Final Reflections

 

 

1

 

Harnessing their Intellect, Emotions, and Physical Development

 

Sophia Friedenberg

This class taught me a lot about the teaching process and how to be a proactive teacher. Learning everything ranging from the kinesthetic loop to forming my own teaching philosophy, I feel more confident to go into a classroom and create a lesson to teach. I especially liked that we applied everything we learned with our final project. Being able to physically teach people was very helpful in knowing what teaching will feel like. I had such an enjoyable course experience and am grateful for everything I learned.

There were plenty of helpful lessons that we learned over each class period, but there were a few lessons that specifically stuck with me. I liked learning about the holistic curriculum because I think it is something that everyone should know. Classrooms should focus on educating the whole child and harnessing their intellect, emotions, and physical development. Focusing on all aspects of the child allows them to get the best possible form of education. I also think it is very important to focus on things that are very relevant and meaningful to the students because that will allow them to be focused and eager to learn. This lesson was one of many that I found important to know, and I am very happy that I was able to learn these topics.

In the future, I hope to work with children as a Speech-Language Pathologist, and I feel like the lessons I learned throughout the course will be helpful. Since I want to have my own clinic, I specifically think the lesson about the learning environment will be important to know. I will be the one creating the space, so now that I know more about what environment is best for children to learn in, I feel more prepared to go into my own private practice. I hope to have a creative environment when working with my clients, and I feel like this class gave me a lot of insight into different methods to use to create the most proactive space for my children. This course showed me how important it is to let your students be creative, and it is my goal to give children a safe space for them to do that.

 

2

 Patience, Adaptability, and Communication Techniques

 

Kyle Ritchkoff

One of the main takeaways from this class was how critical clear communication and adaptive teaching methods are when working with groups of students. I learned that effective instruction isn't just about demonstrating moves, it's about understanding how each student learns and adjusting your approach accordingly. The ability to connect with your students in a way that makes them feel seen and understood is essential.

As someone who doesn’t plan to teach dance professionally, I was surprised by how much I enjoyed learning the strategies behind building lesson plans and creating inclusive environments. It pushed me outside of my comfort zone and helped me gain more confidence when speaking in front of others.

Although I won’t be teaching K-12 dance, the skills I developed in this course will help in my future sales career. In sales, just like in teaching, you need to read your audience, tailor your message, and build trust quickly. The patience, adaptability, and communication techniques I’ve gained through this class will help me better connect with clients and navigate challenges with more empathy and confidence.

 

3

Incorporating High Levels of Movement 

Leila Israel

This semester, I had the opportunity to experience the combination of my biggest passions, education and dance, through this course. Upon reflection of our material, I walk away with many new findings I haven't learned much within either of the topics in isolation, but rather from seeing them work together. From the beginning of the course, I learned to consider the larger external forces–social, cultural, and political–on our educational practices, and how the context in which we teach shapes our view of school's role in society. In a more practical sense, I learned a lot of new techniques for communicating information, applicable not only to learning dance, but to education across domains.

I found that a lot of our learning centered around one fundamental idea: students learn in different ways, and therefore thrive when educators account for a spectrum of needs. My favorite topic was our discussion of the Kinesthetic Loop, which reflects this idea of leveraging multiple modalities to reach all types of students. I really appreciate the idea of approaching instruction holistically, because this framework seems to be the most considerate of students as whole individuals, with their own unique identities that impact their roles in the classroom.

Given my major in elementary and special education, I have spent most of my time in the coursework studying theories of learning. This course allowed me to see those theories in application, in addition to new practices I haven't yet tried. As I approach my career in teaching, I love the idea of incorporating multiple modalities into by instructional design. For younger kids, I anticipate that incorporating high levels of movement will be especially engaging. I also really like the idea of building my own identity as a teacher, and considering my overall mission in my role as an educator. In the coming years, I hope to utilize the holistic framework discussed in this class as I start working in the classroom.

