Teaching Philosophy Katrina Dubbs Westminster Choir College of Rider University Fall 2010

Introduction Several small events guided me towards my passion for music and teaching, but during my high school choir experience, I discovered the importance of good teaching. My experience is the opposite of inspiring, and I almost gave up on music altogether because of my unsupportive teacher. She knew that I was serious about music, and I became one of her favorites only because I represented the school in choir festivals. My former teachers faults frustrated me, but I was inspired to become a better teacher so that other students can have a more rewarding experience than I did. When I entered the choir room on a typical day, the chaos has already begun. The chairs were scattered throughout the room, students were talking loudly and texting instead of preparing for class. Students were literally everywhere: behind the desk, at the piano, on the teachers computer, in her office and in the other practice rooms. I found a chair and sat in my assigned spot. After five minutes of waiting, the choir teacher ended a conversation with a student and took roll. Eventually, the students settled and we opened our folders. We sang through a terrible arrangement of a popular song. As we were singing, I noticed several students texting behind their music. Then, the teacher rehearsed the second sopranos for at least ten minutes (which means that she played their notes and they sang along), and the sopranos still had difficulties with the passage. The teacher moved on to different songs and the same pattern continued to occur. All of the students, including me, were bored and learned nothing from this class. Finally, the teacher gave up and the class ended the same way it began, with chaos and loud

conversation. I approached my choir teacher and we talked about music among other subjects. My teacher shared her goals for our choir with me, but she did not know how to effectively apply her aspirations. Inspiration from Experts Ultimately, my choir teacher needed to be more aware of the students. The objective of her classes was for the students to learn how to sing the music. There were few discussions about what we were learning. None of the students, including me, thought we were learning anything we would use in the future. I think the ideas of Critical Pedagogy could have been effectively used in this situation among others. Teachers should realize that students do not come into a classroom with no experience or knowledge about a subject. Having a view of students with empty minds is degrading the students and is far from the truth. According to John Dewey (1899-1924), He is already running over, spilling over, with activities of all kinds. He is not a purely latent being whom the adult had to approach with a great deal of caution and skill in order to draw out some hidden germ of activity. The child is already intensely active and the question of education is the question of taking hold of his activities, of giving them direction. Through direction, through organized use, they tend toward valuable results, instead of scattering or being left to merely impulsive expression. (MW 151)

Beginning with the students knowledge and building on it is easier than teaching disconnected concepts that will not become part of the students knowledge. Joan Wink (2011) supports Dewey and explains how teachers forget to consider what the student already knows. Teachers think that by skipping old material, more material can be covered. I think that covering familiar

material makes students confident in their knowledge, and new material can be understood faster. Wink (2011) also believes that some teachers disregard Deweys belief that students should be accepted as they are: Sometimes teachers dont want the students of today; they want the students of yesterday. This is not going to happen. I think that Dewey meant for us to accept the whole child, whatever the childs race, class, gender, language, and culture. (123) How can teachers forget that students are the focus of the classroom? Teachers probably have ideas of how students should learn and behave in their class, but the students will rarely live up to the teachers images. Paulo Freire (1993) has the same idea as Dewey. Wink (2011) recorded one of Freires speeches where he states, We assume that, before entering schools, students know nothing. (103) He also says a statement that explains students prior knowledge to the classroom: When kids come to school, they are already able to read the reality. Before reading the words, kids already read the world. (103) Many teachers never acknowledge these prior experiences and therefore never truly connect to their students. Freire also believes that teachers have a faulty concept of what the students are actually learning. The teacher may give students a test, but the students forget the information that they memorized. According to Freire, once students know the information, they have learned it. If the teacher learns along with the students, the environment will be more successful. Bernice McCarthy (2000) defines students unique ways of learning. She does not discriminate between gifted students and poor students. Since each student learns differently, the classroom should meet the needs of all of the students and their learning types. Unfortunately, many classrooms only cater to one type of student, making the classroom

environment unfair. McCarthy believes that learning starts and ends with the student. Before the student absorbs the material, the information is reflected upon, analyzed, and then applied. This cycle continues forever which results in constant learning: Learners grow to better questions, more complex understandings, and develop keener eyes for new experiences. (18) Students do not learn by absorbing information. Instead, they learn by internalizing and experiencing. Conclusion Ultimately, I do not think that my choir teacher knew the students. She may have had a conversation or two with some, but she never used that information to help the learning experience. I believe that she gave up on teaching altogether, dismissing the students abilities to become better musicians. The class could have discussed the music and could have done more active and involved activities. If the students felt valued as singers, they would have had a more enriching classroom experience.

Reference List McCarthy, Bernice. About Teaching: 4MAT in the Classroom. About Learning, Inc. Wauconda, IL. May, 2000 Wink, Joan. Critical Pedagogy: Notes from the Real World. 4th. Boston: Pearson, 2011. Print Simpson, D. J., Jackson, M. J. B., & Aycock, J. C. John Dewey and the art of teaching: Toward reflective and imaginative practices. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage, 2000