Professional Goals

I would like to work on my general conducting skills. In the past I have had inconsistent tempo, tending toward speeding up. This is an area that can only get better with practice. I think many of my problems stem from nerves, so the practice must be done in front of students to help calm the nerves.

I would like to learn more about repertoire and texts. There is so much out there in both Music and English that it is impossible to gain a working knowledge from classes at the university. There are databases, but the only good way to learn about new texts/repertoire is to work with them. This is something that I’m excited to do. I would like to see what the school has for sheet music and novels and how a one goes about ordering or borrowing from other sources.

This semester I will also be working with an English class a few times a week. Although it may be difficult because of time constraints, I would like to work on being prepared for each class. In the past I have created lesson plans that didn’t have enough content, or the students already knew everything in my plan. It is difficult to know how much to prepare in pre-internships and field placements because we are parachuted into classrooms. I would like to work on being over prepared. This is a new concept. As a student it seems as if the teacher knows exactly how much time each area will take and that they plan their lessons accordingly. It seems weird that they are always prepared to start up the next lesson on a moment’s notice. The concept seems easier in band because there is always more that can be done. This is something I would like to work on in a typical classroom setting.

My biggest goal is to learn how to rehearse groups. I have taken an English Language Arts Curriculum class along with other classes that have prepared me to teach in a standard classroom, but the music room is different. I am excited to work with the students and develop classroom management skills. I hope to find a balance between stern and friendly that works with the students. It is difficult to be too loose with the rules in a band class because of the noise level; once the students get distracted it is difficult to talk above the noise and get their attention back.   

Process Paper

This unit is designed for ELA A10. It is a thematic unit focusing on the Challenges of Life: Explaining the World Through Our Decisions. The unit is split into four sub-themes: How can decisions that are made for us by other people affect us?; how can regret and consequences shape who we become?; how can decisions regarding culture shape us?; and how can experience and history influence the decision making process (will we always make the same decisions as we have in the past?). This unit is an important part of this course because decisions are something grade 10 students must consider now more than any other time in their lives so far. It is important for the students to make informed decisions. Reading literature about decision making and witnessing how people have handled scenarios is important on helping the students to grow and learn. They can learn from both good and bad decisions, which is why there are so many suggested texts for this unit. 

A technique used in each sub-section is questionnaires or “opinionaires.” These are filled out by the students so the teacher can have a better understanding of the students’ prerequisite knowledge of the topic.

Unit goals are indicated as they are in the curriculum: CR (Comprehend and Respond), CC (Compose and Create), AR (Assess and Reflect). Several specific outcomes from each of these categories are listed within each sub-section. For each outcome there are several indicators listed in the curriculum. Although the unit goals are obviously represented the objectives could be clearer. The objectives might included: Students Will Be Able To: reflect upon their decisions in their journals, make decisions about their portfolios and improve on their portfolios based on knowledge gained from the unit.

There aren’t many prerequisite skills needed for this unit, except for those gained in all previous English classes. Anything out of the ordinary will be covered in the unit. Although time was not included for it in the unit, class time would be allotted to teach/demonstrate how to create, maintain and update a portfolio. This can be a large task to take on for many students, but it is a great skill to learn. Other challenging aspects of the unit include writing an apology letter or a letter of forgiveness. This is difficult for many people, but it is often especially difficult for teenagers. Another assignment asks students to write a persuasive piece about their favourite text being banned. This assignment might be difficult for some students as it requires a more sophisticated and refined writing style.

This unit focuses primarily on discussion based learning. There are no tests in the middle or end of this unit. The unit’s assessment methods are primarily for learning. The portfolio can always be built upon and encourages further learning and development. This unit may have to be adjusted in the classroom if the students do not respond to discussion based learning. It would be great to incorporate some real life decisions into the unit, but this can be a little sensitive. The students would benefit from speaking with people who have made bad decisions in the past, but this can be a difficult thing to do.