Assignment Two:
Am I teaching a student or a subject?
Shane*
(*Pseudonym)
Shane is a Year 8 Music elective student. He has been placed on in-school suspension multiple times and is
currently on a behavior 3 card, under which he is closely monitored by each subject teacher with regards to
his clothing, attendance, participation and language. In music, he perpetually abandons lessons and is not
engaged with the subject material. He is not necessarily overtly disruptive or rude, in fact his manners
toward the staff are very good, but he is entirely unwilling to participate in either music theory or
performance practices. As a result, he doesn’t attempt any written assignments, barely attempts written tests,
and he walks out of performance evaluations. Consequently, Shane consistently fails Music.
In term 1, Year 8 was given a CD & Marketing assignment in which they were asked to compose a piece of
music by tracking and mixing pre-recorded loops which lasted for a minimum of 2 minutes, was written for a
minimum of 6 instruments, and demonstrated a clear beginning, middle and end section. This assignment
was to be carried out on the School Macintosh computers during school time and using Garage Band
software. They were then asked to burn their song to a disc and present a CD cover that marketed the song
appropriately. Finally, students were asked to present the song and display their CD cover to the class,
accompanied by a marketing speech which illustrated why they composed their piece the way they did, who
their target audience was, and finally why people would buy their track.
Shane submitted his assignment 5 weeks before the due date. His marketing speech was clear and concise
and his CD cover was an artwork that he had designed and sketched himself. His teacher commented about
the flawless submission, “It was amazing. He was so tentative to start using Garage Band because he hates
learning anything new, but once he was hooked in he was so good at it. He understands exactly how to work
the software.” (Williams, 2011) He received an A for the assignment and was highly praised by his teachers
and peers.
Quite comically, Shane was later put on detention for truanting English, because he felt obliged to scour the
school to tell his mates he received his first-ever ‘A’, “for bloody music!”
Face value:
‘Teaching a student’ is the teachers ability to manipulate subject material and assessment styles in order to
cater to the individual learning requirements of a student. Whilst the transmission of knowledge and
information is an obvious element of a teachers duty, in certain cases the ability to understand and facilitate a
student’s unique learning habits are sometimes more important. The overlap of these two teaching styles
provoked me to question further, are the two even mutually exclusive?
Shane is a student of high behavioral needs who is struggling to engage with the course material of music.
However, rather than thrusting music theory or practical assessments upon him when he is present, his
teacher is using relevant technology and a broad scope of interpretation in music as the medium through
which she is teaching Shane greater, basic learning skills, such as turning up to class, focusing on a task, and
meeting a deadline. The subject is the medium through which she is teaching a student.
The hunted becomes the hunter; The student becomes the teacher:
It has been proposed that the best way to learn is to teach. Or perhaps to put it more simply, “The one who
does the talking does the learning.” (Vialle, Lysaght & Verenikina, 2005) Shane was assigned a task that was
suited to his learning style, and therefore it was completed at an exceptional standard and with great ease. As
a result, Shane was called upon by other students for help. To refer to my original statement, ‘teaching a
student’ is the process by which subject material and assessment styles are manipulated in order to cater to
the individual learning styles of a classroom. In Shane, ‘teaching a student’ eventuated in the student
teaching the subject to others.
Shane’s initial success with the assessment may be credited to Vgotsky’s theory of ‘Internalisation’ and
‘Cultural Mediation.’ (Vialle, Lysaght & Verenikina, 2005, pp 48) Shane’s affinity with technology and general ease
in using a computer is a habit that he has learnt by being a creature of his culture. It is a product of ‘cultural
mediation.’ The finer sound-scaping skills that Shane has demonstrated in his assessment could be from his
extensive experience with tracking, mixing and looping in practicing as a DJ. These are the skills that he has
‘internalized.’ This natural ability that the assessment task has facilitated has encouraged Shane’s re-
engagement with the curriculum as a biproduct. When a student is separated from learning they express
behavioral vexations, for example his truancy. As suggested by David Wescombe-Down, “to address the
needs of your students in terms of social disadvantage, mental health and confidence and turn around the
disengagement, truancy and behavior management problems,” (pp 4) a teacher must adapt their teaching to
suit the educational requirements of the individual student, not the subject. Whilst the assessment task did
not require deep musical knowledge or practice, its subject material was employed in a format that was
already ‘internalized’ by the student, and therefore was able to engage him in specific course content.
