In this area of the website you will find information on some of the best
researched and the most widely implemented methods of helping all students to
learn more successfully. The information includes a description of how the
teaching and learning strategies work, where they have been applied, results, and
where to find further information from experts in the field, books, websites, and
other resources. They have been demonstrated to be successful with students of
all ages and ability levels, including those with various kinds of disabilities and
those who do not learn in traditional ways. Following are links to different
teaching and learning strategies, a description of how they work, where they have
been applied, results, and where to find more information from individuals,
books, web sites, and other resources.
These strategies are most successful when they are implemented in a system that
encourages collaboration among staff and students, and in which each is a part of
a well-planned whole system. In some of the most successful sites, teachers
themselves have become in-house experts in specific practices which they share
with their colleagues. It is important to recognize that while these strategies are
useful, little will be accomplished in implementing them unless there is ongoing
documentation of their results. There must also be efficient methods of feeding
that information back into the system so that there will be continuing progress in
teaching and learning. It is also certain that these strategies are most effective
when they are applied in positive, supportive environments where there is
recognition of the emotional, social and physical needs of students and where
individual strengths are recognized, nurtured, and developed. We welcome your
feedback as we continue to build the Teaching and Learning Strategies area as an
effective resource for teachers and students focusing on improved academic
achievement and striving to meet new academic standards.
Recommended Reading:
In recent years, there has been an explosion of new research coming directly from
applying in schools and adult training programs the most effective ways of
teaching and learning. Following is a list of books that present such research in
an informative and practical manner. Please click on the title for a description of
each book.
Related links:
http://www.newhorizons.org/strategies/front_strategies.html
Always among the highest expression of every culture, the arts teach us much
about every historical period through its literature, visual arts, music, dance, and
drama. Today it is recognized that to be truly well educated one must not only
learn to appreciate the arts, but must have rich opportunities to actively
participate in creative work. The arts are languages that most people speak,
cutting through individual differences in culture, educational background, and
ability. They can bring every subject to life and turn abstractions into concrete
reality. Learning through the arts often results in greater academic achievement
and higher test scores.
Articles
Stimulating the Brain and Senses Through Art Dee Dickinson and Linda Bellon-
Fisher, et al
An interview with the founder and CEO of New Horizons for Learning by the
Washington State Arts Commission.
Critical Links: Learning in the Arts and Student Social and Academic
Development James Catterall
The results of numerous studies on the arts in education further cement the
importance of the arts.
The Necessary Role of the Arts in Education and Society: Finding the Creative
Power Within Us to Control Our Lives and Shape Our Destinies Eric Oddleifson
How the arts can transform society as we know it.
Report on the Learning Through the Arts Conference at IslandWood Lee Ann
Woolery
A report on a recent, highly successful conference on Learning Through the Arts,
With Emphasis on Math, Language Arts, and Science.
The Value of the Arts to the Community and Education AnnRené Joseph
Ms. Joseph shares numerous quotations that reinforce the importance of the arts
in education.
Chaim Potok's My Name is Asher Lev, Art History and Images From the World
Wide Web
Alan Warhaftig
Including art history creates a richer, more powerful lesson.
Knowing the Language of Place Through the Arts Lee Ann Woolery
Arts Coordinator of IslandWood uses art as a way of connecting with the
landscape to more deeply understand the ecology and make a stronger
connection to place.
Waldorf Approach Offers Hope in Schools for Juvenile Offenders Arline Monks
An experimental program for juvenile offenders in Yuba County, California
utilizes Waldorf methods and curricula in two schools, T.E. Mathews Community
School, a school for twelve-to-eighteen year-old offenders who are under a court
order to attend, and The Garden Court School in Juvenile Hall, a lock-up facility.
Waldorf methods have had a dramatic affect on teachers and students, and
principal Ruth Mikkelson is looking to apply the approach in other schools that
serve at-risk youth.
The Cappies: Celebrating High School Theater Like Never Before Bill Strauss
and Judy Bowns
A new program for showcasing the acheivements of high school theater students
and critics.
Recommended Reading
• Bibliography
• The Power of the Arts: Creative Strategies for Teaching Exceptional
Learners Sally L. Smith
• Champions of Change: The Impact of the Arts on Learning Edward B.
Fiske
• Releasing the Imagination: Essays on Education, the Arts, and Social
Change Maxine Greene
• Coming Up Taller Elizabeth Murfee
• Art Matters Eileen S. Prince
• Making Music With Your Child Kia Portafekas and Karen E. Marlow
• Visual Language: Global Communication for the 21st Century Robert E.
Horn
• The Mozart Effect for Children: Awakening Your Child's Mind, Health and
Creativity with Music Don Campbell
• Science Songs and Stories Kathleen Carroll
• Creativity: The Flowering Tornado Ginny Ruffner
Related links
Arts in Education
Links from Northwest Regional Educational Laboratory. Be patient, this link
takes a minute to open because it is a large database.
ArtsEdge
The national arts and education network, based at the Kennedy Center in
Washington, DC. This site offers lesson plan ideas.
Puppetools
Jeffrey Peyton of Puppetools says "using puppets (visual, emotive, playful media)
will lead you into a different dimension of teaching and communicating. It will
challenge and transcend the limited behavior and communication patterns
handed down to you by your training and expected of you in the classroom. "
Visit the website for a free teacher workshop and puppet patterns.
http://www.newhorizons.org/strategies/arts/front_arts.htm