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Taking off from Aisha's recent thread on quality standards for teaching, I would be very interested in seeing what subject headings folks would put on a 'course catalog' for MED teacher training. I think everyone here has touched on important aspects of teaching the dance, & there is so much that is commonly overlooked, that it is hard to say 'this is the one (or three or ten) thing(s) that really need to be adressed.' So, just as a fun exercise & if anyone is willing, what would your course catalog look like if you were developing a MED teaching degree at your local U? (& have I been a professional student too long if this is how I get my kicks?)
I know there are 'teacher training courses' out there, & some debate as to how helpful they are & how much they are inspired by a need for some kind of appearance of legitimacy, that is not topic I am trying to drag up here- merely want to know a little more in depth what YOU would consider required for a well rounded teacher training, & a 'course catalog' seemed like a nice succinct way to communicate that :) What are your required classes & what are your electives?
I know there are 'teacher training courses' out there, & some debate as to how helpful they are & how much they are inspired by a need for some kind of appearance of legitimacy, that is not topic I am trying to drag up here- merely want to know a little more in depth what YOU would consider required for a well rounded teacher training, & a 'course catalog' seemed like a nice succinct way to communicate that :) What are your required classes & what are your electives?
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Re: design a teacher training program (quality standards spin off)
Wed, July 15, 2009 - 10:42 AMDear Lara,
I do not teach a full length course, but I do teach a 3 hour workshop in becoming a teacher who is "Student Aware". I have occasionally taught specific areas of the course in correlation with other instructors so that participants get more than one focus, which I think is important. I hope this does not get too wordy, but basically my syllabus for the 3 hour course covers the subject matter from the point of teaching it. How do we teach the following elements of the dance for a good, basic learning structure.
*What is Belly Dance and What is the Job of a Belly Dancer- and as instructors how do we facilitate the understanding of our purpose?
* Teaching Fundamental movement as a base on which to build every other element of the dance
* The musical connection
* Recognizing movement families or groups
* The Illusion of Dance Posture and what it means for students
* Groundedness and Balance
* Clearly defining the difference between "Movement" and "Step" for the better understanding of our students.
*The Illusion of Where Movement Comes From ( What the observer sees as opposed to what we are doing.)
* Executing All Parts of Movement With Awareness and integrity
* Tools for Students (the Wasp Illusion, effective arms and hands in a specified style, etc)
* Commonly Needed Corrections
* Putting Theory into Practice ( This is a demonstration class)
Handouts and interactive lectures
* Fundamentals of Egyptian belly Dance ( or whatever style the teacher is teaching)
* The work of Howard Gardner
* The Student/ Instructor Relationship in Middle Eastern Dance ( in revision right now for a longer paper)
* Quality Standards in teaching
* When are we ready to teach?
* Links to health and safety information, Links to information on ethical standards in teaching and performing
Regards,
A'isha
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Re: design a teacher training program (quality standards spin off)
Wed, July 15, 2009 - 7:11 PMI did my teacher training with Shemiran Ibrahim (Sydney, AU).
Before I did my teacher training I put a lot of thought into what I wanted out of it, and when I was searching for the right teacher training course, that's the standard it was held up to.
The things I felt were important were:
Lesson Plan Design
Teaching Language
Verification of skill (get up & show me that you actually know what you want to teach)
How to set up & run a business (including insurance & licensing)
Basic Anatomy & Safety
Ongoing support after the training has ended
Those were the things I was after, and Shemiran's intensive really hit the nail on the head for me. If you're after a good idea for how to structure a teacher training course, I'd strongly suggest picking her brain. -
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Re: design a teacher training program (quality standards spin off)
Thu, July 16, 2009 - 9:20 AMDear Darshiva,
I think there are so many people who have developed good training programs! It seems like everyone who does seems to develop toward a certain goal, kind of like studying math over all, but taking specific math courses like Geometry, Algebra, etc, with different teachers in college. I know of one teacher who seems to train toward the business and ethics ends of teaching, while I focus on having complete awareness of the student as an individual, along with training teachers to recognize they are responsible to the dance. I have a smaller focus on such areas as business and marketing. I know other teachers who consider anatomy to be their main focus in teaching with a smaller focus on other elements. We should all get together and open the "University of Middle Eastern and Western Fusion Dance Education Training", with each of us offering classes in our specialized areas, like they do in universities. How fabulous would that be, to have that much information amassed in one place???
