KARIN VAN TONDER
What a week!
I am permanently employed at one of our local schools and COVID has hit our staff in full steam for the first time. I have been filling in for teacher who are in isolation for the past three weeks. Balancing studies and work has become a challenge this new semester. But, this too shall pass.
This week I was yet again reminded of the importance that the holistic development of a child plays in a classroom. To achieve this, focus was placed on the incorporation of music in the educational process. It is not always the first strategy that comes to mind, but it is a brilliant one!
I feel confident that I will be able to teach music through movement in the foundation phase. I am very aware of the gross- and fine motor movements that are essential for development amongst children. I will incorporate music into my current teaching practice in order to solidify the embedment of knowledge. This will be achieved by stimulating all of the senses. Associating a certain movement with a new topic will help learners to recall what has been learned as well as to make connection between previous and new knowledge.
If I have to choose between musical and physical education; I would hands down choose musical education. I feel that this will better meet the holistically development needs of learners in the foundation phase. This is because music can be stretched to aid every development factor of a child. Their cognitive development is stimulated by interpreting the meanings of the lyrics. They show personal development by developing a unique taste in music. They develop social by finding others who have the same musical interest as they do. They show emotional development by showing empathy towards the lyrics. And the develop physically when using dance with music.
Musical education does not only encourage holistic development, but it also teaches skills that are academically necessary. It teaches numeracy by counting the beat, language skills by broadening vocabulary, creativity by encouraging learners to create their own music, problem solving by letting them figure out what note has been played and it helps with midline crossing when dancing.
Final Blog Post-34276696
26 Oct 2021, 14:21
What a journey it has been! This semester has been the most challenging one thus far; professionally and personally. It is also the semester that has caused the most growth of myself as a future educator. I have learned to manage my life in a more balanced way.
LSKM 221 has given me a fresh perspective on music in the foundation phase. I am not going to lie... I also over looked music when it comes to teaching and assessment in the foundation phase, but I am now equipped with the knowledge of how beneficial it is for the holistic development of young learners. I am now much more confident in my ability to teach music in the foundation phase, as I now have many more ideas and concepts to apply.
My individual reflection gave me the opportunity to see where I was still lacking knowledge and always kept me on track with the work. I found that collaborative reflections were more challenging than my own individual reflection. Trying to have a conversation between a group of people seemed difficult when not everyone responded. If I had to do the blog over I would've definitely spent more time on it, rather than having it a bit as an after thought.
Honestly all of the content in this study unit seemed meaningful and interesting to me. I would, however, have liked to see more practical examples for activities that could be used in the classroom. I haven't done music since primary school and I am still a bit unsure on how to integrate music into the classroom environment.
I will do my best to integrate music into my classroom in the future.