Dear Readers
Given time, you could really have a lot of fun with this. One idea I tried out with two learning support students of mine:
I downloaded a piece of hip hop music and then we combined the words of a ten times multiplication table to the beat of the music to learn the ten times tables. This has really worked as the students have now taught the rest of the class their little ditty. The basic principles of Kearsley & Shneiderman's (1999) Engagement Theory is that students Relate-Create-Donate. This can be seen here when the students have worked together to create the ditty (their project) and have then taught it to the rest of the class.
Kearsley G., & Shneiderman B. (1999). Engagement Theory: A framework for technology-based teaching and learning. Retrieved from http://home.sprynet.com/~gkearsley/engage.htm
Beth Butler (2008) asserts that music engages children and allows them to learn concepts that sometimes are difficult without the beat or without the rhythm of a song. It allows children to remember important facts, whether they are in history, science, math or language arts. Imagine the feeling of success a child experiences once he has mastered his ABCs thanks to that little song placed to the melody of Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star. You have seen the delight on many faces of toddlers and preschoolers who master that twenty-six letter song!
Butler, B. (2008). Music in our Classrooms Help Children Learn. Retrieved 18 August, 2009 from
http://www.content4reprint.com/culture-and-society/education/k-12/music-in-our-classrooms-help-children-learn.htm
Kay
Hi Yet again Kay,
ReplyDeleteI liked the your idea I will be trying it out asap. I suppose it would work best if the students could pick the tune and had a part to play in its creation.
Math Set to Music
“Kids come to school knowing 'Mary Had a Little Lamb' and 'Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star,'” says Kay Smitherman, a retired math teacher from Angleton, Texas. “Wouldn't it be nice if children came to school already knowing math formulas by heart?” Smitherman, whose “Math Songs” activities appear in the January/February issue of Instructor, has made a second career of setting math-themed lyrics to popular tunes to help kids memorize essential formulas and skills(Prescott, 2009).
J.O., Prescott (2009). Scholastic Instructor, Music in the Classroom. Retreived 21 August, 2009 from:
http://teacher.scholastic.com/products/instructor/Jan05_music.htm
Hi Deb
ReplyDeleteEducation of our children really does need to start early. If only parents realised this and were given an education package from the government when they went for their immunisation needles instead of $200. Just a thought!
Kay