Dance Blog

Learning about dance in class was energizing. Dance has never been one of my talents. I always wished I was more coordinated. I always thought it was embarrassing to even try to move because I am not graceful. In class as I saw everyone moving no matter what level they were I got out of my comfort zone and tried the activities. When we did the activities with the book, it made the book come alive. I enjoyed playing the parts and pretending to be on the boat. This activiy would be fun to do in my future class room.

The activity we did when we moved to the different movements with the drum was a little uncomfortable for me at first but then I noticed others were just doing whatever and so I didn't worry so much about it. Dance is how you interpret something, so there is no wrong or right way to do it. I thought about how a student might feel the same way. Realizing you can express yourself in your own way would make my students feel good about themselves. I think a shy person that could express themselves with dance would be great. Their class mates would get to know them on a different level.

I really enjoyed the activities in the gym. Maybe by that time all my inhabitions were gone. I loved learning the dance. This kind of dance would be really fun to teach my students when we talk about different cultures. Dance is a definate part of culture. Dancing seems to bring laughs, fun, and togetherness. I wondered why schools bother to have dance festivals. I now know that dance is a great way to learn in many ways.

Blog #2

Using drama in my future classroom will be a great tool I can use to help my students succeed and to prevent behavior problems. Activity is a very important aspect of a successful classroom. I now have the knowledge to help my students succeed in this aspect. Before this class I thought drama was only used by the theater teacher once a year. Now I know it should be used as often as possible along with the other arts with regular curriculum. I forgot that there were a few other times drama was used in my kids classroom. One wonderful third grade teacher had her students put on a wax museum. My kids loved this and looked forward to it when they reached the third grade.

I want to use drama in my classroom because I want a family type environment. Drama builds cooperation and other social skills. Drama is fun. Drama helps my students have empathy for others. These are just a few of the reasons drama will help my students have a united, caring attitude toward each other.

When I start teaching I think I will use many energizers and warm-ups. The book has great ideas like Greetings, Playball. I really like the activity we did in class when we had to continue one sentence of a story using the first letter of our name. Scavenger hunt sounds really fun. I am really excited to use these. I think it would be fun to put all of the ideas in a cute, colorful jar. When we need an energizer one of my students could pick one out of the jar. Also I will encorporate drama with other subjects like social studies to make the subject more interesting. I like pantomimes and freeze frame because they are easy and don't take a lot of preparation. I think it would be really fun to do something for Thanksgiving like the presentation given in class. I want to try everything, this is going to make teaching so much fun!

Reflection #1

This class has been a dream come true as I have learned how much the arts affect students learning. I have always loved the arts. To know I can use it in my classroom and it will do wonders for my students is an amazing concept. I really enjoyed learning the different types of learners in the classroom. I was surprised to find out that the general population is 10% blue and 40% orange. It was very interesting to find out that most teachers are nurturing or organized while most classrooms will be filled with personalities that are not like your own.

I have also enjoyed the games we play in class. In Elementary schools I observed there isn't very much action other than recess. I love now knowing that activities are important for the students to succeed and do their best. The games we have learned and will continue to learn will help my students pay attention, give them a little break. I know it is hard for me to sit very long. I can imagine how hard it is for Elementary students to sit still. I also think the games are great because they have more than one objective. The games get the kids moving but also build friendship, leadership, eye hand coordination, etc.

I am so glad the facts support the use of integrating arts in the classroom. I plan on using the arts in any way possible. I was intruiged by Chapter 8 and 9 because of the reasons based on research for integrating drama in the classroom. It is incredible how many different reasons are listed. Some of my favorites were enhances psychological well being. I picture the struggling student because of issues at home. I imagine an arts based curriculum helping him to thrive. I love how drama helps the student develop empathy. Empathy is beyond sympathy, which gives the students a better relationship with each other. Drama is fun so the students will enjoy school. Those are just a few of my favorites because I already know that I want a classroom that is like a big family and cares for each other. I also want to have fun because boring is boredom and I don't like being bored so I don't expect my students to like being bored either.