Click the play button if you prefer to listen to this article. When I learn a piece of music, I start with sheet music. It is the way I think. Read and practice. I divide the music into sections, play each separately, and then together. This article uses a piano piece as an example, but this technique applies to learning a piece on any instrument.
However, listening first while reading the music provides advantages. You hear the shape of the melody and learn the tempo, dynamics, and harmonies. I use music notation software to build and listen to the piece. This allows me to become familiar with the piece as I enter it. In addition to listening, entering the notes, chords, dynamics, tempo, and other components of the piece help me understand the song I want to play. There are many music notation programs; I use MuseScore and Flat. For this example, I used Flat. It is web-based, so it is accessible by all computers. Ir works well on Chromebooks which is nice since many schools and students use them. Here is an étude by Cznery, The Little Pianist Op. 823 No. 13, that I found in the Dec. 2019-Jan 2020 Pianist magazine. I enter the piece and then listen to it a few times. I can also practice the piece while listening to it. I can adjust the tempo, starting slow and increasing it as I progress.
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John Mahoney, my 9th-grade Latin teacher, is my favorite teacher. He influences me whenever I teach. It has nothing to do with learning that nouns have gender, verb conjugations, or that he was a skilled teacher who knew his discipline well. It was none of that.
Most of us went to traditional schools. We walked or took the school bus. Our first stop was home room. My school divided home rooms alphabetically. My homeroom classmates’ last names began with A, B, C, or D. Teachers taught in front of the classroom. Same students in the same classes every day. School was part of our community. Most students learn the same way today.
So why online? Many say that online education is devoid of community. Children will sit in front of their computers all day and not have the opportunity to socialize with other students. The internet is full of distractions. They’ll be on Facebook all day. Online or traditional schools are not an either/or option. It’s never one or the other, digital or analog. A school can incorporate online teaching within a traditional setting. For example, a school may use an online class when it is more cost effective. For example, a school may have only 5 AP Chemistry students or 5 Woodworking students. These students can take their respective classes online, in real time, with other students from different schools. Incorporating online education or a class from an external source is not new. Local Public Broadcasting System (PBS) stations broadcasted educational TV shows since the 1950s. I remember learning French in the 1960s by watching Miss Fenwick on WGBH Boston, channel 2. Parlons Francais taught by Anne Slack was a pioneer in educational TV. From that website, “Anne Slack introduced French to more than 2 million elementary school children in the late 1950s and early 1960s by encouraging them to “écouter’’ and “répéter.’’” Click here to watch an episode. French in Action was another popular show that taught French. So, the technology has changed but the concept is not new. Students can learn online and still socialize and have the classroom experience. Some online schools incorporate meeting places. Students discuss what they are learning. Teachers are there to guide the discussions and do additional teaching. Some online, real-time classes are also streamed. It is a hybrid system. Homeschoolers can also use this method. Online education provides both alternative and additional resources for teaching. It is neither traditional nor online. It is the option or combination that works best. Welcome to the new Classrooms Without Walls. Online learning is the key. This blog focuses on the different aspects that comprise teaching and learning online. I will explore different resources and share my views, for example, are they useful, effective, how well did the teacher do his or her job, were the teaching methods effective, and so on.
So what are some online learning sites? Three popular ones are:
These sites are good for someone who wants to learn something new just for personal enrichment, homeschoolers, and for tutorials or additional material. How much can one learn from online classes whether using a combination of the previously mentioned resources or MOOCs such as Cousera or Kadenze. Could I pass an exam and get college credit? Could I become knowledgeable about a topic I know nothing about, have never taken a course before? I will also evaluate these classes. How well did the teacher do? Were the teaching methods effective? Was the class just a video of the teacher giving a lecture, or did the teacher incorporate technology and take advantage of this medium? Online education is also a great tool for teachers. It provides supplemental materials for the teacher, provide students a different presentation of a topic, and sometimes a bit of variety is needed. In addition to online resources, I’ll also review education-related books. As always, please share your thoughts with me. |
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