An outstanding element of the assessment that was presented to Year 8 was the areas of Quality Teaching
Elements that it called upon. Predictably, “Deep knowledge, Deep Understanding...Metalanguage” (Poona,
2003) were superficial categories that would elevate a students final mark. However areas such as
Significance and Cultural knowledge were influential factors that would give each students final product
depth and uniquity. Music and musical understanding is a subject that is profoundly forged on background
and cultural knowledge. This form of knowledge informs how we understand and appreciate music, as well
as direct where our interests in the subject might lie. It is the student that informs how the subject is
ultimately being tailored.
2 b or not 2 b?
The role of ICT in Shane’s scenario is pivotal. So much so, that it arouses two significant tensions in my
contemplation of Music education and my responsibility and philosophy as a Music teacher. The use of
computer software in order to produce a piece of music containing specific criteria was an assessment
requirement which was met by Shane. He was, “hooked in” (Williams, 2011) to the technology and was
therefore able to complete the task ahead of time and with outstanding results. So why worry? The use of
computer software has many attributes in facilitating a students learning, such as, “learning in your space at
your pace.” (DET, 2009) The advantages to such a program in developing music education are also
undeniable. However it does beg the question, how relevant are the musical concepts that are being taught?
There appears to be no cohesion between Digital musicianship, such as the task the students are carrying out,
and Practical Performance, in which they might implement the same musical concepts into a performance.
Consequently the use of music software in an assessment which should be evaluating a students
understanding of music foundations is failing to do so. A discussion with the concert master of the Sydney
Symphony orchestra, (Kornel, 2011) confirmed this argument, suggesting that music that is composed
digitally lacks the humane qualities of acoustic manuscript. That, “the beat is not your heart beat, the melodic
line is not your voice.” Such a suggestion is consolidated by the Music Education Program Curriculum
which defines music as, “a social and innate force.” (ANU, MEP, 2011) In essence, digitalizing music
through a medium such as Garage Band calls upon skills and knowledge that are distinct from traditional
musicianship. Shane is lacking the knowledge of music foundations upon which the subject itself is
constructed.
Essentially I wandered , would he have completed the task in the same time period and with the same results
if he had been asked to do so with acoustic instruments, as opposed to digital instruments? Would he have
had the patience and focus to conduct this activity with his peers playing the instruments as opposed to the
track being played back to him as an MP3 file? If this were the case, the syllabus outcomes and previous
knowledge drawn on would not change. In fact the only variable in this situation would be Shane’s behavior
and realistic musical understanding. As suggested by Robert Fox in 2003 (Fox, Yuen, Evers, 2003), ICT
encourages, “flexible learning”, and enables teachers to transcend the time and space of classroom learning.
Naturally, by incorporating such technologies into any learning environment we must assess its contribution
to teaching and learning. Will it keep abreast the same learning outcomes and address the same curriculum
requirements as non-ICT-based lessons would? Will it enhance and develop them? In Shane’s scenario, ICT
was the bait used to encapsulate the students engagement. The use of technology in this music assessment
was successful in achieving behavioral outcomes such as attending class, focusing on a task and meeting a
deadline. The use of ICT however, did not meet the musical syllabus outcomes it proposed to, (7.EA.2, 7.EA.
4, 7.EA.8, ACTIVATED, 2009) Shane successfully completed an assessment task that was set for him,
however the quality and depth of the musical concepts incorporated into such a task were compromised
through the use of Garage Band rather than incorporating traditional musical instruments and written musical
notation. Through this frame, it seems evident that in Shane’s scenario, course material and assessment
formats are being manipulated in order to extract any assessable result from the student. In other words, a
student is being taught, not a subject.
“A house is not a home...”
A fascinating aspect of Shane’s situation, is that Music is an elective subject. He may have selected the
subject because it was ‘less-boring’ than the other electives, but perhaps he actually had an interest in it. If
this was the case, the lesson structures up to this point have proven unsuccessful. The attempts to teach
theory were very quickly overrun and practical lessons in which independent practice time is enforced, didn’t
provide Shane with enough boundaries to actually get any work complete. As a result, Shane had very little
in his environment to engage with hence demonstrated evolving behavioral issues and a lack of academic
progress.
