The following guidelines are general instructions to the teacher for dance instruction throughout the year.

Encourage students' awareness of their kinaesthetic sensations whenever they are engaged in moving.

Kinaesthetic sensations are the feelings of the body's muscles, joints, and tendons while in motion or in stillness. The kinaesthetic sense is of primary importance to movement and dance. Perceptions of the body's movements are gathered through receptors in the tendons, muscles, and joints and relayed to the brain. By becoming aware of their own kinaesthetic sensations, students can more accurately direct and control their movements as well as copy movements demonstrated to them. As a result, students increase their dance techniques.

Knowledge of one's own kinaesthetic sensations promotes empathy with others when observing their movements. When watching dances, kinaesthetically aware students are actively participating in the experience.

To encourage students to become aware of their kinaesthetic sensations, teachers should:

• provide students with a variety of movement activities where the students can experience the feelings of their bodies in motion and in stillness
• encourage students to notice their kinaesthetic sensations when moving
• provide students with opportunities to learn dance sequences and repertoire
• encourage students to move accurately and with control by applying knowledge of their kinaesthetic sensations when dancing.

Offer opportunities for students to engage in positive, meaningful dance experiences.

Dance offers many opportunities for students to become actively engaged in learning. To make these experiences positive and personally meaningful, teachers should consider the following when planning modules:

• use themes and topics of interest to the students
• establish a warm and accepting atmosphere where students feel safe and free to take risks
• be generous with praise for students' efforts
• include a variety of instructional methods and approaches that address a range of learning styles.

Use a process to guide the students in their choreography.

The process of creating is often misunderstood. Teachers are afraid to guide the students too much in case they stifle creativity. However, the creative process is, at least in part, a problem-solving process. Teachers should guide students through steps of creative problem solving, encouraging and coaching them as they work, and engaging them in discussions about their work. As students become familiar with using a process, the sophistication of their reflections on what they are doing will grow.

The following is an outline of steps students might go through when creating their own movements or dance compositions. Keep in mind that the steps may also include strategies such as brainstorming, research, journal writing, or watching films at any point in the process. Remember, the teacher acts as a guide throughout this process.

1. Begin by defining the problem to be solved. This can be done by the teacher or the students.
2. Explore all the possible solutions to the problem, remembering that imagination as well as logic will expand the range of possibilities.
3. Choose the most interesting or most appropriate solution.
4. Try the solution.
5. Reflect on the solution. Ask questions. For example, is the selected movement, dance phrase, etc. reflecting my intentions? Is it interesting to do? How could it be changed to make it clearer or more interesting?
6. Repeat steps one to five if necessary. Begin by redefining the problem.

Through teacher and student interaction during the process, students will learn that:

• they will be making decisions when engaged in creative activities
• there is no one answer to a problem
• even though all the students in the class might start out doing the same activities, their individual imaginations and problem solving will lead to unique solutions
• the teacher is a collaborator in problem solving, rather than someone who has all the answers.

The teacher should:

• emphasize the problem-solving aspects of an activity
• de-emphasize the product as the reason for engaging in dance activities so that students do not feel like they have "failed" if their chosen solutions do not work
• keep cumulative records on student progress, rather than looking at one final product for evaluation purposes.

Provide time for individual reflection and group discussion about the students' dance expressions and the processes they went through when creating them.

Reflection is essential in order for students to see the relevance of arts activities and to develop a personal commitment to their arts explorations. Time for reflection can incorporate the following:

• self-evaluation
• one-to-one discussion with a student
• journal writing
• small group discussion
• large group discussion.

Assess both process and product.

Dance presentations should be evaluated in conjunction with the students' creative problem-solving process, their intentions, their previous work that year, and the Dance 10, 20, 30 objectives. Products or presentations should not be evaluated in isolation.

When evaluating, the understanding gained and the creative processes used to discover and learn are as important as the finished product. Both the teacher and students should understand that, while students must be encouraged to take pride in their artistic products, challenging oneself personally and exploring new ideas and ways of working are essential factors in artistic development. This way of working presents a risk to the students in that the final product or presentation may not turn out as well as it might have if they had "played it safe" and worked in a more familiar way. A student who has taken risks, attempted to solve new problems, and grown in his or her development should receive a positive assessment in these areas regardless of the success of the finished product.

Explore the elements of dance and principles of composition within meaningful contexts.

The elements and principles are best explored in contexts of interest to the students, rather than in isolation. Students should be encouraged to learn about the elements and principles as they encounter them in their dance experiences. What the students discover about the elements and principles should be reinforced and applied throughout the year. See Appendix B for information about the elements of dance and the principles of composition.

Provide opportunities for students to work with choreographers and dancers whenever possible.

There may be opportunities for students to work occasionally with a guest choreographer or dancers in the school. Students may also work as choreographers themselves, creating dances for their classmates or younger students. Teachers are encouraged to provide these experiences to their students whenever possible.

If your school division offers honoraria and expense reimbursement, this consideration should be extended to visiting dance artists. When working with guest choreographers and dancers, the teacher should:

• Arrange for a meeting to discuss appropriate learning objectives and expectations with the choreographers and dancers.
• Ask choreographers and dancers to consider the three components of the arts education program when planning their session. For example, in addition to performing their dance, the choreographers might discuss the source of their ideas, the factors that have affected the various changes in their work and traditions, or new directions in their particular dance form.

When a student is working as a choreographer with peers or younger dancers, have the student consider the following:

• What might the particular student dancers be reasonably able to accomplish at that grade level?
• What safety factors must be kept in mind?
• Have warm-up and cool down activities been planned?
• Is the selected music appropriate for a school setting and will it motivate the dancers to move?
• Is there a plan established for working through and sequencing the various parts of the dance?

Use a process to guide students in responding to dance presentations.

Viewing dance presentations is a matter of being actively engaged in watching the dance and, later, of responding to what was seen. Teachers should use a process such as Responding to Dance Presentations, found in Appendix C, to take the students from their initial reactions to the point where they can make an informed judgement about a dance presentation. In this way students make sense of their viewing experiences and gain deeper understanding of dance presentations.

Develop a dance research library.

Information about dance, dancers, choreographers and dance companies in the community, across Canada, and elsewhere should be collected from dance organizations, magazines, and the local media. Students and teachers should collect magazines, videos, essays, newsletters, newspaper clippings, books, etc. that discuss and explore various aspects of dance, choreography, and issues related to dance.

Guide students in their research.

Students should be challenged to develop their research and critical thinking skills on a continuous basis. When involving students in research projects, establish (along with the students) the expectations and criteria that are important for the successful completion of the project. Students may demonstrate their understanding of the results of their research through such means as individual or group reports or presentations, dance presentations, verbal presentations, video, displays, other arts expressions, essays, or expressive writing. When researching, students should maintain an awareness of potential bias or manipulation of the facts in the research material they are using. They should be encouraged to present a balanced, imaginative, and insightful presentation of their findings and conclusions.

Examples of research-related questions teachers may ask students to reflect on include the following:

• Have you used research material that presents various points of view?
• Have you determined whether the research material you are using reflects any type of bias such as gender, racial, etc? Have you presented a balanced and unbiased perspective yourself?
• Have you found an interesting or imaginative way to present and demonstrate what you have discovered through your research?
• Are your observations presented clearly and concisely?
• Are your observations organized so they can be easily followed or interpreted?
• Have you included enough detail for the reader, listener, or viewer to understand what you are intending to communicate?
• Does your work reflect the intention of the research project?
• Did you make appropriate inferences, analyses, and interpretations based on your research?

Encourage students to use notation, both invented and traditional, when recording movements and dances.

Notation is a method for transcribing movements and dances. Notation can be used in forming dances as well as recording finished dances. As more people become literate in dance, more dances from the past are being reconstructed. Audiences are now able to see dances that were once only read about in books and magazines. Today, many major dance companies include dance notators on staff to help reconstruct dances and notate newly choreographed dances in order to save them for the future.

Students should be encouraged to become literate in dance by using notation, either invented or traditional, throughout the dance-making process. Notation can assist them in conceptualizing, imagining, exploring, developing, and remembering movements and dances. As well, notation will clarify students' understanding of movements, as students are required to analyze movements before recording them.

At this level, students can invent their own notation system or learn a traditional system. There are several notation systems used in the world, including Labanotation, Benesh Movement Notation, and Eshkol-Wachman Movement Notation. The arts education program recommends the Labanotation system because it has adaptability. Labanotation is able to record all movements, including everyday and sports movements, and dance styles. Appendix B has information on Motif Description (notation symbols).

Have students keep dance portfolios and dance journals.

One excellent way to encourage the active involvement of students in their dance program is to have them develop dance portfolios. The portfolios should be used as "idea collectors" and storage containers for all of their dance materials, including their dance journals. The purpose of keeping material in a portfolio should be to encourage students to collect ideas and information that are of particular interest and relevance to them, to expand and work out their ideas as possible material for dance expressions, to become aware of their own creative processes, and to keep records of their dance experiences.

The dance journal is a booklet or notebook for the students' personal writing about dance. Students can use their journals for recording observations and ideas about themselves, their world and their dance class, and for problem solving and research. The dance journals, included in the portfolios, serve as a means for students to record their reflections on their experiences and dance work.

Because of the personal nature of portfolios and journals, students and their teacher should establish guidelines early in the school year for their use and their possible role in student assessment and evaluation. Following are some suggested procedures.

• Use a large folder made from light cardboard, a large shoe box, or other suitable container for the portfolio.
• Use a notebook, binder, sketch pad, scrapbook, or constructed booklet for the journal depending on what is available and convenient.
• Encourage the use of portfolios or journal entries that consist of notation, drawings, video and audio recordings, brainstorm lists, concept maps, cut images, quotes and articles from other sources, as well as a variety of writing.
• Start a dance journal as part of the portfolio. The teacher can encourage students to get started by modelling journal writing, demonstrating processes for idea exploration and reflection, asking sample questions, or presenting examples from other students' portfolios. Students should be encouraged to develop their own style and format.
• Ensure that each entry is dated.
• Decide how often entries will be made and be flexible about time spent on them. Time could range from five minutes at the end of every class to fifteen or twenty minutes at the end of a unit of study.
• Decide whether the portfolios are personal or public and how they will be used to assess student progress.
• Inform students that whatever system for evaluation is implemented, teacher checks will be frequent and constructive.
• Review portfolios to observe whether students are expressing their opinions, ideas, insights, observations, and research in a meaningful way. Teachers should not be critical of the ideas and opinions expressed.
• Keep a portfolio in order to model desired practice regarding portfolios and to record ideas, observations of the students' work, resources, methods, and themes.