#Intro

"Simplicity! is a trademark of a genius," Robin Sharma said that, so being the 'genius' that I am I'm throwing myself right into this... I actually didn't want to become a Foundation Phase teacher!!! Yip!! you read right, the Universe guided me right into this career, I'll tell you why in a bit.  Hellow, fellow teachers my name is Bibi Loonat, I am from Rustenburg and I am passionate about making a difference and that's the reason why I  want to become a Foundation Phase teacher.  To make a difference!  in the lives of the learners, I am teaching and the Universe is spot on!  LSKM 221 feels 'alien' to me right now, I guess it's like they say in the movie Star Trek "the beginning of a new frontier, where no (wo)man has ever been before", yep that's me. and LSKM 221.  My expectations about this module are based on my own expectations and I best manage that, so at the end of this module, I would like to first pass this module and at the same time be able to plan creative, exciting, and fun music activities for my learners that would develop them holistically.

#Part 1 

It's Friday the 13th, 09h30PM and I am exhausted, I had a very challenging week with lots of jump-scares and I would have preferred just munching on PoP corn and watching a scary movie wait!!!! I forgot I am a distance learner isn't that scary enough.  Having a very demanding full-time job and studying a very demanding course like B. Ed Foundation Phase with soooo many modules and soooo many requirements leaves me tired just thinking about nothing.  

#Part 2

They say "if music is the food of love then play on," I say if music is able to holistically develop a learner then let's play on.  The content that grabbed my attention and is inspiring, is the way music is able to support the learners cognitive physical, social, personal and emotional development and at the same time, they are able to experience learning/developing through fun musical activities and that is the keynote. 

#Part3 

Vygotsky's Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD) refers to the area between what a learner is able to achieve on their own and what they are able to achieve with assistance. ZPD provides a setting in which social interaction with a more experienced peer or adult (teacher) fosters learning.  It is the area where a learner is able to practice a skill or task with supervision.  ZPD guides teachers to assist learners in becoming more successful at learning. 

Here's me standing on the shoulders of giants unpacking what I understand of their great research and findings:

Erikson's Psychosocial development: Erikson believed that personality develops sequentially through eight phases of psychosocial development, from infancy to maturity. Throughout each stage, the child goes through a psychological crisis, which can have a good or bad impact on their personality and it can either positively or negatively impact their development for example if they experienced a sense of fear during their development this may create a learner who lacks the confidence to explore and make connections. As a foundation phase teachers using psychosocial development in the classroom I can create a secure atmosphere in which each learner feels valued and confident to explore new information and make new connections instead of them allowing fear to hinder learning.

Piaget's 4 Stages of Cognitive Development; Sensorimotor Stage birth to 2 years, Preoperation Stage ages 2-7, Concrete operation stage 7 to 11, Formal Operation 12 to...: His theory seeks to comprehend not only how children acquire knowledge, but also the nature of intelligence. Piaget believed that children actively participate in the learning process, behaving much like tiny researchers as they conduct experiments, make observations, and learn about the world. As children engage with their surroundings, they constantly acquire new knowledge, expand on current knowledge, and alter previously held beliefs to fit new information.  As a Foundation Phase teacher, I will use Piaget's theory to become more active in my learners learning journey, to encourage them to be active and stay engaged in their learning experience. Additionally,  I will use his theory to plan and use strategies that are aligned to their age.

Vygotsky Zone of Proximal Development: As a foundation phase teacher I will use a scaffolding strategy to assist learners in their ZPD  by giving learners clues and cues during the lesson to help them until they are able to master the skill.

Confidence! What confidence! What I need is Godfidence to steer me through this journey of musical discovery.  As matter of fact, I serendipitously make use of music to a great extent in the classroom. Whilst working through this module the golden nuggets of using music is unfolding; Alas! I am sure I will be able to gain the confidence to use music more effectively and more explicitly to derive greater results for my learners.

Hmm, Music or Physical Education? right now considering that I am a novice with this concept of using music to promote learners holistic development,  I would choose Physical Education. I am confident with the theoretical framework and my ability to use physical education to promote holistic development.  Furthermore, I have been using music as my secret sauce during physical education to add a dimension of fun and excitement; Pssst... shhh... that may just change, as soon as I have mastered using Music instead to develop learners holistically. 

This is me signing off... until I blog again...