Towards pedagogies of creative collaboration: guiding secondary school students' music compositions

The pedagogy of creative collaboration in music classrooms is hardly clear from the literature. There are plenty of strategies for setting up composition activities and some useful models for peer and self-assessment. But what about the nature of the interaction between the teacher and the students, and amongst the students themselves, as the composition is unfolding? How can these interactions facilitate the development of the students’ independent thinking? And what is the influence of the teachers’ background on their approach to facilitating creative collaborations? This chapter explores these matters by first reviewing some literature and then profiling a case study of an English secondary class that has composition as part of the music curriculum. Transcripts of student and teacher observations were studied and then summarised for illustration, in the form of vignettes. In the discussion the music teacher background is considered, charting critical incidents in her education and professional path. The chapter closes with suggestions of building blocks for the design of pedagogies of creative collaboration

How doctoral students and graduates describe facilitating experiences and strategies for their thesis writing learning process: a qualitative approach

This study considered the sources of facilitating experiences and strategies for thesis writing from doctoral students and graduates (N=30). The sample was balanced between Science and Social Science knowledge areas, with equal numbers of English as Second Language (ESL) participants in both groups. Semi-structured in-depth interviews were used to explore issues around feedback, training, cohort experiences and personal strategies for writing. Four-hundred pages of transcripts were analysed using thematic analysis with the assistance of specialist software (NVivo). A generative model of academic writing development was chosen to frame the analysis. Fifteen themes emerged, three of which are discussed: supervisors’ feedback, personal organisation and ESL learning strategies. Results show the perceived benefits of individually tailored supportive feedback and the importance of the students’ resilience. Original learning strategies from ESL students that may benefit non-ESL students are also considered. The conclusions outline implications for supervisors and students across knowledge areas

La investigación en educación musical dentro de las ciencias sociales. Reflexiones desde el Reino Unido

This article considers the foundations and role of research in music education and positions them within the Social Sciences. Taking a global perspective facilitated by the author’s work in three jurisdictions and his collaborations with colleagues from the five continents (e.g. Odena & Figueiredo, 2014), practical suggestions for researchers and research supervisors are provided. The article is divided into six sections focussed on: (1) defining social research; (2) positioning music education research within the Social Sciences; (3) an overview of music education research developments and approaches over the last sixty years; (4) factors affecting research dissemination, including language, intellectual trends and local contexts; (5) the apparent gap between educational research and practice, and the role of research tutors in developing students’ research ethics and skills; and (6) some final suggestions for designing and implementing enquiry projects. (Original in Spanish

Developing Multiculturally-Sensitive Music Student Teachers through Collaborative Enquiry during School Placements in Glasgow

This paper reports on an investigation on the use of music education activities as a tool to (a) develop multiculturally-sensitive student teachers and to (b) integrate newly arrived children in Scottish schools. The study involved 29 Bachelor’s in Music Education students as co-researchers in ten state-funded Primary schools in Glasgow, who identified how such activities may assist in overcoming the linguistic and socio-cultural barriers faced by newly arrived students using English as Additional Language (EAL). The paper offers implications and practical suggestions for teacher education institutions in diverse cities across Europe and beyond

Developing Multiculturally-Sensitive Music Student Teachers through Collaborative Enquiry during School Placements in Glasgow

This paper reports on an investigation on the use of music education activities as a tool to (a) develop multiculturally-sensitive student teachers and to (b) integrate newly arrived children in Scottish schools. The study involved 29 Bachelor’s in Music Education students as co-researchers in ten state-funded Primary schools in Glasgow, who identified how such activities may assist in overcoming the linguistic and socio-cultural barriers faced by newly arrived students using English as Additional Language (EAL). The paper offers implications and practical suggestions for teacher education institutions in diverse cities across Europe and beyond

La investigación en educación musical dentro de las ciencias sociales. Reflexiones desde el Reino Unido.

Este artículo considera el papel de la investigación en educación musical dentro de las ciencias sociales desde una perspectiva global y ofrece algunos consejos prácticos para investigadores y para directores de proyectos1. El artículo está dividido en seis secciones que versan sobre los siguientes temas: (1) una definición de investigación en ciencias sociales; (2) la investigación en educación musical dentro de la investigación educativa; (3) la consolidación y diversidad de tradiciones metodológicas; (4) los factores que afectan a la difusión de la investigación educativa, incluyendo el idioma, las modas y las circunstancias locales; (5) la aparente discontinuidad entre investigación y práctica educativa, y la responsabilidad doble de los tutores de proyectos de educar en ética además de técnicas de investigación; y (6) algunos consejos finales para el desarrollo de proyectos de investigación.This article considers the foundations and role of research in music education and positions them within the Social Sciences. Taking a global perspective facilitated by the author’s work in three jurisdictions and his collaborations with colleagues from the five continents (e.g. Odena & Figueiredo, 2014), practical suggestions for researchers and research supervisors are provided. The article is divided into six sections focussed on: (1) defining social research; (2) positioning music education research within the Social Sciences; (3) an overview of music education research developments and approaches over the last sixty years; (4) factors affecting research dissemination, including language, intellectual trends and local contexts; (5) the apparent gap between educational research and practice, and the role of research tutors in developing students’ research ethics and skills; and (6) some final suggestions for designing and implementing enquiry projects. á dividido en seis secciones que versan sobre los siguientes temas: (1) una definición de investigación en ciencias sociales; (2) la investigación en educación musical dentro de la investigación educativa; (3) la consolidación y diversidad de tradiciones metodológicas; (4) los factores que afectan a la difusión de la investigación educativa, incluyendo el idioma, las modas y las circunstancias locales; (5) la aparente discontinuidad entre investigación y práctica educativa, y la responsabilidad doble de los tutores de proyectos de educar en ética además de técnicas de investigación; y (6) algunos consejos finales para el desarrollo de proyectos de investigación