A paper written by Kenneth Kiewra entitled, “How teachers can teach their students to learn” (Kiewra, 2010)
addresses the role of the teacher in being a facilitator of a student’s independent learning journey. Kiewra
states that a students ability in the classroom should extend to learning efficiently independently, and to
strive to become better learners, rather than just, "studying noted ideas by rehearsing them one at a time." (pp
2) According to the paper, this duty lies in the hands of the instructors who should strive to become, 'fishing
teachers.' (pp 8) by, 'embedding strategy instruction within their subject matter courses,' (pp 1) and 'develop
matrices and build models on their own.' (pp 8) In doing so, they foster a non-intrusive and engaging
learning environment. The use of garage band in this task addressed this issue, as well as enveloping a
“student-centred” learning approach (Estes, 2004), in which the student discriminates information
themselves and selects what is valid and relevant. This style of education and learning environment proved
successful as Shane was able to complete the assigned task whilst being aware of his own limitations and
abilities.
What ultimately fascinated me about this assessment task was it’s ability to potentially call upon each
dimension of Bloom’s taxonomy (Blooms, 1956) depending on how engaged the students were with their
task. An A grade for this task demanded that the students demonstrate an understanding on the software,
musical concepts, emotive aspects of music, individual interpretation of the task, and more. Engagement in
the “cognitive domain” proposed by Bloom in doing so would see the students show musical knowledge,
comprehend music through translation and interpretation, analyse the relationships and principles of musical
concepts, synthesise the information in creating something unique, and evaluate and judge the relevance of
the musical elements of their work.
Shane’s music teacher recognised behavioral and academic struggles in her student. As a result she
constructed an assessment that would not only allow her to evaluate her students music knowledge, but
would allow it to emerge and evolve in a positive and non-intrusive learning capacity. She did not present an
assignment with a right-or-wrong answer, rather she gave students the space and freedom to exercise
individuality and preferred learning skills whilst perpetuating their music education. The classroom
environment was adapted to be non-threatening and to foster solo academic endeavours. Whilst this was
successful in achieving academic results from the students, it is also ironic as NSW and ACT curriculums,
(specifically the Music Education Program Curriculum of the Australian National University) enforce that
music is a social force. The Music Education Program reinvigorates, “age-old, socio-musical enculturation
processes.” It draws on the fact that music is a human and social activity and that, “musical impulse is innate
and compulsive.” (ANU, 2011, pp 2) Rather than focusing on musical achievement as an intellectual
endeavour, its primary goal is peer-to-peer music making, where the students are facilitators , “who can
encourage music making in others” (pp 2), and thus influencing a wider community. How ironic that in order
for Shane to produce music, he had to work alone. This further reiterates that rather than teaching a subject,
in certain behavioral circumstances, we will principally teach a student instead.
The Domino Effect and the generational gap:
Shane’s scenario was titillating in that it encouraged a review of not only my own philosophy of education,
but also how it compares to others. Furthermore, it coerced me to appreciate the profound affect a teachers
philosophy has on shaping a students education. As suggested by Kaplan and Owings in their investigation
of Educational philosophies, the philosophy that a teacher may foster is fundamentally determined by their
view of what role education plays in human existence. These, “viewpoints that help(s) educators interpret,
find meaning and direct their work,”(pp 1) inevitably influence the format of the lessons they produce, the
expectations they will have of their students, and the style in which they assess a students progress.
Likewise, Lanier and Little proposed in 1986 that a teachers background and ideas about themselves as
teachers are what construct their methods of teaching. A strong belief I hold as a music teacher, is that a
profound and solid theoretical understanding of fundamental musical concepts and terminology must be
instilled. This was the case of my music education, and as a result I feel it gave me an incalculable
understanding and appreciation of music culture, evolution and musical styles. In order to understand the
affect music has on individuals and on a grander scale, society, we must have this basic music knowledge
ingrained into us. Whilst these expectations of the ideal music education may read as an “essentialist”
approach to learning (Kaplan & Owings, 2011), they merely form the foundation upon which a more liberal
arts curriculum may flourish. Considering that, “music is the universal language of mankind,” (Longfellow,
2011) it seems even more valid that, “a shared core of academic knowledge” (Kaplan & Owings, 2011) be
present in a music curriculum.
