Week 6 Lesson Review

This week I videoed my 6th grade general music lesson on Thursday, March 5. This was somewhat significant as it marked the first time I actually went further than simply telling students to stop talking, I actually had a physical consequence. The consequence was given out to two students who repeatedly spoke out of turn was a small writing assignment. While yes, I certainly don't want to create the feeling in students that they start to view writing as a punishment (as I mentioned in our meeting), I did this after much thought on how I could give the assignment not as a punishment, but as a reinforcement. The result of me giving out the assignment was a noted change in the class both that day and the next. Granted, they didn't exactly turn into perfect angels who only spoke when called on, but I could sense a fear of getting an assignment on Thursday and that carried over into Friday. Now, I hardly want to instill fear, but rather making them think about what they're doing

The small writing assignment I gave out was to simply answer the question "Why do I want you to raise your hands and wait for me to call on you?" On Friday I did see one student's response. It was short, but demonstrated some thought, even if it was at the most basic level. My reasoning is not just to make them write for the sake of writing or doing something extra but to get them to think about what they're doing.

I still feel like I can be more consistent with my classroom management, something that will take something that I know will take experience and practice. To help in that area, I am doing my action research in that area beginning in the next 9 weeks (which starts March 23). To prepare I have already begun reading various music and educational journals to get a better idea on what can and what might not work so well in classroom management. The articles not only have ideas for possible solutions, but they also have studies that examine the mind process students use that can help teachers understand and be more proactive in classroom management.