When the author began teaching in Paraguay, he ran into a series of classroom challenges familiar to English teachers around the world: a classroom overflowing with students, a large range of English abilities, and insufficient textbooks and traditional teaching resources. The activity described in this article is a one-size-fits-all activity that…

Creative instruction across the curriculum is a critical pillar of the Creative Learning Initiative (CLI). This research brief summarizes key results from the full report (published separately), the second in a series of three on CLI, shares teacher's reactions to training in Creative Teaching, how and why they use it in the classroom, and how…

This article describes how the use of Pringles cans and other tube containers can help physical education teachers gain a new perspective on incorporating a reusable, recyclable, durable product to create fun activities that support the development of fundamental skills in the physical education environment.

Using poetry, role play, readers' theatre, and creative manipulations of space through yarn and paper weaving, a workshop in 2008 challenged one of educational development's more pervasive and least questioned notions ("constructive alignment" associated most often with the work of John Biggs). This paper describes the reasoning behind…

Bernie DeKoven is both a play theorist and a play practitioner. He is the author of "The Well-Played Game" (reissued in 2013 by MIT Press) as well as "Junkyard Sports," "Power Meetings," and "Connected Executives" and of the compact disc "Recess for the Soul," an assemblage of monologues about…

The methods and music of American Professor Joan Yakkey have had an international influence on the music education of elementary and secondary students. Yakkey, a graduate of the High School of Performing Arts and Queens College in New York City, went to Italy to teach music in the 1970's. Italy, a country historically rich in music, was…

In 1936 attorney Evan S. Pillsbury left a legacy to establish a foundation for the advancement of music education. To determine how the funds might be most usefully spent, the three appointed trustees sought the advice of conductor Leopold Stokowski. He told them that what he thought was most needed was an in-depth study of the spontaneous music…

Courses: Public Speaking, Storytelling, Performance Ethnography, Oral Interpretation, Language and Communication. Objectives: The aims of this class exercise are: (1) To engage in a collaborative creative process of developing a story/topic from a simple idea to deepening the relationship with the audience through vivid and evocative language; (2)…

Ciênsação, an open online repository for hands-on experiments, has been developed to convince teachers in Latin America that science is best experienced first hand. Permitting students to experiment autonomously in small groups can be a challenging endeavour for educators in these countries. We analyse the reasons that cause hesitation of teachers…

Oliver Herring, the creator of TASK, defines it as: "[a]n improvisational event with a simple structure and very few rules... TASK's open-ended, participatory structure creates almost unlimited opportunities for a group of people to interact with one another and their environment. TASK's flow and momentum depend on the tasks written and…

This article proposes a method for teaching jazz dance technique according to music concepts and prioritizing deep embodiment of music. This method addresses what can be seen as a disconnect between current practices and historical understanding in jazz dance today, a gap that can be bridged with education empowering students to make innovative…

National research shows that students attending arts-rich schools have higher levels of motivation and better academic and social success. This two-page research brief summarizes key points from the full report (published separately), the first in a series of three on the Creative Learning Initiative, is used to track the progress of our…

This essay introduces a novel way to conceptualize writerly invention -- invention as adopting a non-intentional intellectual stance wherein heuristics are experienced as acting upon the writer as opposed to being enacted by the writer. This view of invention complicates and extends the traditional, Aristotelian view of invention as discreet…

"To a great extent, we all must "do" in order to learn." Ellen Lebitz begins with this overarching truth as a lead-in to a close look at handwork in the elementary environment. She explains the benefits of handwork for the second-plane child, including it being a key to helping "even the most distracted children find focus…

Curriculum Weaving uses multi-layered goal planning designed to activate the students' prior knowledge, connect the student to student competencies and encourage them to engage in professionally-based, project management activities that will cultivate effective professional in the field classroom teacher. The focus of weaving these elements…