HIGH SCHOOL BAND
This first teaching example is of a woman who is directing a high school band. After watching the clip, I noticed a few things about her teaching style that I thought were quite unhelpful and even degrading to the members of the band as individuals. At first, I put myself in the position of the teacher, and I sympathized with the way she handled the class. Being in a place of authority over that many young people is not easy, and she did well in that she kept their attention and helped them to focus on the music. I suspect that many of them would have left the class having learned something. But what did they learn? That the melody is the most important and that the other voices are not as essential to the piece? What is it that the students were able to come away from the class thinking about?
When I changed my point of view and put myself in the position of the student, I felt that the teacher in the video is being quite abrasive, forceful and stiff in the way she presents herself. She does not seem to be very excited about the music, only intent on getting the students to produce the sound she intends. When she asks the students what needs to be improved about what they just played, seems as though she is trying to help the students develop how they listen to the sound as a whole, but her method of doing so makes the section seem criticized and put down. This could result in the students feeling bad about the way they are playing, and feeling as though they are never good enough. The importance of each individual member is not very well emphasized, and I can see how someone in the ensemble could feel that they are insignificant and unimportant. I especially noticed this when she told her students that the melody was the most important element of the music and that the harmony was not so important, rather than emphasizing the need for both. The harmony is there to support the melody, and is equally as important to the piece.
This first teaching example is of a woman who is directing a high school band. After watching the clip, I noticed a few things about her teaching style that I thought were quite unhelpful and even degrading to the members of the band as individuals. At first, I put myself in the position of the teacher, and I sympathized with the way she handled the class. Being in a place of authority over that many young people is not easy, and she did well in that she kept their attention and helped them to focus on the music. I suspect that many of them would have left the class having learned something. But what did they learn? That the melody is the most important and that the other voices are not as essential to the piece? What is it that the students were able to come away from the class thinking about?
When I changed my point of view and put myself in the position of the student, I felt that the teacher in the video is being quite abrasive, forceful and stiff in the way she presents herself. She does not seem to be very excited about the music, only intent on getting the students to produce the sound she intends. When she asks the students what needs to be improved about what they just played, seems as though she is trying to help the students develop how they listen to the sound as a whole, but her method of doing so makes the section seem criticized and put down. This could result in the students feeling bad about the way they are playing, and feeling as though they are never good enough. The importance of each individual member is not very well emphasized, and I can see how someone in the ensemble could feel that they are insignificant and unimportant. I especially noticed this when she told her students that the melody was the most important element of the music and that the harmony was not so important, rather than emphasizing the need for both. The harmony is there to support the melody, and is equally as important to the piece.
INSPIRATIONAL TEACHER
This teaching clip contains two scenes from a film, and features a man teaching a group of young men. Although I have not seen the film, the two clips shown in this video strike me as being very motivational and thought-provoking. Although the teacher could also perhaps be seen as abrasive and harsh, he comes across to the students in a way that is perfectly harmless and even up-building to character. He does not tolerate foolishness in his classroom, but when it does arise, he handles it in such a way that the students laugh, and no one feels hurt or misjudged.
I appreciate his emphasis on the need to constantly look at things in a new way. It is so easy to get stuck in one particular way of thinking and never to try to expand our minds. Showing this in a physical way (standing on his desk) also caters to different ways that people learn. It is unlikely that his students will forget that lesson. This teacher is not satisfied with simply teaching the materials on his curriculum. He focuses on expanding thought and developing his students' minds. He gets them to think about things that can often be pushed to the back of the mind, such as the fact that one day, every single person must die. He gets his students to think about what is really important in their lives, and how to use their time to it's fullest potential. To my mind, this is a very good example of an inspirational teacher.
This teaching clip contains two scenes from a film, and features a man teaching a group of young men. Although I have not seen the film, the two clips shown in this video strike me as being very motivational and thought-provoking. Although the teacher could also perhaps be seen as abrasive and harsh, he comes across to the students in a way that is perfectly harmless and even up-building to character. He does not tolerate foolishness in his classroom, but when it does arise, he handles it in such a way that the students laugh, and no one feels hurt or misjudged.
I appreciate his emphasis on the need to constantly look at things in a new way. It is so easy to get stuck in one particular way of thinking and never to try to expand our minds. Showing this in a physical way (standing on his desk) also caters to different ways that people learn. It is unlikely that his students will forget that lesson. This teacher is not satisfied with simply teaching the materials on his curriculum. He focuses on expanding thought and developing his students' minds. He gets them to think about things that can often be pushed to the back of the mind, such as the fact that one day, every single person must die. He gets his students to think about what is really important in their lives, and how to use their time to it's fullest potential. To my mind, this is a very good example of an inspirational teacher.