On Goodwin's "12 Touchstones"

1-I use standards to guide every day learning opportunity

Item one from the 12 Touchstones discusses using standards to guide lesson/unit planning, gives suggestions for ways to do so effectively, and possible outcomes brought on by standards based instruction. Many districts across the country are concerned with getting scores on standardized tests to increase. By aligning curriculum to the standards to be examined on tests, it is most likely that scores will increase.

In order to implement standards-based units, Goodwin suggests several ways to introduce the standards to students; to take complex ideas and tasks and segment them for easier digestion. The main idea for this section is “Unpacking Standards”. This is defined by “identifying declarative knowledge” (concepts, vocabulary, details, and facts). It is also important to “ask essential questions” and identify procedural knowledge versus the skills/procedures/abilities to be learned. Standards based unit planning can also be used to plan for assessments, student engagement, and unit closing. It is also integral to incorporate student creativity into planning your lessons.

Item one cites an anecdotal story regarding the Pygmalion Effect, which regards a teacher being told that a couple of students in their class were being considered for a high honor regarding their individual academic achievement. Because the teacher was aware of this (fictitious) scenario, these students, who were initially chosen at random, were held to high performance standards and, in turn, showed higher levels of success. This was a rather enjoyable story and is absolutely something that I consider when working within my instrumental music classes.

It is no secret that many studies have shown that music performance can have effects on other areas of student learning. In Anne Stoklosa’s 2016 article, it is noted that “playing a musical instrument has been shown to increase cognitive ability through enhanced neuronal communication between the left and right hemispheres of the brain, resulting in positive effects on learning, memory, fine motor skills, verbal and non-verbal reasoning, resulting in an overall more capable brain to apply in a multitude of settings''. If we are able to treat music class with the same process of setting high expectations, it is possible that more students will have the opportunity to reap these benefits. (Stocklosa 2016)

2-I ensure students set personal learning objectives for each lesson

Item 2 of the 12 Touchstones deals specifically with the topic of goal setting. By setting long term goals, students can more clearly understand the process and see the direction in which their learning will take them. Along the way, setting short term goals allows the students to build confidence and eventually foster a sense of intrinsic motivation that will, in theory, fuel their desire to seek knowledge and better their skills. The authors present anecdotes and research to support that successful students are driven by long term direction and short term achievement.

A particular excellent quote from this chapter is: “No one accidentally gets better at anything. It takes determination and work.” This really speaks to the notion that developing fate control is crucial to succeed in acquiring a new skill. Having fate control means that students can learn to stay away from settling on feelings like “I’m just not good at this. I’ll never be able to do that.” Fate control is often otherwise described as a “Locus of control” which identifies the polarity between internal and external influence. “Those with a more internal locus of control tend to be happier and experience less stress. They also enjoy better health (likely because they experience less of the damaging chronic stress that can come from feeling powerless)” (Manichander 2014) Helping students set personal learning goals will contribute to developing learning objectives. In my class, a simple learning objective would be “I know how to play my major scales, but I want to know more about scales for Jazz.”

Lastly, the notion that every lesson should begin with the end in mind. As previously stated, it is important for the students to be able to understand the process and see where their learning will take them. Some students get very caught up in wanting to achieve the grade rather than learn the skill. Understanding learning goals versus performance goals is an important distinction to make when it comes to understanding what the end of the lesson really looks like. Achieving a learning objective (learning the process of balancing two sides of an algebraic equation) is a better way to define the goal of the unit than a performance goal (I want to get an A on the test).

3-I peel back the curtain and make my performance expectations clear

Goodwin states in item three that it is first necessary to “Identify the proficient first level”. (Goodwin & Hubbell, n.d.) Building to or from this proficiency is difficult for students if the level has not been identified. Goodwin explains techniques in which rubrics can be used to foster motivation such as reserving the use of a “zero” grade for instances where there is not enough evidence to make evaluation because it promotes less the sense of finality and can encourage students to continue to strive for success. Through my time observing during my degree program, a professor made use of the phrase “Success builds upon Success” numerous times. Item three from the Goodwin’s 12 Touchstones, though through the discussion on rubric use/disclosure, seems to be pushing toward that phrase.

