Keeping my students interested like musicians on the radio

When I was reading the Copland chapters, he said that "what fascinates him is the thought that by its very nature music invites imaginative treatment, and that the facts of music, so called, are only meaningful insofar as the imagination is given free play." This quote stood out to me, especially being a teacher because it is important to keep the attention of our students, much like a musician needs to keep the attention of their audience to keep selling records. The question is how? The quote talked about music being meaningful because it allows the imagination to have "free play". This is the same concept that I need to apply in my classroom to help make productive students are interested in their learning. I need to allow their imaginations to grow by giving them experiences that encourage that. One way might be to assign an activity, but give them options on how they want to complete it. This would ensure that each student was demonstrating their knowledge of a topic, but doing so in a way that was the most meaningful to them, and allowed them to use their imagination the way that they want. For example, if I gave an assignment that was strictly writing, my students who don't enjoy writing might not do so well tapping into their creative mind when completing the task. However, if I said you could draw a picture and give it a caption, write a paper, or write a poem, this might open the doors and allow more students to complete the activity in a way that was meaningful to them. Student A might choose the first option and do a much better job because they were able to use their imagination to create the picture, and still did a portion of writing by using a caption. The point is that all of my students are different and each has their own imagination. Each imagination may need different activities to get the wheels spinning, as well as make the assignment meaningful to my students. I think I will be a better teacher by trying to use multiple activities to keep my students' attention and help them develop their imaginations even more!

Music in the classroom?

     When I first began reading for this module, I thought it was a perfect thing since I use music in my teaching so often. The Burns article talked a lot about the rhythm and melody and the Wikipedia articles talked a lot about the hook. When I am working with my students, I try to get them to learn catchy songs that have hooks in them to help them learn and remember certain material. I wish there were songs for everything because my students tend to remember the information that I have linked with a song or tune. For example, we made up a song for things that sink and float and all of my students got 100% on the assessment. When I ask them what the setting is, which is something we learned at the beginning of the year, they are able to tell me while singing the catchy song we made up to help them remember. Whenever I teach them through music, they show so much more engagement and excitement. After reading these articles and the focus that was placed on the "hook" I realized that many of the songs we have learned over the year have been remembered because of the hooks that they have in them. I intentionally taught them songs to help them remember things because I have seen it work before, but I unintentionally gave the songs these "hooks"that are mentioned in the articles. I think they work for kids the same way that hip music works for us.
      On another note, I think that the idea of using the same rhythm and beat can relate to routines in a classroom. Kids work well with routines and being able to predict how their day is going to go. The same tune just different lyrics.

Why do I have to learn this?

When I read the Eisner article this week, it hit home with me and made me think about my students. In my FB post, I talked about how the article mentioned the need for us to "learn how to read them" (referring to the arts). I related it to film and how I feel I get more out of watching movies now, since I have taken classes where I learned how to read more into the film instead of staying on the top layer and simply enjoying it for the hour or so that it is on. Instead I ask questions and try to watch it from a different perspective. I know that my students wonder why they need to learn certain things because frankly they say, " Why do we have to learn this?" It is true, teaching is an art, and the concepts can be viewed as an art as well. I think that we need to take this into consideration when are kids ask questions like those because they haven't had the experience learning how to read the art of teaching. They wonder why we make them write when we are doing reading, or why they have to learn place value for math etc. I think it is important to take the time to explain to them why they are learning something. The school that I am at right now is strict, but it makes me do this on a daily basis with my kids. I have an objective for every subject every day, and I go over it with my students. They know what they will be learning and why, as well as how I am going to assess them. I think this is important to make the experience of the lesson compelling for them and hopefully they will get more out of it.

Design and architecture outside of the lesson

When I was looking at the design and architecture, I was thinking of it more metaphorically and how to apply this to my lesson planning. In my first post, I talked about applying the design aspect to lesson planning through differentiation, or changing the activities. Then, I stepped back and realized that I could actually take the design and apply it to the design of my classroom. One of the things I noticed in the reading was how to take a big space and create walls through furniture arrangements and placements of wall art. I can think of the furniture as the furniture in my classroom. How can I arrange it to create specific spaces to meet the needs of my students? I have started to arrange things keeping in mind that I want to make my classroom appealing to the eye, but also versatile! I have always had my reading table accessible to my students so I am able to use it for my guided reading, but based on where the furniture was when I got the room, the book shelves were scattered around the room. Last weekend I moved them so that they are easily accessible to me when I am pulling books for my students. This way I don't have to walk across the room if I forgot a book. To many this may have seemed like the obvious thing to do, but I was so caught up in other areas that I had completely overlooked this aspect of my classroom until recently. I do feel like I have always taken time to really think about the placement of my posters and things on my walls. I try to make them the most useful to my students while trying not to make it look like a car with bad bumper stickers. I try to arrange all of my writing posters together so that when my students have a questions about writing, they can look in one area to hopefully get some help. When it comes to my table groups, I try to arrange them in a way that all of my students can look at the board without having their back to it. I also like to leave a space for me to have carpet time, since I do teach first grade. Overall this module has really made me reassess the way that I have my room set up and how to make the most of the space that I am given while trying to keep it appealing to look at as well. I am all about displaying student work and having fun posters, but I also know there is a way to make it look busy and cluttered as opposed to organized and versatile!

