literacy driven -- based on music literacy while satisfying reading and writing mandates in band class.
Each student book features an attractive full-color interior with easy-to-read notes and includes:
-A 96-track accompaniment CD that spans exercises throughout the book
-Historical notes on some of the most notable composers of band music
-A thorough glossary of musical terms
Future reprints may be printed with black and white interiors.
This title is available through SmartMusic.


Elementary and high school education is perhaps the most important part of education in everyone’s life. It lays the foundation for any higher education, and trains the mind to have the aptitude to succeed in a competitive world. It helps the child to indentify the strengths and weaknesses and build on the strength. It also helps every individual to build a successful career in the area of interest. It is therefore necessary that every child gets the elementary and the high school education, much needed to succeed in life.
Sometimes, it is much more desirable for the child to complete this need through online education than attend schools. Geographical location, unavailability of transportation, or any such thing can be the reason for this. Online education might also be the first choice of many parents, due to the flexibilities it offers. Some highlights that child education through online school offers are listed below:
- Online elementary education offers more choices to parents and the child than the traditional school setting. It allows the parents to choose a suitable teacher who can pay individual attention to their ward. It also allows the parents and the child to choose the best time to attend the school. Since classroom sessions and home works can be submitted online, the parents and the child can choose the most suitable time of the day to complete this activity.
- Every child needs individual attention during the early years of education. This attention from teachers helps the child to obtain a more structured education suitable for individual needs and pace of learning. Online schools guarantee this individual attention to every child, since the instructor communicates exclusively with the child. This cannot happen more often in a traditional school setting.
- Identifying the strengths and weaknesses of the child plays an important role in early education. Since online schools can provide undivided attention to the child, it is easier to identify this and help the child strengthen the skills. It is important to strengthen the weak subjects in the early education, so that there are no learning bottlenecks in the future. This is possible only through online education, because traditional schools have a compulsory and uniform curriculum. Online curriculum can be structured in a way suitable for every individual child, so that the curriculum concentrates on weaknesses to improve them.
- Since online schools are very flexible, the child can have fun with other extracurricular activities that can improve the soft skills and social abilities. Learning in a less competitive environment, benefits the child to enjoy education without pressures associated with it.


Ages of learners
At DimensionU, kids find video games that are fun, educational, and rewarding. Parents find an easy and proven way to motivate their children to learn.
DimensionU allows kids to review and practice foundational 3rd–9th grade math skills. For example, if your kid is studying pre-algebra, we know that success in pre-algebra requires strong skills in whole numbers, exponents, fractions, and so on — much of which was introduced in prior grades. As a result, our goal is to ensure that they are fluent in the foundational skills that will lead them to be a great pre-algebra student.
This means that in many cases you will see your kid studying topics that don't seem to be at their grade level. However, don't worry — it is a topic that is critical to their success at grade level.
The best way for us to describe this might be a basketball analogy. The way that you become a great basketball player is by practicing all of the core skills for scoring or defending. You must practice your shots. You must practice your dribble. You must eat well and get in shape. You practice playing with your team. THEN you are ready to go on the court and compete.
DimensionU is your kid's training ground.
DimensionU is also one of the first educational gaming solutions to support the Common Core Curriculum, as well as individual standards of all 50 states and over a dozen standard textbooks.
The goal of the DimensionU Educational Allowance program is to motivate and engage a kid to do at least 30 to 45 minutes a week of educational gaming in the first month of enrollment across multiple Math topics and skills.
Here's an example of a weekly goal: Answer at least 25 questions correctly at a specific level of content (e.g., Grade 6 - Algebra).
Topics range across five areas in Math:
- Data Analysis and Probability
- Numbers and Operations
A child could be tested in over thirty different skills across the five topics. Below is an example of some of the skills in Algebra:
- Complement of a Subset
- Difference of Perfect Squares
- Domain-Range of Relations
- Exponential Growth-Decay
- Factorials-Exponents-Absolute Values
- Intersection Union
- Multiply-Divide Monomials
- Operations with Radical Terms
- Quadratic Equation
- Set Builder Interval Notation
- Simplify Polynomial Fractions
- Solve Algebra Problems
- Solve Relation-Function Problems
- Translate to Algebra
- Undefined Fractions
How do you use this tool?


