The purpose of this thesis was to show that cooperative learning strategies are suitable
teaching techniques for the instruction of undergraduate music theory. Literature in music
theory pedagogy has concentrated primarily on content-based teaching issues and offers little
information on the range of teaching techniques available for promoting student learning.
Many instructors may be relying on traditional teaching methods with which they are
familiar-lectures, lecture-demonstrations and teacher-led discussions-to instruct tonal theory
classes and may not be aware of cooperative learning or its potential usefulness as another
instructional strategy.
The body of this thesis is divided into three main sections. The opening section
demonstrates how traditional teaching methods alone fail to meet many learning needs of
students and points to cooperative learning strategies as one alternative method that addresses
these needs. In the next section, cooperative learning is further defined in order to differentiate
it from traditional group work. The third and largest section contains ten sample lesson plans
based on topics central to first- and second-year tonal harmony courses. Each lesson includes
at least one cooperative learning technique and a discussion of why the particular technique was
applied to the topic.
Instructors of tonal harmony who are looking for additional teaching strategies that actively
involve the learners should consider using cooperative learning. The sample lesson plans
offered in this thesis illustrate how these techniques may be used either briefly in conjunction
with more traditional methods or on their own in more extensive activities. Variety within
cooperative learning strategies has also been demonstrated by providing techniques ranging
from simple, user-friendly ideas for the inexperienced, to more complex and challenging
activities requiring higher levels of experience and collaborative skills. A selected bibliography
is included to assist readers in becoming familiar with some of the resources available to those
who use cooperative groups for instruction.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:LACETR/oai:collectionscanada.gc.ca:BVAU.2429/4052 |
| Date | 11 1900 |
| Creators | Ollen, Joy Elaine |
| Source Sets | Library and Archives Canada ETDs Repository / Centre d'archives des thèses électroniques de Bibliothèque et Archives Canada |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Electronic Thesis or Dissertation |
| Relation | UBC Retrospective Theses Digitization Project [http://www.library.ubc.ca/archives/retro_theses/] |
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