Over the semester the greatest teaching challenges I came upon including the challenge of implementing group work, of sequencing a single lesson, of building upon past lessons, and of refocusing the class after group work. As a teacher, I realized there is also a challenge in reflecting upon one's teaching and in making active goals to improve. My mentor and observations of my classroom teacher helped me to understand how I could address many of these challenges. Following are a few suggestions which I have tried to implement:
-Use side-coaching. In other words, say what you see. Verbally tell the students what they are doing. -Use reflective questions which prompt the students to make choices. Ex. Where could you look this time? -Use teachers present as examples. The students may respond well to seeing an adult they know being involved in what they are learning. -Use consistent cues. A few more thoughts: My most successful lessons used visuals. The students responded well to integrated lessons. I think this may be because they had something familiar with which they could connect to. They could combine their previous knowledge with the dance content. Overall, I enjoyed these few months of teaching the second graders. They are full of life and energy and constantly surprised me with their creativity. There were many moments when I had no idea how to respond their expressions and energy. In one lesson, when asked to embody an image given to them, two boys climbed on top of each other to embody a pumpkin. I went to them ready to tell them they couldn't be on top of each other, as it was a safety hazard. I also didn't want 20 other second graders catching their idea. Before asking them to separate, I asked them how they were embodying the image I had given them. The boy on the bottom was holding his arms out in a low circle while the boy sitting on top of the other's shoulders sat poised and strong. They explained to me that the bottom boy was the orange part of the pumpkin and the top boy was the stem. How was I to respond?! They were doing exactly what I wanted! I did tell them they couldn't be on top of each other, but that was a golden, and rather humorous moment for me. I have realized more and more that teaching is a great endeavor. It is hard work with a lot of planning. But the moments when students respond with excitement or when they produce unexpected, but beautiful work is priceless.
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This are my five classroom rules for the semester. They were inspired by Jana Shumway, who was inspired by another Utah dance educator. Each rule has a few simple actions to go with each.
Number one is be respectful. Number two is dance on cue. (Here you give the students to dance on a pre-taught cue. Example, make a shape, hit the floor, pencil, dance while I beat the drum, etc...) Number three, argh matey, don't be too hasty, we must dance safely. Number four is always, always try! Number five is have fun before we say goodbye! All lesson plans for the semester are organized by lesson theme and are found in this Google folder: Arts Bridge Lesson Plans
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