Learning and Teaching Approaches

Undergraduate Studies

A wide variety of learning and teaching approaches are used and again these vary from course to course, depending on the nature and focus of each. Since the majority of courses are very practically based, the use of workshops and peer-led group exercises is widespread.

PGCE

Within university PGCE programmes, there is usually a mixture of lectures, smaller group seminars and workshops and individual work and trainees are prepared for their teaching in school through use of micro-teaching. In most institutions, students are expected to develop the subject skills and knowledge they identify as weak through personal study.

The lengthy periods of teaching in schools allow concentrated time, with the support of school teachers, for the development of practical aspects of teaching. Inevitably, subject skills development also occurs within the school situation, such as the development of conducting skills.

In the last decade, to keep abreast of curriculum changes in schools, technological skills – both generic and music specific – are seen as essential skills for all classroom music teachers and students are supported, either through university-based workshops or through work in schools to develop skills in sequencing (mainly using Cubase and Logic programmes, multi-track recording and score-writing, using Sibelius) and to develop knowledge and understanding of the pedagogy surrounding the use of music technology in the classroom.