teachology
forward to the activity. My music
appreciation class is at 8:00 in the
morning, and I’ve never had a class
more engaged and interested in their
learning.
class, students were given reading
assignments within the textbook/
lecture notes. Once students arrived in
class, they individually created true/
false statements based on these
reading assignments. Within randomly
Samantha Ryan Barnsfather, assigned teams, they discovered each
Adjunct Professor of Music teammate’s false statement through a
group consensus. After everyone
In the past, I shared their statements within their
have taught
respective groups, I brought the class
music
back to together to share what they
appreciation learned in their groups.
within a
traditional
These activities worked well in the
lecture
classroom because they supported the
format. Even lecture material and learning objectives
though I did
within the music appreciation
my best to try to keep the lectures
classroom while engaging the students
informative and entertaining, I felt
at the same time. In the “Lecture
something was missing from the
Check” and “Reading Quiz” activities
students’ learning experience. I
used in Professor Van Leer’s classroom,
decided to sign up for the CCTL cohort the instructor can see if the students
in order to improve upon my own
comprehend the lecture material. In
teaching and the overall experience
turn, students are assessed without the
within my classroom.
pressure of a “pop quiz” for a grade
while using technology they have
Throughout the cohort, my colleagues
grown accustomed to in their daily
discovered various active learning,
lives. The “Find The Fiction” activity
cooperative learning, and problem
implemented in Dr. Barnsfather’s
solving strategies. Since I was already
classroom fosters mastery of the
teaching two sections of music
lecture material, promotes
appreciation during the cohort, I tried a
teambuilding among the students, and
few of the strategies within my
encourages critical thinking in a more
classroom. One of the strategies I used
interesting way than the traditional Q
is called “Find the Fiction”. Prior to
& A by the instructor and students. 19