The Alberta Teachers’ Association

Grade 1 and 2 students at Galbraith Elementary School in Lethbridge receive 15 minutes per day of piano instruction to improve their math skills. This innovative project was funded by Lethbridge School District No. 51 and the ATA Educational Trust. — Photo by Anouschka Van Schaik

Donnah Hunt, a teacher with 35 years’ teaching experience, received a $3,000 grant last year from the Vi Fishbourne Memorial Fund of the ATA Educational Trust. The grant was used to carry out an innovative research project in Hunt’s last year of teaching.

Through the project, Grade 1 and 2 students were taught basic piano keyboarding skills and were monitored to determine whether a musical activity would influence students’ spatial-temporal reasoning, which is important to developing math skills. Parents supported the project and were impressed with their children’s progress. Because of the project’s success, the school district is funding the project in 2005/2006.

Hunt’s final report, Keyboarding and Mathematical Achievement, is available from the ATA Library in Barnett House—call 447-9400 (in Edmonton and area) or 1-800-232-7208 from elsewhere in Alberta.

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