ST Matthews Primary School

10 Things To Consider When Choosing Material For Sunday School

Choosing Bible study materials can determine whether those who attend Sunday School experience spiritual transformation in studying God's Word or simply learn information. When considering your choice of Sunday school materials ask yourself the following questions about the materials:

- Do they champion the Bible as the inerrant and infallible Word of God?

- Do they encourage believers to seek the kingdom of God as the first priority of their lives?

Sunday school should help and encourage the children to do just that by the choice of good Bible based materials.

The major part of their week will be spent at school or home.

Ephesians 4: 11 "And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers;" Sunday school is about teaching the children to be part of God's family, amongst them you will have all the above.

- Do they affirm the home as the centre of biblical guidance and help equip Christian parents
to fulfil their responsibility as the primary Bible teachers and disciples of their children?

Sunday school is where children should learn about the role of the family unit.

- Do they help lay foundations of the Christian faith and engage the children in a process of

instruction that compels Christians toward spiritual transformation?

- Do they offer a wide variety interactive, age-appropriate learning activities?

Sunday school should not only be a place of learning the Word of God but also learning through fun and play.

For centuries music had been considered an irreplaceable part of a proper education. Early universities taught it as one of the quadrivium or four essential pillars of education. Education administrators too often mistakenly believe that music education is a misguided effort to channel students into a career in music or, at best, an expensive "play time" that does little for their educational development.

If only those administrators could learn the incredible benefits of music education on students, they might change their minds. Recent studies have indicated that adolescent music education produces greater observable physical development in the brain,[2] and an average of 27% higher math scores,[3] 57 points higher SAT scores[4] and a 46% increase in IQ scores.[5] In addition to these documented benefits on intelligence, music education has been shown enhance learning in all other subject areas by improving their study skills, receptiveness to instruction, social and emotional development. Students that participate in school band or orchestra also experience the lowest rate of gang activity and substance abuse. Most importantly, the cognitive and behavioral advantages of music education are shown to affect all students, regardless of their ethnicity, "at-risk" status, or socio-economic background.[6]

These findings alone should guarantee the inclusion of a robust music program in every primary and secondary school, but the benefits don't end there. Adolescent music education has been shown to be a reliable predictor of success in college and professional life. My parents raised six boys and one girl, all of whom participated heavily in music during their primary and secondary school years. I feel greatly indebted to the many music educators that taught my family and me and am saddened to hear that the opportunities we received are not always available to children. As a public school teacher, I find great fulfillment knowing that the skills I teach them in music classes and ensembles will not only enable a life-long interest, but will also help them in many other important areas of their lives and contribute to their success in life.

The great violin teacher Shinichi Suzuki said "The purpose of [music] education is to train children, not to be professional musicians but to be fine musicians and to show high ability in any other field they enter."[9] My experience has taught me that music education uniquely enhances learning and prepares children for successful lives. Along with all the other subjects taught in elementary and secondary schools, I hope that I can bring the world of music into the lives of as many children as I can. Sources:

- Brian Foster, "Einstein and his Love of Music," Physics World (Jan. 2005), .

- Amy Graziano, Matthew Peterson and Gordon Shaw, "Enhanced learning of proportional math through music training and spatial-temporal training," Neurological Research 21 (March 1999).

- College-Bound Seniors National Report: Profile of SAT Program Test Takers. [5] Rauscher, Shaw, Levine, Ky and Wright, "Music and Spatial Task Performance: A Causal Relationship," University of California, Irvine, 1994.

-Benefits of Music Education," MENC: The National Association for Music Education, 2002.

- Lewis Thomas, "The Case for Music in the Schools," Phi Delta Kappan (February 1994).

[8] Grant Venerable, "The Paradox of the Silicon Savior," as reported in "The Case for Sequential Music Education in the Core Curriculum of the Public Schools," The Center for the Arts in the Basic Curriculum, New York, 1989.

I trained as a teacher back in the late 1960's and apart from years at home with my children when they were younger I have been teaching or involved with my own children's education for all of that time. During the last 15 years of my education career I was involved with pupils who had either been excluded from school or who were medical / phobic referrals (exclusion by another name). However the school system being what it is meant that the specialized help couldn't be made available because of constraints on the school budget.

In some cases where the parents were aware and understood the needs of their children private tuition may have been a way to offer temporary help to that child. Very recently I have been introduced to a completely new concept in online education. So what is Webucation and how does it differ from the online education we have experienced to date? Interactive Online Live Learning Channels will offer children the opportunity to work online with a tutor using an interactive whiteboard. There are also curriculum lessons for school children as well as the opportunity for one to one tuition and help with homework.