ABSTRACT (Posted February 8th on WebCT) Diane Garrett: A MASTER MUSIC TEACHER A
Phenomenological Case Study
Exemplary teachers make exemplary programs. Research
in education across curriculum areas does, in fact,
support this widely held belief. Exemplary (or master)
teachers create an educational atmosphere and develop
teaching strategies which produces high level teaching
and learning. These teachers exhibit measureable
differences in personal and professional qualities.
Exemplary teachers are self-motivated, creative, and
flexible innovators, who explore and develop a great
variety of teaching and learning strategies to meet the
needs of their students. Their passion and enthusiam
for their subject is passed to their students through
the learning process.
Diane Garrett is one of these teachers. Diane, my
colleague and mentor, retired last year after
twenty-five years as a music teacher with the Lakehead
District School Board. THE PURPOSE OF THIS
PHENOMENOLOGICAL CASE STUDY IS TO UNDERSTAND THE LIVED
EXPERIENCE OF THIS MASTER MUSIC TEACHER. Through an
examination of Diane's experiences, development, role,
and influence as a master music teacher, a rich and
descriptive portrait of an exemplary teacher will be
documented. This study will enhance the small body of
literature in the field of music education which
explores exemplary teaching within a qualitative
research framework.
There is a substantial amount of literature in the
field which details the personality traits and teaching
strageties of master music teachers. However, areas
such as educational philosophy and personal beliefs are
not fully explored in these quantitative studies. A
further examination of the complete body of literature
on exemplary teaching is warranted in order to further
define and develop a picture of the exemplary music
teacher.
The purpose of this presentation is to examine the
existing collection of music education literature which
addresses teaching mastery and the personal and
professional characteristics of master teachers.
In order to prepare for this presentation (Week 11),
please read the following study:
King, G. (1998). Exemplary music educator: A case
study. Bulletin of the Council for Research in Music
Education, 137, 57 - 72. [this journal should be
available in your library, as I found it here at
Lakehead...if not, please let me know and I'll send you
a copy :)]
For a popular culture perspective on this topic,
watch the Meryl Streep movie, "Music of the Heart",
which is based on the career of New York teacher Roberta
Gaspari, who developed a violin program which brought
music education to some SES challenged children.
2. RESEARCH
QUESTION and SUBJECT
RESEARCH FRAMEWORK
There is a body of music education literature which examines the
characteristics of exemplary music teachers, as well as the philosophies,
teaching methods, and beliefs of master teachers (Berliner, 1986; Cassidy,
1990; Grant & Drafall, 1991; Hendel, 1995; King, 1998; Madsen, 1990;
Yarbrough, 1975). However, this literature is almost exclusively
quantitative in nature. Research using a qualitative design would improve
the depth and knowledge base in this area of music education training,
philosophy, and teaching methodology. Enhancing the literature within the
topic of master teaching in music allows for comparison to other curriculum
areas in the performing arts. Due to the quantitative nature of the existing
studies, a more holistic picture of the master music teacher in context, or
in their teaching environment, needs to be explored. In one of the few
qualitative studies in the literature, King (1998) completed a case study of
a master music teacher. He states that although "the literature on teachers
provides a number of approaches for examining expert teachers, the research
is inconclusive about what it means to be an exemplary teacher" (p. 57).
Because many of the teaching characteristics of exemplary teachers are
intangible and specific to the individual, King (1998) believes that an
integrated and holistic exploration using a qualitative research
methodological approach is warranted.
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QUALITATIVE INQUIRY
T his phenomenological case study
will examine the lived experience of a master music teacher, Diane Garrett
(that is the research question!). From my understanding of this field of
"exemplary - expert - master teachers"...there are several common sense
(as well as scientific) reasons for using a qualitative research
design for this study:
| Examining the life/career of ONE teacher is most
appropriately done as a CASE STUDY.
Generating data in PLAIN LANGUAGE (anecdotal form) will
provide understanding of the concept at face value to the
reader.
Existing studies which are quantitative in design may tell us
what the person is like, but only from an outsider’s
perspective. Quantitative studies also tell us what master teachers DO and
HOW they teach, but do so in only measurable ways. (see section
4)
Understanding the lived experience of the master
teacher themself provides invaluable evidence and data about
what a master teacher is.
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Who is the
subject?
This section of the presentation is designed to GET YOU THINKING about
what a master-expert-exemplary teacher is. [f.y.i. - those 3 terms are used
interchangeably in the literature.]
You will find (somewhere here) a newspaper article about Diane Garrett’s
retirement last year. Read the article. For clarification, I replaced Diane
as Music Teacher and Arts Chair at our school after her retirement last
January. Beside being a "master teacher" - she was also a high style 50
(something) year-old fashion plate.
Talk about pressure. |
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3. YOUR TURN TO TALK
After reading the newspaper article about Diane Garrett, think/remember/ feel and respond to the following questions:
#1. Reflect on your experience as a student. Did you have an
exemplary teacher?
