This article profiles Principal of the Year Mel Riddile, a former University of North Carolina football linebacker and principal of J. E. B. Stuart High school in Fairfax County, Virginia. Riddile was recently named the national high school principal of the year by the National Association of Secondary School Principals (NASSP) and MetLife.…

This article takes the subject of visual arts in Sweden as the point of departure in a discussion of how, with the help of portfolios, assessments may extend to include both the unpredictable and the ambiguous. The notion that assessments of learning outcomes must be either limited to superficial knowledge or completely arbitrary is shown to be a…

This essay highlights three graduate student papers in an effort to explore the use of a relatively new methodology in the social sciences known as narratives of self. The seminar, in which the student papers were written, was formulated on the tenets of critical pedagogy and cultural studies. This paper positions the use of narratives of self…

The article examines conflict avoidance in performing arts group work and issues arising in relation to teaching and learning. In group theory, conflict is addressed largely in terms of its detrimental effects on group work, and its constructive potential is often marginalized. Similarly, undergraduate students usually interpret "effective…

This article features ImaginOn: The Joe and Joan Martin Center," a learning facility wherein students are provided with an original approach to education, learning, and the arts. ImaginOn is a joint venture of the Public Library of Charlotte & Mecklenburg County (PLMC) and the Children's Theater of Charlotte. ImaginOn's mission is to "bring…

This article draws on systems views of creativity and their application in music education, to argue that young children's independent invented song making evolves from their early musico-communicative interaction with others, is evidential of their capacity for "elaboration," and is foundational in the development of creative thought and activity…

To plan effective rehearsals and meaningful performances, band directors must engage in thorough score study and carefully construct standards-based lesson plans. While some may consider these separate steps, numerous aspects of the score-study process can help band directors create and implement standards-based lessons. When planning lessons…

Interest in foreign-language instruction in preschool is growing, both among parents and early-childhood educators trying to meet the demand. The interest, though, comes at a time when some districts are scaling back on such programs in the elementary grades in order to spend more time on reading and mathematics--the subjects currently tested to…

This photo essay includes children's reflections on the opportunities offered by Artists/Writers Workshop for meaning-making in two languages--the language of pictures and the language of words. As students move back and forth between pictures and words, they experience transmediation. They create new meanings, find new and stronger voices, and…

Early thinking in the modern era often regarded creativity as a somewhat asocial means of individual expression, self-realization, and self-fulfillment. However, it also is a socially influenced phenomenon that serves society. A social approach offers the opportunity of distinguishing between large and small amounts of novelty, as well as between…

In this article, the author shares tips on how to develop a student's creative intelligence and provide activities that enable students to discover their innate abilities. These include making sure that the classroom is a home for students and reflects their hopes and aspirations, creating an effective classroom where every child has the…

In recent years, Problem Based Learning (PBL) has been applied in medical and psychological areas of professional education. The PBL approach requires students to move past traditional choreographic methods toward making dances informed by real-world issues. In PBL, students work cooperatively to solve complex problems. Rather than being presented…

Background: The goal of the pedagogical content course is to teach how to make mathematics education better through the use of different teaching methods, and techniques. By learning the different teaching methods, future teachers will be able to apply their learning into the teaching. Aims: The aim of this exploratory study is to note and discuss…

Creativity in the mathematics classroom is not just about what pupils do, but also what teachers do. If they are thinking creatively about the mathematical experiences they offer their pupils they can open up opportunities for them to be creative. This article reflects the belief of staff at the NRICH Mathematics Project that mathematics is about…

In this article, the authors describe Picture Power, a project they implemented during late spring in a full-day Montessori preschool-kindergarten program in Philadelphia. In this project, the authors set out to gather information about children's visual learning. The underlying question was whether artwork could provide useful clues to inform…