 

4

 My Passion of Becoming a Pediatrician

 

Allie Rodman

I learned so much about the methodology behind and the process of teaching dance to children and adolescents in this course. First, we learned about the history of education (in general) and dance education, which allowed me to understand how education and dance education used to be viewed and implemented, how our current education and dance education systems were created and what ideas they were founded upon, and the benefits and limitations of our current education and dance education systems. Then, we delved into the process of teaching dance to children and adolescents by brainstorming ways of opening/running a successful dance studio, exploring different curriculums (such as the holistic curriculum) and assessments, exploring ways of being an effective educator, and learning how to craft a lesson plan. Finally, we put these lessons to practice by teaching a mini lesson. I am confident that this course equipped me with skills and techniques to teach dance to children and adolescents.

While I enjoyed all of the lessons in this course, my favorite lesson was learning how dance and movement can be used to help children who have motor impairments regain mobility. While I knew that dance was powerful before this course, I did not realize that it can help people find joy and regain a sense of purpose. Seeing the children's faces light up when they realized that they could finally crawl/walk was so heartwarming, and it inspired me to pursue my passion of becoming a pediatrician. Furthermore, I appreciated and enjoyed how you led this course. You began the course by establishing a sense of community, friendship, and openness, which allowed everyone to understand that we were a part of a safe and welcoming learning environment. Because of this, everyone felt comfortable asking questions and sharing their opinions. I also loved participating in hands-on learning activities, along with a variety of learning modalities, including conversations, texts, and videos, that catered to everyone's learning style. 

While I do not plan on teaching dance, the skills and techniques that I learned in this course are directly applicable to my career goals. In the future, I hope to work as a pediatrician. Learning how to work with children and effectively convey information to them will allow me to succeed as a physician. Furthermore, the organization and planning skills that I learned will also allow me to succeed as a physician. This course allowed me to gain a further appreciation of dance and the arts, and I will definitely promote their importance to my future patients!

Thank you SO much for an amazing semester! I am truly going to miss having you as a professor, and thank you SO much for all of your guidance and support!

 

5

Learning About Holistic Curriculum

 

Ali Gaudette

This course gave me valuable insights into the teaching process and educated me on what it means to be an engaged educator. From learning about the kinesthetic loop to developing my own philosophy of teaching, I feel so much more ready to step into a classroom and develop engaging lessons. My favorite aspect of the class was the final project. Getting to use what we learned by actually teaching someone was an extremely influential and enlightening experience. 

 

Overall, I truly enjoyed taking this class and appreciate all that we learned. I gained new and applicable lessons from every class session, but there were some which stood out from the rest more than others. I especially enjoyed learning about holistic curriculum. I believe this approach, placing emphasis on intellectual, emotional, and physical development of the whole child, is important in any educational setting. When classrooms allow for all aspects of a child's development, they create more purposeful and efficient learning. 

 

I also resonated with the idea that learning must be meaningful and relevant to students because that's what keeps them engaged and motivated. This was just one of the numerous things that I know will remain with me in the future. In the future, I am to be working with others in the financial word. Although that may seem like it doesn't correlate to teaching, I plan on teaching others how to use money wisely. This class taught me a lot about the student teacher relations and I can take my clients in as my students. I can definitely apply what I learned to my future.

 

 6

 Help Children Express Their Emotions

 

Olivia Fernandez

Our semester in Dance 385, methods of teaching dance, was overall very insightful. When I had picked this class for my last semester of senior year I expected it to be a fun dance class. I did not expect to learn so much like the different types of curriculum of teaching being hidden, taught and so forth. I also learned how to create my own lesson plan which was something I had never done or expected to do before. I really gained a lot more knowledge than I had begun with or anticipated. The mini lessons were very engaging and each lesson was very unique and entertaining. 

Our class environment was very safe and comfortable, which I truly admired. It is important in such an interactive class to feel comfortable to be able to speak or ask questions or classmates for help. I really enjoyed that as well as getting to meet and communicate with my peers around me. The group work was also very nice because a lot of the people I worked with had different majors then I did and it was very interesting to see how they would respond with their different point of view on answering things. While teaching my mini lesson, at first I was nervous to teach a whole class but it was actually very fun to be able to teach what I was teaching which was a dance class focused on balance and coordination. I felt comfortable teaching and it was nice that I had done my lesson plan in class to ask any questions or clarifications on parts of it. 

