Chapter 5 Questions to consider

Chapter 5 (p. 137-149)

(3) You have now read several views about intelligence. What do you think about intelligence?

Is it one trait or many? more heavily influenced by nature or nurture? a fixed capacity or a

modifiable ability? Articulate your views in a paragraph of 6-8 sentences.

 

     I think that intelligence is something that can not be measured.  Humans as a whole are very intelligent, and a properly functioning brain is capable of incredible things.  I believe that everyone is intelligent in some way, whether it be math and science, history and writing, physical and mechanical, or social.  Each of these has strenths in different ways, and all can lead to success.  For example, someone who is good a academic subjects and school, but is not good at interpreting emotions of others and communicating well, would not make a good lawyer.  A lawyer is seen as a prestigious job, but someone who is very intelligent in social aspects would fare better in this field than someone who is a mathematical genius.  I believe that everyone is intelligent in some way, and that students have to find that area and pursue it.

Chapter 4 questions to consider

(1) Using the CSEL case that you have chosen as a guide, explore all of the possible group

differences that may have an effect on your target student(s) or the class as a whole. Consider

such group differences as cultural/ethnic differences, gender, SES differences, and “at risk”

status.

(2) After reading this chapter, what are your thoughts about how to promote a positive learning

environment in your classroom, realizing that your students may require your example in

welcoming and appreciating diversity? Include at least three areas where you will facilitate

honoring of students’ differences.

     In the last post, I referenced a case study about a middle school girl acting out in class.  The class is surely to have several different ethnic and cultural groups within it.  I do not think this is a likely cause to why Cherie is acting in class, the case study does not specify race or ethnicity of the class.  Gender may play a role in her behavior, as girls are often concerned with what others think of them, and Cherie is likely trying to gain approval from her peers.  It is possible that her SES plays a role in her behavior, but there is no way to tell from the case study presented.  It is possible that her parents or gaurdians work odd hours and she is not getting the needed attention at home, thus seeking it at school.

     I feel that maintaining a positive learning environment entails keeping the room neat and clean, keeping the class under control, and decorating the room with relevant posters and other things.  As far as keeping the room clean, the students will keep their instruments in a designated storage room, so the band room proper is kept open and neat.  The percussion instruments that are too large to fit in the percussion closet (ex. Tympani, Chimes, Bass drum) will have a specified location in the room, out of the way of traffic.  The students will be expected to put their individual chair and stand up at the end of rehearsal.  Keeping the class under control is also a key part of maintaining a positive learning environment.  Talking must be kept to a minimum.  If the teacher has to compete for attention with the students in the class, there is a good chance that many things will not get heard.  Having relevant items on decorating the room is also a good idea.  In the band room, it is a good idea to post the circle of fifths and other music related terminology around the room.  I have seen the national standards posted in the band room on several occasions as well.  I would also like to have a college bulletin board, where I can post information about different college band programs.

Chapter 3 Questions to consider

(3.1) Personal and social development can have a major influence on both individual student

learning and the learning environment as a whole. Identify a case from the CSEL guidelines*

that you would like to address in your paper. Then, examine the possible developmental

factors that could be influencing your target student(s) or classroom in the case study. Consider

all dimensions of personal and social development, including cognitive, language, social,

emotional, and moral development. *CSEL guidelines can be found under CSEL Artifact. Cases

are included at the end of the document. Choose the case that best suits your desired grade level.

 

(3.22) Check out tables 3.1 (p. 75), 3.2 (p. 83) and 3.3 (p. 91) with particular attention to the age

ranges you are interested in teaching. Identify your personal favorite ways that an educator can

promote a child’s sense of self, perspective taking, and moral reasoning skills.

 

      " You are particularly frustrated with a seventh grade group of students that appears to engage less and less with learning and more and more with one of your highly amusing leaders of the class. Cherie is really funny, but does not show good judgment in choosing appropriate times and ways to be funny. Yesterday she tripped Carmen as she passed her desk on the way to get a chair for a guest in our class. The day before, Cherie made rude noises throughout small group presentations. Today Cherie jumped up while Tommy was reading a poem about a battle, a poem that appeared engaging to the majority of the students; she started pretending she was shooting a gun at other students. Several joined in the pretend battle and disrupted the class to the point that Tommy could not finish reading the poem."

