Education and Learning
In Parker J Palmer’s “Heart of a Teacher”, he describes that there isn’t one recipe for making a successful teacher, but rather that it comes from the identity and integrity of the individual, and that this will be unique for each person. When I think of the most influential teachers in my life, I realize that they were perfect examples of the point he is trying to get across; while their personalities and teaching styles could be drastically different, they shared this incredible burning passion for their subject material and students, and brought a sense of enthusiasm, engagement, and trust that made me want to learn and want to succeed. It is this sense of passion and inspiration that I hope to bring to a career in teaching and that I hope to share and pass on to the next generation of learners.
Something I feel that is absolutely crucial to being a good teacher is knowing yourself, and acknowledging what your strengths and weaknesses are. In order to be able to educate others, and deal with their unique set of challenges, it is imperative that you know these things, as it helps you to understand that not everyone is like you, and will not learn exactly as you do. I know that as a learner and an individual I seek structure, rules, and stability, and that having clear guidelines and expectations help me to work better and more efficiently. I strive to bring dedication, stability, and communication to the classroom, but in combination with empathy, expression, and adaptability. Palmer argues that educators must remain true to themselves, and embrace who they are, and this is something I feel is absolutely crucial. My aim is to utilize my personal skills while trying my absolute best to treat all my students as unique individuals with unique needs, never forcing them to try to be something they are not.
We are seeing more and more through educational research the cognitive benefits that interactive group work can have on classroom learning. Coming from a background in music, I know first-hand the importance and advantage to working with others in a supportive, cooperative environment. As part of an ensemble, everyone is valued and important; everyone has a voice and is given a chance to express themselves. In many ways this already encompasses the community of learners that we are striving so hard to bring to other subjects as a means of creating engagement. It is this aspect of learning that I think is absolutely crucial, and is something that I will try to bring to all my classrooms, no matter what the subject matter is.
One of my big beliefs as a teacher is that you never stop learning, and that you can always learn more about the material you are teaching, but more importantly about the people that you are guiding. In my teaching experience thus far I’ve found that a big part of my success has come from forming strong relationships with my students, and trying to learn more about who they are as people, rather than simply matching names with faces. I feel that the student and teacher should constantly be working together, and that the learning process should grow and change organically as needed. My educational beliefs largely fall under the umbrella of social constructivism, though I think it is crucial to incorporate aspects of all the learning theories in order to make well rounded classrooms. Through my experiences teaching large groups in my band classrooms, I’ve seen first-hand this need for versatility, and the benefits that can come from engaging students in larger collective activity.
The ideas of relationship building and cooperate learning then also lend themselves to my views on classroom management. I’ve found for myself that by developing these connections and encouraging a mutual respect on an individual and group level, students can quite effectively self-discipline themselves and their peers, often minimizing the need for a conflict resolution. With that said, in my past band classes that sometimes reached sizes of fifty to sixty students, there were always moments where the musical energy and excitement would erupt, and it became necessary to act quickly, with the ability to reign the group back in a timely manner. Again by having established that rapport with the class, I’ve found that students more often have the ability to regain/maintain focus.
In my assessment practices I hope to echo the idea that testing and other summative activities should never come as a surprise to the students and that it should always accurately reflect the material and style of learning which has taken place in the classroom. When it comes to giving students playing and theory tests in a musical context, I feel they need to be in a format and manner that they are familiar with, and which they have completed before for formative purposes. This gives them that added sense of security, and comfort, and hopefully takes away some of the test-anxiety which is so present in many classes. I also see student success as largely the responsibility of the teacher, and that if this success is not occurring, it is then up to the teacher to find a different way of instructing/assessing which will then allow for this success to occur.
Through traveling independently to other areas of our world, I have begun to learn more about the ‘bigger picture’ and how there is so much more out there than what is present in our immediate environment. I strive to help my students look critically at topics from multiple perspectives, learning with me as we examine different views and ideals rather than simply accepting the words in a textbook as truth. I feel this aspect of teaching is being even more important as we see the cultural diversity of our classrooms continues to grow each year.
