Standard #5: Application of Content
The teacher understands how to connect concepts and use differing perspectives to engage learners in critical thinking, creativity, and collaborative problem solving related to authentic local and global issues.
December 2015
There is a saying that "those who can't do, teach." This statement could not be further from the truth. In fact, in my experience, there are many professional musicians who struggle to adequately teach their students. Some of these musicians may have found some big secret to professional playing, but when a student comes to them for private lessons the teacher has little advice on fundamentals or simply cannot convey ideas effectively. The go-to advice from professional players to bright-eyed students is often "practice, practice, practice." These are mass generalizations of course, but teachers must be able to convey concepts both verbally and non-verbally. Non-verbally, a teacher must be able to effectively demonstrate or communicate the content through singing, playing, sharing a recording, or conducting. Verbally, a teacher must be able to organize complex ideas and communicate them to his students in a way that is succinct and manageable.
There was one week of student teaching when I had lost my voice, meaning I could not speak or sing. This made teaching challenging, but it forced me to think creatively on how I delivered instruction and conveyed information to my students. I decided to have a “silent” rehearsal with my 8th grade band in which neither the students nor I would talk unless it was absolutely necessary. In order for a silent rehearsal to be successful, there must be a lot of preparation and thought on how to deliver information, whether by visual cues, writing and drawing, handouts, modeling on an instrument, or listening to a recording. The students must also be willing and encouraged to engage with the teacher in possibly unorthodox ways. In order to keep students engaged, I knew that the pacing would have to be much faster and that we would have to incorporate as much playing as possible. Since the topic of the day was tempo and the various tempo and expressive markings in one of our pieces, I decided to put all of the terms on the white board and put a detailed schedule (including measure numbers and visual cues) on the board which we went over at the beginning of class. I designated specific student leaders to be my “translators” for the period to help decipher body language, which turned out to be a fun sort of competition between those students. We incorporated each tempo term into our warm-ups, playing them allegro, presto, andante, and with expression such as rubato and discussing the difference between rallentando versus ritardando. Incorporating variation into our daily routine kept the students on their toes, and they were excited to see how we would challenge ourselves on each new activity. Demonstrating each new concept on my horn or as a class made it much easier for the students to define them immediately after, and the transition into the music was smooth and natural. Although I had to make these accommodations, I did not include them in my lesson plan because losing my voice completely was very unexpected. I think it is important for teachers to consider the unexpected and possibly even make those accommodations (rather as a template, a mental “toolbox,” or in the actual lesson plan) in advance.
At Ball State University, I was required to take EDPS 390, an educational psychology class that focused on how learners learn, how to create practical assessments, and how to organize information to effectively teach a concept. Two terms in particular have stuck with me from this class: Scaffolding, and the Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD). Scaffolding is an instructional strategy that is best represented by the metaphor itself. This strategy is an essential element of effective teaching in that it helps bridge the gap between what students have learned and what they are expected to understand or be able to demonstrate at a certain point in their education. Supportive strategies are removed in increments as the students learn. For music educators, this includes using visual or auditory aids such as a perception chart or a 12-bar blues grid to introduce a concept, and as the students develop you slowly take these aids away and challenge the students to eventually recreate the content or describe it in their own words. Similarly, the ZPD is the difference between what a learner can do with help and what he or she can do without help. You have three primary zones: the student's current level of achievement, the ZPD, and the zone that is simply beyond the student's reach at that moment. Understanding where a student is at in his development is crucial because it allows the teacher to create a curriculum that challenges him within the ZPD. If something is too easy for the student, he or she loses interest, but if it is too difficult then the student may lose progress or become frustrated. As a music teacher, I would not expect an average 8th grade band to perform Blue Shades by Ticheli. However, I might challenge them with Themes from Green Bushes by Percy Grainger because it would be more accessible.
With much of the world entering into the digital age and American schools beginning iPad/tablet initiatives for their students, teachers must be able to communicate and teach using technology as well. One example would be my e-portfolio. For parents, colleagues, and future employers, this website serves as a means of exploring my philosophy of education and pedagogical goals for my students. Social media is another great outlet to reach out to students. For recruiting purposes, I could have student leaders in my music program create a hashtag to use on sites like twitter or facebook. I could create a facebook group for my students and their parents to relay information quickly en masse. This could be homework assignments if school is canceled, information for an extra dress rehearsal, or even just a congratulations after a great performance. Using e-mail to send out newsletters to parents and administrators with concert dates or information about an upcoming instrument petting zoo would also be beneficial. SmartMusic is a great tool as well, as it allows me to create assignments for my students to practice at home. It also allows me to hear recordings of my student, evaluate his or her musical accuracy, and respond to the student's submission with instructions and feedback. There are numerous means of communication available, and it is important that teachers explore all possible outlets.
