Feedback on the quality of my questions.

After rethinking and refining my set of questions I sent them out to several dance teachers. I asked for their feedback on the quality of the questions and for any other comments and advice they could offer to improve my line of inquiry.

Below is the feedback I have had so far:

1) What do teachers say about the approaches that they find most effective in teaching dance to students aged 11-14 (key stage 3 level)?

Comments/Feedback  - The answer to this question depends on the type of environment the class is in, i.e, dance school, private school/college, public school. The approach you take to a class that is full of students who come to evening dance classes out of enjoyment and the willingness to learn/improve will be entirely different to when teaching a class at a secondary school which the students are being forced to do.

2) What do teachers say about the approaches that they find most effective in teaching dance to students aged 14-16 (key stage 4 level) and above?

Comments/Feedback  - The comments for question 1 also apply to this question.

3) Are there different methods that work more effectively when teaching at key stage 3 level to key stage 4 and above?

Comments/Feedback - As students grow out of the "teenage stage" and mature they become to know more of their own minds and what they want. If they are attending an evening dance class at a stage school then they are doing this because they want to and not because they have been forced to by parents or school teachers, therefore there will be differing methods to that when teaching the younger and more sensitive teenagers at key stage 3.

4) What effective methods have teachers found that inspire and motivate teenage students?

5) What effective methods have teachers found that promote discipline within a class?

6) Can the methods that encourage motivation be used alongside with the methods for keeping discipline?

Comments/Feedback for question 4, 5 & 6 - One size never fits all. Depending on the support from their parents, environment, their reasons for being in the class will shape how you teach individual students. If we are looking at it in a classroom situation of a number around 10-15 students, then this question is a little more easier to answer as young students, particularly teenagers, will flock together, easily persuaded, influenced and taken in by peer pressure, so they will all tend to act in a similar fashion. However, looking at it from a different angle, taking in to account different individuals and their backgrounds, upbringing, environment, etc, then each student will need a different approach. Some students may respond well to a strict and firm "boot camp" approach whereas others may be scared off and prefer a more relaxed approach.

My comments: This feedback from experienced teachers is very much appreciated and has given me much food for thought.

After reading over this feedback I now feel I may need to expand my questions even further.This is to ensure that the future interviewee's will understand the question completely.

For example, I could break question 1 down and ask from a dance school setting, public school setting, private school/college setting, etc, although where do I draw the line?

The main thing I have deduced from the feedback is that the answers all depend on whether the student is voluntarily going to class or whether it's involuntary. For example, if it's a class at school that's mandatory then the student actually may not want to be there, if it's an evening class at a dance school they may only be there because their parents have forced them to go. Some students may be attending the class off their own back though and may actually enjoy the mandatory class at school. The former were involuntary and the latter voluntary students.

I could therefore create sub questions such as:

1a) What do teachers say about the approaches that they find most effective in teaching dance to students aged 11-14 (key stage 3 level)?

1b) Have teachers found that these methods differ depending on whether the student is voluntary or involuntary and if so what approaches have they found most effective for them?