Teacher’s Week

July 2024

teacher’s week

This summer, Ballet Ireland’s Education Officer Stephen Brennan, will lead an intensive for Primary School Teachers.
This course has been approved by the Department of Education and brings an entitlement of 3 EPV days.

This unique course gives schoolteachers a secure understanding of how to teach dance, using simple, clear methods, easy steps, and straightforward dance vocabularies. Teachers are introduced to the fundamental aspects of dance education: the class structure, an understanding of anatomy in relation to dance, how music is used, composed, and selected for dance, and how dance relates to drama and narrative expression.

The week long programme includes learning from specialists in several complementary areas, providing workshops in dance, anatomy, music, and mime.

Dancing has an intrinsic appeal. It is an enjoyable, non-competitive, physical activity that can be creatively adapted to individual children’s abilities and interests. Creating work through dance and music is naturally engaging for all children and helps develop attentional focus and listening skills. Dancing enhances communication skills and offers unpressured opportunities for creative expression and leadership among children of all ages, experiences, and abilities.

WHERE

The summer course will take place at DCU St. Patrick’s Campus, Drumcondra, in association with the School for Arts Education and Movement, DCU.

WHO

All material covered in the summer course is suitable for primary school children of all ages, and for children with diverse abilities and experiences.

WHY

Teachers often cite lack of expertise or experience in teaching dance, though it is part of the curriculum, currently as part of the PE strand. It is largely included in the school curriculum for its quantifiable benefits in health and wellbeing rather than for its intrinsic artistic and expressive potential.

WHAT you will gain from the programme:

  • Confidence in teaching dance
  • Understanding of the structure of a dance-based class/workshop
  • A well-rounded understanding of the basic principles of dance technique
  • Knowledge of musical structure
  • Techniques in constructing simple ‘chains of movement’ and dances
  • Examples of how dance augments an integrated learning approach
  • Dance used as a means of expression, interpretation, and communication
  • An exciting and rewarding experience

 

Cost of the course: TBA

There are a limited number of places available.

For more information and to register, please email Education Officer, Stephen Brennan, with ‘Teacher Training’ in the subject line: [email protected]

 

 

It helped me to understand the benefits dance can offer a child’s whole development, in terms of physical development, gross and fine motor skills, overall co-ordination, concentration and memory skills and social-emotional development. Dance can hugely benefit a child holistically and understanding this made me feel more confident that teaching dance wasn’t simply a ‘fun’ or ‘frivolous’ treat lesson for a class, but a worthwhile endeavour

2021 Summer Course participant

Ballet Ireland
Ballet Ireland
Ballet Ireland
Ballet Ireland
Ballet Ireland

 

 

Teachers Week – Video

 

 

 

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