Hey, I want you to overanalyze something
I'm sorry, what, are you serious? I am so good at this.
Have you ever heard "it's what's on the inside that counts?"
Yeah sure. It's what moms and teachers say to make us stop judging the physically unfortunate.
But did you ever think of what that might mean for us?
So, you're calling us ugly?
Um, yeah maybe a little. You know how sometimes we don't get along?
Only when you drag us into stupid situations like music theory tests, or new towns, or talking to the way more physically fortunate, or invite the principal to watch class-
-Yeah, I get it, thanks. Okay, well it turns out that sometimes those conversations are making us bad at stuff. Like when I'm trying to remember things-
-You mean, when you're fishing while our colleagues die of boredom triggered by the pregnant-verging-on-overdue pause in your presentation. I think someone in the corner is sleeping behind a book...
This is unbearable. Seriously, when we are both this fired up it makes it impossible for both of us to be effective.
Well, it's called cognitive interference, so that sounds like a you thing to me...
Yeah, thanks. I've been looking into how we can both be functional players here.
*****
As teachers we have 2 major modes to manage (not talking ionian):
intrinsic cognitive load-your content knowledge, e.g. How to solfege and perform the square dance in mirror-image
extraneous load-stupid interruptions, e.g. the loudspeaker
intrinsic + extraneous loads=germane load (potential effectiveness)
Anything aside from the learning target falls into the extraneous category, leading to a weak outcome of your germane load.
The stronger your intrinsic knowledge of the subject, the more room you have for the extraneous portion of your teaching equation-leading to better teaching. Your extraneous portion of the equation can include helpful tasks such as checking for understanding, scanning for general student affect, and cracking a joke while juggling 3 Sousaphones (like I do).
This is a reason why new teachers struggle. Their intrinsic portion is constantly being challenged/reinforced (ugh, should I chuck the solfege and just have them sing "loo" No, that sounds like a toilet, what if a British family moves to school?!). PLUS the extraneous onslaught (BTSA, 200 new names, how to take attendance, where is the bathroom, where do I enter grades, must I take the students to festival, what's for lunch? MMMmm lunch...was that a spit wad through a trumpet mouthpiece?)
How does the brain deal with this?
It compartmentalizes and stereotypes situations into manageable pieces while numbing your memory in order to prevent total meltdown.
Which means you may be susceptible to the following thoughts/impulses: The trumpets are naughty, the boys are screwing around (especially trumpet boys), the flutes are talking, everyone's name is Brayden and Jennifer, the solfege sounds good, always use the middle bathroom stall in the staff bathroom, In-n-out for lunch again and no we are not going to festival or playing the music from Frozen.
Chuck your illusions of remembering anything from class properly into the middle stall of the very reliable bathroom.
Is it just me or did I totally blow it when the principal came to check on my teaching?
Yep-you probably did blow it in front of your principal, and guess what? Your ability to remember whatever just happened in class, is not what just happened in class. Sorry.
You will blame all spit wads on Brayden in the trumpet section. Bias is a coping and compartmentalizing strategy.
AND THE MORE YOU MAKE IT TRY TO STOP, THE MORE IT WILL HAPPEN
MUAHAHAHAHA
Okay, now here is where I will throw you a life-preserver.
You are not alone. Or special.
Sorry, let me try again.
In a teaching setting there is not time for self-reflection or slow solutions. It is time to make decisions. Make time for written reflections on your day or even video/audio tape portions of your rehearsal and listen to them when your heart rate has slowed a good 30 clicks. Preferably after a nap when your mind has settled (tip: prop up a big book/score during a staff meeting and put your head down, make sure it's in your content area).
Enjoy the fact that mindful practices such as journaling and continued pursuit of knowledge will keep strengthening the intrinsic portion of your equation.
Stay organized and have a script or agenda to minimize anything which detracts from the intrinsic equation. Can you use your TAs/section leaders/parent volunteers better? What can you do to make your students more self-sufficient and maintain meaningful engagement to your learning goals? Who is on site to assist you with copies/student behavior concerns/grading?
Take comfort in the fact that your students are experiencing similar overload. How can you help them express their intellectual or emotional challenges with better ease?
Also, coffee, dark chocolate, naps and laughter.
Works Cited/Inspired
Um, yeah maybe a little. You know how sometimes we don't get along?
