patterns and learning

In Copland’s writing, he states the question that interests him is whether the listener understands him, and what he understands.  Like a composer, that is what a teacher wants, to be understood.  I liked how he describes music as a symbolic language of psychological and expressive value that can be made evident only through music itself.   In teaching, what is our symbolic language that can only be understood through the teaching?  What forms are we using?  What do we attend to or shape?  Take this one step back to Kapilow and we learn that the whole world is understood in patterns and expectations.  How we understand the world or what we want to listen to is in patterns. The thing that jumps out at me in thinking of lesson plans and presentations is that I have a predictable pattern. My presentation style is consistent, my visual and auditory aids are predictable and I always use movement in my lessons to keep participants alert.  Comparing patterns in music with teaching, I can use the same patterns and create interest with going up in scale or bringing my students to a higher level. Information above and beyond what I would normally introduce.    To create an experience to catch and keep their attention, I should look to change the tempo, the rhythm, and the instruments.  Possibly bring in other speakers or use different resources or visual aids.   If the brain makes sense of the world through patterns, then the patterns introduced to students should be considered for their expressive value.  In short, don’t get in a rut, because you’ll just get tuned out.