Going Around in Circles

The Overlooked Benefit of Group Learning

Although there are many benefits to group learning settings, one that isn't always recognised or implemented is that we can work within a cyclical learning framework. In 1-1 settings, piano is typically taught linearly, with method books introducing a concept (such as a crotchet or a middle C on the stave), then presenting a piece that illustrates that concept. The assumption is that, by learning and playing the piece, learners have understood the concept, and then a new concept is introduced, with a new piece. The concepts are not revisited and there are no different iterations of them, nor various modalities in terms of how they are accessed and applied. This is even more apparent when it comes to skill development, where typically a learner would need to move through various phases of cognition and autonomy.

Why Consolidation Matters

In line with the evolution of learning theories and our growing understanding of how children learn, concepts and skills need regular consolidation. This enables learners to construct their own understanding, resulting in more secure and more deeply embedded learning.

To structure learning in this way, educators have developed the idea of a spiral or cyclical curriculum. This approach aligns closely with how learners naturally progress, and it works particularly well in group settings—provided we allow learners to be at different points within the spiral and to progress at a pace that suits them. In this way, each learner operates within their own zone of proximal development (you can find more information on this in the writings of Lev Vygotsky, 1896-1934) and can remain there continuously.

Within our groups, this gives us the opportunity to reach and progress every learner, providing them with secure foundations and ensuring these can be applied in new contexts and situations. 

The diagram above depicts how skills and concepts go through phases of mastery and understanding, and how a spiral curriculum ensures all individual learners are able to progress through those different phases, then displaying readiness for more complex iterations of the skills and concepts, and deeper and different applications of them.

If you ever feel like you are going around in circles with your students, that is because you need to. This is why the perennial "transition student problem" exists and the feeling that your new student, who has apparently been learning for 3 years but seemingly knows nothing, is one that occurs all too often Not because their previous teacher didn't teach them anything, but because they moved along a line of enquiry that is different to yours and they are unable to apply any understanding they had in this new context.

It would certainly be difficult to set cyclical learning up in this way, if you are teaching one student on their own. All the iterations and variety of activity types (singing, listening, games, composition, moving, actioning etc) are less likely to happen in a 1-1 lesson where students often remain on the bench and at the piano for the majority of the lesson. However in collaborative groups, where everyone is learning and playing together, we can indeed offer many different ways of accessing, experiencing and displaying learning.The key is to ensure that each learner can work at their own point on the spiral of skills and concepts, with us knowing exactly where they are and how best to support their next steps forward.