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Unit of study_

MUED3605: Teaching Junior Secondary Music

Semester 1, 2022 [Normal day] - Sydney

This Unit of Study considers approaches to teaching music in a junior secondary school context (Years 7-10) and contributes to preparing students for a career in the exciting field of music education. Current syllabus documents are analysed, approaches to music curriculum construction are discussed, and pedagogical theories are examined. Repertoire, technology and media issues related to music education are addressed, as is resource selection and development and cultural diversity. Exemplar content is presented and analysed and opportunities are provided for per teaching. All of these components are studied in the broader context of creating and managing an engaging classroom learning environment and the fostering of self-motivated learners. This Unit of Study leads to a secondary school Professional Experience component in Semester 2.

Unit details and rules

Unit code MUED3605
Academic unit Music Education
Credit points 6
Prohibitions
? 
None
Prerequisites
? 
EDLN2000 and MUED2605
Corequisites
? 
None
Assumed knowledge
? 

None

Available to study abroad and exchange students

No

Teaching staff

Coordinator Thomas Fienberg, thomas.fienberg@sydney.edu.au
Lecturer(s) Thomas Fienberg, thomas.fienberg@sydney.edu.au
Jim Coyle, jim.coyle@sydney.edu.au
James Humberstone, james.humberstone@sydney.edu.au
Type Description Weight Due Length
Assignment Units of work and assessment design
Written assessment see Canvas for details
50% Multiple weeks 3000 words
Outcomes assessed: LO2 LO3 LO4 LO6
Assignment group assignment Peer teaching plus documentation
Presentation with individual written component
50% Week 05
Due date: 03 Apr 2022 at 09:00
PT 10 minutes; doc. 1500 words
Outcomes assessed: LO1 LO5 LO3 LO2
Group assignment with individually assessed component = group assignment with individually assessed component ?

Assessment summary

Task 1. Starter activities documentation (3); matching lesson plan documentation (3); peer teaching of one starter activity.

Task 2. Unit of work & assessment design documentation.

More detailed information for each assessment can be found on Canvas.

Assessment criteria

The following assessment criteria are used for written work in this unit of study:

Result name

Mark range

Description

High distinction

85 - 100

Demonstrates high level of initiative in research and reading; sophisticated critical analysis of evidence; high level engagement with theoretical issues, innovative use of reading/research material and impressive command of underlying debates and assumptions; properly documented and written with style, originality and precision.

Distinction

75 - 84

Demonstrates initiative in research and wide, appropriate reading; complex understanding of question and ability to critically review material in relation to underlying assumptions and values; analyses material in relation to empirical and theoretical contexts; properly documented; clear, well-developed structure and argument with some signs of literary style.

Credit

65 - 74

Evidence of broader understanding than pass level; offers synthesis with some critical evaluation of material; coherent argument using a range of relevant evidence; some evidence of independent thought, good referencing. A high credit (70-74) shows some evidence of ability to problematise and think conceptually.

Pass

50 - 64

Written work meets basic requirements in terms of reading/research; relevant material; tendency to descriptive summary rather than critical argument; makes a reasonable attempt to avoid paraphrasing; reasonably coherent structure; often has weaknesses in particular areas, especially in terms of narrow or underdeveloped treatment of question; acceptable documentation.

Fail

0 - 49

Work may fail for any or all of the following reasons: Unacceptable paraphrasing; irrelevance of content; poor spelling; poor presentation; grammar or structure so sloppy it cannot be understood; failure to demonstrate understanding of content; insufficient or overlong word length.

For more information see sydney.edu.au/students/guide-to-grades.

For more information see guide to grades.

Late submission

In accordance with University policy, these penalties apply when written work is submitted after 11:59pm on the due date:

  • Deduction of 5% of the maximum mark for each calendar day after the due date.
  • After ten calendar days late, a mark of zero will be awarded.

Academic integrity

The Current Student website  provides information on academic integrity and the resources available to all students. The University expects students and staff to act ethically and honestly and will treat all allegations of academic integrity breaches seriously.  

We use similarity detection software to detect potential instances of plagiarism or other forms of academic integrity breach. If such matches indicate evidence of plagiarism or other forms of academic integrity breaches, your teacher is required to report your work for further investigation.

You may only use artificial intelligence and writing assistance tools in assessment tasks if you are permitted to by your unit coordinator, and if you do use them, you must also acknowledge this in your work, either in a footnote or an acknowledgement section.

Studiosity is permitted for postgraduate units unless otherwise indicated by the unit coordinator. The use of this service must be acknowledged in your submission.

Simple extensions

If you encounter a problem submitting your work on time, you may be able to apply for an extension of five calendar days through a simple extension.  The application process will be different depending on the type of assessment and extensions cannot be granted for some assessment types like exams.

