by Leonor » Sat Nov 01, 2014 6:49 pm
• "I never do songs with my group of 10-year-olds. They think singing songs is for babies."
• "I always start the lesson with a review of the previous lesson. And I always end the lesson with a song."
• "I prepare extra exercises for the children who finish early. It's not good if they have nothing to do."
I disagree with the first statement. I find that all age groups like songs. It's an easy way to learn pronunciation, to repeat words, sentences and to develop their capacity to understand through the movement and the music. The only important thing is to choose the right song according the age.
I disagree with this second statement . The most important part of a lesson occurs during the first five minutes. If the activity engages students right away, you know there will be enough “sparks” to fly for the rest of the lesson and your job will be relatively easy. If the activity however is not challenging, repetitious, (”We’ve done this before!” Sound familiar?) there will be “lulls” that more often than not, result in discipline problems. The song at the end is good if the children are 6 or 7 years old (like a routine for example to say goodbye), but not necessary at the end when they are older,.
I agree, teachers have to do an extra challenge that allows the student to go deeper into the subject, learn a little more, or apply a skill he has just learned in a new way. Teachers must help the child to create an ongoing individual project. Perhaps a report on something she/he is interested in, a PowerPoint presentation, or a creative writing project - anything that is motivating, educationally sound and can be worked on here and there
• "I never do songs with my group of 10-year-olds. They think singing songs is for babies."
• "I always start the lesson with a review of the previous lesson. And I always end the lesson with a song."
• "I prepare extra exercises for the children who finish early. It's not good if they have nothing to do."
I disagree with the first statement. I find that all age groups like songs. It's an easy way to learn pronunciation, to repeat words, sentences and to develop their capacity to understand through the movement and the music. The only important thing is to choose the right song according the age.
I disagree with this second statement . The most important part of a lesson occurs during the first five minutes. If the activity engages students right away, you know there will be enough “sparks” to fly for the rest of the lesson and your job will be relatively easy. If the activity however is not challenging, repetitious, (”We’ve done this before!” Sound familiar?) there will be “lulls” that more often than not, result in discipline problems. The song at the end is good if the children are 6 or 7 years old (like a routine for example to say goodbye), but not necessary at the end when they are older,.
I agree, teachers have to do an extra challenge that allows the student to go deeper into the subject, learn a little more, or apply a skill he has just learned in a new way. Teachers must help the child to create an ongoing individual project. Perhaps a report on something she/he is interested in, a PowerPoint presentation, or a creative writing project - anything that is motivating, educationally sound and can be worked on here and there