While identifying expectations through the use of rubrics is outlined clearly in the 12 Touchstones, it is often difficult to make use of many of these grading procedures in a music performance program. “Although assessment methods have been developed,

many music educators consider music performance assessment too time consuming or

unrelated to program objectives for use in grading… Even if music educators felt comfortable with more performance based grading,the student-to-teacher ratio in many high school music programs makes it impossible for teachers to find time to listen to students individually in addition to their excessive workloads.” (Simanton 2000)

4-I measure understanding against high expectations

Measuring understanding against high expectations, item four in Goodwin’s 12 Touchstones, discusses the various ways that teacher and standardized test-collected data cited an increase in student achievement and possible grade inflation. “These days, it’s hard to find anyone who does not profess to hold high expectations for all students. [However, data suggests that] espoused standards aren’t reflected in classroom grading”. The value of the high grade seems to be in question, and the possible lowering of standards is used “... to prop up students’ self esteem or to avoid conflict… teachers’ grading practices may be setting a low bar for students.” (Goodwin & Hubbell, n.d.)

I know this is taking place because I am guilty of it in my music classroom. The students enroll in my class by choice and we are under a certain amount of pressure to maintain enrollment. Sticking tightly to standards has a way of applying pressure in the classroom, especially in our case where there are only three possible grades: proficient, progressing, and needs improvement. If we were able to give numerical grades, it would be easier to quantify the achievement of the students. I am guilty of lowering the bar for proficient ratings because music performance is also certainly unique in the way that students can easily excel in one area while being below standard in another. It is seemingly common in modern music education to lower the bar and find ways to ensure that every student can contribute in some way, regardless of their proficiency level.

As the years have progressed, I have placed increasing emphasis on holding my students to the standards for music set by the state of Massachusetts. It certainly speaks to my current situation that what I am really trying to help my student learn is more of a personality trait that Goodwin refers to in an article from September of 2013: “Twenty-five years of research has shown that giving students challenging goals encourages greater effort and persistence than providing moderate, “do-your-best” goals or no goals at all. However, simply setting a high bar is inadequate. Students also need the will to achieve goals … and turn failure into success through their own efforts”. (Goodwin & Miller 2013)

5-I engage student interest with every lesson

In item 5 of the 12 Touchstones of good teaching the topic of student engagement is broken down. The writers make suggestions to keep classes brisk and engaging, as to inspire the intrinsic motivation of students and to keep the pace of class elevated to a point where students do not become bored. The writers mention that it is important to keep the class materials “fresh and fun”. They give examples of strategies such as “the vegas spin”, student choice within assignments, and steering clear of dry delivery.

The “vegas spin” is the least concrete idea proposed in this chapter. There are a lot of ways to add something special to your lessons, but not all students will respond the same way to the teacher’s idea of what makes the lessons special. An example of adding “sparkle” to one lesson I have orchestrated for a class on using MIDI mapping to compose music is bringing a professional pianist into class to play music for the students as they watch the MIDI events populate on the MIDI grid as the pianist plays them. The guest would play after the students have a chance to attempt to compose their own pieces using keyboards and MIDI mapping.

Students will be more engaged within a given assignment if they are able to make some personal choices within the context of the given assignment. This is a useful tool, but the writers also note that it is possible to give too many choices and if students have too much to choose from, they might have trouble getting started or they may never start; a sort of “option paralysis”. A way I might offer choice in a project is that after assigning a project on music in the 1980s, I might ask the students to choose from a specific selection of musicians which I know will highlight the events or facts which they must research. These facts are more the goal, while the musician is the vehicle for the facts to arrive.

Avoiding dry delivery is a cautionary suggestion. While teachers are often under pressure to get the material out to the students or teach the direct facts which will be on assessments, this scheme does not seem to foster any desire to explore or discover within the students. The dry approach may have some application with collegiate students who may just need to know what they need to learn as they have hopefully refined their study habits, but as students get younger, the need for them to discover and seek out knowledge becomes greater.

