Ready for 21st-century education – pre-service music teachers embracing ICT to foster student-centered learning

There is always competition for curriculum time for pre-service teachers, especially in teaching methods courses. This study explored whether pre-service teachers are prepared to learn from each other online. It looked at 47 students taking a course entitled “Music Education Methods and Strategies”. Each was required to design a game as a form of pedagogy in music education and to upload it to a learning management system (LMS). They then had to read and comment on all submissions and vote for the best three games. After doing so, the students completed an online survey about their experiences. Thirty-nine valid questionnaires were submitted, giving a response rate of 83%. It is very encouraging to note that the students gave all questions a high rating (scoring them 3 or above on a 5-point Likert-type scale). The two top-rated items confirmed that the students felt responsible for their own learning and competent in using a LMS. This suggests that pre-service music teachers are ready for 21st-century education using information and communications technology to develop learner-centered activities. Copyright © 2013 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.