Another significant moment from my Music Education course was when I learned about the power of music to relay implicit messaging among those studying and listening to it. In The Ontario Curriculum Grades 1-8: The Arts (2009), besides a few, relatively vague suggestions among all the presented grade expectations that students should learn to create music from “a wide variety of cultures” at some point during the semester, (p. 80, p. 90, p. 104, p. 114, p. 126, p. 170, p. 141, p. 152) there is little to no mention of teaching music through a antiracist or decolonized lens. In lieu of this, there is a great focus on teaching students Western music conventions and notation, which denies students of colour the right to see their heritage represented in the art of music, as well all students the opportunity to learn about the beauty of the diverse, and unique forms music can take. This was not something I ever considered until I connected my own experiences learning music at school with the discomfort I often felt sharing things from my culture with other students. To explain, as a student, I often felt embarrassed when aspects of my culture were revealed to the class. Being one of only 2 south asians in my grade, most of my fellow students were not familiar with the nuances of Punjabi culture, and often reacted with laughter when they encountered individuals with Punjabi accents on television, or heard Punjabi music. Though I did not entirely understand the feelings I had at the time, and lacked the words to describe them, I felt very uncomfortable during these situations, and often felt I had to pretend to laugh along with them to be accepted. Though it can be said that consideration of antiracist education was also lacking among the official curriculums of other subjects, in hindsight, I felt that the choice of my music educators to not use music class to explore such ideas and challenge implicit biases was a wasted opportunity, especially since everyone listens to music in some form. A resource that I will personally consider using for my future music classes, is, quite honestly, Youtube. Unlike my time in the school system, teachers of the present have the opportunity to use audiovisual resources directly from the internet to both enrich, and, in some cases, inform their teaching. The open-sourced of it means that individuals all around the world of all backgrounds and identities can share their original pieces and cultural norms for the world to see. Although the students of today spend significantly more time online than previous ones, they might not always be so inclined to seek out music that strays from genres they already know they like, especially as the algorithms of music applications tend to recommend users similar content over and over. Nevertheless, Youtube is an excellent resource teachers can use to facilitate music education that aligns with the goals of antiracist pedagogy and critical multiculturalism, and gently encouraging them to open their mind to consider that “good” music can take diverse forms. References2009. The Ontario curriculum Grades 1-8: The Arts. Toronto, ON: Ministry of Education.
Youtube.com. 2022. Youtube. [online] Available at: <https://www.youtube.com> [Accessed 2 February 2022].
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An important lesson from my Arts: Music course that I will not soon forget is that anyone can create original music, regardless of how many years of music education or instrument playing they may have had. To explain, since my adolescence, I’ve had an interest in learning how to compose music. However, growing up surrounded by talented friends and acquaintances who had been trained in singing and playing instruments from a very young age left within me an impression that only those who had studied specialized music skills to a high level of expertise were capable of producing original music worth listening to. Though I had taken advantage of an opportunity to learn the fundamentals of playing electronic piano through a course in middle school, and even eventually taught myself how play simple melodies and harmonies by ear, I never felt confident enough to give composition an honest try, always paralyzed by the impression that I simply did not have the training or the ear to know what sounded “good”. This perception shattered when I attempted the week 3 asynchronous task for this course, through which participants were instructed to use Bandlab to create an original theme that incorporated various sounds in a harmonious way. I was pleasantly surprised to discover how accessible the features of the Bandlab program made this task for someone with my rudimentary piano skills, and, even more so, that I was able to produce a theme I found pleasant enough to consider sharing with my friends who had completed more advanced music education than I had. If I ever teach music, I hope that I can inspire the same joy of creation and discovery among any future students I have, regardless of their music backgrounds. This learning experience relates to Bell’s (2015) assertion that music educators should become “active agents in the development of the technologies [their students] will use to make music” (p. 140) in order to avoid passively enforcing ongoing underrepresentation of women in the music industry. Music is not a neutral subject, and has the capacity to enforce implicit messages, both through how it is taught, how it manifests in culture, and how the various identities and diasporas consuming it internalize its messaging individually. The way it was taught to me was not one of inclusion and encouragement, but one that emphasised specialized knowledge of Western music conventions and specific technical skills over experimentation and creativity, which sent the message that only certain people of a certain background and privilege could and should make music. In addition, this lesson also relates to Dolloff’s (1999) suggestion that some specialized music educators neglect to foster the traits necessary to be effective and empathetic teachers, especially when they identify primarily as musicians above all else (p. 193). How a teacher relates their identity as musician to their students is one that can either enrich and inspire them or do the opposite, and the explicit and implicit messages present in one’s teaching is something all educators should keep at the forefront of their minds. It is possible that inclusivity and accessibility was not the highest priority among most of the music educators I had in the past. A resource educators could use in the classroom to help encourage student’s interest and confidence in creating original music is the Bastian Piano Basics series. Heavily illustrated with plenty of detailed diagrams and simple explanations regarding piano playing fundamentals, they are accessible to music beginners of all ages, and can help provide the basic background knowledge necessary to produce creative compositions with confidence. ReferencesBastien, J., 1986. Bastien Piano Basics. California: Kjos WEst.
