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. This results in students increasing 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:
Here, technique refers to the ability of students to use their bodies as they wish and in a safe, efficient manner with little threat of injury. The dance program does not recommend any one kind of dance technique be taught to students at this level; for example, ballet, Graham, etc.
Acquiring technique is a long process of training the body to respond as desired. Teachers will need to play an active role in developing students' dance techniques by acting as the students' mirror and coaching where appropriate. This is an important function of the dance teacher for the students cannot see themselves as they move and must rely on an observer for feedback.
Changes in technique do not occur quickly. Teachers will probably find they are repeating themselves over and over. This is fine. It will take students time to develop the capacity to concentrate on body alignment and, at the same time, to participate actively in dancing activities. Constant reminders to the students will help them become aware of what their bodies are doing.
To develop the students' dance techniques the teacher should:
| Teacher Information During the middle years, students undergo many physical changes. Some students might experience growth spurts and consequently may be unco-ordinated for a period of time. Other students might feel self-conscious about their developing bodies. Teachers should be sensitive to these changes and establish a non-threatening environment where all students will feel comfortable moving. |
Use a process to guide the students in their dance- making.
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 really 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 while they are working. As students become familiar with using a process, the sophistication of their reflections on what they are doing will grow.
The following outlines steps students might go through when creating. Keep in mind that the steps do not exclude 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.
Reflection is essential in order for students to see the relevance of arts activities and develop a personal commitment to their arts explorations. Time for reflection can incorporate the following:
Artistic products or presentations should be evaluated in conjunction with the students' creative problem-solving process, their intentions, their previous work that year and the Arts Education 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 A for information about the elements and how they relate to middle years students.
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", included on page 106 of this curriculum guide, to take the students from their initial reactions to the point where they can make an informed judgment 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 contemporary 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, dance-making and issues related to dance.
Guide students in their research.
Students should be challenged to develop their research and critical thinking skills on an ongoing 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:
Notation is a method for recording movements and 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.
At the Middle Level, students should be encouraged to become literate in dance by including notation, either invented or traditional, whenever they are recording movements or dance compositions. In addition to helping students remember their dance compositions, notation will clarify students' understanding of movements, as notation requires students to analyse movements before they are recorded.
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 as it has adaptability. Labanotation is able to record all movements, including every-day and sports movements, and dance styles.
Motif Description is based on Labanotation. Motif Description records the structure of movements, but not movements in detail. Students should begin by learning Motif Description before going on to the more complex Labanotation system. For further information on Motif Description, see Appendix B.
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' 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.
