When we construct and run a rehearsal, it is an opportunity to put action to our thoughts. With our end product in mind, and with a clear sense of what is fundamentally necessary, we have the students engage in activities that will lead to the development of the skills we desire.
As we read through the excerpts from Strategies for Teaching Strings
- How can our long term goals be reflected in what we do in our group classes and ensembles?
- What did you find helpful in this reading?
Having goals in mind always changes the way you teach and they will always directly affect what we do in group. The teacher should prepare every lesson plan with the end goal in mind and shape the lesson with strategies and plans to get the students closer to the goal. One thing that stuck out to me about the reading that was repeated over and over was the need to PREPARE. To me that is just a nasty word! It is so easy to, for my private lessons, just say that I will wing it because I don’t have time to draw up a detailed lesson plan( I have never actually done this by the way it is just a reoccurring thought ). This just ends up wasting your time and your student’s time and will become a big frustration. I appreciate the reminder of how important it is to work ahead and think everything through.
ReplyDeleteI also noticed the need to prepare. I was surprised at how much planning goes into preparing for an orchestra. There were many details that I had never considered before. Being a prepared teacher involves more than just planning out your lesson plan.
DeleteIsn't that so true! It's amazing to think about how different a rehearsal would be if the conductor forgot his score as often as students forgot their music or if the director practiced as little as the students did or paid as little attention to the arrangment of chairs as the students do. :-)
DeleteI agree with Melody, as I look at the rehearsals I sit through every week, I didn't understand the time and effort that goes into every session. I think that may be why we tend to "wing it" when first starting out on our own.
DeleteThe more I teach, the more I feel the need to prepare! I really appreciate your comments!
Delete"Your lesson plans makes these learning goals and objectives a reality for your students." Lesson plans help you as the teacher plan out how you will get your students where they are now to where you want them. Your long term goals will be reflected in how you plan out your individual class time and your objectives for each class time. Also the strategies that you choose to obtain the objectives reflect the long term goals for the students. I found the whole reading helpful, but the part that I found most was the reading on lesson plans. The part that I found interesting was the point on practicing your lesson plan. Based on our reading in the Talent Code last semester, it makes sense to practice delivering your lesson plan since we want to become skilled at teaching, and a vital part of teaching is how we communicate the material.
ReplyDeleteGreat point! I also found that part very interesting. We are required to practice speeches! and even though we aren't exactly the ones performing as we teach we still need to make sure we are prepared to give the lesson without the mistakes that a practice would help eliminate. I am a little confused though by how exactly we would practice teaching our lesson plan. Would we just run through it orally or think through the whole lesson…?
DeleteThis is an interesting point. Practicing or thinking through the steps in a lesson objective really is effective in limiting mistakes and confusion. At least for me, if I'm teaching an excercise for the first time, I find it very helpful to practice each step in the practice room first before I introduce it in a lesson.
Delete1.How can our long-term goals be reflected in what we do in our group classes or ensembles?
ReplyDeleteAs teachers, we need to have long-term goals set for our classes. In the reading, there was a section on lesson plans, and a smaller section on planning the rehearsal. Our objectives, as listed in the lesson plan, are the pieces we are putting together to make up the long – term goals that we have set for our students.
2.What did you find helpful in this reading?
I found this reading very helpful in that it gave many practical tips for when I run my own orchestra program. The different methods of tuning the orchestra given in the book for different level of players was very useful. Also, I thought that the reading stated it well when it said that the first rehearsal is one of the most important ones you will hold. The first meeting of the group determines the behavior of the group for the rest of the year. “Classroom management procedure, discipline, discipline, and rehearsal procedures are all initiated in the first rehearsal .
I too underestimate the importance of a first rehearsal. I agree with the author that it is crucial in establishing patterns of organization and discipline, but it is also important for the attitudes that the students develop toward orchestra and ultimately music in general. The book presented a very rigid example of a first rehearsal. While some of the details are useful, we also should utilize this opportunity to spark Ignition in our students. We could present the end view by a story or a musical excerpt. After all, we are learning to teach now, but we can't forget the students.
DeleteI agree with you both. It is amazing how far a fist impression actually goes! But along with this thought is the task to keep establishing those important classroom "rules". Consistent and repeated rules will be obeyed, and that is why it is so important to enforce the structure of the lessons. It then becomes especially important to firmly establish classroom behavior expectations in your mind ahead of time so that when one of these expectations gets ignored you aren't second guessing whether or not it is important enough to confront the student about it.
DeleteThank you for your comments, folks! Excellent discussion. The act of planning and preparing for rehearsals has greatly changed how I think about these events over the years. Getting into the habit of doing this causes me to think over and evaluate what I am doing on a much more regular basis. As I evaluate, I abandon and/or make adjustments to the activities and strategies that I am utilizing-- I also evaluate my objectives and goals. The whole process becomes much more enjoyable and much less stressful!
ReplyDeleteI found it interesting that in the section labled "lesson plans" the author actually used the word "research" to encourage real and effective planning. I also like his idea about summarizing the lesson topics and assignments at the end of a lesson or class. This is so helpful both the teacher as well as the parent and student.
ReplyDeleteIt is very important to review the assignments. As we saw in class yesterday, most of the students forgot their assignment from the week before.
DeleteOur long term goals are presented in various forms throughout any one lesson or class. The priorities we set, the repetitions we do in class and from class to class, the assignments we give--all reveal our end goals.
ReplyDeleteAs I read these excerpts, I was struck by how meaningful rehearsals can be. Everything, from the warm-up to the closing piece is planned and coordinated. Or, it should be. If I take the time and put in the effort to coordinating my lesson plans, I can make rehearsals that I plan much more effective. Starting with long terms goals at the beginning of the school year/semester, will allow my meticulous planning to be building toward those goals. In addition to goals shaping the lesson plans, priority teaching can shape the directive feedback loops of the passagework during the rehearsal.
ReplyDeleteAfter reading these selections, I realized how limited my scope and planning for my own choir rehearsals are. I plan on taking much more time during planning, and self-assessing my performance after each evening. The practical tips for organization, and lists of technical problems and solutions are both valuable resources.