Bell, A., 2015. DAW democracy? The dearth of diversity in ‘Playing the Studio’. Journal of Music, Technology and Education, 8(2), pp.129-146. DOLLOFF, L., 1999. Imagining Ourselves as Teachers: the development of teacher identity in music teacher education. Music Education Research, 1(2), pp.191-208. Another significant learning experience occurred when I was introduced to the concept of Physical Literacy. Though I understood the importance of educating students to take care of their bodies through healthy lifestyle choices and regular exercise, it had never occurred to me that part of being healthy and having the ability to use one’s body to achieve one’s full potential in life meant having, as Temertzoglou states in What Is Physical Literacy And Why Does It Matter?, “the competence to engage in a full range of activities in any discipline, such as running, swimming, trampoline, skating, outdoor obstacle courses or sports of any kind. ” (1), as well as the ability to “make the most of opportunities for fun and activities, regardless of the setting, season or playing surface” (1). Physical Literacy is more than just being physically fit; it is the knowledge, muscle memory, and social-emotional intelligence that supports the healthy development of the whole person. And like all other forms of literacy, it is something that needs to be taught in school. In Charting Physical Literacy Journeys Within Physical Education Settings, Green et al. (2018) argues for the importance of several considerations when assessing a students’ Physical Literacy, with a special focus on understanding said ability as a “dynamic and nonlinear phenomenon for which conventional linear measurement [is] inappropriate” (272). In other words, the process of assessing how effectively a student is advancing in Physical Literacy must be done in consideration of their development over the course of an extended period of time rather than through their performance of one activity. This is important as different students enter HPE classes at different levels of physical competence and confidence, so one cannot determine if they are indeed growing in their abilities and confidence if they are to record their progress only periodically. Furthermore, it cannot be expected that every student will always have the capacity to perform every fundamental movement skill the exact same way, especially if they happen to possess certain physical or mental exceptionalities. For these reasons, Green et al. recommends using the following pedagogical practices in addition to practicing the assigned physical activities themselves: regular student self-evaluations on their Physical Literacy progress, a sustained practice of recording students’ performance over time, and a commitment to providing individualized feedback that guides students towards moving to the next step in their abilities (277). All in all, Physical Literacy is an individualized personal journey that requires the student’s own construction of knowledge in addition to the guidance of their teacher to manifest effectively. On the Individual Lesson Plans page of the Active for Life website are several lessons plans designed for children of different ages to help them develop the ability to perform specific movement exercises with instructions using language tailored for each group. With these activities, students practice not only physical movements, but learn the correct vocabulary to understand each step required to perform the movements successfully. They also learn the importance of warming up gradually to perform more intense exercises prior to moving quickly right away, and the importance of cool-down stretches after other kinds of activity. The step-by-step process, when explained well, builds students' understanding of physical literacy at a cognitive level in lieu of just a physical one. . ReferencesGreen, N., Roberts, W., Sheehan, D., & Keegan, R. (2018). Charting Physical Literacy Journeys Within Physical Education Settings. Journal Of Teaching In Physical Education, 37(3), 272-279. doi: 10.1123/jtpe.2018-0129
Individual lesson plans - Active For Life. (2021). Retrieved 13 November 2021, from https://activeforlife.com/resource/individual-lesson-plans/ Termetzoglou, T. (2021). What Is Physical Literacy And Why Does It Matter? | CBC Parents. Retrieved 12 November 2021, from https://www.cbc.ca/parents/learning/view/what-is-physical-literacy-and-why-does-it-matter?__vfz=medium%3Dsharebar One significant moment in my learning was discovering the various educational models one can use to create equitable and inclusive Health and Physical education pedagogy. Prior to taking this course, I felt apprehensive about my ability to serve as an adequate Health and Physical Education educator. As someone who was born with both exercise-induced asthma and thalassemia minor, during my time as a student, I often struggled to keep up with endurance activities during Phys. Ed class, resulting in low marks on report cards. I wasn’t sure if it would be possible for me to help a student who might experience the same struggles I did without straying from the curriculum requirements. I was very relieved to learn that this was not the case, and by using one of the presented models, I could effectively create activities that could challenge students just above their current skill levels, whatever they may be, and still have them meet curriculum expectations. By understanding the process of performing activities necessary for achieving Physical Literacy, students learn to think about fitness as an exciting individual journey that is possible for anyone to achieve rather than a skill that only “naturally athletic” or able-bodied students can hope to gain. The course reading that best sums up this learning experience for me is the text What is Teaching Games for Understanding? A Canadian Perspective. In the text, Mandigo et al. present a learning model where the needs and abilities of students are prioritized over the specific rules of the activity they engage in. In lieu of merely instructing students to participate in a game, greater