The problem of this descriptive study was to select song repertoire for use in the Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod worship services and create applications to an Orff Schulwerk-inspired music curriculum for grades one through three. The research questions included: (1) What are the musical worship needs of LCMS services involving children in grades one through three?; (a) What are criteria for selecting song repertoire appropriate for use in the LCMS?; (b) What teaching recommendations does Concordia Publishing House currently publish for use in their Grades 1 – 3 music education curriculum for the LCMS schools?; (2) What specific repertoire is recommended for serving the needs for Grades 1 – 3 and LCMS worship services?; (3) What are criteria for selecting song repertoire appropriate for meeting curricular goals in an Orff Schulwerk-inspired music curriculum for Grades 1 – 3?; (4) What curricular applications can be made with the LCMS selected repertoire for a Grades 1 – 3 Orff Schulwerk-inspired music curriculum?
Worship liturgy, themes, and three-year lectionary were researched to identify music repertoire goals of the Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod worship service. Curriculum goals of an Orff Schwulerk-inspired curriculum were researched for grades one through three. Finally, ten pieces of music repertoire were selected that considered both the worship needs of the LCMS as well as the curricular needs in Grades 1 – 3 in an Orff Schulwerk-inspired classroom.


President Obama and his education team spent significant time leading up to the election crafting a comprehensive and carefully thought out education plan. From reforming No Child Left Behind to bolstering early childhood education, almost nothing in the U.S. education system was left untouched; there is something for everyone. With the stimulus bill now signed, schools will receive a big injection of funds from the federal government to create, in the campaign’s words, a “plan for lifetime success through education.”
There are some valuable insights in the plan, but as the cliche goes, the devil is in the details. It’s certainly easier to charge education rather than change it.
An open question is whether the education sector is merely receiving a large sum of funds to bolster and maintain its monolithic system or if this spending will transform it into something fit for the 21st-century. Studies show that investing in education produces economic gains, but the investment must be in effective programs.
Let’s look at three areas in particular:
1. There is a strong emphasis and spending on early childhood learning. Not much is clear in education research, but one thing that is clear is that the earliest years in a child’s life matter most for their future development. Obama has taken this to heart. Creating effective early childhood programs for children from low-income families that attack the root of their cognitive and social deficiencies is undoubtedly a good idea. The problem is, merely funding more Head Start programs and the like won’t get the job done because, as studies have shown, many of these programs haven’t proven to be effective and don’t address the root causes of children’s deficits. Any increase in funding should be tied to programs adopting what is known from sound research and from successful implementations, but also should be made with an eye toward continuing to learn what works and for whom since this is still highly uncertain.
2. The stimulus bill will increase funding for school modernization projects. The federal government currently funds Internet access for schools, yet many still don’t have high-speed Internet. Helping schools install and upgrade broadband infrastructures so that they can take advantage of the emerging opportunities offered by online learning (a disruptive innovation that is making big inroads in public education and has the potential to bring us toward a more student-centric education system) makes sense. Importantly, however, school districts must not merely spend to meet today’s demands. The federal government should tie the funds for these upgrades to districts actively planning and building for future needs. Exploring creative options like using these funds to not just build networks for the schools but also build wireless networks that can bring low-income communities online as well as the schools would be wise.
3. The bill allocates $650 million for educational technology, such as computers in classrooms. Technology has a big role to play in the future of education, and this move offsets some of the cries that technology funding had been stripped out in the previous eight years. But our research shows that most spending on equipping classrooms with computers hasn’t produced much in the way of results. It’s not clear why this effort will be any different. Reallocating existing technology dollars toward online learning–from insuring equitable access to improving curriculum and professional development–would be more productive.
So now we kick it over to you. Do you think the bill strikes the proper balance in the above areas, or does it worry you and why? What else would you have thought about when crafting the bill?


