Hostname: page-component-7c8c6479df-fqc5m Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-03-27T13:08:00.269Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

Authentic learning in senior secondary music pedagogy: an examination of teaching practice in high-achieving school music programmes

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  17 December 2020

Rachel White*
Affiliation:
Sydney Conservatorium of Music, The University of Sydney, 1 Conservatorium Road, Sydney, NSW, 2000, Australia
*
Corresponding author. Email: Rachel.a.white@sydney.edu.au

Abstract

Authentic learning approaches are designed to immerse students in contexts that promote real-life applications of knowledge, and provide meaningful learning experiences beyond the abstract instruction of the classroom. In a grounded theory study of music teaching practice in high-achieving schools, 50 teachers from 23 schools across New South Wales (NSW), Australia, were asked to describe how they taught their senior secondary students and the musical environment they curated within their school. Through examination of the interview data, authentic learning exposed itself as uniquely situated in classroom music teaching of high-achieving music programmes for senior secondary students in NSW. This is shown through the use of thorough inquiry-based and student-centred learning tasks like video journals, the use of professional resources and expertise and collaborative learning in authentic contexts, in and outside of the classroom.

Type
Article
Copyright
© Cambridge University Press 2020

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

ABRAHAMSON, D., ET AL. (2006). What’s a situation in situated cognition?: A constructionist critique of authentic inquiry. Paper presented at the Proceedings of the Seventh International Conference of the Learning Sciences, Bloomington, IN.Google Scholar
BANDURA, A. (1997). Self Efficacy: The Exercise of Control. New York: W. H. Freeman and Company.Google Scholar
BARRON, B. & DARLING-HAMMOND, L. (2008). Teaching for meaningful learning: A review of research on inquiry-based and cooperative learning. In Darling-Hammond, L., et al. (eds.), Powerful Learning: What We Know About Teaching for Understanding. San Francisco CA: Jossey-Bass.Google Scholar
BIANCHI, H. & BELL, R. (2008). The many levels of inquiry. Science and Children, 70(7), 2629.Google Scholar
BRECKENRIDGE, J. (2014). Doing Classic Grounded Theory: The Data Analysis Process. SAGE Research Methods Cases. London: SAGE Publications, Ltd.Google Scholar
CALLISON, D. & LAMB, A. (2004). Key words in instruction: Authentic learning. School Library Media Activities Monthly, 21(4), 3439.Google Scholar
CAMPBELL, C., FAULKNER, M. & PRIDHAM, B. (2010). Supporting adolescent learning and development using applied learning pedagogies in a regional secondary school: An evaluation of a pilot program. The High School Journal, 94(1), 1527.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
CAPRARA, G. V., BARBARANELLI, C., STECA, P. & MALONE, P. A. (2006). Teachers self-efficacy beliefs as determinants of job satisfaction and students’ academic achievement: A study at the school level. Journal of School Psychology, 44, 473490.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
CHOI, J. & HANNAFIN, M. (1995). Situated cognition and learning environments: Roles, structures, and implications for design. Educational Technology Research and Development, 43(2), 5369.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
CLANCEY, W. J. (1995). A tutorial on situated learning. Paper presented at the International Conference on Computers and Education, Taiwan.Google Scholar
COLBURN, A. (2000). An inquiry primer. Science Scope, 23(6), 4244.Google Scholar
COOPER, J. E., PONDER, G., MERRITT, S. & MATTHEWS, C. (2005). High-performing high schools: Patterns of success. National Association of Secondary School Principals Bulletin, 89(645), 223.Google Scholar
CRESWELL, J. W. (2009). Research Design: Qualitative, Quantitative, and Mixed Methods Approaches. California: SAGE Publications, Inc.Google Scholar
DILLENBOURG, P. (1999). What do you mean by collaborative learning? In Dillenbourg, P. (ed.), Collaborative Learning: Cognitive and Computational Approaches (pp. 119). Oxford: Elsevier.Google Scholar
EVELEIN, F. (2006). Pop and world music in Dutch music education: Two cases of authentic learning in music teacher education and secondary music education. International Journal of Music Education, 24(2), 178187.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
FOLKESTAD, G. (2005). The local and the global in musical learning: Considering the interaction between formal and informal settings. In Campbell, P. S., et al. (eds.), Cultural Diversity in Music Education: Directions and Challenges for the 21st Century. Brisbane, QLD: Australian Academic Press Pty Ltd.Google Scholar
GODDARD, R. D., HOY, W. K. & HOY, A. W. (2000). Collective teacher efficacy: Its meaning, measure, and impact on student achievement. American Educational Research Journal, 37(2), 479507.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
GREEN, L. (2008). Music, Informal Learning and the School: A New Classroom Pedagogy. Burlington, Vt: Ashgate.Google Scholar
HANSEN, D. & IMSE, L. A. (2016). Student-centred classrooms: Past initiatives, future practices. Music Educators Journal, 103(2), 2026.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
HAROUTOUNIAN, J. (2008). Musical talent. In Plucker, J. A. & Callahan, C. M. (eds.), Critical Issues and Practices in Gifted Education: What the Research Says (pp. 449467). Waco, Texas: Prufrock Press Inc.Google Scholar