Relevant to my own classroom, I refer to what Guytano Martorano noted in his essay about the importance of sight reading notation: “First, the advancement of sight-reading ability, especially early on, could allow musicians to read through a greater volume of literature, advancing their individual schema of music, and subsequently improving reading ability in a positive feedback loop.” (Martorano 2019)

By continuing to develop the skill of reading music, students are more willing to approach new tasks when given the opportunity to choose between something new and something old. Martorano speaks of the feedback loop, which to me comes back to a favorite phrase from a previous instructor of mine “Success builds upon success”. If students do not develop music reading habits, it is increasingly difficult to keep them actively engaged in new material.

6-I interact meaningfully with every student

Item 6 of the 12 Touchstones discusses the various ways in which we make connections with students. There are several scenarios proposed. All of which seem to be common sense, but without making the effort to do each of them consciously, it can be easy to miss on one or two of them on a given day. School can be unpredictable. The day to day “controlled chaos” does everything it can to get in the way, but if the effort is present, then connecting to the students can still happen.

Goodwin suggests that teachers should interact with every student. It is possible to do this, but attention to the type of student, or the individual needs/wants of the student, can help make these interactions more appropriate and personal. An idea for this is also the statement that teachers should not just ask questions to the class, but call on students. This is a useful tool for keeping students engaged and for making contact with a student with whom you have not yet built a relationship. This can also facilitate a chance to learn names early in the year, which is a simple task that helps students connect with their teacher.

Different students need different types of support and Goodwin notes that while academic support is always going to be important, it is more and more widely accepted that

social and emotional support are equally important, specifically at the middle school age. Students at this age are experiencing many changes internally and externally so teachers can be very important figures in their lives. Because of this it necessary to support the whole student.

In my own middle school classes, I hope to establish the classroom personality that we are in school, but the students aren’t expected to fit into any specific mould. Perhaps it is a luxury associated with being a music teacher, but with such little ability to evaluate students from a grading standpoint, I am willing and interested in finding ways to give students positive reviews. There are a lot of ways to succeed in band class and part of my job is to find out where those areas of need are, see the improvement, make connections with the student, and let them know when I’m seeing them develop skills. Often, students who are seen as underachieving are putting a lot of effort into what they are asked to do. When one’s needs are felt to have gone unnoticed, frustration rises and effort wanes in the long run (Birdsell 2009) so it is important for the teacher to make every effort to see when and why students are struggling. Making connections to your students helps make this less of a mystery.

7-I use feedback to encourage effort

Item 7 of Goodwin's 12 Touchstones deals with the types of feedback teachers give to students and the possible ways that the differing feedback styles can lead to positive or negative outcomes. Controlling and non controlling feedback are the two most crucial components of item 7’s discussion on feedback. From the subject of feedback, the concept of the “growth mindset” is examined.

Controlling feedback is based on telling the student how they did or did not follow the teacher’s instructions or how they did or did not satisfy the teacher’s requirements, essentially making the point of the assignment to be pleasing the teacher. In the text, a phrase is noted “There are a lot of mistakes. You need to check your work more carefully before handing it in to me.” The feedback is not descriptive or direct. It also makes satisfying the teacher’s desires the most important task.

Non Controlling feedback is teacher feedback that is direct and specific to the student’s work. The teacher should make comments that reflect a scenario where the student’s goal is to satisfy their own desires or propose that the student could improve based on their capabilities. The feedback can be positive (“You have really done a great job describing the history of the US Navy. You brought up many uncommon facts that a lot of people may not know”) or negative (“This might not be your best work. Is it possible that you could find ways to improve?”). Essentially, using non controlling feedback allows the student to feel as though they can be strong and solve problems that may take a lot of hard work.

