5. Reflection

A table outlining the lesson planning template for teaching sheet music and piano basics. The table includes five columns: Big Idea: Learning the basics of sheet music and piano skills is foundational for understanding and playing music, providing a strong base for advanced studies. Learning Outcomes: Learners will be able to identify and understand basic notes, rhythms, and symbols in sheet music, match notes to their positions on the staff, and replicate basic piano techniques. Evidence of Learning: Learners can accurately complete drag-and-drop activities matching notes and rhythms to the correct areas, replicate simple melodies on a virtual keyboard, and demonstrate understanding through quizzes. Assessments: Tasks include completing drag-and-drop activities, performing simple melodies on a virtual keyboard, and answering quiz questions. Learning Activities: Activities include engaging in drag-and-drop tasks, watching instructional videos, and practicing melodies on a virtual keyboard with feedback for corrections.
  • This creation of a lesson plan prior to our material allowed us to engage in backwards design, encouraging that all of the media included was in constructive alignment with our desired learning outcomes, which were to have a basic understanding of notes and rhythms in sheet music, and how they are represented on the keyboard. We also utilized H5P mini quizzes throughout for learners to ensure they had a comprehensive understanding of the concepts before applying them to the piano keyboard. (“Module 3: Principles of Learning Design and Active Learning”)
  • “In the language of Bloom’s Taxonomy, active learning encourages learners to bring higher order thinking skills to engage with the topic which ultimately leads to better integration of the key concepts and skills.”(“Module 3: Principles of Learning Design and Active Learning”):From the active learning module, we gained insights into the advantages of active learning. For our topic, which focuses on learning sheet music and piano, active learning proves to be particularly beneficial. Therefore in our design, we used H5P—a tool for active learning that we were introduced to this semester—to create drag-and-drop games after each chapter. These activities not only help reinforce the learning material but also add an element of fun and engagement to the learning experience(“ChatGPT”).
  • Always include alt text when you add an image to your page if the image is not decorative.”(“Module 2: Design Principles for Effective and Accessible Multimedia”): In our course design, to adhere to Kat Holmes’s three inclusive design principles, we added alt text to every non-decorative image to ensure accessibility for learners with disabilities.
  • Sweller’s Cognitive Load Theory(Young): In our course design, which focuses on learning sheet music and piano and combining these skills to enable sight-playing, we paid special attention to avoiding cognitive overload. In Module 1, we learned that when cognitive load exceeds capacity, learning efficiency decreases significantly. Therefore, during the course design process, we got feedback from Linke Chen who had no experience with sheet music or piano. From his perspective as a beginner, he evaluated whether the course content felt overwhelming, to make sure that it remained accessible and effective for learners(“ChatGPT”).
  • Based on our learnings from Module 2: Generative AI and Evaluating Content and Tools for Learning, we are encouraged to use AI as long as it does not interfere with the core learning outcomes or overshadow our own voice and ideas. As an international student, Linke Chen finds AI particularly helpful for grammar and spelling checks. This approach ensures that AI is used appropriately—enhancing our writing without undermining our original ideas—while saving significant time and improving the accuracy and clarity of our expression(“ChatGPT”).
  • Based on the criteria outlined in Module 5, We chose to create a video tutorial in addition to the written instructions since piano is an inherently visual subject, and video’s ability to rewatch/pause and access this educational resource lends well to piano practicing. (Module 5: Storytelling and Creating Video). Hence, there are multiple points in the video when I encourage learners to pause and practice alone, or play along so that they are able to incorporate active learning. (Module 3: Principles of Learning Design & Active Learning) Using the concepts of minimizing cognitive load, coherence, and spacial contiguity, I broke the song down into sections line by line, further separating right and left hand before putting them together, and keep only relevant information on screen and related information nearby (ie piano keyboard and sheet music). We also used signalling, by highlighting where the chords were written on the sheet music to make them easy for viewers to find, and to help with retention. (Module 1: Theories of Multimedia Learning) I also wrote up a script beforehand which, while I did not follow it verbatim, allowed for easier creation of captioning to make the more video accessible and comprehensible for a wider range of learners (Module 4: Design Principles for Effective & Accessible Multimedia). Here’s a link to access my storyboard and planning!
  • We chose to create another simple Screencastify video on rhythm, since it’s inherently auditory and learners benefit from creating these auditory links early on. While this video is mostly descriptive, it does incorporate active learning through the rhythm that viewers are instructed to clap along to the video’s beat. We also encourage active learning through our inclusion of the quiz in the rhythm section, and access to a free play-along website (tonesavvy) for learners to continue practicing with the site providing instant feedback. (Module 3: Principles of Learning Design & Active Learning)
  • In the future, we will provide a deeper focus on interactivity, accessibility, and personalization to cater to diverse learner needs in order to improve our design. Interactive elements, such as quizzes and drag-and-drop activities, can make learning more engaging and reinforce retention (Module 3 & 4). However, group work and individual work are different. Based on our experience on designing the website, group work comes with several challenges, such as time conflict and communication gaps. Although it did not work well at first, we will focus more on clear and timely communication later, and we will distribute tasks based on everyone’s strength and experience. However, time conflict is still a real life problem in many other circumstances. How do we create realistic timelines which consider the availability of all team members? And what should we do if someone falls behind at the moment? These questions are worth discussing and will contribute to the improvement of our work in the future.

References:

“Module 2: Generative AI and Evaluating Content and Tools for Learning (Mar. 17-30).” EdTech UVic, 4 Dec. 2023, https://edtechuvic.ca/edci337/2023/12/04/module-5-generative-ai-and-evaluating-content-and-tools-for-learning-mar-17-30/. Accessed 3 Dec. 2024.

“Module 3: Principles of Learning Design and Active Learning (Oct. 29-Nov. 11).” EdTech UVic, 20 Oct. 2023, https://edtechuvic.ca/edci337/2023/10/20/module-4-principles-of-learning-design-and-active-learningoct-29-nov-11/. Accessed 3 Dec. 2024.

“Module 4: Design Principles for Effective and Accessible Multimedia (Oct. 1-14).” EdTech UVic, 24 Sept. 2023, https://edtechuvic.ca/edci337/2023/09/24/module-2-design-principles-for-effective-and-accessible-multimedia-oct-1-14/. Accessed 3 Dec. 2024.

“Module 5: Storytelling and Creating Video (Oct. 15-28).” EdTech UVic, 6 Oct. 2023, https://edtechuvic.ca/edci337/2023/10/06/module-3-storytelling-and-creating-video-oct-15-28/. Accessed 3 Dec. 2024.

Young, Scott. “Cognitive Load Theory: How to Manage Your Mental Energy.” Scott H Young, 4 Jan. 2022, www.scotthyoung.com/blog/2022/01/04/cognitive-load-theory/.

“ChatGPT.” OpenAI, 2024, https://chat.openai.com/.