MUSIC EDUCATION IN THE PROGRAMME OF CROSS-CURRICULAR AND INTERDISCIPLINARY CONTENT OF THE CIVIL EDUCATION IN LOWER GRADES OF PRIMARY SCHOOL
Ph.D. Ivana Paula Gortan-Carlin
JurajDobrila University of Pula, Department of Educational Sciences
M.Sc.BrankoRadić
JurajDobrila University of Pula, Department of Educational Sciences
Summary
This paper analyses a concept of Music education in the Programme of cross-curricular and interdisciplinary content of the Civil Education in lower grades of primary school. Students of Teacher education gain competences in music education for Music education instruction during their studies, but also for correlation and integration within cross-curricular and interdisciplinary contents, and they are partly introduced to modules that prepare them for development of the Civil education. This paperraises a question of Music education presence in the Civil Education programmes as such, and in which context.The courseCivil Education has been set up in order to direct pupils already at school age to become responsible and active society members, capable to work for the common good and reach informed and considered decisions. The Civil Education implies recognition of values, attitudes and knowledge, but also of skills and abilities to use that knowledge in daily situations. Music is an integral part of identity of society, nation. It is a presumption that the concept of the subject Music education in the Programme of cross-curricular and interdisciplinary content of the Civil Education in lower grades of primary school is elaborated at the highest level of excellence.
Key words: Music education, Programme of cross-curricular and interdisciplinary content of the Civil education, Primary school
Introduction
The Programme of cross-curricular and interdisciplinary content of the Civil Education in primary and secondary schools in the Republic of Croatia (hereinafter: the Civil education) was enacted in August 2014, and started to be implemented in the course of the School Year 2014/2015. (MSES, 2014) In chronological order, it was preceded by the: National Curriculum Framework for pre-School education and general compulsory and secondary education[1](MSES, 2011) and the Civil Education Curriculum.[2](MSES, ETTA, 2012)Currently, complete curriculum reform is undertaking preparations.[3] In the first half of 2015 an opencall for proposals was announced for candidate application for 15 members of the Expert Working Group for drafting a proposal for the National Curriculum for education for primary school. Deadline for the first draft of the National Curriculum proposal was 1st of July 2015, and deadline for the final proposal for National Curriculum for primary school is 31st of August 2015. Is there enough time to prepare the finest National Curriculum?
In 2012 while creating a curriculum, a starting point for the conception was that the Civil Education presents a formal educational frame by which school responds to all needs and demands of modern democratic society for competitive citizens. Curriculum, therefore, presents pedagogical, didactic and methodical instrument which sinergicallydevelops certain student’s features in accordance with comprehension of role which citizens as social, political, cultural and economic subjects have in the democratic development of the Republic of Croatia, as well of Europe and worldwide. (MSES, ETTA, 2012: 6) However, it is not disciplinary determined teaching programme taught to pupils, but pupils’ features that would enable them to successfully cope with complicated life challenges in Croatia and elsewhere. Those features represent competences that are gradually developed and preserved through learning during all four educational cycles[4], laying foundation for lifelong learning and informing. In order to realize this intention a key factor for goals, contents, methods and organization of education, must be subjected to clear, age-appropriate and flexible enough learning results. (MSES, ETTA, 2012: 4-5)
The goal of integrating the Civil Education into existing subjects and outside of the classroom activities in lower grades of primary school is to train student to be active and responsible citizen, and it is school's obligation to teach students that survival of democracy depends on qualified and active participation of all citizens in decisions making at all levels. In order to encourage student’s readiness for active and responsible participation in classroom community, they should acquire knowledge about: their rights, responsibilities, possibilities and ways of involvement in community, about government democratic principles and principles of the legal state, about mechanisms of protection of human rights from local to national, European and international level, develop skills to perceive problems in the community and their peaceful solutions as well as to collaborate with others in order to enhance motivation to apply obtained knowledge and skills in everyday life. In accordance with that, teaching plan and programme of the Civil Education determines expected student results and it suggests means by which they are acquired in school. The Civil Education curriculum represents conceptual, didactic and methodical framework for development of citizen’s competence. (MSES, 2014)
Assigned educational tasks in school presume to provide insurance of fundamental children’s rights to full realisation of their potentials. “It is important that a teacher within interactive learning and practical activities, and in collaboration with parents, discovers student’s potentials, so as to stimulate student to be or become successful student with a help from other teachers, parents and other students. With this aim in the Civil Education a student keeps a map of his/her personal development where he/she marks his achievements and future development plans for his/her competences (certificates of participation in competitions, volunteering, certificate of attendance, for instance, workshop for artistic expressions or science and technical innovative projects etc.).” (Official Gazette, 104/2014: 42)
Relevant methods for realization of the Civil Education results are those, which come from student's experience, encourage them to participate in common activities and collaboration in search and joint decision-making, but also in critical verification of effects of those decisions in reference to each of them and community they belong to. That performance does not exclude individual learning methods (such as individual reading, analysis of text, analysis of art material or writing an essay), however it is important to use them as starting point for implementation of common activities. (Official Gazette, 104/2014: 45)
