Module 6 Reflection EDU6526
Throughout this module, it has become clear that the most effective cooperative learning occurs when all five of Johnson & Johnson’s Five Essential Components of Cooperative Learning are included (Dell’Olio & Donk, 2007). I believe Jigsaw in particular will be one cooperative learning structure which I will be able to use in my music classrooms. One application that immediately comes to mind is taking the bowing methods and assigning them to different expert groups then having the experts teach them in different home groups; maybe string quartets.
Although I still may have a little bias against cooperative learning due to many bad experiences with it K-college, I know that it is a viable method to teaching and plan to use it in my classroom. I do not want my teaching to fail “because it neglects this fundamental principle of the school as a form of community life”(Dewey, 1897).
What other applications of group work can you envision in a music classroom? Your bad experiences probably relate to lack of structure or guidance.
One aspect of orchestra in particular that takes a lot of time either for the section leaders or the conductor is to figure out the bowings and fingerings for a piece of music. Because the bowings need to be the similar between sections, usually conductors have the principal players work of the bowings as a group. I would modify that and split up the work between everyone in the orchestra. I would split the orchestra into quartets/quintets and give one song or page from a song (depending on what is being played) to each group and have them work out the bowings together. Then each section (violin I, violin II, viola, cello, bass) would meet and copy down the bowings.
Another application would be to have each section study a time period in music history and demonstrate specific techniques for playing music from that period.