There are a few key points that I have taken from this class and that I hope to apply as I teach. These are:
1.
Teach by the Spirit. Without the
Spirit, we cannot teach. We can only talk at a class or a student, but when we
have the Spirit, the Spirit can be the true teacher and can teach or students
in a way that would be most beneficial to them. To have the Spirit requires
prayer, study, personal preparation, and humility. We cannot expect help from
the Lord or guidance from the Spirit if we have not took the time to prepare
and to study, because the Lord expects us to do all we can first and then allow
Him to do the rest.
2.
Love those you teach. Love opens
barriers and invites the Spirit. If love is not present yet for those who you
are teaching, pray to have this love, so that you can be able to teach
effectively and so that you can become like the Master teacher, Jesus Christ.
Christ’s teachings were so meaningful and effective because he taught with love
and He showed love in His actions.
3.
Teach people first, music second, and
piano third. It is important to teach in this order, so that we can
remember who we are trying to teach and then what we are trying to teach. If
this is done out of order, it can cause frustration and inconsistency.
4. Personalize the lesson for the needs of
the individual and be willing to be adaptable based on what the student is
ready to learn. All of our students are individuals and they deserve to be
treated as individuals, so for piano, giving the student an individualized
lesson plan that is based on them and their needs is necessary and helpful for
learning and growth. If the student is
ready to learn more, then have a plan to help the student learn more, but if
the student is struggling with a concept, take the time to go over the concept
again with patience and practice, so that the student can learn at a level that
is best for him or her and so that neither you, nor the student gets easily
frustrated.
5.
Plan experiences so that students will
have opportunities to learn for themselves and have a desire to continue to be
a lifelong learner. Our goal as
teachers, hopefully, should be to foster an atmosphere that is safe and
comfortable, and conducive for the learning of our students. It is good if
students are learning in our classes, but it is better if students are inspired
to not just learn in our class, but to continue to learn for themselves outside
the class and throughout their lives as they develop an attitude and a love of
learning.
6.
Identify the type of learner that your
student is, such as kinesethic (learning by movement, feeling, and hands on
experiences), visual (learns through pictures, reading, and watching), or aural
(learns by listening, hearing, and playing). Once the learning style or styles
are identified, seek to match the
teaching style to the learning style of your student. If you are teaching
multiple students with multiple learning styles, use a variety of teaching
styles and methods, so that every child can have ample opportunity to learn and
grow.
7.
Be open to allow yourself to learn from
your student or students, because students can and often do, teach us more than
we ever teach them.
8.
Develop a philosophy of teaching and a
philosophy of music. Revise the philosophy as you feel is necessary, and then
try to stay true to that philosophy. When you have established a philosophy
of both music and teaching and you review the philosophy often and revise the
philosophy as you learn more, you are allowing for your goals to be set in your
mind and you can focus on being the kind of teacher and the kind of learner
that you want to be and you can also focus on helping your students be the kind
of learners that you would like them to be.
9. Be prepared. Be professional. Set goals
and expectations for yourself and for your students. Your time is valuable
and so is the time of your students. It is important for you to prepare for
your lessons and also for your students to prepare for their lessons. Be
professional. Dress appropriately and act appropriately. Be conscious of time.
Seek to focus on the students while they are with you and try to minimize
distractions. To help in your own preparation and in the preparation of your
students, set goals for both you and your students and follow up with this
goals.
10.
If running your own business, get an accountant
to help with legal issues, so that you can know the laws, keep them, and be
less stressed about the business side of what you love. Don’t sell yourself
short. The business side of things is not always fun, but it is still
necessary if you have your own piano studio, so hiring someone who knows how to
best help you, will allow you to be able to best help your students. Remember
with pricing that our education and preparation are worth something. We should
not sell ourselves short, but we should try to seek for reasonable prices for
our services and for the area in which we are teaching.
11.
Use motivation that would best inspire
the student to keep learning and growing. Strive to build them up, but don’t be
afraid to give gentle correction. The students cannot become better unless
they are made aware of the areas that they can improve on. Don’t dwell on the
negative. Seek to be positive. Always be sensitive to the needs of the student.
Always say something positive first and
then give gentle correction when required. After the correction, follow with an
increase of love. Then you can build from that love to give more guidance
and more gentle correction if you see fit. Be patient and be kind. Always
follow the example of the Master Teacher, Jesus Christ.
12.
Allow students to have opportunities to
equally participate in the facilitation of their own learning. Let them have
opportunities to share with each other, learn from each other and teach each
other about what they are learning.
13. Make
the students feel as comfortable as possible and give them a reason to want to
stick with piano. For this idea, I liked the idea of “playing for each
other” versus a recital and I also liked the idea of making “playing for each
other” more like a party and therefore, less scary for the students.
14. Be a
good example myself. My students will learn much by observation. They will
watch what I do and what I do not do. Strive to be the best example that I can
be. Always strive to follow the perfect example of Jesus Christ. Remember also
Brother Allen’s example. He always strives to follow Christ and teach by the
Spirit. He is a master pianist and teacher, but he is also a humble man, and
because of that, his teaching is highly effective. Brother Allen is a man that practices
what he teaches.
No comments:
Post a Comment
Comment here