Thick Descriptions

I am a natural puzzle solver and so I love thinking about the "why" of things. This week I began collecting data with my small group in the form of reading benchmark assessments and a music attitude survey. As I collected the data, I kept thinking about the possible reasons why a student would respond in one way or another. While administering my music attitude survey I had a lot more happy faces than sad faces (40 to 6). Hmm - is it because 2nd graders prefer happy faces over sad faces or did they genuinely agree with the question?

As I look back at the data, I see one student has answered with all happy faces. Although I prefaced each question with the statement that there was no right or wrong answer, I wonder if this student thought the happy face was correct? This was also the only student with whom I did not have a previous relationship. I wonder if she was trying to please me? Since I could not see my own face during the survey I also wonder if my facial expressions were swaying her answers.

I would say that most of the students who were surveyed were able to justify their answers (with some prompting on my part) - at least, in the manner that second graders do that. Some examples of responses include phrases such as, "it makes me happy," "it's fun," and "because I can." Unsurprisingly, a couple of my more familiar students went on to make some good connections between their reasoning and their personal experience.

I would also say that environment plays a role in the data. My room is in a new place this year and I have added in some new elements as well. Even though most of my students were familiar with me, the room was new and, therefore, students were curious about it. I began each survey by telling students they would have a chance to explore after they completed the survey. Looking back, I think I may have gotten better attention results had I allowed students to explore first.Time of day also played a role. Four of the six students were surveyed in the morning and two were surveyed toward the end of the day. The students who met with me at the end of the day exhibited more fidgety behaviors and required redirection several times. Since all six of these students are natural movers, I have to conclude that the end of the day was not the ideal time to conduct a survey. Fortunately, when I begin my actual instruction, I will be meeting with these students at 10:00 each day.

Okay, enough of my pontificating - here are the survey results:

All six students like listening to quiet music (this is something I like also!)

Five out of six students enjoy: singing with friends, moving while singing and feel like they can easily remember words to songs.

Four out of six students like books with music, sitting and listening to music and singing alone.

Three out of six students like popular music (there were some very strong reactions to this question)

Two out of six students like silly songs and loud music (but I LOVE silly songs!)

One final thought - When I consider the home environment of most of my students, it is not surprising to me that they like quieter music. Many of them live in chaotic households with people coming and going at all times. Most students like the feeling of calm that they get when things are quiet and consistent. As I begin the instruction phase of my project, I will definitely try to keep this information in the back of my mind as I plan for their success.