I must point out how much fun I had on Thursday doing the Flash Mob with all the Elementary TC’s. I was motivated by the instructor; she was so enthusiastic and encouraging, getting us to dance along with her, and to BE fun. I know at the begging I was very worried about other people looking at me and thinking I was dancing strange. But as it went on, I knew all of us were doing the same thing. We were all just letting loose, laughing and enjoying ourselves.
This inspired me to want to teach in a similar way as her, very motivating and encouraging. Being able to teach in a fun environment like we experience on Thursday was very beneficial. This type of environment allows people to learn easily, especially if they see the environment as being a safe and warm place. I was a little nervous thinking of myself trying to teach such a dance class when I am not a great dancer myself. But I remember seeing YouTube videos where they show the dance moves to popular songs. They show the movements, you just have to follow along on the screen with the music. These videos are only 3-4 minutes long, so they could be used as a brain break in the classroom, or you could bring this idea into the gym and have a full PE class of dancing along to these videos.
Get up and DANCE! YouTube Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FOeebil3eKY
Alana,
I totally agree with this! Our dance instructor was so energetic and she was fun! I had never thought about the idea of “being fun” instead of “having fun”! She really opened my eyes to a different perspective when it came to encouraging our students. She herself encompassed what teachers have to be; to be themselves. And while we may not all necessarily be that energetic or that enthusiastic on certain occasions, I think she modelled for us what it meant to just let loose sometimes and have fun with your students.
I also agree with dancing as an effective tool for brain breaks and Daily Physical Activities. YouTube can be such a great resource and I think we’re very fortunate in our generation of teachers to have been around when YouTube became established. We have an advantage of understanding it, having grown up with it. We can definitely use its plethora of videos for fun dancing and movement videos.
Hi Alana, I really enjoyed reading your post! I also really enjoyed the “flash mob”(I haven’t laughed like that since school started!). You were absolutely right, in the beginning I was really afraid people would judge my dancing, but the dance instructor made me feel so welcome that I was able to step outside my comfort zone and dance like “a zombie”. I especially love the end, when we high five 10 different people and told them they are amazing! I think not only do students need to hear compliments, but sometimes adults also need that! After the dance, I was trying figure out a way to bring dancing into my classroom. (possibly inviting that dance instructor to my class)