Instruction of the Civil Education is targeted at students as members of classroom and school community. In accordance with that, recommended methods are: joint research of certain problems, finding solutions, preparation and presenting of reports; simulation (such as, work of certain government departments and their means of decision making), playing adequate roles; discussion and debates within assertiveness training, active listening, arguing, negotiating and advocating, making conclusions, reaching consensus etc. Depending on instruction theme, students work in pairs, smaller or bigger groups, or, nevertheless plenary. Likewise, besides in the classroom, they learn in extramuralinstruction or extracurricular activities and they use different media and contexts as learning sources, particularly local community. Exiting into community is necessary so as to verify in real context acquired knowledge and skills about active citizenship. Implementation of research projects, within which some social problem is identified, they look for data in order to get acquainted with a problem, they process gathered data and they suggest solutions, and thereafter if possible, verify them in practice, are the best approaches to students as active and responsible citizens. (Official Gazette, 104/2014: 45-46)
According to the Programme of cross-curricular and interdisciplinary content of the Civil Education in lower grades of primary school (2014) teacher ought to have the following competences in order to develop outcome of the Civil education, and they can be classified into five different expert fields:
a)general professional knowledge and skills (pedagogic, developmental-psychological, social, normative-legal)
b)vocational knowledge and skills in the field of the Civil education
c)processes of learning and teaching that lead to development of active and responsible citizens (cross-curricular and curricular planning, programming, learning and teaching directed towards outcome and students achievements in the Civil education,
d)learning methods and teaching the Civil education,
e)methods of evaluation and self-evaluation in the Civil education.
The teacher is also expected to continuously self-improve. (Official Gazette, 104/2014: 46)
“Correlation between Civil Education and Music education is possible in various contents in which culture and creativity are linked with freedom of participation in cultural life and enjoying art, and the artistic expression, as well as in discussions about contribution of different cultures in the world heritage, about freedom of choice and popular culture, about artist’s role in peace and war, etc.” (Official Gazette, 104/2014: 4)However, Music culture in lower grades of primary school can be integrated in the following expert fields[5] of the Civil education:
- Human and legal rights dimension linked with other dimensions
→ Rights, freedoms, duties and responsibilities (learning about Children's rights, Student rights and responsibilities – citizen of classroom and school, Equality in age and gender, national and religious affiliation, abilities and personal assets)
- Social dimension linked with other dimensions
→ Social skills and social solidarity (Social communication skills, Human dignity, Emotional management, Team work)
- Intercultural dimension linked with other dimensions
→ Personal identity, cultural identity and intercultural dialogue (Personal identity, Croatian national identity, Minority identity), namely, “at different levels depending on student’s age, and also on needs and capacity of certain school, respectively local community. In accordance with that, spiral-developmental model is recommended to be introduced. In the 1stcycle, respectively from first to fourth grade of primary school, Civil Education is realised cross-curricular.” (Curriculum, 2011), in a manner: “by compulsory cross-curricular implementation in order to contribute to complete development of students’ civil competence in education.” (Official Gazette, 104/2014: 44)
The Music culture contents are part of compulsory implementation of the Programme of cross-curricular and interdisciplinary content of the Civil Education (15 hours of total 35 per annum)[6]within cross-curricular contents, as a part of subjects: Croatian language, Art education, Foreign languages, Mathematics, Nature and Society, Physical and Health education, Religion and expert associate’s programmes. Whilst, considering integration and correlation of contents with the aim of simultaneous development of subject and citizen competence.
The unit and theme for the 1st[7]grade is clearly specified, and for the 2nd, 3rd and 4th grades only instruction area is proposed. Therefore, for the 1st grade it is indicated: it is predicted to integrate the following areas into existing subjects and outside the classroom activities in lower grades of primary school:
a)Instruction area: Singing and playing music. Units and themes: Music as a symbol for cultural values of national, European and world culture, Traditional Croatian music and national minority in Croatia music.
b) Instruction area: Listening and introduction to music. Units and themes: Creating
musicalwork, Music as a symbol for cultural values of national, European and world
culture.
In the 2nd and 3rd grade:
a)Instruction area: Singing (folklore songs[8]);
b)Instruction area: Listening to music, and
In the 4th grade:
a)Instruction area: Singing;
b)Instruction area: Listening and Introduction to music;
c)Optional theme: Folklore music.
Music activity as extramural activity is proposed as a possibility in the 2nd grade of primary school, such as, going to a theatre; in the 3rd grade as becoming familiar with home region – visiting museum – viewing home region collection; and in the 4th grade research and making reports about inventors, discoverers and meritorious citizens in their home region or further. We dance dances from our land – visiting a cultural-artistic society from our city. (Official Gazette, 104/2014: 44)
Taking into consideration that teachers should have professional competences in order to develop student's civil competence[9] and subsequently reach results in Civil education, a new moment rises in the programme for Music culture instruction, which is a logical follow-up since joining the European Union, and those are defined units and themes: a) Learning music from national, European and world culture and b) Traditional Croatian music and national minority music. Instruction plan and programme for primary school (Official Gazette, 102/2006: 6770-6773), uses terminology art and traditional music, encompassing necessary.
