A couple of you noticed that I had a regular psychology assignment embedded as an option in my Emotions/Stress Hyperdoc. I forgot I had put that in there. I believe that music can be a wonderful way to connect with students. We share and they share. Of course, we all experience stress. At the end of this assignment, I ask the students to share other songs that make the stress connection.
My regular psychology class is project-based and I wanted to show my kids that love and sex are not the only things singers croon and rap about.
So here is the link to my stress and music assignment:
DailyInfographic does it again. This psych-related graphic is about music and learning. Here is the link to the original post: http://dailyinfographic.com/how-to-control-your-dreams-infographic. I am curious about the science behind the conclusions--perhaps students could research what data is out there.
With apologies to Tears for Fears fans, I prefer the Adam Lambert version of "Mad World." The pace and vocals are haunting, giving the song a feeling of sadness and lamenting for how things are. There is also a lyric applying to teachers. This would be a great song to have students listen to and not only interpret the lyrics but also how music can evoke emotions. Students can also be asked to create videos as to their interpretation of what the music means.
Mad World
All around me are familiar faces
Worn out places
Worn out faces
Bright and early for the daily races
Going no where
Going no where
And the tears are filling up their glasses
No expression
No expression
And in my head I want to drown my sorrow
No tomorrow
No tomorrow
And I find it kind of funny
I find it kind of sad
The dreams in which I'm dying
Are the best I've ever had
And I find it hard to tell you
I find it hard to take
When people run in circles
It's a very, very... mad world... mad world...
Children waiting for the day they feel good
Happy birthday
Happy birthday
Made to feel the way that every child should
Sit and listen
Sit and listen
Went to school and I was very nervous
No one knew me
No one knew me
Hello teacher tell me what's my lesson
Look right through me
Look right through me
And I find it kind of funny
I find it kind of sad
The dreams in which I'm dying
Are the best I've ever had
I find it hard to tell you
I find it hard to take
When people run in circles
It's a very, very... mad world... mad world...
Mad World
Mad World
Most of us have seen the items on the listservs about lists of music that go with particular units. Some of us use the music as a transition into class. Some of use show the lyrics on the board/screen while the students listen to the song, adding observations or comments afterward. A nice little combination, a free one, can be found on YouTube.com.
The first example here is The Sound of Silence by Simon and Garfunkel. The poster has already printed the lyrics for you/us. Some concept ideas include schema, the role of individual in society, perception, states of consciousness, communication, hearing versus listening, and more.
A perennial favorite of my students is the Green Day song, Basketcase. This song questions the writer's sanity while he is reaching out for help. Some great psych idea are used including "neurosis," perception/misperception, therapy, dream interpretation, the role of drugs in interpreting reality, and more.
As with anything from the internet, I would caution that you view everything first prior to sharing it with your students. While they may be superficially mature and sophisticated, they are still children and we have an obligation to screen and contextualize everything we do with them. Also, each community has different standards--what may be usable and successful in one class may not work in another school.
There will be more of these posts coming up with some of my personal favorites.
Scientific American has been rife with articles about psychological topics of late. In addition to the usual in Scientific American Mind, recent articles deal with cognitive enhancers, depression, blushing and more.
I am such a fan of these two magazines. They highlight current research as well as give us potential examples of nearly everything we do within our psychology classes. If you are not already a subscriber, I recommend it. Otherwise, keep up with the news with what they post online.
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