Since I am graduating with a bachelors in psychology, I found it very interesting to take this class as an elective considering I want to be a pediatric speech and language pathologist in the future. Dance is another form of communication, you are able to express how you feel or you can view how others feel through their body language, movements and or how they express themselves in  their own kinesthetic space. I will be able to take what I learned from this class and perhaps help children express their emotions or thoughts through dance in the therapy. I did not know that there was a website for the Florida standards that teachers use for the curriculum. I now will be able to use the tools to be able to see what the children I give therapy to should be knowing at different stages of life, which is very helpful for my future career. Overall, it was an awesome semester and I was really glad I took this class as an elective because I gained lots of new knowledge. Thank you for a wonderful semester!

 

7

Constantly Updating and Reshaping the Lesson Plans

 

Nicole Kujas

My main takeaways from this class include learning how much effort has to be put into teaching a class effectively. There are so many intricate layers that have to be carefully considered in order to effectively convene the information that is being taught in a meaningful way. You have to take into consideration the topic at hand, how much time there is to teach, the grade level you are teaching, and how to keep students consistently engaged throughout the whole process. Developing a respectful classroom dynamic can be different sometimes, so I learned how important it is to be constantly updating and reshaping the lesson plans in order to continuously make the teaching process better. 

I felt like I learned a lot of information from this class. Last semester, I was a teaching assistant and greatly underestimated the amount of work I needed to do in order to be a successful TA. During this learning process, I feel like I became more comfortable in front of the class and more comfortable directly students' attention in the manner I wanted them to focus in. It was very rewarding to feel like I had succeeded in that aspect of teaching.

In my future career, I hope to pursue my MD/PhD, and teaching will definitely be a part of my career as a mentor to students after I complete my degrees. While I won't be teaching dance, I will be teaching a variety of skills, and learning how to create lesson plans and define the purpose of each class will be extremely helpful in helping me be a good mentor. I always want to make sure that my students feel supported, motivated, and also capable of conducting experiments on their own, and I feel that this class truly helped me become more empathetic and understanding when I am in the teaching role.

8

 A Good Opportunity to Learn How to Teach Others

Lauryn Lee

A main takeaway for this class was the formation of a class plan and the importance of such. The importance of timing and keeping to a schedule while also making the course engaging is something that enticed me the most. Furthermore, formatting the course in a manner that connects beginning to end is more difficult than it looks. This really was emphasized when I did my final presentation where I really tried to plan around how to make what I taught at the beginning contribute to the end goal. Furthermore I wanted to emphasize having the class feel like they accomplished something by the end that they could be proud of.

While learning I believe that the best parts were the hands on aspects of the class. Getting up to teach the class in our own creative manners mattered the most and I could tell during the discussion reflections that I remembered those moment more in comparison to when we were just sitting down listening to the break down and history of teaching. Additionally, I believe that seeing my other classmates present was an greater opportunity for observation. From there, I could pick out where some people omitted explanation or changed their manner of explaining and talking depending on the age group.

When I walked into this class I had actually already thought about how I could apply this to my studies going forward. Teaching people is hard and everyone has a different learning style. It is adapting to your students and how to connect to them that I found to be key. As for the dance, in a science sphere, you may consider procedures for experiments or procedures in a medical sense like a dance of your hands. It is something you must teach the movement and details and how to position and move. It is in that sense that I considered this class to be a good opportunity to learn how to teach others in general as well as for movement purposes.

 

9

Communicating Effectively with All People

 

Alise Yunez

The main takeaways I received from this class is the way to conduct a class in order to contribute to the overall well-being of students. Because teachers play such an important role in the lives of their students, they are able to care for them in ways other people oftentimes do not notice. In our class, we discussed students' overall well-being in a variety of ways, going beyond the classroom. From this I realized that it is the teacher's responsibility to care for the entire child, not just their academic success. This can be through maintaining an empathetic, accepting, and caring classroom environment. 

