My orchestra classes for upper elementary and middle school are only 35 minutes long. I have mixed instruments and skill levels in each group. Best practice in education usually requires a few components to any lesson or unit. These elements are usually:
They can be condensed into one day or along the course of a unit. If I am completely honest, I don't do all of these every lesson. I do usually find a time for each component but they are often spread throughout the week or weeks as I see students. However, I have noticed that lately I'm skipping through the independent practice more quickly than I would like and often have to keep assessments at the formative level due to time. As such, I am trying to take some notes from the Readers and Writers Workshop model which seem to have four key components.
In this post, I would like to think aloud about why independent work matters and convince myself to allot more time to this element in my lessons. (Ideally, a music student would be doing this independent work at home but...)
While there are many challenges to making independent work time useful, efficient and productive in the music room, I do think it is worth including in every lesson. This is where the magic of learning happens. Following up independent work with a sharing opportunity is a fantastic way to bring meaning to this time and it also creates a communal sense of learning. I think I'm convinced!
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
Grant SouderI am an educator, musician, parent and maker. I do my best to live with intention and to create learning environments that foster the same. This blog is an effort to share my thinking and learning. It is in no way a cementation of my understanding but a catalyst for unearthing it. These ideas are living and fluid. Archives
September 2019
Categories |