Systematic Instruction

Abstract

Abstract The past 40 years have witnessed a great deal of research on “effective teaching.” A number of observational, correlational, and experimental studies were conducted in order to, first, identify those teachers whose classes made larger-than-expected test score gains and, then, identify the instructional procedures that were used more often by those same teachers. This research, mostly based on observations in the teaching of reading or mathematics, has revealed a pattern that might be called a systematic method of teaching. The pattern includes presenting material in small steps, pausing to check for student understanding, and requiring active and successful participation from all students. Although initially derived from research in reading and mathematics instruction in elementary and middle schools, the results also are applicable to any other systematic or “well-structured” (Simon, 1973) subject matter in which the objectives are to teach skilled performance and the mastery of a body of knowledge. Clearly, and as shown in this chapter, music has such a body of knowledge with a definable content and explicit skills, and music education has an equally compelling body of research to support systematic instruction as a viable teaching model.