intasc 1
STANDARD 1: Learner Development
The teacher understands how learners grow and develop, recognizing that patterns of learning and development vary individually within and across the cognitive, linguistic, social, emotional, and physical areas, and designs and implements developmentally appropriate and challenging learning experiences.
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It is essential to consider the first standard, Learner Development, when addressing any group of students. The major area of focus for the standard is making sure all students are able to achieve at a high level. A music teacher must be able to assess their students and decide how to handle their classroom in order to best fit the varying needs and abilities of students. All students have different backgrounds and previous experiences. In order to teach effectively using Standard 1, a teacher must first be able to understand and recognize these differences. The way questions are phrased should be suited for the level and experience of the student being asked. The music teacher needs to understand the varying skill levels of their students and suit the questions for each students. Being able to adapt questions and make students feel intelligent and that they are learning is also an important part of engagement. The standard applies when incorporating family or community in classroom events. A successful teacher uses all resources possible, including the community, family, or other teachers, in order to best reach each student.
I am only starting my journey to master Standard 1. When in the field, after a little bit of time with the students, it becomes apparent the varying skill levels. While working with a smaller group of students such as in a sectional, it is easy to address these differences and adapt information and strategies accordingly. Full ensemble settings make a little different to address individual issues, but it can be done. The standard also can be used between classes. It is important to understand the abilities of a 6th grade class versus a 12th grade class. Even between two classes of the same grade level, it is necessary to understand any differences and adapt. For field lessons I often ask students a variety of questions. It is common for students to not want to speak up or say "I don't know" after I ask. I then have to reevaluate the skill level of the question and phrase it in a way that students can be successful. It is important to be able to understand the students misunderstanding and rephrase in such a way that everyone can understand.
In order to truly understand learner development, being around students teaching as much as possible is a must. I will accomplish this by completed a practicum course and beginning student teaching. Discussing individual students with my cooperating teaching will be an important part of the experience and aid in my understanding of the standard. Other ways to grow in the standard is to talk to current teachers about how they handle individual student developmental patterns. Every teacher has a different style and we can all learn from each other. As I teach, it will be interesting to learn from the students themselves. Teaching a wide range of students give me many examples of the ways students learn. I will talk to my students and find out from them which ways they learn the best.
MUSE 353
​Standard 1 has a particular level of importance when teaching adolescents. For most students, middle school is a difficult time in their life. It is a time where everything is beginning to change and their peers begins to decide who they are going to be. Therefore, it is of vital importance that the teacher recognizes the development of adolescents to better understand them and meet their educational needs. The challenge is, of course, that not all students change at the same time, or make the same decisions. What this means for myself in the classroom is that I first must make and maintain a certain relationship and respect with each student. To best understand their cognitive, social, emotion, and learning needs, it is important to get to know every student. A great way to build a trusting relationship students is to focus on their strengths. For example, I may know a student is bright, but also shy and would get embarrassed if I called on him to reveal their answer to a question. However, if I preface my invitation by assuring him that I saw that his answer is correct, he is more likely to speak up and be a part of the class. Asking students to demonstrate the abilities they know they are good at, will make it more likely that they will try to improve in their less advanced areas. It is important to think about the amount of time that is allotted for students to think about an answer. For example, if I am going to have the students fill out a perception chart to go along with our song for the day, I should think about the time between each question. It would be appropriate to allow adolescents a good 15 to 20 seconds to think about their answer before the next question is given. The questions I ask should also be tailored to whom I am asking. To a more advanced student, a question too simple could be patronizing. To a student who struggles with the content, a complex question could be discouraging. The adolescent mind has only begun its abstract thinking processes, so the level of complexity and abstraction, especially in the music field and dealing with adolescents, should always be considered.
Below is an example from EDPS that relates to Standard 1.
MUSE 375
Standard 1 continues is of course relevant to all ages of students, including middle and high school. I found it especially enlightening to do field teaching in a band class of 6th and 7th graders. The varying skill level of students heightens and highlights to developmental differences between students. This course allowed me the opportunity to discover that I must teach in serval different ways in order to meet the needs of all students in the room. Not all students will understand the concept I am teaching the first time. Flexibility and creativity is key to being effective.
MUSE 355
String Methods broaden my understanding of what it means to teach all students in by putting me in front extremely varying ages of students. I got the chance to teach both middle school and first graders. I discovered that no matter the skill level, I could what I learned in MUSE 355 to reach every student. A major project that aided in my development as a string teacher was the string handbook. The project forced me to think about how to teach techniques of string playing in many different ways. Coming up with five different ways to teach the same concept was challenging, but proved useful when I got into the classroom. Figurative language is a major way to connect to students and be engaging, which was another major focus of the project. This project and the entire course, certainly helped learned how to teach strings so that students will be successful.
Below is a copy of the String Handbook
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