Happy Friday!!! Our goal as teachers is to give all parts of the brain a good workout. I used to kind of look down on brain based research workshops, but I think there are some really good, common sense things which we can draw from brain based research. Music has the power to elicit strong emotions and trigger memories of all sorts. In many ways, music is applied mathematics. We are synthesizing mathematics into usable patterns. So, when we utilize music in the classroom, we are getting a lot of bang for our buck.
Incorporating music was done simply in my classroom, while students were working I had a play list (sound tracks from movies, classical, holidays, even fight songs from colleges) which we listened to. And if you can sing or just like to sing regardless of talent, warm-ups are a great way to start any class. It activates the brain, and well, it is fun. I am a huge of thatweirdchoirteacher on social media platforms – truly outstanding stuff. Use it! Those warm-ups will work in non-choir classrooms.
I also like to utilize art in the classroom. I have had the privilege work next door to some really talented art teachers(and some great music teachers as well!!!) during the year. If an art teacher is doing their job, they are working at the very top of Bloom’s taxonomy which is synthesis and creativity. It is no wonder so many youngsters like to go to art. When we incorporate art into the regular classroom, like music, we are getting a lot of bang for our buck.
I am going to trust that all of you are masters of Google. I once asked one of the smartest people I know how he figured out stuff when he got stuck. His answer, “I Google it.” So, simply Google how to incorporate art and music into your classrooms!
This is a short post today! Before i finish this post, I should add that Dinah Zike is a wizard when it come to designing very efficient graphic organizers for student use. I had the honor of hearing her in person once. She was fond of saying, “Just a little dot of glue will do ya.” And yes, you get to use paper products, and it isn’t all digital!!! I used her ideas more often than I can name. Her projects will use all levels of Bloom’s taxonomy: remember, understand, apply, analyze, evaluate, create. I usually just picked one of her graphic organizers, and then used my own ideas for the pages. Even better, give students the topic and the graphic organizer and let them choose what needs to be organized on each foldable.
Pro Tip: At some point, I am going to write a post about rubrics. Build your rubric, share it with the class before you begin, let it guide their project creation, and then use it to evaluate their projects. Let students do a self score, and compare it to your score as a teacher. Often, there won’t be much difference in scoring. If you want students to improve, be sure to give them specific feedback.
Bonus Pro Tip: For some children with disabilities(especially sensory issues), music might interfere with their work. So, you need to know this up front and adapt.
