USING KEYWORDS TO SEARCH FOR CLASSROOM VIDEOS: WHAT ARE MUSIC TEACHERS INTERESTED IN?

Using classroom videos to foster teacher learning has been common practice for more than two decades in mathematics, science, and literacy education, areas in which a wealth of video-related research studies have been conducted. In contrast, the use of video has been dramatically lower in music education, where research efforts have been sporadic and relatively unsystematic. The present study was carried out within an ongoing development project −led by the Singapore Teachers’ Academy for the aRts (STAR) and the National Institute of Education (NIE)− aimed to create video-based learning resources targeted at music teachers from Singapore schools. Among other resources, the team is developing a repository of short video clips (3-5 minutes, approx.) of real classroom situations. The clips illustrate exemplary ways in which the Singapore music syllabus can be taught and/or how different pedagogical moves can be enacted in the classroom. It is expected that these video-based learning resources will support music teachers’ learning and application of new instructional strategies.

The goal of this study was to investigate music teachers’ specific topics of interest, comparing between teachers with different levels of specialization in music education. We conducted individual interviews with 21 teachers and focus group discussions with 22 teachers (N = 43). The sample included 26 music specialists and 17 non-specialists. The following hypothetical scenario was presented to the teachers during the interviews: “In this project, we are producing lots of short video clips showcasing Singapore music teachers working with students in the classroom. For one reason or another, these clips show examples of good music teaching and learning. Imagine that you are given access to our full repository of video clips, in which you can use a search function to find videos that interest you. Please give us some keywords that you would use in your search.” In the focus group discussions, each teacher was asked to provide five keywords.

Findings suggest that music specialists and non-specialists focused on different types of topics. The former listed keywords closely aligned with the various learning objectives of the national curriculum, and related to music-specific pedagogies and quality of teacher-student interactions. Moreover, these teachers expressed that depending on the specific time of the academic year, they would search for different types of videos. In contrast, non-music specialists listed rather generic and unspecific keywords, focused on lesson activities, materials or classroom management, and showed higher level of difficulty in generating keywords.

We conclude that music teachers with different levels of specialization in music education have different video-related interests. This indicates that video-based learning resources should be responsive to the differing motivations, needs and preferences of teachers. Professional development providers should be mindful of these differences to better target video-based learning resources with teachers with different profiles. Ultimately, this study shows that it is impossible to design one-size-fits-all learning resources.