I read an article recently entitled Sound and Sight: The Use of Song to Promote Language Learning which discusses the benefits of using song to teach concepts in other subjects, not just music. Because songs are easily learned and memorized , studies have shown that when concepts are set to music, children absorb and learn the material. With such a strong emphasis placed on standardized test scores, classes such as the arts take a back seat to main subjects like math and English. This article suggests that higher test scores in math and English will come about if some concepts in those class are taught with the use of song.
The article mainly talks of the education system in New Zealand, where it is part of the math and English curriculum to teach concepts like sentence structure, complicated vocabulary, grammar, times tables, and basic math concepts to elementary students using songs and jingles. This, the writers suggest, allows for optimal results on standardized tests. The article then goes on to explain the cognitive benefits of teaching through music for elementary-aged school children and how young students find music to be fun, catchy, and engaging.
My questions for you are as follows: What is your personal opinion on this matter? Do children learn through music in classes that are not music related? How could you, in your subject, use music and song to help your students memorize material? Is this method only beneficial for elementary students, or can it be used in middle school and high school? Would middle or high school students find songs in your class engaging or tacky? Please comment! I would love to hear your thoughts on this matter! Thanks!
I think introducing songs into your lesson can help, especially when referring to multiple intelligences. If applicable I would try to fit it into my lesson to aid in any understanding that would come from it, just like PEDMAS, FOIL and many other helpful reminders it would only benefit the students.
ReplyDeleteI think that introducing songs in a class to help students learn is a great idea. Music can make the material easier to remember, especially when it is is the same genre style of music that students listen to. I shared this with the class in a discussion that during my observations last semester, the teachers had played a rap song on how to solve systems of equations. I had watched the video where the steps needed were repeated to a rap melody and there was a visual portrayal of the steps. I can still remember the steps that were said in the song to the same beat as the video and I had watched it over seven months ago.
ReplyDeleteI like this idea personally because I still reference childhood songs to remember certain information. I think it is a great way for students to retain information that is easy to remember because the song will probably be very catchy and have many rhymes which are easy for us to remember. I believe this technique can be applied to any subject because the song will pertain to that specific subject. I think this method would be more beneficial on the elementary level because the students are more open to new ideas but I do think it has a purpose in later education. Older students may not think its "cool" to sing in class but I personally would like to remember a song rather than study a boring piece of paper which wouldn't get absorbed.
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