After listening to the lecture, I realized I needed to make some changes in regard to my teaching. Year after year, I teach the same subjects, the same way, with no deviation. Not truly realizing, these generations of students are forever changing. I did not offer much differentiation in instruction other than teaching to my auditory, visual and tactile learners. Frankly, differentiation of instructions scares me. The developmental level of the students I receive is so vast; I'm never should where to start.After some careful reflection, I noticed that each year I start from the very beginning. I teach to the lower level students and leave those who are slightly advanced to fend for themselves. It seemed as if I were planning differentiation instruction, I was planning individual lesson plans for all of my students. Therefore, I strayed away from it. I taught everyone at the same pace, keeping students from progressing, exploring, and tapping into their true potential as great musicians. I became the hindrance. This conundrum raised the question? What can I do differently to ensure this never happens again?
In future practice, I foresee the use of creative planning and integrate technology in the most effective capacity. The video lecture outlined several ways to creatively plan a lesson. There were two points that resonated with me the most. First, get out the box. Teaching verbatim from the textbook is a common approach, but it is definitely not the right approach. There are several online tools that students may use to individualized the instruction and offer differentiation instruction. Secondly, move beyond the traditional approach and experience alternative methods. My previous statement supports this statement as well. This information is relevant because there a change to be made, and that change must start with me. I have to move beyond my fears, and experience and utilize the alternative methods available to me. Musicianship is more than manipulating instruments and singing. It is about time I give my students the education they truly deserve. I can no longer fear differentiating instruction, but embrace it. Taking the integral approach of technology is the gateway to success with all students and alleviates the overwhelming pressures from me. I'm excited to see what the outcome will be.
Bauer, W. I. (2014). Pedagogical Approaches to Composition. In Music learning today: Digital pedagogy for creating, performing, and responding to music. New York, NY: Oxford University Press.
Hi Yolanda-great reflection based upon this week's readings! I had many of the same thoughts after completing the readings and lecture for this week. I appreciated hearing your thoughts about differentiation and constantly updating lessons and materials as students change. The readings for this week made me re-think how I integrate music theory into my lessons. Previously, I gave all students the same music theory assignments and had the advanced students either choose to work on some additional assignments or help a classmate that is struggling. While being able to teach others is a valuable skill, I plan on using some of the tools that we discussed in this class to have students progress through a music theory program at their own pace. This level of differentiation will be beneficial for all students. Advanced learners will be able to learn at a fast pace and average learners will be able to learn at their own pace to make sure that they completely understand and comprehend the material before moving on.
ReplyDeleteI also enjoyed reading about the Backward Design model to write a curriculum that is beneficial and important to all students. I plan to use this model this school year to better teach and assess the music standards. Differentiation is certainly a scary thought, but I believe it is an important task to undertake.