In the Music Classroom

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What Considerations do I Need to Give to Risk Management and Reporting?

Safety in the classroom is so important. In planning classroom activities, risk management needs to be taken into consideration. 

As teachers we are required to provide adequate supervision and instructions to students, ensuring that it is clear and appropriate to the maturity and skill level of the students in the class.  Legislation plays a key role with safety in the workplace such as the NSW Work Health and Safety Act 2011 and the NSW Work Health and Safety Regulation 2017. In addition to these legislative documents, the AITSL Standards 4.4 (Maintain student safety) and 4.5 (Use ICT safely, responsibly and ethically) also require the role as teachers, of ensuring classroom risk management and safety. 

http://highshoalsmusic.blogspot.com/2012/10/welcome-to-music-room.html

There are many areas in the music classroom where consideration needs to be taken into risk management. Safety issues of importance in the music classroom include: - Spaces where students will practise  - Electricity and cords/leads  - Random equipment being left out  - Instruments breaking - guitar strings etc.  - All music tutors must have a Working With Children Check 

To work on managing these risks, the following can be taken:  - Keep the areas clean and tidy (easier said than done)  - Chord checks annually  - Be on your game with supervision  - COVID-19 - sanitisation of hands and equipment, and well ventilated areas 

Something to be aware of as a music teacher are excursions and incursions, and completing risk assessments that go along with these. The more you complete risk assessments, the better and faster you become at filling them out and being able to identify risks quicker. With that said, it is important not to rush when completing them. Excursions and incursions are really memorable for students. By doing it right and completing the paperwork for these events properly, allows for you as the teacher to enjoy yourself all the more while enhancing student learning. 

References: https://rydalmeree-p.schools.nsw.gov.au/content/dam/doe/sws/schools/r/rydalmeree-p/localcontent/safety_in_the_classroom.pdf

https://www.aitsl.edu.au/

https://swagswami.com/product/kids-t-shirts/music-colourful-typography-music-lover-kids-t-shirt/

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How Do I Stay Connected and Current?

Staying connected and current as a teacher is important as it helps in developing authentic teaching and learning. As teachers we can remain connected through our students, parents and the community, our colleagues, governing bodies and by keeping up to date with current research. As educators we also need to be prepared to have a voice into the current education landscape. 

https://www.teachingchannel.com/blog/teachers-stay-connected

Where can we connect? Where can we use our voice?  The following are some areas where we as teachers are able to connect and use our voice.  - Working on your relationships with your colleagues and your leaders. Be attentive, be respectful, be present. Also working on building relationships within the community.  - Become a member of professional organisations and associations. This can be done through a school based subscription or an individual subscription.  - Sign up and stay connected with education authorities such as AITSL (Australian Institute for Teaching and School Leadership) or NESA (NSW Education Standards Authority).  - Find and use professional resource services like Scootle, journals or structures such as the Quality Teaching Model.  - Connect with professional organisations such as NSW Teachers Federation as well as professional development providers. These can easily be found online. The Music Teachers’ Association of NSW is a great one to keep up to date with. There are so many different organisations out there so I would recommend doing your own research into which organisations best suit you, your teaching style and the school you teach in. 

Professional development is continual as an educator and is part of staying connected and current in your teaching area. So why not embrace staying connected and current as a teacher by starting today!

AITSL: https://www.aitsl.edu.au/

NESA:  https://educationstandards.nsw.edu.au/wps/portal/nesa/home

The Music Teacher’s Association of NSW:  https://www.musicnsw.com.au/

https://www.naesp.org/blog/strengthening-leadership-capacity-investing-future

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How Can I Ensure All Students Have Equal Opportunities For Success?

Ensuring that all students in your classroom have equal opportunities for success is very important. As a teacher, by asking yourself from the perspective of a student, “Do you see me?” is a great start. Asking yourself, “What does each student need?” By starting slow and building towards an end goal and taking little bits of time regularly to work towards goals with your students will prove to be more beneficial then giving your all or nothing. 