Throughout the process of learning to teach, I felt excited for my future. While I still do not now if I will be teaching next year or any time after, it is still important to understand the way to properly teach other people concepts. To be a teacher, one has to be an effective caretaker and communicator. These are two roles that I hope to play well currently and in the future. As such, the course helped me to think of how I will teach my own children in my home and potentially other children in the classroom. It also made me rethink the way I engage in conversations with those I am trying to explain concepts to. While this is not necessarily the same as teaching in the classroom, it is an important life lesson for me as a general educator. 

Regarding the application to my future career, I may teach next year. Because of this, if I receive the grant to teach, I will reuse my lesson plans and resources to develop my lesson plans and overall curriculum. Additionally, as a lawyer, I will need to be able to communicate effectively with all people. This course has given me new insight as to how communicate with other people, especially younger children. While I am not sure if I will work with younger children in the future, especially as a lawyer, it is still imperative for me to work on this skill as I want to be a mother one day. Overall, understanding how to teach has applications to various aspects of life, going beyond the workforce.

 

10

Learning About How Students Learn

 Lexie Spencer 

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1gxi-AvXuFuDtchH5iL5qu92X8luB9t-4EpbSX_aE2jg/edit?usp=sharing

 

11

 How to Understand a Student's Needs & Aspirations

Ana Grados 

Wrapping the semester up has made me grateful for such a wonderful dance class this semester! This was the first "teaching" class I have ever had, and I have learned how to create lesson plans, connect with students, and know what it means to be a great teacher in general. Teachers play an important role in the classroom and students' lives. Learning not just to teach concepts but also how to understand a student's needs and aspirations is what I will take away the most from this class. 

Our class had a very positive dynamic as everyone supported each other and cheered on with final teaching presentations. I love how we close each class by holding hands and eye contact. Although it took a minute to get used to, by the end of the semester, it felt like our class knew one another. I also loved the final presentations, learning about everyone's teaching styles and passions. One of my favorite lessons from this semester was creating a lesson plan for our final presentations. As I am not thinking about teaching in the future, it is beneficial to know that I have a portfolio if needed.

I am a finance and marketing major at the Herbert School of Business. Although dance does not correlate with business, many skills overlap. One example is leadership and time management. Teaching dance requires teachers to lead students and ensure they stick to the correct time, whether it is how long the class goes up until or if they are on schedule for the right lesson plan. This is beneficial in the business world with public speaking, client management, and excellent communication skills.

 

12

  Each Child is Unique and Learns Differently

Marisa Tolu

My main takeaways from this class include the effective creation of a lesson plan, classroom management, and the importance of holistic curriculum. Dance is such an important part of life and development, being a dance teacher is a heavy role because you are able to help children develop a passion and their creativity. Each child is unique and learns differently, being able to cater lessons for the enrichment of all of the students is a difficult, but manageable talk with the holistic curriculum. I gained more knowledge than I was expecting with this class and I am grateful for the opportunity and the environment we created. 

The class had a welcoming and engaging atmosphere which is crucial for the development of new ideas and plans. I appreciated the little group assignments that were woven into the class and the sharing aspects. Sharing the smaller activities made teaching the class less overwhelming. I was nervous with the mini lesson considering I was teaching as if my peers were first graders. Seeing the creative aspects I included bringing smiles to peoples faces as they experienced being younger again reminded me of the importance of creating a creative environment for children in dance. 

When I graduate, I want to go on to become a pediatric physical therapist. I also want to teach dance part-time. I can easily apply these lessons to teaching dance, but I am also looking forward to applying them to physical therapy. Creating a relationship with my patients, seeing them as more than a condition to treat and taking into consideration them as a unique individual. Physical therapy often involves changing treatment plans and this class has taught me great skills for how to adapt and reevaluate situations. 