focus is placed on making sure that students have the “knowledge and understanding to anticipate patterns of play” (15), in order to develop the physical and spatial abilities necessary to play with confidence, and develop self-motivation. Following the 6 steps of the TGFU model, learning takes place within the context of an activity rather than separate from it, helping students understand the personal mind-body connection required to perform their best. I feel I would have benefited from such a teaching approach during my time as a student. In Equity and difference in physical education, youth sport and health: A narrative approach, Dowling et al. discuss how the stereotypes and narratives we internalize about health and physical education classes with who is and isn’t considered “athletic” damages students' self-images, and also ignores inequities that might exist among them within the context of HPE. This was not something I ever considered before, and it reminded me of when Dr. Termeglezou mentioned the importance of teaching students to view exercise during group movement games as rewarding rather than punishing. Recognizing this reality, I feel it is worth addressing it in some capacity in HPE pedagogy, especially in relation to lessons on self-esteem and mental health. A useful resource I feel will assist me in my goal of providing equitable HPE pedagogy is the Return to School 2020: Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion info booklet published by HPE Canada. The document sheds light on specific equity issues that may present in classrooms onwards of 2020, with the state of the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic and recent surge in hate crimes. It also offers sensitive approaches for teachers to discuss and address such issues in virtual and physical classrooms. ReferencesEquity and difference in physical education, youth sport and health: A narrative approach. routledge studies in physical education and youth sport (2012). In Dowling F., Fitzgerald H. and Flintoff A. (Eds.), Routledge, Taylor & Francis Group. 7625 Empire Drive, Florence, KY 41042. Retrieved from http://myaccess.library.utoronto.ca/login?qurl=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.proquest.com%2Fbooks%2Fequity-difference-physical-education-youth-sport%2Fdocview%2F1140130406%2Fse-2%3Faccountid%3D14771
Mandigo, J., & Hopper, T. (2021). What is Teaching Games for Understanding? A Canadian perspective. Physical & Health Education Journal, 73(2), 14. PHE Canada. (2021). Return to School 2020: Equity, Diversity and Inclusion [Ebook] (1st ed.). Ottawa. Retrieved from https://phecanada.ca/sites/default/files/content/docs/Home%20Learning%20Resource/Equity,%20Diversity%20and%20Inclusion.pdf Having completed the Visual Arts sector of my mandatory Arts in Education course, a question I am interested in investigating further is how a teacher might modify a visual arts lesson for a student with exceptionalities. For example, a student on the autism spectrum might find it challenging to determine where to start on a creative art project that feels somewhat unstructured, or a student with a sensory processing disorder might find working with lots of different tools or colours overwhelming. I feel that this is a worthwhile topic to research and reflect upon because it’s important for teachers to provide equitable pedagogy that allows for students with diverse learning needs to meet the learning goals of assignments with relative ease and enjoyment. A reading that relates to this question are pages 36-40 of the Ontario Curriculum: Grade 1-8 in the Arts (2009) where several different instructional approaches and teaching strategies for teaching art are introduced and described. Among the approaches include strategies for the early portion of the creative process, for supporting the ongoing creation process, and for facilitating the creation process itself. For the purposes of assisting a student with exceptionalities in particular, I feel that a semi-guided experimentation coupled with ongoing conferences with the teacher over the course of an assignment can present ample opportunities for the educator to provide the extra advice or resources the student may require to achieve a successful result. If they are more comfortable writing than making art, the student might also find utilizing a Graphic Organizer (40) helpful for organizing their ideas through words before trying to determine how they might translate their ideas to the visual medium. In essence, the strategies presented in this reading offer numerous methods for teachers to try out, and, by extension, learn what works best to facilitate this balance for all of the unique students they may encounter. A scholarly article that relates to this question is “’Tell Me About Your Picture’: Using Drawings to Support Expressive Language in Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder” by Bridget Wright (2020). In the article, Bridge describes the findings of a study in which a mixed group of thirty-one neurotypical and neurodivergent children were asked to draw out the meaning of 10 concepts. It is revealed that both groups of students took similar amounts of time to both produce and explain their drawings. This reveals that art class, in addition to at times presenting challenges for students with exceptionalities, also has the potential to serve as a time of peace and ease for some, possibly in comparison to other subjects. Each student is unique, so the power of art to function as a tool for empowerment for some and as a hindrance for others should always be considered by teachers in their lesson planning. The article "Arts and Crafts Projects to Build Skills for Kids with Autism" by Occupational Alescia Ford-Lanza on Harkla.com offers practical advice for teachers using different mediums to teach art to students with autism. ReferencesFord-Lanza, A., 2021. Arts and Crafts Projects to Build Skills for Kids with Autism. [online] Harkla. Available at: <https://harkla.co/blogs/special-needs/arts-and-crafts-activities-for-autism> [Accessed 15 October 2021].
