18036116: Jasmine Breeze

Why is assessment important? As an educator we must identify why assessment is an

important contributor to student’s success with the combination of the following factors
like particular learning theories; that shape the teacher’s pedagogy around achieving and
providing students the best learning opportunities to thrive in their educational career.

Exploring further into learning theories, Lev Vygotsky identifies learning processes as
effective when both personal experiences and social contexts are combined to guide
students, through an “independent progression of internal and external experiences that
are vital to supporting musical language and literacy development” (Holmberg, 2010).
Blix (2013) considers learning strategies like ‘affective’ which instructs the guidance
of student self-confidence by providing access for students to make their own choices and
actively engage themselves with the learning stimuli presented. Assessing students through
affective learning strategies with task specific stimuli (Blix, 2013) are essential in
encouraging students’ self-regulation in assessment tasks that are resolute, well-defined
and explicit with curriculum expectations, like reflective writing or ear-training in relation to
the Music 1 written examination. (Board of Studies, 2009)

With referral to the HSC exam for music 1, we must centre our assessment around the
particular outcomes outlined to adjust our learning goals. Therefore, taking into
consideration the AFL Framework [Assessment for Learning] (Loreman, Deppeler & Harvey,
2011) which is a classroom-based assessment approach that guides “students to improve
and learn together, analyse with purposeful aims and reflect on their own performance”
(Loreman, Deppeler & Harvey, 2011).
In following an AFL approach, we must consider the students learning environment and
cater for all student’s needs. Teachers who create a learning space that is free to
articulation of ideas with no limitations or negative backlash will see positive outcomes and
participation from their students (Loreman, Deppeler & Harvey, 2011).
Students provided with rights to explore their own individual skills must be provided with
suitable learning goals that are relevant to curriculum context, and are meaningful towards
the purpose of improving performance and the ‘end goal’., for example, the HSC written
exam. To support student self-regulation ‘Instructional Practice’ (Loreman, Deppeler &
Harvey, 2011); in particular, the PIR cycle (Planning, Implementation, review) monitors
progress within students and provides them with feedback that relates to learning and
achievement goals. Assessments like reflective writing and ear training, practice the real-life
scenario of the HSC exam and therefore can be adaptable throughout the kinds of
assessment under the AFL approach, as it falls under curriculum-based learning and
criterion-referenced assessment. (De Nobile, Lyons & Arthur-Kelly, 2017)

When it comes to assessment implementing strategies of the PIR cycle like explicit teaching,
independent learning, observing student performance and providing positive feedback
(Loreman, Deppeler & Harvey, 2011) can promote a supportive and holistic learning
environment. To involve students in the process of assessment, we are ensuring that
curriculum outcomes are understood and presented within learning goals. Educators should
be providing decision making analysis and detailed assessment task rubrics as a class or
‘group contribution’ to achieving academic content that supports all student’s individual
learning goals as supported by the Johnson Model (2003).
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‘Audiation’ as refer to by Gordon (1997) connects auditory approaches with cognitive

learning strategies (Blix, 2013). Gordon’s (1997) ideology mentions the theoretical music
vocabulary as the following four concepts; listening, speaking, reading and writing. In
relation to the NSW Music 1 Syllabus we can identify the four concepts as a part of the
learning experiences, “Musicology and Listening” (Board of Studies, 2009). In understanding
the HSC outcomes students must receive support including essential feedback that
enhances future development and implementation of the learning strategies,
‘compensatory and memory’ for potential learning goals. This means implying the
combination of learning activities that ‘stimulate aural, kinaesthetic and visual stimuli’ to
assist in ‘memorising, problem-solving and taking chances’ (Blix, 2013) when completing a
reflective aural listening task like the HSC Music 1 written exam (Board of Studies, 2009).

In personal reflection of providing positive feedback, I like to firstly refer to the stimulus
question. The stimulus of the activities dictates the “analyse of the students understanding,
any gaps within knowledge, and offers assistance within the students learning needs for
improving and building future learning activities” (Loreman, Deppeler & Harvey, 2011).
Secondly, I would ensure that the feedback is clearly for improvement within students, with
an ongoing system that incorporates feedback as a regular teaching and learning activity. I
would reinforce the importance of each student attempts and its value towards student’s
individual learning goals.
As educators we must provide chances for students to reflect and respond to feedback to
encourage self-motivation and to provide direction and challenges that are flexible and
adaptable to all students learning needs. I have found through research that an effective
model of providing feedback is to “question their ideas, model from their examples and
explain further through musical examples” (Loreman, Deppeler & Harvey, 2011). In referral
to the relationship between learning theories, teaching pedagogy and assessment. It is
important that we guide students to be proactive and work together in creating learning
experiences that are beneficial for their individual growth throughout their educational
career.

References
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Blix, H. (2013). Learning Strategies in ear training. In I. Reitan, A. Bergby, V.

Jakhelln, G. Shetelig & I. Fanavoll Oye, Aural Perspectives: On musical
learning and practice in higher music education (10th ed., pp. 98-116).
Norwegian: Norges musikkhogskole: Norwegian Academy of Music.
De Nobile, J., Lyons, G., & Arthur-Kelly, M. (2017). Positive learning
environments (1st ed., pp. 114-132). Melbourne: Cengage Learning.
Gordon, E. (1993). Learning sequences in music; skill, content, and patterns; a
music learning theory. Chicago: GIA Publication.
Holmberg, S. (2010). Music Teachers’ Perceptions: The role of Music Education
in early literacy (pp. 25-32). Manhattan, Kansas: ProQuest Dissertation
Publishing. Retrieved from https://search-proquest-
com.ezproxy.uws.edu.au/education/docview/753916976/fulltextPDF/6C620A2
F4BF646E2PQ/21?accountid=36155
Loreman, T., Deppeler, J., & Harvey, D. (2011). Inclusive Education: Supporting
diversity in the classroom (2nd ed., pp. 63-77). Crows Nest: Allen & Unwin.
Board of Studies NSW. (2009) Music 1: Stage 6 Syllabus. (2nd ed., pp.9-28).
Sydney.
Reitan, I., Bergby, A., Jakhelln, V., Shetelig, G., & Fanavoll Oye, I. (2013). Aural
Perspectives: On Musical learning and Practice in Higher Music
Education (10th ed., p. 97). Norwegian: Norges musikkogskole: Norwegian
Academy of Music.