Regards,
A'isha -
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Re: design a teacher training program (quality standards spin off)
Thu, July 16, 2009 - 10:56 AMthat is exactly what I was envisioning with this exercise- there seem to be so many ways to take it, what would a truly comprehensive course compose? Not sure *I* would ever have the resources to see such a thing into creation, but it is interesting to dream about. -
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Re: design a teacher training program (quality standards spin off)
Thu, July 16, 2009 - 11:36 AMDear Lara,
I think this is exactly what studying with different instructors to learn anything is supposed to do. You get different viewpoints, different knowledge sets, different ideas and different ways in which to help the student to learn with integrity, how to honor the dance in the process of bringing their own dance to fruition. For me, that in the end it is all about having integrity in the teaching process in order to honor the dance through passing it on in the ways that are a continuance of that integrity and honor. The dance itself is core and the students are the most important element in its continuance and future. Eventually I will not be here, but the dance still will be. When I leave it behind, I want to be able to feel that I have done the best I could by it and that I have inspired those I have taught to do the same.
Regards,
A'isha
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Re: design a teacher training program (quality standards spin off)
Thu, July 16, 2009 - 3:22 PMI found this course very well rounded, that's part of the reason I took it.
I do like the idea of an academy of ME Dance though, sounds like a LOT of fun. :D -
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Re: design a teacher training program (quality standards spin off)
Tue, July 21, 2009 - 12:21 AMIn some ways I am all for the idea of the quality standards, and in some ways I am not. The reason being is that I have seen other causes (i.e. professions) try to start regulation in the field, and all it has done is made uneven "standards" and caused the people in the field to have to pay a lot more money and jump through a lot more hoops, reducing end revenue and in some cases, getting "meaniningless education". Sort of like taking lessons from a dancer who has danced and performed for many years that can't teach worth a darn. -
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Re: design a teacher training program (quality standards spin off)
Tue, July 21, 2009 - 6:55 AMDear S,
I believe that is what we have right now.... uneven standards in the quality of teaching, people paying a lot of money for meaningless education in many cases, etc. It is the reason why we try to reach for quality standards. Although movement is just one element in good dance, I will use it as an example. Let's say Teacher A teaches the movement precisely, correctly, gives details as to how this movement connects to musical concepts, explains the movement in depth and takes responsibility to teach it to the fullest. Her student wants to teach sooner than she should, goes out and becomes teacher B, with not nearly as much knowledge under her belt and less ability to truly teach. She gives educational birth to student C, who teaches after three months of classes and really knows next to nothing about the dance because her teacher did not know what she needed to know to pass it on with any integrity, Her students get practically no education at all, plus her teaching skills are nonexistant. Her students have no clue what the dance is about on any level. Their technical skills are shoddy, they have no historical context or even any idea what the dance is supposed to really look like. They go out into the public and what audiences get to see are seriously untrained people claiming to be "belly dancers".
Yes, there are a lot of good dancers out there who can not teach, but if the ones who can start setting a good standard, then that will become the norm. It is not about boxing anyone in or saying we have to teach by this or that method. I think there are many good methods for teaching the dance. For example, a standard of quality does not insist that the teacher teach movement in a certain way but that the instructor can look at the student, see what they are doing right, see what needs correcting and have the skill for helping the student to understand the movement and be able perform it with integrity. ( Of course, this is a general rule... not all people have a belly dancer inside them. In which case the teacher must know how much to press the student to work toward perfection.) I can not count the number of workshops and classes I have taken where the teacher did not seem to even realize the class members were there because she was too busy admiring herself in the mirror to pay attention to the students. And, many "teachers" seem to think that demonstrating movement is teaching it!! Having standards is about good, solid teaching and performing, no matter what method we learn by or what style we are performing.
