Summary Sheet for Assignment 2: Differentiated Learning Experience

Name & Student Number: Aaron Collier 2017374

Curriculum (Learning) Area of Lesson or Learning Task: Music
Specific Topic of Lesson or Learning Task: Music Genres
Year Level/s: 6/7
Differentiation Choices
1. For this assignment, I have chosen to design a differentiated:
Learning Menu or Agenda
Choice Board
RAFT
Summative Assessment Task for Unit of Work
Lesson with Specific Adjustments for Students with Special Needs
Series of Tasks for Learning Centres or Stations
Learning Task or Lesson with Innovative Use of Technology to Support Differentiation
2. My lesson or learning task is differentiated to address differences in student:
Readiness
Interest
Learning profile preferences

Context (about 1 paragraph)

This choice board has been designed specifically for both my own placement class, and the other 6/7 class within my placement
school. It is to be worked upon on a Friday, after recess, whilst a portion of both classes are participating in school choir rehearsal. The
idea behind this work, and its purpose, is to provide students who do not attend choir with a music focussed learning experience.
Students returning from choir are not excluded from this learning experience; for those students, however, it is completed during
finishing off time, rather than worked upon during a dedicated lesson. Attached is a prior choice board given to students; new learning
tasks have been designed for a new term, and students complete the tasks over the duration of the term. Attached is the original, trivial
work set for this past term. This iterative piece of this work attempts to actually make connections to the curriculum, and provide a
worthwhile learning experience.

Learning Objectives
Analyse composers use of the elements of music and stylistic features when listening to and interpreting music (ACAMUR097)

As a result of engaging with the differentiated lesson or task, students will:

understand that (Concepts, principles, big ideas. Make sure your objectives are statements that work in the form, Students will
understand that)

particular stylistic features define a genre

Know (e.g. facts, vocabulary, dates, information) Be able to (do) (Skills, processes)
The main genres of music (Rock, Pop, Jazz, Hip Identify a genre of music based on stylistic features
Hop, and Classical) Compare genres of music

Essential Questions (These should help students engage with the big ideas or understandings)

How do people express themselves through music?

How does music express meaning?
How do stylistic features affect genre?

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 Music Choice Board

Directions: Choose at least three of the following activities to complete. You may complete more, and you
may choose the order of in which to complete them. If you would like to challenge yourself, select adjacent
tasks, and complete a tic-tac-toe. Once you have completed an activity, colour in the box containing the
instructions.

[Knowledge] [Comprehension] [Application]

List as many genres of music
as you can think of. Find an
artist to match up with each
one.
Pick a genre and interpret the
meaning behind a song within
that genre. Can you describe
why particular instruments
were used and to what
effect?
Apply your knowledge of
genres to create your own
genre. Explain its origins, the
creative process, and what
genres influenced you.

[Analysis] [Synthesis] [Evaluation]

Compare either the musical
sounds of two musical artists,
or two musical genres.
How are they similar, and
how are they different?
Can you think of a genre that
combines at least two other
genres? Identify the genres it
contains, and explain what
has changed in this new
genre.
Write an album review for
artist of your choosing, and
evaluate the musical choices
made on the album. Refer to
your knowledge of genre and
mood.

[Comprehension/ Evaluation] [Application/ Evaluation] [Knowledge/ Analysis]

Explore music genres to the
Asia region, and describe
common properties (sounds,
instruments, overall feel).
Rank the following genres in
order of personal preference:
Pop, Rock, Jazz, Hip Hop
and Classical. Justify your
choices.
Research an Indigenous
music genre and research
artists associated with it.

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Explanation:
The music choice board created spans across the taxonomies of cognitive domain as identified by Bloom back in 1956 (Wilson, 2017).
The taxonomies describe different levels of cognitive thinking, and using this knowledge tasks spanning the many different levels have
been created. These activities manifest as multimodal learning tasks, differentiated to appeal to the different learning styles and student
interests. This approach was taken to encompass and engage students in a positive manner (Williams, 2017). The nature of the choice
board as an independent learning activity means teachers take the role of facilitator within this task, rather than guide. This means the
role of the teacher is to monitor progress rather than direct it (Jarvis, 2010).

The choice board utilises very specific language, utilising verbs key to each level of cognitive thinking. These verbs were used
intentionally to remove any ambiguity from each task. This ensures effective communication, so that all students should understand the
task at hand and have a clear idea what was expected of them. By promoting such a clear expectations, both students and teacher will
be aware of where the activity is going with regards to the learning outcomes (William, 2011). This helps promote a high quality unit
(Wiggins et al, 2011).

The task has been designed to accept responsibility for maximum progression of each learner as underlined in the philosophy pillar of
differentiation (Jarvis, 2013). The choice board provides students with an opportunity to work at a level of cognition challenging for
them, whilst being flexible in the standard that it can be completed to. This flexibility enables all students to participate in a degree
comfortable to them, and has been designed to differentiate up to effectively raise the standard of all students (Jarvis, 2010). Every
student is capable of completing any given activity on the choice board, and as such all students within the classes that this work has
been set are capable of achieving the KUDs associated with this task. Despite this, diversity is valued and regarded as normal, as
underlined in the first pillar of differentiation, philosophy (Jarvis, 2013). Students are able to complete the tasks that they would prefer to
work with, promoting a worthwhile yet flexible learning experience that challenges all students (Jarvis, 2013). Choice promotes
engagement and motivation as it addresses student interests, an underlying principle of differentiation (Jarvis, 2013).

Music is a prevalent part of everyday life for the majority of Australians of all ages. It is therefore important that student knowledge and
awareness regarding some fundamentals of music, such as genre and music native to different cultures, is readily available to students.
It is knowledge that will serve students in the future, which can be continually deepened and broadened in terms of ideas (Wiggins et al,
2011). The essential questions cause genuine and relevant inquiry into the big ideas the choice board is concerned with. The resulting
inquiry creates lively discussion and deep thought, sparking meaningful connections between students and music, another sign of a
high quality unit (Wiggins et al, 2011).

References
Hattie, J 2012, 'Flow of the lesson: the place of feedback', in Hattie, John, Visible learning for teachers: maximizing impact on
learning, Routledge, London, pp. 115-137.
Flow of the lesson the place of feedback.pdf

Jarvis, J 2010, 'Differentiation for the many, not the few', SERUpdate, vol. 20, no. 2, pp. 3-6.
Differentiation for the many, not the few

Jarvis, J 2013, 'Differentiating learning experiences for diverse students', in Hudson, Peter (ed.), Learning to teach in the primary
school, Cambridge University Press, Port Melbourne, Vic., pp. 52-70.
Differentiating learning experiences for diverse students.pdf

Wilson, L 2017. Three Domains of Learning - Cognitive, Affective, Psychomotor. The Second Principle. Retrieved 5 April 2017, from
http://thesecondprinciple.com/instructional-design/threedomainsoflearning/
Wiggins, G & McTighe, J 2011, 'Essential questions and understandings', in Wiggins, Grant P & McTighe, Jay, The understanding by
design guide to creating high-quality units, ASCD, Alexandria, Va., pp. 70-88.
Essential questions and understandings

William, D 2011, 'Eliciting evidence of student achievement', in Wiliam, Dylan, Embedded formative assessment, Solution Tree
Press, Bloomington, IN, pp. 71-105.
Eliciting, evidence of learners' achievement.pdf

Williams, P 2017, Managing an Effectively Differentiated Classroom. Presentation, Education Building 2.08, Flinders University, Bedford
Park, South Australia.

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