Due to COVID-19, teacher candidates in the 2019/20 Bachelor of Education program have had to quickly adapt their teaching and learning styles through the use of online platforms. We are showcasing some of the wonderful examples of projects created by them as part of the community field experience.
Alex Bleim Elementary & Middle Years (IB-PYP)
- What is the name of the community partner or group you are working with?
- Mulgrave Independent School and West Bay Elementary School
- What is your project’s subject area(s)?
- Physical Health Education – Dance
- Tell us about your project!
- The objective of my project was to provide a meaningful PHE resource for elementary school teachers. Through a series of dance lessons, students can participate in a dance unit remotely from home. The goal was to help increase physical activity during COVID-19, an unprecedented time where we must stay home. Through these series of videos, my goal was to bring joy and a sense of community to the students. Additionally, these videos can be saved and used for future years for any teacher who feels uncomfortable leading a dance unit.
Every video starts with a dance warm up, consisting of some light cardio and stretching. Next, in an effort to scaffold the routine, the video breaks down specific dance movements used in the lesson. The video concludes with a short piece of choreography. Each video builds upon the previous lesson. By the end of the 3 part series, students will have completed a one minute routine.
Prior to this program, I have been a professional dancer and dance teacher for the past 8 years. As alumni, I have be fortunate to guest teacher the PE Dance Unit at Mulgrave School. In March, they switched to an online learning platform. They reached out to me to see if I could provide a series of dance videos for grades 4, 5 and 7. I thought this was a great idea and was excited to challenge myself. I was curious to find out the differences between pre-recorded lessons and teaching in the studio. In order for this project to be beneficial to the community at large, I created a series of videos for elementary students of all ages.
I was happy to share this resource with my practicum school, West Bay Elementary. To my delight, the videos have been shared with the whole school community. I have thoroughly enjoyed watching the videos parents have shared of their child dancing.
- Did you face any particular challenges in the planning, making or delivery of this project?
- When Mulgrave reached out to me, they were hoping to start their dance unit within the next two weeks. I found the time frame challenging as I had chosen to create an ambitious number of videos. They also specifically requested the lessons to be roughly 30 mins in length. This was longer than I had originally planned. At first I tried to record the entire lesson in one take, however, I felt the pressure of the recording and made mistakes or forget my train of thought. I also felt weird talking to a camera. I wanted to be animated and engaging while staying authentic. In the end, I found it better to record the lesson in smaller chunks and edit the lessons together.
- How was the project received? Did anything surprise you about the outcome?
- I was pleasantly surprised by the amount of engagement with the videos! I am continuing to receive feedback from students of all ages. Many have said that prior to these videos, they felt uncomfortable dancing at all. However, because they were able to go at their own pace (pause and repeat sections of the video), as well as practice in the comfort of their own home, they enjoyed the process more than they expected. This was definitely a benefit of the online platform I wasn’t expecting. I also received a video of a parent doing the dance with their child which was lovely to see!
- Can you tell us about a highlight of creating this remote lesson plan?
- I had a lot of fun combining and sharing my passion for dance and education with the community at large. During the first few weeks of COVID-19, I personally felt anxious and out of control. Having a a project to work on helped me get through those first few weeks. It felt great to contribute positively to the community. I truly believe dance spreads joy and I’m so happy to see so many people using the videos.
- What media did you use to create your project?
- GarageBand, iMovie, Photobooth & YouTube
- Project Links
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K/1:
Grade 2/3:
Grade 4:
Grade 5/6:
Grade 7/8:
Music Files: