Making a scene: empowering third-grade students towards creative, independent, and collaborative musicianship in an after-school general music program

This project-thesis introduces an elementary general music curriculum designed to empower students towards creative music making. Building off the work related to creativity in music education by Green (2005), Hickey (2001), and Ruthmann (2008), this curriculum consists of two parts which highlight fundamental musical skill development and creative music making, respectively. The curriculum is rationalized in the contexts of a proposed local teaching environment and education policy, philosophy of music education, and current educational funding policies at the levels of state and federal governments, and non-governmental organizations

The Value of Learning Groups to the 1st Year Undergraduate Experience for Students of Early Childhood.

Learning networks, groups or communities are seen as having the potential to provide supportive, integrative and deep learning processes which can enhance student performance and support transition to university (Peat, Dalziel and Grant 2001; Zhao and Kuh 2004). The provision of a learning environment with opportunities for meaningful academic and social interactions is characteristic of higher education and collaborative learning strategies are frequently used to encourage student selfmanagement, independence and the general development of group skills. Whilst the value-added potential of learning groups is well documented (Peat et al. 2001; Zhao and Kuh 2004; Lizzio and Wilson, 2006), the nature of the course subject is rarely considered as potentially significant to the effectiveness of the group process; the emphasis in research studies being more frequently concerned with generic academic or pastoral functions. The Early Childhood degree at the University of Worcester established learning groups in 2002 as a specific learning and teaching strategy aligning the pedagogic and andragogic philosophy of the subject to promote academic and professional characteristics required as transferable skills for work in the sector. The social constructivist philosophy underpinning the subject and practice of early childhood provided the common, connecting thread for learning groups to have relevance and meaning for personal, academic and professional development. This study investigated the experience and perceived value of learning groups for the first cohort in 2002/3 through a questionnaire, and by interviews focussed more openly on their general first year experience with a sample group of year 1 students in 2008. The findings revealed an overall highly positive perception indicating that learning groups had scope and value as a forum for:- • Building strong relationships and social identity • Co-construction of a learning culture • Reciprocal learning and skill development • Empowerment of adult learners and development of confidence • Enhancing professional development The most useful transferable skills and knowledge gained during the first year came from sharing ideas and relationship building in small group work which gave the students confidence. The findings demonstrate that peer learning groups provide mutual support and learning opportunities which develop skill in working with others which, in turn, students regard as the predominant quality required for their future professional lives

In what ways does principal leadership impact on whānau engagement in a mainstream secondary school? : a thesis presented in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Philosophy Māori at Massey University

In what ways does principal leadership impact on whānau engagement in a mainstream secondary school? Principal leadership is an integral dimension in the schooling process. The principal ideally leads a team of professionals, guiding, supporting, and nurturing their development toward positive outcomes for Māori students including whānau engagement, to achieve this goal. In addition, s/he will ideally provide a framework of expectations, these being based on a theoretical and practical knowledge base as well as values that inform decision making. Within the framework of Māori education, the dimension of whānau participation continues to be a dimension needing further exploration in terms of its potential contribution to positive academic, social and cultural achievements of students. The focus of this thesis is to explore the role of the principal as both the leader of staff and the wider school community to support and enhance Māori student achievement in mainstream schooling. Principals lead from their knowledge base and their underpinning attitudes. It is the interweaving of these two elements, how attitudes inform behaviours and how these discrete set of skills required for leadership foster successful whānau participation which will be developed. A role of the principal is to empower staff to take a leadership role. In terms of whānau participation, an area of the schooling process that continually needs fostering, principals set the direction for staff to develop relationships with the Māori community. The set of skills required to achieve this will be explored, expanded and reflected upon. This thesis is a case study of one inner city secondary school which is a lead school in the Ministry of Education's Te Kauhua professional development project. Data will be collected from the principal, staff and whānau within this school community

Pedagogical and learning strategies for promoting internet information literacy in Singapore secondary school students

Internet information literacy has the potential to open the whole world of knowledge to easy access and use. Computer literacy and Internet readiness alone do not empower the learner to capitalise on the use of the Internet to acquire useful knowledge. Without information literacy, the learner would be overwhelmed not only by the information overload but also by being confronted with the amount of unreliable information posted on the Internet. Therefore this paper looks at how the Internet age might influence the ways that students learn and how to capitalise on it to prepare those students for the digital world of today and how to be empowered for the future challenges of the increasing complexities of tomorrow. The findings indicate that the integration of discipline-specific Internet information literacy into the curriculum is essential before we can enhance student learning using the Internet for resource-based learning. It is also to equip them with relevant information management skills and the ability to learn independently. These are fundamental skills required to become emerging lifelong learners in the midst of an information explosion so as to be able to meet the challenges of the 21st century and the knowledge economy

Transition, Decoding and Heutagogy; A strategy for improving undergraduate learning in sport, health and exercise.

