I really enjoyed "The Interactive" idea located on the learner.org web site. I worked through the cinema interactive to see how this idea would work for high school students in the arts. I was thrilled to see how the student would learn about just everything involving the cinema. All the way from the brief history of screenwriters to the grip, actors, camera person, or director. The student can then create and interact with the site by doing things like writing a short scene to be included in the cinema. It also allowed the student to try producing their own film, asking them to manage everything involved in creating a movie. The interactive part involves the student making the choices leading up to the actual creation of the film.
I thought this was a great strategy in showing students how one decision can make or break a particular concept, assignment, or life situation. This is a great tool for teaching ideas that fit "outside the box."
Sunday, October 10, 2010
Concepts in Module 4
This week's strategies discussed identifying similarities and differences, homework and practice, and generating testing and hypotheses. I can say as a music teacher that there is a strong possibility I will not use some of these concepts in my classes, there are some that warrant thoughts and possible implementation in our curriculum.
Identifying Similarities and Differences: I understand this strategy is potentially very beneficial in other courses of study, however in music the way I use this is by identifying to the student how a performance or performer sounds compared to ours. I use specific examples in class by playing a recording of a professional group performing a certain selection or type of piece we may be working on for our concert. I sometimes avoid playing the exact piece for the class as I want the students to develop their own "ear" for how their music fits into the entire ensemble. However if I demonstrate a professional group performing a similar piece, I can show how that groups sounds and discuss how we can improve to make our group sound as good as the professional group. We are always making goals to help students strive for the very best, but these goals are realistic and worked on in lessons and sectional work.
Homework and Practice: Here is where we have really changed our strategies this year. In the past, our goal was to get students to practice a certain number of minutes each week. What we found was that students were ultimately changing the truth on these "practice charts" and sometimes even forging a parents signature before turning in for credit. We then went to a system where the student had to diagnosis some simple goals for each practice session and document the goals, then play specific etudes and/or exercises to help achieve the goals of the practice time, and then work on concert specific material. All of this was written on a "practice record" that documented the students practice time by use of written concepts. This was a great step forward but not quite what we needed to accomplish good student practicing.
We are now piloting a program called Smart Music. This computer based subscription helps students become involved in practicing by showing them on the computer screen what was done correctly and identify what was done incorrectly. The students are now given instant feedback and assessed on each performance of the music, lesson, or etude. Not only do students have access to the one book they may have been learning from before, but now they have the ability to work out of older books, other concert band and/or jazz band music, they can record their own music, work on scales, exercises and etudes specific to their instrument, and all of this is right on their computer screen. The student can practice and perform the assignment however long they wish and each time the system records the student so s/he can hear exactly what they sound like. It will then help identify for the student where the focus should be. This is not in any way a replacement for teacher instruction because it doesn't "teach" the student the concepts, but rather assess if the student is performing a concept or exercise up to a specific level of achievement.
Generating Testing and Hypotheses: This strategy ties in with what was discussed above. The analysis of the student work is tested within the smart music program. The student must then hypothesize the correct outcome and work to achieve a higher level of performance. This is done with the help of the teacher to show and demonstrate how to achieve such a level. However it is on the student to be tested on the concept that was assigned and be able to perform it at a level required for each grade level.
Identifying Similarities and Differences: I understand this strategy is potentially very beneficial in other courses of study, however in music the way I use this is by identifying to the student how a performance or performer sounds compared to ours. I use specific examples in class by playing a recording of a professional group performing a certain selection or type of piece we may be working on for our concert. I sometimes avoid playing the exact piece for the class as I want the students to develop their own "ear" for how their music fits into the entire ensemble. However if I demonstrate a professional group performing a similar piece, I can show how that groups sounds and discuss how we can improve to make our group sound as good as the professional group. We are always making goals to help students strive for the very best, but these goals are realistic and worked on in lessons and sectional work.
Homework and Practice: Here is where we have really changed our strategies this year. In the past, our goal was to get students to practice a certain number of minutes each week. What we found was that students were ultimately changing the truth on these "practice charts" and sometimes even forging a parents signature before turning in for credit. We then went to a system where the student had to diagnosis some simple goals for each practice session and document the goals, then play specific etudes and/or exercises to help achieve the goals of the practice time, and then work on concert specific material. All of this was written on a "practice record" that documented the students practice time by use of written concepts. This was a great step forward but not quite what we needed to accomplish good student practicing.