One of the most powerful tools that a student can develop is the elastic sense of the growth mindset. Learners go through quite a lengthy and generally demanding process during their school years. Most will find something that demands quite a bit of effort and it may demand more effort than a given student feels like they can give. This sense of elasticity comes into play here, when a student possibly fails or does not live up to their expectations. Students without the growth mindset might not be willing to allow themselves to try as hard again for the fear of letting themselves down. “Individuals who believe their talents can be developed (through hard work, good strategies, and input from others) have a growth mindset.” (Dweck 2016)

Typically, my classes are geared towards fostering a growth mindset, however, after reading several articles I know that there are ways that I can improve in the area of feedback. Providing clear feedback is important to young students because they will better understand the pathway toward success. I am definitely guilty from time to time of saying something like “You are going to have to put more effort into this if you want to learn that”. Feedback like this isn’t necessarily going to help give a student better tools to succeed since a lot of students simply don’t have an understanding of what exercising effort really means.

Going forward with my attempts to improve my feedback, I would say that what I say should make attempts to be more clear. I do attempt to be supportive, but as an instrumental music teacher, if I’m looking for a student to get a different result from their efforts towards performance I should try to specifically refer to the technique of playing the instrument and music notation reading/comprehension. An example of this would be, if a student is really far off the mark (not producing a characteristic sound or not reading rhythms/notes correctly) I should probably be making a comment on how to improve their playing at a very basic level. Rather than saying a blanket statement “You probably need to spend more time on this.”, I should say “I think if you tried to take a bigger breath and blow your breath in a faster/tighter stream you would be able to produce a stronger sound right away”. At least at that point they might be able to improve some part of their skillset and potentially move on to other, more sophisticated, skill combinations like reading and performing.

On the subject of growth mindset, many of the articles I have read also tend to discuss the democratic classroom. The students in such democratic classrooms become concerned for one another and they “may be helped to build bridges among themselves; attending to a range of human stories, they may be provoked to heal and to transform” (Fergusen-Patrick 2012). Essentially, the class as a whole tends to benefit from a heightened sense of community. They also benefit from choice and more open discussion. Individuals who believe their talents can be developed (through hard work, good strategies, and input from others) have a growth mindset.” (Dweck 2016)

8-I create an oasis of safety and respect in my classroom

Item 8 of the 12 Touchstones centers it’s topics around getting desired behavior from your classroom. Goodwin provides four initial broad suggestions that can lead toward the internalization of expected classroom decorum:

1-Frame rules positively: This suggests that framing up and defining the desired behavior instead of “bad behavior” will get students to seek attention for doing what is expected. The option is also given to provide commendations for displaying expectations with any one of many “caught in the act” citations. Students acquiring a number of commendations may be eligible for items from a school store, extra time with devices, etc.

2-Don’t get too complicated: Make the expectations clear and concise. Goodwin notes that there is a ceiling of seven elements that can be internalized with regards to behavior so make the rules simple and memorable.

3-Involve students in defining expectations: Allowing students to be involved in creating procedures allows them to take more ownership of the classroom. They will be more likely to adhere to the behaviors and hold each other accountable.

4-Know your consequences: It is important to know and understand how the teacher will respond to situations that arise in the classroom so that you may act quickly. This will help students respond to the teacher’s expectations toward classroom management as well.

“Withitness” is a skill that the author compared to “having eyes in the back of your head”. Understanding what goes on in the classroom certainly helps with behavioral management. Goodwin discusses a few options for helping the teacher have better understanding such as passing laterally through rows of desks to minimize the amount of time that their back is turned to students. Anecdotally, I do believe that there will always be something that gets by the teacher because students are always a little smarter than we give them credit for. As teachers gain experience, they know what to look for and get better at seeing problems before they happen, although even the most tenured instructor will tell you that they happen upon new situations from time to time.

