Study Unit 5

Hello everyone, trust that you are ready for the last stretch of the year. I cannot believe that we are nearing the end of the semester and this module. Time has gone by so fast. I am starting to feel the exhaustion of managing all my responsibilities, and am looking forward to a summer vacation.

Study unit 5 was probably the most difficult to unit for me. For some reason I struggled to make the content my own and to develop a clear guideline for myself of the practical application and assessment of music lessons where musical outcomes are the primary goal.

Having learnt so much during the semester about music and teaching music I was quite confident in my skill and understanding, yet when I thought about assessment I felt very uncertain. How will I be able to instruct music if I am not fully comfortable/knowledgeable with the instruction thereof? As a direct result of my self-doubt and uncertainty I almost immediately felt overwhelmed by the idea of creating assessment activities for music specific outcomes.

Assessment in itself is an important tool for any teacher. How else are we going to determine if we were successful in all our teaching endeavours? Assessment provides a set guideline for effectively measuring so many aspects of the teaching and learning events. Both the teacher and learner is afforded the opportunity to determine their successes as well as their shortcomings.

I can understand that some might think that assessment is not suited to the foundation phase music instruction, as it provides a free and safe environment wherein learners may create and interpret as they form their own understanding and interpretation. Assessment would then be very limited as you do not want to discourage learner engagement. Assessment can also be somewhat tricky, as the degree of assessment may be a challenging as the establishment of a baseline is not as simple as it may seem. Many factors contribute and are worth considering in determining a baseline. So much focus is put on other subjects as they have much more clearly definable lesson outcomes and is restricted to one element or subject matter. Music has the luxury of options and with such luxury comes the difficulty of choosing. A variety of elements could be considered as assessment activities or possible outcomes. So how do you choose one above the other?

I thought a lot about this and really struggled to come to a simple solution. The table with the different categories of assessment of, for and as learning helped put everything in perspective and simplified assessment for me. I am now able to think of different types and ways of assessment that involves music and the arts.

Should I consider motivating for or highlighting the importance of assessment in situations where these are not considered to be much of a priority? Most definitely yes!

Assessment allows time for reflection and improvement. It is not a burden or a measure of failure, rather a guide as to what are the goals, are they measurable and was these met effectively or how can I better myself. We as teachers encourage learning and that learners do their best. We hold learners accountable and I think we should measure ourselves at an even higher standard. Our learners and classrooms are always going to be evolving and if we do not take time to reflect and measure our efforts how are we going to stay relevant and adaptable. Assessment is the answer and key to betterment and ensuring effectiveness in my opinion.

Hopefully we share at least some of the same ideals for our future classrooms and may we all find the relevance and value of self-reflection through assessment.

Enjoy your week!