Las visiones de profesionales sobre proyectos intercomunitarios de educación musical en Irlanda del Norte

This article in Spanish draws on and updates a Study Paper for the Bernard van Leer Foundation, available at the University of Glasgow Enlighten repository (Odena, 2009). Parts of the study were discussed at the Research Commission Seminar of the International Society for Music Education in Porto in 2008. Subsequently, an article and two chapters focussed on a review of literature and methodology were also published (Odena, 2010; 2014a; 2014b). This is the first article in Spanish developed from the original study. RESUMEN (in Spanish): Este artículo presenta una investigación cualitativa de las percepciones sobre actividades intercomunitarias de educación musical de catorce profesionales con experiencia con las dos comunidades principales en Irlanda del Norte (IN), la protestante y la católica. La segregación del sistema educativo se resume en el primer apartado, al que sigue un repaso de la bibliografía, algunas actividades intercomunitarias, y la metodología de investigación. Se analizaron doscientas dieciséis páginas de entrevistas con NVivo. Los entrevistados reflexionaron sobre actividades actuales, recuerdos de experiencias pasadas, miedos y esperanzas. Las actividades y sus objetivos varían dependiendo de varios factores, siendo uno de los más importantes el nivel de reconocimiento de la integración del entorno, que parece estar influenciado por el contexto socioeconómico. Estas actividades se ven como un medio efectivo para abordar los prejuicios entre los jóvenes. Sin embargo, el contexto de cada entorno delimita su potencial. En la conclusión se examinan las implicaciones educativas

Las visiones de profesionales sobre proyectos intercomunitarios de educación musical en Irlanda del Norte

This article in Spanish draws on and updates a Study Paper for the Bernard van Leer Foundation, available at the University of Glasgow Enlighten repository (Odena, 2009). Parts of the study were discussed at the Research Commission Seminar of the International Society for Music Education in Porto in 2008. Subsequently, an article and two chapters focussed on a review of literature and methodology were also published (Odena, 2010; 2014a; 2014b). This is the first article in Spanish developed from the original study. RESUMEN (in Spanish): Este artículo presenta una investigación cualitativa de las percepciones sobre actividades intercomunitarias de educación musical de catorce profesionales con experiencia con las dos comunidades principales en Irlanda del Norte (IN), la protestante y la católica. La segregación del sistema educativo se resume en el primer apartado, al que sigue un repaso de la bibliografía, algunas actividades intercomunitarias, y la metodología de investigación. Se analizaron doscientas dieciséis páginas de entrevistas con NVivo. Los entrevistados reflexionaron sobre actividades actuales, recuerdos de experiencias pasadas, miedos y esperanzas. Las actividades y sus objetivos varían dependiendo de varios factores, siendo uno de los más importantes el nivel de reconocimiento de la integración del entorno, que parece estar influenciado por el contexto socioeconómico. Estas actividades se ven como un medio efectivo para abordar los prejuicios entre los jóvenes. Sin embargo, el contexto de cada entorno delimita su potencial. En la conclusión se examinan las implicaciones educativas

Link Community Development Interventions in Ethiopia, Ghana, Malawi, Uganda, and Rwanda: Review of Evidence 2008-2018

This report was commissioned by Link Community Development (LCD) in response to internal dialogue within the organisation about the strengths, relevance and appropriateness of existing and ongoing evaluation practices. LCD implements interventions to support education in Ethiopia, Ghana, Malawi and Uganda and has done so for several years. Over this period a range of project evaluations have been commissioned as well as carried out by LCD staff. In preparation for a large funding bid to the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, input was solicited from the Robert Owen Centre (ROC) on design of evaluation research for subsequent project activities. As part of these discussions LCD and the authors formulated some objectives for a preliminary evidence review through a series of meetings in late 2018 and early 2019, which ROC was then commissioned to carry out

Sound postcards: listening to transformations in the social fabric of the victims of armed conflicts

This presentation is part of a wider research project that analyses the benefits of collective musical programs in the post-traumatic recovering of people who experienced violence because of the armed conflict in Colombia. Sound postcards, a research methodology derived from socio-acoustics, contributed to ethnographical research with participants in the Music for Reconciliation Program of the Batuta Foundation in Colombia, and allowed researchers to identify the changes in the density of their social fabric, before and after being victims of the armed conflict. The paper discusses the extent sound postcards enabled to recognize the importance participants attributed to joining in the music program in a number of areas, including recovering social cohesion and personal identity. A more detailed discussion of the use of sound postcards can be found in a recent article by the co-authors in British Journal of Music Education (Rodríguez-Sánchez, Odena & Cabedo-Mas, 2018)