What a semester it has been! I must admit I have found this to be the most stressful semester since I have started studying and am so glad that it is coming to an end. I have found that there have been so many issues and unfortunately the lecturers this semester haven’t always been the most helpful or very good at returning emails or communicating with the students which is a great pity as I don’t think they realise how much extra stress that puts on the students.

I have also had a lot more responsibility put on me at school which is always difficult to balance between varsity work and school stuff, although school does pay the bills so that sometimes means varsity work takes a back step.

Reflection:

1. What was your experience of the role of individual reflection as part of the teaching and learning process? Use the following prompts to reflect on your blogging experience and the role that individual reflection played (or not) in your teaching and learning experience this semester:

• What did you learn from your individual reflections?

Honestly, my individual reflections haven’t been the most informative as it is not something I do in my normal day to day life. They have unfortunately sometimes been just something extra that we have needed to do when I could have been focusing on an assignment or work that I needed to go through. I am quite an intuitive person naturally so don’t need to write it down in order to reflect.

• What did you find challenging?

The challenging part of the semester was the group project. Not challenging in terms of workload but the fact that I honestly did not see the benefit of working in a group. In my group, I have about 2 other people who actually joined the discussions constructively and worked properly in the group. I understand that in group projects there are always those that don’t pull their weight but when it comes to doing it via distance there is a whole other matter that one needs to take into consideration.

• Did you find the individual reflections meaningful? Please motivate your answer.

As mentioned previously, for me the reflections were not too meaningful but that is just who I am and how my brain works. Writing the reflections did not change how and what I learnt.

• What would you change if you had the opportunity in future?

I don’t think that the reflections are a necessary part of the module unless there is ongoing interaction with someone. It was basically like writing in a diary which we could all do on our own if we wanted to.

2. Please share what you would change in the LSKM221 module if you had the opportunity. The following prompts can guide your reflection:

• What did you find interesting and meaningful?

I really enjoyed learning about all the different concepts and parts of music that one needs to take into consideration for music. I loved that there were ideas of how they could be implemented and used in the classroom.

• What challenged you, and what do you still struggle to understand?

The different aspects of music such as beat, tempo as well as the texture etc. of music. I think it is something that one just needs to continue to be exposed to in order to understand more.

• What didn’t you find valuable for your future teaching practice?

I wouldn’t say that it wasn’t valuable but found that it has been repeated in a number of modules and that is the information from study unit 1. I do believe that the learning theories have been repeated in so many of our modules so far that I don’t think it is necessary to be repeated in this one as well.

Thank you for all your hard work and for always trying your hardest to explain the information to us as in-depth as you can. I have definitely learnt more about music itself and this will be valuable going forward.  

I feel that I have started every blog off by saying how busy I have been and honestly, this blog is no different. I am in charge of the school concert this year so school is rather hectic getting that all into gear as well as sorting doing my term planning for class. This is all-over and above my varsity work so it really does feel like I am being pulled in a million different directions. In some ways, varsity work did take a slight break with recess but we still have lots of assignments and tests dues which can sometimes feel like it is never-ending.

Being a teacher already with several years of experience I definitely understand the importance of assessment and it was great to read through the information in the Study Unit and be reminded about all the different aspects that it entails. I also found it interesting to read through the food for thought and suggestions when for when it comes to planning a music lesson.

Reflection

• What could the possible reasons be that assessment is neglected in Performing Arts and Music in the Foundation Phase?

I think assessment for performing arts and music can often be overlooked as teachers often have the view that it is not as important as the languages, mathematics as well as other more traditional subjects that are taught. The general view of traditional old school education is not one of encouraging the arts but focusing more on languages, the sciences as well as mathematics.  I think another reason that it may be overlooked is that the teachers themselves are not interested or are not knowledgeable enough to be able to assess the children or even know what to look for when assessing.