 

13

 The Importance of Ensuring the Students are Active and Moving

 

Ethan O'Connor

My biggest takeaway from this class is lesson planning and getting creative with it. I also learned how to manage a classroom and the importance of a holistic curriculum. I learn the importance of constantly coming up with a game plan for your class. This will help me a lot with a class since I have to always come prepared for football. I also liked how we incorporated movements into all of the lessons. That will add to my lesson planning. I am also happy I learned the importance of ensuring the students are active and moving through the lesson since many kids learn differently. I have to be willing to create an environment that gives students the best opportunity to learn their best.

I say all this stuff about this class because that's how this class made me feel. As a student with social anxiety, this class allowed me to open up and truly be myself. Your class was very welcoming and comfortable. I truly appreciate you bringing a fun side to school and learning. How you ran the class is how I hope to run my class one day. You gave me a lot of ideas and plans for the future of my teaching career. There are a lot of specific moments I will take with me. One of my favorite activities was the mind lessons we had to give. Not only did I have fun doing my lesson, but I also had a great time watching everyone else's lessons. This made me realize that teaching is. Lot like learning, everyone has a different way of doing it.

Although I am three years away from graduation, I am excited to apply all the new skills I have learned from this class. I hope to use these skills to be a highly skilled football coach in the future.

 

14

 Fostering Creativity and Passion in Young Learners

Arden Woltman

One of the most valuable things I’ve taken from this course is a deeper understanding of how to design effective lesson plans, maintain a well-managed classroom, and implement a holistic approach to curriculum development. Dance plays a significant role in both personal growth and childhood development, and stepping into the role of a dance educator comes with the responsibility of fostering creativity and passion in young learners. Every student brings their own learning style and perspective, so adapting lessons to meet a diverse range of needs can be challenging, but with a holistic mindset, it’s absolutely possible.

I learned far more than I expected and feel thankful for the supportive and collaborative space this class offered. The warm and engaging classroom environment encouraged open thinking and made it easier to build and refine new teaching strategies. I particularly enjoyed the small group activities and the opportunities to share our work; they broke things up in a way that made the experience feel less daunting. Teaching my mini-lesson was nerve-wracking at first, especially since I had to present it as if I were instructing young kids. But seeing my peers have fun reminded me of just how powerful and joyful a creative dance setting can be for children.

Looking ahead, my goal is to find a way to incorporate dance into my life, whether that's teaching dance part-time or in another way. The concepts I’ve learned in this course will support me in this. Whether I'm in a dance studio or any other setting, forming genuine connections with individuals and treating them as whole people is essential. The skills I’ve gained here in flexibility and critical thinking will definitely carry over and serve me well.

 

15

 Understanding How Each Person Learns

 

Matthew Foley

One of the biggest takeaways from this class for me is understanding how each person learns so that you can aid them in a way that works for them. Any teacher can show students how to do their task, but a real teacher will explain it to their students in a way that helps them truly understand the task. No two people are exactly the same, so it is the teacher’s job to adjust their style to help each specific student.

At first, I took this class because it was a requirement for the dance minor, but now, I believe everyone should take this class if they are able, specifically those who want to go into education. I learned so much about topics, like the holistic curriculum, the kinesthetic loop, and types of learning styles, that I feel everyone should learn at some point in their life. This class challenged me to not only create a class and lesson plan, but also teach the class and ensure that every person felt they had the ability to participate and were comfortable participating.

I plan on becoming a dentist. I know that a lot of people have a fear of dentists, but this class has provided me with the skills to understand people better and given me a better understanding of how to adapt myself to make the other person more comfortable. Based on the initial meeting, I will have the awareness of whether or not the person is nervous and be able to adjust to them by explaining to them what I am doing and how I am doing it to make them more comfortable. I will also be going through another 4 years of school, and based on the understanding of the different learning styles, I will be able to help my classmates more when studying with each other.

 

16

 Helping Students through Their Strengths

 

Max Buchanan

Throughout this class I have learned just how much goes into being a teacher. before this class I thought it was just that the school gives you a lesson plan and you teach it, but I was very mistaken. 

