Readings #2: Eisner

MUSIC 23241: MUSIC TEACHING AS A PROFESSION

Mr. Marcus L. Neiman, Assistant Professor

Kent State University School of Music

Fall, 2011

CRN:  200910 – Section number: 001 – Class Days: TR 7:45a – 8:35 am - Classroom: SOM E202

Office: Band Office - 330.672.2965 - Telephone: 330.672.2965 (Kent Campus) - E-mail: mneiman@kent.edu

Office Hours: TR 9:00 – 9:55 am (Additional hours available by appointment)

---

BlackBoard and Text Readings

Submitted by:  Ryan Critchfield

Submitted for: Mr. Marcus L. Neiman, lecturer

Date: September 15, 2011

---

Eisner, Elliot W. 2003.  Preparing for today and tomorrow.

Association for supervision and curriculum development , Vol 61, Issue 4, 6, 8-10.

Eisner focuses this article on what students need to be learning within the classroom. He does not just focus on the study of music or the arts, but focuses his discussion on learning four areas; judgment, critical thinking, meaningful literacy, collaboration and service. None of these are academic subjects per say, but they are all vital components to everyday life, and necessary for preparing for whatever the future may bring.

Eisner suggests that in order to improve these areas, we must refocus what is important in education. Should we be focusing do much time and attention to test scores, or should they take a back seat to learning these complex cognitive skills. What Eisner suggests is that instead of preparing a student for anything and everything with required subjects in chemistry, history, calculus, etcetera, we should focus on developing skills to guide them when they choose their own activities.

I found a lot of things I liked within this journal. I agree that we need to refocus our attention from testing to something more meaningful like the development of characteristic traits like respect, self motivation, and the five Eisner outlines in his article. Testing has lost most of its value in the world of education. What I think is to restructure our school curriculums and goals as a community to focus on the child’s development and assimilation into the real world through mental development, not through tests and “required” learning. Should we still have some required classes? Yes. A student should have a basic understanding of many subject areas. But we also need to teach how to think logically, how to behave in certain situations, and other things the ACT cannot test for. These are the skills that need to be learned to prepare students for the future.