HERRINGTON, J. & OLIVER, R. (2000). An instructional design framework for authentic learning environments. Educational Technology Research and Development, 48(3), 2348.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
HERRINGTON, J., REEVES, T. C. & OLIVER, R. (2014). Authentic learning environments. In Spector, J. M., et al. (eds.), Handbook of Research on Educational Communications and Technology (4th ed., pp. 401412). New York: Springer Science+Business Media.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
HOMEL, J. & RYAN, C. (2014). Educational outcomes: The impact of aspirations and the role of student background characteristics. Retrieved from Adelaide, SA.Google Scholar
JEANNERET, N., MCLENNAN, R. & STEVENS-BALLENGER, J. (2011). Musical Futures: An Australian perspective: Findings from a Victorian pilot study. Victoria, Australia: Melbourne Graduate School of Education.Google Scholar
KARADAĞ, E., BEKTAŞ, F., ÇOĞALTAY, N. & YALÇIN, M. (2017). The effect of educational leadership on students’ achievement. In Karadağ, E. (ed.), The Factors Effecting Student Achievement: Meta-Analysis of Empirical Studies (pp. 1133). Switzerland: Springer International Publishing.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
KOLB, D. A. (2015). Experiential Learning: Experience as the Source of Learning and Development (2nd ed.). New Jersey: Pearson Education Inc.Google Scholar
LANCASTER, H. (2003). Identifying the gifted in music. Paper presented at the Thai National Centre for the Gifted and Talented, Bangkok.Google Scholar
LAVE, J. & WENGER, E. (1991). Situated Learning: Legitimate Peripheral Participation. UK: Cambridge University Press.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
LAZONDER, A. W. & HARMSEN, R. (2016). Meta-analysis of inquiry-based learning: Effects of guidance. Review of Educational Research, 86(3), 681718.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
LOMBARDI, M. M. (2007). Authentic learning for the 21st century: An overview. Educause Learning Initiative.Google Scholar
MCPHERSON, G. E. & WILLIAMON, A. (2015). Building gifts into musical talents. In McPherson, G. (ed.), The Child as Musician: A Handbook of Musical Development (2nd ed., pp. 239256). United Kingdom: Oxford University Press.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
O’CONNOR, J., JEANES, R. & ALFREY, L. (2016). Authentic inquiry-based learning in health and physical education: A case study of ‘revolutionary’ practice. Physical Education and Sport Pedagogy, 21(2), 2012016.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
PAWLINA, W. & DRAKE, R. L. (2016). Authentic learning in anatomy: A primer on pragmatism. Anatomical Sciences Education, 9(1), 57.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
PEARCE, S. (2016). Authentic learning: What, why and how? e-Teaching. Management Strategies for the Classroom, 10, 13.Google Scholar
QUIGLEY, C. (2014). Expanding our view of authentic learning: Bridging in and out-of-school experiences. Cultural Studies of Science Education, 9(1), 115122.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
RADINSKY, J., BOUILLION, L., LENTO, E. M. & GOMEZ, L. M. (2001). Mutual benefit partnership: A curricular design for authenticity. Journal of Curriculum Studies, 33(4), 405430.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
ROACH, K., TILLEY, E. & MITCHELL, J. (2018). How authentic does authentic learning have to be? Higher Education Pedagogies, 3(1), 495509.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
RULE, A. C. (2006). Editorial: The components of authentic learning. Journal of Authentic Learning, 3(1), 110.Google Scholar
STRAUSS, A. L. & CORBIN, J. (1994). Grounded theory methodology: An overview. In Denzin, N. & Lincoln, Y. (eds.), Handbook of Qualitative Research. Newbury Park, CA: SAGE.Google Scholar
SUBOTNIK, R. F. (2004). Transforming elite musicians into professional artists: A view of the talent development process at The Juilliard School. In Shavinina, L. V & Ferrari, M. (eds.), Beyond Knowledge: Extracognitive Aspects of Developing High Ability. Mahwah, NJ: Erlbaum Publishers.Google Scholar
THORNBERG, R. (2012). Informed grounded theory. Scandinavian Journal of Educational Research, 56(3), 243259.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
WAGONER, C. L. (2015). Measuring music teacher identity: Self-efficacy and commitment among music teachers. Bulletin of the Council for Research in Music Education, 205, 2749.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
WAI, J. & RINDERMANN, H. (2017). What goes into high educational and occupational achievement? Education, brains, hard work, networks, and other factors. High Ability Studies, 28(1), 127145.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
WHITE, R. (2019). Authentic learning strategies in secondary school music education. Paper presented at the Australian Society for Music Education XXII National Conference, Perth, Australia.Google Scholar
WIGGINS, J. (2007). Authentic practice and process in music teacher education. Music Educators Journal, 93(3), 3642.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
WIGGINS, J., & ESPELAND, M. I. (2012). Creating in music learning contexts. In McPherson, G. E. & Welch, G. F. (eds.), The Oxford handbook of music education (Vol. 1). USA: Oxford University Press.Google Scholar
WILSON, B. G. & MYERS, K. M. (2000). Situated cognition in theoretical and practical context. In Jonassen, D. H. & Land, S. M. (eds.), Theoretical Foundations of Learning Environments (pp. 5788). Mahwah NJ: Erlbaum.Google Scholar
WILSON, R. A. & CLARK, A. (2009). How to situate cognition: Letting nature take its course. In Robbins, P. & Aydede, M. (eds.), The Cambridge Handbook of Situated Cognition (pp. 5577). New York: Cambridge University Press.Google Scholar