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Entry 5- Application of Content

The candidate understands how to engage learners through interdisciplinary lessons that utilize concept
based teaching and authentic learning experiences to engage students in effective communication,
collaboration, outside resources, reading, technology, and in critical and creative thinking.

One way to teach a concept is to connect the concept to something the students already know.
Scaffolding in this way helps build lasting connections in the students’ brains to the information they
learned. This can be achieved by connecting the topics in one subject to the topics the students are
already learning in another class. Fusing the two topics together in an interdisciplinary fashion will help
the students make connections more easily to the two topics. Some students may understand the
information better when it is connected to a different environment. When two teachers collaborate to
teach a single concept, concept based teaching is the most common and easily implementable
pedagogical model. Concept based teaching focuses on concepts that are easily transferrable (ex.
Abstract ideas, timeless ideas, universal concepts). Allowing students to connect two subjects together
makes it easier for them to transfer the information to their life outside of school. Creating these types
of authentic experiences for the students will help them understand the ‘why’ behind the concepts
rather than simple rote memorization. This can then be expanded by encouraging students to find
outside resources that also relate to the concept but allow for farther exploration in different areas of
study.

Being able to give students choice in the music classroom is important because it creates relevancy
for the material to the students. One thing that I have learned is that the teacher should always be ready
with at least two correct methods of completing an assignment. The two can be given as a choice to the
students and then the product has the opportunity to be more personal and most likely more impactful.
When giving students this level of choice and creativity, it is important to model the creative process to
ensure the students have the highest chance for success. When connecting two subjects together, it is
always helpful to have someone who is an expert in the secondary field of instruction. If that isn’t
available, the teacher should research as much as they can to assure accuracy of content.

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