"The notes look all blurry." Emergent learning diversity in the instrumental music studio

When children commence instrumental music tuition, unacknowledged diversity in their learning can arise. Learning diversity refers to differential needs that children may require in order to facilitate successful musical skill development. The primary focus of this research project is an investigation of children’s lived experiences of the first 18-months of learning to play the cello and how this impacts ongoing musical development. However, an unexpected finding of the research was that across the data collection period, half of the child participants presented with issues that created extra challenges for their learning. These challenges included dyslexia, dyspraxia, suspected attention deficit disorder, learning processing disorders, anxiety and intrusive synesthesia. This paper investigates the ways that children’s learning diversity can emerge and how these challenges can compound the personal and social factors that influence children’s motivation to persist with their musical development. Specifically, this paper examines how children’s additional learning needs can be identified and accommodated by the child, teacher and parent for productive learning outcomes

Children's experiences of emergent diverse learning needs in the instrumental music studio

Background When children commence instrumental music tuition, diversity in their learning processes can emerge. Diverse learning needs refers to the range of challenges that can impact predictable learning processes and require additional support to facilitate successful development. However, children’s experiences in instrumental learning, including how diverse needs can present and be appropriately managed, are rarely examined in music education research. This study aims to address this gap in the research literature. Research Questions 1. How do diverse learning needs in seven-year-old children emerge in the instrumental music studio and affect continued engagement? 2. How can children’s diverse learning needs be appropriately supported by teachers? Summary of Content A longitudinal, qualitative investigation of seven-year-old children’s lived experience of cello skill development was undertaken. Unexpectedly, half of the child participants encountered diverse learning needs that extended beyond individual difference and presented extra challenges for musical development. Diverse needs included dyslexia, motor skill deficit, learning processing disorders, attention and focus issues, persistent anxiety, and intrusive synaesthesia. This study investigated, in fine-grained detail, the children’s experiences of emergent diverse learning needs, including how needs were identified, managed and accommodated by the children, teacher and parent. Findings indicated that the children’s diverse learning needs were idiosyncratic, and that their investment and self-perception in musical development, together with pragmatic, practical support and emotional guidance from the teacher and parent contributed to longer-term engagement. Significance This study, conducted by the teacher as researcher, provided the rare opportunity to investigate children’s experiences of emergent learning diversity in the instrumental music studio. This offers a unique contribution to the literature with important pedagogical implications for teaching practice and further research

Framework for Implementation of a Partial Hospitalization Program

This abstract will be available for download after an embargo perio

Das lernförderliche Potential von Bewegung in der Grundschule aus der Sicht von Lehrern

Neuere Erkenntnisse der Entwicklungs-, Kognitionspsychologie sowie neurowissenschaftliche Untersuchungen weisen auf das lernförderliche Potential von Bewegung hin. Auch phänomenologische Betrachtungen unterstützen diese Befunde. Ausgangspunkt und Basis des theoretischen Teils ist die Analyse des Zusammenhangs von Bewegung und Entwicklung unter Einbeziehung des aktuellen physischen und psychischen Befindens der Kinder. Die Bedeutung des Körpers als Erfahrungs- und Ausdrucksquelle für inhaltserschließendes Bewegen in der Grundschule wird dargelegt. Anhand ausgewählter Gesichtspunkte wird Bewegung im Kontext sprachlicher Prozesse und des Raum- und Zeiterlebens erörtert. Soziale Lernprozesse werden durch Bewegung gefördert und eine kognitive Leistungssteigerung wird als möglich und zielführend diskutiert. Die theoretischen Überlegungen führen zu der Frage nach der Umsetzung dieser Einsichten im Lehrerverhalten und Unterrichtsgeschehen. Gegenstand des empirischen Teils der Arbeit ist ein leitfadengestütztes Experteninterview mit 20 Grundschullehrern, in dem inhaltsanalytisch ihre Motive für oder gegen die Einbeziehung von Bewegung zur Erschließung von Lerninhalten ermittelt werden. Dabei wird die Resonanzfähigkeit von Lehrern anhand von fünf Analyseeinheiten kategorisiert: -Beschreibung des Stellenwertes der Bewegung für die kindliche Entwicklung -Einschätzung der Chancen von Bewegung für das Lernen -Modus der Bewegungen, den die beschriebenen Methoden im Unterricht beinhalten -Beschreibung der Faktoren, die den Einsatz von Bewegungselementen im Unterricht begünstigen bzw. erschweren -Artikuliertes Wissen über Veränderungen aus der gesundheitsbezogenen Perspektive in der heutigen Kindheit Die Ergebnisse der qualitativen Analyse stehen in signifikantem Widerspruch zu der im theoretischen Teil erörterten Bedeutung des lernförderlichen Potentials der Bewegung für kognitives Lernen. Wie die Befragung belegt, wird der Aspekt der inhaltserschließenden Bewegung in der Unterrichtspraxis der Grundschule nur wenig genutzt. Die Integration von Bewegungselementen im Unterricht wird von den Lehrern eher mit lernbegleitenden und rhythmisierenden Elementen als mit inhaltserschließenden assoziiert

