Optimal teaching experiences : phenomenological route for effective instrumental teaching

• Main Author: Cardoso, Francisco
• Published: University College London (University of London) 2012
• Subjects: 780.711
• Online Access: http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.573038

The discussion about effective instrumental teaching in specialist music education started in the 19th century, with the foundation of the modern conservatory, and has become progressively stronger recently. Research on effective teaching has focused mainly on trying to identify effective teaching descriptors (e.g. feedback, teaching pace and intensity, goal setting). Although while describing the effects of each descriptor several intersections with other descriptors have been observed, no research has yet been produced with the goal of trying to identify effective teaching from a perspective that integrates effective teaching descriptors into one single unit of analysis, that integrates into one observable single phenomenon the ability to adopt a range of strategies purposefully, promptly, and efficiently, in response to the needs that arise throughout any instrumental lesson. To start investigating the possibility of phenomenologically observed effective teaching, existing knowledge about positive subjective experiences like Maslow's peak experiences and Csikszentmihalyi's flow experiences was explored. The conditions needed to trigger peak and flow experiences seemed to have much in common with the results obtained in most of research on effective music teaching. The three studies designed for this thesis (1. Interviews, 2. Diaries, and 3. Teachers self-reports and video-recorded lessons) tried, first, to identify the occurrence of peak or flow experiences while teaching and learning a musical instrument. The next goal was to describe such experiences as they occurred while teaching and to determine what might trigger them. The final goal was to understand if the occurrence of such experiences was linked with effective teaching. All participants in the three studies were teachers and students in Portuguese specialist music schools. The three studies undertaken helped identify Optimal Teaching Experiences as the subjective experiences or the phenomenon that holistically described the act of effectively teaching a musical instrument. Additionally, it was possible to identify external manifestations of these experiences and, consequently, of effective instrumental teaching. These findings will support the work of Teacher Educators, and assist in maintaining or raising the quality of instrumental teaching in specialist Music Schools, Conservatoires and Universities.