Richard Kennell <kennell who-is-at bgnet.bgsu.edu>

Richard Kennell (kennell who-is-at bgnet.bgsu.edu)
Thu, 25 Sep 1997 13:20:59 -0500

>
>>My research interest is the interactions between expert and novice
musicians in music lessons. I have had an interest in interactive learning
since my undergraduate years in college (the 70's!). My return to doctoral
studies in the mid-80's revived this interest. I was specifically looking
for a theoretical stance from which to view teacher-student interactions in
music lessons. In addition, I was looking for the appropriate methodologies
to pursue my research.
>>
>>I first encountered Vygotsky's Thought and Language, his Zone of Proximal
Development was intuitively compelling because it matched aspects of my
understanding of music teaching. I then explored Bruner's "Scaffolding
Theory" as a possible lens from which to view one-on-one teaching in music.
>>
>>I've spent the last six or seven years studying Scaffolding as a means of
unlocking highly automated processes of teacher probolem solving and also
developing observational techniques appropriate for interactive learning.
During this time, I've found that several others--including but not limited
to Bruner, Cole, Bakhtin, Rogoff and Wertsch--have inspired my continued
work in this area.
>>
>>One of my on-going projects is to compare the pedagogical interaction of
private instrumental music teachers with private music composition teachers.
Bakhtin's notion of "genre" is very compatable with my earlier work with
scaffolding, and his notions of "centripetal" and "centrifugal" forces may
be represented in the training of performers (who preserve the culture) and
composers (who extend it). My thanks to James Wertsch for pointing me in
this direction!
>>
>>As a musician, I try to understand our pedagogy through the broader lens
of social interaction, and I hope that this discussion list will help me
refine my understanding.
>>
>>
>>
>
Associate Dean
College of Musical Arts
Bowling Green State University
Bowling Green, Ohio 43404
(419) 372-2181
(419) 372-2938 FAX