Learning
music in a group is such a fantastic way of becoming part of a community. For me, this is what music is about.
The
first thing I do is make sure I know the students’ names, and equally
importantly, make sure I can pronounce them properly. If it’s a tricky name, I will ask them to
repeat it and I will say it until I’ve got it right. Kids with unusual names are used to having to
repeat them to people, so chances they’ll be ok with repeating it for you. Having said that, they are unused to people
pronouncing their name correctly. Make
sure you can.
Get to
know your students – what school do they go to?
Do you know anyone else at that school, another student or a
teacher? Do they have siblings? Commiserate on them having brothers. Or say you always wished you were an only
child. What’s important is that you create
connections. With students you already
know, ask how they went in their gym competition last weekend, or how the
hamster is. Let your students know
you’re interested in their lives.
They’ll feel much more at ease with you, and more receptive to learning
from you. I’m also just really nosey and
just like knowing what’s going on in my students’ lives.
Use your
students’ names at every opportunity.
Make sure the other kids in the group know all the names too. Kids can feel awkward introducing themselves
to others, so if they know the names of the others in their group, it can break
the ice and make things easier for them.
One rule
I absolutely stick to is that I don’t discuss one student with another, or
their parents. This isn’t fair on
anyone. I figure if someone is gossiping
to me, chances are they’ll gossip about me. That’s not something I want to be involved
with. It’s unprofessional. And rude.
An advantage
of group learning is that you can get students to help each other out. There’s a saying: teaching is learning
twice. People like helping others and
sharing the knowledge they have. By
getting students to support each other (making sure you’re in control – no name
calling or making another student feel stupid) you can help them consolidate
what they know, help another student learn in a different way, and foster a
sense of community in your class.
Make
sure you spread your attention fairly across the class. Each child in your class will have their own
personalities – don’t let one child dominate.
Everyone has their own way of contributing. Some people need a bit longer to come up with
an answer. Some people know the answer,
but lack the confidence to say it straight away. Don’t always call on one student for the
answers. Don’t let one voice dominate
the talking in your class.
One
strategy that is quite effective is called “Think, Pair, Share.” Each student turns to their neighbour and in
pairs the discuss the answer/concept.
This way each child gets a chance to voice their opinion, come up with
an answer and someone has heard them.
Then, you are able to call on any child in the group and they will have
something to say. This lets them know
that they all have something valuable to contribute, rather than just the same
person over and over again.
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