You can think about making sure students have equal opportunities for success by unlocking potential in students. Just as you might unlock a suitcase, you can use tools and resources to unlock potential in your students. 

https://www.dreamstime.com/illustration/suitcase-open-cartoon.html

Some simple strategies are listed below:  - Watch how your students interact with the learning processes.  - Make physical accomodations in your classroom set up for students, whether that be in learning styles or behavioural characteristics.  - Make content relevant and meaningful. When students are able to connect something to experiences they have had or to the real world, it will move to long term memory.  - Provide realistic challenges and goals, working with students in these.  - Offer choices in learning content and the class tasks (using a Tic, Tac, Toe Grid).  - Provide feedback to students as well as making adaptations for participation.  - Teach organisational strategies to your students.  - Plan developmentally Appropriate Lessons  - Lower the barriers, not the bar. This will require patience but is worth it in the end for both you and your students and can really build resilience within your classroom.  - Build the community within your classroom

In the music classroom these strategies have been such a great help and can really accelerate learning in your students. Adapting where it’s needed in certain learning tasks and working with students to achieve their goals can be quite rewarding, but don’t forget the journey to get to an end goal is just as important. 

https://www.highspeedtraining.co.uk/hub/classroom-equality-diversity/

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What Value do Feedback and Evaluation Processes Add to Teaching and Learning?

Evaluation and feedback processes are so important in teaching practice. Nicole Arndt said, “Teaching IS reflective practice.” As teachers we need to be able to reflect and evaluate on the lessons we have taught, whole units and not only our teaching practice but on the learning process of our students. 

Self-reflection is one of the most efficient ways to acknowledge that your teaching strategies can be improved. As a pre-service teacher, I have been greatly encouraged in evaluating and reflecting on lessons taught and what parts or points in the lesson were good, and what could have been better. The feedback and evaluation process is part of the growth journey of being a teacher and is a part of being a life long learner, encouraging your students to be life long learners. 

Part of the process of receiving feedback and evaluation as a teacher is knowing what tools and strategies are available to do this. This can include the AITSL Professional Standards for Teachers, syllabus and related documents, professional conversations, peer observations and tools such as taxonomy of reflection. It is also important to block out time in your timetable for reflection, setting aside that time to evaluate lessons from the week and overall a unit or your teaching practice across different year groups. 

In the music classroom this process of evaluation and feedback in learning can be done through the use of formative assessment. Formative assessment can be carried out in the form of Kahoot! for Stage 4, GimKit in Stage 5 and a musical concepts based board game in the style of Articulate for Stage 6. Having engaging activities that still give you as the teacher an idea of where your students are at in their learning, really assists in the overall atmosphere of your classroom, building a space for not only you as the teacher to reflect on teaching practices and strategies, but for students to evaluate their own learning. 

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How Do I Engage in Professional Conversations to Address Current Issues in my Subject?

Throughout the process of becoming a teacher it is important to build skills that are used in the workplace. One of these is being able to engage in professional conversations. It is often asked, “What is it that makes a professional conversation?”. Is it who we have it with, the content of the conversation, the location, or is it the attitude and mindset we have? 

Below is a diagram of enablers for effective professional conversations, put together by Helen Timperley with AITSL. The resources can be viewed HERE. 

When engaging in professional conversations it is vital to be aware of the current issues in your subject area, that teaching is a continual growth journey and that you’re not alone. Also being aware that conversations will need to occur at different levels and you should be prepared to have a voice. 

The AITSL teaching standards and the subject syllabus will help in guiding your professional conversations. In addition to this, teachers develop authentic learning from engaging in professional conversations and are able to discuss issues and misinterpretations in their teaching fields. 

Coaching conversations and goal setting can be a part of engaging in professional conversations. By being open to change, developing goals, action planning and being open to feedback and support from other professionals is important in growing in your teaching profession. This aids in developing trust between colleagues in your workplace. 

In the music classroom, it is by engaging in professional conversations that you are able to bring the best experience for your students into the classroom. Talking to your colleagues about certain ideas and activities helps you as a teacher to build resources that are relevant to the content needing to be taught, and the overall engagement of your students. 

