Key issues from reading that have influenced my thinking

I like the new taxonomy of educational objectives found on page 47.

The from lower to higher order the objectives are: Remember, Understand, Apply, Analyze, Evaluate, and Create. I took this order into consideration while designing my two projects this week. Using these objectives is helping me to think creatively as an educator.

Some old undergraduate assignments had me asking questions like "how can I get my clarinetists to remember to sit up straight?" or "How can I get my 8th graders to be able to recite the Bb scale?" (again, the whole idea of teaching as manipulation that I mention earlier in my blog).
Through my MUSIC MOVES US project I am encouraging my students to use a medium they may not be familiar with to draw relationships between music that might be new to them in an unfamiliar culture. First they analyze different videos and then apply the information. Thinking in terms of connection will also probably help them to be able to recall the information since they will be able to draw up the memory of a context and then fill in the blanks

I like the idea of literacy found on page 49. What does musical literacy look like in the 21st century? Reading and writing music is part of it but my guess is that the majority of people in the world do not read or write standard notation. A literate 21st century musician is one that can act and think independently, is aware of music and its facets, and is productive.

I like the idea of higher-order questions found on page 115. The authors say that these kinds of questions need to be a “regular part of the learning experience. (115)” These are questions that help the student to compare, analyze, evaluate and expand.

The authors mention that while the students are doing their work they may become stumped and come ask the instructor for help. Instead of giving the answer the teacher can guide the students thinking through higher-order questions. It dawned on me that an instructor of mine has been instructing me in this way for quite some time. It was quite frustrating at first (and still is sometimes) because I was used to just getting answers. After awhile I got used to it and got into the habit of using higher order questions as a part of my self-dialogue.

There are several teaching dispositions that arise from the idea of higher order questions.

1. Patience – the instructor has to be patient because the student may need more time to figure out a problem or grasp a concept.
2. Creativity – the teacher has to quickly come up with higher order questions that guide student perception rather than simply “get them to do stuff”
3. humility – the educator must be humble and not be rushing to show how they are masterminds of a certain subject.



I like the idea of higher order questions found on page

Practices to discard

I’ve got to stop taking my job as an educator so lightly.

Project-Based learning is both sophisticated and honorable. It requires tons of front-loading (preparation). A PBL instructor must be a master of the 重い手みちびき術 (omoi-te-michibiki-jutsu) or heavy-handed guiding technique. To guide students with a heavy hand is not to rule with an iron fist. To not use my knowledge and influence to manipulate students but instead use questions and preparation to help them to make educational progress.

Before and during the project I must be prepared and deliberately active. You can’t whistle your way through PBL…unless you’re doing a project on whistling.

Hopefully by being well prepare I won’t have to rely on my authority as a government employee to create an atmosphere where learning takes place.


I’ve got to stop taking my job so seriously.

There is a joy in helping others to arrive at places where at their understanding of existence has increased. Music is a big deal and permeates creation. As music (organized vibrations) is what makes up the universe we cannot rid ourselves of it. Each of us is music and our lives a symphony. Life runs in shuffle-play mode so you can’t get too hung up when things don’t go how you expect.
I have faith that God gives us what we need for each day. As an educator, this means that today I have what it takes to get done what needs to get done today. There’s no sense in taking responsibility for the workings of a universe I didn’t make and barely understand. Projects don’t “not work” they simply end up producing an unplanned learning experience. If I relax a little more maybe I can see how these alternate ends are really a part of the bigger picture - of my growing to understand and share my understandings of music (aka the universe).

Tranforming Practice

What performance practice am I going to transform?

I think that my group and individual lessons are a performance practice that I need to transform.

I do not like sitting around counting and clapping rhythms for teenagers so that they can make me look good. Life is sacred and can be used more responsibly than that. I think that I can use lessons to help cultivate some ways of thinking, like: resiliency of inquiry, wonderment towards music, problem solving, and creativity.

The few times I attempted to do those things I did not have a plan loaded enough to be successful in those ways.

Now, if I had a student who wanted to learn a solo piece or band piece, I might write up a little curriculum of questions just for that piece. I would encourage them to ask critical questions about the music they want to learn. We could treat the piece like a performance project. Throughout the process we could analyze, evaluate, apply and create. Sometimes, I simply taught !!!!REMEMBER!!!!

A long-term goal would be for the student to become musically independent, aware and productive. How is this piece they are working on a stepping-stone towards a richer experience of music and life?

Response to Reinventing Project Based Learning Chapter 2

2010, july 6th
PBL reading response pg 187 Question #2

What connections do I see between teacher collaboration and student learning.

I would guess that there are positive outcomes in student learning when teachers collaborate.

1. When several people work on a project less will be overlooked in terms of preparation and problem prevention.
2. The project will be richer since more teachers are contributing to the preparation. Each bringing unique skills and perspectives
3. What happens in leadership percolates down to followers. Teacher collaboration will set the trend for student collaboration.

Where do I find opportunities to collaborate with collegues

1. I collaborate with other RA’s to put together programs
2. I collaborate with other IVCF leadership to put together programs

How could I bring more collaboration into my teaching life?

1. By participating in education-themed social networks
2. I think there is an attitude of humility that a collaboration requires. One can’t say “I have all the answers” or “I need all the credit.” I am reminded of a quote I read online “It is amazing what we can achieve when no one cares who gets the credit.”

Who would I want to incorporate into my dream team for collaboration?

1. I’ve certainly met some innovative teachers this week up in Potsdam. I hope that I have to opportunity to work with such positively minded faculty. Educators who view their students as people not as walking labels.
2. I have a couple ideas for where and who I’d like to educate but I can’t really say that I have an educational dream. This being said I’m not sure who I’d ask to be a part of my dream team.

How am I using technology to connect with peers?

1. Well, I’ve started this blog as well as a wiki page: deansa.wikipages.com
2. I expect that I will also use flickr, diigo, facebook, and gmail to connect with peers

 

composing in a cultural context

Now I'm thinking about how to frame and scaffold m¥ project designed for students to compose a piece of music based on a culture they will study.

1. Prior knowledge
2. Gather info
3. Synthesize info
4. plot out the composition.
5. perform and share
6. reflect

MUSIC MOVES US

I'm really trying to focus in on my MUSIC MOVES US project.

1. student groups will compile prior knowledge on movement in music in cultural contexts. Students will choose three types of movement to think about (i.e. dance, marching, synchronized swimming...).

2. Students will use choose one of the brainstormed movements.
Students will use videos to collect information about the musical and cultural aspects of the movement.

3. Students will use webs to synthesize the information gathered from the three videos.

4. Students will choose a piece of music representative of the cultural they've been studying.
They will then choreograph a movement that is representative of the culture in which it was found. If they wanted to convince someone in the culture that they were part of the choice culture what should their movement look like?

Students will share what they have learned with the audience.

5. Reflection

Students will reflect on what they have learned about the connections between music and culture. Students will reflect on what they would do differently next time.

LEARNING GOALS for my culture connections projects

Students will learn how their topic fits into a culture.

Students will learn about the connection between their topic and the people groups associated with that topic.

Students will learn to participate in their topic in expert roles such as: researcher, performer, creator, composer, choreographer, etc.

Students will learn how to present their projects.

Students will learn how assess their progress.

Students will learn how to reflect back on their finished projects.

.....trying to think of end goals that will help me to shape the lessons and to maintain a flow and common links from one part of the project to the next.