Today we finalised our section dance. Due to low attendance, both sections were asked to come together to create a dance to be filmed. This meant that students from both sections had to learn the various steps of each other’s dance; this was an effective way to build our tolerance for ambiguity. Once recorded, we watched the video back and using a ‘three stars and a wish’ method, we evaluated our own individual performances, and one other student’s performance. This is an important part of teaching dance, as not only is it one of the three strands of dance as suggested by Smith-Autard (2002), it is also stated that learners should be given opportunities to develop “their capacity to enjoy dance through evaluating performances and commenting on their work and the work of others.” (Scottish Government, n.d.)
The afternoon’s final music input was to be self-directed due to staff illness, and with technicians needing access to the room to deal with faulty lighting, we were restricted in the amount of time we had to spend working through the material on Moodle. However, as only four of us turned up, we could help and support each other well. We used the material provided in advance by the lecturer, to try out some of the instruments, including the ukulele, guitar and piano. I found this extremely beneficial, as I was able to utilise the knowledge and expertise of my peers to improve my own skills and abilities with these instruments, and increase my knowledge and understanding of music terminology and notation, using the constructive feedback received from my colleagues.
The element of peer evaluation and feedback in each of today’s inputs was an effective way to round off the Integrated Arts module. As prospective teachers, it is important that we become familiar with and indeed welcome constructive feedback from our peers and colleagues to inform our own development; the General Teaching Council for Scotland (GTCS) require both student and qualified teachers to “evaluate their classroom practice, taking account of feedback from others, in order to enhance teaching and learning” (GTCS, 2012).
REFERENCES
General Teaching Council for Scotland, (2012) The Standards for Registration: Mandatory Requirements for Registration with the General Teaching Council for Scotland [Online] Available: www.gtcs.org.uk/nmsruntime/saveasdialog.aspx?lID=3029&sID=7417 [Accessed: 15 August 2017]
Scottish Government (n.d.) Curriculum for Excellence Edinburgh: Scottish Executive
Smith-Autard, J. (2002) The Art of Dance Education London: A & C Black