Special consideration

If exceptional circumstances mean you can’t complete an assessment, you need consideration for a longer period of time, or if you have essential commitments which impact your performance in an assessment, you may be eligible for special consideration or special arrangements.

Special consideration applications will not be affected by a simple extension application.

Using AI responsibly

Co-created with students, AI in Education includes lots of helpful examples of how students use generative AI tools to support their learning. It explains how generative AI works, the different tools available and how to use them responsibly and productively.

WK Topic Learning activity Learning outcomes
Week 01 Stage 4 exemplar unit 1a with James Humberstone. The dual components of (music) education: curriculum and pedagogy; stage 4/5 music educational philosophy: music and musicians now music for positive change imagination/improvisation and group work. Lecture and tutorial (3 hr) LO1 LO3 LO5
Week 02 Stage 4 Exemplar unit 1b with James Humberstone. Starter Activities. The episodic lesson; the NSW syllabus focusing on concepts and contexts in stage 4; literacy and numeracy in the stage 4 music classroom; pedagogy: direct experience with music first: whole class vs small group immersion. Lecture and tutorial (3 hr) LO1 LO2
Week 03 More programming ideas for stage 4 with Tom Fienberg. Goals, aims and prioritising mandatory music. Music for EVERYONE! What could my school look like on Prac? What makes good repertoire for keyboard, guitar and the ukulele?Designing a Scope and Sequence, Program, Unit of Work Assessment Schedule, and Assessment Tasks in stage 4. Visible learning and its impact on lesson planning. Workshop (3 hr) LO1 LO2 LO3 LO4 LO5
Week 04 Getting ready to jump, the deep end and beyond with Tom Fienberg. Differentiation in Stage 4 music. A multi-phase model based on Lucy Green’s Informal Learning. Learning to record in the classroom. Campbell’s “Listen-to-learn” pedagogy. Getting the most out of the syllabus: enacting concepts through learning experiences. Workshop (3 hr) LO1 LO2 LO3 LO4 LO5
Week 05 PEER TEACHING TASK PRESENTATION with Tom Fienberg. Preparation and practice for subsequent assessment tasks. Workshop (3 hr) LO3 LO4 LO5 LO6
Week 06 Small Ensembles, Tech in the cloud and Life Skills in 7-10 with Tom Fienberg. Taking the next step: Playing together as an ensemble. Getting the most of Soundtrap: reverse engineering, moving out of the loop. Understanding the Life Skills Syllabus. Teaching discrete classes and integration. NCCD what it means and why it’s important. ROSA, Grades in Elective Music. Reporting tips. Workshop (3 hr) LO1 LO3 LO4 LO5 LO6
Week 07 Programming through lived experience and recontextualising the wheel with Tom Fienberg. Putting the “Co” in co-curricular. Planning an excursion in school – tips and tricks to prepare/enjoy/consolidate. Strategies for including WAM with a tough crowd. Textbooks and NSW DoE Resources. Musical Theatre in Australia with Yve Blake (Creator of Fangirls). Let’s design an assessment based on Yve’s advice! Workshop (3 hr) LO2 LO3 LO4 LO5 LO6
Week 09 Learning and Sharing through Culture Bearers with Tom Fienberg and guests: A taster to Cultural Diversity in Music Education and pedagogical strategies for stages 4 and 5. Workshop (3 hr) LO1 LO2 LO3
Week 10 SPECIAL PROJECTS WEEK - Please speak with Music Education Division academics to find out whether a project is being run this semester. Online class (1 hr)  
Week 11 Stage 5 Exemplar Unit: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Music and Stories through Film with Tom Fienberg. Collaborating with community to share Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander stories. Syllabus development, cross-curriculum priorities and the Australian Curriculum. Review of pedagogical frameworks (Green, Campbell, Hattie). Block teaching (3 hr) LO1 LO2 LO3 LO4 LO6
Week 12 Cross-curricular teaching with James Humberstone. Use of ICT; stage 4 and 5 exemplar content. Online class (3 hr) LO2 LO3 LO4 LO6
Week 13 Project-based learning (enquiry-based, challenge-based, problem-based etc.) and music education with James Humberstone. Doing the project ourselves, FIRST! Online class (3 hr) LO2 LO3 LO4

Attendance and class requirements

  • Lecture recording: Lectures for this unit of study will be recorded and made available to students via the Learning Management System (LMS) 
  • Attendance: Students are expected to attend a minimum of 90% of timetabled activities for a unit of study, unless granted exemption by the Dean, Head of School or professor most concerned. The Dean, Head of School or professor most concerned may determine that a student fails a unit of study because of inadequate attendance. Alternatively, at their discretion, they may set additional assessment items where attendance is lower than 90%.

