Here’s a lovely reflection by a teacher about dancing metaphorically in the classroom.
Entries from January 27th, 2010
In winter, the kids are sunshine…
January 25th, 2010 · 4 Comments · Uncategorized
Among 185 kids per day, there’s a lot of sunlight. There’s… Yusuf, 4th grade. When his teacher was teaching the class a song and having them do it as a round, he said, “This is just like the canon we did in dance!” Anisah, 5th grade. She was with us from kindergarten through 3rd grade, […]
Dancing for Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
January 16th, 2010 · 4 Comments · Lesson Plans
Context: I taught this series of lessons this week in response to a late request for some dances for the school’s Martin Luther King, Jr. Day assembly (scheduled for & completed this past Thursday). My initial response was “no can do!” because I’d already planned my classes — focused on introducing the choreographic devices of […]
Tags:African American·choreography·curriculum integration·intermediate·lesson plans·performance·teaching
Teaching Portfolios
January 13th, 2010 · 3 Comments · Uncategorized
Well, this is interesting! …the why’s, how’s, and where-to’s of making a teaching portfolio from Chicago Artists Resource, via 4dancers — which is also a good resource for useful items of import. So I’m going to stash this information right here on my blog where I can find it again, just in case I ever […]
A single clear teaching point
January 10th, 2010 · 5 Comments · Uncategorized
With my classes cut to 30 minutes this year, it’s been more important than ever to define a single clear teaching point for each class, so I’ve taken to writing on the board the kernel of learning I want the kids to grasp. I start with it, I teach to it, & I end with […]
Lesson plan: Let’s do an improvisation!
January 2nd, 2010 · 1 Comment · Lesson Plans
Context: In my years of teaching classroom teachers how to use movement in the classroom, I’ve always cautioned, “Never put on music & just tell the kids to dance!” That would be wild-party-time not dance education, and the resulting chaos would likely discourage anyone from inviting dance into the classroom. This year, however, I’ve been […]
Tags:dancing·improvisation·lesson plans·music·teaching·thinking