Click HERE to access a printable version of my teaching philosophy
Tiana Marie Chambers - Teaching Philosophy:
FOSTERING CONSTANT PROGRESSION THROUGH DEDICATED AND ENTHUSIASTIC INSTRUCTION
A very important aspect of my personal philosophy on life is that I believe in constant improvement. Whether it be spiritual, intellectual, or physical, I think that consistent progression is key to growth and success. This value I place on continual development is the center of my dance education philosophy.
I work hard to make sure that my students are progressing not just from course to course or class to class. My goal as an instructor is to see improvement in my students within each session I meet with them. I hope that every time I see them, my students walk out the door of my classroom better dancers than they walked in.
When I do my part as an educator, my students experience this constant improvement. I have seen it happen in my classrooms as I have worked to instill a passion for both dance and learning in my students. By including several different components in my lesson plans, I am able to create an environment where students can develop this passion for growth.
First, I believe that attitudes are contagious, particularly the attitudes of leaders and teachers. It is my job to come into each class eager to share my knowledge and love of dance with my students. I have seen that as I demonstrate excitement for dance and learning, that enthusiasm reflects in the students I teach. When I walk into class with a smile on my face, eager to teach, my students are excited to learn. I believe that it is my responsibility to set the tone of each class, so that students are in a positive, fun environment that fosters growth. My love for dance is passed along to my students so that they enjoy each class and develop more than just excellent technique, they also also develop a love for the art of dance.
It is not only important for me to promote passion for the art of dance in my students, but also a passion for learning in general. As an educator, I make sure that my students are excited to learn. By constantly questioning my students and asking them what they are learning, I am able to not only check to make sure that they comprehend the feedback I am giving them, but also create an eagerness within them to absorb and retain information. I believe that giving students opportunities to notice what they have learned is key to building a love of learning. In each class as we go throughout combinations, I make sure to ask my students, “What do we need to think about as we do this exercise?”. I am amazed at how much feedback my students retain with so little assistance from me. As the dancers I teach realize that I expect this feedback from them from class to class, they work harder to remember and apply the feedback, and they become excited to tell me where they plan to improve.
I believe that students grow most from steady, positive, individual feedback. Giving group instruction is important, but giving compliments and corrections independently helps students to feel valued. It has been interesting to me to observe that as I give more individual corrections, my students not only eagerly apply their independent feedback, they also begin to absorb and implement group corrections more. I love seeing a change in my students as they begin to seek feedback and corrections with enthusiasm when they realize how wonderful it is to see their own improvement.
Hand in hand with the importance of feedback in general, I believe that the specific way feedback is delivered is crucial. My job as an educator is to deliver both positive and negative feedback in a way that makes students excited to receive it. I speak with an attitude of “Since I know you love to progress and improve, let me help you make this EVEN BETTER”, in order to help my students feel grateful for feedback, rather than resentful. Along with making all feedback constructive, I am also a firm believer in the importance of validation. When students implement something I have asked them to, when they learn and apply a new concept, when they demonstrate creativity or problem solving skills, I believe it is important for me to offer enthusiastic praise. Complimenting students is often undervalued as a tool in dance education. Rather than making my students work to avoid my disapproval, I want the dancers in my class to strive to progress because they know I will be excited to see them learning and growing, and they will be excited to see that improvement in themselves. Celebrating student successes, even small victories, is essential in creating a positive learning environment.
As I stated earlier, I believe it is my job to not only create skilled and enthusiastic dancers, but also eager and proficient learners. This can only be achieved by applying multiple teaching styles in the classroom. It is crucial for students to have opportunities to problem solve, create, and evaluate during their time in a studio. It is important to me to take time in class to allow students to discover the answers to their own questions by working through combinations on their own. I also work to allow students opportunities to problem solve. Often when a student has a question, rather than giving a specific answer, I tell my dancers to make a choice about how to handle the situation. My combinations often involve these “dancer’s choice” moments, or independent movement sections, to allow students to explore their creativity. I also often choose to have “free dance” time in my classes, involving both structured and unrestricted sessions of improvisation. I believe that allowing these moments of exploration is key in developing dancers who are individual artists.
The necessity of social growth within a dance classroom is something that is often overlooked. Socializing in the studio is often viewed as negative, but I believe that guided social interaction is an important part of fostering student growth. Allowing students to work in groups to create and problem solve helps create a feeling of community in a classroom, and helps students develop confidence in working with others. I often have students work through combinations in pairs or small groups to answer each other’s questions and offer clarification. I utilize partner feedback in nearly every class I give, not only for the social skills it helps to develop, but also because I believe it is one of the most effective ways to help students receive feedback. It not only encourages students to improve their social skills and gain confidence, but can also help guide them to a place where they can give themselves feedback. I frequently ask students to give “3 and 1 feedback”, during which time they tell their partner three things they did well, and one thing they can work on. This is an effective teaching tool in many ways. First, it allows students to receive much more individual feedback than I could personally give. Second, it helps them to notice the good work of their peers and learn from it. Third, it gives them the opportunity to practice giving and receiving criticism., which is a skill that is absolutely vital to success in both the dance world, and in life. And finally, it gives students an opportunity to practice observing. As students analyze their peers to provide feedback, they develop the ability to observe and detect areas that need improvement. Once they have developed this skill with another person, they quickly learn to apply it to themselves. This ability to analyze their own movement and find ways to grow on their own makes a world of difference in the speed of improvement dancers are able to experience.
These teaching techniques all tie into my ultimate teaching goal: To foster constant progression through dedicated, enthusiastic instruction. I love teaching and enjoy seeing the difference I make in the lives of my students. Seeing students I work with grow to love dance and develop a thirst for art and learning is the reason I have such a love for teaching.
I am passionate about dance, I am passionate about learning, and I am passionate about growth and progression. I love that as a dance educator I have the opportunity to pass these passions onto my students. As an educator I want to not only enable my students to constantly learn and progress, but to help them do so with eager enjoyment.
I strive to make sure that my students leave my classroom with an enthusiasm for creativity, a love of learning, and a passion for the art of dance.
"I am a dancer. I believe that we learn by practice. Whether it means to learn to dance by practicing dancing, or to learn to live by practicing living... in each it is the performance of a dedicated precise set of acts, physical or intellectual, from which comes shape of achievement, a sense of one's being, a satisfaction of spirit. One becomes in some area an athlete of God."
- Martha Graham
No comments:
Post a Comment