Placement Commencement Friday 22 October 2010 – Woodside Nursery Class

Three main words describe my feelings from today – Elation, Contentment and Inspired …

It was very heartening to see and meet the children today. Tiny they were, but inspiring nonetheless. They ‘played’ and interacted with us in a way that was magical. Saying their names, albeit, shyly for some and most enthusiastically for others, but we shared, played and sang our hearts out …

I think the terminology that came to my mind was uplifting … I had not felt the feelings of soaring like a bird in the sky for quite some time in my life, but this was and is one moment in my life where I will look back and say that for that very brief time, I felt wanted, needed, appreciated and accepted by children who knew nothing about me, but trusted me in position as a staff member and who enjoyed what ‘we’, Fiona, Mary, Jess, Alison and me could offer them in terms of singing, interaction and fun …

That’s what life is made of and it is important not to loose sight of that no matter where we are in our learning, what career path in terms of choices in our learning and most importantly for me to enjoy learning for what it is …

Phil Race, Lecturer’s Toolkit (2001) 

Whatever sort of training we think about, or whatever sort of educational experience we consider, the one thing they all need to have in common is that they lead to effective learning …

Biggs, Approaches to the Advancement of Tertiary Learning (1989),  Ramsden, Learning to Teach in Higher Education (2003)

Knowing fact and how to carry our operations may well be part of the means for understanding and interpreting the world, but the quantitive conception stops at the facts and skills. A quantitative change in knowledge does not in itself change the understanding. Rote-learning scientific formulae may ve one of the things scientists do, but it is not the way that scientists think …

I think both of these concepts apply to me … lost focus … find focus … change focus … in learning language … for change, about change, to change …

Tuesday 19 October 2010 – McDonald’s over The Monkey …

This moment passed me by until I spoke with a fellow friend and colleague who thought it best to document my encounters over the ‘Where the Monkey Sleeps’ Cafe Bar in the RSAMD Foyer …

I actually thought the Monkey had taken leave of its senses … However, two lovely girls who are students within CM began to speak to me in a way that I never thought possible with other CM years. They were troubled by an issue which took place the previous day in relation to their placement and felt that they could approach me for support, guidance and assistance in relation to what was the best way forward to air their thoughts and feelings about what had taken place …

I am not working directly with these students but I do sit in on their classes and offer support of a practical and technological nature on a weekly basis. I also see them in a social setting or when I am hiding out in the library, but I have moved my temporary home for now and I am living in the Opera School next to power sockets and the huge library filing cabinets not far from the Athenaeum …

I was deeply touched, privileged and honoured that these students feel that they have a rapport and a bond with me in a professional and personal capacity. It is with these thoughts that I reflect on my own co-mentoring dialogue with Mary and reflect on the support that she provides to me – emotional, physical, spiritual, educational and psychological, in times of need, or when I feel that I have failed or could have done better in some way …

I tend not to think of Mary as my mento, but as my friend, my buddy, my cohort (which she was originally) my sounding board, my guiding light … I think I was that for these students and I was touched that in both a professional and personal capacity could offer solutions which would enable them to make an informed decision as to how to proceed without feelings under pressure to feel on the periphery of the group placement settings …

I think in this instance I refer to Peter Renshaw’s “A Framework for Mentoring” August 2008 … where he defines mentoring in the following ways:

• Buddying – is an ‘informal’ confessional process in which experiences and insights are shared
• Shadowing – is a role which can be shadowed by and individual teacher or creative practitioner with an interest in learning about e role, without necessarily aspiring to do that particular job. The reasons for wishing to gain experience through shadowing and observation need to be clear and understood prior to the activity taking place. Shadowing may take the form of a peer-to-peer conversation about their shared observations of practice
• Counselling – At the centre of counselling lies a conversation about personal development issues that might arise from professional practice
• Advising – Advising constitutes a conversation about professional issues that arise from practice in a specific context e.g. career orientation, possible new directions for the future, professional development opportunities, new networks and partnerships, marketing, budgeting, etc
• Tutoring – is an intentional, goal-orientated activity aimed at fostering the understanding and learning of knowledge through the processes of questioning critical dialogue
• Instructing – Instructing comprises a didactic form of imparting and passing on specialist knowledge and skills with little scope for dialogue – i.e. a mechanic model of transmitting knowledge ….

