The first bit of Saber-Tooth
Curriculum slightly annoyed me. I was expecting a textbook lesson on curriculum
and couldn’t decide if I liked what the book actually was or not. Once I hit
the part where the gentleman points out that it really doesn’t matter if it’s
the longest bar or not (that’s not what’s important), then I thought “okay,
this is going to keep me engaged and thinking!”
The rest of the book frustrated me – I wanted to yell at the
cavemen how obviously stupid they are, and how they’re wasting their time and
going to fail. When they finally did, I was satisfied and had a bit of “told
you so!” attitude going on. Yet the education system he was talking about is
our own. We waste so much time and energy on wanting the most credit, or
putting up the front that one discipline is harder than another. Who cares?
I teach band. I am very much aware that not all 150 students
I teach will go on to become professional musicians, or even continue on in
middle school. That’s not the point of my job, just like the point of the bar
is if it’s really the longest or not. The world doesn’t need that
many professional musicians. The students just need somewhere where they can take a break
from their homeroom (a place lots of them struggle to do well) and their home
(an overwhelming majority of my kiddos do not have supportive homes to return
to).
They get to pick an instrument – to choose what they WANT to
learn. They start something brand new and totally foreign to their bodies, and
week by week can see and hear the progress they make. They have the opportunity
to show off how awesome they are with concerts, hallway performances, and even
just coming to class.
Ideally this drive to achieve something will transfer to
other areas, and it's my job to help that happen. Once students realize they can do something that not everyone else
in their class can do, they get this air of “well of course I am a superior
student”. Not quite arrogance, but the “hey everyone, look what I can do that
you can’t!” attitude.
Hi there! I love this entry! I was also frustrated by the beginning of the book and really didn't want a metaphor... was impatient to get to the point.. and then like you, got on board as the book went on. I teach elementary music and my goal is to inspire students to continue with music throughout their whole lives whether or not they make it a career. I plan to have my students create a set of questions for my father in law, who is a studio musician, and interview him via Skype. I hope they can see that the possibilities with music are endless.
ReplyDeleteI love the real-world relevance you've created in your classroom by having the kids interview a local studio musician. Will you guide your students through writing their own interview questions? What a great experience for them, with real life implications and significance!
DeleteYour comment, "Ideally this drive to achieve something will transfer to other areas, and it's my job to help that happen." really resonated with me. It reminded me of the part of the book when Peddiwell was discussing the ice age- the elders' resistance to change, and the radicals frustration with still learning such useless activities. The elders stated, "The essence of true education is timeless. It is something that endures through changing conditions." Education is not timeless, it is evolving constantly, and students today need much different skills and knowledge than when I was their age. Something else you said has me a little puzzled as I reflect on the design principle and PICKLE. When you described how "Once students realize they can do something that not everyone else in their class can do, they get this air of 'well of course I am a superior student'. Not quite arrogance, but the 'hey everyone, look what I can do that you can’t!' attitude." it caught me off-guard. I understood the letter "C" in PICKLE to refer to Community Participation: where students need to know how to collaborate and communicate with others, develop social skills while valuing and respecting others. Although it is important for musicians to be allowed to express their creativity and originality, don't they equally also work together to create a harmonious performance of a piece of music?
ReplyDeleteStacey, I like your level-headed approach to what your class is to many of your students - it's not about how many top level musicians you can crank out, but how you can teach them through music that they can have success, see success, hear success, and how that can transfer to other areas of their lives.
ReplyDeleteI wholeheartedly agree with Jim. You are teaching your students to have an appreciation for music. You're giving them some something that they can use to find joy well after they've left your classroom. I agree that it doesn't matter that none of them will become professional musicians. Music is included in school curricula because it's about more than training musicians. It's about giving them a piece of something that's integral to human communication and culture. You're teaching them to appreciate a human language, a piece of our collective culture!
DeleteStacey,
ReplyDeleteI checked my email today and discovered that my "pickle" post from last week generated a lot of great discussion! I love that. My answer to you became so long that I decided to make it a separate post. You can find my response here:
http://zacharycyphers.blogspot.com/2016/09/week-3-productive-contributing-members.html