Sunday, March 15, 2009
Rythms and Patterns
I was listening to Robert Kapilow talk about how rhythms and patterns are fundamental to our understanding of the whole world. While talking the listener through the song "America the Beautiful", he discusses the rhythms and patterns that repeat throughout the song. Every phrase in the song has an identical rhythm which keeps the listeners attention. I think that these predictable patterns are also important in a classroom. I have always heard that kids need set routines, whether at home or in a classroom. They need to know what happens when they arrive in class, what will be happening in the middle of class, and what will happen at the end of class. Just like we love and are comfortable with the song "America the Beautiful," students are comfortable in a safe, predictable environment where there are limited surprised. This is an atmosphere I try to create in my classroom.
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2 comments:
I agree with you about creating procedures and predictable routines in the classroom. Students who have little structure in their lives outside of school really benefit from this. I also find, however, that the high school students I work with need some break from the routine and have spontaneous moments of "aha!" to regain their attention. Sometimes leaving them wondering what happens next is a great tool in providing fresh, exciting learning experiences.
Best wishes!
Brenda
Your comment made think of the similarities between teachers and conductors. We both hope the group to be familiar with our routines, know what we are doing the next, still be excited of what we are doing.
Gaoming
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