Dance Class Structure

[SDsalsaguy]

In a different thread the issue of class structure came up. What type of structure should classes have? Is it important to stick to a set “curriculum” or is adaptively more important? How important is it for the instructor to have a “lesson plan,” etc.?

[Swing Kitten]

I would say that would depend on the goals of the students in question... but erring on the side of sticking to what the class was advertised to teach.

I would say that beginning and intermediate teachers shouls probably have lesson plans while for advanced teachers this step is likely unnessesary while teaching familiar classes.

A good class structure in my opinion ties all of the information together in a relavant way. Teaching principles as well as how those principles are applied. It takes more than knowing a subject to teach it. It also takes forethought and organization to initially put it together.

[pygmalion]

Adaptability is a tough question for me. I used to attend a studio where all classes were adapted to the students in attendance. So, if the majority of people present were beginner students, every class became a beginner class. That was great for the beginners, but it became very frustrating for advanced students, who may have drive fifteen minutes to an hour for an advanced class, only to find at the last minute that it was actually a beginner class they were attending. Needless to say, given the proportion of beginner to advanced students, after a while, the advanced students stopped attending classes altogether. :?