• Please explain how you would advocate for and heighten awareness about the importance of assessment when speaking with your HOD about your concerns in this regard.

I agree with the notion that that assessment is important in all subjects and Performing Arts and Music are no exception. When talking to the HOD I would make sure that I voiced my opinions clearly and respectfully and in a way that would not seem like I think I know better than they do. I would explain that I believe that Performing arts and Music have so many benefits for the children and can really be applied to so many aspects of the curriculum, not only in their set lessons. When it comes to assessment I believe that it is important to be able to give the children and parents feedback on how their children are doing in all aspects of the school curriculum. Another reason is that Performing Arts and Music falls under life skills and incorporates so many of the fundamental life skills that children need to learn and develop while in our care, so by assessing these we can ensure that the children have been able to grasp those skills.

In the end, I know that teachers have such varying views on what they believe that children should and shouldn’t learn and some teachers put more emphasis on some things than others. We as teachers need to be able to develop the children as a whole and expose them to as much as we can, and I believe that the Performing Arts and Music is an essential part of the curriculum.

I don’t even want to talk about the last week as it has honestly been filled with stress. The WIL module co-operative learning project is taking up a lot of my time and has become very frustrating as I am the group leader and we have one member in our group that is just not submitting her tasks etc on time. We have constantly to remind her and then when she does send something in it’s just the bare minimum done to say that she has submitted. I am hoping that over the next few days it sorts itself out as I honestly don’t think it’s fair on anyone to have to work in a group with a member who does not contribute and holds everything back.

Other than that my week has gone well and I feel that I am learning a lot in all of my modules.

I found this study unit to be very informative and it was really interesting to delve into play more as I think a lot of people know that it’s important but they don’t understand exactly why. It was so interesting to learn about the different types of plays. I would say the one part of the study unit that stood out for me is the 7 elements of play as it really taught me to think about play differently.

Reflection

• What possibly made some learners uncomfortable during these activities?
  • Singing the song that is not in their mother tongue – they are not sure how to pronounce the words and might feel embarrassed when trying.
  • Passing the stone – the children who battle with multitasking might battle to sing and pass the stone.
  • Dancing in a circle – the shy or more reserved children would not like this as it would draw attention to themselves. They might not enjoy performing in front of the group.

• Why were some learners uncomfortable?
  • Singing the song in Zulu – as they did not understand the words or what they were singing.
  • Dancing in front of the boys due to religious reasons.

• Can you think of ways to address these issues in future? What will you change?
  • Singing in a different language – translate the song for the children before expecting them to sing, dance or perform to it.
  • Allow the children time before performing or dancing etc. to talk to you alone if they have any concerns.
  • Be aware of any concerns previously spoken about it a take those into account when preparing a lesson.
  • Find out about any religious or personal restrictions the students may have at the beginning of the year from the children, office or previous teachers.

• How can we accommodate diverse learner profiles in our classrooms? What must we beware of?
  • We need to be aware of any religious or personal restrictions that the children may have when they first start in our class.
  • Plan lessons that can accommodate these e.g. the girls could have been in one group and the boys in another or that girl could always be in a group with other girls when it comes to dancing.
  • Be open and willing to hear from the children if they do have something that might restrict what and how they do it.

Wow! What a week! I just feel that there are not enough hours in the day to get everything done, between teaching and having to complete observations etc and all the assignments are due soon at varsity I just don’t know how I am going to fit it all in. Guess it is just a matter of plodding along and getting it done bit by bit.

While working through this study unit I have been very interested to learn more about the different aspects such as texture, form and timbre and exactly what they mean musically. I have always heard these phrases and taught them on a very basic level but it’s nice to actually learn about them in a more formal way. It will definitely help impact my music lessons more positively.

Reflection

1. As a Foundation Phase teacher, you have to choose between utilising indigenous African music, Western Art music or contemporary commercial music (including popular music and film music) in your classes. Which would you choose? Please motivate your answer.