Only when you drag us into stupid situations like music theory tests, or new towns, or talking to the way more physically fortunate, or invite the principal to watch class-
-Yeah, I get it, thanks. Okay, well it turns out that sometimes those conversations are making us bad at stuff. Like when I'm trying to remember things-
-You mean, when you're fishing while our colleagues die of boredom triggered by the pregnant-verging-on-overdue pause in your presentation. I think someone in the corner is sleeping behind a book...
This is unbearable. Seriously, when we are both this fired up it makes it impossible for both of us to be effective.
Well, it's called cognitive interference, so that sounds like a you thing to me...
Yeah, thanks. I've been looking into how we can both be functional players here.
*****
As teachers we have 2 major modes to manage (not talking ionian):
intrinsic cognitive load-your content knowledge, e.g. How to solfege and perform the square dance in mirror-image
extraneous load-stupid interruptions, e.g. the loudspeaker
intrinsic + extraneous loads=germane load (potential effectiveness)
Anything aside from the learning target falls into the extraneous category, leading to a weak outcome of your germane load.
The stronger your intrinsic knowledge of the subject, the more room you have for the extraneous portion of your teaching equation-leading to better teaching. Your extraneous portion of the equation can include helpful tasks such as checking for understanding, scanning for general student affect, and cracking a joke while juggling 3 Sousaphones (like I do).
This is a reason why new teachers struggle. Their intrinsic portion is constantly being challenged/reinforced (ugh, should I chuck the solfege and just have them sing "loo" No, that sounds like a toilet, what if a British family moves to school?!). PLUS the extraneous onslaught (BTSA, 200 new names, how to take attendance, where is the bathroom, where do I enter grades, must I take the students to festival, what's for lunch? MMMmm lunch...was that a spit wad through a trumpet mouthpiece?)
How does the brain deal with this?
It compartmentalizes and stereotypes situations into manageable pieces while numbing your memory in order to prevent total meltdown.
Which means you may be susceptible to the following thoughts/impulses: The trumpets are naughty, the boys are screwing around (especially trumpet boys), the flutes are talking, everyone's name is Brayden and Jennifer, the solfege sounds good, always use the middle bathroom stall in the staff bathroom, In-n-out for lunch again and no we are not going to festival or playing the music from Frozen.
Chuck your illusions of remembering anything from class properly into the middle stall of the very reliable bathroom.
Is it just me or did I totally blow it when the principal came to check on my teaching?
Yep-you probably did blow it in front of your principal, and guess what? Your ability to remember whatever just happened in class, is not what just happened in class. Sorry.
You will blame all spit wads on Brayden in the trumpet section. Bias is a coping and compartmentalizing strategy.
AND THE MORE YOU MAKE IT TRY TO STOP, THE MORE IT WILL HAPPEN
MUAHAHAHAHA
Okay, now here is where I will throw you a life-preserver.
You are not alone. Or special.
Sorry, let me try again.
In a teaching setting there is not time for self-reflection or slow solutions. It is time to make decisions. Make time for written reflections on your day or even video/audio tape portions of your rehearsal and listen to them when your heart rate has slowed a good 30 clicks. Preferably after a nap when your mind has settled (tip: prop up a big book/score during a staff meeting and put your head down, make sure it's in your content area).
Enjoy the fact that mindful practices such as journaling and continued pursuit of knowledge will keep strengthening the intrinsic portion of your equation.
Stay organized and have a script or agenda to minimize anything which detracts from the intrinsic equation. Can you use your TAs/section leaders/parent volunteers better? What can you do to make your students more self-sufficient and maintain meaningful engagement to your learning goals? Who is on site to assist you with copies/student behavior concerns/grading?
Take comfort in the fact that your students are experiencing similar overload. How can you help them express their intellectual or emotional challenges with better ease?
Also, coffee, dark chocolate, naps and laughter.
Works Cited/Inspired
Feldon, D. F. (2007). Cognitive load and classroom teaching: The double-edged sword of automaticity. Educational Psychologist, 42, 123-137.
I love this one a whole ton. Transpositions would through off my whole teaching pattern at the beginning, and now I've got them down well enough where I can play the line of music on trumpet from a trombone book and give saxophone fingerings simultaneously with my left hand. Pretty proud of that one.
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