Module 2 Assignment: Sage vs. Guide

Grade/Subject: 3rd Grade - General Music
Lesson objectives: Singing as an ensemble; playing a rhythmic ostinato independently of the singers.

Sage/Guide Checklist:
Sage: 19 tallies
Guide: 30 tallies
Undetermined: 9 tallies

Sage/Guide Percentage Breakdown:
Sage: 33%
Guide: 51%
Undetermined: 16%

Did the results surprise you? Why or why not?
I recorded myself on a Friday with one of my "rowdier" classes. I decided to record myself for this lesson because the students were somewhat comfortable with ostinatos and it would give a better indication of my teaching compared with a lesson that involves a brand new topic.

I wasn't too surprised to see that most of my teaching fell in the guide column. I believe this is mainly due to the fact that students have had previous experience working with rhythmic ostinatos in class. However, this ostinato and song were more challenging than previous lessons. Most of my "guide" tallies came from the assessment portion of the lesson, where I was encouraging students and making corrections when needed.

I found that most of my "sage" instruction occurred at the beginning of the lesson when I was describing the lesson objective and what I was looking for. I also gave myself marks in the "sage" section when I was redirecting the class/specific students.

I was undetermined during the questioning portion of my lesson. I like to use questioning to engage students and help them connect ideas on their own, but I'm not sure if that was "sage" or "guide." Part of me thinks that by asking the questions and giving the prompts results in the "sage" role, but then I also feel that by having students come up with the answers makes my role a "guide." I also question whether call-and-response (when learning the song) would be considered "sage" or "guide."

If you were to teach the same class or rehearsal again, what improvements would you consider making regarding the sage/guide dichotomy?
I think I would try to spend less time talking at the beginning of class. Instead, I would give the overview of the objective and begin making music almost immediately. I think it's important for an elementary music teacher to be seen more as a "guide" rather than a "sage." It's our job to foster the creativity and love of music in our students. 

Which philosophical position is best represented by the sage?
I think the "sage" is most like the philosophy of rationalism. I believe this because the text references preferred methods of learning/instruction include lecture - which is what I was doing at the beginning of class. The text also explains that rationalists want students to understand the "big picture" and favor discipline in the classroom.

Which philosophical position is best represented by the guide?
The "guide" is a pragmatist. They are more interested in evaluation (in comparison to the other two philosophies). The main difference between pragmatists and the other two philosophies is that pragmatists are interested in helping students learn how to learn. They want to make sure the students have the tools to figure out the problems in a new setting. They also do not have a set way of teaching; in this lesson, I noticed that I had to use a variety of methods when assisting students in the ostinato.