Learning and Teaching Strategies

Last night I went to my third Cha Cha lesson with my boyfriend. I love dancing, moving with the music, feeling so graceful and expressive. I really could get lost on the dance floor in my own imagination!

Pedagogically speaking, though, teaching any skill...dance, piano, violin, voice...is basically the same.
#1 The teacher must be able to model the skill for the visual learner.
#2 The teacher must draw from the students' prior knowledge to talk them through each step.
#3 The teacher must watch students' attempt and be able to identify and fix the problems.
Often in my classroom I find myself rushing through #3, and it is the most essential because it is where the student shows what he or she is learning.

Last night I got frustrated because I couldn't get a particular step, so I slowed it down and watched my feet carefully until I diagnosed the problem and was able to correct it. The most difficult thing, emotionally, is not to get embarassed that I can't get it right! Those two self-teaching skills are the weakness of most of my students today, and they are skills that can only be learned through the process of failure and success. Today, in our schools, teachers are forced to be so focused on the goal (raise test scores, get an A, memorize facts) that the process is overlooked. Learning is a journey, and mistakes are expected! It's how we teach our students to handle those mistakes that can change the future.