The mic thing drives me insane, mostly because my sister is hard of hearing! Maybe you can talk loudly, but that doesnt mean that people do not need assistive technology for clarity.
I cannot stand being treated like a student in PD. If we're explicitly doing role play, that's fine, but otherwise do NOT treat me like a 5th grader.
Also, elaborating on time management, don't say that we *could* wrap up early. That stifles conversation and discussion. Use the time you're allotted or don't.
As an elementary music teacher, the "no role play" thing baffles me. I recently came across a Facebook/Instagram Reel of what looked like an elementary school's faculty and admin singing some sort of welcome or self-affirmation song and playing small percussion instruments. Perhaps the school's music teacher was showing their colleagues something they would do in music class. The caption and most of the comments thought it was belittling and a waste of time.
In the myriad of elementary music workshops I've attended, we literally DO the lessons being presented to us at music workshops. We are singing, doing the movement activities, playing instruments, playing the games, using props, etc. just as the students would do. If a lesson revolves around the story book, the presenter will even read the book to us as we do whatever accompanying song, instrumental, or movement the presenter created to go with it. There is no sitting there and watching someone talk at us for 1-3 hours. It is active learning. We actually get to SEE the presenter demonstrate good teaching and we experience the lesson through the students' eyes.
Go to any state's Music Education Association convention and the conference rooms with the elementary sessions will be the most lively rooms in the entire building. This helped me tremendously as I switched from teaching older grades to elementary school.
Another thing I like about elementary music is the overwhelming majority of presenters at various conferences and workshops are active, inservice K-5 teachers. Exceptions would be music education professors (who taught in K-12 systems for years before moving to collegiate) or retired K-5 teachers. I attend a lot of music PDs, and I can only recall one being led by a consultant, which was for a textbook.
To each their own, but when I have to sit through these math, reading, etc. PDs at my school, I wish the general education teachers and administrators could see a music workshop and adopt some of our practices.
Amen to all of this.
The mic thing drives me insane, mostly because my sister is hard of hearing! Maybe you can talk loudly, but that doesnt mean that people do not need assistive technology for clarity.
I cannot stand being treated like a student in PD. If we're explicitly doing role play, that's fine, but otherwise do NOT treat me like a 5th grader.
Also, elaborating on time management, don't say that we *could* wrap up early. That stifles conversation and discussion. Use the time you're allotted or don't.
Amen. I just love everything you write. This is classic, and even made me laugh!
As an elementary music teacher, the "no role play" thing baffles me. I recently came across a Facebook/Instagram Reel of what looked like an elementary school's faculty and admin singing some sort of welcome or self-affirmation song and playing small percussion instruments. Perhaps the school's music teacher was showing their colleagues something they would do in music class. The caption and most of the comments thought it was belittling and a waste of time.
In the myriad of elementary music workshops I've attended, we literally DO the lessons being presented to us at music workshops. We are singing, doing the movement activities, playing instruments, playing the games, using props, etc. just as the students would do. If a lesson revolves around the story book, the presenter will even read the book to us as we do whatever accompanying song, instrumental, or movement the presenter created to go with it. There is no sitting there and watching someone talk at us for 1-3 hours. It is active learning. We actually get to SEE the presenter demonstrate good teaching and we experience the lesson through the students' eyes.
Go to any state's Music Education Association convention and the conference rooms with the elementary sessions will be the most lively rooms in the entire building. This helped me tremendously as I switched from teaching older grades to elementary school.
Another thing I like about elementary music is the overwhelming majority of presenters at various conferences and workshops are active, inservice K-5 teachers. Exceptions would be music education professors (who taught in K-12 systems for years before moving to collegiate) or retired K-5 teachers. I attend a lot of music PDs, and I can only recall one being led by a consultant, which was for a textbook.
To each their own, but when I have to sit through these math, reading, etc. PDs at my school, I wish the general education teachers and administrators could see a music workshop and adopt some of our practices.