Final Project Proposal

My final project will be over identifying colors and telling them apart.

 http://youtu.be/O99aAP64EHc

Should Teachers be Paid...?

  So the question stands, "Should teachers be paid based on student performance?" My answer is no. Obviously it is up to the teacher to teach his/her students everything that they are capable of but not everyone learns at the same pace. Referring back to my last post, some teachers who have been around for several years may slack at their job in which I think it is only fair if they get paid based on student performance. I do not think that a good educator should be paid based on student performance because every teacher is going to have students who need more time and help to get to where the other students are at academically and all the teacher can do is be patient.
   What makes an effective teacher? Patience, understanding, and passion. Every teacher must have patience with their students because if the teacher gets frustrated, it changes the mood of the entire class. A teacher must be understanding to the needs of every individual student because no two students are alike. The passion to teach must come from the heart and I feel is very necessary for every teacher. A teacher must want to be where they are in order to have the greatest impact on his/her students!

Teacher Unions and Tenure

  I did not really know much about teacher unions and I had to do some research. From what I saw, unions are comprised of professionals who are interested in and passionate about education. These unions make it possible for schools to access many tools that they wouldn't otherwise be able to afford. I do not think that unions should be reformed or abandoned because they are a positive aspect in education.

   I believe strongly that reforms are needed for tenure. Throughout the years, I have had multiple teachers who were not passionate about their jobs. These teachers would rather sit at their desk and let the students learn on their own then actually trying to help them learn like they are meant to do. Teachers who have been in a school for 3+ years are "safe" and therefore they think that it is okay after this amount of time to slack in their area of teaching. There are a lot of well educated teachers who would love to have the jobs of those teachers who are slacking on their jobs and it is not fair to the students who have those teachers who no longer have the motivation they started with. 

extra-curricular activities balance with school

  In today's society, extra-curricular activities are a big deal. Some parents can be really hard on their kids and as educators we need to see that first-hand. As teachers, we are going to see a lot of students that come in and out of our classrooms that are involved in these activities and we need to make sure that they are expected nothing less than the other students just because they have other things going on. Extra-curricular activities are a big deal but school comes first and if it starts to affect the way a student is progressing, it is our duty as a teacher to notice it and try to make a change so that it doesn't get out of hand. Sports are a big thing these days but other than a few instances, they are not something that someone can make a living off of and students need to realize that their education comes before these activities because it is their education that is going to get them the job to make a living off of for the rest of their lives.

Developmentally Appropriate Time to Introduce Instruments

1. Recorder: should be started in 3rd grade and up. Students at this age should have developed eye-finger coordination and their hands must be big enough to cover the holes.

2. Xylophone: this instrument can also be started in the third grade. This instrument involves a lot of eye contact and involves using mallets which involves good coordination.

3. Rhythm Sticks: this instrument is in the woods/non-pitched category. The rhythm sticks can be used as early as kindergarten. Instruments that use large muscle movements like the rhythm sticks are good for young children to use.

4. Finger Cymbals: this instrument is in the metals/non-pitched category. This instrument can be introduced in kindergarten. These instruments also use large muscle movements like the rhythm sticks and they are great for young children.

5. Kazoo: a very simple instrument that kids can easily start using in kindergarten. This instrument takes little skill and coordination which is perfect for young children.

Carl Orff's philosophy and the 21st Century Child

  The Orff Method is a way of teaching children about music through a mixture of singing, dancing, acting, and the use of percussion instruments. For this method, a child's natural sense of play is encouraged which is great for young students because they are always full of energy. I think that the Orff Method is perfect for children of the 21st century because playing outside and being active is huge. It gets harder and harder for children to sit through class all day and this is a great way to get students up and moving to not only release some built up energy but to learn while doing it!

