The second topic of ONL 192 was about openness in teaching and
learning. Although the focus of the course is online learning, this
particular topic is very relevant to many kinds of teaching.
From my experience
in working with classical music (primarily instrumentalists and
chamber music), open (masterclassses) and closed (private lessons)
teaching play out very differently. They have pros and cons and the
typical student benefits both kinds of teaching. Some of the
characteristics of open and closed music lessons are:
Individual (closed) lessons
PROS
More focus on the student than the teacher
Can be more personal and critical
Can investigate deeper problems
CONS
The knowledge is only passed on to the student
If the teaching isn’t helping the student, no one else can inform them of this
NEUTRAL
Whatever happens in the classroom stays there, the student can take bigger risks but the teacher also has a bigger responsibility
Focus on planning over longer time and
The solution to the problems being worked on can come MUCH further (possibly years) down the road
Masterclasses (open lessons)
PROS
Both student and audience gain knowledge
Gives both knowledge and concert experience
CONS
More focus on the teacher than the student
The level of knowledge might be adapted for the audience = sometimes more interesting for the audience than for the student
NEUTRAL
Group mentality
Focus on achieving quick results as
Effective masterclasses need quick results, therefore there is a tendency to focus on symptoms rather than causes
If one were to take
classical music tutoring to the online world, carefully examining
these and more characteristics would be key in producing a valuable
learning experience for the student(s). Factors to work with could be
smaller groups within the bigger learning community, the possibility
for both student and teacher at the beginning or end of each class
decide if it’s open or closed, and various ways to have the
audience interact with the lessons in a meaningful way.
This is still very
much uncharted waters and all ideas from the ONL community on how to
improve these ideas would be greatly appreciated!