Music is a reflection of, and is comprised of its social, economic, political and historical context. It is, “more
or less, straightforward reflections of the society and culture in which they were produced.” (Wainman,
2009) “How State Cultures have framed the Post-Compulsory Curriculum” (Collins & Vickers, 1999) has
articulately outlined a conundrum that perpetually problematizes the music syllabus. Collins & Vickers
identify the three-fold assumptions that construct curriculum content as, “assumptions about the nature of
young people...assumptions about the nature of knowledge....and assumptions about what knowledge is
important for young people.” (pp 1) These pillars that eventually, “create(s) social reality” (pp 2) are even
more profoundly affected in Music when considering the previous statement by Wainman. If music is a
reflection of the society and culture in which it is produced, then what is ‘important’ and relevant about
music, will vary from generation to generation, culture to culture. Therefore before a music lesson even
commences, there will inevitably be a divide in what is considered ‘important’ about music between the
teacher and their students.
The assessment task assigned to Shane’s music class flawlessly demonstrated the teachers assumption of her
students affinity with Music. Upon completion of the task, students had to consider their composition as a
commercial entity. Rather than focusing the musical elements that constructed the piece, they had to consider
what market they were catering for, how much they would sell their track for, and why their audience would
buy it. Miss Williams identified the role that music plays in the life of 13 year old child. As a result she was
able to construct a task in which her students had to identify this role as well, and in doing so would create a
scenario that forced them to become a part of that reality. That is, she assigned a task that, “underlies and
makes sense of their constructed experience.” (pp 2) All of a sudden the subject that we teach becomes an
illusive and socially malleable force.
The perpetually evolving nature of curriculum is a result of the constant requirement to construct boundaries
within our subject that cater to the assumptions proposed by Collins & Vickers. The nature of young people
and the nature of what knowledge is deemed relevant is a body that is strong enough to manipulate what we
as teachers, teach. Our philosophy of Education which we formulate is based on what we find relevant in
education to our reality, and informs how we teach this content. In summation, our individual philosophies of
education determine what content we will teach. The content of what we teach is the substance which our
students contemplate in order to construct their own, “social reality.” (pp 2) Ultimately, as teachers we are
teaching a student, not a subject.
“At the end of the storm there’s a golden sky...”
Proposing an assessment task that allowed Shane to utilize his computer skills and DJ practices allowed him
to work in a non-threatening domain, as well as giving him the flexibility of space and time to work outside
the boundaries of the Music class. Allowing Shane to direct his own learning forced him to analyse and
comprehend musical concepts, and consequently synthesise and create and musical work on his own. In
doing so, Shane was encouraged to think about his work and his understanding of the task in a greater
context; how this task not only reflects how the world influences him, but also how his work influences the
world. The sequence of events from Shane attempting the task, learning of his result, and behavior in class
since the task was complete has occurred in a narrow period of time, thus long-term results from this event
cannot and should not be predicted. Potentially however, we can suggest that Miss Digges has identified a
characteristic in Shane’s learning style that might encourage him to re-engage in the music unit at school,
and develop his understanding of the role that education is playing in constructing how Shane situates
himself as an intelligent, social and moral human being.
Bibliography:
ACTIVATED (2009) Every Chance to learn, (Retrieved May 21st 2011) http://activated.act.edu.au/ectl/
framework.htm
Every Chance to Learn provided the basic curriculum framework upon which the Assessment task was
constructed. It outlined the oral and written skills expected from the age group that the assignment was set
for, as well as the depth of knowledge that should be demonstrated. This source also functioned as a basic
comparison to the NSW curriculum of which I was educated by.
Allen, M., Humphries, C., McBurney, J. & Makushev, M. (2005). Identifying and accommodating preferred
learning styles. Fine Print, 28, 4, pp. 7-12. Retrieved May 11, 2010 from Informit database.
This paper worked well in conjunction with the Kiewra in identifying different learning styles and how the
may be accommodated. It observes the physiological differences that determine how an individual learns
and what makes them, ‘tick’ and consequently how we can manipulate our course content to cater to this
need. It addressed to ultimate goal of learning-to-learn.