Sequence in Learning and Rote-Note

Importance of Sequential Learning:
   Sequential learning means that you process information step-by-step. Sequential learners tend to gain understanding better when it is in steps. Each step in sequential learning follows the previous one. According to Ritter & Nerb, "the order in which material is presented can strongly influence what is learned, how fast performance increases, and sometimes whether any of the material is learned at all." Sequential learners feel like they need to understand each part of a given problem instead of looking at it as a whole. Sequential learners have an advantage in the classroom...for ex: a sequential learner is more likely to excel at multiple choice or true-false exam questions.

Steps for Teaching by Rote:
   Rote is the "I-sing-you-sing" teaching method. There is a whole song approach which can be used when the song is very simple and repetitive. The teacher simply sings the first verse a few times while asking questions about the words to the students. Then, put the words on the board and have the class sing it. The second approach is phrase-by-phrase. This approach is the process of dividing the song into short sections and having the students echo what is sung.

Essential Steps of a Lesson Plan:
 1. Anticipatory Setting: Do something to get the student's attention focused on the lesson.

 2. State the Objective: Let the class know what they are going to be learning about.

 3. Teaching/Teacher Input: The teacher gives information to the student that is needed to accomplish the objectives of the lesson.

 4. Teaching/Modeling: Showing an example of what is an acceptable product.

 5. Checking for understanding: The teacher take time to check the student's comprehension of the material and asks a question and asks for a "thumb's up" or "thumb's down" to see if the whole class has full understanding.

 6. Guided Practice: Involve the students in the plan, ex: follow me.

 7. Closure: A wrap-up of the lesson.

Education Philosophy in Alignment With...

   My educational philosophy matches up with student needs and the national state standards. My philosophy is: I believe that everyone should be treated equal. Some students need a little more help than others but all of my students will be treated with the same respect and I will expect the same from them to the whole classroom. I will use the jigsaw approach in my classroom because I think that it is a great way for students to talk with one another and for everyone to be involved. The last thing that I am going to do is stand in front of my classroom all day and lecture my students because I know first-hand that it is almost impossible to retain information that way. My classroom will be very hands on and less talk from me, and more work from the students.

Music Therapy and Education

  Before reading the article and watching the video, I had never heard of Music Therapy. After learning about it, I think that it is an awesome program! Music Therapy would be a great way to connect with students that need help on their social skills because it gives them a chance to express themselves in their own way. I feel that children who can become one with Music Therapy while they are having a hard time growing in certain areas can be greatly impacted by the benefits of it. Now that I know of Music Therapy and kind of have an idea of what it is about, it sounds like something that I might be interested in!

Differentiated Learners

   When I was in elementary school, there was a boy in my class who was born with a disability not allowing him to walk and he will always have to be pushed around in a wheel chair. Spencer was held back a grade but he just graduated this year with the class of 2013. Teachers gave Spencer the same chance that they gave the other students, and although he is different, he was never treated differently. I have been into several different classrooms to shadow the teacher and be a student-helper and in a couple of the classes that I attended, there were students with disabilities. Just like with Spencer, the teachers never treated these students any differently, they were given the same opportunities and disciplined just like the other students when they did something wrong.
   As educators, I think that we meet the needs with our willingness to help and our strive for success. As we enter the classroom, we must be prepared for not just 15+ students, we have to be prepared for 15+ personalities. Every student that comes into the classroom is going to be their own person and as teachers, it is our job to adjust and do all that we can to assure that each student gets his/her opportunity to succeed.

compare/contrast Boom's Taxonomy & Nine National Standards

Compare:
   1. Reading and notating music = comprehension
   2. Listening to, analyzing, and describing music = analysis
   3. Evaluating music and musical performances = evaluation
   4. Understanding music in relation to history and culture = synthesis
   5. Composing and arranging music within specific guidelines = application
   6. Singing alone and with others = knowledge

Contrast:
   1. The national standards go in depth and Bloom's Taxonomy is just a short description.
   2. The national standards have to do specifically with music and Bloom's Taxonomy could be used for anything because it is not specific.

definitions

cognitive learning: learning that is concerned with acquisition of problem-solving abilities and with intelligence and conscious thought.

cooperative learning:  an approach to organizing classroom activities into academic and social learning experiences.

arrhythmic:  without rhythm or regularity.

