Effectual thinking and music education: One view of creative adaptation in an underserved urban middle school

Abstract

This descriptive case study superimposed Effectuation Theory onto the experiences of an American music educator and the challenges and opportunities facing him in an economically disadvantaged teaching context. Luke Guerra, the primary participant, possessed 11 years of teaching experience in an underserved urban middle school. His military experience, lack of canonical content knowledge, social activism, and exclusive use of popular music set him apart from conventional music educators. Data collection comprised semi-structured interviews with the participant and his colleagues, direct observation and documentation of the participant’s teaching, logging of researcher memos, and analysis of artifacts and participant reflections. Four themes emerged from inductive analysis that suggested the salience of Effectuation Theory: (a) teaching ethos informed by unique personal circumstances; (b) embracing uncertainty; (c) socially conscious, student-centered teaching and learning; and (d) collaboration. Rather than allowing the limitations of his teaching context and knowledge gaps to exert control over his program, Luke created an alternative future by leveraging his means and limitations into a vision around which others could rally and invest. Luke’s story and its connections to the principles of Effectuation may provide transferable benefits to music educators working in teaching contexts hindered by uncertainty.

[Retracted] The New Media Environment Presents Challenges and Opportunities for Music Education in Higher Education

“…During the epidemic, more than 24000 online courses were opened free of charge. Online learning platforms such as Moke and Superstar Teacher link maximize resource sharing [ 25 ]. Students can choose free learning resources according to their interests, and paid resources also have the function of free trial so as to truly achieve personalized education.…”

Teachers’ conceptions of music teaching: A systematic literature review 2010-2020

“…Authors Recommendations for better teaching and learning [29], [32], [33], [35], [37], [42], [43], [45], [48], [49] Influence of the social, economic and political context on teaching and learning [30], [38], [39], [47] No commitment from the Educational Organization [31], [34], [40], [41], [47], [48] Teachers' perceptions of music teaching [29], [36], [37], [39], [41], [43], [46]…”

“…Concerning the teaching of music by teachers, the articles indicate that there are external factors that have a direct impact on this process, such as the limitations that socioeconomic contexts may have, given that conventional teaching models tend to be based on a limited set of activities and results, leaving aside the reality, which may be an uncertain context with limited resources [30]. In addition, a relevant aspect is support provided by the educational establishment or the directors for the realization of the music class; either with instruments, training, or hiring experts in certain content so that the teacher has better tools and his teaching is more effective in attending to what the student requires for quality learning in the discipline [34], [38], [47].…”

Successful urban elementary music educators : a phenomenological investigation

“…What feedback are the teachers receiving from students concerning these different approaches? This line of thinking supports student-centered instruction which is paramount in urban music classrooms (Hanson, 2020).…”

“…Based on the varied descriptions of success, I believe that if we expand our meaning of success, more teachers would "qualify" as successful. Conventional models of school-based music teaching tend to be based on causal logic, where success is contingent upon generating a narrow set of possible activities and outcomes; such models do not always work in uncertain, resource-constrained teaching contexts that are in urban schools (Hanson, 2020).…”