Office of Communications and Marketing Indiana State University
TERRE HAUTE —
Future teachers in an Indiana State University health education class went off campus for several days this fall to provide lessons to young Girl Scouts.
Elementary education majors taught a variety of interactive health lessons to girls in grades 2 through 5 during a series of presentations at the Girl Scout Program Center in Terre Haute’s Fairbanks Park.
“They all wanted to take part in the lesson, which made it easier and more comfortable for us. They were excited that they got to do something new,” said Kelsey Koebel, a senior from Elkhart.
This is the first year that elementary education students are teaming up with the Girl Scouts of Terre Haute in order to gain hands-on experience in the real world. Lisa Borrero, assistant professor in the department of applied health sciences, requires her students to create health-related lesson plans and teach them to the Girl Scout members as a part of her course, “School Health for the Elementary School Teacher.”
The students go over a variety of topics with the girls, including physical activity, managing emotions, friendships, family health, hygiene/germs and dental health, Borrero said.
“This is real world experience. It’s hands-on with real children, it’s absolutely invaluable. [Students get to] use the knowledge gained in their coursework and put it into practice, [as well as] work out the kinks for better practice in the future,” she said.
This is important information for the Girl Scouts to receive because they are “starting to understand their place in the world. [It helps them] understand how they can begin to take accountability for aspects of their health,” Borrero said.
Indiana State student Crissa Spratt a freshman from Indianapolis, went over de-stressing activities the scouts can use when needed, such as yoga and counting to 10. She included role play about bullying and how the girls should deal with such situations in a healthy way. She gave the scouts stress balls and instructed them to squeeze the ball whenever they feel angry.
“I think they took some good methods [away] on how to deal with stress,” Spratt said. “I mainly enjoyed teaching them something they did not already know and tried to keep them interested in what we taught them. I really enjoyed doing this project because [when] the kids learn something new they react in such a way of amazement, and it really makes me feel good to think that I helped them learn something new.”
Scout leaders, and scout mothers, believe that the information the girls learn is productive in teaching them valuable lessons learned outside of the school system.
For the scouts to “hear that other girls have stress and concerns about food, they don’t worry [as much about themselves],” Scout leader and mother Kendra Gearld said.
While only a small number of Girl Scouts participated this year, Borrero hopes for a larger turnout in the future.
“It’s a pleasure as a faculty member to help facilitate in any way where my students can be of assistance in the community,” she said. “When it deals with children, something about it is more special.”


1. Carry out CPC’s educational principles, policies and national education laws and regulations. Draw out the draft of our province’s related education laws and regulations. Study the major issues of the entire province’s education reform and development. Comprehensively guide and coordinate various cities’ and departments’ education administration work in the province.
2. Study and propose the strategies of our province’s educational reform and development. Work out the development plan of the province’s education undertakings. Guide, coordinate, inspect and implement the educational work, and take charge of the statistics and analysis of the province’s education information.
3. Overall plan and guide the reform of the province’s education system. Straighten out the relationship between the interior and the exterior of education system. Establish the educational system and the operating mechanism that is suited to the socialist market economy system.
4. Overall manage the department’s education funds. Take part in planning the policies of raising education funds, the education appropriation and the education capital construction and investment. Supervise and evaluate the raising and spending of the province’s education funds. Manage the education aiding projects and education loans which are provided by foreign countries, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, Macao Special Administrative Region and Taiwan, in accordance with the related rules.
5. Overall manage the province’s elementary, secondary and tertiary education, secondary vocational education and adult education. Implement the state-set standards for various secondary and elementary schools. Formulate the basic teaching requirements and conditions. Examine and approve the provincial teaching materials for various secondary and elementary schools. Guide the educational and teaching reform of secondary and elementary education. Supervise and evaluate the implementation of the following work: universalizing the nine-year compulsory education, eliminating illiteracy among youth and the middle aged, developing senior high school education.


H I C A G O
R I B U T E
Women of Hull-House
of social work
Right, from top:
Alice Hamilton (18691970)
Florence Kelley (18591932)
Julia C. Lathrop (18581932)
first and the nations most influential settlement house, was founded
in 1889 by Jane Addams and Ellen Gates Starr. By 1907 there were 13 buildings
covering a city block at 800 South Halsted Street and the settlement had
become a center for neighborhood services, activities and social reform,
both in Chicago and nationally. In the early years the leadership, staffing,
funding and support for Hull-House came primarily from women, many of whom
made their homes at the settlement.
Addams was head resident
until her death. She became internationally known as a settlement movement
leader, reformer, writer and peace advocate. She was awarded the Nobel Peace
Prize in 1931.
Starr lived at Hull-House
until 1929. Here she led art education programs and was an activist in the
Chicago labor movement.
Julia C. Lathrop moved
to Hull-House in 1890, where she investigated and advocated reform of social
and governmental agencies and helped to establish the worlds first
juvenile court in Chicago.
Florence Kelley investigated
neighborhood living and working conditions, became the first chief factory
inspector in Illinois, advocated protective legislation for women and children,
and lived at Hull-House from 1891 to 1899, when she became secretary of
the National Consumers League in New York City.
Alice Hamilton was a
physician, a pioneer in industrial toxicology. She moved to Hull-House in
1897, where she began her career investigating neighborhood living, working
and sanitary conditions.
Images courtesy of:
Jane Addams Memorial Collection
Special Collections Department
University of Illinois at Chicago


