Not every dance lesson is a success. Sometimes what we were excited about in the planning stage is not exciting to our students. You or your students could be having a bad day. Or actually, the lesson you planned could be more about what made your heart sing rather than a room of 7 year olds.
I’ve spent many hours setting up stimulus and activities that I thought would get my students really curious and creative only to be disappointed when the result was pedestrian at best! Sometimes the lesson material is too hard or too easy, too difficult to do in a limited time or supported by the wrong resources.
Some invitations surprise you; some the children will take off and go deep, some will not work out and that’s ok. You didn’t fail, you are discovering your children’s interest. That, my friends, is being child led. Sally Haughey, Wunderled Teaching
Here’s some things I’ve found that could help you with responding quickly.
Can we do something else?
If the children are asking to do something else, then do something else! There is no point struggling on if you are observing a room full of disengaged children.
This doesn’t mean you have to go along with their ideas only. Or make a whole new lesson on the spot. What it does mean, is that you have to pivot pretty fast and adapt your lesson to make it more engaging.
Sometimes the activity has been going on for too long and you need to add on or lift the degree of difficulty. Also doing too many whole group activities can be a sure way to lose focus. Try changing from small group to pairs and back to whole class activities throughout the lesson.
If the class is tiring from too much movement, switch to an oral activity or one where they get to observe each other’s work. Children reflecting on their own work is an important part of growing their individual creativity.
Explain the task clearly and simply
It may be that your explanation of the task was not clear or that you were talking for too long without their input. The longer they stand or sit listening to you, the more you are likely to lose the impetus of the lesson. Give shorter explicit instructions but be prepared to pause after some movement and add to the instructions as you go along.
Try to change how you give instructions. You may use written instructions or set up movement stimulus areas around the classroom that have very little instruction.
Change the music
Experimenting with different kinds of music can help change the speed at which children complete tasks but also change their energy levels. Don’t be afraid to trial different music within a single activity. Go with what the room is telling you.
I had a class that begged and pleaded with me to play only Hip-Hop music in their dance class. However, after using everything from electronica to jazz music their musical tastes became more eclectic. See it as a time for ‘tasters’ rather than a whole diet of a single music genre.
Also experiment with speed, rhythms, and the volume of the music. If you are able to change where the sound is coming from in the room this can also change how children experience the sound.
Take a break
When children are exploring movement for longer periods of time, they may lose interest or focus Taking a break away from the activity doesn’t mean you can’t come back to it.
Having a set movement piece prepared that can be taught quickly in a range of genres and contexts is useful for these moments. It could be something they can adapt later or include in their own choreography. Sometimes all it needs is a little redirection for a moment.
Reflect…always
Throughout my dance teaching career, I have taken time (even when there really was none), to reflect on what happened in each lesson. The notes I took after class or in solitude at days end formed the basis for these same lesson flops being reworked, rejigged and resourced to try again.
Make a habit of reflection so you can learn more about you, as a ‘teacher’ and ‘artist’, but more importantly, about your students. Knowing what really makes them inquisitive and switched onto learning will be your superpower.
Planning for success
When planning for a dance lesson think about how you will peak the children’s curiosity not just what they are going to learn from it. This means having resources and creative stimulus on hand that you may never get the time to use.
Sometimes, implementing a dance lesson is like performing a magic act, always changing the children’s perception. This could be using a different direction as the ‘front’ or no particular ‘front’ at all. Changing the speed of the activity…speed it up or slow it down. Introducing different sensory stimulus, including the lighting in the room.
Some final thoughts…
Most of the ideas suggested here are pretty simple and quick to implement. You don’t need to pause the lesson for 30 minutes while you put something else together.
Having a toolbox full of ideas and a number of tangible resources at your fingertips makes this much easier. Becoming a Premium Member of Dance Teaching Ideas provides you with the resources to make it happen in your dance classroom.
Above all, it’s important that you and your students have fun as a part of joyful cocreating in dance. Being confident to experiment and follow your children’s lead will result in a more creative classroom.
