This week has to be the best one in a very long time, since I am FINALLY on holiday! I couldn't be more exited even if I tried. But to be honest, this actually just means that I can work on my final tests and assignments the whole day, instead of at night time. What a bummer! Still, no alarms, no 5am gym classes and no children for a whole week! 

This study unit was a hard one for me to get through, as it was quite long and honestly, big portfolios just feel more important right now. However, I was pleasantly surprised to learn so much more about integrating all forms of art in new ways that I have never thought about. One activity that I would try to use is integrating life skills with music.There are sooo many creative and interesting songs on YOuTube where familiar tunes are used to carry a meaningful message. I would encourage my students to make use of it at home as well. I personally catch myself frequently singing the same song that I heard on the radio over and over. Why not make use of the catchy songs that will get stuck in our heads, to learn children about the world around them?

I can't believe this is my final blog entry, but also my final assignment for my final year of studies. I have come such a long way and let me tell you its has not been easy. With this being said, I have learnt to much about myself and the amount of stress that I can actually handle, that I  am really surprised myself. So lets get it on with....

LSKM has opened my eyes to the world of music. By this time it is no secret that I have zero musical skills or training, but this module gave me some confidence in myself that I did not have. I have learnt that you don't have to have the best singing voice, or 15 years of instrument experience to incorporate music into your classroom.

This module has also been a though one. The amount of work I had to go through to master each study unit was no joke. So I must say that the work load has been very challenging. However, by reflecting on each study unit in these blogs, I was forced to really reflect on what I have learnt, instead of just cramming everything in and forgetting everything a week later. 

I truely enjoyed this module and I will definetely incorporate it into my classroom next year. 

I cannot believe that it is already the end of October and we are starting to end off our year. For me, this is my final year, which means, next year I become a teacher. I still cannot believe it is all finally almost over. With that being said, there is still so much that must happen within the next month, the stress is just unbelievable. But for now, I will stop rambling and focus on the questions on hand. 

The most important aspect when planning a lesson, for me, is the structure of the lesson. From personal experience I have seen how fast a lesson can fall apart when you are not prepared and do not know how to present which information in what order. Being prepared with a structured lesson will make me as a teacher more relaxed in front of my class and will help the lesson to make more sense to the students. 

The value of art integration in the foundation phase lessons are so vast that it is naive of a teacher to think that they can simply leave it out. For the most basic reason, as that different students have different interestes and it is our responsibility as a teacher to acknowledge and respect this uniqueness. We cannot simply give maths lessons, simply because we understand it ourselves. We must go out of our way to give those students who think different, an opportunity to be stimulated. 

My perseption on music lessons in general has changed so much. I think I was always very afraid of music lessons, as I have zero knowledge thereof. This module has tought me that a little bit of effort goes as long way and my class will only benefit from me going out of my way to support different learners. 

Hi, it's me again. 

This week was extremely challenging for me. As mentioned before, I work at a school for special needs children: children with ADHD. ASD (spectrum children), OCD, anxiety....basically, you name it, they have it. In a class with 10 children, one being missing makes a huge difference! So this week, one of the most extreme cases came back to school (after two weeks having covid). And to say it bluntly, he disturbed the whole class. His constant talking encouraged the others to completely lose it and made it very hard to stay possitive. But...here we are, doing assignments on the weekend and not being overly exited.

As mentioned before, I have little to no experience and knowledge of music. I grew up playing sports and never had any interest in music. Therefore, this module is extremely challenging for me. 

What this module tought me, was that music is truely an inclusive subject. I always thought that, I don't know anything about music, so I simply can't do it. This module explained various ways in which all children in my class, no matter their culture or experience, can participate in music at school. I also understood the music elements (on a very basic level) for the first time. This study unit really explained the elements in a very simple way which also made me more open to reading it. 

The thing that stood out to me the most about this study unit, was reading the number of ways in which I can incorporate music into my class. I always thought that I had to be able to play piano to teach music. But I now understand that I can introduce my students to the subject in so many other ways. 

I also loved the different ideas that was included into the study unit. Someone like me can feel very overwhelmed by trying to find a place to start. By giving us these ideas, it gave me a place where I can start to do reasearch about more music ideas. 

I am still trying to be more enthusiasctic about this module, but it is growing on me the further we are getting.

Okay, it's time for me to sign off now...have a lovely week.