Das lernförderliche Potential von Bewegung in der Grundschule aus der Sicht von Lehrern

Neuere Erkenntnisse der Entwicklungs-, Kognitionspsychologie sowie neurowissenschaftliche Untersuchungen weisen auf das lernförderliche Potential von Bewegung hin. Auch phänomenologische Betrachtungen unterstützen diese Befunde. Ausgangspunkt und Basis des theoretischen Teils ist die Analyse des Zusammenhangs von Bewegung und Entwicklung unter Einbeziehung des aktuellen physischen und psychischen Befindens der Kinder. Die Bedeutung des Körpers als Erfahrungs- und Ausdrucksquelle für inhaltserschließendes Bewegen in der Grundschule wird dargelegt. Anhand ausgewählter Gesichtspunkte wird Bewegung im Kontext sprachlicher Prozesse und des Raum- und Zeiterlebens erörtert. Soziale Lernprozesse werden durch Bewegung gefördert und eine kognitive Leistungssteigerung wird als möglich und zielführend diskutiert. Die theoretischen Überlegungen führen zu der Frage nach der Umsetzung dieser Einsichten im Lehrerverhalten und Unterrichtsgeschehen. Gegenstand des empirischen Teils der Arbeit ist ein leitfadengestütztes Experteninterview mit 20 Grundschullehrern, in dem inhaltsanalytisch ihre Motive für oder gegen die Einbeziehung von Bewegung zur Erschließung von Lerninhalten ermittelt werden. Dabei wird die Resonanzfähigkeit von Lehrern anhand von fünf Analyseeinheiten kategorisiert: -Beschreibung des Stellenwertes der Bewegung für die kindliche Entwicklung -Einschätzung der Chancen von Bewegung für das Lernen -Modus der Bewegungen, den die beschriebenen Methoden im Unterricht beinhalten -Beschreibung der Faktoren, die den Einsatz von Bewegungselementen im Unterricht begünstigen bzw. erschweren -Artikuliertes Wissen über Veränderungen aus der gesundheitsbezogenen Perspektive in der heutigen Kindheit Die Ergebnisse der qualitativen Analyse stehen in signifikantem Widerspruch zu der im theoretischen Teil erörterten Bedeutung des lernförderlichen Potentials der Bewegung für kognitives Lernen. Wie die Befragung belegt, wird der Aspekt der inhaltserschließenden Bewegung in der Unterrichtspraxis der Grundschule nur wenig genutzt. Die Integration von Bewegungselementen im Unterricht wird von den Lehrern eher mit lernbegleitenden und rhythmisierenden Elementen als mit inhaltserschließenden assoziiert

"It's like being the hero of your own story": perceptions of musical skill development for the beginner cellist

