Dakeyan C. Graham
Accomplished Practice # 4: Critical and Creative Thinking
Illustration # 2
Source of Illustration
MUE 3330Professor
Dr. Russell L. RobinsonSemester
Spring 2006Type of Assignment
This critical and creative thinking example stems from a portion of a lesson plan developed and used in teaching a second grade music class at P.K. Younge Elementary School. The students attending the class were engaged in a musical lesson evaluating rhythm, musical characteristic identification, and previous class content. The teachers evaluated the students based on their responses to various critical thinking questions. The students were required to think in a way that they may not have previously been asked to.
Description of Assignment
A lesson was taught at P.K. Younge Elementary School in an effort to become more acquainted with teaching an actual class, as opposed to teaching ones peers and having them act as though they were in middle school; real life representative on-the-job training. The students of MUE 3330 are required to create a lesson plan in which they are given examples of previous lesson plans but have the freedom to choose what subject matter and content they wish to cover in their lessons, as long as it adheres to the direction the music teacher wishes to go. The students then prepare visual aids and whatever other materials they need to be able to engage the class and teach as if they were the teachers in the class. This lesson plan demonstrates Accomplished Practice #4 in the following ways:
Includes opportunities for critical and creative thinking in learning activities
Involves students in making decisions about the interpretation of songs and musical works
Provides opportunities for critical reflection and metacognition
Artistic Processes/Medium
This is a responding example in that it revolves around communication. The students are given the opportunity to convey their ideas and pre-existing knowledge to their peers and the teachers. This activity requires listening, discussion, and evaluation. The students are required to listen to themselves play as an ensemble for rhythmic accuracy, beginnings of pitches, and note accuracy. They are expected to evaluate not only their playing but the playing of at least one other member of the band, not sitting next to them. The discussion takes place in a forum-esque atmosphere where each child is given the opportunity to give his/her opinion or remark.
Rationale
This lesson plan outlines specific opportunities for the students to take part in critical and creative thinking activities. The lesson plan demonstrates Accomplished Practice #4 by allowing the students to form their own inferences and make connections between pre-existing knowledge about what they thought about a certain musical attribute, i.e. the concept of various dynamics, and the actual explanation of those concepts.
Illustration
At the conclusion of each activity the students were given the opportunity to answer a couple of critical thinking questions; for example, after playing through the long tone warm-up, the students were asked what was covered in previous classes that they had neglected to do. After mentioning that, the students were then asked why is this particular legato exercises played the way it is. And to go even further in depth, why do we warm-up with long tones. To see the exact layout of the critical thinking questions and how they fit into the lesson plan, see Lesson Plan.
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