STARTBODY

Teach English in Dujiacun Zhen - Xinzhou Shi

Do you want to be TEFL or TESOL-certified and teach in Dujiacun Zhen? Are you interested in teaching English in Xinzhou Shi? Check out ITTT’s online and in-class courses, Become certified to Teach English as a Foreign Language and start teaching English ONLINE or abroad! ITTT offers a wide variety of Online TEFL Courses and a great number of opportunities for English Teachers and for Teachers of English as a Second Language.

“You’ve Got to Move it, Move it” Whether I am teaching English, Science, Social Studies, or Math, the more we move the ore we learn and remember. During the first 13 years of my education career I was a special education teacher. Just about every IEP (Individual Education Program), I ever wrote, included some form of the phrase, “New information should be presented in a multi-sensory way.” In other words, move. The research is pretty unanimous -- The brain loves movement. Music is a great way to make this movement happen for so many reasons, but most importantly it enhances cognitive and emotional development. We simply remember new information better when we put it into a song. I have believed in the power of music in learning since before I could even articulate why. I use songs in my classroom for everything from Phonics, to Science to classroom management. In addition to the many neurological benefits, it also makes my classroom more fun. For example, when I play classical music softly in my classroom during independent work time, children work more quietly and stay on task for longer periods of time. If you are repeatedly misbehaving, I will likely not write you a referral, or even change your seat. I will, however, very likely, serenade you with a verse from, She Drives Me Crazy, by the Fine Young Cannibals, but simply replace “she” with “you”. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UtvmTu4zAMg When I do this, the reluctant learner in question immediately de-escalates their behavior, and often smiles because the rest of the class is singing the next verse of the song. Disciplinary problem solved, without anyone losing out on class time by being sent to the office. And we are able to return to the business of learning again within a minute or so. Following an arts and crafts activity my students know it is time to clean up when they hear the meerkat from Madagascar sing, “It's time to move it move it!” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1okAt2sOmNg If you clicked on the link above, you’re probably smiling right now, because music just does that to people. If there are young ones around you right now, they are probably dancing. What you are feeling right now is an increase in dopamine, and oxytocin production in your brain. Oxytocin makes you feel happy and dopamine is needed for just about all rational and critical thinking. Why do you think that is? Neuroscientist and musician Alan Harvey, We have been learning through music for 43,000 years. It is woven into our DNA. (Music activates our limbic system, which kicks all this neurotransmitter activity into gear. And he is even more passionate about this than I am. He explained in a recent TedTalk, how music increases right and left hemisphere communication, and activates the language center in the brain. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MZFFwy5fwYI Your Brain on Music Most (hopefully all), teachers today are aware of the increase in learning and retention when we incorporate multi-sensory activities in our classrooms. In addition to the obvious benefits of playing music to physically activate all of our senses, learning to read, write and keep time with music also teaches math, memory and logic skills. https://www.kakou.org.uk/your-brain-on-music/ For example, when I ask 23 First Grade Students to clap along to a four-count beat count of music, they mastered their multiplication tables faster. When I taught them songs that we sang together they remembered and pronounced new vocabulary better. Truly, unless I was actively involved in direct instruction I did not see a downside to using music in my classroom. In addition to the obvious multi-sensory benefits of incorporating music into our classrooms, there are tremendous cognitive benefits at any age. One of numerous papers on this topic written by Maria Alegria while at Arcadia University compiled the following neurological and educational benefits of music on the brain. 1. Musical training helps develop language and reasoning: Students who have early musical training will develop the areas of the brain related to language and reasoning. The left side of the brain is better developed with music, and songs can help imprint information on young minds. 2. A mastery of memorization: Even when performing with sheet music, student musicians are constantly using their memory to perform. The skill of memorization can serve students well in education and beyond. 3. Students learn to improve their work: Learning music promotes craftsmanship, and students learn to want to create good work instead of mediocre work. This desire can be applied to all subjects of study. 4. Increased coordination: Students who practice with musical instruments can improve their hand-eye coordination. Just like playing sports, children can develop motor skills when playing music. 5. A sense of achievement: Learning to play pieces of music on a new instrument can be a challenging, but achievable goal. Students who master even the smallest goal in music will be able to feel proud of their achievement. 