9-I make the most of every minute

Item 9 dives into the idea of filling every moment with useful and effective teaching. There are numerous cited studies in this chapter that feature data about how many total hours are lost over a given school year while getting class started or being distracted by class announcements. There are several strategies for “bell to bell” instruction presented that include starting a class with an activity rather than starting class with attendance, homework collection, and other processes which often present small complications which lead to minutes of class being lost. Another way to have more effective learning time is to break learning time into smaller chunks to take advantage of student attention spans

With regards to teaching bell to bell in the music classroom, repetition is a key tool. Repetition is the key for time in class with groups who prepare on an average to below average level. It has been noted in a 2015 article for the Journal of School Educational Technology that there is, on average, a one quarter low, one half average, one quarter high division in the class community with regards to students’ levels of time management and academic achievement. (Cyril 2015) Because of this it is important to make sure that there is enough repetition involved in your curriculum.

Every teacher wants to provide a breadth of knowledge to their students, but if students don’t have the opportunity to return to materials that are familiar to them, the student never has the opportunity to build confidence in knowing what they are learning. “Repetition is an important element of learning … much more important than the current emphasis on speed and brevity suggest. Even in the midst of binding time constraints, look for opportunities to revisit, review, and restate. Through repetition, students return to where they started.” (Bruner 2001)

Additionally, a 2018 study from Saudi Arabia seems to confirm that repetition has dramatically positive effects and long-term and short-term retention. (Altalhab 2018) It certainly makes sense that the more times you can expose a student to the given materials, the more thorough the learning will be. A lack of repetition can lead to trying to get the class to try to catch up later on. “One of the best arguments for learning good time management are the negative effects of procrastination.” (Gargari 2011) When procrastination occurs, long term retention suffers. In music performance it is less possible to “cram” because there are physical connections between the student and the instrument that need to happen.

10-I help students develop deep knowledge

In the sixth item of 12 Touchstones of good teaching, Goodwin notes, via alliteration, six essential elements that teachers should be trying to foster in their students every day. These elements are referred to as the “6 essential C’s for learning”.

Curiosity: This is defined with the statement “Students learn what they want to learn. I foster curiosity by giving students choices on playing assignments or written assignments. Allowing students to choose the subject matter with which they will spend possibly significant time can lead to a better chance that students will be more deeply engaged in the subject matter. Provided that the options will satisfy the standards of the assignment, the connection to the material is essential.

Connection: So much of class revolves around repetition and development of previously learned skills. Connection is the act of fusing new knowledge with prior knowledge. When students begin their journey of learning a band instrument, learn the basics of making a sound and notation reading. From these introductory lessons, until we begin to discuss theory or composition, they are building on previously learned concepts. However, even with theory and composition the students are using their previously acquired knowledge revolving around basic scales which are part of our everyday warmup materials.

Coherence: In order to retain knowledge, students need to integrate and make sense of what they are learning. When beginning to teach composition and ear training, I will transcribe a familiar melody on a display at the front of the class which reveals rhythmic values and numerical values which correspond to the notes of a major scale. I ask the students to apply the numerical values to a given scale and find out for themselves what they believe the melody to be. It is a great way for students to apply all of their fundamental knowledge, develop ear training, and think critically about what they are hearing. There are instances where they are able to find out the song from listening to another student’s performance as well. The next step is to change the scale and ask the students to produce the melody in a different key. This has additional musical benefits.

Concentration: In order to solidify new knowledge, students need to spend time thinking about what their teacher wants them to be learning. By creating variables in the way they must perform on their instruments, I create opportunities to feel/hear differences in the response and sound of their instruments. Developing sensitivity to pitch/tuning is an essential part of wind instrument performance which requires great attention to detail. An example of fostering this skill is asking a saxophone student to push their mouthpiece further on to the bocle of the instrument, or not quite far enough which shortens/lengthens the instrument. This will raise or lower the overall pitch of the instrument and force the student to make muscular adjustments in their embouchure (lips, tongue, cheeks) to get the instrument to play up or down to pitch.

Coaching: Students must learn new skills and it is necessary for the instructor to provide guidance so students do not solidify knowledge or skills incorrectly. Because learning bad habits can lead to a lot of frustration (or injury in extreme circumstances) immediate feedback is necessary. When students are performing by themselves this is easiest to do, but it is possible to provide individual feedback when students perform as a group when attention is paid to body language. Providing this individual feedback is something that goes quite a long way towards building a solid professional relationship with your students (Denton 2015) Most of the instruction I provide seems to have a level of coaching involved, particularly in the activities surrounding marching band.

