The course I teach is an upper-level methods course in general music for students who are approaching their student teaching/internship in music education classrooms. Our class serves as a laboratory in which I model methodological and pedagogical aspects of teaching music content appropriate for children in grades preK-12, and the students then create and deliver lessons to peers and elementary children.
The major purpose of this project was getting students to read the important literature related to each topic of the semester; e.g., methodology, pedagogy, classroom management, teacher behavior, learning styles, and curriculum. Because music education majors spend a great amount of time playing or singing in their applied lessons, ensembles, and concerts, they focus on performance, often neglecting reading. My challenge was to change that, since the readings serve as a backdrop for practical applications in our class.
| ImplementationThe project consisted of teaching students to recap information in each reading assignment, to identify and paraphrase major premise(s), and to lead class discussion to demonstrate their command of the reading material. Once we rehearsed this idea in class, each subsequent class offered opportunities for students to lead the discussion. Typically, two students’ names were drawn from a hat, and they led the discussion. My two doctoral teaching assistants were responsible for marking the rubric that was designed specifically for this element of the course. The criteria in the rubric were focused on the student’s: 1. ability to identify major premise(s) in the reading(s); 2. demonstration of paraphrasing main points of the reading(s); 3. ability to initiate discussion and respond to other students based on the reading(s); and 4. overall competency with the reading assignment.
