PME Week 3

What is Philosophy?
 Based on the reading, what might
Dr. Ayers’s beliefs be?
• Teacher • Subject Matter
• What does the teacher do? • What musical knowledge and skill
is most important?
• What skills, behaviors, and attitudes
are most important?
• What styles/genres of music are
• What should the teacher know and most important?
model?
• Through what processes should
• Student children engage with music?

• What should students know and do in • Milieu

music classes?
• How should the school’s
• How should they be engaged?
community be represented?
• How do they learn?
• How should the room be arranged?
• How should students interact with one
another? • What should be in the room?
 To Teach by Ayers

This is why I chose teaching: to share in the lives of young

people, to engage and touch the future.
 To Teach by Ayers

Good teaching requires most of all a thoughtful and caring

teacher, committed to the lives of students.
 Based on the reading, what might
Dr. Ayers’s beliefs be?
• Teacher • Subject Matter
• What does the teacher do? • What musical knowledge and skill
is most important?
• What skills, behaviors, and attitudes
are most important?
• What styles/genres of music are
• What should the teacher know and most important?
model?
• Through what processes should
• Student children engage with music?

• What should students know and do in • Milieu

music classes?
• How should the school’s
• How should they be engaged?
community be represented?
• How do they learn?
• How should the room be arranged?
• How should students interact with one
another? • What should be in the room?
 Myths

• With a partner:

• Take the myth provided discuss

• why it is true

• why it may not be true

 The Impact of Myths

• How have these myths influenced teachers’ work?

 To Teach by Ayers
There is no profession that demands so much and receives so
little in financial compensation; none in which the state
stipulates such extensive and specific educational
requirements, for example, and then financially rewards
people so sparingly.

People are called to teaching because they love children and

youth or because they love being with them, watching them
open up and grow and become more able, more competent,
more powerful in their worlds. They may love what happens to
them when they are with children, the ways in which they
become better, more human, more generous and thoughtful
and caring.
 Looking at Teaching

• Teachers’ lives are as diverse as their students.

• Practicing teachers have developed unique

teacher identities that include their own musical
interests and what they learn about their students.
Your Interview Assignment
• Choose a former music teacher of yours to
interview.

• Setup a time, at least 45 minutes to an hour

• 3-5 page paper, due April 4th

• Not a transcript, your interpretation is key!

• Present your paper on Tuesday, April 4th

 Interviews
• Interview a partner:

• Where is she/he from?

• What is her/his instrument?

• When did they decide they wanted to major in music ed?

• Why did they choose Crane?

• How is music important in their lives?

• Why is music important for children to study?

 Questions

• What makes a good question?

 Tips
• Mix of open and closed questions

• Try to get details from them and don’t be afraid to ask

follow-ups.

• Could you describe that more?

• What was that really like?

• How did you feel as that happened?

• What influenced that thought?

 In Groups
• Generate a list of 10-20 questions that you would like to ask your former
teacher. (Everyone writes)

• Behaviors

• Beliefs

• Sensory

• Knowledge

• Feelings

• Background

• Others…
 Jigsaw

• Compile questions into composite lists.

• What new questions can be added to your existing

list.
 For Thursday

• Read Chapter 2 of Teaching for Musical

Understanding

• Complete and submit ThinkSheet

• Be nice to Dr. Docker who will be with you that day!

 Today

• Review Ayers Chapter 1

• Discuss Social Constructivism

• Introduce non-musical lesson assignment

 Ayers Review

• What does Ayers tell us about the profession of

teaching?

• What myths are particularly powerful to you?

 Social Constructivism

• Piaget vs. Vygotsky

• How did Wiggins differentiate the two theorists

view on learning?

• interpsycholigical and intrapsychological levels

of engagement.
 Vygotsky

• Learning is a social activity.

• We may learn from/through a More Knowledgable

Other

• What's up with the term "knowledgable other?"

• Zone of Proximal Development

 Zone of Proximal
Development

• This is where effective teaching takes place.

• How does a teacher determine what the ZPD is?

 Demo Lesson

• Classification of instruments
 Scaffolding
• How was this lesson scaffolded?

• What did the teacher do?

• Consider that Guided Participation (Rogoff, 1990)

includes:

• Building bridges from children's present understanding

and skills to reach new understandings and skills.

• Arranging and structuring children's participation in

activities.
Learner Agency vs. Teacher
Power

Insert image of teeter totter here.

Social Constructivism
Characteristics