1. "A music curriculum may be established for teachers by a state or a local school district" (pg. 303). It frustrates me that certain school districts mandate such strict expectations for their teachers. Are teachers meant to be a machine at the end of an assembly line? Are they meant to be the means whereby politicians and other officials carry out their agendas? My father has been in business his entire life, and he has taught me some good principles - the principles of delegation and trust. Of course the opposite of this would be the scary world of micromanagement. I believe that if you higher a professional to do a job, like a teacher, you should let them do what they're trained to do. You place trust in the teacher by hiring and paying them. You don't need to micromanage everything that teachers do. Not only is this aggravating, infuriating, and frustrating, it doesn't show trust or proper management skill. I agree with a system of checks and balances to make sure that the teacher you hired for general music isn't teaching the children how to smoke marijuana, but administrators should let their teachers design their own curriculum. I say, let the teachers earn the money that they don't make.
2. "When planning a curriculum, teachers need to have a big picture and a specific picture in mind" (pg. 306). I like how this sentence is worded. I think it's another way of saying, "Reach for the stars, but keep your feet on the ground." Although I don't agree with this quote in every instance, I think it applies well here. As teachers, we all have grandiose visions of what we want to accomplish. We want to teach 100% of the students 100% of the time. But in real life we know that this never really works. There needs to be some sort of compromise. So we need to think big, but we also need to think realistically. Another thing I think the author is trying to say is that educators need to plan practically for how they are going to teach their lessons. How do we turn a proactive scholar into a practitioner? I think that this is the most important thing that I'm going to have to learn in order to be a successful teacher. Although going to college is one way of learning this craft, I think nothing can substitute for the experience of teaching in the schools. So, in other words, this will come as I mature and learn by experience.
3. "The result of trying to do a little bit of everything can be that children receive a superficial experience, rather than an in-depth experience, leaving them mentally impoverished" (pg. 321). As I look back on my experiences in middle school and high school, it doesn't take me long to remember experiences I had when teachers would try to cram down every last lesson in the text book into our heads. The result was just as the quote said: I felt "mentally impoverished." This always seemed to happen in math class too. I think there was a lot of pressure for the teachers to get through every math lesson in the book, which is hard because math is full of complicated concepts and procedures that take awhile for some students to grasp (like me). I don't think we have nearly the same problem in the world of music education. However, we too need to be careful of balance and flow. For example, I thought it was a good thing in world music how we only had a couple of specific units. How can you possibly cover the entire world in a semester? Obviously you cannot. But I strongly believe that presenting a large unit on one area makes a lot more sense than trying to teach a little bit of everything.
Tuesday, November 30, 2010
Wednesday, November 3, 2010
11/3/10 - 3 Points of Interest on Chapter 16
1. "The federal government encourages but does not require states to create and fund special programs for gifted and talented students" (pg. 399). I think it's great that the federal government even goes so far as to encourage states and school districts to have special programs for gifted and talented students. But I don't believe it is the government's job to provide the money for such programs. I think that public schools have enough trouble getting money to have running water and electricity that works. From an idealistic vantage point, it always sounds like a good idea to create special programs for the gifted and talented, but are these programs practical? Perhaps the answer lies in technology. Hopefully there will come a time when children can learn at their own pace due to the technological capacity of the future music room.
2. "Because learning disabled is an umbrella term covering a wide range of behaviors, it is difficult to state principles that will apply in every case" (pg. 407). Music educators should plan and be ready for every type of situation one may encounter. Obviously, the new music educator will have to learn by experience all the different types of disabilities, diseases, and disorders that a child may come into the classroom with. Even a veteran music educator who has been teaching for a very long time might come into contact with certain cases that he or she has never experienced before. I think in all cases a good deal of patience will go a long way in helping the teacher, student, and specialist(s) to assist the child.
3. As a result of their behavior, depressed children are often socially isolated and in trouble academically" (pg. 410). Like all children, children that suffer from depression come in all varieties. Some appear as though they are shy and detach themselves from the group. Others are more animated and just as likely to participate in a normal fashion like most children. Often times, children suffering from depression are ignored and considered a nuisance for teachers to deal with. In situations when it is apparent that children are suffering from depression, there is a lot that a music educator can do to help the child to feel at ease, or feel better about their situation. A lot of the time, this depression comes from the home, and teachers need to be extra sensitive when dealing with these students. They need love and support, encouragement, and strength. But most of the time, I think they just want to be treated like everyone else.
2. "Because learning disabled is an umbrella term covering a wide range of behaviors, it is difficult to state principles that will apply in every case" (pg. 407). Music educators should plan and be ready for every type of situation one may encounter. Obviously, the new music educator will have to learn by experience all the different types of disabilities, diseases, and disorders that a child may come into the classroom with. Even a veteran music educator who has been teaching for a very long time might come into contact with certain cases that he or she has never experienced before. I think in all cases a good deal of patience will go a long way in helping the teacher, student, and specialist(s) to assist the child.
3. As a result of their behavior, depressed children are often socially isolated and in trouble academically" (pg. 410). Like all children, children that suffer from depression come in all varieties. Some appear as though they are shy and detach themselves from the group. Others are more animated and just as likely to participate in a normal fashion like most children. Often times, children suffering from depression are ignored and considered a nuisance for teachers to deal with. In situations when it is apparent that children are suffering from depression, there is a lot that a music educator can do to help the child to feel at ease, or feel better about their situation. A lot of the time, this depression comes from the home, and teachers need to be extra sensitive when dealing with these students. They need love and support, encouragement, and strength. But most of the time, I think they just want to be treated like everyone else.
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