Champion Techniques Application
The first strategy I chose to implement was technique one – No Opt Out. I used this technique in my first and second period beginning orchestra classes. My eighth period beginners were my control class that I did not change anything. For questions such as, “How many sharps are in the key of D major?” this strategy is easy to implement. Most often when I received an incorrect answer, I called on another student to provide the correct answer. Then I returned to the first student to give the correct answer. When there were definitions in the book it was easy to ask another student to give a clue about the answer. I also tried to apply No Opt Out to performing, but it is much more difficult. When a student was playing something and they got it wrong, there was rarely a quick correction that another student could make. It was impossible to call on another student, have them play the passage, and go back to the original student to give the correct performance. Students did begin to listen to each other perform instead of zoning out. When the mistake was an easy one to identify, the students were very helpful to each other. The issue came when it was not a knowledge problem, but a technique problem. Student A can perform a line and forget the slur in measure three. Student B can identify the problem and possibly even perform the line correctly, but that may not help student A fix the problem.
The results of this technique were very positive for knowledge-based questions. Compared to my eighth period, test scores were about ten points on vocabulary and theory tests. The combined class average for first and second period rose from eighty-five percent to ninety-five percent. Eighth period only raised their test scores from an eighty-two average to an eighty-six average, an increase of four points. The first and second tests were the same questions, but in different order. Increased test scores could also be the result of repetition. My students started raising their hands more often to answer questions and to help another get the correct answer. Some were extremely excited to give clues about the correct answer. For performance-based issues, it often became similar to peer tutoring which takes much more time than No Opt Out intends.
This is a technique that I will keep using with all my classes, especially for terminology and theory work. At first the kids thought it was strange when I went immediately back to the person who gave a wrong answer, but now they see that it there is no other option than to give the correct answer. I am trying to find a way to make it work for the performance component of my class. Next year I will train my kids in No Opt Out starting at the beginning of the year
The second technique I chose to use was Cold Call. I used it in all of my classes for both verbal response questions and playing passages. I picked this technique because I realized that my open-ended group response format did not engage all my students and that only a small percentage of students volunteered to play for the class. Often I would call on a student to pick a different student or two to play the passage we were working. It helped to evenly distribute answering/performing and allowed the kids to feel some control in the cold calling.
It took a bit of work to get students, especially the sixth graders, to stop calling out answers immediately. For about a week and a half I had to start every question with, “Remember to raise your hand when you have the answer.” Some of the students were very accepting of cold call and others seemed resentful. The resentful students were divided into two categories: those who raised their hands often and were not called on as much as they wanted, and those who were called on when their hand was not raised. I understand the polarization, especially when it came to performing something on their instrument. Performances became better, with fewer stumbles. I believe that students started practicing more because they realized I was calling on everyone now and did not want to look unprepared to their classmates. Picking a student to choose another person or two to perform was like striking gold. The student had to make their decision quickly and could not pick someone who had already performed that passage. I know my students well enough to know who they would pick for the most part.
Cold Call is a technique I will continue to use because it is easy to implement for both knowledge-based questions and performance. It is a great technique that tells the students that everyone is responsible for their learning and I will check that by calling on anyone at any given time. It keeps them on their toes and consistently engaged.
The first strategy I chose to implement was technique one – No Opt Out. I used this technique in my first and second period beginning orchestra classes. My eighth period beginners were my control class that I did not change anything. For questions such as, “How many sharps are in the key of D major?” this strategy is easy to implement. Most often when I received an incorrect answer, I called on another student to provide the correct answer. Then I returned to the first student to give the correct answer. When there were definitions in the book it was easy to ask another student to give a clue about the answer. I also tried to apply No Opt Out to performing, but it is much more difficult. When a student was playing something and they got it wrong, there was rarely a quick correction that another student could make. It was impossible to call on another student, have them play the passage, and go back to the original student to give the correct performance. Students did begin to listen to each other perform instead of zoning out. When the mistake was an easy one to identify, the students were very helpful to each other. The issue came when it was not a knowledge problem, but a technique problem. Student A can perform a line and forget the slur in measure three. Student B can identify the problem and possibly even perform the line correctly, but that may not help student A fix the problem.
The results of this technique were very positive for knowledge-based questions. Compared to my eighth period, test scores were about ten points on vocabulary and theory tests. The combined class average for first and second period rose from eighty-five percent to ninety-five percent. Eighth period only raised their test scores from an eighty-two average to an eighty-six average, an increase of four points. The first and second tests were the same questions, but in different order. Increased test scores could also be the result of repetition. My students started raising their hands more often to answer questions and to help another get the correct answer. Some were extremely excited to give clues about the correct answer. For performance-based issues, it often became similar to peer tutoring which takes much more time than No Opt Out intends.
This is a technique that I will keep using with all my classes, especially for terminology and theory work. At first the kids thought it was strange when I went immediately back to the person who gave a wrong answer, but now they see that it there is no other option than to give the correct answer. I am trying to find a way to make it work for the performance component of my class. Next year I will train my kids in No Opt Out starting at the beginning of the year
The second technique I chose to use was Cold Call. I used it in all of my classes for both verbal response questions and playing passages. I picked this technique because I realized that my open-ended group response format did not engage all my students and that only a small percentage of students volunteered to play for the class. Often I would call on a student to pick a different student or two to play the passage we were working. It helped to evenly distribute answering/performing and allowed the kids to feel some control in the cold calling.
It took a bit of work to get students, especially the sixth graders, to stop calling out answers immediately. For about a week and a half I had to start every question with, “Remember to raise your hand when you have the answer.” Some of the students were very accepting of cold call and others seemed resentful. The resentful students were divided into two categories: those who raised their hands often and were not called on as much as they wanted, and those who were called on when their hand was not raised. I understand the polarization, especially when it came to performing something on their instrument. Performances became better, with fewer stumbles. I believe that students started practicing more because they realized I was calling on everyone now and did not want to look unprepared to their classmates. Picking a student to choose another person or two to perform was like striking gold. The student had to make their decision quickly and could not pick someone who had already performed that passage. I know my students well enough to know who they would pick for the most part.
Cold Call is a technique I will continue to use because it is easy to implement for both knowledge-based questions and performance. It is a great technique that tells the students that everyone is responsible for their learning and I will check that by calling on anyone at any given time. It keeps them on their toes and consistently engaged.