Growing up in a large family with two parents who are teachers, we were constantly encouraged to think independently, and to try to articulate these different views as best as we could. I want my students to feel safe and comfortable expressing their thoughts without judgment, while also teaching them to defend their differing opinions through evidence and arguments rather than simply unsupported statements.
This critical thinking along with the idea of critical listening are huge focuses of my teaching, because they are what we need to become strong musicians, and more importantly strong individuals. At a class level we continually focused on developing these concepts through daily listening examples which we analyzed, discussed, and worked through together. Through this collective practice, I tried to help guide my students’ thoughts and observations deeper, always looking for a little more detail, while helping them learn to describe why they didn’t like something, rather than that they simply did not.
Finally, being myself a child of the modern technological era, I want to harness the new resources it can bring to the classroom, and incorporate these aspects into my teaching as much as possible. I feel that in order to give the students the biggest chance for success, we must bring into education the mediums with which they are most comfortable and used to, and take advantage of the huge educational benefits and resources that they give access to.
In my classroom I try not disregard the past traditions and methods, but instead to combine them with that of the present to make an interactive and relevant experience that speaks to the needs of our current youths. In my previous practica I found the use of my teaching website to be a very effective way of getting my students more involved in their learning. Through creating online access to class content, recordings, practice material and other information I hoped to help facilitate learning and practicing outside the band room. Ideally, I also want to utilize my website and other technology with future classes as an additional way to connect and share with parents and guardians as well. While there will always be the inherent limitations that a music room brings, I will continue to strive to bring these benefits to my students when possible.
Overall, I will try to foster an environment that is exciting, inspiring, and educational for my students. I will try to embrace who I am as person, because being true to myself will give me the biggest chance of connecting with my students. I will utilize my personal skills and talents as a musician, while trying to learn with my students, and grow with them on a personal and professional level. I will maintain a sense of fairness, respect, and inclusion, without sacrificing the structure and rules necessary to foster healthy learning. I will try to be flexible and adaptable in my approaches so that I am ready for the unforeseeable challenges of tomorrow, and can cater to the unique and diverse population that make up our future students.
Something I feel that is absolutely crucial to being a good teacher is knowing yourself, and acknowledging what your strengths and weaknesses are. In order to be able to educate others, and deal with their unique set of challenges, it is imperative that you know these things, as it helps you to understand that not everyone is like you, and will not learn exactly as you do. I know that as a learner and an individual I seek structure, rules, and stability, and that having clear guidelines and expectations help me to work better and more efficiently. I strive to bring dedication, stability, and communication to the classroom, but in combination with empathy, expression, and adaptability. Palmer argues that educators must remain true to themselves, and embrace who they are, and this is something I feel is absolutely crucial. My aim is to utilize my personal skills while trying my absolute best to treat all my students as unique individuals with unique needs, never forcing them to try to be something they are not.
We are seeing more and more through educational research the cognitive benefits that interactive group work can have on classroom learning. Coming from a background in music, I know first-hand the importance and advantage to working with others in a supportive, cooperative environment. As part of an ensemble, everyone is valued and important; everyone has a voice and is given a chance to express themselves. In many ways this already encompasses the community of learners that we are striving so hard to bring to other subjects as a means of creating engagement. It is this aspect of learning that I think is absolutely crucial, and is something that I will try to bring to all my classrooms, no matter what the subject matter is.
One of my big beliefs as a teacher is that you never stop learning, and that you can always learn more about the material you are teaching, but more importantly about the people that you are guiding. In my teaching experience thus far I’ve found that a big part of my success has come from forming strong relationships with my students, and trying to learn more about who they are as people, rather than simply matching names with faces. I feel that the student and teacher should constantly be working together, and that the learning process should grow and change organically as needed. My educational beliefs largely fall under the umbrella of social constructivism, though I think it is crucial to incorporate aspects of all the learning theories in order to make well rounded classrooms. Through my experiences teaching large groups in my band classrooms, I’ve seen first-hand this need for versatility, and the benefits that can come from engaging students in larger collective activity.
