A very informative and enlightening chapter this one was; gives me a lot of things to

consider when building my own unique teaching style over time. I enjoyed how this chapter

dared to consider the concept that seeming student attentiveness does not necessarily equate to

absorption and subsequent knowledge of topics discussed. I find myself particularly attached to

this discussion because of how much value I place on classroom engagement based on my past

experiences. Coming up through middle and highschool, I often had difficulty staying engaged in

classes where the format was the same every meeting. This is not because I did not care about

the subject at hand or the person teaching it, but because my mind often begins to wander when I

am not being engaged by the method of material delivery.

I also believe that there is a certain hive mind mentality that some get stuck in when

deciding to pursue teaching as a career. That just because a method works well for another

teacher or that it worked well in the past makes it the right method for their class. In short, this

answer to conducting a classroom just is not true. As the chapter states, we as teachers, in order

to improve the effectiveness of our teaching must think more in depth and systematically.

Meaning that, even though we may not think that we are doing anything wrong in our own

philosophies, we must observe the behaviors and responses of our students in order to cultivate

an environment that caters to the needs of the specific class one is teaching. There is no “one size

fits all” to teaching. It is a career built upon adaptation and connection, so, while one may have

all of the connection in the world with their class, the format may not necessarily be one that best

suits and supports the intellectual needs of the class. This can prove to be highly evident in the

everyday music classroom quite often. The teacher may come off as personable and fun,

allowing for students to connect with them more naturally, but the way in which the teacher may

be teaching parts, for example, by plucking notes on the piano, may not be very enriching for the
mind of a student. It can get redundant and repetitive. Long story short, I enjoyed the chapter

given and this was my favorite subject matter involved in it you could not already tell.