Chapter 3. Applications: From Active learning and Self-regulation theory to tools for learning in music lessons

Self-regulation and Quality practice

Self-regulation in students refers to the ways in which they work towards attainment of their goals, activating and sustaining their knowledge, motivation, behaviour and affects.

In the book Quality Practice, Williams (2017) describes this as the need for students to develop the ability to plan, monitor and reflect on their process in order to steer their own development. This involves being able to recognise personal strengths and weaknesses and have appropriate goals and intentions. It is also necessary to be able to focus and be aware during playing and they need to be able to reflect on where they are in their process and how the process went.

 

Reading: 

Williams, S. (2017) Quality Practice. A musician's guide. Self-published: Dr. Susan Williams
Natural Trumpet / Performance Science
Koninklijk Conservatorium / Royal Conservatoire The Hague

Schunk, D. H. ,Greene, A. J. (2018) Handbook of Self-Regulation of Learning and Performance. London: Routledge 

Active learning 

The book New learning of Simons, van der Linden and Duffy (2002) statues that important elements of stimulating active learning is creating opportunities to being involved in some of the decisions related to students' learning. Giving students the opportunity to follow their own interests and motivation and creating an overview on learning processes with students in three process stages, the preparatory, executive and closing learning functions.  

New learning is the term to refer to new learning outcomes, new kinds of learning processes and new instructional methods in psychological and educational theory. 

 

Reading: 

Simons, R. J., van der Linden,  J. , Duffy, T. (2002) New learning. Dordrecht: Kluwer Academic Publishers 

Application in musical teaching

Young children can learn how to plan when they have a weekly overview of their tasks. When they have all activities listed on a single page it is easy to plan practice sessions together with the teacher or a parent/ caretaker. 

To learn how to plan, monitor and reflect on their practice process, children can use logbooks in combination with repertoire sheets. To stimulate self-regulation in students I tailored the logbook of Susan Williams to the age group of my students. In the logbooks they can plan their practice session and reflect on their general well-being.

In the repertoire sheet students can connect repertoire, musical, technical and performance goals in 5 levels to strategies and creative solutions. They use Thinkers Keys cards to help them attain their goals. These cards are a playful help to understanding cognitive and meta-cognitive learning functions for young students. 

Together these tools create an overview on their practice process.

Application in musical teaching 

In this research I implemented a combination of active learning, learning to learn and cooperative learning in my teaching practice. 

Active learning can be stimulated in giving students insight in learning functions and an overview of learning processes. To stimulate autonomy I gave them choices in content/repertoire, learning goals and strategy use. 

I reflected on my teaching with the schedule of page 26/27 from the book New Learning on the preparatory, executive and closing learning functions. 

I focussed on creating an overview on learning functions in students. The main tool I used was the Thinkers Keys cards deck of Ryan (2014). 

Link: thinkerskeys.com  

In combination with reflective sheets these cards are mirroring the three stages of learning functions. Students also received the cards in a deck to create a personal learning path themselves. 

Students have repertoire sheets on lesson objectives with many choices in strategies. Through using the Reflection sheets, the Thinkers Keys Cards and the Repertoire sheet they can create an overview on their learning process.

Application in tools

 

I created Reflection sheets for the preparatory , executive and closing learning function stages. These three reflection sheets create an overview on a complete learning process and trigger students to think freely about the use of strategies and creative solutions. They can be used by the students during their practice, in the music lessons they can also be used in dialogue to reflect on the process, work towards goals and overcome challenges. 

 

All students have a card deck with Thinkers Keys Cards of Ryan (2014). These cards refer to cognitive and metacognitive learning functions. Students can use the cards to create a process with strategies and creative solutions and use them to reach their goals. In the appendices readers can find an interpretation list for music lessons on the cards. 

The cards are used in the Reflection sheets and the Repertoire sheet. 

Links: thinkerskeys.com

Application in tools

 

Agenda:

The Agenda can help young learners to create an overview on their planning, together with parents they can plan their practice sessions. A weekly planner gives insight in all activities of the student and can result in planning practice sessions. When practice is a planned activity during the week it becomes part of their routines. Routines shape the week and order time. An important aspect is the dialogue (teacher-student-parent) in using this agenda. The student needs to help shape and agree to the planning. Some children are very busy, it is difficult for them to find time to practice. Creating an agenda can result in conversations on realistic planning of activities. 

 

Logbook:

The Logbook connects to the agenda in giving an overview of the week and the practice session time. Students can write how they feel and draw a symbol of the day. After working with logbook pages they will connect the practice repertoire to the personal energy level of the day. They will learn to practice challenging pieces on days they feel positive and less challenging pieces on days they feel tired, on such days they might want to just play and repeat repertoire. To stop students from procrastinating they can write down what fun activity they are going to do as a reward, after the practice session. The logbooks work like a diary, together they form an overview on the weeks practice, new repertoire studied and repeated pieces played. 


Repertoire sheet:

A Repertoire sheet is used for every piece. Students write their musical and technical goals in the rubrics and plan their process with strategies and creative solutions. They number the Thinkers Keys and describe the connection to the musical or technical goal. They work on their sub goals and over time they arrive at their end goals, when their piece is finished. The repertoire sheet can also be used as a reflection sheet, in dialogue teacher and student plan the steps together. In autonomy supportive teaching it is important to let the student choose the strategies and creative solutions. The role of the teacher is one of asking questions and giving process enabling hints.