Sometimes talking is necessary. Children may not hear every word you say but they need to know that you are trying to encourage them. As a teacher I often wonder how much of what I say actually gets through. But that is exactly what has made me appreciate that true understanding comes without an explanation.
I’ve been working with Music Mind Games theory material more and more these days. For those that are unfamiliar it is a system of games and activities designed to teach music theory. I’ve always made a point to do theory worksheets with my students in the past. But I’m finding that I no longer need them as much as we gradually work our way through the games. The games allow the students to understand without explanation, which makes it a far more effective lesson.
One example that comes to mind is the idea of the musical alphabet. The letters used in music are always A, B, C, D, E, F, G. So, naturally, young children almost always ask why there is no “X, Y, or Z.” It is a perfectly reasonable question that has any number of explanations you could give.
When they work on the theory games, each pitch letter is always the same color. C is red or G is blue; one letter for each color of the musical rainbow. This explains so many questions to children without having to even utter a word. Of course there is no X letter because there is no X color!
Presenting information to students in this fashion almost makes teaching feel effortless. Almost. True learning should not rely 100% on the teacher’s lectures. A lecture is just a lecture. Understanding takes place only when the student herself puts the pieces together in her mind.
I’ve been working with Music Mind Games theory material more and more these days. For those that are unfamiliar it is a system of games and activities designed to teach music theory. I’ve always made a point to do theory worksheets with my students in the past. But I’m finding that I no longer need them as much as we gradually work our way through the games. The games allow the students to understand without explanation, which makes it a far more effective lesson.
One example that comes to mind is the idea of the musical alphabet. The letters used in music are always A, B, C, D, E, F, G. So, naturally, young children almost always ask why there is no “X, Y, or Z.” It is a perfectly reasonable question that has any number of explanations you could give.
When they work on the theory games, each pitch letter is always the same color. C is red or G is blue; one letter for each color of the musical rainbow. This explains so many questions to children without having to even utter a word. Of course there is no X letter because there is no X color!
Presenting information to students in this fashion almost makes teaching feel effortless. Almost. True learning should not rely 100% on the teacher’s lectures. A lecture is just a lecture. Understanding takes place only when the student herself puts the pieces together in her mind.
Comments
Post a Comment