Literature Review 2.

Online Blog Post- What makes a good teacher, Sheri Leblanc (2010)


I came across a Blog post on the internet about what makes a good dance teacher. The blog is of a former dancer called Sheri Leblanc. She is a retired ballet/ballroom dancer who choreographs and also teachers and owns her own studio. She lists in her blog that being a dancer teacher can enable you to work in many types of jobs, from teaching in schools, becoming a choreographer to eventually opening up you're own business. Sheri says that ' A well-rounded dance instructor will know how to teach several different styles of dance' I think this is a very good statement as if you can incorporate a variety of dance styles into you're class, the children will benefit from this. Also if there are parents sending their children of to a new dance class they will feel comfortable and confident leaving them with someone who is very experienced.

It is important to keep up to date with the choreography that you teach the students.

'The dance teacher is responsible for creating and teaching choreography to the dancers, staying current on the newest moves and styles being taught and will advise and guide the dancers in putting the steps they’ve learned together into proper dance formation'

This shows how important it is to be prepared for you're classes. You must keep up to date with the new styles that are around and current music.

Sheri has a number of bullet points that she regards as be important if you are a dance teacher,

As a dance teacher, you should:

* have good practical ability in dance and music
* have an understanding of health and safety to prevent injury
* have an interest in teaching children and adults of all abilities
* have patience and good communication skills
* be able to support and encourage others to succeed
* be observant and pay attention to detail
* feel able to control a group of pupils and have confidence to maintain order within the class
* have the ability to run a business, if self-employed.

I think these points are very useful. Having an interest to teach children and adults of all abilities is essential. For me,training at such a prestigious college were everybody in my school were at an excellent standard means that I may expect that when teaching my own students. This will not always be the case. Depending on the type of school, some children may only be taking classes as a hobby and therefore will not have the potential to becoming a professional dancer so their standard and understanding to picking things up and learning routines will not be high. As a teacher it is your duty to work with different levels of children and understand how they will progress at different stages.

Having an understanding to prevent injury and health and safety is imperative. Every venue that you teach in should be checked each time before any class to ensure that no risk can be harmed and it is your job as a teacher to stop the children from doing things that may cause them harm. This leads to how important it is to have patience and the ability to control a group of pupils. You need to be firm and confident with the students and if at any point the class gets out of hand you should be able to control the situation immediately.

Sheri Leblanc's blog was a helpful and interesting read that was short and to the point.

References.

Online, http://reflectionsinverse.blogspot.co.uk/2010/07/what-makes-good-dance-teacher.html