Apple Store, (2011), Mac 101, (Retrieved May 30th 2011), http://support.apple.com/kb/ht2510
This was a very general source that allowed me to investigate the educational potentials of Garage Band.
Whist I use the software frequently myself, the software employed in the students assessment was more
recent, and therefore had more capabilities than what I was aware of. Particularly with the recent release of
Garage Band as an application for iPads and its surrounding controversy, reading about the use of this
source from the producers point of view was a very valuable insight to have.
Australian National University, (2011). Music Education Program: Draft Curriculum. (Category 3),
Australian National University
The MEP program which is still in its draft stages has been an asset in my evolving philosophy and
education as a teacher. It reflects how music is a malleable subject that has to evolve to meet the demands
and opportunities of its social context. It reinforces to social nature of Music and its application in everyday
life rather than simply in an educational institution. In my opinion this was a very progressive source.
Bloom, BS. (1956) Taxonomy of Educational Objectives, the classification of educational goals: Handbook
1: Cognitive Domain, New York: McKay
I am very confident in using foundation material such as Blooms taxonomy to justify my thesis as it has a
solid theoretical construction. The scientific perspective of this source was a great way to interweave and
ground the subjective nature of a lot of my other sources by providing researched theory and application
regarding the investigation of cognitive behavior.
Collins, C. & Vickers, M.(1999). How state cultures have framed post-compulsory curriculum. Paper
presented at the Australian Curriculum Studies Association Biennial Conference, Perth. Retrieved from
http://www.acsa.edu.au/pages/images/99_collins__how_state_cultures.pdf
This source was very philosophical. It was interesting to apply this approach to education in my paper as it
looked at education beyond the boundaries of the school. It looked at the educational institution and its
relationship to other institutions, and in doing so analysed the role that Education plays in constructing
human existance.
Estes, Cheryl. (2004). Promoting Student-Centred Learning in Experiential Education. Journal of
Experiential Education, pp. 141-161.
This was merely one paper amongst a myriad that explored the benefits and potential pitfalls of student-
centred learning. The advantageous of this style of education are flourishing and are undeniable. This source
was objective and analytical in presenting the need for such a style of learning.
Fox R, Yuen A, Evers C, (2003), Faculty perceptions of ICT benefits, (Retrieved May 15th 2011), http://
www.worldscibooks.com/etextbook/6258/6258_chap01.pdf
I investigated this source in an attempt to find a written primary source within the educational profession
that might provide me with insight into a teachers perspective of ICT in the classroom. A lot of the
information was a little too complex and slightly irrelevant to what I was targeting in my argument, but it
addressed the topic of ‘flexible learning’ quite comprehensively.
Hayes, D., Johnston, K. & King, A. (2009). Creating enabling classroom practices in high poverty contexts:
the disruptive possibilities of looking in classrooms. Pedagogy, Culture & Society, 17: 3, 251 – 264.
Retrieved 14 January, 2010 from Ebsco database.
Debra Hayes paper was a good source in allowing me to digest the wealth of knowledge being investigated
in this paper. Because the paper is based on classroom observation and commentary, rather than reading it
and trying to discriminate relavant sections of information, I was able to simply read it and apply my
knowledge to the situations she described. It was necessarily an important source for informing this paper.
Kaplan, L.S & Owings, W.A. (2011). Philosophy of Education (Ch. 6) In American Education: Building a
Common Foundation (pp.165-199). Wadsworth Cengage Education.
This paper was a beneficial source in identifying the qualities of my teaching philosophy. As well as this, it
outlined the domino effect one teachers philosophy has on the education system, and more specifically, the
environment that they create in which to teach. The close analysis of ‘essentialist’ teaching helped me to
understand not only what I observe in my own teaching methods, but consequently what I then expect of my
students and how they translate their education into life experience.
Kiewra,K (2010) Helping Students Soar to Success on Computers: An investigation of the SOAR Study
Method of Computer-Based Learning. Journal Of Educational Psychology Vol.102,(3), pp.601-614
This was an interesting source that was largely founded on observation and practical experience. Whilst I
found a lot of the assumptions in the paper to be fundamentally misunderstood observations, I still thought it
was relevant in how Kiewra observed the understanding that high-school students have of rote-learning
being a key indicator of intelligence. It also provided methods to make students more proactive in their own
education.
