How I Train Students to Listen to Each Other
I say,
"used" because I did not need to re-teach this again this school year
(I have all the same students this year and they remembered the
technique!).
My
"how to be a good audience member" speech to 2nd, 3rd, 4th, and 5th
grade students:
- Hands and
feet must remain quiet. You can move with the rhythm of the music as long
as you don't make sounds that are distracting. Our focus should be on the
performance.
- Your
instrument should be in rest position or you can gently place
it underneath the chair.
- Eyes should
be on the performer, reading along with the music, or closed.
- Body should
be facing the performer. If the performer sits behind you, turn around to
show your respect.
- At the end of
the performance we will always clap! If the performance was good, great!
If the performance needs more work, excellent. Regardless of the quality
of the performance, we always clap for the performer because it is never easy
to play in front of people.
How
I reinforce this technique:
- I created a
special active listening point on Class Dojo
- I turn the
volume off on ClassDojo
- I hit
"random" on Class Dojo and look at the student whose name
appeared on the screen. If the student is following my criteria for
listening, they get the point.
Why
I decided to use this technique
- I noticed the
students thought performing for was only for the teacher and
not for the class.
- Students were
embarrassed about playing in front of their friends.
- Only some
students listened to their peers. Other students talked, made noise, or
practiced their instrument.
- Students (in
general) only clapped for performances they thought were "good."
If a performance was not "good," the class would not clap. This
made students self-conscious.
Benefits
of using this technique
- The room
was so quiet during student performances!
- Students
really looked forward to the performances section of class.
- More students
volunteered to perform.
Assessment
- 1
Point - Students who were active
listeners.
- 2
Points - Students who performed.
- 5
Points - Students who gave an excellent
performance.
No comments: