I have contacted and spoken with 2 other practitioners who work and studied in a more creative dance environment to that of my own. I have interviewed them using the same questions as those asked of my peers who work within my dance school to compare and see experiences beyond my own. I will blog more on this and the comparisons made in regards to my inquiry later.
Taking on board these different techniques of teaching, i planned a class last night different to my usual style of teaching and took on a more creative approach, involving them choreographing their own pieces of dance. I gave my students 4 steps related to their genre and grade and gave them some free music, asked them to discuss how the music made them feel/think and then got them to dance that feeling, using the steps given as well as their own. It was interesting to see them talk about the music and it was awkward to start but once the class relaxed they produced some lovely choreography. We did not talk about technique at all, nor did i correct any steps that were not picture perfect. I have written about this on more detail last night in my journal which i will post and use as evidence later.
I planned and led this class with somatic practice in mind (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Somatics) and my next step is to look at other learning theories such as that of Schon, reflecting more and link to my inquiry using literature.
Our own practice needs to be constantly reviewed - things change such as syllabus and we as practitioners must go on courses to update our knowledge and keep our ideas fresh. CPD is essential in this profession. As well as going on these courses, speaking to other professionals outside our own practice is invaluable and i have found this so helpful in terms of now mixing up my lesson plans and trying out different ideas.
In direct relation to my inquiry i took a basic safeguarding course over the summer and have since updated this, taking a more in depth course online via high speed training; safeguarding is a buzzword right now. There are many articles on young people pushing themselves too far in order to achieve what is expected of them (http://www.abc.net.au/news/2015-10-12/intense-competition-drives-young-dancers-to/6848432)
As much as laws are in place for protecting children, they are pushing themselves in order to achieve what they feel is neccesary to be successful.
Another interesting article relating to the loss of the 'soul' in dance http://www.theguardian.com/stage/2015/jul/12/contemporary-dance-debate-shechter-khan-newson-laban-students-training
Thursday 15 October 2015
Friday 2 October 2015
Trying to organise the messy stage
My Title:
The Importance of Safeguarding Children and How It Has Affected Dance Teaching
The term 'safeguarding' needs to be defined.
Safeguarding legislation and government guidance says that safeguarding means:
Protecting children from maltreatment
preventing impairment of children's health or development
ensuring that children are growing up in circumstances consistent with the provision of safe and effective care
taking action to enable all children and young people to have the best outcomes
The ISTD who i work under have their own child protection policy:
After completing my field research and making my own assumptions i need to compare this to what is available in my literature, how it differs, if comparisons can be made etc. I also need to look at other points of view and perhaps speak to someone from a more 'creative' background/working environment.
Is there anyone on the course from this kind of background or who teaches in this way who would be able to speak with me about this topic?
After discussions/interviews with my practitioners and through literature i have had my eyes opened to safeguarding being not just a physical protection of children but an emotional/mental protection too. How you speak to and direct children needs to be thought about in more detail as well as how you refer to dance when teaching. Thinking about why the children come to dance class and what sort of experience i can offer them is what i want to find out; i would like to be able to offer them a more well rounded view from what i will learn through more literature, other peoples points of views.
I will think about the 'routine' of my own classes and perhaps re structure slightly in order to see how this might benefit students - will they prefer routine or enjoy this more well rounded approach - i will write in my journal about this to record what i learn.
Exploring this subject will be valuable to myself and other practitioners as its a hot topic that isnt always talked about due to its vastness.
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