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[ in response to question # 1, please write a maximum of 3 paragraphs in anecdotal form]
#2. How would you define an exemplary-expert-master teacher?
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[ in response to question # 2, please generate a LIST in POINT FORM up to a maximum of 7 points ]
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PLEASE SEND YOUR RESPONSES TO ME
VIA PRIVATE E-MAIL ON THE WEB CT. I
would like each person to respond privately so that responses are as honest and uninfluenced as possible. I realize that this is NOT a
completely scientific method of gathering data. However, it will provide an
opportunity for you to give your input and will simulate a little bit of
qualitative {# 1}
and
quantitative {#2} DATA ANALYSIS
which will be posted on Good Friday. |
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LOOKING at the
LITERATURE
Master teachers
The topic of MASTER-EXPERT-EXEMPLARY teaching has been
the subject of much research in many areas of education. Educational
researchers have concentrated on this area since the early 1970s, in part as
a response to changing curriculum demands and the concern for teacher
performance in the classroom and teacher training. Much of this research
was based on the widely help belief that exemplary teachers create
exemplary programs. Therefore, in order to increase student performance
and program quality, the level of teaching became the concern in the
policy-making and educational research communities.
Many descriptions of the MASTER-EXPERT-EXEMPLARY
Teacher have been documented.
This section of the literature gives an overview of the
ideas of educational writers and researchers, going from general to
specific.
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From the Institute for Research on Teaching (Michigan
State U.)
The “effective” teacher...
- is clear about
instructional goals
- is knowledgeable
about content and how to teach it
- communicate to
students what is expected.. and why
- makes expert use
of instructional time
- are interested
and knowledgeable about their students
- addresses lower
and higher level cognitive objectives and teaches
for
meta-cognition
- monitor students
and give regular feedback
- are thoughtful and reflective about
their practice
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From Educational Writer Cullingford...
The effective teacher..can be
identified by the way their classroom runs...
+
shared working atmosphere
+
an awareness of the needs of each pupil
+
a purposeful, well-organized classroom
+ the celebration of successes
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and why is this important????
“The teacher’s enthusiasm
and dedication is the main vehicle for socializing the
young into meaningful academic
experiences” (Csikszentmihalyi & McCormack, p. 8)
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From
Research on the “expert pedagogue”...by Berliner at Arizona State u.
Expert Pedagogues...
* possess special knowledge
about classrooms - and different organizational
schemes for dealing
with students
* have complex sets of
knowledge about their students
*
categorize problems at a high level, and are able to make inferences about
objects and events in the classroom more efficiently than novices
* have extraordinarily fast and
accurate pattern recognition abilities
* are opportunistic planners
* show self-regulatory and
meta-cognitive abilities not present in novices
* unique knowledge helps to
guide lesson planning and goal structures
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From educational researchers Penick & Yager (“Teachers
make exemplary programs”)
A profile of the EXEMPLARY
TEACHER:
= older and more
experienced
= stay in the same
job for most of their career
= have higher
education
= attend
professional development
= lecture less and
stress process-oriented teaching
= are enthusiastic
for their subject
= engage in
extra-curricular projects with their students
= hold high expectations for themselves
and their students
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From Music Education Researcher Harold Abeles...
A collection of ideas from
educational research can be applied to
MASTER MUSIC
TEACHERS...
> (Klein)
- The master teacher can help in the development of curriculum.
- A
music teacher needs to become immersed in the broader goals
of
education as well as the specific goals of music education.
> (Caldwell)
- The master teacher is a staff developer who can be a leader
role model, and workshop leader.
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From an American Project on University (Lab) Schools:
Exemplary Teachers
- are learners
-
create learning-centered environments that foster
development of themselves
and their students
-
are catalysts for change
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now, specifically in
terms of music education literature...
Many authors and researchers have done
(mostly) quantitative studies on both general and specific elements of the
“master” music teacher.
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Brand
(1990)
-a
sixth sense for understanding their students
- pride
in their remarkable competence
-
fertile imagination
-
theatrical flair
-
instructional urgency - a drive to accomplish the highest musical goals
- drive to work hard
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Lautzenheiser (1990)
- clear
sense of purpose
-
consistently persistent
- uses
self-analysis
-
perpetual seeker and learner
- exude
a high level of emotional maturity
- not afraid to fail
- fuel
their motivation with self-discipline |
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From the qualitative case study by KING (1998), 4 major
themes emerged...
The exemplary music teacher in this
study:
— used a high level of both
verbal and non-verbal language
— had routines and organization
which provided the framework for
teaching artistry
— used humour as an essential
part of the teaching process
— provided a quality
environment for learning
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now, a special treat for those who enjoy
quantitative research...
