Award Specialism Title and rationale

BA(Hons)Professional Practice in Arts (Dance)

Since graduating last year with a Diploma in Dance it has always been my intention to further my training and knowledge in Dance with a focus on Early Years Dance Education.   I still hold a great passion for performing and continuing my own personal Dance training, however when I think of my future career development, I know my strengths lie in contributing to the physical, social and creative development of an Early Years child through Dance and Movement classes.  In the past year, I have been offered six new dance classes specifically for 3-5 year olds, and I would like to continue to expand on this.  With waiting lists on all of these classes it has become apparent to me that there is a lack of provision for Early Years classes in the Highlands of Scotland.

Furthermore, I have developed an in depth knowledge of a Pre-school childs physical development through movement classes by attending courses in Pre-school Gymnastics and Dance teaching.  What I would like to research further, is the social and creative development a child benefits from by taking these classes.

At the moment, I lead Pre-school classes through different companies during the week.  It is my intention, in the next few years, to open my own Pre-School Dance and Movement company, with my own syllabus, therefore this inquiry will be of direct value to my Professional Practice as it foresees what I wish to pursue for my future career. 

This inquiry area will give me the confidence to start up my own classes and give Early Years the opportunity to take part in something that will develop them physically, socially and creatively.  It will increase provision for Arts classes in the Highlands and provide parents with a professional teacher that has extensive knowledge. 

Arts from the Start 💜

Arts from the Start - interesting literature

I'm getting closer and closer to pin pointing my inquiry!! This morning was filled with a lot of searching and reading and these are some articles I have found of interest.

I have been researching the effects of dance and movement classes for early years in their social and creative development. In one article by Julie Vickers on livestrong.com it says :

~Young children learn through full physical involvement. Dance sessions require mental concentration and active participation. 

~Spatial awareness skills are essential for successful social encounters.

~Children begin to acquire social confidence by taking turns to lead others. Dance practitioners may also develop skills of miming, of body language and facial expressions to suggest emotions. 

~Taking turns  and co operating with each other. Circle games and dances help children learn co operation and sharing.

 

This case study from 'EYFS best practice' talks about a young boy named Stefan who did not speak English as a first language and struggled to be social with his classmates. As soon as a movement game was introduced as a way of communicating his confidence and well being increased. 

A busy and productive week!

Last week, I was on my Level 1 Pre school Gymnastics course.  I really enjoyed this course and really feel that Pre School teaching is where my heart lies. 

On the first day we covered ethics which definitely consolidated my knowledge and gave me a few new points I hadn't thought of before. 

Creating positive and appropriate relationships. 

You have to gain the respect of your students. No matter how old they are. If I am teaching pre school children I will be actively involved in their class. There is no point just telling them what to do as to them you are their idol and they look up to you. With older children, you need their trust, especially as I am an Acro teacher I will be supporting these children to do new moves so they need to know they are safe in your hands. 

Good personal behaviour.

I think this covers everything from the way you dress to the way you act. I remember one dance session I decided not to wear any make up and a few kids commented how I looked really tired and 'have you just got out of bed?!' My point is kids don't miss anything! Try to be consistent! 

I think that when it comes to teaching ethics is just a way of life. You need to be setting an example all the time. 

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