When I first started out as a ballet teacher, I was a naive 24 year old dance graduate who can’t wait to wear my special “Teaching shoes with heels” and demanded to be called “Miss Mindy” by every single earthling in the dance school. I had no idea I was about to embark upon a very challenging journey.
I remembered feeling so exhausted after teaching my first class that my knees dissolved into jelly, my throat was dry and starchy due to hours of instructing the students and yet, I did not get any results from them. There were days that nothing seems to work and I was on the verge of breaking down but I still had to get the class going!
Over the years, I’ve developed my teaching skills through observation, reading, workshops, guidance from my mentor, the daily classes that I teach and most importantly, learning to plan ahead to prepare for any possibilities or unforeseen consequences.
Teaching can be very stressful if one is not prepared to take on the responsibility of guiding the students to develop their creativity, artistic and movement potential.
That is why it is important to plan and strategize your class ahead in order to achieve your desired learning outcome for your students. Remember, a well planned class can contribute to your students’ development.
Here are 3 steps to help foster a productive class: -
Get to know your students
Create a sense of awareness in class. Make an effort to remember all your students’ names. Putting new names with faces and getting to know your students will give you a clear understanding of who they are. By doing so, you will have the knowledge to understand their personality and identify their strengths and weaknesses.
Observe, listen and interact with your students. It is important for teachers to give equal attention to each individual student. It is simply not worth the effort for a student to improve if he or she is ignored by the teacher.
Prepare an individual class plan
Each class has different needs. Start your class plan by listing out the learning outcomes. This is to help you, as a teacher to achieve your aim for your students at the end of the lesson. Consolidate it with the lesson content. Write down all the exercises, dance vocabulary or a certain step that you want to teach within that given hour in your class. This practise helps you to keep track of the developmental process from one part of the lesson to the next.
Your lesson content should also include timings for each exercise. You might decide to spend a longer time when teaching a new step/exercise or maybe less time on the ones that were already taught. Use your teaching time wisely.
Lastly, work on your teaching style or method. You may want to have the students to follow your instructions and perform as close as possible to what was being asked or maybe get them to practise by themselves.
There are endless teaching styles and methods to experiment and work with. Eventually, you will find one that suits you best and works well with your students. I was once told by my ballet tutor that no teaching method can be proved wrong if it works!
Creating a suitable atmosphere
For classes to be effective, a suitable environment needs to be created as it has a great effect upon the students in terms of motivation, behaviour, enjoyment and learning. It is especially daunting for new students as they need more re-assurance before they feel comfortable and willing to settle in.
As teachers, we are responsible to help build the students’ confidence and self-esteem as well as nurturing their passion in dance.
I remembered feeling so exhausted after teaching my first class that my knees dissolved into jelly, my throat was dry and starchy due to hours of instructing the students and yet, I did not get any results from them. There were days that nothing seems to work and I was on the verge of breaking down but I still had to get the class going!
Over the years, I’ve developed my teaching skills through observation, reading, workshops, guidance from my mentor, the daily classes that I teach and most importantly, learning to plan ahead to prepare for any possibilities or unforeseen consequences.
Teaching can be very stressful if one is not prepared to take on the responsibility of guiding the students to develop their creativity, artistic and movement potential.
That is why it is important to plan and strategize your class ahead in order to achieve your desired learning outcome for your students. Remember, a well planned class can contribute to your students’ development.
Here are 3 steps to help foster a productive class: -
Get to know your students
Create a sense of awareness in class. Make an effort to remember all your students’ names. Putting new names with faces and getting to know your students will give you a clear understanding of who they are. By doing so, you will have the knowledge to understand their personality and identify their strengths and weaknesses.
Observe, listen and interact with your students. It is important for teachers to give equal attention to each individual student. It is simply not worth the effort for a student to improve if he or she is ignored by the teacher.
Prepare an individual class plan
Each class has different needs. Start your class plan by listing out the learning outcomes. This is to help you, as a teacher to achieve your aim for your students at the end of the lesson. Consolidate it with the lesson content. Write down all the exercises, dance vocabulary or a certain step that you want to teach within that given hour in your class. This practise helps you to keep track of the developmental process from one part of the lesson to the next.
Your lesson content should also include timings for each exercise. You might decide to spend a longer time when teaching a new step/exercise or maybe less time on the ones that were already taught. Use your teaching time wisely.
Lastly, work on your teaching style or method. You may want to have the students to follow your instructions and perform as close as possible to what was being asked or maybe get them to practise by themselves.
There are endless teaching styles and methods to experiment and work with. Eventually, you will find one that suits you best and works well with your students. I was once told by my ballet tutor that no teaching method can be proved wrong if it works!
Creating a suitable atmosphere
For classes to be effective, a suitable environment needs to be created as it has a great effect upon the students in terms of motivation, behaviour, enjoyment and learning. It is especially daunting for new students as they need more re-assurance before they feel comfortable and willing to settle in.
As teachers, we are responsible to help build the students’ confidence and self-esteem as well as nurturing their passion in dance.
Dealing with situations in a positive manner, by encouraging the students is always more beneficial than being negative. Aim to keep a positive learning environment.
Be aware of your presentation and manner in class. Your body language must convey support and concern to your students as a teacher. Your self presentation will depend on your personality, values and traits. Be confident and professional.
In conclusion, how you teach is just as important to what you teach. It is paramount for teachers to be able to use a variety of different strategies to meet students’ differing needs. Only in this way they can ensure a smooth and effective progression in class.
“Our students are the future of dance in every direction. We need to prepare them to take over and lift the status of dance so that it is considered an equal to all the other arts”.
Happy teaching!
In conclusion, how you teach is just as important to what you teach. It is paramount for teachers to be able to use a variety of different strategies to meet students’ differing needs. Only in this way they can ensure a smooth and effective progression in class.
“Our students are the future of dance in every direction. We need to prepare them to take over and lift the status of dance so that it is considered an equal to all the other arts”.
Happy teaching!
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