Early Literacy Development: The Importance of Literacy in Early Childhood
It is never too early to start thinking about early childhood literacy. The first few years of life are critical for brain development so promoting literacy from a young age is always a good idea. Although many early childhood literacy activities come naturally to educated parents, not all children get the enrichment they need at home. As educators, it is our job to ensure that all children get the tools they need to develop literacy from a young age.
The gap in early childhood literacy is largely distributed across socioeconomic lines. A recent article in The New York Times discussed a landmark study which “found that by the age of three, children of wealthier professionals have heard words millions more times than those of less educated parents.” This disparity in early literacy can have a significant impact on how children fare through elementary school and beyond. How a child does on a vocabulary test in kindergarten can be telling regarding their performance on reading comprehension tasks as they get older. A possible solution offered by the article to closing the early childhood literacy gap is increased investment in universal pre-kindergarten programs.
The New York Times article claims that the reason for the gap in early literacy is that children of wealthier professionals have more opportunities for natural development of literacy. Early childhood literacy activities can be as simple as talking about the weather, talking about a street sign, or even just reading a book at home. More educated parents facilitate these activities naturally and on a regular basis. However, more often than not, children from low-income families lack these crucial experiences.
Those who oppose universal Pre-K say that no matter what your socioeconomic status is, there is no substitute for good parenting. They claim that instead of investing money in universal Pre-K, perhaps we should be investing money in parent workshops. While this may be a good suggestion, I would like to focus on what we can do as educators to close the early literacy gap.
Research shows many benefits of early childhood education that go far beyond standardized test scores in school. Early childhood education boosts overall school readiness, cognitive development, and most importantly, social and emotional development. And as an early childhood educator myself, I believe that these are the reasons we should be investing in pre-kindergarten programming.
But the research is correct. Promoting literacy in early childhood is most effective in a natural environment. Drilling words, showing children flash cards, and making them sit down with ditto sheets at their desk is not how we’re going to attain our goal. The key to promoting early literacy in the classroom is making it a natural part of our young students’ school experience.


Nature Education with Young Children
Integrating Inquiry and Practice
Edited by Daniel R. Meier, Stephanie Sisk-Hilton
Routledge – 2013 – 232 pages
Nature Education with Young Children is a thoughtful, sophisticated teacher resource that blends theory and practice on nature education, children's inquiry-based learning, and reflective teaching. The book’s guiding conceptual framework is founded upon the integration of four key ideas for effective and transformative nature education:
• The power and value of equity and access to nature education
• Effective teaching encompasses child development domains and integrates ECE curriculum
• Children learn best through inquiry-based and child-centered teaching
• Powerful teaching is founded upon teacher inquiry and reflection.
Implementing nature study is one critical way that educators can integrate more science learning across the ECE curriculum and do so in an active, discovery-based manner. Nature Education with Young Children strives for an American version of what the Reggio Emilia educators do so well: creating a seamless integration of science concepts into the daily intellectual investigations that occur in classrooms everywhere.
Part I —
Science, Nature, and Inquiry: Theoretical and Practical Foundations
Chapter 1: Science, Nature, and Inquiry-Based Learning in Early Childhood, Stephanie Sisk-Hilton
Chapter 2: Nature Education and Teacher Inquiry, Daniel Meier
Part II —
Science, Nature, and Inquiry: Infants and Toddlers
Chapter 3: Babies and Nature — The Act of Noticing in Infancy, Camille T. Dungy
Chapter 4: Promoting Nature Study for Toddlers, Mabel Young
Chapter 5: Overcoming Our Fears — Embarking on a Nature Journey, Gita Jayewardene
Science, Nature, and Inquiry — Preschoolers
Chapter 6: Naturally Speaking: Parents, Children, Teachers in Dialogue with Nature, Darcy Campbell and Shawna Thompson
Chapter 7: Preschool Children Explore the Forest — The Power of Wild Places in Childhood, Anna Golden
Chapter 8: Putting the Forest on the Map — Using Documentation to Further Natural Inquiry, Marty Gravett
Chapter 9: Nature Education and the Project Approach, Jean A. Mendoza and Lilian G. Katz
Chapter 10: Promoting Play in a School Garden and Using a Blog to Document Children's Nature Explorations, Heather Taylor
Chapter 11: Drawing, Photographs, and Painting — Learning about the Natural World in an Urban Preschool, Isauro Michael Escamilla
Dr. Daniel R. Meier is Professor of Elementary Education at San Francisco State University. Dr. Meier is Co-Editor of Voices of Practitioners, the only national and international journal publishing ECE teacher research.
Dr. Stephanie Sisk-Hilton is an Associate Professor of Elementary Education at San Francisco State University.


