My name is Johannah Malebye. I am from small town called Hammaskraal. I have always wanted to be foundation phase teacher, looking back I  am so proud of myself because I'm currently pursuing what I have always wanted to become. I'm excited to be doing LSKM 221 this semester.

What are the most important aspects to keep in mind when planning a lesson?

The act of planning a lesson entails picturing the lesson before it occurs, prediction, anticipation, sequencing, organizing and simplifying are all part of this process. Teachers must make a variety of options when planning a lesson that are related to the following, the objectives to be met, the topic to be met. The people who will be taught, their backgrounds prior knowledge, age, interest. duties that will be provided, and the resources provided. I have also learned that when planning I have to think about my students and my teaching context first.

Value of utilizing arts integration and play in foundation phase lessons

I strongly believe integration of art into the curriculum for disciplines such as mathematics has been found to improve comprehension and retention as well as the development of creative problem solving skills. The art integration approach presents strategies that educators have long recognized.

Through art we can develop teaching and learning settings in which individuals learning needs are encouraged to exhibit their understanding. we can also construct teaching and learning activities that are inclusive and allows different ways to engage with and new knowledge and skills. students have the chance to not only study in a safe collaborating social setting, but also to demonstrate their understanding in a variety of ways.

Has my perception and priorities with regard to lesson planning and the inclusion of music throughout my teaching changed?

Yes I have gained so much insight, I have realized that a well thought lesson will organically evolve from lower to higher order thinking levels. in the beginning learners must be encouraged to engaged in free play, movement and imitation activities(bloom level 1-2), learners must explore and reflect ( bloom levels 3-5) finally in the final phase learners use the arts to communicate their understanding by making and presenting an artwork, musical performance ( bloom level 6).

I have learned that when arranging music sessions, I have to think about how my teaching and learning activities will fit in my students diverse needs and skills. I  must develop a teaching and learning environment in which all students feel welcomed, appreciated and as though they are part of something bigger. I must also create teaching and learning activities that take into account my students diverse learning styles and musical preferences as well as their social cultural backgrounds.

Art integration incorporates arts into the learning process by infusing music, dance, drawing, poetry and more into the curriculum. Art integration is very much useful and a necessity in the foundation phase because teaching through the arts can present concepts visually, making them easy to understands, furthermore learners can also develop problem solving skills.

Art integration gives teachers ample chance to support and enhance the developmental needs of learners as well as enabling learners to engage in learning activities that are fun, encouraging cooperate learning and enhance creativity.

Aspects of study unit 4 that I found interesting are:

I have discovered that Art integration can change the learning experience, because through the application of arts integration, we create teaching and learning environments that accommodate each individual learning capabilities and needs. enabling learners to demonstrate their understanding freely.

Aspects of study unit 4 that I found challenging are:

Strategies for integrating music with other subjects. As a teacher I think sometimes it is difficult to address outcomes of two subject at the same time.

In this study unit I discovered that within foundation phase context, play could be a principal learning alluring both the intellect and emotions of children because play supports cognitive growths and development, physical development as well as social and emotional development.

below is my answers regarding questions based on the unit 3 scenarios

What possibly made some learners uncomfortable during these activities?

Religious beliefs as in cultural system, belief system and worldviews that relate humanity to spirituality. Gender related problems and language of instruction.

Why were some learners uncomfortable?

The use of Zulu language, some students did not understand the language and were unable to make sense of the lyrics. Some girl was not happy to dance in front of boys and listen to house music due to religious reasons.

Can you think of ways to address these issues in future? what will you change?

The teacher should have used English song to cater for all the learners. As a future educator, I have to ensure that the language I use in the classroom is known by every learner, a classroom environment is where learners have to feel the need to learn which is why every learners diverse needs have to be accommodated.

I would change the type of play to open play where rules can may be changed according to the needs of children while playing. for example learners who don't want to dance in front of boys should not dance and those who don't want to dance to house music.

How can we accommodate diverse learners profile in our classrooms? what must we be aware of?

the needs of diverse learners have to come first. it is important to know what kinds of learners you are working with and plan a classroom design around their needs. we must take into account that learners respond to leaning based on readiness, interest, and learning profile.

I have discovered that music concepts helps learners to delve more deeply into the concepts behind specific subjects, below is a brief explanation of how music concepts relate to mathematics, life skills and language education.

mathematics 

certain music instruction including comprehensive instruction that includes training in keyboard skills develops spatial reasoning and spatial temporal reasoning skills which are fundamental to understanding and using mathematical ideas and concepts. According to Phillips-Silver& Trainor(2005) an emphasis on learning through play and other everyday experience can promote the learning of mathematical concepts such as patterning. for example teachers can use music concepts beat to teach fractions, by having students tap to the beat.

language education

of all the content area relationship between music language arts and music have one of the closest bonds, it is always good to learn a new language using music because language and music share the elements of pitch, timing and timbre. for example children become more familiar with these elements through musical instruction their language processing skills also improve as well as vocabulary growth.

Life skills

Rhythm, rhyme are part of the instructional process that can appeal to the learning styles of the learners. using music, fine arts, drama when teaching life skills develop self awareness and personal responsibilities.

After going through study unit 1, I have learned that music plays huge role in the foundation phase learners. By the time children enter school,they already have musical abilities for example rhythm and singing abilities but most of the case learners master certain skills sooner or later based on their prior experiences with music background and learning styles.

Music ignites all areas of child development and skills for school readiness,including intellectual,social-emotional,motor,language and overall literacy. Music also helps strengthen memory skills.