We are now piloting a program called Smart Music. This computer based subscription helps students become involved in practicing by showing them on the computer screen what was done correctly and identify what was done incorrectly. The students are now given instant feedback and assessed on each performance of the music, lesson, or etude. Not only do students have access to the one book they may have been learning from before, but now they have the ability to work out of older books, other concert band and/or jazz band music, they can record their own music, work on scales, exercises and etudes specific to their instrument, and all of this is right on their computer screen. The student can practice and perform the assignment however long they wish and each time the system records the student so s/he can hear exactly what they sound like. It will then help identify for the student where the focus should be. This is not in any way a replacement for teacher instruction because it doesn't "teach" the student the concepts, but rather assess if the student is performing a concept or exercise up to a specific level of achievement.
Generating Testing and Hypotheses: This strategy ties in with what was discussed above. The analysis of the student work is tested within the smart music program. The student must then hypothesize the correct outcome and work to achieve a higher level of performance. This is done with the help of the teacher to show and demonstrate how to achieve such a level. However it is on the student to be tested on the concept that was assigned and be able to perform it at a level required for each grade level.
Tuesday, October 5, 2010
Module 3
It took me a while to complete this assignment because I was moving into our new home. This past summer, our home was destroyed in the Tornado that struck Eagle. What I thought was going to be the end to a very long summer/fall for my family by moving into our new home, has left me unfulfilled. My wife is really struggling with our new home. I can't blame her! It's been a difficult time for all of us here and with a 9 month old baby, it makes the situation even more challenging. As I'm sure you can tell, I'm hanging on by a very short thread. I'm trying to be as strong as possible for my wife and daughter, but I leave for work every day and my wife stays home with our Ella. I know this is off topic, but it's just something I needed to get out in the open.
Back on topic, I explored three of the following sites; Exploratree, Webspiration, and CmapTools. Each brought a different way of mapping ideas.
ExploraTree was a great site to use that had pre-made idea trees and many different maps. To get students thinking outside the box, this site would be good to see the whole picture of an idea or topic for future research.
Webspiration took the idea map to a whole new level. I like the different colors for each idea the maps give automatically. Webspiration looks like Exploratree, just 5 steps ahead.
CmapTools I did not enjoy as much. The opening page was nice because of its simplicity, however I felt that my students would struggle to find the small icons under specific parts of the map. This made things confusing as you had to hunt more for the map you wanted or needed.
Back on topic, I explored three of the following sites; Exploratree, Webspiration, and CmapTools. Each brought a different way of mapping ideas.
ExploraTree was a great site to use that had pre-made idea trees and many different maps. To get students thinking outside the box, this site would be good to see the whole picture of an idea or topic for future research.
Webspiration took the idea map to a whole new level. I like the different colors for each idea the maps give automatically. Webspiration looks like Exploratree, just 5 steps ahead.
CmapTools I did not enjoy as much. The opening page was nice because of its simplicity, however I felt that my students would struggle to find the small icons under specific parts of the map. This made things confusing as you had to hunt more for the map you wanted or needed.
Sunday, September 19, 2010
Reflection on strategies this week
It's funny, but I have been thinking about this post for a while now and have discovered that I recall much easier the lessons that have gone bad compared to those that have gone well. Is that unusual? I find myself evaluating why a specific lesson had gone badly and reflected on how to make improvements. However when I think back to lessons that have gone well, I guess I did not make the mental reflection or spent time thinking about it again because it went well.
Throughout this degree program, I have learning about all of these exciting programs and/or online systems to use in my classroom. The conflict I am currently facing is what to use that will best fit my students? At my district, we are learning a lot about new technologies and what it is new that can help students better learn the material. However with all of the information on what is new and always changing, I do not want to become a teacher who constantly switches between programs. I don't think it is an issue of always wanting the newest/best option, it is more about settling down with one choice and I have not found that one system yet that does everyone I want it to do. Should I lower my expectations and realize that every piece of technology has its limitations? Given that technology is so advanced and in a constant state of flux, I don't believe I should sacrifice my high expectations. I expect the best out of my students and I hope that my students expect the best from me.
