About Elizabeth Peterson

Elizabeth Peterson has devoted her life to education and to reaching out to other teachers who want to remain inspired. Mrs. Peterson teaches fourth grade in Amesbury, Massachusetts and is the host of www.theinspiredclassroom.com. She holds an M.Ed. in Education, “Arts and Learning” and is currently enrolled in a C.A.G.S. program through Plymouth State University with a focus in “Arts Leadership and Learning.” Elizabeth is author of Inspired by Listening, a teacher resource book that includes a method of music integration she has developed and implemented into her own teaching. She teaches workshops and courses on the integration of the arts into the curriculum, leads an arts integration PLC (PLaiC) and is adjunct faculty for PSU. Mrs. Peterson believes there is a love of active, integrated learning in all children and from their enthusiasm, teachers can shape great opportunities to learn.
Website: http://www.theinspiredclassroom.com
Elizabeth Peterson has written 288 articles so far, you can find them below.

Being a Creative Teacher is OK! – a lesson in Main Idea

Filed under Arts Education and Integration, Classroom Stories by Elizabeth Peterson on October 17, 2009 at 2:00 am {no comments}

Scripted Teaching – yuck! But is it part of our everyday teaching routine. Our reading and math series are so planned out, that it is rare that I make an actual lesson plan. The editors have given objectives, procedures, warm up activities, enrichment ideas, projects, games, material lists, materials and extra practice, to name a [...]

Full Story »

So many assessments!

Filed under General Education Topics by Elizabeth Peterson on October 14, 2009 at 9:15 pm {no comments}

I just attended a workshop about assessments and in particular, we looked at the results of our state’s high stakes testing (MCAS). We scanned, compared, looked at the challenges and weaknesses of our students in terms of what is tested and then our principal asked us to create a list of other ways we can [...]

Full Story »

In Response to Mae Jemison talk on Ted.com

Filed under General, General Education Topics by Elizabeth Peterson on October 5, 2009 at 7:23 pm {no comments}

Mae Jemison spoke on Ted.com about connecting and teaching the arts and sciences together. Thank you for this message. It is necessary that this is widespread and understood. Arts are connected to all disciplines and need to be integrated, infused into all aspects of our education system. Our system is flawed and based in the [...]

Full Story »

AEP Forum – An Urgent Message

Filed under Arts Education and Integration, General Education Topics by Elizabeth Peterson on October 4, 2009 at 1:54 pm {no comments}

After attending the two day forum in Cambridge, MA hosted by AEP (Arts Education Partnership), it is evident that there is an urgency to bring arts education and integration into the forefront of our education system. Now is the time to get inspired and be inspiring to your students. It is through the arts that [...]

Full Story »

Linking Music to Reading

Filed under Arts Education and Integration, General Education Topics by Elizabeth Peterson on September 7, 2009 at 6:15 pm {no comments}

I had the first day of school professional development days this past week and it continued to amaze me how much reading and music are linked! They are innately very similar processes and it’s not just in their appreciation and skill, but in the developmental continuum. In appreciation and skill: The parallels between reading and [...]

Full Story »

The Music-Literacy Connection

Filed under Arts Education and Integration, General Education Topics by Elizabeth Peterson on August 29, 2009 at 1:26 am {no comments}

When you think of music, do you think of literacy? Chances are you do not. But the two disciplines have a lot in common and we teachers can take advantage of these similarities to help our students become motivated learners. Over the next few blogs, I would like to explore these ideas and see where [...]

Full Story »

Pulling away from art to come back to it

Filed under Arts Education and Integration by Elizabeth Peterson on July 27, 2009 at 10:38 pm {no comments}

One idea I keep coming back to in my mind from reading Dewey is this. Actually, let me back up. My prob is that I keep thinking that Dewey is defining all experiences as art and it is confusing me. Does that mean that walking down the street is art if you have had an [...]

Full Story »

Dewey's Art as Experience

Filed under Arts Education and Integration by Elizabeth Peterson on July 25, 2009 at 10:30 pm {no comments}

I am reading this as part of a course I am taking and I’ve come across some interesting revelations in reading it, pondering it and discussing it with my teacher. Experiences – they occur all the time, in fact, according to John Dewey life is a string of continuous experiences. He does however differentiate between [...]

Full Story »

The Process

Filed under Arts Education and Integration, General Education Topics by Elizabeth Peterson on July 10, 2009 at 5:44 am {no comments}

During these time of such high-stakes testing, we need to explore new and innovative ways to make sure the arts does not get beaten back, but brought to the forefront. Who is going to be the first to have the guts to try it? Not just we teachers in the classrooms, but administrators and politicians. [...]

Full Story »