As an LSKM student my attitude  when we were first introduced in this module was  very negative I had little to no background knowledge or skills on how I would tackle this module, I did not know much about music in the foundation phase and or how to integrate music with other subjects.

From the individual reflection I really learnt alot from learning how to create Musica games and how to integrate and introduce music in other subjects like maths and life skills 

I found the individual reflections very meaningful because after every study unit I reflected on how I would tackle the assignment and tests that are based on that certain study unit.

For now there isn't much that I would change because everything that I have read is well explained and understandable.

I would choose to utilize indigenous african music because it works towards fostering appreciation of different socio-cultural heritages, I believe that it will instill confidence and increase self-esteem in learners so that they can develop the love and pride to embrace their cultures and heritages at an early age and also help in working towards putting an end to the offense of seeing some music to be more important than others. 

2. I do not think that the examples and content offered in Study Unit 2 are completely inclusive because their focus of inclusivity is mainly much more on making learners feel equal regardless of their religion,  race or socioeconomic status.

3. I would suggest that music for foundation learners should not only focus on certain "western songs", but all songs including African songs of different languages and styles I think thats when learners will fill included and important as they will be learning something they are familiar with.

Thank you.

What are the important aspects to keep in mind when planning foundation phase lessons?

-Introduction of the lesson

Planing a creative attention-grabbing activity to start your in the foundation is very because actively engaging learners in an activity that connects to prior knowledge while also connecting to new concepts to be learned and makes it fun.

-Teaching and learning phase

Let your learners ask questions and pretend to be teachers in order to test their prior knowledge and experience and make teaching and learning fun by engaging in new topics and ways of teaching.

-Assessment

When planning a lesson, consider the type of assessment that is best suited to certain activities based on the lesson outcomes, goals, learner needs and abilities, development stage and learning.

-Learner support

When planning a lesson, you must consider how you’re your teaching and learning will accommodate different activities, as well as the needs and abilities of your learners.

-Conclusion

The concluding phase should allow teachers to determine whether the learners met the lesson objectives by encouraging them to demonstrate what they had learned.

2. What is your opinion about the value of utilising arts integration and play in the Foundation phase lesson?

Play and art integration both play important roles in a child’s learning. When learners engage in play and art integration, they improve their problem-solving abilities, social development, and critical thinking abilities. It gives teachers the opportunity to promote and support learners'developmental needs. 

3. Has your perception and priorities with regards to lesson planning and the inclusion of music art integration) throughout your teaching and learning in foundation phase changed? Motivate your answer.

Yes, prior to beginning the study unit 5,  based on lesson planning and inclusion of music, I did not know how I can utilize music in different subjects and I thought it was a but complicated, but now I realize that music integration is important in the development of learners. Learners’ social and creative thinking skills improve, as well as their motivation to learn and be resilient.

Art integration is a teaching method that incorporates artistic and performing arts into all subject areas. Learners participate in a creative process that connects one art form to another while meeting evolving goals in each.

The value of art integration in the foundation phase

- Through participating in an authentic learning activities, learners in the foundation phase  will develop their problem-solving and critical thinking skills.

- It gives teachers the chance to promote and support their learners developmental needs.

- learners develop self-confidence in their capacity to acquire new information.

- Math score have improved and disciplinary concerns have decreased in schools that encourage teachers to adopt art integration in their classroom and  learners are more engaged since learning is more fun to them.

What did you find art integration challenging?

Music educators often find arts integration to be challenging because it requires a great deal of time, necessitates collaboration with other teachers and can unfortunately promotes collaboration with other teachers and can unfortunately be bias of one subject over another. Learners find it difficult to interact with art hence there must be a seamless integration of two or more subjects and that both subject must be experienced and engaged with the same time within an activity. 

What possibly made some learners uncomfortable during these activities?

Some learners in the classroom have different languages some do not understand the language that is used to teach the activities, cultural backgrounds and religious beliefs that oppose them from doing certain activities.

Why were some learners uncomfortable?

Some learners did not understand the song’s language (Zulu), they were unable to understand what the song was about and the lyrics. Some due to religions, their religious beliefs do not encourage them to listen to some songs and dance in front of boys (a learner was uncomfortable dancing to house music and in front of boys)

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

To address these issues, I will select a song that its lyrics are translated into two or more languages to accommodate learners different home languages. And change the type of play to open play whereby the rules of the game can be changed to accommodate learners needs while playing. Also select the activities that learners can choose from rather than doing what they are uncomfortable.

How can we accommodate diverse learners’ profile in our classroom? What must we be aware of?

It is important to be aware that learners come from different backgrounds and they have different needs. To accommodate diverse learners, the teacher must always in time and have alternatives plans for all learners. The teachers can also practice bilingual use in their instructions and learn about other cultures backgrounds and religious beliefs to know how to accommodate them.