For this artifact, I selected a sample of a syllabus from one of my ensembles for the Spring 2014 semester. I chose this artifact because it illustrates my ability to plan and encourage the best possible learning environment. While it was not an expectation of the school, I feel it is important to include a syllabus for any secondary classroom. First of all, syllabi allow a teacher to establish his or her expectations for behavior, attendance and school/homework from the beginning so students are not anxious or in doubt about how they should act or how they will be graded. They additionally establish these expectations with parents so that when a parent, inevitably, has an issue with an established expectation the teacher and administration have documentation to protect themselves from recourse. For this reason, I always require a parent signature acknowledging that the parents received and read the syllabus. Should an issue arise, I can pull out the signature page from my files to prove that parents were made aware of any and all expectations in advance and that the specific issue they have brought up was addressed in the syllabus that they acknowledged as having read.
Additionally, I always include the State Music Education Standards for every class syllabus I use. In my experience, I have found that some students, parents, other teachers, and administrators can believe that music is not an academic discipline, simply another extra-curricular activity. I believe that music is an intra-curricular activity--in other words that music has academic value not only to other subjects but also in and of itself. By including the state standards, I illustrate that I am not the only person to hold this belief. My inclusion of the standards on my syllabus also establishes with the students and parents the kind of environment that they should expect when entering my classroom: an environment of academic discipline as well as music performance.
Finally, this syllabus illustrates my high expectations of my students. I believe that having high expectations of my students allows them to succeed at higher levels than they imagined themselves capable of achieving. Those achievements create intrinsic motivation for students to continue to succeed in music, in my classroom and beyond.
This artifact satisfies the Idaho Standards for Music Teacher Standard 5 and the Danielson Framework Domain 2 standards 2a, 2b, 2c, and 2d.
Additionally, I always include the State Music Education Standards for every class syllabus I use. In my experience, I have found that some students, parents, other teachers, and administrators can believe that music is not an academic discipline, simply another extra-curricular activity. I believe that music is an intra-curricular activity--in other words that music has academic value not only to other subjects but also in and of itself. By including the state standards, I illustrate that I am not the only person to hold this belief. My inclusion of the standards on my syllabus also establishes with the students and parents the kind of environment that they should expect when entering my classroom: an environment of academic discipline as well as music performance.
Finally, this syllabus illustrates my high expectations of my students. I believe that having high expectations of my students allows them to succeed at higher levels than they imagined themselves capable of achieving. Those achievements create intrinsic motivation for students to continue to succeed in music, in my classroom and beyond.
This artifact satisfies the Idaho Standards for Music Teacher Standard 5 and the Danielson Framework Domain 2 standards 2a, 2b, 2c, and 2d.