I find this quite difficult to answer as I believe that all those have a place in the classroom and obviously have their positives and negatives. If I could only choose one I might have to choose Western Art music. The reason I say this is because I believe that it is a lot more inclusive than just using African indigenous music and it is also better known to more of the children in the class. I am also a lot more confident in using them. I like the idea of using commercial music but I think it can be rather tricky as they often use questionable lyrics.

2. Do you think that the examples and content offered in SU 2 are inclusive? Please motivate your answer.

Yes, I definitely think it was inclusive as it gave some examples of different types of music and it also gave a lot of ideas that can be used in both a well-resourced and poorly resourced school.

3. What suggestions do you have for making the content more inclusive? Please provide examples of how the content and activities presented in SU 2 could be changed or adapted to be more inclusive.

I would love to see and hear more examples of each of the different types of activities that can be used more in an under-resourced school. I would also love to see more examples of songs and musical activities that are different from just Afrikaans and South African languages, I think a more global appeal would help include even more children as these days we have children in our class from all over the world.

I would never have thought that this was a  short week this week at work because it definitely was a busy one! I have definitely used this weekend to catch up on odds and ends and hopefully I will see the top of the mountain soon!

I would say that I am somewhat confident in teaching music in Grade R but I have not had any experience with teaching it in the other grades. The Primary school that I did work in at one stage in the past had their own music teacher so this meant that the children would go there for lessons and it was not the class teachers responsibility to teach them music. When it comes to integrating music into my class I think I am a lot more confident than just teaching music practically. I love music and think that involving it into everyday lessons makes it a lot more fun and exciting for the children. It does not only mean that one needs to have it as part of the lesson part but I often play soft relaxing classical music to my children while they are working and they really do enjoy it and helps them focus more on the task at hand.

If I had to choose between music or physical education, I do think that this would be a difficult choice. On one hand the children these days don’t always get the exercise that they need and therefore could really benefit from physical education classes. I do think that I would eventually choose music for a number of reasons.

• I could still involve movement into their daily routine through music, both fast and slow more calming mediations.
• The songs I choose could help with language development, learning of sounds as well as other concepts.
• Music has been proven to help the brain develop and help the children develop intellectually
• Music and songs can be used in many different sections of a lesson
  • Introduction – to create interest
  • Brain breaks – when children have been working for a while and need time to move and stretch in order to help with concentration.
  • Between different lessons – especially if the children are not moving to a different class. It can be used to indicated that one lesson is over and we are now moving into another lesson on a different subject.

• Hello there
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• My name is Taryn and I am 36 year years old. I live in a small coastal town on the KZN South Coast called Amanzimtoti, which is actually the town that I was born and raised. I did move away for a few years back moved back home. I lived in Austin, Texas for a few years while Aupairing and this really opened my eyes up to the wonders of looking after and caring for children. I think this is when I truly realised that I wanted to teach. After returning to South Africa I soon found a teaching job at a small Pre-Primary School Durban and have worked in a Pre-School environment ever since. I am currently teaching Grade R. 
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• The Foundation phase is such a special time in a child's life and I believe that we can really make a difference not only in the child's life but also their perception of school and education. We want to create a fun and creative learning environment where the children realise that learning can be fun. I want to be there for that phase of learning and am just so excited to see just how much the children learn and are capable of. 
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• My passions, other than teaching, is running, spending time with my friends and family and God. I think it is so important for one to have a variety of interests and passions to broaden their horizons and truly get the best out of what life has to offer. 
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• I am really excited to see what LSKM has in store for us this semester and am really hoping that I can learn new and exciting things that I can implement into my daily teaching. I always look at all the assignments and things that are released at the beginning of the semester and feel overwhelmed but I know by doing things step by step I will get through it.  I would love to learn more about music in the Foundation Phase and exactly what is expected, how I can improve my musical knowledge and become more confident when preparing and presenting a music lesson. 
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