     In this case, the majority of the class seems to have originally been interested in learning, but the more Cherie acts out, the more the other students pay attention to her. In turn, the attention Cherie is receiving is likely provoking her actions. Being in the seventh grade, the students are going through several changes in their life, from childhood to adolescence. During early adolescence, it is common for a student's self-esteem to drop, and the students begin to search for ways to gain acceptance from their peers (Ormrod, 2011, pg. 71). It seems that Cherie's sense of humor is enjoyed by the rest of the class. When Cherie acts out in class and gets a reaction from the rest of the students, it is a type of reassurance. This helps Cherie's confidence and self-image.

     It is also likely that Cherie feels the need to entertain her peers, thinking that she is the center of attention. This is described as the imaginary audience, and is common among young adolescents. The imaginary audience is when an adolescent feels that they are the center of attention at all times (Ormrod, 2011, pg. 71). Because she is feeling that the attention is on her, she does not realize the harm she is causing to the other students, such as Carmen and Tommy.

     I plan to address the idea Cherie is having about needing to entertain the class, and that the classroom is not the place for jokes. Since she is likely using this as a way to feel accepted by her peers, it will be important not to hurt her feelings, but convince her not to act out during class time, or at the expense of each other. 

 

     Several tables in the book listed strategies regarding promoting a child's sense of self, perspective taking, and moral reasoning skills.  Regarding promoting a child's sense of self, I like the idea the book suggested of giving students opportunities to examine and experiment.  I feel that at the high school level, many students are preparing to enter the adult world, so treating them so is good preparation for the post-high school world.  For sense of self, I liked the idea of exploring the origins of people's perspective and motives in discussion of real and fictional events.  I think allowing students to see how many other perspectives are in the room helps them to begin taking a closer look at those perspectives.  For promoting moral reasoning and prosocial behavior, I liked the book's idea of encouraging performing community service to engender feelings of commitment to helping others.  The high school marching band plays a large role within a community, and often offer community service such as car washes or rummage sales. 

Chapter 2 Questions to Consider

(2.1) One of the most cited theories of human development is that of Swiss biologist Jean

Piaget. After reading about Piaget’s basic assumptions (p. 27-32) look with particular attention

at the stage of child development you would like to teach. The other most cited theory of

human development belongs to Russian developmentalist Lev Vygotsky. Vygotsky’s theory of

cognitive development leads us to expect greater diversity among our same-aged students than

Piaget. Given these two influential theorists’ ideas on cognitive development, how might you

accommodate students who are not yet working at the level of their peers?

 

(2) Theories in educational psychology promote the idea that language plays a critical role in

cognitive development. Examine Table 2.2 (p. 51), paying particular attention to the age range

that you are interested in teaching. Consider how you might incorporate or adapt the strategies

presented for use with your own students.

 

     The age group I would most like to work with is high school level.  At this point, the students are in Piaget's formal operational stage.  This is when children develop the ability to think abstractly.  In my area, music education, this is important because for students to play expressively, they need to be able to understand the contexts of the music they are playing, and be able to put themselves in that situation.  For example, in a recent concert I attended at a local high school, the band played a piece titled "Mekong" that depicted Vietnam during war time.  The program notes described the piece as having haunting melodies over the top of sounds of war.  The piece opened with a piccolo solo the program described as a Vietnamese flute player playing on the river as jets fly overhead.  While the piccolo players was playing her solo, percussionists on the sides of the audience had drum heads with marbles in them, which rolled around producing a sound eerily similar to a jet engine.  In order to fully achieve the sensation the composer desired, the students need to try and put themselves in the situation they are depicting.  How the Vietnamese flute player would be trying to ensue normal life while the American and Vietcong soldiers battle in the distance, though she plays a happy peaceful melody, the sounds of war cannot be escaped.  This concept of abstract thinking is one that would require students in the Concrete Operational Stage.

