What I've Come Up WIth So Far...

So, I have been searching the web and thinking about what I can really do to change the way I help my students practice at home.  I am just going to list them here as a way to keep the information organized in one place and for others to share their opinions...

These are in no particular order:

• Have students post what they have practiced and for how long on a digital wall (using wallwisher.)  A new wall for each week or month depending on the popularity.  This makes the sharing of practice times more fun and interactive.  Since all posts will be viewable by others, it also enables a bit of competition (and that always seems to push some students.)
  
  
• First few weeks of school, pull more advanced 5th grade students to record tutorial videos:
  *how to put together their instruments
  *how to make a good sound (embouchure)
  *how to play basic notes
  *practice tips
  
  Videos would be saved and searchable on the site as a reference guide (a bit of the Flipped classroom idea.)
  
• Create some screencast tutorials on how to figure out note names and how to read rhythms.
  
  
• Have practice challenges.
  * Have students see how long they can hold a note without changing the sound (using an embedded timer) and then post scores on wallwisher or another type of site (embedded in the practice site)
  
  *Have a composition challenge and have students record/upload into a soundcloud account and post
  
  *Have a challenge song that students can record/upload into a soundcloud account and post
  
  *Have students create a challenge and post it (ie.. can you play 16 notes in one breath?)
  
  
• Have a practice timer embedded into the site so that students can set 10-30 minutes to practice and have the timer make sure it happens.
  
  
• Embed accompaniment tracks for examples in the book

This is what I have come up with so far.... just a bunch of ideas.  I seem to be sticking with the web 2.0 method.  I am not sold on the posting website, but wallwisher seems to be the easiest and most secure to use.  Any other ideas?  Please share!  

I am also thinking of creating better first week resources so we don't jump to the book right away.  I don't exactly like how Standard of Excellence starts with whole notes.  So I might create some of my own resources/song sheets/workbook pages as a start.... Finale, here I come!

Time for a Change

I am enrolled in an instructional technology for educators masters program and in one of my summer classes I have been exposed to some new ideas that have really got me thinking.

One of the concepts we studied was the idea of the Flipped Classroom. The basic idea of that is that instead of assigning repetitive problems (math for instance) for homework, instead the students view teacher created tutorials on how to do a new concept. The next day in class, the students work through problems together. This allows for more student-teacher interaction time and support.

In our readings there was a great quote:

"You can't practice understanding ... practice does not create proficiency."

That started me thinking about the way I teach my lessons and how I expect beginning 4th grade instrumentalists to go home and practice. What does practicing do for them? The struggling students practice, but they do not get better. Why? The reason is that they don’t understand what they are practicing; they do not know that they are playing an example wrong, and then they do not know how to fix it. How can I the teacher solve this problem and help my students become better musicians. How can telling a student to play an example 5 times at home, ensure that they are learning? Maybe I should be telling my students to explore at home and go over the new concepts and skills?

How can we use new ideologies of education and technology to solve this problem?

Here are some ideas that I have been jotting down (mainly as I am involved in this one course) and my goal is to put together a more comprehensive program by the end of the summer to implement.

Feel free to comment, critique, offer suggestions, wants to collaborate, etc!

*Have advanced students create short tutorial videos about how to put together instruments, correct embouchure, how to play notes, read rhythms, etc. Then there would be a tutorial library of basic questions that students might have at home, being taught by their peers (in a language/terms kids would understand.)

*Create screencasts to aid in note reading and basic practicing skills.

*Scrap the lesson book for practice in the beginning. Create an online practice website (free) with accompaniments that review note reading, rhythm reading/playing. Encourage rote playing as well as note reading, tonguing, and correct note duration. The lesson book should only be used in class.

*Home practice should be fun and focused on skill building, not just playing random method book songs.

*Encourage composition and free play as part of the practice routine. Each practice assignment should contain a composition element based on the new skill (ie. write a 16 beat song that contains B, A, and G.) Allow students the ability to record their songs (provide resources) and post on a website for others to see.

*Get rid of practice charts. Instead use a web 2.0 tool for students to record their practicing. By making it interactive and fun, that could cause students to want to practice more.

These are just some ideas that I have jotted down. Once again, I ask for your input. I am not sure where I am going with this yet, but I feel like it is a worthy project to look into. Feel free to leave a comment with your suggestions/criticisms/offers to collaborate, etc. You can also e-mail me at: allison.friedman@me.com