6. Kids stay engaged in school: An enjoyable subject like music can keep kids interested and engaged in school. Student musicians are likely to stay in school to achieve in other subjects. 7. Success in society: Music is the fabric of our society, and music can shape abilities and character. Students in band or orchestra are less likely to abuse substances over their lifetime. Musical education can greatly contribute to children’s intellectual development as well. 8. Emotional development: Students of music can be more emotionally developed, with empathy towards other cultures They also tend to have higher self esteem and are better at coping with anxiety. 9. Students learn pattern recognition: Children can develop their math and pattern-recognition skills with the help of musical education. Playing music offers repetition in a fun format. 10. Better SAT scores: Students who have experience with music performance or appreciation score higher on the SAT. One report indicates 63 points higher on verbal and 44 points higher on math for students in music appreciation courses. 11. Fine-tuned auditory skills: Musicians can better detect meaningful, information-bearing elements in sounds, like the emotional meaning in a baby’s cry. Students who practice music can have better auditory attention, and pick out predictable patterns from surrounding noise. 12. Music builds imagination and intellectual curiosity: Introducing music in the early childhood years can help foster a positive attitude toward learning and curiosity. Artistic education develops the whole brain and develops a child’s imagination. 13. Music can be relaxing: Students can fight stress by learning to play music. Soothing music is especially helpful in helping kids relax. 14. Musical instruments can teach discipline: Kids who learn to play an instrument can learn a valuable lesson in discipline. They will have to set time aside to practice and rise to the challenge of learning with discipline to master playing their instrument. 15. Preparation for the creative economy: Investing in creative education can prepare students for the 21st century workforce. The new economy has created more artistic careers, and these jobs may grow faster than others in the future. 16. Development in creative thinking: Kids who study the arts can learn to think creatively. This kind of education can help them solve problems by thinking outside the box and realizing that there may be more than one right answer. 17. Music can develop spatial intelligence: Students who study music can improve the development of spatial intelligence, which allows them to perceive the world accurately and to form mental pictures. Spatial intelligence is helpful for advanced mathematics and more. 18. Kids can learn teamwork: Many musical education programs require teamwork as part of a band or orchestra. In these groups, students will learn how to work together and build camaraderie. 19. Responsible risk-taking: Performing a musical piece can bring fear and anxiety. Doing so teaches kids how to take risks and deal with fear, which will help them become successful and reach their potential. 20. Better self-confidence: With encouragement from teachers and parents, students playing a musical instrument can build pride and confidence. Musical education is also likely to develop better communication for students. Studies performed in the neuro-education field have been focusing on music training but one can start changing the brain through just listening to music. Later on in the year one can make room for 10 minutes of music training. It is important, especially if your school does not offer a music class. Spend 10 minutes making music instruments one day and playing the next because research has shown that “positive changes in brain structure and function have been observed in musicians who have learned a musical instrument” (Collins, 2014, 6). All it takes to change the brain and have those effects last a long time is 2 years of training. From there, plasticity will always be happening even if students just listen to music. https://www.edutopia.org/blog/music-teaching-tool-maria-alegria Healing Power I don’t even know where I will be teaching next year, let alone who my students will be. I have no idea what background knowledge, language they will have, or trauma they may have experienced. In these times when more and more of my students, (and my colleagues), have recently experienced traumatic events in their lives, it is important to note that music even has the power to heal the brain, as a recent Duke University study showed. Jennifer Coe had been a professional musician until a traumatic brain injury left here with severe brain damage. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q2xktclf6u4 The miraculous response her brain had to listening to, reading and playing music has led her and many others to encourage more and more teachers to incorporate music into their classrooms. Conclusion In all of my research on songs and music in the classroom, the only downside I have come across is the shyness or anxiety teachers may feel about using it. This is unfortunate because all of the benefits music has for students, it has for teachers as well. For teachers too shy to sing, there’s always Youtube, Pandora, iTunes, and a host of other options that are just a click away. Also, I write this paper at a time when music programs are being eliminated from schools across the country. Getting and keeping music in our classrooms seems to have become a revolutionary act. Ironically, this is how education began in the first place. What if it were all just that simple?


ENDBODY