My sister sent a reference to SPARK, a book written by Dr. John Ratey of Harvard Medical School & filled with case studies exploring the connection between exercise and the brain. It tells those of us who teach dance what we already know. But given the current trends in education, there are a lot of […]
Entries from September 28th, 2009
Didya know? Exercise is good for the brain…
September 28th, 2009 · 3 Comments · Uncategorized
Tags:brain·research·thinking skills
Time — urgent vs. sustained
September 27th, 2009 · 7 Comments · Uncategorized
I’ve had the opportunity to be thinking about time lately, both quantitatively & qualitatively — an opportunity that’s arisen from a drastic cut in the quantity of my instructional time this year. Not surprisingly, I perceive this cut to be affecting the quality of instruction. To cut to the quick, and at the risk of […]
Thank you, dance network…
September 24th, 2009 · Comments Off · Uncategorized
A remarkable & intriguing performance by Jerome Murat — and one of those things I only know of because I’m a member of DEAW & daCi. Grateful when people find tidbits to share!
Tags:performance
New year, new challenge: learning about autism
September 17th, 2009 · 6 Comments · Autism, Uncategorized
Perhaps related to economic pressures, our student numbers jumped from 320 to 380 this September. Sixteen of our new students belong to two self-contained classrooms & are diagnosed as severely impacted by Autism Spectrum Disorders. I’m learning quickly & first-hand what that means, since I provide 30 minutes of instruction for 8 of the children […]
An anecdote
September 2nd, 2009 · 2 Comments · Uncategorized
Last week while learning the particulars of Writers Workshop, I had to write a “personal narrative” in order to work through the process. Personal narratives — stories of small & true moments — are foundational in the Writers Workshop method. Since the one I developed came straight from my life as a dance educator, here […]