Sequential learning & rote learning

• Sequential learning is learning new information in a series of steps.  This is important because it is a connection to what the children already know and it is something that they can always look back on to help them.  It is probably one of the most effective ways to teach a new concept.
• Teaching a student by the "rote" method is memorization by repetition.  This is having students repeat what the teacher says so they really understand what is being taught.
• Steps in making a lesson plan with the "rote" method:
• Ex: teaching a song
• Set the stage-a teacher could first create an activity that would help the children anticipate the upcoming lesson and raise their curiosity.
• State the objective-Have the students detect different tempos within a song and have them repeat your directions so you know they understand.
• Teacher input-Let them know how they are doing with the lesson and make suggestions on how they could improve.
• Modeling: The teacher could now begin to sing the song instead of just having the students listen.
• Checking for understanding-Ask the students if they understand the lesson or if the teacher needs to re-explain the lesson in a different way.
• Guided practice- Have students get into groups and sing the song or have them do other activities that relate to the lesson and reinforce the concept.
• Closure-Review what you just taught the students and have them repeat things that they learned.

My philosophy in alignment with student needs/state expectations

I believe that my philosophy is in line with student needs and state expectations.  I want whatever is going to be best for my students.  I will do all that I can to adjust my curriculum for the needs of my students.  As a teacher, I plan to use as many different methods as needed to help my students succeed.  I want to be a teacher who will make my students enjoy coming to school and excited to learn.  I will teach the necessary content, but I will make it exciting for my students.  My philosophy is in alignment with state expectations in that I want to focus on how my students will learn the best and benefit the most.

Music Therapy

From what I have read and seen about music therapy, I think it is a wonderful thing.  Everyone loves music, so why not use something people love to help them achieve their goals?

•  I think music would be very beneficial to students in reading and literacy.  I read an article about a student who struggled with dislexyia so much that he was almost to a point where he wouldn't do homework.  His mother had heard some success stories about music therapy so she thought she would give it a try, and music therapy worked for her son too.  He would write lyrics to songs and this helped him cope with his dislexyia.  It is important to use music activities in the classroom to help other students like this boy learn to read and write.  Music is a great way to help people relax and could help make students less frustrated with certain things.
• http://www.abc.net.au/local/stories/2012/03/29/3466730.htm

•  I also read an article about using music therapy to help children with autism develop social skills.  I think there are some pretty useful approaches that I read about.  A teacher can use instruments as a way for students to work together and develop social skills.  They can pass instruments around the room or one student can hold a drum and another student can hit the drum.  These sound like great ways for students to develop social skills.
• http://harmonymusictherapy.com/how-music-therapy-can-help-develop-social-skills/

Music therapy sounds great and seems to help students.  It is fun to hear about students who have had music therapy and their success stories, because it shows that music therapy does help! This is why music must be integrated into the curriculum in any way possible!

Special Education today in America

Every child will develop at his or her own pace and it is important that educators respect this.  I have babysat some children with special needs and what they really need, is patience.  The try their hardest to communicate with us what they want or need and it is our job to figure it out.  We have to be empathetic and patient because if we get frustrated when we don’t understand what they are trying to tell us, they will start to get frustrated too.  Teachers need to have many resources available in a classroom to meet the needs of differentiated learners and must work with each student to figure out what works best for each one.  If one approach does not work, a teacher should be able to adjust the curriculum accordingly to make sure that each student benefits his or her education.

Comparing & Contrasting

• Bloom's taxonomy and the 9 National Standards in Music have some similarities, but also have some differences among them.
• Both Bloom's Taxonomy and the National Music Standards are meant to help people achieve creativeness and higher levels of thinking.
• On the other hand, I think that the national music standards are more a set of requirements.  What people should be able to do in a classroom.  Bloom's Taxonomy is a hierarchy that classifies thinking by six intellectual levels of complexity.  Whereas the National Music Standards are a list that teachers and students want to achieve, Bloom's Taxonomy helps teachers encourage their students to reach a level of thought that is higher on the pyramid.

Terms

Cognitive Learning-Later teaching builds upon earlier experiences to create a more mature understanding of a concept.
Cooperative Learning-Having students work together in groups.
Eurhythmics-Rhythmical physical movements to music used to help teach musical understanding.
Multiple Intelligence Theory-Theory that all people possess a set of intelligences in varying degrees.
Rote Learning-memorization by repetition
Think-pair-share-Having a student develop his or her own thoughts and ideas and then pairing up with another student to share their thought or idea.
Checking for understanding-Different strategies used to check to see if a student is understanding  something such as giving a thumbs up for "Yes, I understand." or a thumbs down for "No, I do not understand."

9 Music Standards & Answer to Assertion

Music Standards
1. Singing alone and with others, a varied repertoire of music.
2. Performing on instruments, alone and with others, a varied repertoire 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.

What Happens in Teacher Education?-Assertion #1

• Are the mission and goals of our undergraduate teacher preparation programs consistent with the aspirations for K-12 achievement inherent in the Standards?
• I feel that they are consistent, and depending on how much future teachers work for it, these standards may be inherent in them.  Everyone is musical in one way or another and can meet these standards if they work hard and understand how important they are.  It is our job as teachers to fully achieve these standards.
• How is each competency expressed in the Standards addressed within and across the components of our teacher preparation curriculum for  each arts discipline?
• These standards need to be fully embedded into one's mind because they are important for teaching the arts.
• Is curricular time and weight allocated to courses in the specific arts discipline, general studies, and professional education adequate to achieve the requisite artistic, intellectual, and pedagogical competencies?
• I believe so, once again one will get out of something what one wants to put into it.  So, if we take the time to do so and pay attention, courses are adequate to achieve the requisite artistic, intellectual, and pedagogical competencies.
• What expectations do we have for developing competence and capacity for artistic educational leadership in the classroom, with various types of groups, and in the community at large?
• We want to be able to help children be creative and artistic within the classroom both by themselves and within groups.  It is our job as teachers to adjust curriculum to benefit each student.
• How should our programs promote, by requirement and example, the "habits of mind" necessary for performance and growth of a teacher?
• Programs should guide students drill these music standards into them.  Activities could be done in the classroom to show understanding of the standards and if studied well enough will become "habits of mind."  These standards are necessary to know so the more they are studied, the better of we will be.