There is a saying that "those who can't do, teach." This statement could not be further from the truth. In fact, in my experience, there are many professional musicians who struggle to adequately teach their students. Some of these musicians may have found some big secret to professional playing, but when a student comes to them for private lessons the teacher has little advice on fundamentals or simply cannot convey ideas effectively. The go-to advice from professional players to bright-eyed students is often "practice, practice, practice." These are mass generalizations of course, but teachers must be able to convey concepts both verbally and non-verbally. Non-verbally, a teacher must be able to effectively demonstrate or communicate the content through singing, playing, sharing a recording, or conducting. Verbally, a teacher must be able to organize complex ideas and communicate them to his students in a way that is succinct and manageable.
There was one week of student teaching when I had lost my voice, meaning I could not speak or sing. This made teaching challenging, but it forced me to think creatively on how I delivered instruction and conveyed information to my students. I decided to have a “silent” rehearsal with my 8th grade band in which neither the students nor I would talk unless it was absolutely necessary. In order for a silent rehearsal to be successful, there must be a lot of preparation and thought on how to deliver information, whether by visual cues, writing and drawing, handouts, modeling on an instrument, or listening to a recording. The students must also be willing and encouraged to engage with the teacher in possibly unorthodox ways. In order to keep students engaged, I knew that the pacing would have to be much faster and that we would have to incorporate as much playing as possible. Since the topic of the day was tempo and the various tempo and expressive markings in one of our pieces, I decided to put all of the terms on the white board and put a detailed schedule (including measure numbers and visual cues) on the board which we went over at the beginning of class. I designated specific student leaders to be my “translators” for the period to help decipher body language, which turned out to be a fun sort of competition between those students. We incorporated each tempo term into our warm-ups, playing them allegro, presto, andante, and with expression such as rubato and discussing the difference between rallentando versus ritardando. Incorporating variation into our daily routine kept the students on their toes, and they were excited to see how we would challenge ourselves on each new activity. Demonstrating each new concept on my horn or as a class made it much easier for the students to define them immediately after, and the transition into the music was smooth and natural. Although I had to make these accommodations, I did not include them in my lesson plan because losing my voice completely was very unexpected. I think it is important for teachers to consider the unexpected and possibly even make those accommodations (rather as a template, a mental “toolbox,” or in the actual lesson plan) in advance.
At Ball State University, I was required to take EDPS 390, an educational psychology class that focused on how learners learn, how to create practical assessments, and how to organize information to effectively teach a concept. Two terms in particular have stuck with me from this class: Scaffolding, and the Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD). Scaffolding is an instructional strategy that is best represented by the metaphor itself. This strategy is an essential element of effective teaching in that it helps bridge the gap between what students have learned and what they are expected to understand or be able to demonstrate at a certain point in their education. Supportive strategies are removed in increments as the students learn. For music educators, this includes using visual or auditory aids such as a perception chart or a 12-bar blues grid to introduce a concept, and as the students develop you slowly take these aids away and challenge the students to eventually recreate the content or describe it in their own words. Similarly, the ZPD is the difference between what a learner can do with help and what he or she can do without help. You have three primary zones: the student's current level of achievement, the ZPD, and the zone that is simply beyond the student's reach at that moment. Understanding where a student is at in his development is crucial because it allows the teacher to create a curriculum that challenges him within the ZPD. If something is too easy for the student, he or she loses interest, but if it is too difficult then the student may lose progress or become frustrated. As a music teacher, I would not expect an average 8th grade band to perform Blue Shades by Ticheli. However, I might challenge them with Themes from Green Bushes by Percy Grainger because it would be more accessible.
With much of the world entering into the digital age and American schools beginning iPad/tablet initiatives for their students, teachers must be able to communicate and teach using technology as well. One example would be my e-portfolio. For parents, colleagues, and future employers, this website serves as a means of exploring my philosophy of education and pedagogical goals for my students. Social media is another great outlet to reach out to students. For recruiting purposes, I could have student leaders in my music program create a hashtag to use on sites like twitter or facebook. I could create a facebook group for my students and their parents to relay information quickly en masse. This could be homework assignments if school is canceled, information for an extra dress rehearsal, or even just a congratulations after a great performance. Using e-mail to send out newsletters to parents and administrators with concert dates or information about an upcoming instrument petting zoo would also be beneficial. SmartMusic is a great tool as well, as it allows me to create assignments for my students to practice at home. It also allows me to hear recordings of my student, evaluate his or her musical accuracy, and respond to the student's submission with instructions and feedback. There are numerous means of communication available, and it is important that teachers explore all possible outlets.
