Engaging Aural Skills Students Through Model-Eliciting Activities

Aaron Galliher, University of Texas at San Antonio

This study looks at how Model-Eliciting Activities (MEAs) can be used outside of mathematics education and within an aural skills classroom. Students are given small audio pieces of increasing complexity and must not only transcribe them but also provide a step-by-step guide for how they go about each transcription. As students transcribe new pieces they iterate on their guide, documenting their thought process which can be used by the instructor for assessing where each student is. Students benefit from these activities by creating models for future scenarios they are likely to encounter, such as their future students needing help with transcription. MEAs also provide a powerful interdisciplinary tool for instructors to increase student engagement with the curriculum and all associated benefits therein. This interdisciplinary approach to aural skills provides a powerful tool for instructors to increase student motivation, a key precursor to engagement with the curriculum and all associated benefits therein.