The ideas of relationship building and cooperate learning then also lend themselves to my views on classroom management. I’ve found for myself that by developing these connections and encouraging a mutual respect on an individual and group level, students can quite effectively self-discipline themselves and their peers, often minimizing the need for a conflict resolution. With that said, in my past band classes that sometimes reached sizes of fifty to sixty students, there were always moments where the musical energy and excitement would erupt, and it became necessary to act quickly, with the ability to reign the group back in a timely manner. Again by having established that rapport with the class, I’ve found that students more often have the ability to regain/maintain focus.
In my assessment practices I hope to echo the idea that testing and other summative activities should never come as a surprise to the students and that it should always accurately reflect the material and style of learning which has taken place in the classroom. When it comes to giving students playing and theory tests in a musical context, I feel they need to be in a format and manner that they are familiar with, and which they have completed before for formative purposes. This gives them that added sense of security, and comfort, and hopefully takes away some of the test-anxiety which is so present in many classes. I also see student success as largely the responsibility of the teacher, and that if this success is not occurring, it is then up to the teacher to find a different way of instructing/assessing which will then allow for this success to occur.
Through traveling independently to other areas of our world, I have begun to learn more about the ‘bigger picture’ and how there is so much more out there than what is present in our immediate environment. I strive to help my students look critically at topics from multiple perspectives, learning with me as we examine different views and ideals rather than simply accepting the words in a textbook as truth. I feel this aspect of teaching is being even more important as we see the cultural diversity of our classrooms continues to grow each year.
Growing up in a large family with two parents who are teachers, we were constantly encouraged to think independently, and to try to articulate these different views as best as we could. I want my students to feel safe and comfortable expressing their thoughts without judgment, while also teaching them to defend their differing opinions through evidence and arguments rather than simply unsupported statements.
This critical thinking along with the idea of critical listening are huge focuses of my teaching, because they are what we need to become strong musicians, and more importantly strong individuals. At a class level we continually focused on developing these concepts through daily listening examples which we analyzed, discussed, and worked through together. Through this collective practice, I tried to help guide my students’ thoughts and observations deeper, always looking for a little more detail, while helping them learn to describe why they didn’t like something, rather than that they simply did not.
Finally, being myself a child of the modern technological era, I want to harness the new resources it can bring to the classroom, and incorporate these aspects into my teaching as much as possible. I feel that in order to give the students the biggest chance for success, we must bring into education the mediums with which they are most comfortable and used to, and take advantage of the huge educational benefits and resources that they give access to.
In my classroom I try not disregard the past traditions and methods, but instead to combine them with that of the present to make an interactive and relevant experience that speaks to the needs of our current youths. In my previous practica I found the use of my teaching website to be a very effective way of getting my students more involved in their learning. Through creating online access to class content, recordings, practice material and other information I hoped to help facilitate learning and practicing outside the band room. Ideally, I also want to utilize my website and other technology with future classes as an additional way to connect and share with parents and guardians as well. While there will always be the inherent limitations that a music room brings, I will continue to strive to bring these benefits to my students when possible.
Overall, I will try to foster an environment that is exciting, inspiring, and educational for my students. I will try to embrace who I am as person, because being true to myself will give me the biggest chance of connecting with my students. I will utilize my personal skills and talents as a musician, while trying to learn with my students, and grow with them on a personal and professional level. I will maintain a sense of fairness, respect, and inclusion, without sacrificing the structure and rules necessary to foster healthy learning. I will try to be flexible and adaptable in my approaches so that I am ready for the unforeseeable challenges of tomorrow, and can cater to the unique and diverse population that make up our future students.