DOBBS FERRY, N.Y. -- Springhurst Elementary students in kindergarten and first grade are using a brand new word study program this fall called "Fundations".
This multi sensory, systematic, phonics, spelling and handwriting program will be rolled out to second graders next year and third graders the following school year.
"Fundations" teaches the foundational skills of the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) and also supports other standards in reading, writing,
speaking, listening and language.
According to the District’s K-8 Literacy Coordinator Michelle Kaczmarek, the District’s Word Study Committee began exploring different word study options two years ago.
“Fundations was the program that most closely matched our school criteria (covering phonics, spelling, vocabulary and grammar)," Kaczmarek said. “There was also real research behind the program that substantiated its effectiveness in increasing students’ abilities to spell and write. Staff development and varied
assessment offerings were a part of the program as well.”
The school’s Teacher Leaders oversaw an initial program search and then expanded the Committee to include ELL, AIS, speech and language teachers and staff. The group reviewed 11 distinct programs.
The "Fundations" website notes that the standard lesson is designed as a 30-minute daily lesson with the entire class. In addition, "Fundations" includes supplemental small group activities to reinforce and extend each lesson for students with a wide range of learning abilities or who need more specialized instruction.
Each level of Fundations presents skills in a
carefully structured scope and sequence. These “steps” build on previously taught skills and are brought forward from unit to unit, year to year and include:
• Letter Formation
• Phonological and Phonemic Awareness
• Sound Mastery
• Irregular (Trick) Word Instruction
“We are a reading and writing workshop school,” Kaczmarek said. “This program is a great
fit with our English Language Arts curriculum and lays the groundwork for life-long literacy. It’s
auditory, it’s visual and it’s kinesthetic. The new word study program also incorporates handwriting and sentence conventions, which is an added benefit.”
Other area school districts currently using Fundations include Brewster, Croton-Harmon,
Ossining, Somers, Tarrytown, Pleasantville, Port Chester, Byram Hills and Harrison.


The Musical Instrument Digital Interface (MIDI) is a product of the computer age which is changing the way that music is composed, written, performed and learned. Through MIDI sequencing and editing, musicians now have access to thousands of voices and effects which were previously unavailable, giving rise to a new type of musician: one whose repertoire includes computer literacy as well as musical literacy. This research considers the effect of MIDI on music education, and ways in which MIDI is likely to be used in the education field in the future.
MIDI was developed in 1983 to enable musical synthesizers and samplers from different manufacturers to communicate with one another. This industry-wide standard provides a common language and hardware interface so musical instruments can communicate with each other and with any device that can accept MIDI commands.
The MIDI standard is implemented today by nearly every synthesizer and sampler manufacturer on the market, as well as almost every microcomputer sound board available. MIDI is used by engineers in recording studios to assist in complicated mixing situations, by Broadway theaters to control lighting and special effects, and by theme parks to automate attractions and complex displays such as those with hydraulic controls.
The basic commands of the MIDI language are, for the most part, musical information. Examples include the various commands to turn a musical note on, the specific note to play, the velocity (ho


Resources for engaging communities
- Barton, A. C., Drake, C., Perez, J. G., St. Louis, K., & George, M. (2004). Ecologies of parental engagement in urban education. Educational Researcher, 33(4), 3–12.
- Cahvkin, N. F. (Ed.) (1993). Families and schools in a pluralistic society. Albany, NY: State University of New York Press.
- Edwards, P. A. (2004). Children’s literacy development: Making it happen through school, family, and community involvement. Boston: Pearson.
- Edwards, P. A. (1993). Parents as partners in reading: A family literacy training program, Second Edition. Chicago: Children’s Press.
- Epstein, J. L. (1987). Parents’ reactions to teacher practices of parent involvement. Elementary School Journal, 86(3), 277-293.
- Epstein, J.L. (1995). School/family/community partnerships: Caring for the children we share. Phi Delta Kappan, May, 701-712.
- Epstein, J. L. & Salanis, K. C. (2004). Partnering with families and communities. Educational Leadership, 61(8), 12–18.
- Heath, S. B. (1983). Ways with words: Language, life, and work in communities and classrooms. Cambridge, MA: Cambridge University Press.
- Howard, G. R. (1999). We can’t teach what we don’t know: White teachers, multiractial schools. New York: Teachers College Press.
- Huseth, M. (2001) The School-home connection: Using technology to increase parent-to-teacher communication. Learning and Leading with Technology 29 (2), 6-9, 16-17.
- Ladson-Billings, G. (1994). Dreamkeepers: Successful teachers of African American children. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
- Murrell, P. C. (2001). The community teacher: A new framework for effective urban teaching. New York: Teachers College Press.
- Swap, S. M. (1993). Developing home-school partnerships: From concepts to practice. New York: Teachers College Press.
- Vopat, J. (1994). The parent project: A workshop approach to parent involvement. York, MN: Stenhouse.


