ARTEFACT 4
Creation Song
Standard Descriptors
Standard 3
Plan for and implement effective teaching and learning
Focus
Select and use resources
3.4.1
Demonstrate knowledge of a range of resources, including ICT, that engage students in their learning.
Standard 4
Create and maintain supportive and safe learning environments
Focus
Support student participation
4.1.1
Identify strategies to support inclusive student participation and engagement in classroom activities.
Annotation
This resource was created for a Catholic School in the Wollongong Diocese. The class were learning about the story of Creation from Genesis, and I was thinking of ways I could make my lessons more engaging. I took it upon myself to create my own resource, in this case a song, that I could upload to YouTube. The class thoroughly enjoyed the song and sung it enthusiastically. This also helped meet cross curricular outcomes in the creative arts.
By planning and implementing an ICT resource that engaged students in their learning (3.4.1) I was able to get the students to grasp the importance of this religious education concept. According to Murphy (2016), music and creative arts have been proven to engage students in reading, whilst also helping them to make meaning.
Students then used this as a guide for creating an artwork on things to be thankful to God for. The students were ultimately so engaged that if I were to teach a similar unit again, I would involve all students in the creative process. This could ultimately serve as a cross curricular lesson with both RE and Creative Arts/Music.
This resource also enabled me to support inclusive student participation, as well as engagement (4.1.1) as students were participating and engaged throughout the song, which ultimately helped them to understand the religious content being taught. The students really enjoyed learning in this way and was a contrast to how they would usually be introduced to a concept, through reading a passage from a textbook.
Incorporating ICT is a large component of my pedagogy. I pride myself on continually updating my knowledge and understanding in this area. I aim to achieve this by constantly learning new ways to implement digital technologies within my lessons. With an array of technologies readily available, classrooms and learning spaces are constantly evolving. For the next lesson in this sequence, I got students to help in the creation of our own class song, this worked well in a collaborative group setting.
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