Traditional Pedagogy

[Agnella Datson]

Ofcourse, if we are to talk about poles in a debate, we need to have some sense of what we mean. Very crudely, rightly or wrongly, and seeking to avoid bias in any direction, I think of them in the following way:

My experience working at KEGS is my immediate reference point. In what might be regarded as a traditional Grammar school, albeit with a modern outlook, the learning experience of students comprises multiple elements:

This symbiosis is evident in our recent Learning by Heart project as described in this post. Learning poetry by heart in the ways described has a strongly traditional aspect and a strongly progressive aspect.

This is great Tom and very timely given the recent pronouncement from Ofsted . We need to develop reflective teachers who can decide the appropriate course to take not just in a lesson but over a period of time . What if Ofsted was suspended for a year ? What would happen ? The mind boggles !!!

I think it summarised quite well the range of nonsense gibberish put forward in the discussions on twitter and in the bloggershpere. I totally agree that much of it becomes a little tedious quite quickly.

I think your blogpost sums up very well the range of different theories, methods and approaches that have been conflated by people who wish to discuss such an earth shattering issue. The vast majority that I have read have said just what you have said in your blogpost. Most normal teachers use elements of the two positions and others too.

And yes I think it is a false dichotomy. On the basis that one presents two positions suggesting that there are only these two positions and that on this basis theirs is correct, I believe this is a false dichotomy. You say that you have been wrong to speak about a false dichotomy and then go on to suggest that it is in fact a false dichotomy as the two extremes are not in fact the only two positions.

I feel that those who have been putting forward the views you express above have to a great extent decided that their energies can be better used in other more productive areas. The traditionalists still bait on occasions but with few people now biting the wars have diminished.

I agree that a rigid distinction between these two camps is unhelpful. We need to distinguish between aims, content and methods, each of which can be labelled separately on the prog / trad spectrum.

I think that if we start with common aims and values for education, a synthesis is possible between progs and trads and that this requires further work.

I have written about this here: -and-trads-is-a-synthesis-possible/

A really useful post, encouraging people to be more complex in their thinking and planning will I am sure bring about more positive outcomes. It may enable people to work in a more reciprocal fashion and build schemes of learning which really make the students able to learn with confidence. I also like the idea that the skills gained from more progressive practices create an extra layer on top of the basics needs outlined by Maslow and your recognition that in different catchments these may need to be more or less the role of the school depending on the education they come with. Which is of course also true of the basic needs like nutrition and emotional care.

Extra curricular activities also can add a lot to the blend of progressive and traditional experiences a student is able to access. This might be an area where the students get some choice according to prefered styles or a need they would like filling.

I think it is important people do not try to make individual lessons more complex as a result. I have some big concerns about the way that, supposedly, new ideas can lead to senior leaders demanding that more and more be achieved in one lesson; rather than using the ideas to streamline and maximise the planning and benefits of a sequence of learning.

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Generally defined as the theory and practice of teaching, pedagogy refers to the methodology and process of how instructors approach teaching and learning using a specific curriculum with specific goals in mind. Traditional pedagogy refers predominantly to the face-to-face teaching environment and the conceptual frameworks around how people learn in that particular space. Over the past few decades, conventional pedagogy has evolved to include other modalities; specifically, the online environment. Most of the pedagogical practices used in the traditional face-to-face classroom can be applied effectively to other modes of teaching like an online, hybrid, or blended learning environments and vice-versa.

This section provides some pedagogical guidance and suggestions for instructors teaching in different learning environments. Regardless of the approach and learning space, effective pedagogical practices must be designed with the learner in mind in order to maximize engagement and ultimately, impact mastery of student outcomes. Instructional Technology and Design Services (ITDS) has compiled research and examples of sound pedagogical practices.

This was an experience I had last week, and I am confident that many Oberlin students have experienced similar situations throughout their time here. This classroom, with an obsessive focus on grades and little chance for students to engage in discussion, emulates the prevalence of archaic educational standards. Oberlin is better than most colleges at challenging educational conventions, but there are still many academic disciplines where these standards remain uncontested. Despite the fact that Oberlin advertises itself as one of the best colleges in the world for fostering critical thinking, we continue to implement educational methods that are at odds with this identity.

Ironically, these educational methods teach us the opposite of what it takes to be independently successful. To be a successful individual, one has to embrace failure and learn from it, be willing to collaborate with others, and be willing to challenge authority when necessary. Yet traditional educational methods teach us the exact opposite. They limit collaboration, teach us to fear failure, and make us reluctant to challenge authority. By cementing these values in the minds of students, traditional educational methods teach us to be complacent cogs within the machine of society.

The fear of failure and its resulting consequences are even more apparent at Oberlin, where practically every student performs at a high academic level. In this environment, pressure to succeed comes not only from authority figures but also from our peers. The pressure to be successful from our previous and current experiences makes many students act as if failure is not an option. Everyone is constantly working for the sake of the next A+, or the next internship, the next performance. When it seems like everyone around you is constantly succeeding, even a small failure can feel like a ton of bricks weighing down on you. How valuable is academic success when it comes at the cost of our mental health?

The limitations on collaboration within our education system further hinder our ability to become successful. In many classes, tests and assignments are expected to be done independently without consulting our classmates. According to the Honor Code, collaborating on an assignment intended to be done individually is a violation of academic integrity that can result in a number of academic sanctions, including suspension. Yet these rules embody the opposite of what is valued in most job sectors post-graduation. Many career paths require near-constant collaboration in order to become successful. Businessmen, journalists, and scientists alike work in close teams. Being able to work within groups and interact productively with others is an invaluable skill in any career field.

While I still think there should be room for independent thought in academia, increased collaboration would greatly benefit students. Collaboration exposes us to different thought processes and prepares us for working with others in the future.

Western art music is not a universal language. It does some things well, other things not as well, and many things not at all. What biases do we create in our students when we declare Western art music to be mandatory knowledge for anyone pursuing formal music studies?

A myopic focus on Western art music severely distorts what music is and what music can be. The standard pedagogy relies on a value system whose metrics are based on subjective preferences but passed off as objective truths. Western art music is declared, without adequate justification, to be the necessary tool for understanding music at the most fundamental level. The construction of a musical hierarchy with Western art music at the top, until recently considered the only music that merited institutionalization, perpetuates the idea of worthy music and unworthy music.

White supremacy is the systemic centering of whiteness. It builds on an incorrect assumption of white racial superiority and functions to uphold white privilege. Whiteness is defined as the standard against which and on whose terms all others are measured and invariably fall short. When white is designated as normal, those who are not white are forever deemed not normal, no matter how hard they work or what they accomplish. Restricting the definition of white supremacy to a collection of bigoted individuals overlooks the myriad ways that institutionalized power in this country, whether social, political, legal, economic, or cultural, reinforces the primacy of whiteness.

We need an antiracist music theory classroom, one that de-centers Western art music in favor of a polystylistic approach. Students need a broad musical foundation to prepare for advanced studies in the particular styles relevant to their interests and projected career paths. An antiracist approach to music theory recognizes that Western art music is not the pinnacle of human achievement, but simply one among many equally valid forms of artistic musical expression.

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