Could I be this to these students and more in such a short time … I think the answer is yes … can I build upon this – it is necessary within the Community of Practice and the learning cohort to undertake the above aspects into consideration at all times. We are all ambassadors for good teaching and learning and no more so than I, at present, who under Mary’s direction would, hopefully, never like to let her or myself down …

I hope that I can live up to these qualities nad expectations and continue to maintain my close links with CM1, 2 & 3 when I am not here … and that is a very sad sad thought as I would happily and gladly continue the work that I have started working with Mary and the students … beyond my deadline termination ..

Monday 18 October – Planning & More

Today was a nightmare day … but it turn around to my advantage …

Technology recaps and planning for first placement was top of the list. I need to think in a more tangible way of presenting materials to the students in relation to making technological terminology more acceptable – i.e. no big words such as transferable file formats. However, this is the common ‘buzz’ word being banded about although CM1 students are not of this genre at present, but with additional supports from me and Mary I think we can achieve the aims and objectives fo the project on schedule …

Although, excellent progress has been made in the use of Sibelius in relation to setting up scores, exporting their files, creation of scorch files and much more. They appear to look and feel confident with this software and the feedback, however, trying at times for them, has been mainly positive.

Even some students from CM2/3 have asked for additional supports and they are students who have no technological training and are actually resistant to change. I have spoken with them and they do feel the need for change and that perhaps this time is now when there are additional supports available to them.

I felt rather rejuvenated and absolute terror at the same moment today. There were so many songs from the CM1 Music toolkit that I did not know and will need to spend time getting to know so that I fell able and supported in taking part in Friday’s class … Planning for this was essential and I felt in control when we were in discussion about how to break the tasks down, teach them and present them to the children. Fiona and Jude (CM4 Mentors for CM1’s) are lovely girls who appeared to calm, influence and enhance the student cohort of CM1’s to the point of actual ease within the room …

There were moments that felt particularly awkward and you could sense the fear and intrepidation within the room, but everyone settled, including  me by the distribution fo the work, the creative juices were flowing in relation to Chop Chop Choppity Chop, Have you brought your arms and legs and reassurance was sought by all students old and young … mission accomplished to feel settled within the group … I think that it would be fair to say that it was …

I am looking forward to Friday … as long as I can make my slide show, have Audacity at the ready and lots of free memory space on the laptop …

Monday 11 October 2010 – Helter Skelter …

I was prepared for this session … but it was over in a blink of an eye …

Initially I did not know whether to be relieved that it had come to an end or if I was totally frustrated as there was so much that I wanted to say and to share.

I think actually that it was the latter! Both Mary and I had issues and topics to cover and it was all too short in relation to the subject content of Audacity and Sibelius. Two huge topics that could have deserved entire lessons devoted to the content. I covered the basics of Audacity which was to make and use MP3 files quickly and effectively without the need for much prior knowledge. Sibelius, however, is a software package that is frightening even at the very concept of speaking its name. It is intuitive and operable, but the sheer size and conditions that it has is overwhelming to those that are considered equipped operators, but to the student body a look of terror shot across the room and my heart sank …

The students understood the concepts and I think we’re very responsive to the ideas being put to them. However, Mary agreed that the session did feel ‘a little’ rushed, but there is always a lot of information to cover within the hour class allotted time set.

That was really my only concern until 5.30pm in telephone discussion with Andrew…

I felt that the discussion had gone well and that Mary appears to think that progress is on track and that I am learning. I am, but I feel that I could always learn more, but I am struggling with the timing concepts of materials completion, deadlines and it is not through bad mismanagement of time, but the sheer fact that everything is packed into such small time frames. My time and the time of the students is very very limited and I am within the RSAMD building on a daily basis. Although I do feel that I pester Mary and that there are times when she must think ‘can she think for herself’.

I do, however, I feel that I am still grappling with the ideas of Community Music and I do feel inspired, enthusiastic and able, but when I come to reflect I can only see the negative points that went wrong, the words that I had thought about using only to say something else. I am concise with my discussions and the home work that I set and give as tasks is completed by the students in a timely manner. However, there is a tension from some of the more able students in the other groups and a resistance to technology which has not sufficiently been filtered out of the CM2/3 combined group.

