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SPRING SEMESTER 2008

SIMON FRASER UNIVERSITY

EDUC 330-3

Movement Language Elements for Dance In Education

Danielle Vezina

Office: EDB

9501

Email: dsvezina(ãyahoo.com

Time: Monday 4:30-7:20PM

COURSE DESCRIPTION

This course is designed for people with or without dance training, who want to teach

dance in arts, P.E. classroom contexts, or integrate movement education within a wider

professional community. In this experiential class students will develop an understanding

of the movement concepts (action, space, time, force, and relationship), which are the

framework for making and teaching dance. This course will explore dance as a non

verbal and artistic language, and students will be introduced to the creative process

involved when using and teaching dance as an expressive art form. Opportunity will be

given to utilize the art of improvisation as a way of discovering movement language.

Opportunity will be given to incorporate dance movement in the various areas of

curriculum, as well as the centrality of movement to embodied curricular learning. Time

will be given to explore movement, create and perform, as well as observe and take part

in the work of others.

COURSE GOALS

1) For students to explore/become familiar with the elements of movement.

2)

For students to become familiar with the BC dance curriculum.

3)

For students to leave the course with teachable materials and strategies.

4)

For students to have experience in creating and performing.

5)

For students to develop a personal rational as to how/why dance should/should

not be included within the educational setting.

ASSIGNMENTS

(details

inside)

1. Attendance

5%

2. Participation

5%

3.

group dance (A) 10% (assessment is split three ways: peer evaluation/teacher

evaluation/intergroup dynamic evaluation)

4.

group dance (B) 20% (assessment of lesson plans leading to group dance)

5.

Draft of your final piece 20%

6. Reading Portfolio 10%

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7.

Performance attendance 10%

8. Final Dance presentation 20% (pass/fail)

REQUIRED READING

Gilbert, Anne

G.

Creative Dance for

All Ages.

National Dance Association: APHERD.

Courseware Package- available at SFU Bookstore- hopefully during the first week of

classes.

PLEASE COME TO CLASS PREPARED TO MOVE AND DANCE. This means that

you should be dressed appropriately. Wear clothes that do not restrict your range of

movement, and not so baggy that we can't see what it is you are doing.

ASSIGNMENTS

** This course requires ACTIVE participation, and strict regular attendance.

Failure to

attend class will result in a deduction of 5% per absence on your final grade. You

may miss one class without penalty.

Attendance

5%: Attending every class is mandatory and expected. If unable to

attend class- medical certificates will be required/ or exceptional circumstances

Participation

5%: Attending every class does not entitle a full 100% participation grade.

Participation requires that you actively take part in the class, that you are able to discuss

the readings when called on to do so. That you actively work with your classmates in a

cooperative manner. That you don't spend class time designated for working on your

final piece sitting on the floor 'discussing' your final piece. It also means that while

working in group that you can actively take part in the decision making process, that you

can both work in a group setting as leader, as well as follow the direction of others.

Active participation also requires that you challenge yourself to move beyond comfort

zones, so that you are able to try new ideas, generate new ways of moving, and build your

range of movement from week to week. Participation will be based on my own personal

observations.

Group Dance 10%

(two

parts)

Part

A Create and teach a group dance. The focus of the dance will be up to your group.

You can focus on PE skills, Fine arts skills, language arts, Science concepts etc....

1)

The educ 330 class will be divided into four groups. Each group will know

exactly how many students will be learning their dance.

2) On the presentation day each group will be given half the class time to teach their

dance to another group

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Evaluation for this assignment will be a combination of peer review as well as my own

review of the presentation/teaching/ and applicability of the dance. The group will also

have the opportunity to assess the participation of all group members individually. The

final individual grade for this will be based on 1/3 peer review, 1/3 my review, and 1/3

in-group review.

Part B 20%

The entire group will be responsible for puffing together

5

complete lesson

plans which support the knowledge and skills necessary for learning the material that is

presented in the dance piece. The format of the lesson plan will be as follows:

1. Lesson Plan title/focus

2. PLO'S (prescribed Learning Outcomes) see BC curriculum

3. warm up

4. exploring concept

5. developing skills

6.

creating

7. cooling down

** In your creative dance textbook on page 38 it gives a detailed explanation of what is

expected in each of these sections. You may use any exercises from your creative dance

textbook/and or/ you may create your own/or go to another source.

** * include a short rational for the dance (why do it? Why have students learn this

dance?) this should be no more than one page double spaced.

**** also include a written version of your dance/including counts if possible.

Once reviewed the lesson plans and dance will be made available to your peers/ these

materials should help to start you off with some materials that are ready to be brought

into your classrooms.

Assessment of this section will be done by myself. Details will be given out.

Draft of Final Dance Piece 20%

The draft will be a work in progress- the concept will be clear, and movement sequences

will be in the process of being developed. The draft is to be thought of like a sketch- all

parts will be visible- but still need some revision and development. A draft is not concept

only. The draft is due to be performed in front of me as well as peers. Please come

prepared. The closer your piece is to completion - the better your mark! This means it is

both worth time and effort to begin working on your piece as early as possible.

PEER REVIEW OF DRAFT

(FAILURE TO PROVIDE A WRITTEN REVIEW WILL

RESULT IN —10% OFF THE FINAL GRADE)

Each student will have the job of reviewing a Peers draft. The peer review will give the

performer some clear and useable feedback on how the piece is working, what needs

work, and what works well. This review should be an honest review that gives the

performer some feedback that is constructive, and supportive of the dancers initiative.

Two copies of the review should be made, one for the dancer, one for the instructor

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On the DAY that the drafts are due, each student will have the task of assessing a peers

draft. The assessment and comments that you prepare for your colleague will be turned

in to me the following week for me to review, and passed along to your colleague- to help

in their creative process.

Final Dance Piece 20% (Pass? Fail)

Choreograph an original dance piece- based on your improvisations and explorations of

conceptual and movement elements from this course. The dance can be performed by

yourself, or you can work in collaboration and dance with one other classmate. The

piece should be no longer than three minutes in length- no shorter than a minute and a

half.

Performance ATTENDANCE 10%

You will be required to attend one dance presentation- OUTSIDE OF CLASS TIME. For

the time it takes to attend the performance you will be credited by having the last class of

educ 330 cancelled. You must hand in your ticket stub for proof of attendance.

Readin g

Portfolio 10% (2 COMPONENTS)

1) each student will have a personalized file folder which I keep. To this file each student

is expected to hand in a reading log for all of the readings which come from the

courseware package. No reading log is required for the readings from the creative dance

textbook.

Your reading log will:

1)

summarize the key concepts of the reading. This should be done in one paragraph.

2)

Include three CRITICAL questions that you have with regard to the reading.

3)

Classroom or educational applicability ( how/why to apply the ideas within

education) One to three Paragraphs.

** These reading logs will not be graded individually- rather they will taken as a whole

as being 1) above standard, 2) meeting standards, or 3) not meeting standard =

5%

Related to your readings will be a personal short one page rational for the inclusion of

dance within education based on and supported by your readings =

5%.

This is to be

handed in on the second last day of class.