At the beginning of the semester I was very unsure of this module and how it would fit into the course. I was also scared because I did not know a lot about music and performing arts. As the semester went on, I gained the knowledge about it with each study unit and it put me more and more at ease as I also saw how the study units integrated into each other with its individual content. I am more confident with the knowledge and skills that I have gained to one day use this information and practises in my own classroom. I feel like my abilities have grown in such a positive way and that my attitude has definitely changed from negative (being scared) to positive (being excited). It has broadened my perspective so much. I am much more confident in my abilities as a future teacher.

I learned a lot from these individual reflections. It taught me how to integrate music and arts into the classroom, what I need to do as a teacher when it comes to performing arts and music integration, how important it is and it made me realise how fun it actually is, not only for the learner but also for the teacher. At times I found it very challenging to understand some of the content that was presented. I especially struggled with Study unit 5.

The individual reflections was indeed very meaningful. It allowed me not to only read and learn the content that was being taught but to internalize the information. It helped me to really gain insight into the content and reflect on it. I believe that the individual reflections was an interesting way for me to actually think deeply about the content that was being taught. 

For the activities that was suggested I would definitely add more videos to demonstrate that would actually demonstrate how to do the activities in the classroom. I believe that this would help a lot especially the visual and auditory learners. 

What I found interesting and meaningful was how arts and music can be integrated into a lot of other subjects and the benefits of integrating it into your everyday classroom as well as into each subject. Integrating arts does also help learners to develop holistically. It was also interesting to see and learn exactly how inclusive arts integration is. I found it hard to fully understand how and why music changed the lives of learners because not a lot of information was given about it. I also struggled a bit to understand how some teacher may have a negative attitude towards the integration of arts into their everyday classroom. To be honest, there was not a lot that I did not find valuable for my future teaching practise. I think that everything that was handled in LSKM was very meaningful and valuable and it helps to shape you as a future teacher in a great way.

I enjoyed this module very much and also enjoyed the fact that we could actually learn from each other as well especially with the blog posts! I will definitely miss doing these blogs and reading others' blogs! 

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

I think that some of the possible reasons can be that the teachers attitude towards performing arts and music in general is negative. They do not see Performing Arts and music as a necessity and therefore will not make the assessment of Performing Arts and music a priority. The teachers knowledge about exactly how to incorporate music and performing arts into the classroom could be inadequate and that leads to him/her just simply not including it into the lessons which then has the effect of no assessment of performing arts and music.  The assessment could be neglected because teachers do not find it valuable for them or for the learners.

• 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 would advocate and heighten awareness about the importance of assessment by telling her that the assessment is beneficial to both the learner and the teacher. Assessment enables the learner to reflect on their own progress and lets the teacher keep record of the learners progress. It also shows the teacher where the learner still struggles which then enables the teacher to help the learner in a more specific way that caters to the specific learner. I would also show her the possible methods and ways that she can use to assess the learners. I will make sure that she is informed about all the possible benefits of assessment and that she knows how to execute the assessment as well as how to incorporate the assessment of learners into her classroom daily. I will also show her and teach her that it is not something to be afraid of, but something that she and the learners will enjoy.

Hello everyone!  

I think some learners were uncomfortable because the song that learners were singing was not understood by all the learners as they do not all speak the same language and that made it a bit hard for them to enjoy the activity or to fully participate in the activity. One activity made some learners uncomfortable because what was happening or was required went against her religion e.g. she is not allowed to dance in front of boys or to dance to certain music.

Some of the learners could have a very low self-esteem and will feel like they are unable to do certain things like dance infront of others, or they can also feel that they are being judged. Learners can also be very shy to partake in certain activities that involves them doing it infront of the whole class or they have a fear that they will be ridiculed by their peers. The learners in the classroom is diverse, their religion, languages, cultures may allow some things and may not allow other things. If the class activities goes against the rules of their cultures, religions etc. it can cause them to feel uncomfortable because they may not participate in the activities and they will not enjoy the activity. The language that is being used can also be a barrier and make it hard for learners to understand what is being said or done. The activities may also be difficult for learners to do due to certain disabilities.  