Kornel S, (Personal Communication, May 1st, 2011)
Stan Kornel was the concert master of the Sydney Symphony Orchestra for a number of years. His passion
and musical understanding of the affect of Music in life experience is unmatched by any other I have
experienced. He provided a very traditional and conventional approach to understanding the importance of
music in high school students.
Lanier, J., & Little, J. (1986). Research on teacher education, Handbook of research on teaching (pp
168-191) Macmillan. New York
This was a more theoretically based source that focused on the assumptions of a teacher, and how a teacher
constructs their identity. It explored the effect a teachers background and philosophy has on their style of
teaching and what they expect of the classroom environment. In conjunction with other texts, this source
gave my thesis a solid theoretical foundation.
Longfellow H, (Retrieved May 31st 2011), http://thinkexist.com/quotation/
music_is_the_universal_language_of/164194.html
This site was used to lighten to tone of my writing and to provide the reader with an opportunity to recognise
the chronological depth of the issue being discussed.
NSW Department of education, (2003), Quality Teaching elements, (retrieved March 25th 2011), http://
www.newcastle.edu.au/Resources/Schools/Education/Pedagogy/2006/SummaryofQuality-JanPoona.pdf
This is a standard document that I used as a practical attachment to my writing. Having used this document
in constructing my own lesson plans I found it very valuable in assessing the variety of angles that should be
considered when setting an assessment task. As a result, we must also take into consideration the context of
our students, and how that will affect their approach to the task.
State of New South Wales, Department of Education and Training, (2009) ICT for teaching and learning,
(Retrieved May 29th 2011) http://lrrpublic.cli.det.nsw.edu.au/lrrSecure/Sites/Web/ict_teach_learn/
01_prof_dev_nav/index.htm?Signature=(803c4faa-5c8b-4417-9f44-b69b764df109)
This source was used to show the significant measures taken to support ICT in classroom by institutional
bodies. Because the site was published by the Department of Education and Training in NSW its
demonstrates the official nature of the issue.
Vialle W, Lysaght P, Verenikina I, (2005). Vygotsky (Ch. 4) In Psychology for Educators, (pp 48-68).
Cengage Learning Australia
In investigating the influences of cognitive development in students I decided to use this source which
simplified Vgostskian theory. Whilst the subject matter was extremely relevant, it was sometimes to
philosophical and far-fetched to understand. It did however, provide an alternative explanation to what
makes students tend to different learning styles.
Wainman, V (2009) The reflection of society in music. http://plattsburgh309.blogspot.com/2009/10/
reflection-of-society-in-music.html. Last accessed 30th April 2011
This source was used as a means to take a breath from the conceptual content of the paper and observe the
information in a greater context. By looking at the role music plays in society rather than the role music
plays in education, the reader might contemplate the long term objectives of a music teacher, rather than just
the immediate ones.
Wescombe-Down, D., (2009). Pedagogical fitness: teacher quality. Professional Educator, 8, 1, pp. 18-21.
Retrieved 14 January, 2010 from informit database.
This source was very relevant in exploring the ‘fitness’ a teacher needs in adapting material and lessons
structures to adapt to their classroom. It contained a very relavant point that rings true in any educational
investigation. That is, a teacher who adapts their teaching to suit the administrative needs of a school should
not be there. Fundamentally, I also believe all teachers should be in their profession for their impact on a
students development, not the development of an institution.
Williams, R. (Personal Communication, April 2nd 2011)
Miss Williams is Shane’s music teacher. Multiple discussions with her regarding Shane’s previous behavior,
his academic capabilities and his social context informed my construction of his character.
Yelland, N. (2001). Teaching and learning with information and communication technologies (ICT) for
numeracy in the early childhood and primary years of schooling. Available: http://www.dest.gov.au/archive/
research/fellowship/docs/Nicola_Yelland/Yelland_report.pdf. Last accessed 30th April 2011.
Yelland provides an objective and analytical approach to understanding the role of ICT in society. Whilst it
was not relevant in addressing the requirements of ICT in secondary school students, it outlined the impact
ICT has in greater context, such as between socio-economic communities and between cultures.
