Can you hear what I hear?

“Someday we’ll know if love can move a mountain

Someday we’ll  know why the sky is blue

Someday we’ll know why I wasn’t meant for you”

 Songs are made for us to listen the lyrics, the rhythm, and the melody and even feel what the message is it. And because of all kinds of song, we are definitely engaging ourselves with listening. However, nowadays, we incorporate songs with pictures for example, instagram, snapshots, flipgrams and videos. A lot of educators are not integrating solely the AUDIO material to enhance student learning.

When I was in nursing school, I learned that sound causes the eardrum and its tiny attached bones in the middle portion of the ear to vibrate, and the vibrations are conducted to the nearby cochlea. The spiral-shaped cochlea is part of the inner ear; it transforms sound into nerve impulses that travel to the brain (from www.webmd.com). In line with the lesson, I definitely agree that when a teacher uses audio clips, she has to ensure that the quality is good.

I agree that when students use their different sensory organs, these stimulate more learning experiences. Yes, a lot of teachers engage with print and projected type of materials, however, audio materials will also improve the listening skill of the student. I realized now that good teachers are very into on how to play different kind of method and material in their teachings. However, teachers must ensure in selecting audio materials that will provide a meaningful learning.

A STORY OF THE PAST

Before the internet, Tv and other forms of media, we have radio first wherein we acquire information. I can still remember when I go to the province to do some research about leftist, I realized that they have a very good listening skill. Yes, it’s true. Well, they don’t have TV in that remote area, however, the form of acquiring and engaging their selves is through listening in the radio. I am very amazed how they easily comprehend my questions even though they are quite old already.

History, one of my favorite subjects all time. Real documentaries are very essential to appreciate and enliven the history of the world. Audio becomes also a media to pass down to future generations what happened in the past. The role then is to ensure that the there should be a MEAN to interact with students what happened in the past and able to connect it with the present situation. So take example of this:

Please click:

https://mp3-juices.com/download/hitler-speech.html

Do you know who the speaker is?

He is Adolf Hitler- the great Nazi President in Germany. So studying revolution and holocaust in Germany, audio materials like this can help students analyze what happened during the time. They can able to relate it and imagine why such barbaric and unmerciful kind of killings existed. So preserving what is important in the future through audio materials can help sustain the History and able to interject this values and lessons to our students.

TEACHER’S ROLE

On the other hand, those teachers who want to engage audio to their class must first know their learners if there are audio type of learners. But I think, even though they are not, it is good to inject a new type of strategy. Why? Because learning and improving new skills will be helpful for them when they engage in a certain interviews wherein listening skill is significant.

According to research, the importance of interesting stimulant will enrich the students experience such as audio-visual materials. Not only that, students will start to comprehend abstractly. If students can think and understand abstract things, the more he can enrich knowledge.

There are many types of audio materials such as cassette (for me it is obsolete), CD (well, some still used this) and MP3 which can be easily downloaded. If these materials are used properly then it can convey messaged effectively. Students should be encouraged as well to do audio activities to improve their knowledge and enhance their skill in understanding the material and collaborate with others.

PHILIPPINE LIBRARY MEDIA

When I went to Singapore and South Korea, I visited there library and I was very amazed and surprised that they do have a certain section wherein audio references and materials are going to be effectively used by the students and teachers. Unfortunately, I haven’t encountered yet here in the Philippines a kind of materials – audio that is available in the library and students can able to manipulate it.

Enter a caption

(Photo taken last January 20, 2016 at South Korea)

According to research, libraries in the Philippines are most likely to maintain media resource centers to complement their print collection. They concentrate more in increasing their collection and preservation. Is it really true? I heard in UP Diliman, they already have AV collection as well as in DLSU and ADMU. But how about other universities and colleges?

RECOMMENDATIONS:

1. I always want a creative type of material to be used to my students and considering audio as part in academic achievement and the holistic development of the students should take one step at time. Learn to infuse audio with visual at first especially to visual learners.  With proper assessment, audio can step in alone and use as a core of teaching method in a specific lesson.
2. Training for teachers to exercise effectively in making audio materials.
3. School facilities should be upgraded in making audio materials. It should accommodate creative teachers to build a new kind of environment for students to learn such as audio learning.

 

My principle in teaching audio is that “The goal of education should be able to RETAIN what the teachers teach to their students.” –Elaine Medillo