12 TRAITS...

12 Traits of a Terrific Dance Teacher

By Nichelle (January 2015) personal blog.                     

“Apart from my parents, my teachers have done the most to shape my life.” George Lucas, filmmaker

This quote started her this specific blog off, which I really like. It really made me think about the responsibilities a teacher has, we help a child grow and improve in the topic you teach them. You need to have control over the class and most of all you want them to enjoy it. I like the quotes she has added in between subtitles, I think they add more emotion to the piece, I find this source more personal and it is her own blog.

1.    Love of dance- Every source I have found so far all agree on the passion and love of dance. I think you need to love dance to teach it every day, otherwise you would dread every day you wake up.

2.    Love of teaching- You have to enjoy being surrounded by children for many hours each day, which is not for everyone. You need to be full of energy all the time, fun, loud, discipline and lots more.

3.    Has been there and keeps going- I liked this bullet point, teachers need to remember more often what it is like to be a student. This comes back to understanding and listening to your students.

“A man should first direct himself in the way he should go. Only then should he instruct others.” – Buddha

This quote could also be applied to having the professional experience of a dancer before becoming a teaching, this is what my inquiry is about.

4.    Supports you- Every child needs to know they are supported by their dance teacher, they need to feel safe and having someone who believes in you and pushes you to your full expectation.

5.    Motivates you- All children need to see your love for dance which hopefully transfers to all your students, they should want to come to class and want to dance.

6.    Respects you- Respect works both ways. I think if they enjoy the class and feel comfortable with the teacher it will come naturally. You need to respect and listen to each other.

7.    Shows empathy- You need to understand each child is going through their own battle, some worse than others. But being there for a child, having someone to talk too or just time away from their problems, time to relax means a lot.  

8.    Can adapt and be flexible- A good teacher is always willing to try a different teaching method if they see the class have not fully understood the meaning or cannot undertake a new step. Sometimes it comes down to practice a step over and over again but also a new direction can help refresh a student’s mind. A teacher should have patience’s, time and the effort and be willing to go above and beyond to help her class achieve their goals.

“You can’t direct the wind but you can adjust the sails.” ~ Anonymous

9.    Cares- Having the right physical and mental health is both very important for the students and the teacher. Teachers should be able to give their students a safe area in which the students can try, fail and grow, which is the process of learning. Also being aware and understanding what a child is going through, being aware of all situations and supporting that child.

10.  Leads a process of discovery- All teachers need to bring something mad to the studio, something that makes it interesting for the students. Teachers need to be able to create a journey for their students but also questioned it. Making the children more involved, make them think about it, instead of the teacher breaking it down let the students help they will contain the knowledge more. Exploring and problem-solving makes the class fun.

11.  Speaks to every student- Translating difficult concepts of movement to students is a gift, and being able to explain it in lots of different ways until the whole class understand that movement, what it should feel like and what it should look like. It is important that a teacher takes in every student, and makes surely they all understand not just the majority.

12.  Creates a community- Creating the right atmosphere that children feel safe to explore and take risks, a teacher just not just teach their topic but teaches life lessons, motivating and pushes a child to do better!  

 

What Makes a Great Teacher Great?

 

 

 

Conclusion on ‘What makes a Great Teacher Great?’

Cheryl Jackson, Cindee Karnick-Davison, Mary Kooy and Richard Gerver are discussing what makes a great teacher great. This clip was uploaded on YouTube on 10^th May 2010. I found this video and I feel I really connected to it. This is based on all types of teaching so it is very open and not based on dance teachers but I think any teacher can connect and agree with this video.

The fact children are intelligent, they pick up on vibes from the teacher. You need passion! They need excitement, exploring and taking the correct journey helps children understand more. It is not just about vocabulary or learning from a text book etc. But the quality of progression, all teachers have high demands they need to succeed in, and it does not always come down to test results. I do think this is slightly different to dance teachers, good results are very important, but depending on what that exact class is aiming towards, sometimes it is better if they just enjoy some physical exercise, and have time to relax from home situations or school. Another reason why children start dance classes are for making new friends outside of school, I find I am closer to my friends at dance than I am to my friends at school, you have more in common but I am sure that is not the case for everyone. 

Children need to enjoy their classes and want to come, they need to be motivated, normally if a teacher enjoyed teaching and have passion for that topic, it comes across to the children.

All teachers need to emphasize, not always sympathising with a child, but understanding their situation, some will need to talk about it and some will come to class and be able to breathe if they are being bullied, or troubles at home, or just having a bad day. Teachers need to care, it cannot just be a job, and you are shaping their lives, like I said it is not about learning the facts from text books. But learning life lessons, teaching them to explore, create and motivate themselves, will go a lot further than copying from a text book. Experiments and storytelling from past experiences etc. helps teaching also.

Bringing all aspects of teaching into a classroom or studio, smell, taste or touch? In dancing it’s slightly harder but touch the muscles you are trying to work, look at the muscles working. Also this reminded me when I was at college we had improvisation, and using different emotions, seasons, food, and lots more as an idea for some chorography, to open your mind to a whole new level you had never thought about before.

Connecting to each and every one of your students is important, knowing what makes them tick? Which teaching method they best react to? They need to feel comfortable, protected, and cared for, each child is individual, and their backgrounds, culture, and families’ situations are all different. That need to feel special! They need this if you want them to trust you and build a good teacher student relationship. I think some teachers have too much control over the class sometimes, which sounds unnatural but it is a two way pull, I think a teacher needs to listen to their students just like the students need to listen to them. I think this comes back to respect but I know I have learnt a lot from my students also, sometimes weird animal facts but life lessons as well.

Some teachers lose their passion after a few years especially when they are pushing towards high exam results and all the other high demands a teacher needs to push for. Classes need to have a relaxed feel to them, and children should not feel too much pressure, or feel they are being rushed this is when they stop enjoying your class. But on the other hand you need to set high expectations for each student, they do not want to feel they have been forgotten about, and the class needs some sort of pace to it, otherwise it becomes dull and uninteresting. When discussing all of these skills it sounds literally impossible to fulfil all of them all in one class, but I think this comes down to preparing each class, if you have a set plan and know what you are aiming towards.

 

Literature Sources

I have been re reading one of my sources, which gave me a slightly different perspective after the summer break. I want to look into this more and find more sources and create a different angle to my topic. I still want to collect the same data and information but take a slightly different journey to get to my outcome. I still want to follow my plan of inquiry (module 2.)

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/education/educationopinion/11347131/You-dont-need-a-qualification-to-be-a-good-teacher.html