TEACHING PHILOSOPHY
Good Teaching VS. Bad Teaching
Good Teaching VS. Bad Teaching
Example of Good Teaching
Dewey Finn in School of Rock
Context: Dewey Finn, played by Jack Black in the movie School of Rock, is a substitute teacher at an elementary school. Prior to this clip, Mr. Finn walked in on his class rehearsing a classical piece in music class. He noticed that his students were very talented but however were very disengaged, bored, and uninspired. He then made it his goal to inspire his students and get them to enjoy making music. This is why he creates a “class project” that involves the class becoming a rock band. This clip shows Dewey introducing this project to the class and beginning to assemble the band.
This particular clip stood out to me for many reasons. This is because Dewey Finn is the perfect example of a good music teacher. Firstly, he has great intentions. He notices that his students are uninspired and makes it his goal to inspire them and create an enjoyable musical experience. Secondly, he is very encouraging and motivating. He encourages every single student to get involved and does this by getting them off their feet and trying out new things. If you notice in the clip, his tone is very inviting and he never yells nor pressures a student to do something that they don’t want to do. He is always very enthusiastic and energetic and his passion is contagious, which is why all of the students want to participate. This clip is an example of good teaching because he teaches by example. As you can see in the clip, he shows the students how to play simple melodies on instruments that they have not played before and always gives a demonstration so that they kids do not feel as if they do not know what to do. He gives an example but also leaves room for the students to interpret it as they will. Dewey gives instruction yet also leaves room for creativity, which is the perfect balance and what any good educator should do. Lastly, Dewey makes sure all students are involved. When the band is assembled and a student says “so we are not in the band?” Dewey makes sure everyone feels like a part of the group by making them backup singers. He says many times “you’re in the band” to ensure that no one feels left out. This is especially important because he makes sure that everyone has a role and feels like a part of the group regardless of their skill level which is extremely important in the classroom. Dewey is an example of a good teacher because even when all the roles in the band are taken, he creates more roles so that everyone has a job to do. As a teacher, inclusion is essential to creating a safe learning environment and he accomplishes this. Dewey recognizes that everyone wants to be a part of a group and it is his encouragement and leadership that enables everyone, even the very shy and quiet kids, to be “in the band.” It is his understanding and supportive qualities along with his enthusiastic motivation that creates a safe environment where the students feel free to experiment and try new things while having fun and connecting with one another.
Example of Bad Teaching
Terence Fletcher in Whiplash
Context: Terence Fletcher, played by J.K Simmons in the movie Whiplash, is the instructor/ conductor of aspiring jazz drummer Andrew Neiman, played by Miles Teller. Terence Fletcher took Andrew under his wing and made him the alternate drummer at the Schaffer Conservatory. This clip appears fairly early on in the film and occurs right after Fletcher decides to give Andrew the chance to be the lead drummer. This movie clip shows Andrew rehearsing as lead drummer and failing to impress his teacher Terence Fletcher.
This particular clip in this film stood out to me because in all honesty, it makes me sick to my stomach when I watch it. This is because of how horribly Andrew is treated by his teacher Terence. At the beginning of this clip, everything seems to be okay as clearly Terence is not pleased by Andrew as he is having a hard time getting the right tempo however he remains calm and gives Andrew more opportunities to try again. However, Terence quickly becomes the definition of an awful teacher. Firstly, Terence throws a chair at Andrew’s head. Terence allows himself to become so frustrated and angry that he resorts to violence and throw a large object at his student. This is something a teacher should absolutely never do. Patience is an essential quality in an educator and rather than resorting to violence, Terence should have been more encouraging and helped Andrew to get the right tempo. He could have used his lead drummer to show him an example, or talked about technique or even gave him a break. My point is that there are so many other solutions rather than using violence. This is not something a good teacher does. Terence Fletcher also becomes very physically abusive which is another reason why this clip is an example of awful teaching. Terence begins to slap his student across the face when he cannot get the tempo right. This is very disgusting to watch because under no circumstances should a teacher ever lay their hands on their student. Not only is Terence physically abusive but also proceeds to be verbally abusive. He goes on to curse and use extremely vulgar language when speaking to Andrew. A teacher should absolutely never speak in this tone or manner and should never swear at a student. It is extremely disheartening to watch a student undergo such abuse from their teacher. As a result of the abuse, Andrew begins to cry in which Terence makes fun of him and insults him for. Instead of having empathy and sympathy, qualities a good teacher would possess, Terence shows no mercy and continues to torment him. Terence is an awful teacher as aside from all the physical and verbal abuse and violence, it is the things he does not do that also makes him a bad educator. He lacks patience and empathy as well as never offers up any help or solutions. A good teacher would have helped Andrew when he could not get the right tempo and would have offered up solutions to help him improve his drumming. Terence never does any teaching and it is the lack of instruction that also makes him a bad teacher. Furthermore, this clip is also an example of bad teaching because the teacher and student have a very toxic relationship. It is obvious that Terence has created an environment where he is dominant and extremely superior to his students. It is evident that his students fear him and are constantly trying to impress him. This is toxic and not how a classroom environment should be. A good learning environment is one where both the teacher and students are learning from one another and learning together. A teacher is not superior to his/her students and never should be. Lastly, Terence is an example of a bad teacher because he does not respect Andrew. If he respected him, he would never throw something at him, hit him, nor use such disgusting and vulgar language to insult him. A good teacher respects their students and in my opinion, respect is the most important thing in the classroom. Terence is the complete opposite from Dewey in the previous example and when comparing the two, it is easy to see why Dewey is an exceptional educator whereas Terence is a horrible one. When comparing the students in each example it also becomes clear who the better teacher is. Dewey's students take risks and have fun while creating music whereas Terence's student Andrew ends up crying and giving up. Dewey's students succeed while Terence's fails and it is the teaching stye that makes all the difference which is what I got out of these movie clips and want everyone else to realize.
|
Changing the Future of Music Education: My Philosophy
|