A processfolio can be defined as a collection of items that demonstrate steps taken to achieve a final product (Newalker, 2015), both encapsulating the final product and the process of its creation (McKay et al., 2015). A “silent mentor,” the processfolio can provide guidance and synthesis throughout an academic program (Torff, 1997). The guiding question of this processfolio is, “How has this master’s program enhanced or altered my perceptions and approaches toward music teaching and learning?” To answer this question, I will discuss the experiences and coursework that have shaped my thinking during my time in this program. The process I have undergone has been comparable to a digital image gaining both greater definition and dimensions. In several key areas which I will discuss, my thinking has gained more clarity and specificity, while also increasing in its scope. Therefore, this discussion will be framed by the metaphor of a digital image being both sharpened and enlarged.
When an image is blurry, an observer may be able to see its general form from a distance; however, upon closer proximity, details are not as sharp. This blur is due to a lack of contrast across a given spatial scale. When the contrast between these smaller units increases, the image appears sharper and more focused (Webster et al, 2002). As I discuss the sharpening of my perceptions and approaches to music teaching and learning, I am referring to items I once viewed as “small details,” similar to the small units of an image. These “small details” can refer to processes, information, and practices I previously thought of as tedious, but now see as important. The more “small details” I practiced, the more nuance, or contrast, I gained in my music teaching and learning. My “teaching image” gained clarity and precision, being sharpened throughout this program.
One of the benefits of adding more contrast and details into the smaller parts of a digital image is that it can also provide higher resolution, allowing the image to be enlarged without quality compromise. When using Photoshop, for example, one can “upsample,” adding pixels to the image. This does not increase the details of the image; rather, it increases the number of pixels in each square inch of the image. The more pixels per square inch, the more the dimensions of an image can increase (Leurs, 2008). Similar to the process of “upsampling,” the skills and knowledge I have acquired have allowed the dimensions of my “teaching picture” to be enlarged. In this case, a wider body of knowledge, an increased skill set, and greater sense of possibility are some examples of an enlarged image.
Several key areas in my “teaching picture” have been sharpened and enlarged during my time at the University of Oregon. I came into the program with a smaller, slightly blurry teaching “image.” I had some basic knowledge and 13 years of music teaching experience in various capacities. I knew I was passionate about teaching and enjoyed it, and I had, alongside my previous experiences, received some mentorship and training from leaders in the field whom I respected. I possessed a general semblance of pedagogical practices, technological skills, teacher dispositions, and self-confidence; however, this master’s program has brought all four of these areas into focus and broadened them immensely. All four areas have been strengthened through increased precision and widened horizons. I will be describing the ways in which these four categories have been affected, which activities within the program have caused this shaping, and how each transformation includes “sharpening” and “enlarging.”
Evie Haskell Processfolio 