May 14, 2021 - Online Learning Instructional Videos (OLL)
During this time of Online Learning, I was introduced to the idea of recording my lessons and instructions. I have uploaded all of the videos into OneDrive, and I also sent the videos to the class WeChat groups for students who could not download the videos efficiently due to wifi issues.
I have also included videos for extension opportunities for students to explore the topic.
For the Songwriting unit we used the program Garageband. As all of our students used a Mac computer or iPad this was the easiest tech option to use for this unit.
How does this benefit the students?
The students found this beneficial because it meant that they could access the information at any time. The instructional videos created by me were designed to allow the students to work on their own music creation while watching the video in step-by-step instructions. They would be able to stop, start, and reply the videos at their leisure.
Can this be used for our return to the classroom?
Yes! I would love to integrate this strategy into my everyday classroom teaching. This will allow the students to review information and instructions at any time. This wouldn’t replace the classroom teaching, but it would be an additional tool for students to use at home.
What can be changed or adjusted for future use?
I would like to create a written transcript of my verbal instructions so the students can follow along if they are unsure of the words that I am speaking. This will give them the opportunity to look up and research and vocabulary for further understanding.
To listen to some of the samples created by the students during this unit, click here —> Grade 8 Garageband Student Work
March 28, 2021 - Teaching the Approaches to Learning (ATL’s)
Teaching ATL’s to students is not something new. This lesson is derived from a lesson that I normally would teach at the beginning of a new unit. The above images are from a grade 6 class; most of whom has limited or no understanding of ATL’s at the beginning of the year. They would often have heard of ATL’s by the second semester, but in my experience they require further exploring. I make this a staple lesson for grade 6’s especially so they will know exactly the expectations of the ATL for the respective unit. This lesson has the students analyze a Hierarchy chart and they would have to summarize, in key words, the expectations of each level. Normally in the classroom the students would be working in table groups, which would allow them to collaborate and discuss the 4 levels of achievement. Unfortunately, collaboration had limited success in the OLL format. So, this task was introduced as a solo lesson. As shown above, students created mind maps for each of the levels and summarized the key words associated with that level.
How do you assess the students’ understanding of the ATL’s throughout the unit?
As the unit continues, there will be checkpoints along the way to assess the students level of ATL’s. There will be a combination of verbal communication between student and teacher, exit slips for students to self-assess while providing reasoning for their answer, Arts Process Journal questions with a focus on the respective ATL, and formative assessments with feedback provided. I would usually have this chart on the wall for easy access, and also in OneNote.
August 22, 2019 - Technology Integration
Online Sight Reading Challenge
https://www.sightreadingfactory.com
This is an excellent resource for producing sight reading pieces, as well as keeping track of your students sight reading skills! It is all done online and students can do it at home. The teacher can assign the students sight reading assignments, they can sign in with their own student code, and record their sight reading skills. The teacher can go in and provide a grade and feedback for each. I like to use this as a challenge for my band students.
January 23, 2019 - Classroom Environment
November 21, 2018 - Technology Integration
Virtual Reality in the Music Classroom
Students have the opportunity to explore using the Virtual Reality program, Lyra, to create music. This photo is from the Grade 8 unit, “Song Writing in VR”, where they used their song writing skills to create percussion, bass, chords, and melody.
March 30, 2018 - Technology Integration
Aurasma / HP Reveal in the Classroom
Students often create pieces of music but can only be displayed for a short amount of time during a performance. In order to allow the student’s work to be displayed over a longer period of time we have used the HP Reveal app (previously Aurasma) for the hallway displays. You can view the video below to see how this works. This was used with the Grade 7 unit, 4 Strings is enough!, where they used their knowledge of the ukulele to write a melody.
Peer Observation Observed by Sarah Wenn
November 20, 2017
Grade 6 Music
How would you describe the overall classroom environment and climate?
The students seem comfortable coming into the class, and they were ready to participate. The students seemed confident to try their best even if they made mistakes, and there was a feeling of always working towards growth and improvement. The environment was very accepting and supportive.
How would you describe my rapport and relationship with the students?
You seem very comfortable with the students, and there was a relaxed atmosphere in the classroom. I liked how you checked in with the students throughout the activity to see how they were feeling and what they were having difficulty with. It is evident you are supportive and want them all to be successful.
How could I improve my classroom management strategies? What strategies seemed to work with this class? What other strategies could I try?
The students knew the routine and came in to set up independently. The classroom set-up with the tables at the front and the band rows at the back is very functional for different activities and makes for smooth transitions. There were clear directions throughout the lesson to make sure the students understood what to do. The sight-reading checklist on the whiteboard and the Padlet questions on the Smartboard were also good visual reminders for the students to follow along and stay on-task. The class discussions were controlled with only one student speaking at a time. When the students broke off into groups to practice you went around to assist students who needed more help or guidance, and you were checking in with students as they worked on their process journal. All of these strategies worked with this grade 6 class.
What was the level of student engagement in the class activities today?
All the students were participating and working on the assigned piece. The lesson was scaffolded to review everything after the break for school trips (e.g. clapping the rhythm first, fingering the notes while listening, fingering the notes while practicing the breathing pattern). During the partner practice time most students got started right away to practice with their classmate. Some of them may have lost focus later in the practice time, but others used the full time allotted.
If there is one goal I should set for myself to improve my lesson planning, facilitation, or overall teaching abilities, what should that goal be?
Everything seemed to run very smoothly! The lesson was well-timed, and the students always knew what to do.
Coordinator Observation
Observed by Ernie Boyd
April 18, 2018
Grade 8 Music
Coordinator Observation
Observed by Ernie Boyd
April 16, 2019
Grade 6 Music
HOD Evaluation
Observed by Miranda Godkin
Teacher: Stephania Chola
Subject Matter Content
The teacher is fully in command of the material being taught
The teacher is also able to explain to students all aspects of the content and scaffold the material accordingly, to both students who lack understanding and those who have extensive understanding
Organization
There were varied teaching mediums used during this lesson. Discussion, visualizations and gamification.
Goals for the lesson were set on OneNote and clarified so students knew what to expect at the start an also what they were expected to achieve by the end of the lesson
Rapport
The students were able to engage with the teacher in a professional yet enjoyable manner
The environment created was one of collaboration as this was the ATL skill that to be used during this unit.
Teaching Methods
Group activity was used as a method of testing prior knowledge and a platform for the balance of the class
Management
As there are exams approaching, students were reminded of content for this and given the opportunity to ask for clarification (this set the class at rest and a good platform for the balance of the lesson
Sensitivity
Students were polled on choice of activity for next class, type of review, so that students had the opportunity to advocate for themselves and learn in a manner in a way that they prefer
Assistance to students
The teacher moved during discussion time, from group to group, providing assistance and clarity during this time.