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Thread: Teaching in Schools

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    Teaching in Schools

    I've been teaching on schools for a few years now. It's always difficult to show pictures of youself teaching young children. However a school have put up a movie of me and Sue teaching their year 7 students.

    Here is the link to the school website.

    I'd modified the way I count them in to suit a one-off lesson to a younger audience. Otherwise it's pretty much the same as our usual lessons ...

    .. apart from them getting everything at lightning speed compared to us grown ups!

    I've really found that these young children get a huge amount from the lessons. Those children who don't usually do or hate games can join in. Children of differing abilities seem to get the lessons, even those with physical or mental disabilities - I once I even had to wear a device around my neck that communicated with a deaf child in the class. The other thing that happens is that girls and boys seem to be getting on better by the end of the session.

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    Re: Teaching in Schools

    Quote Originally Posted by Andy McGregor View Post
    I've been teaching on schools for a few years now. It's always difficult to show pictures of youself teaching young children. However a school have put up a movie of me and Sue teaching their year 7 students.

    Here is the link to the school website.

    I'd modified the way I count them in to suit a one-off lesson to a younger audience. Otherwise it's pretty much the same as our usual lessons ...

    .. apart from them getting everything at lightning speed compared to us grown ups!

    I've really found that these young children get a huge amount from the lessons. Those children who don't usually do or hate games can join in. Children of differing abilities seem to get the lessons, even those with physical or mental disabilities - I once I even had to wear a device around my neck that communicated with a deaf child in the class. The other thing that happens is that girls and boys seem to be getting on better by the end of the session.
    I like the way you are counting it but is there a reason why you started to dance on beat 5?

    I did kids teacher training program with Skippy, it covered a lot of co-ordination drills and rhythms games and teaching kids how to skip etc.

    The kids do learn a lot faster than the adults!

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    Re: Teaching in Schools

    Quote Originally Posted by Alan Doyle View Post
    I like the way you are counting it but is there a reason why you started to dance on beat 5?
    The only reason is that I shortened the introductory count to 4 beats rather than the usual 8 count. This meant I started counting on the 1 of the 8 and started dancing in the 5 of the 8. This was the first time I'd tried the 4 beat count before dancing the routine: if I were to do it again I'd start counting on the 5 and start dancing on the 1.

    Why did I use the 4 beat count? The reason I did it was because I thought I'd count every beat to get the children used to counting beats and counting up to 8 seems really laboured. Next time I think I'll count 5, 6, 7, 8 on those beats in the 8 count.
    Last edited by Andy McGregor; 18th-December-2009 at 02:24 PM. Reason: Missed out a letter in "counting" - nearly made a rude word!

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    Re: Teaching in Schools

    Quote Originally Posted by Alan Doyle View Post
    The kids do learn a lot faster than the adults!
    That's because the children actually listen to the teacher. Also they're probably afraid of getting it wrong in front of their classmates, whereas in 'adult' classes the teachers say things like "don't worry if you don't get it straight away" to cater for the less coordinated/balanced/intelligent. Plus their own teacher is a known quantity, whereas a stranger coming in to teach one class is probably a more scary prospect and the kids will behave a lot better. A little fear is an absolutely essential part of successful teaching and/or discipline.

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    Re: Teaching in Schools

    Quote Originally Posted by Alan Doyle View Post
    I did kids teacher training program with Skippy, it covered a lot of co-ordination drills and rhythms games and teaching kids how to skip etc.
    I really don't think you'd get children dancing WCS in a 30 minute lesson. Probably not in an hour!

    In Modern Jive I've found there's no need to do anything but teach children the dance - my guess is that they'd be bored and feel they hadn't learnt to dance if all they did was drills and games rather than a dance lesson. If all you've got is 30 minutes you can't do both.

    N.B. On the subject of transferring learnings from other dances to Modern Jive, there plenty that can be transferred, but there is much that can not, particularly timing. You need to be very careful when considering Skippy's advice about WCS and transferring that advice to Modern Jive.
    Last edited by Andy McGregor; 18th-December-2009 at 02:27 PM.