A lot more goes into being a teacher. From not only creating the lesson plans that you are going to teach through the full school year but also how you teach it. What type of students you have and have to manage. There are so many different styles of learning that the teacher has to try to help students through their strengths. 

i have noticed how stressful this job can be and how much attention to detail and also social awareness you need for the students and also their parents. I applaud all teachers for trying to manage this and admit I couldn't do this at all, on any level of teaching.

 

17

 Without Fear or Hesitation.

 

Adaria Fennoy

I loved every single last thing about this class. Taking part in the teaching methods for the kids’ dance class was a truly enjoyable and eye-opening experience for me. I loved learning how I can make children full with excitement and curiosity so they can be playful and imaginative in difference exercises that encouraged them to move freely and express themselves. The atmosphere was joyful and energetic, and I found myself inspired by others in the class' willingness to explore new ideas without fear or hesitation.

This experience also taught me valuable techniques and perspectives that I can bring into my own dance classes. I realized how effective it is to incorporate storytelling, games, and creative prompts to help students connect more deeply with movement. It showed me that teaching isn’t just about drilling steps or routines, but it’s about fostering imagination, confidence, and a love for dance. 

I’m excited to apply these approaches in my own teaching, knowing they can help create a more dynamic and supportive learning environment where students feel encouraged to explore and grow. Once again, I thank you for everything you taught me this semester and I can't wait to take you again!

18

The Therapeutic Impact of Dance on Children with Disabilities

Bree Gomez

    Dance is a form of universal expression that transcends language and culture.  Children who are dealing with special needs struggles can use dance as it goes beyond bodily motion. Dance constitutes a means of expression ones emotions, desires, social interactions as well as helps facilitate cognitive growth. In the research article I chose  "How Dance Can Benefit Children with Special Needs," Voula Valanidas discusses the various ways dance is helpful to this population  of children. She spoke heavily on how it is significant in self-esteem development, coordination, and creating a sense of belonging and self.

    Valanidas explains that special needs children can greatly gain from dance programs that are adapted for them. By joining organized yet flexible routines, the children can improve their motor functions, balance, and spatial awareness. The advantages that are obtained from such physical improvement are not limited to movement alone. They can help facilitate improved coordination in daily activities and hence foster increased independence and trust in themselves.

    Apart from its physical benefits, dance is also a powerful tool for facilitating emotional and social growth. Valanidas points out that dance allows children to convey feelings that they cannot put into words. These modes of expression can result in improved self-esteem and a feelings of accomplishment and fulfillment. Being involved in group dance activities help to foster the development of social skills such as teamwork, communication turn-taking, and empathy.

    At the cognitive level, participation in dance requires children to recall sequences, follow instructions, and stay focused. These are all abilities that have the potential to significantly contribute to their learning experience in a variety of areas and  can be applied to and used in their life overall even after leaving the classroom. Valanidas finds that dance’s inherent rhythmic and repetitive nature can be especially valuable for children with special needs, since it offers a structure that is both organized and enjoyable and allows for self expression, making it easier for them to acquire these cognitive abilities and be more independent in themselves.

    Valanidas' study illuminates the numerous benefits of dance for special needs children, encompassing physical, emotional, social, and intellectual growth. Dance is not merely extracurricular and sporty activity, but rather a therapeutic instrument that can profoundly enhance the lives of these children. Through the inclusion of dance in their lives, we can provide them with a joyful and empowering vehicle of personal development and self-expression. From Valanidas' report as well as taking this course this semester, I have better come to understand that dance has a deep transformative impact on children with special needs. The overall advantages of them developing better motor skills and better emotional well-being to name a few highlight the imperatives of incorporating dance into both educational and therapeutic frameworks. It is a guarantee of its effectiveness when we look at the happiness and confidence that dance brings about in these children. By embracing dance, therapists, educators, and caregivers can open up new possibilities for relationship, learning, and development, and ultimately enhance the lives of children with special needs inside and outside of the classroom.

Article used : https://us.readyset.dance/how-dance-can-benefit-children-with-special-needs-by-voula-valanidas/