3-3 Instructional Strategies
The candidate understands and uses a variety of instructional strategies to encourage learners to develop deep understanding of content areas and their connections, and to build skills to apply knowledge in relevant ways.
The candidate should complete a reflective essay demonstrating how the strategies utilized in instruction are appropriate for meeting the needs of all students in the unit.
In my time at Kansas State University while in my education classes we spent a of time discussing the importance of using instructional techniques that would provide an atmosphere in the class of deep learning and connecting the material to real world situations. We have talked about the power of discussions and questions, how these tools are a way for students to be able to use their own words, thoughts, and ideas to express a certain topic. It opens the door from just a teacher telling the student what they should think but the student is able to have the ability to express what they think and really process through their thoughts. Questions are a way for students to start thinking critically about the topic, it is no longer that they can hide and not really process what is happening but something becomes alive when they start to think through the questions. Another instructional technique we have talked about it is making our lessons applicable to real life.
Different ways this can be applied in the music classroom is presenting ways for the students to really process what they are doing in the classroom. I think so often as Music Teachers we just have students play and do not allow them to process just the amazing task they have at hand. Asking students questions about what they feel from the piece, what the piece reminds them of, and what can they do to add to the piece can be powerful questions that start critical thinking. I think also allowing projects to be done that allow the student to see how music can be apart of their everyday life even outside of the band, orchestra, or choir room. Allowing them to compose music and letting it become something real in their hands is a way for them to see they do not need to only do music in school but it can be a reality after they have graduated and moved on. I used this in a piano class I taught and piano class became something enjoyable for the students because it was their own. Finally allowing students to explore music in different ways, that could be singing, improvising, or playing a melody but allowing students hand on experience to feel how music should feel.
The candidate understands and uses a variety of instructional strategies to encourage learners to develop deep understanding of content areas and their connections, and to build skills to apply knowledge in relevant ways.
The candidate should complete a reflective essay demonstrating how the strategies utilized in instruction are appropriate for meeting the needs of all students in the unit.
In my time at Kansas State University while in my education classes we spent a of time discussing the importance of using instructional techniques that would provide an atmosphere in the class of deep learning and connecting the material to real world situations. We have talked about the power of discussions and questions, how these tools are a way for students to be able to use their own words, thoughts, and ideas to express a certain topic. It opens the door from just a teacher telling the student what they should think but the student is able to have the ability to express what they think and really process through their thoughts. Questions are a way for students to start thinking critically about the topic, it is no longer that they can hide and not really process what is happening but something becomes alive when they start to think through the questions. Another instructional technique we have talked about it is making our lessons applicable to real life.
Different ways this can be applied in the music classroom is presenting ways for the students to really process what they are doing in the classroom. I think so often as Music Teachers we just have students play and do not allow them to process just the amazing task they have at hand. Asking students questions about what they feel from the piece, what the piece reminds them of, and what can they do to add to the piece can be powerful questions that start critical thinking. I think also allowing projects to be done that allow the student to see how music can be apart of their everyday life even outside of the band, orchestra, or choir room. Allowing them to compose music and letting it become something real in their hands is a way for them to see they do not need to only do music in school but it can be a reality after they have graduated and moved on. I used this in a piano class I taught and piano class became something enjoyable for the students because it was their own. Finally allowing students to explore music in different ways, that could be singing, improvising, or playing a melody but allowing students hand on experience to feel how music should feel.