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    Re: Teaching in Schools

    Quote Originally Posted by Andy McGregor View Post
    I really don't think you'd get children dancing WCS in a 30 minute lesson. Probably not in an hour!

    In Modern Jive I've found there's no need to do anything but teach children the dance - my guess is that they'd be bored and feel they hadn't learnt to dance if all they did was drills and games rather than a dance lesson. If all you've got is 30 minutes you can't do both.

    N.B. On the subject of tranferring learnings from other dances to Modern Jive, there plenty that can be transferred, but there is much that can not, particularly timing. You need to be very careful when considering Skippy's advice about WCS and transferring that advice to Modern Jive.
    I wasn't referring to any style of dance...I was referring to motion study.

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    Re: Teaching in Schools

    Quote Originally Posted by CheesyRobMan View Post
    That's because the children actually listen to the teacher. Also they're probably afraid of getting it wrong in front of their classmates, whereas in 'adult' classes the teachers say things like "don't worry if you don't get it straight away" to cater for the less coordinated/balanced/intelligent. Plus their own teacher is a known quantity, whereas a stranger coming in to teach one class is probably a more scary prospect and the kids will behave a lot better. A little fear is an absolutely essential part of successful teaching and/or discipline.
    In my experience I put the children at their ease and they talk too much when I'm trying to teach. I've always found it better to get the teacher to quieten down the children rather than try myself. I've always thought they feel they can talk because my voice was coming through the speakers and they can hear me above the general chatter - however, when the chatter gets loud they have to chatter louder to be heard by their friend. At that point the teacher normally does their stuff - if it's a strict lady teacher it scares me as well

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    Re: Teaching in Schools

    Quote Originally Posted by Alan Doyle View Post
    I wasn't referring to any style of dance...I was referring to motion study.
    I believe the children get that as part of the school syllabus.

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    Re: Teaching in Schools

    Quote Originally Posted by Andy McGregor View Post
    I believe the children get that as part of the school syllabus.
    Motion Study classes are designed to improve all social and competitive dances, including Ballroom, Swing, Latin, Night Club Two Step and Hustle.

    Elements of movement and timing are broken down piece by piece, practiced individually and then incorporated into a jazz-like routine.

    Motion Study classes are one of the most efficient and effective ways to improve balance, control, turning, and timing…

    The Motion Study class, more than anything else, will help your dancing, balance, musical interpretation and body control.

    For advanced dancers and beginners alike, it is a foundation for all syncopations, for styling, and body control in any type of dance.

    Some video clips:



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    Re: Teaching in Schools

    Quote Originally Posted by Alan Doyle View Post
    Motion Study classes are designed to improve all social and competitive dances, including Ballroom, Swing, Latin, Night Club Two Step and Hustle.
    I appear to have lost all track of the relevance....

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    Re: Teaching in Schools

    Quote Originally Posted by straycat View Post
    I appear to have lost all track of the relevance....
    Someone did something... Skippy did it better... Everything else is just plain wrong.

    What is there to not get?!?!?!?!

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    Re: Teaching in Schools

    Quote Originally Posted by straycat View Post
    I appear to have lost all track of the relevance....
    I was clarifying what motion study was...Andy earlier taught I was talking about Modern Jive & WCS which I wasn't...but motion study is relevant to all styles of social dance.

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    Re: Teaching in Schools

    Quote Originally Posted by Alan Doyle View Post
    I was clarifying what motion study was...Andy earlier taught I was talking about Modern Jive & WCS which I wasn't...but motion study is relevant to all styles of social dance.
    He spells as he speaks ?

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    Re: Teaching in Schools

    Stop it boys, it's Christmas ............


    --ooOoo--
    Age is a question of mind over matter, if you don't mind, it doesn't matter
    Leroy (Satchel) Paige (1906-1982)

    Mickey Mouse's girlfriend, Minnie, made her film debut, along with Mickey, in "Steamboat Willie" on November 18, 1928.
    That date is recognized as her official birthday.