multiple intelligence theory:  proposed by Howard Gardner in 1983 to explore and articulate various forms or expressions.

rote learning:  memorized by repetition.

think-pair-share:  a cooperative discussion strategy in which the teacher gives the students a question or topic, the students think about in on their own for a few moments, then form pairs and discuss their individual thought, and finally each pair shares their insights with the rest of the class.

checking for understanding:  builds student knowledge and comprehension

Assertion #3

assertion#3:
   Results in any classroom are generated in the interactions, around specific content, among students, the subject matter, and the teacher.

response:
   In order for a classroom to have results, the teacher must always have a good plan. In order to create a good plan, the teacher  must first know the class and have an idea of who the students are and how they learn easiest. If a teacher teaches stands in front of a class and talks all day to a visual class, they would have trouble picking up what he/she is saying. Every classroom must have a happy medium where the teacher and students can all be on the same level to make learning most effective.

National Standards in Music Education

1.  Singing alone and with others, a varied repertoire of music.

2.  Performing on instruments, alone and with others, a varied rep. of music.

3.  Improvising melodies, variations, and accompaniments.

4.  Composing and arranging music within specified guidelines.

5.  Reading and notating music.

6.  Listening to, analyzing, and describing music.

7.  Evaluating music and musical performances.

8.  Understanding relationships between music, the other arts, and disciplines outside the arts.

9.  Understanding music in relation to history and culture.

VIDEO#1

VIDEO: Music, Culture, and Early Childhood Development.

   Music is a way of learning and is believed to have been created as a way to remember things. Even people who don't consider themselves musical, sing to their children. Music is a way of expressing ourselves when we can't find the words to say it. Even if parents aren't good singers, it is very important for them to sing to their children because children who find music are less likely to be reckless. This video talks about how important it is for parents to sing to their children and it is just as important for teachers to sing to their students and to incorporate music into their classroom. Everyone needs music at some point in their life whether they think they do or not. Music can be used as a learning tool, a mood changer, something to do when you are bored, and many more things.

Assignment #1

Music and the Creative Processes: Blog
Music IN Education....Things to Think About

1. How do you use music in YOUR life?
   When I was in middle school I played the clarinet in the band. In elementary, middle school, and high school I was in choir. I am always lightening to music and singing along when I am in the car.

2. What musical activities and interests did you have as a child?
   When I was younger I really liked to play the recorder that we got in elementary choir. I have a whole collection of tapes that I was given as gifts when I was younger and I had my own player that went with them. With most of the tapes, I had books that had the words to all the songs and I would sit in my room for hours listening and singing along.

3. Have you observed children at musical play?
   Yes, I have had the chance to go to several elementary musical performances. Each child has their own personality and therefore each child acts differently while on stage. Most students look around and are kind of in their own world, while others are able to stay focused on the instructor in front of them. When they are given actions, I always think it is so cute to watch every student go a different way.

4. Are there some musical skills you are able to teach to children more easily than others?
   There really isn't one set thing that is harder for me to teach musically.

5. What do you think that all children should be able to do, musically, as a result of a MUSICAL
education?
   I think that all children should be able to incorporate music with their everyday activities. Knowing how to pick up a rhythm and sing a little tune can help with just about anything whether you are trying to memorize something or you are bored and are singing to yourself.

6. Have you ever observed a teacher integrating music into the classroom? Cite examples.
   Yes, at the daycare that I attended when I was younger and just recently visited, they have always had a "clean-up" song that the children would sing during their time to clean up the room and it creates a fun way for the children to clean up their areas.

7. How do you think music can be integrated into the elementary classroom?
   I think that music can be integrated into the elementary classroom by singing popular nursery rhymes, singing songs that incorporate in with the lesson plans, or even listening to soft music while the students are working at their seat.

8. How do you think music can be used as an interdisciplinary tool in the elementary classroom?
   Music can be used in a lot of different ways. When I first learned the presidents and the fifty states, they both had their own song. These songs were a tool to help us remember lists of people and places.