[Editor’s Note: This is the 10th in a series of blogs that examine how education developed throughout history until the present. Links to previous blogs are included at the bottom of the post.] From its inception, Islam has placed a high premium on education and has enjoyed a long, rich intellectual tradition as a result. … Continue reading “A History of Education: The Islamic World: Basics”
Tag: writing
A History of Education: The Olmecs and the Maya
[Editor’s Note: This is the 9th in a series of blogs that examine how education developed throughout history until the present. Links to previous blogs are included at the bottom of the post.] Unlike in the other three areas of the world where writing arose independently, writing in Mesoamerica didn’t start as a means of … Continue reading “A History of Education: The Olmecs and the Maya”
A History of Education: Ancient Greece and Rome
[Editor’s Note: This is the 6th in a series of blogs that examine how education developed throughout history until the present. Links to previous blogs are included at the bottom of the post.] The Greeks inherited their written language from the Phoenicians, who inherited it from the Sumerians. But before the 5th century BCE, no … Continue reading “A History of Education: Ancient Greece and Rome”
A History of Education: Mesopotamia and the Sumerians
[Editor’s Note: This is the 4th in a series of blogs that examine how education developed throughout history until the present. Links to previous blogs are included at the bottom of the post.] School as a concept of education correlates closely with the development of true writing, which arose independently around the world at least three … Continue reading “A History of Education: Mesopotamia and the Sumerians”
A History of Education: An Introduction
[Editor’s Note: This is the first in a year-long series of blogs that examines how education developed throughout history until the present.] In its broadest sense, education is the imparting of information from one generation to the generation that follows it. It can be accomplished by modeling actions, sharing oral knowledge, or through reading and … Continue reading “A History of Education: An Introduction”
Effective Writing Instruction
Reading and writing are complementary skills; you read text that’s written, and you create text to be read. Both skills need to be explicitly taught and rigorously practiced since the human brain isn’t hard-wired for either one [see our blog post here]. We’ve talked on this blog about many different approaches to reading instruction. Now, … Continue reading “Effective Writing Instruction”
Teaching Poetry in the Classroom
Poetry has a place in education, even among the elementary grades. It can be included as part of reading, writing, and language lessons, and adds additional value to classroom themes, projects, celebrations, and other important events. Here are five good reasons to include poetry in the classroom. Builds reading, speaking, and listening skills Children who … Continue reading “Teaching Poetry in the Classroom”
Improving Reading and Writing Skills
In a recent Education Week post, Mike Schmoker described three key elements for teachers to use to impart core literacy skills to their students: purposeful reading, discussion, and writing. He advocated for 90-120 minutes engagement each day, spread throughout the curriculum. To understand just what this means for classroom instruction, let’s examine the three skills, … Continue reading “Improving Reading and Writing Skills”
The Deaf and Reading Comprehension – Part 2 (Phonics Instruction)
[Editor’s note: This is the second post of a five-part series on the deaf and educational interventions to ensure effective reading comprehension and fluency. To read the first part, go here.] Chamberlain & Mayberry (2000) indicate that reading requires two related abilities. First, you must be familiar with a language. Second, you must understand the … Continue reading “The Deaf and Reading Comprehension – Part 2 (Phonics Instruction)”
Balancing Literacy: What Makes for Good Reading Instruction?
In a September 8, 2021 opinion post, Education Week described two educators’ concerns over the polarization of literary instruction and the distortion of the term “balanced literacy” from its original meaning.[1] To address the former, we have to look no farther than the hotly debated “war” between phonics and whole-word instruction, which we dealt with … Continue reading “Balancing Literacy: What Makes for Good Reading Instruction?”