Feedback
An article we had to read this week was entitled Feedback that Fits, by Susan M. Brookhart. The discussion was on how to improve feedback to students so that learning for that child is paramount. Often times teachers can get into a routine of one type of feedback, immediate. This isn't always the best way and usually is not an efficient way to teach the student anything at all.
Feedback can be constructive but also demonstrate to the student the need for a possible other solution. The arts is a great way to help students develop this level of thinking. Often time, students in the arts are motivated to continue working on particular task but in order to complete the task, there might be a series of alternate options.
Teachers should learn that to truly get students to learn what it is we're teaching them, we have to empower the students and help with motivation and praise. Praise is not simply given outright, but used in a manner than motivates the student to discover another possible way of completing the assignment. Relating the feedback to the goal of the assignment is necessary for the student to understand where s/he must improve. We may be surprised at the outcome when a student understands what it means to fix something but not have the teacher point out the solution.
Sunday, September 12, 2010
Reflection on the meta-analysis of teaching and learning
This was a bit heavy on the data than I usually read. But the work was done and for that I am grateful that I didn't have to do it. :)
I found from the reading that in classes where technology was used moderately (approximately 20% or more of the time), students were found to be more on task significantly more than in classes where technology wasn't used, or used infrequently. This wasn't much of a surprise to me however if a teacher finds a way to enhance the curriculum using technology, can that be measured in time using technology if the students are gaining an better understanding of the material?
There needs to be more research done on this topic and the meta-analysis even shows how this analysis can be effected by policymakers and the money spent on such studies. When researching these areas, recognition is needed to each individual school/classroom in which the research is done.
I found from the reading that in classes where technology was used moderately (approximately 20% or more of the time), students were found to be more on task significantly more than in classes where technology wasn't used, or used infrequently. This wasn't much of a surprise to me however if a teacher finds a way to enhance the curriculum using technology, can that be measured in time using technology if the students are gaining an better understanding of the material?
There needs to be more research done on this topic and the meta-analysis even shows how this analysis can be effected by policymakers and the money spent on such studies. When researching these areas, recognition is needed to each individual school/classroom in which the research is done.
Reflection on Principles of Teaching and Learning
The article from Eberly Center for Teaching Excellence entitled Principles of Teaching and Learning is a great learning tool for teachers. The topics covered offer tips to teachers on different learning strategies and assessment ideas.
I found this article to be very worthwhile by its examples to the different content areas in teaching. As educators, we develop skills to help us multi-task and manage many ways in which to teach the material. It encourages teachers to try new ideas like simulations or using technology to enhance the current curriculum.
In the article, it separated the learner and teacher. I was particularly interested in the learner #5, where it discussed setting clearly defined goals for the students and then following up with each student by providing clear feedback. I think this is great when done consistently. Teachers have a huge job and if we can set goals for our students and help them achieve those goals by providing feedback to each task, students learn how to better organize their work.
Reflecting on teacher principle #7, effective teaching involves refining our courses based on feedback and reflection. I do this with every class I teach. I provide my students with a detailed exit survey that can be anonymous and helps me better my skills and keep the curriculum current and relevant.
I found this article to be very worthwhile by its examples to the different content areas in teaching. As educators, we develop skills to help us multi-task and manage many ways in which to teach the material. It encourages teachers to try new ideas like simulations or using technology to enhance the current curriculum.
In the article, it separated the learner and teacher. I was particularly interested in the learner #5, where it discussed setting clearly defined goals for the students and then following up with each student by providing clear feedback. I think this is great when done consistently. Teachers have a huge job and if we can set goals for our students and help them achieve those goals by providing feedback to each task, students learn how to better organize their work.
Reflecting on teacher principle #7, effective teaching involves refining our courses based on feedback and reflection. I do this with every class I teach. I provide my students with a detailed exit survey that can be anonymous and helps me better my skills and keep the curriculum current and relevant.
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