Dance with Character Education and Mental Health Integration

With dance coming down to the final weeks, what I appreciate the most is how far I’ve come.  I went from not knowing how to implement dance whatsoever into the classroom to have a plethora of lessons and strategies.  It goes to show that keeping an open mind will allow for ideas to enter and be retained so when the time arises, they’ll be available.  Additionally I have a stronger appreciation for the different theories we’ve been learning about throughout this course and the implications it has with the curriculum. 

Curriculum Connections – Grade 7/8

The curriculum expectations for today’s lesson are as follows:

Dance

A1.2:  use dance as a language to communicate messages about themes of social justice and/or environmental health

Health

C2.3: Apply personal skills and interpersonal skills (e.g., self-awareness and self-management skills, including anger management; communication skills, including listening skills and assertiveness skills) to promote positive interaction and avoid or manage conflict in social situations

Guiding Theory

The guiding theory for today’s lesson has been used in other activities and is Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs.  The essence of this theory is to establish the foundations of the student’s physical ability before progressing to other needs.  If students have a physical limitation, then if the need is not met then their ability to perform successfully will be unlikely.  This is especially important for today’s inclusion of mental health to ensure every student has a strong foundation before potentially exacerbating the situation.

The Activity – Theme and Variation

This activity has similarities to the theme and variation in music in that it reflects on the previous movements but with some subtle differences.  Specifically, it is a choreographic form that starts with an original movement idea that is repeated with various modifications.  Different groups played the role of a bully and the victim, but demonstrated different movements based on their character.  Each member performed a similar movement but with some differences including energy and levels in order to differentiate between the movements.  What made the activity especially challenging was when one bully and one victim group were incorporated together but were required to strategically manoeuvre around each other so as to dance in unison.  It was a fun activity that demonstrated the importance of bully awareness and recognizing the effects it can have on someone.

Conclusion

This year has been nothing short of interesting and engaging.  This was a course that spawned different ideas that were all creative in their own way but promoted participation and cooperation among members.  This course has brought me back to the days of my childhood when dance was more prominent in my life and reminded me the importance of being able to express yourself.  I hope to continue putting forth what I learned from this course into my future endeavours in creating a colourful and welcoming classroom.