The Best of MEJ -
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Published on: 10/14/2000
Last Visited: 2/24/2002
Erin Martin, a University of Massachusetts student, wrote a column in the October 1990 issue of U.-The National College Newspaper titled "Real World 101: A Needed Course."In the article, Martin observed that students could use help in many areas not traditionally included in an undergraduate curriculum, including such practical topics as job placement, financial planning, raising a family, and stress management.Martin concluded that "Life would be much easier if we could learn to handle real-world problems before we have to face them on our own."1
Recently I presented a series of hypothetical situations to a class of undergraduate music education majors.The scenarios dealt with "real-world" issues related specifically to the realm of music education.The goal of the exercise was to get the students to think about some of the circumstances that they might be required to deal with at some point in their teaching careers.Most of these exercises in judgment fell into one of three categories: teacher-student relationships, teacher-parent relationships, and handling criticism and stress.Emphasis was placed on the belief that there were no "right" or "wrong" answers to the questions.Students were encouraged to elaborate on how they would react to a given situation by defending their decision-making process with certain values or beliefs that helped them arrive at a course of action.
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1. Erin Martin, "Real World 101: A Needed Course."U.-The National College Newspaper (October 1990): 14.