The Do-Re-Mi’s of A&P:teaching interactively with content-rich jingles

Gregory J. Crowther, Ph.D.University of Washington Bothellcrowther@uw.edu / 206-290-8826

Image: Daniel J. Schneck (2015)

• What experience – if any – do you have teaching with music?

• What do you hope to get out of this workshop?

Can songs aid STEM test performance?

Reference Finding

C.R.W. VanVoorhis, Teaching of Psychology 2002

College students who learned jingles in a statistics class scored better on related test items than students who read definitions. Scores correlated with jingle familiarity.

S.M. McCurdy et al., Food Protection Trends 2008

Certain subgroups of high school students scored higher on food-safety knowledge than control groups following exposure to 9 food-safety songs.

K. Smolinski, Science Scope 2011

7th grade students who learned the “Cell Song” in chorus scored higher on a biology test than students who did not.

L. Lesser et al., eCOTS 2014

In online college statistics courses, students exposed to “song inserts” scored higher on relevant test questions.

Sometimes….

↑ readiness to learn

↑ absorption of content

↑ recall of content

↑ processing/ integration of content

↑ demonstration of knowledge

↑ Time on Task

↓ stress

↑ enjoyment↑ in-depthexploration

↑ memorability

↑ channels of content

delivery

M U S I C+MUSICHow MIGHT music aid learning?

Models of incorporating music into classes?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bPZQ7ZUEn8Yhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R_y3-M5lgbI

Consider:

• Who makes the song? (you/your students/3rd party)

• Where is the song heard? (in class/online)

• What do students do with the song? (listen/analyze/dance/etc.)

My preliminary model (Spring 2014)• Goal: do active learning QUICKLY• Class gets a part to sing in class• Songs are short to accommodate rehearsal time• Limited discussion of lyrics• Each song is done once in class• Available online: lyrics, sometimes music

http://www.radionz.co.nz/national/programmes/ourchangingworld/20120531

What I learned from student feedback

• Large frosh/soph-level introductory physiology course• 573 enrolled students• 440 students completed standard end-of-course-survey• 348 students included free-form comments• 140 of these commented specifically on music!

What I learned from student feedback

• Large frosh/soph-level introductory physiology course• 573 enrolled students• 85 students completed a separate music-specific survey

Revised model: jingles + discussion + online files• Aim for ≤5 minutes of total class time• Students are welcome to sing along, but less “rehearsal”

• Dissect important and ambiguous lyrics• Consistently provide online files for reinforcement• http://faculty.washington.edu/crowther/Misc/Songs/

Lyrics page

Sheet music

Revised model: jingles + discussion + online files

Advantages:• Quick to perform/learn• Students are active• Clear focus on content

(vs. performing)• Online files enable repeated

practice• Painless for students who

don’t like this approach• Easier (than full songs) for

other faculty to adopt• Shorter• Better content matching

Limitations:• Little student creativity• Crude recordings limit

engagement & outside adoption• How many faculty are willing

to sing (or find student song leaders)?

How to write good songs: a few of my biases• Start with a lyrical “seed,” grow song around it• Parodies are OK, but templates don’t always fit your content• e.g., “It’s All Connective,” “Heart Valves”

• Balance clarity and artistry• Ambiguous or missing elements can inspire great discussion

questions!• e.g., “Cauda Equina,” “Voltage-Gated Sodium Channel”

• Use rhymes strategically• e.g., “Poiseuille’s Law,” “Keratin and Melanin”

• Use musical elements to reinforce lyrics• e.g., nursing neurotransmitter jingles (Hermanns et al. 2012)• Need to point these out to students

Jingle-writing exercise!a. Think of a content-learning challenge.b. Could a jingle help?c. For a jingle-amenable challenge, come up with a short

catchphrase, mnemonic, or other distillation that might aid students.

d. Draft a partial melody or rap rhythm for C.e. Share your idea-in-progress. (Optional!)

Concluding thoughts on teaching with music

1. Empirical evidence for efficacy is limited, but plausible rationales are abundant!

2. My current model balances active engagement of students with time efficiency.

3. I crave your brutally honest feedback!

Papers to read in your copious free time?• G. Crowther. Using science songs to enhance learning:

an interdisciplinary approach. CBE Life Sciences Education 11: 26-30, 2012.

• G.J. Crowther et al. Making material more memorable ... with music. American Biology Teacher 75(9): 713-4, 2013.

• D. Governor et al. Teaching and learning science through song: Exploring the experiences of students and teachers. International Journal of Science Education 35(18): 3117-3140, 2013.

… or just email me (crowther@uw.edu).