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    Re: Teaching in Schools

    Quote Originally Posted by Alan Doyle View Post
    I was clarifying what motion study was...Andy earlier taught I was talking about Modern Jive & WCS which I wasn't...but motion study is relevant to all styles of social dance.
    Maybe, but what Andy was doing, was sharing his school teaching experience with us.

    What he was not doing, was getting technical about motion studies and someones idea of this, who teaches WCS.

    If you were refering to your own experience of teaching school kids, it may have some relevance.
    As you are refering to you learning how to teach, in my opinion it has no relevance, but thanks for sharing.

    Good job Andy, bringing up the youngsters is great. Good work. They have been teaching in schools in Aussie for 10 years now, and 9 years ago a group of school kids won a team routine comp in Sydney!

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    Re: Teaching in Schools

    Quote Originally Posted by Whitebeard View Post
    He spells as he speaks ?
    Quote Originally Posted by Minnie M View Post
    Stop it boys, it's Christmas ............
    Now do not take the pee out of the Irish, if, he taught it, he taught it. Diddley dee Potatoes, as a well known comedian would say...

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    Re: Teaching in Schools

    The thing is, Alan, your entire way of posting completely changes whenever you start posting the WCS party line.

    Of course, in this case, people might be interested to see:

    From http://www.havetodance.com/kateford/ (Kate Ford is a former US Open winner):

    The Motion Study class, more than anything else, will help your dancing, balance, musical interpretion and control. ...

    For advanced dancers and beginners alike, it is a foundation for all syncopations, for styling, and body control in any type of dance.

    Do you have permission from Kate, by the way? I see you are using the same wording in some of your online advertising.

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    Re: Teaching in Schools

    Very interesting - must be part of the Year 7 syllabus as my daughter has been doing ballroom lessons at school all this week. She wasn't impressed a few days ago (as far as she is concerned dancing = what Mum does, so = uncool) but today I got a lot more chatter about how it had all gone!

    Would have loved to have been a fly on the wall

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    Re: Teaching in Schools

    Quote Originally Posted by Northants Girly View Post
    Very interesting - must be part of the Year 7 syllabus as my daughter has been doing ballroom lessons at school all this week. She wasn't impressed a few days ago (as far as she is concerned dancing = what Mum does, so = uncool) but today I got a lot more chatter about how it had all gone!

    Would have loved to have been a fly on the wall
    When I get brought in to schools it's a one-off lesson as part of a special day. At one school in Horsham I was there all day and taught every year.

    Having seen how much children enjoy themselves and how it really seems to help them socially I think partner dancing should be on the syllabus.

    One thing that you need to manage is the initial reluctance of boys and girls to hold hands. The most common thing is for boys to offer the girls their empty sleeve or pull their hand into their sleeve. Modern Jive seems to work well for children as most of it is done in the open, hand to hand, hold. Another thing I've noticed is that there is a massive height difference in the younger age group: this is less of a problem in the open hold than the closed hold.

    Some time, when the rush is over, I'll make a real effort to take teaching in schools further. What schools ask for is Modern Jive teachers who have a nationally recognised dance teaching qualification. At the moment there's only the UKA, via the LeRoc Federation that can supply this. And there's not enough of us to put something together on a national basis. Ceroc are well placed to offer something to schools nationally but would need a recognised qualification. How hard would it be for Ceroc to put their teachers through the LeRoc exams?

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    Re: Teaching in Schools

    Quote Originally Posted by Andy McGregor View Post
    Ceroc are well placed to offer something to schools nationally but would need a recognised qualification. How hard would it be for Ceroc to put their teachers through the LeRoc exams?
    I think it more likely that Ceroc try and get their CTA training to be a recognised qualification - for them it's a much better solution.

    And I agree with teaching partner dancing in schools (and mucho respect for doing so) - I remember (vaguely) being taught some ceilidh dancing... and the birdie song in primary school.

    I think that line dancing (or perhaps bhangra) would get a better initial reaction to school kids, but I think that there is more to be gained from a 'true' partner dance. And I can't think on any better one than MJ (but I am a bit bias ).

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