In the 1980s and 1990s, music education researchers
sought to define the exemplary or master music teacher by their:
Personality, teaching
methods, and behaviour
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The following is a summary of the findings of these
qualitative studies.
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KEMP
(1982): |
- music
teachers should be extroverted - outgoing and adventurous |
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BERGEE
(1992): |
- based on
experienced teachers, pre-service music teachers should exhibit the
following personality characteristics
Stimulator, Commander, and Developer |
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DAVIDSON
(1998) |
-
teachers at the early stages of a child’s musical career should be
friendly, relaxed and encouraging
- as
the child goes on in music education, the teacher should possess good
performance and professional skills |
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MADSEN
(1990) |
-
effective music teachers control the “down time” between instructional
sequences
- teachers
must know what subject matter they are trying to teach, and exactly how
it should be delivered |
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TAEBEL &
COKER (1980) |
- teachers
should use a variety of instructional strategies for the best results |
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MADSEN &
GERRINGER
(1989) |
- teacher
intensity is an important attribute of effective music instruction |
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SANG
(1987) |
- a
teacher’s ability to model desired behaviours and use of demonstrations
has a positive effect on student learning |
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HENDEL
(1995) |
-
effective music teachers managed musical content and its delivery in an
organized and personal style |
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What is it all
about?
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BERLINER (1986)
summarizes the need for research on the expert pedagogue.
* gives information on
routines, scripts, and schemes used by expert teachers
* provides exemplary
performances from which novices can learn
* promotes knowledge about the
nature of expert systems of pedagogy
* expert teaching can impact on
the student teaching process
* information about expert
teachers may influence policy-makers
* gives a sense of professional
pride to teachers
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References
Abeles, H. (1987). The role of the master teacher in achieving
professional excellence. Music Educators Journal, 73 (6), 47 - 50.
Berliner, D. C. (1986). In pursuit of the expert pedagogue.
Educational Researcher, 15(2), 5 - 13.
Brand, M. (1990). Master music teachers: What makes them great? Music
Educators Journal, 77(2), 22 - 25.
Bergee, M. J. (1992). The relationship between music education majors’
personality profiles, other education majors’ profiles, and selected
indicators of music teaching success. Bulletin of the Council for
Research in Music Education, 112, 5 - 15.
Cassidy, J. W. (1989). Effect of intensity training on preservice
teachers’ instruction accuracy and delivery effectiveness. Journal of
Research in Music Education, 38(3), 164 - 174.
Csikszentmihalyi, M. & McCormack, J. (1986). The influence of teachers.
Phi Delta Kappan, 67 (6), 415 - 419.
Cullingford, C. (1995). The effective teacher. London: Cassell.
Davidson, J. W., Moore, D. G., Sloboda, J. A., & Howe, M. J. A. (1998).
Characteristics of music teachers and the progress of young
instrumentalists. Journal of Research in Music Education, 46(1), 141
- 160.
Grant, J. W. & Drafall, L. E. (1991). Teacher effectiveness research: A
review and comparison. Bulletin of the Council for Research in Music
Education, 108, 31 - 48.
Hendel, C. (1995). Behavioral characteristics and instructional patterns
of selected music teachers. Journal of Research in Music Education,
43(3), 182 - 203.
Kemp, A. (1982). Personality traits of successful music teachers.
Bulletin of the Council for Research in Music Education, Special Issue,
72 - 75.
King, G. (1998). Exemplary music educator: A case study. Bulletin of
the Council for Research in Music Education, 137, 57 - 72.
Lautzenheiser, T. (1990). Motivation and the master music teacher.
Music Educators Journal, 77(2), 34 - 36.
Madsen, C. K. (1990). Teacher intensity in relationship to music
education. Bulletin of the Council for Research in Music Education, 104,
38 - 46.
Madsen, C. K. & Geringer, J. M. (1989). The relationship of the teacher
"on-task" to intensity and effective music teaching. Canadian Journal of
Research in Music Education, 30, 87 - 94.
Porter, A.C. & Brophy, J. (1988). Synthesis of research on good teaching:
Insights from the work of the Institute for Research on Teaching.
Educational Leadership, 45 (8), 74 - 85.
Sang, R.C. (1987). A study of the relationship between instrumental music
teachers’ modelling skills and pupil performance behaviors. Bulletin of
the Council of Research in Music Education, 91, 155 - 159.
Sirotnik, K. A., & Soder, R. (Eds.). (1999). The beat of a different
drummer. New York:Peter Lang Publishing Company.
Taebel, D. K. & Coker, J. G. (1980). Teaching effectiveness in elementary
classroom music: Relationships among competency measures, pupil product
measures, and certain attribute variables. Journal of Research in Music
Education, 28(4), 250 - 264.
Yarbrough, C. (1975). The effect of magnitude of conductor behavior on
performance, attentiveness, and attitude of students in selected mixed
choruses. Journal of Research in Music Education, 23, 134 - 146.
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