Helpful Skype with Paula

I am at a point now where I know what areas I am interested in but I haven't focussed in on what exactly I want my inquiry to be about.  Anybody else at this point?!

I spoke to Paula about my interests in Early Years Dance and Teaching Dance in schools.  We then spoke about the area I live in (The Highlands) and how this could make my inquiry personal to me.  Paula asked me what I would like to find out about and what would be helpful for me to focus on.  My passion is teaching Early Years Dance and Movement.  For me to progress further in this field I need to look at Child Development and how Dance benefits a young child.

After a lot of googling today I think I have made a bit more progress into my inquiry.  I started off with a quick mind map.

Of course, we know that Dance for Early Years is beneficial for a child in many areas of development.  The most obvious would be their physical development.

What I would like to research further is a child's Creative and Cognitive development.  

In an online article I read, it says:

'Babies brains are born with 100 billion neurons but only about 1/4 of the connections.'

'Creative activities that encourage positive relationships can support the rapid blooming of synapses leading to the formation of well rounded personalities, good attachment, self-esteem and better mental health.'

Since taking my own Pre-School Dance classes last year I have found that the class is not so much about teaching the child how to dance but teaching them skills such as having respect for everyone else that is in the class, to share, to take turns, to listen, to co-operate etc etc.

I now plan to look at opportunities for Early Years in my area.  Are there enough classes for little ones to go to in the Highlands? Is it affordable? Are parents aware of the benefits of taking their child to a creative class?

Interesting Literature

By using Summon and the internet I have found some articles that have really interested me and may be taking me closer to my inquiry questions.  Tuesday nights session with Paula was great to voice questions and opinions.  She answered my question that we can use more than one question in our inquiry.

I have expressed my interest in previous blogs about the benefits of creative teaching in schools and most recently became interested in the quality of dance lessons in the school curriculum.

The first piece of literature I found is an article by Mandy Fouracre and is titled:

'Dance for young children can provide so much more than physical exercise.  Could Early Years Practitioners be the key to extending this learning opportunity to more children?'

Of course, Dance is a fantastic way to keep fit and exercise.  Tom Fry from Child Growth Foundation says 'Half an hour of physical activity should be a daily event for pre-school children.'

The article then goes on to talk about the benefits of dance on a child's learning development.  For example, teaching the child a simple and fun dance sequence about a caterpillar can teach the children about the life cycle of a butterfly.  And they are having fun and keeping fit in the process!

Then what interested me most was this:

'Parental choice and affordability are two main factors in deciding whether children are able to attend an extra curricular dance class.'

'Many Early Years children from low socio-economic groups are excluded and the benefits a dance programme can bring are denied to them.'

Therefore, should dance not be in the school curriculum at least once a week so that every child can experience these benefits on their development?  Personally, I think it should.  However, another area that needs to be addressed is that we need teachers confident enough to teach dance to children in schools.

Mandy Fouracre says:

'The confidence to teach dance is often lacking amongst those working in an early years setting because dance is considered to be a specialist subject and one which (incorrectly in my opinion) can only be taught by professionally trained and qualified dance teachers.'

As mentioned in my previous blog it seems to be an overall attitude that teachers will pass on teaching dance as their is a lack of confidence or knowledge in the subject.  Should it be that more workshops and teaching are provided to teachers in training or should a dance specialist be appointed to schools?

 Let me know your thoughts.

Should dance be a compulsory part of school curriculum?

Earlier this week, I was speaking with one of my friends who is also a PE Teacher about delivering dance in schools. She told me that her, along with her fellow teachers would skip out on dance lessons as they feel they lack the skills and confidence to teach to their students. I also have another PE teacher friend who is currently in training who will regularly come to me and ask what she should do as she has to teach a dance class.

Following on from my interest in creative teaching and Early Years Dance I read an article online which really interested me. It said:

'Less curriculum time is spent on dance than any other art form in primary schools.'

Which made me think. Should it be compulsory for teachers to learn how to teach dance? We know the benefits that dance has in education:

'Schools recognise the potential for dance as a tool for fitness, creativity and social skills, and as a vehicle to interpret other subjects like maths.'

As a freelance Dance Teacher I would love to get into schools and pass on my passion for dance to the kids. So today, I have written to every primary school in my hometown to suggest that I come in and give a taster session to the children. I am really interested to see if I get any replies and what their opinions are of dance being taught in schools.

For my inquiry, I feel I am getting closer to a focused subject. I already know that dance and creative teaching has benefits from a young age but I would like to know if schools realise this and if it should be compulsory to have more teachers learning about dance education or if a dance specialist should be appointed to schools. I also realise there is a lack of funding given to arts projects in schools. Does this need to change? Would love to hear your thoughts and opinions.

Here is the link to the full article:
http://www.artsprofessional.co.uk/magazine/267/article/more-dancing

Getting into Module 2

As I said in previous blogs, I am interested in the importance of teaching creativity through the Arts to Early Years and what affect this will have on them in their learning throughout school.  I can start by using my own example.

When studying in Secondary School, I decided to take up Higher Dance as one of my subjects (Highers are the equivalent of an A Level)  I also did History.  Looking back, I could sit in History lesson and not take one thing in. Not one thing.  Like I could leave the classroom and not have a clue what just happened.  I sat at a table and stared at a screen with writing on it for an hour.  When it came to Higher Dance, I was wholly involved in my learning.  It was physical as I used my body, but mental as I was taking in every correction and learning point I was given.  I received an A in both Dance and History.  Could I tell you anything about what I learnt in that History lesson. Nothing.  Could I hear a piece of music and remember every step I did in my Higher Dance lessons? YES! I experienced creative learning, and five years later I can still remember what I learnt!

This week, I was asked into nursery schools to deliver dance sessions.  What surprised me the most was that this was such a novelty for the kids and the teachers and they were just so grateful for me being there.  Should it not be the case that they are getting a Dance class every week?

I read some great articles today and one from 'Unlocking creativity' by Robert Fisher said:

'Promoting creative thinking is a powerful way of engaging children with their learning.'

Even in my short 45 minute session I feel that the kids had actually come away with something they had learnt.  For some this is even just learning how to stand in a circle.

It amazes me that there is not more dance,drama,music in Early Years Education.  Our local theatre has just been faced with a 17% cut to funding meaning that they may not be able to provide the Higher Dance and Drama courses anymore.  This brings me to another quote I read from Fishers article:

'Employers want people who are adaptable, innovative, can solve problems and communicate with others.'

I would love everyone to realise how important it is for these young children to learn creatively through Dance, Drama and Music.