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.
Hey Carla!
ReplyDeleteThese questions really interest me because I have asked myself the same thing on many occasions!
I teach a dance class once a week and the age range in 9-14! It is only 5 years, but those five years are so vital as it means they are school years 5- 9. I find this class incredibly challenging as the style of teaching I need for the younger ones is very different to the older ones. I find teaching children aged 12- 14 harder than any other age group as they have so many social pressures and worries. They are also very easily led and influenced.
I then covered some ballet classes for a school and found myself preparing extra to the class with the this age range as I knew it would be the most challenging.
I will be extremely interested to see how your investigation pans out, as I would love to talk to you about what you discover as I think it would benefit so many teachers out there! Me included.
xx
Hi Carla, these questions are of interest to me as I am in a different situation. The majority of the students that I teach in this age range are boarders, so I have to adopt a different teaching style with them. Not only do they have the normal pressures of that age group, physiological development, hormones and relationships with their peers, but also the fact that they live away from their families. I have to say that I think I am able to maintain their commitment far easier than in a normal environment as they are already there, on site and keen to get out of the boarding house to do something different. Sometimes there are difficult emotional situations that may take over the class, but I have to deal with them - i.e. Dad's in the military being sent into war zones. Its interesting what you say about the group class as opposed to the one to one class as I find they really enjoy the group classes, particularly the Freestyle jazz class where they have fun and really interact with their peers! Sometimes the single student or even a class with two students have external distractions.
ReplyDeleteKym xx
Thanks Iona for your comment!
ReplyDeleteLike you said, it is only five years but those five years make a big difference.
Having such a wide age difference can also make it difficult to teach to each students standard and ability. I find I use different methods in teaching various age groups, so mixing these methods in a class with such a wide age range would be quite challenging.
Carla x
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ReplyDeleteHi Kym,
ReplyDeleteThanks for your comment!
I totally agree with you with students enjoying group classes. I find they are a lot more happier and willing to try new things as their confidence grows through interaction. Of course, this is not always the case and depends on the individual.
This mixture of personalities is great for a fun class and especially a class such as Freestyle Jazz, but for a class such as Ballet, where it is less about improvisation and freedom but more about discipline and technique then I feel that a different approach has to be taken.
It is concentration and the willingness to learn that needs to be focused on to gain positive results which I find are much more easily attained during private sessions.
Carla x
Would appreciate your thoughts on this!
ReplyDeleteCarla x