Comprehensive Exam for Music 130

Master of Music major in Music Education

Case Study/Situation
A student is constantly misbehaving in class. Every meeting, his attention is called for this misbehavior.
As a music teacher, how would you deal with this if you were a/an:
 Rationalist
 Empiricist
 Pragmatist

As a music teacher, one should have a clear knowledge on the characteristic features of each
philosophical viewpoint to be able to handle this specific classroom situation. Understanding the
classroom teaching strategies associated with each philosophical viewpoint can properly guide a teacher
to handle specific issues such as student misbehaviors.

As a Rationalist…

Rationalists see discipline as part of teaching. However, discipline is not an end in itself, but rather a
means of securing patterns of behavior that will eventually benefit the students. (Abeles et al., 1994, pp.
51) As a rationalist, I am strongly in favor of good discipline in classes because more effective learning
can take place in an organized situation. As a teacher, I should avoid improper behavior or what is
sometimes called the “artistic temperament”. I personify the reality of the adult world and I am capable of
commanding respect. So, I should have good skills in classroom management and discipline. I will not
allow the student’s bad behavior to continue for the rest of the semester because allowing this incorrect
behavior means showing the other students that it’s okay to misbehave in class. If I can be a good role
model to my students, I can also prevent them from developing undesirable behaviors. I should be more
interested in the subject of music rather than satisfying my ego.

Because rationalists love question-and-answer sessions with their students, I would try to constantly call
the attention of the student so that he/she will be engaged to a more purposeful conversation rather than
misbehaving in class or talking nonsense to the other students. In evaluating students, I should be more
concerned on the student’s broad understandings, not factual or specific information.
As an Empiricist…
As in the case of an Empiricist’s viewpoint for example, the teacher’s approach in handling the situation
may differ according to the grade level of the student (primary school or higher levels like secondary or
tertiary level). This is probably because the nature of music instruction differs somewhat according to age
level. Teachers of children like preschool or primary school are more inclined to favor natural
development (naturalist empiricist). On the other hand, most empiricists like directors of performing
organizations at the secondary school level or tertiary level believe in having students adhere to the rules
so that learning can take place and realities determined by experts are met.

If the student is a child, I would put my favor more on the naturalist-empiricist viewpoint. I believe that
children are naturally active and happy; and therefore misbehaving in class is part of their natural
behavior. I would want to determine the student’s interests in music so I can use it as an internal
motivator on the student to have a liking of the subject. For example, if the student prefers playing a
particular instrument rather than singing, then so be it. In time, the student will have a better appreciation
of the music subject and learn to love it. Disruptive behaviors are often caused by a child’s lack of interest
of the subject matter, but this can be changed by using the child’s interest as a motivation. Naturalist-
empiricists believe that a child’s natural development is the meaningful reality rather than structured
learning.

If the student is on the secondary level or higher levels, my approach would be different. As an empiricist,
educators put emphasis on learning the subject matter following a structure that is prescribed by the state
or the “experts" or creators of the education system. Imposing rules is important. I see myself as central in
the educational process and thus, any misbehavior in the classroom shall be dealt with accordingly. If the
root of the student’s attitude is more serious and includes past psychological or social problems, then I
would require opinions from experts in Psychology such as the school guidance counselor. After all,
empiricists place more reliance on the opinions of experts and authorities. Any situation that goes beyond
my subject of expertise will require the help of other experts.

In contrast with the naturalist viewpoint; if the student misbehaves because he is not interested in the
subject, I would not allow this reason to be the basis of altering what is inside the lesson content because I
believe these are the topics prescribed by the education system and are considered as useful and real.
While empiricists emphasize imparting knowledge, the teacher also has the responsibility of molding the
students just like artisan artist forming an object. Most of the older teachers favor this philosophical
viewpoint especially teachers in higher education.
As a Pragmatist…

Pragmatists propose the scientific method as the best means for determining reality. (Abeles et al., 1994,
pp. 50) To deal with this particular classroom problem, I would consider following a process similar to
Dewey’s steps of thinking. I would have to use the following steps as my guide:

* I have to know what the problem is.

* I have to gather information
* I have to make solutions.
* I have to test my hypotheses.
* I will analyze the data.
* Finally, I can make conclusions.

To know the reason as to why the student is constantly misbehaving, I have to gather some information
like the social and psychological background of the student concerned. This includes asking questions and
interviews with the student’s peers and the student’s guardians. From these data, I can make solutions and
test my hypotheses until I come up with a something that would show significant and useful results.
Compared to other approaches based on the two other philosophical viewpoints, this method is by far the
most systematic. It has clear steps that can guide me to determining the best solution for my problem.

On the other hand, As far as classroom discipline is concerned, pragmatists have often been accused of
being too lenient. That is because as a pragmatist, classroom behavior is a minor matter. For example, as
long as the student activity is purposeful and “on task”, it’s all right for the students to talk in class as
long as it pertains to the task at hand and is not social chatter.