Regards,
A'isha -
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Re: design a teacher training program (quality standards spin off)
Wed, July 22, 2009 - 9:17 AMI've been going though teacher angst recently, and when I read through your post I could tick off every single box in my head. I'm far from the world's best dancer, but my students see marked improvement after each class, get a little bit of context & history in each lesson & have access to resources to further it. I think I just might be a decent teacher after all! Thanks for the inadvertent reassurance. ;)
Darshiva -
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Re: design a teacher training program (quality standards spin off)
Wed, July 22, 2009 - 10:51 AMDear Darshiva,
This is a serious question and is not meant to be derogatory in any way, so I hope you will take it in the spirit is is offered. I am wondering about it, though.
Do you feel that you are not a good dancer, and if you do feel that way,what motivates you want to teach the dance? To take it a step further, if you feel that you are "far from the world's best dancer", do you feel that you have enough dance training yourself in order to teach? Usually it is expected that an instructor knows how to do well what they are trying to give to others.
I consider myself to have a depth of understanding, knowledge and skill in not only the dances that I teach, but also in the teaching process. I do leave some dances to others to teach, even though I have some small knowledge about them and can perform them reasonably well. I feel however, that there are those who have a depth of understanding in , say, American Cabaret or Turkish Rom or Greek folkloric or Persian.... that I just do not have. I can do some dancing in each of those styles and have some knowledge..... but not enough so that I feel I can teach them, if that makes sense. In order to reach them, I would need far more than I have now.
Regards,
A'isha -
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Re: design a teacher training program (quality standards spin off)
Wed, July 22, 2009 - 7:59 PMNot derogatory at all. :D
My problem area is my arms. My original training was somewhat iffy. I've spent a lot of time retraining & relearning what I should have been taught. The big problem is that muscle memory takes a lot to overcome, so while I know what I'm teaching, and can teach it & demonstrate it quite well, I fall back into bad habits when I'm dancing by myself.
I spent a long time retraining, and sought advice before undertaking teaching (that's why I went & got formal qualifications - so I could be certain that not only did I know what I was teaching well enough to teach it, but that I could teach it well.) The reasoning behind my post was to thank you for dragging me out of my little well of self-pity (ZOMG, I'm not Samia Gamal/Randa Kamal/Insert Dance Goddess Here , woe is me!)
FYI, the arm thing - totally doing something about it. I had no idea I was still having arm issues until I saw video footage of myself dancing (because when I practice my arms are fine, and when I demonstrate my arms are fine), so I'm off to an intensive ton work on it. That's what good dancers do, right, work on their problem areas? :D -
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Re: design a teacher training program (quality standards spin off)
Thu, July 23, 2009 - 2:25 AMThis is an interesting thread!
I live and teach in Ireland, where nearly everyone (including me), started to teach too soon!
The dance community in half the country started from one Teacher, who moved here from the states after she had (as far as I remember) about 1 1/2 years of lessons. Now, in this case, I am very glad she did, because she started to teach only because there was not any belly dancers anywhere in the area and many women enjoyed her classes.
After I took lessons from her for about 2 years (tribal style), she asked me to assist her teaching. After a while I set up my own classes.
The students I had seemed to really enjoy the classes and in was clear that they benefited in many ways, which kept me at it.
I had previous dance experience in Flamenco, Tap and contemporary and knew I had to take it further, so I started traveling to workshops and private teachers, that's when I realized how much I had to catch up on! But it wasn't until years later that I actually felt really confident and ready to be a good teacher.
In retrospect, there are two sides to this.
Now, I would never do that again and would not recommend anyone to teach too soon. 2 other teachers emerged from the same group after about the same time and from them came other teachers very quickly.
They all work very hard to improve and are doing valuable work but overall the insecurity in the area is obvious. There are a lot of politics, jealousies and falling outs between teachers in that area (I have moved away some years ago), which to me all have there roots in being unprofessional and not competent enough. Shows that are put on there are not of great quality and don't seem to go beyond very basic movements. (Although I haven't seen one in the last 3 years, not sure if things are improving).
The other side of the coin is that, in our case, we just seemed to need some pioneers who start it all up, for which a lot of people are great full! Irish women needed that!! ;-))) And now the standards are getting better, Teachers are spreading from Dublin and other parts of the world and the general dance community is growing, is getting more competitive (I mean that in a positive way), teachers hosting high standard guest teachers, etc.