This resistance is enormous and an issue that needs to be addressed quickly …

There is one outstanding issues that appears to have arisen from CM1 in that basic Orff Schulwerk Principles are not fully understood within the CM1 group … this is an area which I intend to address at the next class on Monday 18 October …

The Basic Principles are very simple but they are not the basic principles of traditional music harmony and notation …

Orr Schulwerk Principles:

• Always emphasise the home note (C or Do) and the dominant of the scale (G or Sol) i.e. pentatonic scale in C use notes C (Do), D (Re), E (Mi), G (Sol) and A (La). Therefore home note is C and the fifth (Mi) is G
• Emphasis the combination Sol and Mi (G & E)
• Do not use La (A) or Re (D) on the strong beats of the bar e.g. in simple/triple time the naturally strong beat is on beat 1. Therefore never begin a bar on any of the above identified notes
• Always use La or Re as passing notes in our melodies, at this time …

I am also planning my Halloween theme for the placement on Friday and revising the materials that I need to teach and go over with the students on Monday … shopping for spiders and what goes in the pot for Chop Chop Choppity Chop … Pondering some more over what is collaboration … it’s not spiders and cauldrons though …

I read this quote the other day and it resembled exactly how I feel at this moment … am I missing in action?

Experience is the child of thought, and thought is the child of action.
Benjamin Disraeli

Monday 4 October 2010 – Terrified …

I do not know what I expected on entering 2.24, but washing machines sprung to mind in opposition to my stomach …

The initial session was constructive, Names Games, getting to know the class, talking about reflection, Orff Principles, out with the xylophones, getting the students into the frame of mind of using a pentatonic scale … but organised chaos springs to mind in relation to the tick-tock of the clock on the wall.

The time element of constantly being up against it (the time) was a constant reminder of how much actually had to be done … that the students were just as nervous as I was and that in my head I carried knowledge, not greater than Mary’s, but knowledge nonetheless that I possessed and that I had collated throughout my years as a student, teacher, colleague, mentor, friend and, at this time, a clown all rolled into one …

My thoughts and feelings were rooted to the spot, but I interacted appropriately, took Mary’s lead and expanded on topics, supported, encouraged and, hopefully, I enable the students to feel at ease with their learning / revisited learning from the previous Friday’s initial skills audit/training with Mary.

They were tentative, but accepted help and guidance gracefully which helped to ease my fears – was I approachable in my teaching outlook – I think that was one thing that was fed back to me through the use of the Critical Incident Questionnaires which were distributed to the class at the end of the lesson. Both Mary and I were open to discussion and reflection throughout the class … as were the students.

However, I did lose sight of the fundamentals of Orff at one point when I failed to instil my basic rudiments of music for children at the forefront of my mind … I made the rhythmic pattern more difficult than necessary for the children to understand … I lost sight that it was students that were sitting in front of me and that it was fine to talk with them about lengthening the rhythmic pattern, but in actual fact, it was early years and primary school children these exercises were being designed for … how could they understand and count what I had just suggested … When Mary corrected us (me and the students) by offering an alternative I could have hung my head in shame that I actually lost my focus on what I was doing …

Mary offered support later in debriefing, but I felt like a moral failure … I have always been running to stand still with this project and I hope that I can home in and focus quickly in relation to this drastic mistake on my part …

It is necessary to keep the basic principles of Orff at the forefront of my design process and in relation to the modification of this project. It is also necessary to remember to reflect more adequately, this is no excuse, but I hate technology! I think it is vital when it works, but staying connected is not always a rational explanation to an update for me.

There are volumes of work to cover and issues are always under constant scrutiny in relation to what has to be developed, encoded and learned …

One question always comes to my mind – Do I feel inspired?

The answer at this time …?

http://www.ltscotland.org.uk/video/e/video_tcm4580320.asp

I think what inspires me most is Ted Booth … the man has energy, a zest for life and mammoth encouragement to support our artists … he allows me understand why learning and changing practice is good, but I feel I struggle with his enthusiasm in relation to, in my mind, a huge uphill battle to commence, continue and inspire myself to CM1 … sometimes I feel like I need to be the student sitting in the class, learning how to develop myself in relation to Community Music and the partnerships, stakeholders and other agencies intertwine to form the world of Community Music …

There is a passion for it, the likes of which I have never seen before and that initial fire is what spurs me on … what does Mary have in her ‘Magic Bag’ now or what puppet will she bring out now or simply the light on the students faces when the song games, name games and discussions begin … it is enough to relight anyone’s fire … there is inspiration in abundance in room 2.24 …

I hope that I fit in …