ELRA’s Infant and Toddler Development Program is an early childhood initiative that creates a language-rich environment for children to develop socially and cognitively and to develop into successful preschoolers and adolescents.
Each year, 36 babies (age 8-weeks to 3-years old) develop their language and motor skills and receive constant care and support, which provides a critical foundation for them as they grow.
Children are placed in one of three classrooms, based on their age: Infants (8-weeks to 18-months) or Toddler-A and Toddler-B (18-months to 3-years old).
The Infant and Toddler Program incorporates an immersive dual-language program that features bilingual caregivers; each classroom has one caregiver who speaks entirely in Spanish every day.
The program works with Bright Horizons, a national early childhood learning program, to deliver its “World at Their Fingertips” curriculum.


Check Routine Infant Motor Skill Development
Infant growth process should continue to be monitored. That is why, the baby should be routine for doctors to perform health checks. Not only weigh, measure body length, and head circumference alone. But also need to be examined motor skill development.
Monitoring the baby’s development will give good impact for the growth process. In the clinical report, the panel of the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), as quoted by Reuters Health, said the diagnosis and treatment can correct problems early hopes of helping children and families receive additional support.
Therefore, parents need to bring the baby to the doctor regularly to get a checkup. The doctor will then examine babies and children in order to determine whether there is a delay in the development of motor skills, such as difficulty sitting, standing, and talking.
By Meghann Lloyd, who examined motor development at the University of Ontario Institute of Technology, Oshawa, Canada, to recognize abnormalities and motor delays in children, hope, can make them be in a better developmental trajectory.
To that end, Dr.. Nortiz Garey and colleagues, the expert panel neuromotor screening AAP describes the capabilities that a child should make a visit to the doctor when she was 9, 18, 30, and 48 months. Of course that child development can be monitored well.
For instance, the nine-month-old baby should be able to roll to either side, sitting well without support and reaching or grasping objects. At age 18 months, children should be walking, sitting, and standing by itself.
“We hope that people can more quickly to a specialist and get an earlier diagnosis,” said Dr. Garey. Indeed, there are normal variations in child development. For example, when a child is late to run for two months parents should not need too sad.
But the delay is longer or there is a combination of a lot of motor problems, is the perfect excuse for parents to pay a visit to the pediatrician. “This type of development does not seem correct another, such as spasms or stiffness or repetitive motor movements could there be another alert sign for me,” said Meghann.
Motor delays are common and are not a result of other, more serious conditions, can be treated with physical therapy or occupational. Cerebral palsy and muscular dystrophy are two of the most common diseases related to motor and both can be identified and addressed early.
In general, it is recommended that clinicians measure the circumference of the head and check the muscles, reflexes, and eye movements.


Lesson 12: Instruction for Struggling Reader
The ideas and activities presented in this lesson are designed to familiarize you with strategies that support literacy learning for readers who struggle with reading. These students do not apply or have not learned those reading strategies which allow full engagement in the reading task. These readers who struggle with extracting meaning from text are found in all grades, at all ages and in all content areas. The literature supports that, though these struggling readers are lacking knowledge and practice, they can be taught to be successful when reading. Florida's Formula for effective reading instruction certainly applies to struggling readers in terms of areas of instruction, assessment, initial instruction, and immediate intensive intervention for students who have severe difficulties in reading. The strategies, practices, procedures, and information represented in this lesson are just a few of those strategies for success. They are appropriate for teachers of both elementary and secondary students and for teachers of both content and literature-based lessons. It is important for teachers to be familiar with the fundamentals of reading, which impact all levels of instruction and apply to lessons in all areas of content. Both general and specific procedures and processes for teaching the struggling reader are presented here. You can apply these strategies and processes as they appear here or view them as adaptations for strategies and lessons presented in other lessons in this course.
Finally, remember that technology is important for all students but may be particularly critical to students who learn through visual, audio, kinesthetic or other modalities. Technology can help many students, especially (some) struggling students, learn to read.
How do I help the struggling readers in my classroom? Lesson 12 will provide strategies for enhancing the decoding ability, vocabulary, and comprehension of struggling readers. Also included in this lesson are specific applications for assisting struggling readers in the content area classroom. In this video, Dr. Vicky Zygouris-Coe provides an overview of the key ideas presented in Lesson 12. PC - Windows Media Video (3.15MB)
Mac - QuickTime Video (9.49MB)
After this lesson you should be able to:
- Explain the process of reading and relate that process to the challenges students face as they construct meaning from print.
- Apply knowledge of literacy learning to support literacy development in struggling readers.
- Locate and use resources which support reading strategies for struggling readers.
- Identify some software titles and technology tools that can help students learn to read and comprehend text.
- Plan for the implementation of strategies designed to support the struggling readers in your classroom.
- Teach strategies that allow students to become independent readers and learners.
Wondering what you must accomplish in this lesson? A task list has been provided that outlines the required readings, actions, and assignments for Lesson 12. The task list is a learning aid to help you monitor the completion of this lesson. Other links, resources, and/or videos are optional. You will find a task list in each lesson. The task list can be accessed using the table of contents or by navigating to the end of this lecture


