EDSEC200IntroductiontoTeaching

FieldTeachingReflection
Name
MattShea

Typeyourevaluationofeachoftheareasaddressedbelow.(eachboxwillexpandasyoutypeinit.)Please,typeyourresponseinthe
spacesprovidedonthisformandsubmititinDigitalDropBoxpriortothenextclasssessionafteryoutaught.

PriorToTeaching

Whatwereyourgreatestconcernsasyoupreparedtopresentyourlesson?
Ithinkmylackofexperienceplayingswungeighthnoteswasintimidatingtome.Iknowthatittakestime
andIperhapsdonthavetherightequipment(mouthpiece)togetthejazzsoundthatIwanted.

Howdidyouattempttoaddresstheseconcerns?
AsbestasIcould,ItriedtoplaytheeighthnoteswhenpresentingswingeighthnoteslikeDr.Paynetaught
us.Sometimestheyweresuccessful,sometimestheyrevertedtosoundingmorearticulatedthan
emphasized.

Asyouwroteyouplan,howdidyoumakeuseofwhatyouknowaboutsequentialinstruction,activelearning,andteaching
creatively?
AsIwrotemyplan,Itriedtoincorporateandpreparetheearforthenextelementthatwouldhappenduring
thelesson.Warminguponwholenotesfirstandthentransitioningtothesamescalebutaddingaswinging
eighthnotepatternthatthestudentswouldechoafterhearingitmodeled.Then,sequentiallyIaddedthat
eighthnoteswingpatternintothebasslinethatweplayed.Thebasslinewassimpleenoughthatstudents
pickuponitrightawayandiftheycouldntgetthemelody,theycouldhavesomethingeasytofeel
successfulatplaying.Afterthebasslineandmelodywerebothlearned,Igavetimeforthemtoexplorethe
songandhowtheywantedtoimprovisegiventhemelodyandcertainparameters(8bars)tocompletetheir
composition.

TeachingDelivery

Whatwereyouthinkingaboutthemostwhenyouwereteaching?
Iwasconcernedaboutthesequencingandwhatsortsofchallengesthestudentsmightencounter.Idont
havealotofjazzexperiencebuttriedtothinkofspecificelementsthatIcouldpraisethemforadding
creativityto.

Howdidyoueffectivelyuseyourdeliveryskills(voice,body,eyecontact,useofspace)?
AlotofthelessonwasechoingTplayingandthentheSsplaying.Ilookedthemintheeyesnonverbally
gesturedforthemtostartplayingwhenitwasappropriate.Ialsoaudiblybreathedwiththemwhenthey
werestartingtoplay.TheroomandteachingareawasratherintimatesoIremainedinoneplaceinfrontof
them.

Whatwouldyouwanttochangeinyourdeliveryskillsfornexttimeyouteach?
Ithoughtteachingthemelodywentokay.ButifIreallywantedtobesurethattheyknewhowtoplayit,I
couldhavethemfillintheblankwiththecorrectnoteattheendofeachphrase.Also,Iwouldmaybegive
anotherparameterthattheycouldonlyusefivenotes(BbF)toplaythesong,thatwaytheycouldthink
moreaboutchangingthemelodyrhythmically.

Didyouordidyounotappearconfidentasyoutaughtyourlesson?Whatleadyoutothatimpression?
Iwasprettyconfidentteaching.Althoughmyvoicewasntloudinthevideo,Ithinktheendproduct
mirroredtheconfidenceIhadinteachingmylesson.IwasntthefirstonetoteachalsowhichIthinkgave
memoreconfidenceinhowIwantedtodelivermymaterial.

TeachingContent

Whatwasmosteffectiveaboutthesequenceinwhichyoutaughtyourlesson?
Ithoughtthepacingreallyfittheensembleandthelesson.Wedidntspendaninordinateamountoftime
onanyonesectionandIwasabletodoinallwithinthe10minutemark.Iusedasongthatwasfamiliarto
thestudentsandgavethemcreativefreedomtochangethesongandIbelievethatautonomyisimportant
forthestudents(scaffoldingfromwhattheyknowtoaddingmoretoit).

Howwouldyouchangethissequencethenexttimeyouteach?
IthinkIwouldstructuretheendingassessmentintomoreofacompositionstylewhereitwouldbe
everyoneplayingsoloeveryonesoloeveryonesotheycanhavemoreopportunitytoimprovethe
techniqueofswungeightnotesandhaveapieceofsubstancetobeproudof.Astheteacher,Iwouldalso
modelanimprovisationexampleforthestudentsiftheydontknowhowtobeginchangingasimplesong.

Wereyourmodels,bothvocallyandinstrumentally,accurate?Whatcouldyoudotomakethesemoreeffective?
Practiceswingeighthnotesandrelaxwiththetempo.Idonthavemuchexperienceworkingwiththeback
endsofthebeat.Icouldspeakupmorewhendeliveringinstruction(tolargerensembles)andthinkIcan
usemoresoundthanwordtodescribewhatIwanttohear.

Reflections

IthinkIunderstandhow,butneedtopracticemoreon
IthinkIunderstandhowtobreakelementsdownforyoungstudentstounderstand.IthinkIneedto
practicedifferentwaysofsequencingsothatIdontgetstuckinthemindsetofthereisonlyonewayto
deliverthisinformation.

Ijustdontunderstand

ThefollowingismyplantoworkontheareasIhavenotedabove
Gettinginfrontofpeoplemoreandlisteningtomorejazzmusic!