The Teaching Across the Curriculum module has been the one I’ve been waiting for. A reason why becoming a primary school teacher was so intriguing to me in the beginning was due to the fact that they explore a wide range of subjects with their class. I have always wanted a job where I am always learning, too.
However, that was until I discovered the first subject area was dance– not my strong point.
On the dreaded day of the dance class, I walked timidly into the large, open space, worrying my two left feet were going to cause a mass amount of embarrassment. But Eilidh’s bright and friendly greeting and a few friendly faces, began to chip away at the nervous feeling in my stomach. Firstly, Eilidh went over a powerpoint that had a lot of useful tools and ideas on how to use dance in a meaningful way, that intertwines other subjects but also used as a referencing point during other lessons to make learning easier. It was great to see how the sit-down-work lessons and the more active lessons can work together and positively impact a learners experience and their ability to understand.
The dancing part of the lesson was very simple, and even though a bit awkward at first, it was fun to imagine carrying out this sort of lesson with your own class. I’m glad to have taken part; my lack of rhythm had definitely resulted in a lack of real interest in what dance can do previously, so I excited to begin to think of more creative, engaging ways of delivering a lesson.
Throughout the lesson, I was constantly putting myself in the children’s shoes- the working together; the music; the space I deemed to be intimidating. What would they think ? I believe the children would not share the same hesitation to dance, they would be itching to share their ideas with the freedom of imagination. Although I shied away from the more athletic aspects, I do believe in the arts. I want to incorporate this creativity as much as possible into my lessons, as the arts provide a different perspective on those generic sit-down lessons and allows children to begin to discover what sort of learners they are.
Thanks for an interesting post. I am really pleased to see you getting over the fear and anxiety. This is natural at first but keep in mind you are there as the teacher, it is the experience of the learner that must come first, if you feel a little uncomfortable you have to overcome this. One of the hardest things to do is shift the emphasis from what you feel, or want, to the young person or learner. But once you do you will be a much more effective teacher (and prooably feel better too!). The last thing I would like you to reflect on is the difference between being self-conscious (worrying how people may see you) to being self-aware (thinking about the impact you may be having on other people – in a positive or negative way) – I worte about this here https://richardholme.wordpress.com/2018/08/21/a-little-more-self-awareness-a-little-less-self-consciousness-please/. Perhaps you could post about this later, maybe after placement?
Thank you for your reply it is very helpful! The anxiety is mainly tied and limited to the idea of physical activity, which I am trying to get more enthusiastic about so that the children are inspired and that they feel comfortable, too. I hope with this process I can relate to them and have ways of eliminating that fear quicker. However, drawing my attention to the difference between self-concious and self-awareness has definitely got me thinking and I will continue to think about it when we cover more areas of the curriculum that I am not so accustomed to. Thank you.