RANGOON – Educating street kids is not an easy task. The kids are often more interested in making their own money than sitting in a classroom, according to one educator who is working to change that.
Decades of poverty in Burma, and the ignorance of many parents about their responsibilities to their children, mean that many youngsters nationwide stay away from formal schooling.
“The poverty brings parents down to a situation where they put less emphasis on their children’s education,” said Aye Aye Thin, a former tutor at the Yangon Education University.
Aye Aye Thin is now providing non-formal education (NFE) classes for street kids and heads a Rangoon-based educational program known as Scholarships for Street Kids, or SSK, which helps with literacy and vocational training.
Initiated under a different name in 2007, SSK has been supporting education for impoverished children or child laborers on the street.
But SSK’s regular NFE classes began only in 2011 for children who have never been enrolled in school, or who have dropped out to work.
Classes run for three hours a day, five days a week. Some students in the classes are garbage collectors when they are not studying.
Aye Aye Thin said that before enrolling them in classes, she and her teachers speak to children working on the street to assess their needs.
“They [street kids] are different from the kids in poor families, as the street kids have to struggle for their survival,” she said. “The work they do is too hard at their age.”
The educator said the organization does not work only on literacy development, but they also “help street kids with their behavior changes as they are mentally affected.”
In towns across Burma, children work as manual laborers, vendors, tea-shop waiters, garbage collectors or domestic workers.
When asked why they are working, the skinny boys or girls generally give the same answer: they work to support their families back home. Their parents may be unemployed, or the family may have split up, leaving them indigent.
Many of these children are among the 1 million students nationwide who have dropped out of public school after primary level—aged 6-10—according to official figures from 2012.
Burma was recently ranked second in the World Giving Index—the Burmese receiving praise for their willingness to volunteer, to help strangers and to give donations—but many are still ignorant of the issue of child labor. For instance, ordinary customers at teashops or restaurants would not hesitate to receive services from the young or teenage waiters.
Much of the giving in Burma goes to religious institutions, and monastic education often receives help from philanthropists. But SSK is one of the only groups led by education experts and focusing on street kids.
Thirteen classes have been running, in North Okkalapa, Mingaladon, Intai, Hleku, and Pegu, since June, with nine teachers in all. But the teacher said the number of the kids attending classes has decreased since then from 140 kids aged 9-14 to 110 children.
Aye Aye Thin said many of the children were under pressure to make money for their families, who are uneducated and do not see the need to educate their offspring.
“A student told me that he must earn at least 5,000 kyat a day for his five family members’ survival,” Aye Aye Thin said. Trash collectors, whose ages normally are 9-10, make between 2,000 kyat and 5,000 kyat per day, about US$2-$4.
“We can’t pay them such amounts, as well as give them knowledge,” she said. “We also meet with the parents regularly, and talk to them to help their children as many parents do not pay much attention to the children’s literacy.”
SSK has expanded its activities to practical vocational training, as well as parental education. Tailoring courses, for example, are provided for girls in their early teens.
Aside from parental neglect, the kids struggle to concentrate on literacy, and educators also face a lack of collaboration from authorities.
Despite the country moving forward to the democratic transition, “people’s mindsets have not changed; some local authorities dare not to work together with us,” said Aye Aye Thin.


