Helpful Words

I have started doing some research around my questions to find out what other people say on the topic of teaching dance to teenagers.

I came across an article (Tips On Teaching A Teenager To Dance, By Michael Maling) which quotes the description from a teenage girl on what qualities she would like from a dance teacher.
I think this is excellent as it comes straight from the horses mouth. The list below maybe things that I already know and that other teachers on this course already know, but the fact that it comes from a teenage student makes it all the more important to take on board.
I have highlighted number 4 as this is something that I tend not to appreciate enough.

1. A teachers who yells is a no no. She wants somebody who can have fun and be serious.  

2. She wants somebody nice, but that can also push her to her limit in class.  

3. She doesn't want a difficult warm up if she is a beginner.  

4. She wants to progress in stretches such as splits, then she will feel that she has achieved something.  

5. She likes to do something fun at the end of class, like her favorite move or dance.  

6. Use modern and fun music. (I think this applies to modern and hip hop)

My SIG

I have joined a SIG with my fellow bloggers, which is a great place to hear different views and see how everyone is finding the course.

I have decided to set up my own SIG so if anyone feels that their questions are similar to mine or that we might benefit together in discussion then please find me on Facebook and I'll add you to the group :)

More genuine?

After discovering that my previous questions were not ones that could be answered through investigation I decided to rethink and mull over them to see where I'd exactly gone wrong.
My adviser Alan, helped me a lot with this, pinpointing how a question could be rephrased to become more genuine and therefore hopefully invoking answers that are also genuine and informative.

From toying around with my previous questions, I am beginning to realise that I find it quite difficult to ask genuinely concrete questions.
I have only put three below as I am very wary of slipping back into my old habit.
Even now I am unsure if the third question is phrased well enough or whether it will just gain nothing but a yes or no answer.
I am extremely interested in how we can encourage motivation but at the same time still maintain discipline within a class so that is why I have left the question in.

1) What do teachers say about the approaches that they find most effective in teaching dance to teenagers aged 12-15?

2) What do teachers say about the approaches that they find most effective in teaching dance to teenagers aged 15-18? Are there different ways more effective than that when teaching the 12-15 class?

3) Do teachers find that they can still maintain discipline within a class when taking a relaxed, friendly approach to encourage teenage students?

After looking at the third question again maybe a more accurate way to put it would be:

What way have teachers found to approach teenage students that is both encouraging and inspiring motivation but at the same time keeping discipline within a class?

What do you think?

Pseudo question or genuine?

After reading and thinking over Reader 4 I reverted back to my initial questions. I found them to be quite vague and scattered and not really concrete enough to warrant an answer.
Penelope Hanstein put it this way and hit the nail on the head.

"A genuine question truly seeks an answer, as a pseudo question expects no answer, cannot be answered...."

Upon reading this I began to doubt how genuine some of my questions were. The material there was what I wanted but at the time I knew what I wrote came from scattered thoughts and this becomes apparent in my questions. No amount of investigating can answer certain questions. Going through the thought process in this way though has helped me pinpoint where I actually want to go with this line of inquiry and the genuine questions that can be answered through investigation.

“when will the public learn to appreciate dance?” is not a question that can be answered. This question does, however suggest several important issues about public perception of dance...."

I can see how what Hanstein said above relates to my own thought process.

• Does my age affect the way teenage students see me? Will more respect come with age?

The question above for example, is not one that can be answered through investigation. This will more likely be answered through time.

This pseudo question has opened other doors though and was actually the one where all my other questions stemmed from.

Early thoughts for my line of inquiry

For my inquiry I would like to explore an area which would be beneficial for me in my career as a dance teacher.

I teach a couple of teenage dance classes on a weekly basis which I thoroughly enjoy. Every week brings a new challenge and makes me ask questions about myself as a teacher.

I've come up with a few questions from scattered thoughts and have not really focused on one point but several different, though all concentrating around the area of teaching teenage students.

• Is there a better way to approach teaching teenagers to gain optimum results?

• Does my age affect the way teenage students see me? Will more respect come with age?

• I believe teenage students are much more manageable on a 1 to 1 rather than in a group where they are more susceptible to be influenced and follow the crowd, so how can we gain the same results from a group class to that of a private class?

• How can I instill motivation within a teenage class? 

• Can a strict approach mixed with a friendly, fun approach work to engage students and bring about discipline?

I would appreciate any comments from fellow bloggers to see if this line of discussion would be of any interest and of value to others as well as myself.

Getting back into it....

After a long break from the course it's a little scary getting back into it again.
I had a Skype chat with Paula last week and another with Alan today so I now do feel I know what I have to do. My plan today is to get the cogs turning again and begin Module 2....