Learning Environment
The teacher uses an understanding of individual and group motivation and behavior to create a learning environment that encourages positive social interaction, active engagement in learning, and self-motivation.
I think that, for many students, their music department can act as a second home, a place where they feel comfortable and have friends. How many music students try to find ways to spend their study halls in the music corridor, or to eat their lunches in the music hallway rather than the cafeteria? This was my experience in high school, and that of several others I know. It is my goal as a music educator to turn my music department into a similarly welcoming atmosphere in which students can learn.
The tricky spot in creating a welcoming learning environment is maintaining the difference between a "friendly teacher" and a "teacher who is a friend." Without question, teachers should care for their students and treat them with kindness and respect. Still, for learning and effective classroom management to occur, it is important to keep a professional difference between teacher and students.
Aside from creating a welcoming environment for students, there is much a teacher can do to maximize an environment's potential for learning. Things seemingly as simple as the fashion in which the chairs are set up can have a drastic effect on the way the classroom is run. Bulletin boards and decorations in the rehearsal space can be used both as "space brighteners" and opportunities for learning or administrative tasks.
Part of a positive learning environment necessarily entails the teacher exhibiting classroom management skills. Keeping the class on-task helps to maximize the amount of learning time a teacher has to work with, and setting up expectations of students helps them to know how to succeed. I have found that in my one year of teaching preschool music and one semester as director of a college ensemble, students of all ages desire structure and direction from their teachers. This does not mean running a dictatorial classroom, but it does mean giving students cues for when their input is helpful and when they should be concentrating on the activity at-hand. For instance, in my college rehearsals, whenever I want to rehearse I make sure to stand on the podium. When taking a break or asking for student input, I step off the podium. Simple cues like this, or reminding preschool students that I am more likely to call on volunteers with "quiet hands" set students up for success.
I think much of my learning about creating a positive classroom environment will begin when I have a classroom of my own. This process will start in earnest when I begin student teaching, but will likely not be complete until several years into my experience as a self-standing classroom teacher. Because of this, I hope to rely on examples of positive models that I can emulate in my early years as I try to discover what works well for me.
Learning Environment Artifacts
A Student-Centered Concert (PDF File)
This reflection on a concert I observed at the 2007 OMEA Conference highlights my thoughts on creating a student-centered learning environment for choral students. I address the evidence for the choral director's student-centered attitude that I observed in the concert, and make the connection between those observations and student enjoyment of music.
Classroom Set-up (PDF File)
This document is a floor plan for an elementary general music classroom space, developed in the Fall of 2007.
Feedback on Case Concert Choir Work (PDF File)
This is a copy of an e-mail I received from the director of the Case Concert Choir after I had led warm-ups for a rehearsal. It comments positively upon my demeanor with the choir.
First Year Budget (PDF File)
For this project completed in Fall of 2007 for an Elementary General Music class, I was given a scenario which I might encounter in my first teaching job: a short list of supplies the school already owned and $1000 to buy new supplies. I used Excel to tabulate my purchases, and they are detailed here. I tried to utilize my resources to create a classroom with decorations and supplies that would be comprehensive and reach a large number of students.
Balancing Student Agency and Classroom Safety (Quicktime Movie File)
Choice in the Choral Classroom (Quicktime Movie File)
Looking for Quiet Hands (Quicktime Movie File)
Blog Post Regarding Comfort-Zones in the Classroom (Web Link)
For this blog post created for Instrumental Music Methods class in Fall 2006, I discuss the importance of creating a positive classroom environment when teaching instrumental students the typically intimidating strategies of singing and improvising. In this case, a "positive classroom environment" includes a confident teacher, an opportunity to make mistakes without negative repercussions, a positive evaluation process, and a smooth transition for the students from the familiar into the unfamiliar.