It is the network of other professionals both in and outside of your teaching fields that allows for professional conversations to take place. 

References: 

https://www.aitsl.edu.au/lead-develop/develop-others/coach-others/professional-conversations

https://theeducatorsroom.com/communication-crisis-teacher-teacher-part/

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What Resources can Help Support Quality Teaching and Learning?

Time is precious and as teachers we give a lot of our time. Whether that is to our students or in creating and finding resources to use in our lessons and classrooms. 

From the 2019 ‘Growing Up Digital’ Australian study (see video below) there were  some key messages for further research. In summary they are: 

Classrooms have become more complex to teach and learn (emotionally, psychologically and behaviourally). 

Teachers are seeing more use of technology. It offers benefits when used in teaching and learning but it has its challenges. 

We are now living with and using media and digital technologies as teachers, parents and young people. 

Online harassment is more prevalent. 

So What Does This Mean For Choosing Resources? 

Resources are not just about student learning but also enhance educators. As teachers we have the task of finding resources that challenge at the appropriate level, enable knowledge to grow, build skills, strengthen literacy, stimulate creativity and add value to the content being taught in student learning. 

It is important to access resources by interacting with experts and others passionate in your teaching field, looking at the resources your school already has, teacher texts and resources specific to your subject. 

Resources in the Music Classroom 

ICT can be incorporated into the music classroom so easily as there are a variety of learning activities that involve technology and there are many resources available for use. If we are to prepare students for actual careers in music, we have to incorporate ICT into our lessons. It can be as simple as having students look up a chord chart online, composing using Garageband or Soundtrap and for listening activities, using YouTube or Spotify to play excerpts or having a theory lesson on Musition (a theory learning software). 

By taking the time to find resources and incorporate them into lessons is important in providing quality teaching and learning. It doesn’t matter what resources you have as a teacher, whether they are good or bad, it comes down to how well you can use them in your teaching and how they are delivered to the students. 

That is the essence of utilising resources in a way that supports quality teaching and learning. 

https://www.sketchappsources.com/free-source/1829-colorful-music-icon-set-sketch-freebie-resource.html

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How do I Deepen Student Learning Through PBL and Other Strategies?

Deepening student learning can be done through the use of Project Based Learning (PBL) and by using the Five Standards of Pedagogy. There is student involvement in PBL, and it can be considered as student led learning. There is also a real world aspect incorporated into PBL. The purpose of PBL engages student learning as it is student led, student driven and it contains that real world aspect or element. 

Sometimes a whole school approach is used to promote and include PBL, as well as it being the responsibility of the teacher to incorporate it into their lessons and units. As a teacher you can get a bit carried away trying to implement the most up to date learning strategies and elements into your lessons. The important thing to remember however, is to continue to focus or come back to the pedagogy, the intention, and the students. 

The Five Standards of Pedagogy - Joint productive activity, language development, contexualisation, challenging activities and instructional conversation - are very useful to use in evaluating the purpose, quality and variety in your teaching and lessons. The below image looks at how the Five Standards of Pedagogy can be used in the music classroom. 

It is important to justify whether PBL and other learning strategies, such as the Five Standards of Pedagogy, will work for your subject. To continually evaluate the quality, purpose and intention of your teaching and the students is so important in delivering effective and efficient learning. By using learning strategies such as PBL and the Five Standards of Pedagogy to create a holistic teaching approach, students will have engaged hearts and minds, deep learning will take place, students will see a purpose in learning, there can be rewarding relationships as well as building skills for the workplace beyond school. 

So maybe it’s time to evaluate what learning strategies you can implement into your classroom, are they effective for your subject, the students and yourself as the teacher? 

https://www.123rf.com/photo_7170770_abstract-grunge-music-background-with-colourful-paint-splats.html

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How do I Create Holistic and Relevant Learning?

Creating holistic and relevant learning is so important as a teacher. Knowing your clarity of purpose as a teacher can help in creating a holistic environment in your classroom. 