Context: Students must learn to apply knowledge in meaningful ways. One of the best examples of putting knowledge into practice for a scholastic musician is performing a contiguous piece of music with a group of other musicians. It is the culmination of all the practicing.

By pursuing the execution of the “6 C’s” in daily practice, it is possible to teach effectively from bell to bell, providing excellent support and instruction to the group as well as the individual. While analyzing the definitions of the six categories, it seems like quite a bit of work to build them all into an average class without very rigid planning, but as instructors find their stride, it isn’t so hard to do each of these. In a personal way, it seems that they can overlap, with one feeding into the next. There is almost no way to do one “C” without somehow feeding another. By following Goodwin’s six C’s a teacher can and should provide thorough instruction.

11-I coach students to mastery

Item 11 of the 12 Touchstones considers the various ways that teachers can help students get from the introductory stages of initial learning to a point where they have a very firm grasp of the subject matter. Between ways to incorporate homework, feedback, and repetition in various ways to help students achieve mastery. The authors write that the difference between amateurs and future elite performers is that the ones who will accell to the highest levels seek out instruction on the parts of their skill set that are the most weak.

The 12 Touchstones of good teaching suggests that homework should be assigned to check for understanding, rather than as a means of assessment. By checking for understanding, one can make adjustments and reteach if necessary. If a pattern is noticed within an assignment through several students, it is possible that the initial instruction might need work as patterns of student error should be seen as a reflection on the teacher. Seeing these patterns is important as timely feedback is important. Goodwin & Hubble notes that, if possible, immediate feedback is best. The suggestion that teachers should see themselves as a coach harkens back to a previous section of the book where it is emphasized that students need a teacher who can help them and coach them through mistakes guide them past improper discovery.

A quote from Frontiers in Psychology seems to synthesize the Gooodwin’s philosophy on homework:

“...school administrators may consider … discussing homework characteristics and their influence on students’ homework behaviors (e.g., amount of homework completed, homework effort), and academic achievement. We believe that this training would increase teachers’ knowledge and self-efficacy beliefs to develop homework practices best suited to their students’ needs, manage work obstacles and, hopefully, assign quality homework.” (Rosario 2019)

12-I help students do something with their learning

Displaying ways in which students can utilize the lessons from their class in everyday professional life is a main point in item 12 of the 12 Touchstones. The authors note that it is important to find ways to apply knowledge to real world situations. Classes and assignments without real application of the concepts in a meaningful way can get quite mundane. They feel like the math classes I had growing up, endless misplaced processes with no place to call home. This idea is capped off with the statement that the learning cycle is not complete until a student learns how to apply the knowledge or skill they have acquired.

The writers also make mention of a few ways that students can compare and discuss their knowledge during lessons to deepen their understanding and also take more ownership of their classroom. Some of these was are through:

1-Socratic Seminar: Students arrange themselves in a circle and discuss previously studied materials. Teachers are allowed to interject, but it is advised that students direct conversation.

2-Written Conversation: Students respond in writing to a question posed by the teacher then pass the responses between each other as a way to compare and share knowledge.

3-Ask students to write about what they are learning in open response. This is said to be most effective for lower performing students.

An interesting statement from this item was that student projects, unless learning objectives are very direct, can be generally ineffective. It is said that student learning should be framed around a driving question. Projects should have applications to real life situations. Through the citation of several studies concerning secondary education, a Turkish study by Feran Erselcan confirms this notion: “The authorities should define the obstacles and create the necessary conditions for developing partnerships to increase the relevance of education to real life and of real life to education.” (Erselcan 2014)

References

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Manichander, T. (2014) Locus of control and performance: Widening Applicabilities. Indian Journal of Research. https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ED557159.pdf

Simanton, E., G. (2000) Assessment and Grading Practices Among High School Band Teachers in the United States: A Descriptive Study. UND Scholarly Commons. https://core.ac.uk/download/pdf/235074393.pdf

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