2009. The Ontario curriculum, grades 1-8. Toronto, ON: Ministry of Education, pp.36-40. Wright, B. M. (2020). “Tell Me About Your Picture”: Using Drawings to Support Expressive Language in Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder. Communication Disorders Quarterly., 42(1), 3–11. A significant moment that remains with me from one of my experiences teaching Visual Arts is from my most recent practicum when a student I knew to be high achieving in their core school subjects of Math and Science struggled with allowing himself to be creative, finding the open-endedness of the art project I assigned paralyzing rather than liberating. I’ve chosen to reflect on this memory in particular because I feel that it is often taken for granted that all students view art class as a freeing and joyful time, and that it’s important to understand those who feel otherwise in order to meet their learning needs. A class reading that relates to this kind of situation is An Introduction to Teaching With, About, In, and Through the Arts by Cornett and Smithrim (2001). To explain, in the article, Cornett and Smithrim argue for the value of arts education for its utilitarian purposes in cross-curricular education (4). Demonstrating to students how art can be used to complement one’s learning in all kinds of subjects can be extremely useful for students like the one I encountered to understand ways that the creative process can connect to other modes of study they might feel more confident pursuing. Said students come to realize that they already have the capacity to be creative, and, by extension, gain the confidence to apply said creativity to many types of projects. In addition, they might feel more liberated to explore their other interests in art, having developed a stronger understanding of its diverse applications. Expanding on this idea, in Enriching Mathematics Education with Visual Arts: Effects on Elementary School Students` Ability in Geometry and Visual Arts (2020), Schoevers presents the findings of how effectively the Math, Arts, and Creativity in Education (MACE) program, a cross-curricular program that teaches the overlapping curriculum goals of visual arts and the mathematical domain of geometry, achieves its goal of enhancing junior-intermediate level students’ creative skills in both subjects. With creativity asserted as being crucial to both effective mathematic problem solving and artistic creation, the activities in the program included open-ended problem solving-based math assignments, as well as art projects related to geometry spatial sense concepts (1615). In all projects, students were instructed to apply their knowledge of terms and concepts from both subjects of study. The findings revealed that, even in diverse circumstances, “Students’ ability to understand and explain geometrical phenomena improved in all conditions” (1629). All in all, this study, reveals why making connections between the subject of art with others is important to not only promote students’ ability to benefit from art education in a substantial way, but also enhance their ability to learn in all subjects. A resource that can be useful for pursuing thoughtful cross-curricular art education is the "Cross-Curricular" page of The Art of Education website, which presents a vast archive of cross-curricular art projects and advice articles authored and curated by experienced teachers. With experience being the greatest asset a teacher can have, this resource offers ideas and knowledge that might not be as apparent to educators newer to the field. ReferencesCornett, C. E., & Smithrim, K. L. (2001). An Introduction to Teaching With, About, In, and Through the Arts. In The arts as meaning makers: Integrating literature and the arts throughout the curriculum, Canadian edition. essay, Prentice Hall.
Schoevers, E.M., Leseman, P.P.M. & Kroesbergen, E.H. Enriching Mathematics Education with Visual Arts: Effects on Elementary School Students’ Ability in Geometry and Visual Arts. Int J of Sci and Math Educ 18, 1613–1634 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10763-019-10018-z The Art of Education University. 2021. Cross Curricular Archives - The Art of Education University. [online] Available at <https://theartofeducation.edu/magazine/philosophies/cross-curricular/> [Accessed 12 October 2021]. |
Ms. VirdeeThis page is an archive of the critical reflections I completed at the end of each of the 3 subject sectors of the mandatory Arts in Education course I took as part of my teacher-training at OISE. You'll find my reflections for junior-intermediate level Visual Arts, Music, and Health and Physical Education. Archives
February 2022
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