This week’s inputs looked at the different ways we can give children ownership and control of their learning. In contrast to last week’s structured framework for dance and drama, this week focused on allowing children almost complete control. Giving children the opportunity to have a say in their learning shows respect for their abilities and that their creativity is valued by the teacher.
In drama, we explored some more techniques and conventions including flash forward, flash back, narration, slow motion and forum theatre. Forum theatre is the brainchild of Augusto Boal, and the idea is that members of the audience are invited to stop and participate in the drama by taking the place of an actor of their choosing, and acting out an improvised, alternative version of the drama (Farmer, 2014). This is an excellent way to allow children to take a directive approach to their learning, however research by Killen and Cooney (2017) reveals that teachers lack confidence in allowing learners to take control of the lesson, so this is something that I will keep in mind and try to develop my own confidence in.
In the music input, we looked first at the voice. As prospective teachers, our voices are one of the most important tools of our trade. Constant use of the voice, often in noisy environments, coupled with dry air conditions in classrooms, can put teachers at greater risk of voice and throat problems. The General Teaching Council for Scotland (GTCS) have issued guidance for teachers and student teachers, including examples of good practice and strategies to protect and care for the voice (GTCS, 2003). One of the recommendations suggests using vocal exercises to warm up your voice. We tried out some of these vocal exercises in the music seminar, looking at some resources that can be used in the classroom to allow children to warm up their own voices before any singing activity. One of the resources we looked at is ChoonBaboon, a singing programme developed by Alan Penman, aimed at first and second level Curriculum for Excellence. ChoonBaboon is an interesting and engaging resource that is indispensable for teachers who lack confidence teaching music (ChoonBaboon, 2017).
We then moved on to looking at graphic scores. This is a musical score, composed through the use of symbols on a grid. Creating a firework themed score within our section, we composed and then played the score using various instruments from chimes and bells, to castanets. We then had the opportunity to work within small groups to choose a theme, and compose a graphic score to play using any of the instruments to represent sounds related to our theme. This was a fantastic activity and each of us really engaged with our creative abilities. I would definitely use this activity in the classroom, as it is a simple activity that does not require a lot in terms of planning and resources, but can have a huge impact on children’s confidence when they actively compose and play their very own piece of music, having complete control over their chosen theme, sounds and final piece.
REFERENCES
ChoonBaboon (2017) Welcome to Choonbaboon [Online] Available: http://choonbaboon.com/ [Accessed: 31 October 2017]
Farmer, D. (2014) Forum Theatre [Online] Available: https://dramaresource.com/forum-theatre/ [Accessed: 31 October 2017]
GTCS (2003) Voice and the Teaching Profession [Online] Available: www.gtcs.org.uk/nmsruntime/SaveAsDialog.aspx?fileName=voice-and-the-teaching-profession1652_214.pdf [Accessed: 31 October 2017]