In the future, I think it would be wise to take into consideration the different types of learners in your classroom. Get the parents of the children involved and ask them about the things learners are allowed to do and what things learners are not allowed to do. Develop activities that is inclusive and still respects and celebrates the differences between learners. An example is to develop an activity where one group of learners sings, another group plays instruments and the other group dances. For the learners with disabilities, assign a peer that can help them do movements and for language, teach the songs to learners in different languages.

Diverse learner profiles can be accommodated by including all the different learning styles in all our classroom activities/lesson plans. The learners different cultures, backgrounds and religious differences should be taken into consideration at all times. We must beware of marginalizing learners, this will make them feel excluded and not valued. We must create a learning environment where all learners feel safe, accepted, loved and welcome.

Thank you for reading and please remember to stay safe!

I believe that arts integration is a way to make learning fun for the learners. It enables you as the teacher to reach outcomes and teach two or more subjects simultaneously. It also enables you as the teacher to include the various learning styles that are in your classroom. It is student-centred which makes provision for interactive lessons in your class. It is a practical, relaxing and creative way for learners to showcase what they already know as well as what they have learned. It allows learners to internalise the new skills and knowledge that have been taught as the activities that they do have real-life value. Arts integration is also a way for you as the teacher to make sure that you keep the learners attention and at the same time teach them the value of arts and encourage them to love arts. The integration of arts helps learners develop emotionally, physically and socially. When they do something successfully they feel proud of themselves which helps them to build a positive self-esteem and also confidence. They interact with their peers which builds social skills, they learn to have empathy, if they sing, their vocabulary expands and their language is also developed. This all will help learners to be motivated and do better academically. I believe that the integration of arts is only beneficial to learners because it helps the Foundation phase learner develop so much and in so many different areas of their lives and in the phase where the development of these little children is so crucial still.

What I found to be the most interesting was to learn that the integration of arts helped to better learners’ mathemathical performance. When you think of arts and you think of maths they seem like the two subjects that has the most difference between them but this just goes to show on how inclusive arts integration really is. I also found it interesting to learn that art changes learners’ lives and why and how it changes their lives.

I found the theoretical part of the study unit a bit challenging, the reason for this is because I did not know that music can be learned from in so many different ways. The little information on how and why arts changes children was also challenging for me. I would have loved if there were more information included on that topic so that it is fully comprehended.

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 would definitely choose indigenous African music. Music has a lot of benefits and I think that indigenous African music has a more special benefit. Learners in m classroom grew up and are growing up with indigenous African music. It has been with them since they were born. It speaks of their different cultures and can promote culture within children which I think is extremely important. It is something that must be kept alive. It is something that connects the old and the young as it is passed down from generation to generation. It has unique stories behind it and also has unique sounds. Indigenous African music can teach learners about diversity. It teaches learners to respect each others cultures and religions and celebrate as well as to celebrate the differences among people. Learners learn about each others cultures, religions and music. It lets learners share a piece of who they are, which builds on their self-confidence/self-esteem. Indigenous African music on its own is education as it tells stories about historical events and people, it tells stories about certain traditions and there are also songs that makes reference to the environment. The development of interpretative skills takes place when the child participates in drumming, music interpretation through dancing as well as group-clapping. Learners are able to internalise and learn different rhythms through indigenous African music. It also develops learners’ language as indigenous African music uses phrases, expressions and idiomatic language. This type of music develops learners holistically and will also be beneficial to the national economy. Learners’ career preparation will benefit as well as cultural awareness with indigenous African music. Indigenous African music could also teach learners to express their emotional state and feelings toward other. This helps learners to develop emotionally.

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

I do not think that the examples and the content are inclusive. With almost every suggestion or example that is made, a child with some form of disibility is left out of the activity. Little to no provision is made for the deaf, blind, physically disabled learner that you may have in your classroom.

3. What   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.

Organize activities so that there are different ways to do things that will allow all the learners specifically those with different disabilities to participate in every activity that is presented. To be more inclusive, the use of facial expressions can also be incorporated into music activities with hand gestures constantly so that the deaf learner will become familiar with certain musical elements as deaf children learn a lot by watching and doing. The deaf learner can also feel the vibration of the sound by holding an inflated balloon in front of a speaker. For the learner that is physically disabled you can let them nod their head to the beat of the music. Learners with disabilities can be assigned a moving partner that helps them to do the activities. For the blind learners, print music activities in braile. For the student who has difficulty reading, provide large visual musical instructions and read the instructions.