"Rock n' Stop" & Expectations- Lesson 1

I love teaching and it's so fun to be back in the classroom again. Though I certainly feel out of practice and have forgotten even some of the very basic things of teaching, I'm so grateful to be back and am grateful to be learning again.

I knew that because many of the students were new to dance and were unfamiliar with how it would work in a classroom- I made sure that I set clear expectations and rules from the beginning. I was directed that as a dance teacher and even as a teacher in general- you want to have few rules, but lots of procedures. I also had been taught that if the students can help come up with the rules and have a say in expectations, the students will want to follow expectations and work hard.

So after formally introducing myself, I asked them the question "What is dance?" Many of the students commented by saying, "It's ballet- it's what I do after school" or "It's like hip hop" or "It's something that happens when your body moves." Starting by asking this question, really helped me to assess and evaluate where I would need to start as a teacher and what the students already knew. After allowing a few of them to define dance, I then continued by the discussion by helping them understand that dance was something they did all the time. It happens when they walk. It happens when they play at recess. It happens in all they do. I told them that I would be coming to their class for the next couple of weeks and when I did, I would be helping them to learn dance and to learn more about how we move our bodies and learn.

You could tell that some of the kids were excited and some were a little hesitant- so I knew this was the time to explain some rules and set some expectations as a class. I started by saying that because we would be moving around and because we would be interact with each other, we needed to set a few rules. I asked them, "What do you think would be some important rules for us to follow as a class while we are dancing?" Many student's hands shot up and after some discussion, we came up with three specific rules we wanted to follow.

1. Be respectful- of each other and equipment in the room.
2. Be active- be involved and give your best.
3. Have fun!

With these rules set and the students anxious to start we began. I wanted to start with something basic and just get the children warmed up. I decided to use the song "Rock n' Stop" and help the student's get moving. This song/ activity includes music that plays a couple of measures and then freezes. The students start at a lower level sitting down and then each measure get a little higher and higher in their levels.

They loved it. You could tell what a relief it was for the students to be moving around, experiencing new movements and trying something new.

As a teacher I found that I had to participate and help the kids along the process. If I had just sat back and told them what to do, I knew that many of the students would not want to participate and may even feel "stupid." But because I was involved and dancing right along side them, the students participated and had a great time.

I also saw the importance of calling out tasks and help remind the students what was expected. I would need to say things like, "find a new shape" and "try something new" and commenting on shapes, dance movements and other qualities I noticed from the students. The students were quick to heed the advice I gave them and it was so fun to see some of the new ideas and ways of movement that the students would try.

After repeating this activity a few times and giving some specific feedback- I brought the students back together and asked them what they thought dance was now. Their responses included some of the things we had discussed before but they also brought in new definitions and brought in some things they had experienced through the activity.

I love dancing. I love seeing student's learn. But most importantly, I love seeing how these students learn through dance. I'm so grateful to be doing this.