     

     For the grade 9-12 age groups, some of the suggested strategies include Consistently using the terminology associated with various academic degrees and considering the underlying meanings in poetry and fiction.  Musical terminology is something that begins in the 5th or 6th grade when the students first begin playing their instruments.  Most music is written using Italian, though German and French composers both write in their native languages.  However, the music that high school students perform, mostly written by American and English composers, is written using Italian due to tradition.  These terms describe the tempo, style, and volume of the piece.  Some of the common terms for tempo are:  Largo, Andante, Moderato, Allegro, Allegretto, and Vivace.  Some of the common terms for style are:  Cantabile, Marcato, Staccato, Legato, and Maestoso.Some of the common terms for dynamics are: pianissimo, piano, mezzo-piano, mezzo-forte, forte, and fortissimo.  These terms are used daily in rehearsal.   

     The concept of underlying meanings in poetry and fiction also applies to music.  In the example given above, the piece would not have the emotional impact that it did if the students just played the music without knowing the context and meaning behind it.  All music, has an underlying idea or concept behind it, whether it is a new child being born (ex. Hazo's Diamond Fanfare), the loss of a loved one (ex. Halvorsen's In Memoriam), or beautiful picturesque landscape (ex. Hazo's Perthshire Majesty).  To truly convey the music to the audience, the students must have an understanding of the underlying meaning of the piece being performed.

Chapter 10 questions to consider

Which of the learning activities/skills can you think of that lend themselves to learning through modeling?

How might self-efficacy and self-regulation contribute to the intervention plans you use in your case study?

     In my field, modeling is extremely important.  If a musician does not have a musician to listen to, then he or she will not develop as well.  Humans are not naturally born knowing what a trumpet is supposed to sound like, so if a student begins playing the trumpet, his or her tone quality will never develop if he or she does not listen to experienced players.  This can be seen in the way that instruments sound different in different parts of the world, because that is the desired sound in that region, learned by listening to others from the region.

     Self-efficacy and self-regulation are what makes the student desire to develop in this way.  The student has to desire to sound good on his or her instrument, and has to have the self-regulation to listen to recordings of professional players, and imitate their tone quality.

Chapter 9 questions to consider

How would you define successful mastery of your lesson objectives from a behavioral view of learning?

Consider your CSEL intervention case study. Are there tools from a behaviorist view for either encouraging productive behaviors or discouraging undesirable behaviors that you could apply to the case? What are they?

     In music, the students strive to be complimented on their performance.  If students are playing out of tune and missing notes, and the teacher allows this to continue, then the expectations are not set high enough and the students will continue this behavior.  When playing out of tune is not allowed by the director, the students begin to engage more and realize that just playing and not listening is not good enough.  This active listening results in a much better quality band program, and much better quality musicians. 

     I would say that in band, the behaviorist tools are more for rewarding the musicians for playing well.  It is not often that the musicians need to be convinced to sound good, as all musicians want the band to sound good, so rewarding them for playing well tends to have better results than punishing them for  playing poorly.  Some "old school" directors go with the philosophy that you tell the band they are playing poorly until the day before the competition where you tell them they are playing excellently.  From experience playing in bands with directors of this mentality, the students realize what the directors are doing, and the meaning of the criticism and compliments diminishes.

Chapter 8 questions to consider

Consider a lesson plan you might use. Which metacognitive skills/abilities are involved as students gain facility/knowledge in this domain?

Think of an activity or lesson component that explicitly teaches one or more metacognitive and one or more problem solving skills.

     A lesson plan that I would use would consist of using a piece of music to emphasize a certain aspect of playing an instrument.  For example, a beautiful lyrical piece of music such as Perthshire Majesty by Samuel R. Hazo, can be used to work on phrasing and expressiveness.  Though the notes in a slower song are easier to play, many students overlook the fact that slower music is actually more difficult to play well.  Slower pieces of music emphasize tuning, phrasing, and tone quality, all important aspects of playing an instrument.  In a slow piece of music, the students must constantly be listening to themselves and the others around them, thinking "is this the best tone I can have" and "am I in tune with the ensemble?"  The slow music gives the students the oppurtunity to really focus on specific aspects of playing their instrument.