Creating hypothesis
During their studies, students of Teacher Education gain competences from Music culture for correlation and integration within cross-curricular and interdisciplinary contents of the Civil Education and through modules that prepare them for the development of the Civil education. This paper raises a question how much Music Culture is present in the Civil Education programme as such, and in which context.
Analysis
Reflecting on the Civil Education programme and 1) Human-legal rights dimension linked with other dimensions, Music culture in lower grades of primary school can be observed through: introduction to rights on art, the right to sing songs from various countries and in different languages, right to sing songs from different religions, the right to sing, play music and creative music expression regardless to music abilities; 2) Social dimension linked with other dimensions, Music culture in lower grade of primary school can be observed through: social skills when singing in a choir or playing in a chamber ensemble or orchestra, and 3) Intercultural dimension linked with other dimensions, Music culture in lower grades of primary school can be observed through: analysing home region composer and his songs, analysing national minority songs, analysing composers from different regions.
Proposed unit and theme for the 1st grade: Music as a symbol for cultural values of national, European and world culture, can be broadly encompassed. By singing, playing music, listening and introduction to music some units can be processed: anthems, ceremonial songs, songs and compositions of composers who gave their contribution to culture. Although proposed theme traditional Croatian music and national minority music is encompassed in instruction area Singing and playing music, it also can be processed through Listening and Introduction to music. This theme is also broadly featured and any part of Croatian national folklore can be processed. One unit and theme is questionable: creating musical work by listening, for which is necessary to conduct a research, how much do teachers process this unit? Is it appropriate for the 1st grade of primary school and what results does it bring while processing that unit?
Even though units and themes for the 2nd and the 3rd grade are not indicated, it can be assumed that they are identical to those for the 1st grade. However, they differ in areas. Neither Playing music nor Introduction to music is indicated. Several precise differences are indicated: singing folklore songs and an extramural activity could be going to the theatre. In the theatre, pupils can learn about orchestral instruments, vocal, instrumental or vocal-instrumental music, depending on the chosen programme.
In the 3rd grade becoming familiar with home region – visiting museum – viewing home region collection, is indicated as an extramural activity. This activity is possible to realize in bigger towns, while in smaller towns it is necessary to organise field instruction for that activity.
In the 4th grade besides instruction areas Singing, listening and introduction to music, one optional theme is proposed: Folklore music and a possibility for extramural activity, research and writing reports about inventors, discoverers and meritious citizens in their own home region or broader, as well as dancing home region dances and visiting a cultural-artistic society in their town. In the 4th grade Music culture is taught by a subject teacher, however teachers of lower primary education have to be prepared in case they have to teach Music culture.
Students of Teacher Education gain competences to teach Music culture during their studies. At faculties of Teacher Education in the Republic of Croatia, a subject Learning to read music is incorporated, such as: Musical notation; Music cultures where they acquire knowledge in music history and music terminology,Singing and playing music as well as Basic Methodology of Teaching Music Culture in lower grades of primary school. The question could be raised weather students finishing Teacher Education studies are ready to teach Music culture in the Programme of cross-curricular and interdisciplinary content of the Civil Education in lower grades of primary school considering area themes, units and themes proposed in the Programme as such? For complete answer to that question it would be necessary to process every syllabi and programmes of all subjects of all faculties of Teacher Education in Croatia. However, considering that syllabi have very different construction, and we even did not manage to obtain some of them, we are drawing attention to examples of good practice. These are modules: Folklore music or Extracurricular music activities that are run at the Faculty of Teacher Education in Rijeka[10], or for example Listening workshop, a module that is run at the Faculty of Teacher Education in Osijek[11]. Module titles indicate content that would, for students who pass the module, enhance competence for introducing music content into correlated programmes e.g. Croatian, English, History or Nature.
University programmes for the Civil Education at faculties of Teacher Education[12] are also different. While in Zagreb, Petrinja, Čakovec and Gospić there are compulsory modules such as Socioemotional development and Children's rights, Education for Human rights or Childhood and Children's rights and other several optional modules, other faculties for Teacher Education offer them only as optional subject. (Nikčević-Milković-A; Rukavina, M., 2014) «At the Faculty of Teacher Education (in Osijek, aut. note) future teachers of primary education and pre-school teachers are continually trained for interactive learning and teaching the Civil Education through variety of modules, (such as Sociology of Education, Inclusive Pedagogy, Intercultural Understanding in Education, Child abuse, Psychology of Volunteering, Ethics etc.)[13]». However, Civil Education module is mostly offered in the 5thgrade and it is questionable weather a student would choose exactly that module.