Reflection #7 Creative Dance Wk #2

My understanding of using dance in the classroom used to mean that you had to be a dancer to use it effectively. I now have learned that there all all different levels of dancers and dancing. It's mainly about coordination, which can only be learned through practice, which is practiced very effectively through the rhythm provided in dance. I've heard many times in my life that those who grow up taking dance classes are better at any athletics than those who have not been involved in dance. A lot of ballerinas are incredible soccer players, and there are other examples similar to that. So my understanding of dance has changed because I now know that you don't have to be a 'dancer' to teach using dancing activities and exercises, and the purpose of dance goes beyond just moving bodily limbs and appendages in semi-coordinated fashion. Rather, practicing dancing techniques can help students in other areas like athletics and academics. Some activities I really enjoyed from the presentations shared were the following: Acting as a seed blooming into a flower with the care from sunlight and rain, running away from a bully in the book while avoiding obstacles all along the way, telling the story of Cinderella while the other part of the class acts it out with fluid dancing motions, stretching exercises, and more that all involved drama, dance, warming up, and getting familiar with dance elements and getting us comfortable in our own skin. I plan to teach my students the required standards, objectives, indicators, and subject-content written in the core curriculum. I plan on teaching social studies, which can often be a bore(it was for me at least), with role-play, dance, primary source music, and other methods to help the students have experiences while learning. After all, learning is a process, not a product. I can prepare to teach using these hands on, discovery, experimental, bodily-kinesthetic approaches by jotting down ideas from text books, starting a children's literature library of my own, and sharing ideas among my classmates.

Reflection 6 Dance Week 1

Bringing creative dance into teaching children can be very useful to create a social interaction opportunity that may be entirely unique to them. Creative dance can also allow children to become more familiar with their body and even more confident in the way they control it. It is true that victims are chosen by their tentative, irregular, body language; so, bringing in creative dance will hopefully help children be more confident and comfortable with their body movements. Creative dance can also be an evaluative tool for the teacher to recognize struggles with coordination and understand ways to help with developing it.

It became more clear to me as I worked on dance techniques in class today that I wanted to follow directions so as not to be embarrassed in front of my peers. I found that I wanted to have a dance move no one else thought of, though it was uncomfortable. Children may start to realize that they are not the only ones that are uncomfortable or struggling, but as they look around, they may see everyone else having similar difficulties. This can be a good eye opener for children to realize that everyone experiences things differently, and everyone adapts to things in different ways, all struggling in some ways and succeeding in other ways.

For the preparation for field, I will be including some dance activities, and I will feel a little more passionate about its benefits and more comfortable with the exercises. During the class presentation, I want to try out dance activities that have a lot of creative options. I will make sure to include clear directions so that there is room for creativity within the clear understanding of the activity.

To incorporate this knowledge into my practice as a teacher, I was thinking of writing down a few lesson ideas next week during the group activities and then putting them in my activities file of ways to be a cool teacher. I could also just write them in my creative arts sketch book. I could also hi-light them in my book, but books tend to become a cumbersome looking task instead of a useful tool for me sometimes. I may need to take my favorite activities from group presentations and write a few key reasons why dance is important from the book and just start with that for my first useful compilation of incorporating dance into my classroom. I also love props, so it would be helpful for me to make props for the drama activities that would also work for dance, like pom-poms, streamers, fabric, drums, flags, etc.

Reflection #5 Drama

What did you learn from developing a Process Drama from text? What did you learn from the other team presentations? So What drama ideas will you try to implement in your teaching?Now What - How will you prepare to teach and integrate creative drama in your teaching?

I learned that drama can help the class become more unified. After the first day of learning about drama, I was talking to Mallory on the way out, and she had tears streaming down her face because she was laughing so hard. I loved how lively and happy some of the activities made us all become. I also learned that drama can be used for multiple purposes like a weekly or even daily class stress reliever, a lively fun activity, something to do while waiting, etc. I will not be using these drama activities as a reward or take it away as a punishment, but the drama activities will be something that I use to create greater class synergy.

I really liked "Martha's Game" that Charis and I found on the internet. I will most likely use that in my classroom a lot. Also, I really like the tableau/wax museum. I think that's an interesting way to do a form of research reports in Social Studies, and I will definitely write that in my book of "Awesome Ideas from UVU". We, as students, are often encouraged to open lessons with thought questions, but I think that can be a hard way to get a lecture going without some bonding and interacting done first. I think that some of the drama activities we learned will be helpful with getting the children moving and serve as an icebreaker to get the discussions started. I like that the drama activity doesn't always have to match with the subject being taught that day, and I will most likely use the "7 game" and the "who's got the motion" game to keep the classroom alive and awake throughout the day.

I can see how my class will be benefited by preparing my daily lessons with drama warm-ups, on-hand drama activities--just in case the lesson isn't working like I had planned, and drama activities that work with a subject being studied in class.

Reflection #4 Drama 1

What have you learned? What are your new perspectives about using drama in your future classroom? So What kinds of activities do you think you will use most as you begin teaching? Now What - Why do children need creative drama? Why is it important to integrate drama with other curricular areas?

So far, I have learned that drama can be incorporated in the classroom, whereas I had never though possible. It can be done in a way that allows the class to have an effective learning experience.

My new perspective about using drama in my future classroom is that though I get embarrassed to act and to do silly things in front of my peers, I can use that inferior complex and understand ways that aren't as embarrassing that will get my students involved and excited about learning.

As I begin teaching, the activities that I will use most will probably be the warm-up exercises like the 'Who started the motion' game. As an activity while reading a children's book, I will use decision alley, mantle of the expert, machines, and the activity where we draw the outline of the character on a large piece of paper and write down the perspectives about him/her.

Children need drama because life is dramatic, and they need a way to deal with heavy subjects in a lighter way. They need drama because they can use the social interaction help. They also need drama because exercise, moving, and kinesthetic learning is classified as one of the best ways to engage an entire classroom in the flow and interest of learning.

It is important to integrate drama with other curricular areas because it helps liven up each subject. For instance, social studies can be boring- it's a commonly known fact-but with drama, social studies can be fun-which may not be as commonly known. I thought of this idea the other day. I could bring in George Washington style white wigs for the boys and dollar store fabric for the ladies to make wrap-around dresses. We could have a class discussion in a fancy 'tea party' setting where each member will discuss a certain assigned topic. Maybe we could even do a dance from the era. This could be a fun way to present facts and knowledge in a fun and dramatic fashion. Even history can be fun with the help of drama--now that sounds refreshing.