The idea of holistic and relevant learning can be thought of as a Rubik’s cube. The layers can be seen as all the different interactions that take place in the process of creating a relevant and holistic learning environment. 

Holistic learning is built upon the concept that the whole student needs nurturing. It involves finding a better, more relevant way to focus on all parts in the learning process, and not just one. The image below looks at some key areas of holistic education. 

Libertas Nova - WordPress.com

Creating relevant and holistic learning in the classroom includes looking at the syllabus and curriculum documents, thinking of the graduate teacher standards and the school system and students. In addition to this, consideration of the general capabilities and cross-priorities can be useful in creating a holistic approach to learning. 

In some schools, a christian worldview and values is incorporated to assist in a holistic approach to learning. Every school will have different requirements but a christian outlook and perspective greatly contributes in building a holistic environment in some schools. 

When looking at creating holistic and relevant learning, a question to ask yourself is, “What do I want the classroom to feel like? How can I incorporate a variety of elements to enhance student learning and nurture their understanding of the world around them?” 

Holistic Dentist Biological Dentist

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How do I Approach this Thing Called a Unit Plan?

A unit plan can be approached like a puzzle. There are five points or parts of the ‘unit plan puzzle’ which can help in planning a unit. 

1. Having a clear picture of where you/the unit needs to go. 

2. Having a structured approach to the unit plan. 

3. Have all the pieces of the puzzle. 

4. Make sure to look and ask for assistance when needed. 

5. Have the right attitude in your approach in planning a unit. 

All of these points attribute to how effectively a unit plan can be approached. Having a clear picture of where a unit needs to end up is really important in the overall planning process. This can be achieved through the process of backward design. The following video talks about the use of backward design in planning a unit and how it can be quite effective. 

Networking is also very important as a teacher. When planning a unit, you should look for help and assistance. This could be a colleague who you could bounce ideas off. 

Having the right attitude when planning a unit, as well as enthusiasm and passion, really helps not only in the overall planning of a unit but in the deliverance to students. Unit planning should be seen as an opportunity to awaken possibilities in your students and to see their eyes shine. If you’re not creating something that you enjoy, how are your students going to enjoy it? 

So how do I approach a unit plan? By taking into consideration the above pieces of the puzzle and being fuelled by a passion of seeing students grow through opportunities in learning. 

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What can I Learn About Meeting Student and Governing Authority Needs in My Teaching?

Meeting the needs of students and governing authority can be viewed as if you were to follow a recipe. As a teacher you are able to look for the ‘key ingredients,’ acknowledge the method or process of either the line of educational accountability or student learning and there is the opportunity to add extra ‘flavour’ to the key ingredients. 

The key ingredients of this educational recipe can include what is considered to be in the syllabus. Things such as the rationale, aims and objectives, the outcomes, subject specific skills and tools, assessment and reporting as well as cross-curriculum learning. 

Governing Authority in Teaching 

NESA is at the heart of school accountability in NSW. They are the regulator of schools. NESA's responsibilities include writing curriculum documents to be taught in NSW schools, manage the quality and content of teaching and learning from K-12 and manage the registration of teachers in NSW. 

Student Needs in Teaching

The key areas of student needs are physical and emotional safety, cultural safety and inclusion, and subject specific skills/learning. Each of these areas are vital in student learning and to ensure that students have the best and most valuable time in not only the classroom but in other areas of school as well. 

What Does Assessment Compliance Look Like? 

Assessment compliance is important when teaching as governing heads such as the school principal will report to NESA on assessments that have been completed and show evidence that these assessments have taken place. It is also important as a teacher that assessments have been completed so you are able to gain insight into how well student learning and understanding has taken place in your classroom. As a teacher it is important to not only think about assessment as ticking a box, but rather an opportunity for students to grow and apply their knowledge. 

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Welcome!

I’m glad you’ve found this blog! 

I’m currently studying to become a music teacher and am hoping this blog can be a place to share my experience and resources along the way :)