Interior design

When I saw that we were going to be working on looking at the design of houses and structures, both interior and exterior I was so excited. I always wanted to be an interior designer, but chose to go the teaching route instead. As I have been reading the articles, Susanka does a great job for setting up what it entails to make a "house a home". When I think of this mentality in the classroom, I think of how to make my lessons matter to my kids and be meaningful to them. For example, we have to think about differentiation for each child and examine how to make the experiences compelling for each child. Every house is different, and as Susanka says, "the ways things are arranged give it an identity all it's own". I think this is true for our classrooms and lessons as well. You can teach a lesson one way, but you may need to teach the same lesson concept to a different child who benefits better from a different approach. Just as interior designers and architects are trying to design buildings and rooms that are appealing and interesting to the eye, they have to change it based on the audience. I doubt you will go into a farm town with one country store, and try to build a brand new modern home. It wouldn't work that way. However, you could build a new home and try to make it "fit in" with the neighborhood, as Susanka said she had to do for a new home that was being built in an old neighborhood. This same concept needs to be taken into the classroom. Every child has a different "eye" and a different way for learning. Part of designing compelling experiences for them is figuring out what makes each student tick and using this to guide instruction and allow them to be successful. I think this is a great concept to live by! It may seem like a lot of work, but there will be less "remodeling" if you take the time to get to know your audience and how to reach them academically so that they don't need to be retaught information because the way that you taught wasn't for them. They would pass on that house and you would end up showing them many more.

Film and Television... How Hard Can It Be?

Well, as I continue to put the finishing touches on my video project, I have since changed my attitude, that it can't be THAT difficult. Boy was I wrong. I spent so much time filming something that I felt was compelling, only to be completely unsatisfied with the result. I think I take for granted the amount of time that producers and directors put into everything behind a movie or TV show. From sound track, to lighting, and angles. I was only making a 2 minute video, and it took me forever. You may not think so when you see it, but there was a lot of time and effort put into it. It makes me think about my job. I can recall on more than one occasion when my husband and I were first married, and he thought that teaching was so easy. "It can't be that tough, you go in, babysit a bunch of kids for a few hours and come home". It wasn't until he had to begin taking a more active role, cutting out things, coloring things, drawing pictures, basically becoming one of the classroom "dads" despite the fact he didn't have a kid in the classroom. I think it was then that he realized the amount of planning and time that goes into my job. I feel like this is where I fit into the idea of film and TV now. I have had to take a more active and hands on role in it, and now I know it is not just fun and games, and that it is tiring, and time consuming. I think the point of making a compelling experience for my students means putting that extra time and planning into it so that they get to have a well designed activity. Maybe I can add more elements to it that makes it more enjoyable for them, and that they are compelled by the whole experience. As for the imaginative bridges, in the Percussive Editing article, Hirsch said, "editing can be the organization of two-dimensional movements on the screen within a given period of time." I take this statement into the classroom completely! As teachers, we are taught to be flexible the "first take" or the first introduction to a new concept might not go according to plan. We have to regroup and "reshoot" or reteach the lesson in a different way, in "different light". Then we might end up with a product that is satisfactory... our kids get the concept. Just like a film director has to film a scene only to film it again the next day. I think teachers have to do a similar thing within the walls of the classroom. We go back to the drawing board and try a new "take". Both teachers, and filmmakers are faced with a time constraint. We need to teach certain content within a given amount of time and a filmmaker needs to film a movie in a certain amount of time as well. Being efficient and paying attention to our audience, or our students will help us make compelling lessons, or movies. I guess it is apparent every art has it's struggles.

What does Compelling mean, and how can I use this to teach?

I have been trying to decide what compelling means when I think about it in my classroom. Does it mean that my kids are involved in what is going on? No, I think of that as engagement. What about that they are excited about what I am teaching? No again. I think that can best be described by enthusiasm. The more I think about it, the more I think compelling means a combination of not only how involved the kids are, and how excited they are, but also what I put into the experience for them as well. I think there are plenty of activities that can have high student engagement and not be very compelling. When I look at this week's articles, and the whole concept of t.v. and movies, I really think this helps to put things into perspective for me. The directors and producers of things such as The Godfather, or My Best Friend's Wedding don't just put something out there. I'm sure that they could, and that they would have high engagement from their audience, however I don't think it would be considered a compelling show or clip. The more time that they put into their work of art, the more they are molding it to be compelling for their audience. I think if we can take this mind set into the classroom, we will be able to create more compelling experiences for our students. If I look to not only create something that has high student engagement, but also that is compelling, I am pretty certain that my students will be more successful. This will be something to research further as the course continues!