DANCE
In this weeks dance session we looked at the 10 basic dance steps.:
- Jump
- Hop
- Slide
- Gesture
- Twist
- Balance
- Turn
- Kick
- Reach
- Roll
We were then told to get into groups and come up with a dance for each of the different steps. Once we had came up with all 10 steps we put all the steps together to make a small dance sequence.
Children would love this exercise as they are able to use their creativity skills to come up with a unique dance routine even although they are the same dance steps they can be represented in different styles. This is the benefit of Expressive Arts, as children are able to use their imagination and creativity skills which will enable them to become successful leaners and confident individuals.
Once we had practiced our routine we showed it to the rest of the class and this allowed us to evaluate all the different moves that the different groups had came up with. My confidence in dancing is very poor, I didn’t want to be embarrassed but having performed in front of the other groups. I gained a bit of confidence when getting phrased by the other students and this is very important when teaching dance as there is likely to be pupils who will be in the same shoes. Also by allowing pupils to work in groups will make them feel more at ease as they don’t feel as embarrassed or a lot of pressure.
DRAMA
First drama input was much better than expected. When I was in primary school I was never a fan of drama. Haven been a quiet girl through-out primary I hated having to stand up and talk in front of the class. Although today’s session was much better than expected, haven grown in confidence I also seen purpose the purpose in drama and how effective it is in expressive arts.
We looked into a few different techniques within this session which will now allow me to feel a bit more confident in teaching drama to a class. Having seen a difference in the first session I know by the end of this module I will feel very confident in teaching drama as a future teacher.
“There is value in teachers experiencing drama as participants in order to better understand it as learners and teachers.” (Baldwin, P 2009)
We looked at the story of ‘The Dragon’, haven had the book read too we incorporated the role of the teacher into the process drama, this is where the teacher may put on a piece of clothing and this would indicate them being in character.
In groups we then had to explain why we were scared of the dragon and why they didn’t like the dragon, etc. This allowed us to get into character and answer the questions as if the story was real. This is good for pupils imagination as they can be as dramatic as they want to be. This is a great way to keep pupils engaged and interested in drama, knowing that there is no right and wrong.
A technique which we were taught was freeze frame, this is a still image of a scene in the play. We were asked to create a freeze frame with our groups describing what the town is like without the dragon being there and the events which take place in the town. This was very effective as every group came up with a different frame yet they were all very creative. Having then made the freeze frame one person from the groups would explain what is being portrayed, This first session allows me to reconsider my thought on drama and look forward to learning more drama techniques and ways to teach drama to children.
Reference
[Online]. Education Scotland. Available: http://www.educationscotland.gov.uk/learningandteaching/curriculumareas/expressivearts/ [Accessed 12 Oct 2016].
Baldwin, P (2009) School Improvement Through Drama A Creative Whole Class, Whole School Approach Network Continuum.