But in this particular area people are still not talking to each other ....
P.S. Darshiva,
A great way to improve arm posture (well, it works for me!) is to wear wrist weights while practising. Arms are getting a nice extra workout and it improves your awareness. ;-) -
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Re: design a teacher training program (quality standards spin off)
Thu, July 23, 2009 - 7:12 AMDear Sandra,
I also started teaching too soon... at two years. I silently and frequently apologize to all of those students who studied with me early on. I think that 6 years is about right for starting to teach, since at about that time, we begin to really get a clue about the dance in fuller meaning besides just movement. We have had time to study movement, essence, cultural and social meaning. and other aspects of the dance to get a fuller picture of it. Two year students rarely get that even enough to teach beginning dance, I think. There are a few who can step outside themselves and see the dance itself that early, but not many. At that point dancers are still in the phase where it is all about them learning everything they can, and relating it to themselves, much like how self absorbed and self centered toddlers are.... and so it should be since at that stage we are belly dance toddlers! But in order to teach we have to begin to step outside ourselves and look at the wide world of dance around us. Some people seem never to reach that stage where they understand the dance as something that has a life of its own beyond them, and that in order to teach it, they must strive to understand both the dance and the student who is trying to learn it.
We also have a very factioned dance community here in my area. and when I travel to teach, I see it is the common thing pretty much across the States, with few communities where the dancers work well together. I think the ego and the soul are so exposed in dance that it is difficult to accept any criticism for many dancers, legitimate or not.
Regards,
A'isha
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Re: design a teacher training program (quality standards spin off)
Thu, July 23, 2009 - 8:52 AMI'll have to keep that in mind for my students. Unfortunately for me, I have carpel tunnel syndrome in both wrists, & it flares up quite badly just making the bed, so weights are right out! In fact, I'm having to steel myself to the concept of having to sell my gorgeous slave bracelets because I can't wear them anymore. -
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Re: design a teacher training program (quality standards spin off)
Sat, August 22, 2009 - 4:33 PMDarshiva, I used to have carpel tunnel syndrome in both wrists as well.
It was pretty severe and the doctor told me the only solution was surgery. After some research I found that taking the right amount of Vitamin B6 would help.
I am not one for taking supplements but I thought I would give it a shot before opting for surgery. I faithfully took Vitamin B6 for three months, the pain suddenly stopped (it took about that long to see results).
After that I stopped taking it and the pain has never come back. It has been 13 yrs and I never needed surgery after that.
Anyway, thought I would share that in case you might like to try. It might help relieve some of your pain if not completely make it disappear. -
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Re: design a teacher training program (quality standards spin off)
Sun, August 23, 2009 - 1:32 AMThanks for the suggestion, Sabeya. I'm off to find out which vitamin b supplements are sulphite-free (if any) and I'll take it from there.
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Re: design a teacher training program (quality standards spin off)
Thu, July 23, 2009 - 6:58 AMDear Darshiva,
Oh, I get it now! Thanks for taking the time to explain.Yes, I think the best dancers are students of dance forever and that we all have problem areas, even Samia Gamal, Randa etc!! I have also found that it is more difficult for students who come into a class with bad habits to undo them than it is to learn from scratch sometimes. I think all teachers worth our salt question our worth now and again, and often it has a lot to do with the changing climate of the dance and what is going on around us as well as our internal issues. a double whammy!
Respect and Regards,
A'isha -
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Re: design a teacher training program (quality standards spin off)
Thu, July 23, 2009 - 8:23 AMA'isha,
No problems. I think it does a person good to every once in a while have something happen to smack us on the bum & make us stop thinking we are the bee's knees of dancing. A little shake-up every now & then is just what one needs to re-evaluate themselves as a dancer/teacher/person in general.
Darshiva
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Re: design a teacher training program (quality standards spin off)
Thu, September 3, 2009 - 4:55 PMAw- always dreamed of a MED academy!!!!
Wouldn't that be lovely!
Or at least something with broad focus of ethnic dance in general.
Have you ever read 'Total Education in Ethnic Dance' by La Meri.... after I read that book I wished I had been born closer to and within the timeframe of that woman- what a marvelous instructor!
She really "got it", ya know? sigh
