The Model Classroom

Model classrooms are used in learning communities to provide opportunities for pre-interns, interns and inexperienced teachers to observe "best practices" in action. Over the years, our school has built a relationship with the University of North Florida's College of Education and Human Services. Students needing placement for Field 1, Field 2 or an Internship can come to Chets Creek and experience firsthand what it's like to teach at a high-performing elementary school.

We are an America's Choice National Model School and have more National Board Certified teachers on our faculty than any other school in the district. We take pride in sharing our expertise with others. Faculty members who open their doors to student-teachers have taken a course in Clinical Educator Training and are well-equipped to assist the student-teacher. As the Directing Teacher, my job is to help acclimate the student-teacher to the classroom; assist with lesson planning; observe their teaching and to complete several formal, written observations throughout the semester.

This Spring, I was assigned a pre-intern from the Department of Music at UNF. Nick is a percussionist and is in his junior year at the university. He was sent to me for his Field 1 experience. A pre-intern has usually done some peer-teaching with his classmates, but has not had much real-life teaching experience outside the classroom. Because Nick is a percussionist, he has brought a wealth of information to my students that they would not necessarily have gleaned from my instruction. I was trained as a vocalist; Nick, as an instrumentalist. I have learned a great deal from Nick in the last few weeks and would like to share one of his lessons with you.

This lesson on Civil War Drumming (a/k/a rudimental drumming) was taught to kindergarteners. Specific drum cadences and rhythmic patterns were used during the Civil War to muster the troops and get them moving in the right direction. Nick wanted to integrate the music standards with social studies and physical education standards. He planned and implemented a lesson that included a brief history of the Civil War, noticeable differences between a field drum and a snare drum, sticks and sticking techniques, forward/backward movement and aural discrimination between a roll and a flam on both drums. I hope you will gain new insights from a percussionist's point of view by watching his instructional video. Nick - I'm proud of you!



Until next time...