Teaching+Philosophy

Teaching Philosophy The purpose of the following is to examine my working learning philosophy at this point in my career. Keeping this in mind, I will then present my ideal classroom. When reflecting on my own learning experiences from K-12 (B.C.!!!) I would say it was not only traditional, but also stifling. There are so many more options available today for students that are so much more adaptive to every student’s learning needs. The positives of my K-12 experience included caring instructors, a small community school experience, small classrooms, being able to stay in one school K-12 (I personally do not like the current practice of constantly changing schools as well as classmates at very early grade levels), and some cutting-edge (for that time) thinking outside the box such as changing classes for the first time beginning with my sixth grade class. The negatives were the stifling elements: I was not allowed to skip grades; I was not to start college in my senior high school year (I was the first to even make such a request!). These are simply examples of teaching philosophy at that time. Any of us can only work within our context, and the context of that time was very conservative and certainly a democratic approach (“what’s good for one is good for all”) in the sense that anything outside the norm was not allowed. We know so much more about how students learn today. Through a variety of tests/inventories-be it VARK, North Carolina University Learning Style Inventory, or any of a number of Gardner’s Multiple Intelligences Learning Styles Surveys-the instructor can better surmise what tools would work best in any particular classroom. In answering the question, “How do students learn?” I need to bring into this discussion those philosophies I adopt, especially those that I believe will work best for my classrooms of music instruction. Specifically, I adopt: ·  Constructivists Theory – Theorists, such as Bandura and Vygotsky, take into account social variables. It is Gestalt-like in its holistic approach to learning: “…it differs from the cognitivist view in that learning is not seen as just the product of mental processes; it is an entirely unique product for each individual based on the experiences within which those mental processes occurred” (Lever-Duffy & McDonald, 2008, p. 17). This theory, and its components, works well for any classroom in my opinion let alone just the music classroom; the music classroom experience is cumulative and therefore must be Gestalt in its approach to content: all aspects of music are tied together. ·  Gardner’s Theory of Multiple Intelligences – Howard Gardner identifies nine types of intelligences that all students possess: linguistic, logical-mathematical, musical, spatial, kinesthetic, interpersonal, intrapersonal, naturalistic, and existential (Lever-Duffy & McDonald, 2008, p. 24). As I have argued in class, music study taps into as well as develops all of these intelligences in the learner and learning process. In answering the question, “What kinds of things do I really want them to learn?” I will first say that I want my students to be global learners, learners who can think critically, learners who can “connect the dots” so to speak: if a student can learn to think critically in the classroom he or she can apply the same in real life situations. Preparing students for real life situations is of major concern to any educator at any level. I believe one of the best arguments for the need for critical thinking can be found by viewing a video “//Did You Know?”// found at the following website: []. Yes, I want my students to learn-and enjoy!-music, but also to learn to be “dot connectors” by including study of history and art within the music content of any course I teach. The next question is “How would I best accomplish this?” Today’s classrooms must include technology if we are to prepare students for //their// future. In one of the articles I critiqued, //PowerPoint and Pedagogy: Maintaining Student Interest in University Lectures// (Clark, J. 2008, p. 43), an argument is made for using one technology specifically, PPT, in the classroom: “[PPT] encourages students to listen and express and not be caught up in just taking notes. PPT should be used as a stimulus or taking-off point for discussion.” This is just one technology that I would use in music classrooms. In another article I critiqued, //Why Technology in the Music Classroom: Can a Computer do a Better Job than You Can?// (Dorman, J. p. 104), the good news is that teachers are not going to be replaced by computers in the near future! A learner-friendly classroom needs both technology and a living and breathing instructor. This brings us to the question, “What would my ideal classroom look like?” Attached (Appendix A) is a sketch of my idea classroom. Rather than a “dream” classroom it incorporates realistic requests, some of which have already been met for one of my classrooms. The physical aspects of my ideal music classroom are based on Gardner’s Multiple Intelligences Theory: I want to be able to develop all of the nine intelligences of which he speaks. It is my responsibility as the instructor to ensure the classroom will allow this to happen. Other physical components of the classroom-size, furniture arrangement, lighting, use of color, availability of technologies-would best be served by asking for student input, as demonstrated in the article by Veltri, Banning, and Davies (//The Community College Classroom Environment: Student Perceptions,// 2006): the researchers strongly advised that students-past, present, and future-be part of the design process. Therefore, here’s my list of the physical items to be in my ideal classroom: ·  Furniture that can be easily re-configured according to classroom needs at any particular point (group projects, for example) ·  Acoustics that allow for hearing on part of both the instructor and learner (necessary sound absorption panels) ·  Lighting that best promotes learning: not too bright, but not too dim as to put students to sleep! ·  Technologies that include: Internet accessibility (wireless), overhead projector and screen, computer/laptop, music keyboards, notebook (I prefer this to Smart Boards), printer, Bose speakers, music recording devices (still not sure what I would want/what would work most efficiently but adequately), acoustic piano, chalkboard with and without built in staves for notation. My idea classroom is an ongoing process changing as I learn more about what is available in technology. It also includes my personal belief that students cannot multi-task and learn at the same time. My idea classroom would give me the ability to turn off technologies when students need to focus on what I am saying/teaching. References: Clark, J. 2008. PowerPoint and pedagogy: maintaining student interest in university lectures. //College Teaching// 56 (1): pp. 39-44. Fisch, K. and McLeod, S. (2007). //Did you know?// Retrieved April 11, 2009, from [] Dorman, J. (2007). // Spotlight on technology in the music classroom: selected articles from state mea journals // : Lanham, MD: First Rowman & Littlefield Education. Lever-Duffy, J. & McDonald, J.B. (2008). //Teaching and learning with technology//. New York, NY: Perseus Books Group. Veltri, S., Banning, J. & Davies, T.G. (2006).The community college classroom environment: student perceptions. // College Student Journal //. // 40, n. 3 //, 517-527.