Overall my Game Plan is very broad in respects to exactly what I want to achieve. I know that as a professional educator I want to facilitate and inspire students learning and creativity and also engage in professional growth and leadership. However the means in which I reach these goals are a constant ever-changing journey.
This week I was introduced to the concepts of problem-based learning. General problem-based learning is nothing new to me because I use my personal skills of knowledge and creativity to solve problems every day. Last week I needed to hang up Christmas light and I realized that stucco was much different than wood and I could not easily put screws into the wall. I researched the problem and found little plastic clips that worked perfectly. Although the idea of problem based learning is not new, the idea to use it in my classroom was inspirational.
Problem based learning is valuable because it motivates, it teaches content through the process, it promotes higher-level thinking and creativity, and it stretches across different curriculums (Laureate Inc, 2009). Another bonus is that your students might be able to find some answers to unanswered problems.
I need to find a way to incorporate the elements of problem based learning into my elementary general music class. What kind of problem exists that are not easily answered, but are still in the reach of my music students, in the grades levels of kindergarten through fifth grade. This is something that I am going to put a lot of thought into and also reach towards other professional colleagues for ideas. If anyone has any suggestions, please share them with me.
Resources:
Laureate Education, Inc. (Executive Producer). (2009). Spotlight on technology: problem-based learning, part 1 and 2. [Motion Picture] Integrating Technology Across the Content Areas. Baltimore: Author.
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First of all, you make a great point about giving students opportunities to answer unanswered problems. I think that so often, teachers avoid difficult topics they do not know the answers to because they do not want to appear uneducated to their students. I find that I have the best outcomes in my classroom when I am realistic with my students in the sense that I am human and do not have the answers to everything. It helps build a sense of community in the classroom when teachers and students work together to find answers.
ReplyDeleteSecondly, I have no training in music education, but one thing that has always interested me is how the acoustics in a room affect sound. I have always heard that bathrooms have the best acoustics. Why? Maybe students could investigate different rooms or types of architecture and how sound is affected.
Ashlee,
ReplyDeleteIn todays world, it's not necessarily how much you know, but instead, how skilled you are at finding information. If a students asked me a question and I don't know the answer, then I will search it after class and hopefully learn something new.
The sound experiment would be really exciting for the students. It's not true that the bathrooms produce the best acoustics, but they definitely produce loud acoustics. In a nutshell, fabric including a rug, curtains, etc absorb sound and since the bathroom usually have little or no fabric, they produce a large echo.
Charles
Charles, I think it is great that you strive to inspire your students and use creativity to help them learn. I understand that it can be a struggle to motivate the students of today. Project Based Learning seems to be a way to help teachers instruct in ways that are meaningful and comprehensive to students. It seems to promote a way to teach that incorporates what they know and what they are interested in. I noticed that you mention that you are looking for new creative ways to teach students music in grades first through fifth. I know that high school students like to play rock band and I don’t doubt that elementary students like to play it as well. Have you ever thought of using something like this to motivate them?
ReplyDeleteI use Wii music in school and actually I am going to try and incorporate Rock band as well. The problem is that in Wii music, I can have the students playing the Wii and I can also incorporate the rest of the class by using real bells. With Rock Band, I can not figure out a way to incorporate a class of 25 students all at once.
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