The goal of 1000 Books Before Kindergarten is to encourage early literacy development and young families reading together. Because repetition is a great think for kids' developing brains, most libraries tell parents to count each time a book is read. What does reading 1000 books look like?
- One bedtime story every night for three years.
- Ten books a week for two years.
- Twenty books a week for one year (that's just 3 books a day).
- Most libraries have some sort of a display--a physical representation of the number of books being read by participants. In Hammond, for every 100 books, kids get to put a leaf on a tree in the library (and for every 25 books, they get a sticker to put in their own record book). In Altoona, they'll be using a train mural in the front of the circulation desk, with kids putting up stickers every 100 books.
|Altoona's 1000-books train|
- Many libraries give books to kids when they've had a 1000 books read to them--and some libraries give a book at 250, 500 and 750 books read. Some libraries give out nursery rhyme collections or music CDs, too.
- Many libraries have some sort of special event (or events) to celebrate the program, including graduation parties--or just plain parties for all participants.
- Michelle Johnson, director at the Hammond Public Library, says that the best and most exciting incentives are more intangible--parents and kids are enjoying spending more time reading together, and the both kids and parents are excited to watch their pre-reading skills grow as kids gear up for kindergarten.
- Some libraries go all out and get sponsors for the program, enabling them to do lots of incentives and serve many kids. Menomonie got a generous donation from an individual who saw a presentation about their soon-to-start program at a Lions Club meeting. Others get their Friends groups involved.
- Other libraries have this worked into their regular budget. In Hammond, Michelle uses Scholastic Dollars from a book fair the library holds every year. That way, members of the community are contributing to this program when they purchase things at the fair.
- Getting participants
- Ages: some start with babies, others wait till the child will be most excited to add something to their library display (2 or 3 years old), others really put a push on for kids starting 4K.
- Many libraries partner with preschools, Headstart, daycare centers, 4K programs, etc. to promote the program.
If you want more information or need someone to brainstorm with, contact me (langby @ ifls.lib.wi.us) or check out this excellent summary by the Colorado State Library.


For 8-year-olds, this period of physical development continues to be one of refinement rather than major, noticeable changes. If your child has athletic ability, this will be the time when you see her skills shine, as her coordination, muscle control and overall physical development become more accurate and precise.
You can expect to see a wide range of sizes and physical skills in 8-year-old children. For instance, individual differences can account for the fact that some 8-year-olds may demonstrate natural athletic ability than others. Some 8-year-olds may become more aware of body images, and their self-confidence about their appearance may affect how they feel about themselves and their relationships with their peers. To support 8-year-olds, parents may want to make sure that they help their children engage in activities that encourage them to feel successful and positive about their skills and abilities.
You may continue to see changes in your 8-year-old child’s face and body as she becomes leaner and her features take on a more elongated look. Gone will be protuberant, rounded belly and chubby cheeks of the toddler and preschool years as your 8-year-old grows an average of 2 to 3 inches a year. An 8-year-old will really take on the look of a "big kid."
Teeth, Personal Care
Your 8-year-old child is not quite an adolescent yet, but you may notice that he’s increasingly more interested in his appearance. He may declare that he wants to wear his hair longer or dress in a certain style.
Eight-year-olds may also show more interest in taking care of personal hygiene, and are developmentally capable of being responsible for personal care routines such as brushing his teeth and taking a shower. You may still want to supervise to make sure that he brushes and flosses well and cleans all areas of his body thoroughly. But generally speaking, your 8-year-old child has the coordination and motor skill development necessary to do a fairly good job cleaning and grooming his teeth, body, and hair.
Coordination, Motor Skills
As your 8-year-old child’s coordination and muscle control continues to become finely-tuned, your child will show off her skills on the playground or sports field. Eight-year-old children will enjoy challenging activities such as skating and swimming. Small muscle control also continues to be refined, making activities such as playing musical instruments or using tools much easier and enjoyable for an 8-year-old child.
Some 8-year-olds will demonstrate natural athletic ability, and will be able to execute movements such as throwing and catching a ball or riding a bike with precision and agility. Aside from natural ability, 8-year-old children can also benefit from practicing skills required to play sports such as skating, dancing, and more.
It is important that parents of 8-year-olds encourage children not to label themselves as “not athletic” if they find themselves less skilled than their peers. Fact is, physical skills can develop at different rates for different individuals, and how much and how often a child practices can also be a factor in how well she performs at a given sport or activity.
Eight-year-old children will also have improved control over small muscles, and will be able to engage in activities such as sewing and drawing with more accuracy and detail. Stamina and strength will also continue to increase in 8-year-old children, making it possible for them to walk, run, or swim greater distances for longer periods of time.More About Your Eight-Year-Old Child's Development