Professor: Susan McGreevy-Nichols

Tuition: $200 member / $275 non-member

4 Weeks; 1 NDEO-Endorsed PDC

This Mini Course explores some of the educational theories that dance educators apply in the classroom and studio. A working knowledge of this material allows students to develop a tool kit of teaching approaches, which serves the educational needs of the students in their studios and classrooms. Each theory is accompanied with specific applications, usable in all teaching environments. In succession, this course will explore the work of Muska Mosston's Spectrum of Teaching Styles, Bloom's Taxonomy, Arthur L. Costa and Bena Kallick's Habits of Mind, and Howard Gardner's Multiple Intelligences. 

No Book Required

Questions about this Course?  Email opdi@ndeo.org

"I was able to think about how a lot of the choices I'm making as an educator already align with education theory, but now I am able to see how and why and be more intentional about it in the future."

"I particularly liked interacting with my classmates through the discussion board. It was great to get feedback on my own teaching and get ideas and from others in the field. I felt very supported yet challenged throughout this course."

"I feel I benefited from this course in a number of ways--putting a name and context to processes I already use as a teacher, learning more ways to apply these processes through the course material and from other teachers taking the course, and focusing on processes used by both the teacher and the students. I really liked the combined theoretical/practical approach the course took--the theory on which each module centered, the practical applications I do use/could use as a teacher, and the theoretical/practical approaches taken by other students on the course."

"I explored different ways to teach some activities I was already teaching. I liked the fast paced timing. Short 4 weeks."

"This course has helped me be a better communicator to my students. Through the other teachers (who were learning with me) their input and ideas has helped me tremendously to create material for my classes."

"I did find myself approaching classes differently after the readings that were assigned in the class. Many of the topics covered are things I talk about with colleagues, so it was nice to have solid proof of my musings!"

Susan McGreevy-Nichols, is Executive Director of the National Dance Education Organization and a national arts education consultant. Susan provides professional development in assisting teachers in designing and documenting student work that meets standards and in helping teaching artists understand educational reform efforts and how to make their work in schools more relevant to reform. She coaches districts in Los Angeles County as part of the Arts for All initiative and in Northern California in Alameda County as a part of the county’s initiative Revitalizing Classrooms Through Arts Learning: Strategic Plan. These initiatives provide strategic planning, technical support, curriculum development, assessments, survey development, and data collection. She supports districts in identifying local advocates and strategies for providing equity and access to the arts. Susan founded and directed the dance program at the renowned Roger Williams Middle School in Providence, Rhode Island from 1974-2002. Every student at the school participated in a program that treated dance as a core subject and emphasized the creating, performing and responding processes as they link to the arts and other disciplines. She is the developer of a cutting edge reading comprehension strategy that uses text as inspiration for original choreography created by children. In 1995, Susan was honored as the National Dance Teacher of the Year. Susan co-founded the Professional Development Institute (PDI), a partnership with Rhode Island College that offered teachers the dance education course work needed to obtain state dance certification. She also collaborated on developing and coordinating Alameda County’s Arts Integration Specialist Program (CA). Susan is the co-author of five books: Building Dances(1995), Building More Dances (2001), Experiencing Dance (2004), Dance About Anything (2006) and Exploring Dance Forms and Styles (2010). Susan teaches OPDI-112: Implementing the New National Core Dance Standards, OPDI-M1: Pedagogy - Learning Styles and Theories, OPDI-M3: Assessment Concepts, OPDI-M8: Designing Model Cornerstone Assessments.

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