Interview Questions

Interview

Before carrying out my questions for my interview please make sure each interviewee is aware you are NOT testing them, but simply gaining more knowledge. There is no correct or incorrect answer, I want to gather more information on this topic and each opinion is helpful.

Questions

1.       Why do you perform a warm-up during your dance classes?

2.       How do you make sure your students are mentally prepared for class? Do you have a certain exercise which helps their state of mind before class? Or after? Breathing exercise? Where did you come up with this idea? Were you influenced by anyone or anything?

3.       How has your warm-up been designed in a street class? (Street classes have a free warm-up designed by the teacher)

4.       What has influenced you with ideas during your warm-up or dance movements in your warm-up?

5.       How do you incorporate the aim of your dance class into your warm-up? Mentally and physically preparing your students for what is to come?

6.       Do you discuss your class ideas with other fellow teachers or friends you may know? Past experiences? What has made a differences to your teaching?

7.       How do you prepare for class? Where do you get the ideas for your dances from? Are you motivated by certain music or maybe a memory?

8.       All people have their own versions of a warm-up there is no right way to warm-up as long as you tick all the boxes for preparing the body for a dance class. Does your warm-up have a ‘stretch’ section? If so what type of stretches? Why do you perform these stretches and how does this effect your students?

9.       Do you perform stretches in a cool-down and if so how is this different to your stretches during a warm-up?

10.   Can you think of any way to make a warm-up or cool-down more creative? I want to improve my teaching and I do not want my warm-up to be effective but boring. I want it to feel like my students are dancing, 45minutes is not a long time so I want to make the most of it.

11.   How would your warm-up differ if you was teaching a ballet class? (Discuss cardio at the beginning of a class? Increasing the heart rate which leads to oxygen and nutrition to the working muscles.)

12.   Some research have come to the understanding if you stretch incorrectly during a warm-up this can have an effect on force production, power performance, running speed, reaction time, movement time, endurance, balance and jumping height etc. I was not aware of this until researching into my topic of inquiry but would you disagree or agree with this source? Have you ever come across this in your students? 

13.   Cool-downs are often forgotten about or a teacher does not have time to perform a cool-down. How long does your cool-down last for and when would you perform one?

14.   What does a cool-down prevent? Do your students understand why they perform a cool-down?

15.   What does a good cool-down consist of? Different stages?

16.   Many injuries can occur when students are stretching incorrectly. Normally because they have not warm-up correctly when, where and how is the most effective way for stretching?

17.   In what situation would you use…

 

a.       Ballistic stretch technique?

b.      Dynamic stretch technique?

c.       Static stretch technique?

d.      PNF stretching technique?

Is there any disadvantages you are aware of in these four techniques of stretching, maybe one you would not use in class, and why?

18.   There are many different factors that can affect a student’s flexibility such as tension, joint mobility, activity, gender and age how would you overcome some of these factors as a teacher?

19.   Also I have researched into when a dancer is already sore from a previous class the day before, if your students were to have aching muscles how would you advise them in this situation? If they answer by ‘stretching’ which stretches would you use?

20.   During your dance classes which type of full-range stretches do you use? Passive, ballistic and PNF stretching? Which do you find most effective and why or do you find it varies between students? How long do you hold these stretches?

21.   If you was in the correct position to perform full range stretches, what is the longest you would hold a position for, this is known as pro long stretching? (After they answer) Ask if they would prefer to use a different stretch technique or do they find this technique effective?

Please remember to thank your interviewee for their time, opinions and knowledge!