Heutagogy, an established concept in educational literature, puts an emphasis on the development of a student’s ability to understand how they learn certain skills and abilities. To gain a clearer understanding on the implementation of heutagogy within the higher education environment, the present study considered the adoption of heutagogical approaches with students at University. A review of the literature was conducted to understand the use of pedagogy and andragogy in higher education and how a heutagogical approach could create a self-directed learning experience. Contemporary research has evidenced that the implementation of heutagogy at higher education encourages students to develop highly employable skills such as determination and initiative. In contrast, it has been discovered that students find heutagogy to be challenging, therefore a progressive development from pedagogy to andragogy to heutagogy is required. Nevertheless, the beneficial outcomes are apparent to educators and students, and increase employability rates. The beneficial learning outcomes of heutagogical learning such as employability and self-directed learning is discussed

A Beginner\u27s Guide to Applied Educational Research using Thematic Analysis

Interest in applied educational research methodology is growing as educators and researchers strive to seek empirical evidence about what is effective teaching within distinctive contexts. However, for beginner researchers who are interested in conducting case studies within educational settings and are looking for an appropriate starting point, there is limited literature that shapes comprehensively the theory and application of a rigorous research design. This article outlines the theoretical foundation, philosophical assumptions and application of a research design suitable for implementation in educational settings. For researchers and educators pursuing a case study approach within a specific context, an inquiry framework provides the roadmap to navigate the journey. The main components of this systematic inquiry framework include the interconnected practices for: identifying the issue; collecting the data; preparing and engaging with the data; analysing thematically the data; interpreting the data analysis; and composing the research findings and generalisations. Throughout the discussion, examples are drawn from a case study to illustrate how the innovative design and the sixstage qualitative data collection and thematic analysis were implemented to investigate the prevalent roles that teachers play in generating environments for self-regulated learning. Finally, research design considerations are discussed to reflect high standards of ethical practice for reporting research findings and interpretations that can be trusted and contribute practically, theoretically and methodologically to educational research

Effective use of communication and information technology: Bridging the skills gap

There is a revolutionary culture change taking place within higher education in the United Kingdom. Part of this change is the adoption of new communication and information technologies (C&IT), such as the World Wide Web (WWW), for teaching, learning and assessment. Many academics have limited experience of the WWW for teaching and learning and perceive that the use of new technologies involves transferring traditional teaching methods into an electronic format, with no regard for the underlying pedagogical implications. Our current research with teaching staff has given insight into essential skills and competencies required to empower the use of C&IT bearing in mind the importance of the underlying pedagogy. In this paper we present an analysis of research carried out with academic staff members to determine the nature of staff and student skills needs regarding the use of C&IT in teaching and learning. This analysis is followed by a case study of how these findings were incorporated into the development and implementation of a staff development programme aimed at encouraging innovative teaching at the University of Strathclyde

Technology, Pedagogy and Digital Production: A Case Study of Children Learning New Media Skills

This article presents an analysis of data from a project which investigated children and young people's learning of digital cultures in informal settings in Britain. The project aimed to build links between young peoples' leisure and learning experiences, by engaging with the content and styles of learning connected with digital cultures in homes and community centres. The focus of this article is on a computer games making course for young people age 9 – 13. The article looks specifically at issues around technology and pedagogy. Questions are raised about types of software used with this age range, and the article includes a discussion of the models of learning which describe young people?s interactions with digital cultures

Valuing Students’ Cultural Experiences and Linguistic Abilities In the Classroom

English Language Learners (ELL) and students represented in culturally diverse communities are the fastest growing groups in US public schools (Samway & McKeon, 2007). Mainstream classrooms often struggle to meet the needs of Linguistically and Culturally Diverse (LCD) students, trying to connect instruction to students’ linguistic backgrounds or cultural experiences (Darder, 1991). Unfortunately, the education of LCD students has become exercises of “drill and kill” and highly scripted instruction (Darder & Torres, 2004). This article explores reasons why students’ cultural experiences and linguistic abilities are not recognized in mainstream classrooms in an era of high-stakes testing. Additionally, the article will peer into the role of teachers in meeting the needs of LCD student populations when they are often times presented with scripted or scripted curricula