Constructivism

Ballroom

Engage:  show videos of ballroom dances from "So You Think You Can Dance" to the students to get them excited about learning ballroom.

Explore: Teach the basic steps of different ballroom styles to my students to give them a taste of what each one is like.

Explain: I will have the students watch each other and help each other by making corrections and explaining the steps to each other.

Elaborate: Students will choose which style was their favorite and find out more about that style and learn more steps to make a short dance in that style.

Evaluate: Students will evaluate how well they thought they were able to grasp the idea of their ballroom style and talk about whether they would be interested in learning more or not.

Information Processing

I will use exciting music that my students like to get their attention.  Dance is all about rehearsal so they won't miss out on that step at all.  They will have time to rehearse the material with me guiding them through it and on their own.  I will use images to get them to properly perform steps.  The music I use will highly impact the energy used throughout the combination.  Hopefully when they hear the music they will be able to remember the steps that go to which part of the music.  Muscle memory is also going to be a plus in this instance. 

Behaiorism

To help my students learn how to do turning triplets I would start by having them do plain triplets across the floor.  I get them to move their pelvis through the space by pretending to push them across.  Once they had accomplished this I would change them to face the back.  They would need to travel just as far as they did going forward.  I would then have them switch from going forward and backward across the floor.  This would lead them to full rotation with in a triplet.  

Identity

During each unit of the elements of dance I would like to teach a combination and have my students take that combination and abstract it using the element of dance we have been studying.  I will allow each student to abstract in their own way.  This allows them to make their own choices and be creative.  They can use their personal lives and experiences to help them make these decisions.  

Differentiation

In order to teach choreographic tools and choreography I would group the students up either by ability or have a group of many different levels so students can learn from each other.  I want every student to add some sort of creative choice in the group piece.  I will walk around the room helping groups who need a little push.  I will allow the students to use to use their own music and any device they have to record themselves to practice with.

Piaget

In teaching a combination dealing with space I could give examples of what the movement is like from their lives. Like wiping a table to get them to reach far out in front of them.  I would cause disequilibrium by having them learn an entire combination on the right side and then having them have to figure it out on the left.  I would help them assimilate by taking things from previous combinations and adding them into this particular one with a bit more flare.  To make them accommodate I would shrink the amount of space that they are able to perform in.  They will have to work things out so they don't travel as much, or to travel more.  

To add formal level onto this I could have them abstract the ideas of wiping a table a bit more.  So taking it into their foot, or changing the level, timing, or repeating.  Making it not seem so much like wiping a table,  more abstract.

course contract

1. To turn in all my assignments on time
    Simply to succeed

2. To learn what is going on in the adolescent brain and how I as a teacher can help them, by teaching and assessing differently.
    To better understand my future children during their adolescent years.

3. Monday do the reading and study guide for Tuesdays class in the afternoon after Monday classes. Start on any other assignments.
  Tuesday finish any other assignments given after work and review notes from that day
Wednesday do the reading and study guide for Thursdays class in the afternoon after Monday classes.  Start on any other assignments.
Thursday finish up assignments after work and review notes from that day.
Friday play catch up

4. review my notes Tuesday and Thursday night after work.  Make connections with what I am learning.  Come up with nemonic to remember the material. I will also allow myself to take the necessary breaks I need to move around.

5. If I don't understand something I will talk with my mom or grandma who are school psychologists to see if they can help me out.  If not I'll read up on the topic online to gain information and have things stated in a different way that may make more sense to me.

6. I will reach my goals for this course by attending every class period and staying up to date with what we are learning about and applying it to my teaching/lesson plans.