Background: When children commence learning a musical instrument, they are introduced to a diverse range of skills from the cognitive, expressive and psychomotor domains. Children’s capacity to adopt and integrate these musical skills can directly affect their progress and influence ongoing interest. However, as many of these skills are unfamiliar to the beginner musician, their development requires specialised support, deliberate attention and focussed practice. The outcomes of these learning processes can also be a critical to children’s future musical engagement. Children’s lived experience of musical instrument skill acquisition is rarely examined in music education research; therefore, the current paper adopts a novel case study approach to investigate how children perceive and manage musical skill development. Intrapersonal factors and interpersonal relationships including those with the teacher, who is the principal researcher, are also examined. Aims: 1. To investigate seven-year-old children’s lived experience of cello skill development within the first 18-months of tuition. 2. To investigate how children’s musical skill development is affected by intrapersonal factors and interpersonal relationships. 3. To investigate how the experience and perceptions of skill development in early learning influences children’s longer-term musical engagement. Method: Through a longitudinal Action Research methodology, 14 seven-year-old children’s lived experiences of learning the cello were tracked across the first 18-months of tuition. Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis of interviews with the children and their parents were integrated with the teacher-researcher’s recorded observations from work with the children. Results: During the early stages of learning, children prioritised the development of skills in one of the three learning domains and this was attributed to initial competencies and affinities at the beginner level. As tuition progressed, teaching and learning challenges included ensuring that all skill sets developed according to the children’s individual, differentiated needs. Central to this developmental process was how the children’s intrapersonal factors interacted with their interpersonal relationships to shape their learning behaviour at home and in the instrumental music studio. Regardless of skill level or ability, all of the children measured their process in musical skill development through critical evaluation of their sound production. The children’s sophisticated perception of sound included discerning nuanced difference in quality of tone, intonation, volume, fluency and timbre. Production of an ideal sound that integrated these qualities was described as an aspirational goal in practice and performance. Sound was perceived also by the children as a powerful conduit for self-expression and musical communication. In this context, musical skill development fulfilled children’s creative needs and satisfied their desire to be seen and hear by others as capable musicians. This result generated growth in the children’s sense of agency and autonomy. When the complex process of skill attainment, sound production and musical expression was achieved successfully, students experienced transformed representations of their internal selves that positively impacted their emotional states. These transformative experiences were linked to a close affinity with their cello and this was evidenced by the children’s use of language devices such as metaphor, simile, analogy and imaginative narrative to describe how skill development strengthened their bond with the instrument. Further, some children ascribed anthropomorphic traits to their instruments, defining them as a person or ally and assigning names and gender pronouns. Investigation of students’ learning over time indicated that children who experienced beneficial interpersonal growth and productive interpersonal relationships through musical skill development maintained active longer-term musical engagement. These children described imagining themselves in positive performance and learning environments in their projected musical futures. Taken together, the findings from this investigation of children’s perceptions of musical skill development highlight how instrumental music learning can profoundly affect children’s inner worlds. The breadth and depth of the experience contributed to the children’s enjoyment in engagement and affected motivation to continue with their musical development. Conclusions: This research, conducted by the teacher as researcher, makes a unique contribution to the literature by identifying the importance of children’s perception of sound in the process of cognitive, physical and emotional engagement with musical skill development. It identifies how this can have a transformative effect on a child’s sense of self and influence their future musical engagement. Implications: Monitoring children’s perception of sound production and its impact on musical expression in the development of skills in the three learning domains is integral to instrumental music teaching and fosters meaningful, ongoing engagement outcomes

LASER treatment in gynaecology -A randomized controlled trial in women with symptomatic lichen sclerosus.

OBJECTIVE Aim of our study was to evaluate the therapeutic effect of laser treatment in vulvar lichen sclerosus, mainly the reduction of existing symptoms as itching, burning and pain. We asked about the different outcome by using different application doses. STUDY DESIGN We conducted a prospective randomized double-blind dose-controlled trial in our dysplasia unit specializing vulvar disorders. 67patients with active LS were included. LS was confirmed by biopsy or by the validated CSS (clinical scoring system of vulvar LS). Computer generated randomization resulted in two groups, each group received a different application dose.(LDG- low dose group, NDG- normal dose group) During the study period of 18 weeks all participants received three laser applications in three subsequent sessions of three weeks. Two follow-ups six and twelve weeks after the first application was performed. At every visit, the participants filled in the VAS (visual analogue scale) for recording the actual vulvar symptoms as itching burning or pain on a range from 0 to 10. RESULTS Before treatment the mean VAS-Score was 4.3 (STD ± 2.4) in the NDG and 5.1(±2.6) in the LDG. After 18 weeks, the mean reduction was -2.4 (±2.3) for NDG and -2.7 (±2.8) for LDG. Four patients (two of each group) reported more pain after than before treatment. Both groups show significant lower VAS-Scores 18 weeks after the treatment than before therapy (p < 0.0001). The reduction of symptoms after 18 weeks between NDG and LDG was not significant (p = 0.6244). CONCLUSION Laser treatment with the microablative CO2 laser leads to a significant improvement for symptoms of LS. A higher dosage of laser radiation shows no benefit concerning the symptoms. We have not observed any serious adverse events during this study