Study commitment

Typically, there is a minimum expectation of 1.5-2 hours of student effort per week per credit point for units of study offered over a full semester. For a 6 credit point unit, this equates to roughly 120-150 hours of student effort in total.

Required readings

Bauer, W. (2014). A Conceptual Framework for Technology-Assisted Music Learning. In Music Learning Today: Digital Pedagogy for Creating, Performing, and Responding to Music. New York: Oxford University Press. [Pages 4 to 11: see http://www.oxfordscholarship.com.ezproxy1.library.usyd.edu.au/view/10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199890590.001.0001/acprof-9780199890590]

Berger, R. (2003). An Ethic of Excellence. Portsmouth: Heinemann. [Pages 63-91 for lecture 13, but you are recommended to buy the book and read the whole thing, every year.]

Board of Studies NSW (2003). Music Years 7-10 Syllabus. Sydney. Download here: http://www.boardofstudies.nsw.edu.au/syllabus_sc/music.html

Bray, D. (2009). Creating a Musical School. Oxford: Oxford University Press. [Chapter 5, by Sharon Green, available via Units of Study on the Library website (under MUED3605) AND under Modules, Week 2 on the Canvas site]

Campbell, P. (2004). Teaching Music Globally: Experiencing Music, Expressing Culture. New York: Oxford University Press. [Excerpts: pp. 54-57, 64, 77, 91-94, 97-99, 123, 125-128, 139-143, 189, provided in licensed PDF on LMS]

Green, Lucy. ‘Lucy Green, Institute of Education, University of London’ [video clip]. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4r8zoHT4ExY.

For a complete list, see the MUED3605 Canvas site.

Learning outcomes are what students know, understand and are able to do on completion of a unit of study. They are aligned with the University's graduate qualities and are assessed as part of the curriculum.

At the completion of this unit, you should be able to:

  • LO1. demonstrate an awareness and understanding of cultural and ideological assumptions about music, teaching music as a profession, and music education
  • LO2. demonstrate knowledge of current music pedagogical theory
  • LO3. demonstrate a competent grasp of the key aspects of the current NSW stages 4 and 5 (years 7-10) mandatory and elective music course syllabuses
  • LO4. apply and evaluate technology in relation to music teaching
  • LO5. demonstrate an understanding of student behaviour and strategies for managing students in the classroom environment
  • LO6. plan, develop, and implement meaningful music teaching and learning experiences and evaluate educational “transactions” in front of peers relevant to a junior secondary school setting.

Graduate qualities

The graduate qualities are the qualities and skills that all University of Sydney graduates must demonstrate on successful completion of an award course. As a future Sydney graduate, the set of qualities have been designed to equip you for the contemporary world.

GQ1 Depth of disciplinary expertise

Deep disciplinary expertise is the ability to integrate and rigorously apply knowledge, understanding and skills of a recognised discipline defined by scholarly activity, as well as familiarity with evolving practice of the discipline.

GQ2 Critical thinking and problem solving

Critical thinking and problem solving are the questioning of ideas, evidence and assumptions in order to propose and evaluate hypotheses or alternative arguments before formulating a conclusion or a solution to an identified problem.

GQ3 Oral and written communication

Effective communication, in both oral and written form, is the clear exchange of meaning in a manner that is appropriate to audience and context.

GQ4 Information and digital literacy

Information and digital literacy is the ability to locate, interpret, evaluate, manage, adapt, integrate, create and convey information using appropriate resources, tools and strategies.

GQ5 Inventiveness

Generating novel ideas and solutions.

GQ6 Cultural competence

Cultural Competence is the ability to actively, ethically, respectfully, and successfully engage across and between cultures. In the Australian context, this includes and celebrates Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures, knowledge systems, and a mature understanding of contemporary issues.

GQ7 Interdisciplinary effectiveness

Interdisciplinary effectiveness is the integration and synthesis of multiple viewpoints and practices, working effectively across disciplinary boundaries.

GQ8 Integrated professional, ethical, and personal identity

An integrated professional, ethical and personal identity is understanding the interaction between one’s personal and professional selves in an ethical context.

GQ9 Influence

Engaging others in a process, idea or vision.

Outcome map

Learning outcomes Graduate qualities
GQ1 GQ2 GQ3 GQ4 GQ5 GQ6 GQ7 GQ8 GQ9

This section outlines changes made to this unit following staff and student reviews.

Every year that this unit is taught, thoughtful suggestions for improvement made through the USS and other channels are considered and incorporated for future versions of the unit.

Disclaimer

The University reserves the right to amend units of study or no longer offer certain units, including where there are low enrolment numbers.

To help you understand common terms that we use at the University, we offer an online glossary.