Sammie Cohen

MUED480

Teaching Recording Self-Assessment Reflection 1

At the beginning of this class, I got the students’ attention and went over what would be

happening during the period. Along with answering questions and beginning the first instructions

of class, I put my best effort towards keeping everyone together and following the expectations

of the band class. Something that I’ve discussed with my supervisor is getting comfortable

leaving the front of the classroom, which though I feel I succeeded in doing this period, is still an

area of improvement for me. Another topic we discussed was utilizing repetitions to help

students solidify and understand the material and to utilize different strategies to do these

repetitions while keeping students engaged. The particular strategy I used in this class was

suggested by my supervisor where volunteers would play followed by everyone playing together.

This allowed the group to play multiple times without feeling singled out, created an opportunity

for the volunteers to feel successful, and the entire class was able to hear what the melody sounds

like. Additionally in this period, a student had switched in that day and was without an

instrument. One thing I was especially proud of during this class was keeping the student without

an instrument engaged in the class through clapping and counting and helping others hear the

rhythm. One of the most effective types of assessment that I found for these students was the use

of the “thumb-o-meter” to see if students are understanding whatever topic or concept we are

going over. However, I hope to find more methods for assessment, both formal and informal, so I

can create and adapt lesson plans to be more comprehensive. Overall, I felt this was a very

successful lesson, however I hope to continue growing and expanding upon my skills.